Tuesday, March 01, 2022

Iraq snapshot

Tuesday, March 1, 2022.  If only MINT PRESS NEWS was worthy of Alan Macleod's reporting and other sad tales of the same media constructs trying to pass themselves off as "new."



The late Nanci griffith performing her song "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" which first appears on her studio album STORMS.  And it's true.  A neo Nazi regime has the corporate media's sympathies and that about says ti all.


Well not uite.


Not sure why Alan Macleod -- a strong writer -- thinks he has any place to call Tucker Carlson out?  I'm confused.  Alan writes for MINT PRESS NEWS.  They feature this video.



"A really great guest.  Someone who knows what war is.  Who has been in war."  Oh, Scott knows much more than that, Dan.  Why be so modest?


Dan Cohen, maybe the firt thing to do is to get honest with your viewers?


Scott Ritter has been arrested multiple times for attempting to have sex with underage girls.  When Bully Boy Bush occupied the White House,, the claim was that this was all political and it was Republicans going after Scott.  Then he got arrested after Barack Obama was president.  And this time, he wasn't given a plea deal or a slap on the writst.  This time, he went on trial and was convicted for his actions.  He's a registered sex criminal.


And you're not telling people that, Dan?


And Alan youre off on Tucker Carlson when your own outlet is promoting Scott without noting that he's a sex offender?


Is Scott such an important voice and analyst that we need him in public disccusion?  I'm not seeing it.  But I can be wrong.


We've included the video.  We've also included reality: That he's been arrested multiple times for attempting to engage in sex with underage girls.  That he was convicted of that -- and cried in court as he admitted he did it -- and was sentenced and sent to prison for it.


Apparently, MINT NEWS PRESS doesn't give two s**ts about the safety of young girls.


Big surprise -- that's sarcasm.  There's nothing at their website that indicates that they value women.  They're like so many 'left' sites in the '00s who don't get caught in 'idnetity politics' -- their excuse for ignoring the rights of women and girls and for ingoring racism.  


Alan's  a good writer.  But he looks like a hypocrite as he goes after Tucker Carlson while his own site promotes Scott Ritter.


They don't warn anyone.  And any 14 year old girl that Scott targets next who knows of Scott from MINT PRESS NEWS -- and only from MINT PRESS NEWS -- just knows that he's someone to be 'trusted' per MPN.  


Long ago I made the proposal that Scott Ritter should come with a warning lable.  Arianna took that over to her own site and then tried to apply it to Republicans running for office.  


This was not about political differences between myself and Scott Ritter.  This is about him being a convicted sex offender who has a history of attempting to have sex with underage girls.  I have no idea why his wife stayed with him.  I don't care, honestly.  But even before the conviction, we told the truth about Scott.  We did that because a CNN friend -- who was against the Iraq War, by the way -- warned me.  I was told that there were two arrests.  Unlike Sy Hersh, we told the truth and walked away.  


I don't like him.  I don't like anyone who tries to prey on children.  


Does he have anything of value to add to the discussion.  I'm not hearing it in the video above.  Maybe you are.  But we noted what he was convicted of and we provided the needed public warning.


MPN hasn't.  


Before he was arrested the last time (and convicted) we called out a number of outlets for promoting Scott and acting irresponsible.  It is irresponsible to promote him without nting what he is -- someone convicted of attempting to prey on children.  


We noted that Ktrina vanden Huevel, Amy Goodman and all the rest were proving just how little they gave a damn about young girls.  Katrina eventually dropped him at THE NATION.  Not because of what we were saying but because what we were saying was hurting her in newsrooms and limitng her media appearances.  She wanted her TV time and she knews she wasn't getting it and why.  


And now it' hilarious to watch her try to work 'littl emedia' after big media got done with her.  See her on Katie Halper because Katie wants to promote the Council of and for Foreign Relations?  Is that it, Katie?  Do you even know who you bring on?  Do you even know that Ava and I tracked Katty's record at THE NATION and saw her publis 149 female bylines in the same year she published 491 male bylines?  Does that count as equality to you, Katie?  I'm confused what it is that you think Katrina has to offer to the conversation?


Maybe it's her skin color/  Maybe you don't feel that you have enough White people on your show and bringing on Katrina lets you reach 99%.  I'm nost sure.  


But Katty Van Van burned her bridges at ABC -- viewers didn't like her and THIS WEEK producers and crew found her problematic and dictatorial   I dug a few inches of her grave, yes, but I didn't dig the grave by myself.  She's done.  And so now she wants to be on emerging media and Katie's either a whore or stupid and wants to promote her.  


I think Katie needs to figure out where she stands.  I support war resisters, for example.  Katty Van Van doesn't and saw to it that they were not covered by THE NATION.  


I support artists.  Katty is rich because her grandfather exploited them -- especially artis of color.  She's also rich because she refused to pay the required taxes and took the matter to court.  Remember that when she's playing her just-folks-Katty. 


Katrina's led on nothing.  She betryaed her own husband during Russiagate.  Had to appear neutral.  Excuse me "HAT TO APPEAR NEUTRAL!"  That's what Stephen yelled in disbelief over the phone at me.  He was furious and rightly so.  Aaron Mate sucks up to her because she published his writings.


Of course she did.  He has a penis.  She's never had a problem publishing men.  She's never had a problem discriiminating against women.


So excuse the f**k out of me, Katie halper, if I'm appalled by your deicsision to promote her.  There are qualified guest sho have something to offer.  Katrina has vague, pie-in-the-sky pronouncements.  Nothing more.


I've streamed the video with Scott.  I don't see the point of bringing him on.  I wonder if all these people bringing on Katty and Scotty took the time to bring on, for example, Ajamu Baraka, if the world might move towards a better place?


Thing is, the way things are going right now, we'll never know.  


The people who say they want to change the system, the podcasters and the YOUTUBErs -- are simply recreating the same discriminating world and they're either too damn dumb to notice or they really don't care.


Alan, you're a great writer.  But before you pick on Tucker Carlson again (I pick on him all the time and have for years -- check out what Ava and I have written at THIRD -- most recently about his nipple obsession), ask your outlet why it is that they have a convicted felon on, someone who remains a threat to girls, and they don't feel the need to air a warning?


Again, there's a reason we don't live in a better world.


Racism was on full display in the coverage of Ukraine.  We called it out Saturday and Monday.  


Richard Medhurst did an excellent commentary on it below.



Where are the others?


Katie?  Bri-Bri?  Marianne?  Gilligang?


The news personalities got away with their on air racism because to the people thty ewere talking to, it was normal and acceptable.  And we see that on YOUTUBE as people rush to ignore what happened.


The racism alone is frightening.  But there's also the fact, that as we have repeatedly noted, the western coverag of Iraq left out so much.  Now we know why.  The people the corporations had covering Iraq saw the people as less-than.  They weren't real people.  Not to the western press.  They were, apparently, 'savages' like in the DISNEY 'kid's musical' POCAHONTAS.  


The Iraqi people have never gotten their due from the western press and now we have a good reason why that's the case: Racism.  


Marianne Williamson knows all about racism.  After all, it was racism that led her to bring on non-AFghans to address AFghanistan.  Remember that show?  SHe brought on a woman from the US who ivnaded Afghanistan.  All these years later, it was still too much for Marianne to allow the Afghan people to tell their own story.  Instead, she needed someone who invaded tehir country -- some dumb bitch who thought she had a right to speak for the Afghan people.  Racism is the term for what you did Marianne.  You owe everyone an apology.  


Self-dterimination and democracy are just buzz words for the 'little media' which doesn't care about the principles involved anymore than corporate media does to judge by their own actions.


The US government installed neo-Nazis in the government of Ukraine.  It's ab asic fact.  But it's one everyone works overtime to avoid.


That's not me saying that the people are all Nazis.  They're not.  But the ones in charge are, the ones that the corpoarte media is backing and that's because the corporate media is ab unch of Nazis as well.  When CBS refuses to fire a staff member who makes racist statements on air?  They're making clear that they agree with those statements.  They're saying those statements are their own belief.  And suddenly you understand why the same press obsessed with blone hair and blue eyes -- as another one of the corporate press said on air -- is bacing neo-Nazis.  Hilter was also obsessed with blue eyes and blond hair, he just used terms like "Ayran."


It was a very revealing moments, watching the press speak its mind over the weekend.


The second revealing moment?  Watching so many in 'independent' media feel that this was nothing to comment on.  Oh well, maybe Bri-Bri and Katie and Mariane can drive tehir Carava of the Useless onto another fundraiser for politicians.  Hey, the ones that they promoted last time failed you but send moneyt his time because the gals want you to.


Big news out of Iraq today.  No, the political stalemate has not ended.  Elections were held October 10th.  Still no president, still no prime minister.  The Parliament is currently in violation of the country's Constitution, having missedt he last day possible by which they should declare a president.


The court declred that Hoshyar Zebari couldn't run for president.  Everyone rushed to make up a new list of presidential candidates.  And? Dilan Sirwan (RUDAW) reports the latest:


Iraq's Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the parliament's decision to re-open registration of presidency candidates as "unconstitutional".

The decision came following a closed hearing by the court which no media was allowed to attend. The court's session came after the case was adjourned on February 23.

The session reviewed the Iraqi parliament's decision to reopen the registration for presidential candidates after the parliament failed to meet quorum to elect a president last month.

The parliamentary speaker announced the reopening of registration for presidential candidates on February 8, as the legislature failed to vote in a new president a day earlier due to the absence of prominent parties.

The court set the grounds for its decision on the fact that "there is no constitutional or legal text giving the Parliamentary speaker the power to reopen the registration of candidates," Iraqi state media reported, adding that the possibility of once again re-opening registrations would be in accordance to a decision from the parliament, and not the speaker alone.



,Basim Khashan filed the motion that led to this verdict.  He's an MP whom the press idnentifies as independent but he teamed with Mahmoud al-Mashhadani back in January to try to remove the Speaker of Parliament.  Back then, Arabic social media was noting his close ties to Nouri al-Maliki.  Who?  You know, the former prime minister and forever thug that has worked hard to defeat 'king maker' Moqtada al-Sadr in the post-election period.  Blood in the water these days.  Enough to make the sharks circle Moqtada?  Maybe not yet but Nouri keeps delivering body blows to Moqtada and is making Moqtada look dumb, unskilled and inept.  How long do you think Moqtada can keep his exasperated coaltion together?  Clearly, Nouri thinks he can exhaust them.


Never forget that in 2010, Nouri lost the election.  But he refused to step down as prime minister.  For oever eight months, he refused to step down.  And then Joe Biden, on behalf of the US government, oversaw The Erbil Agreement that gave loser Nouri a second term.  Moqtada may not grasp it but the press should -- Nouri fights a long and slow war of attrition.


The following sites updated:




The following sites updated: