Thursday, October 27, 2022

Iraq snapshot

Thursday, October 27, 2022.  A lot of silence . . . 



We're going to start with an important event that we also noted yesterday.  





The Congressional Progressive Caucus on Tuesday withdrew a letter that mildly expressed support for diplomatic negotiations to end Russia's war on Ukraine as the document's 30 signatories faced a torrent of criticism and hysterical backlash from fellow Democrats, party leaders, and pundits on social media.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the CPC, said in a statement that the letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden "was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting"—a line that was widely seen as Jayapal throwing her staff under the bus.

"As chair of the caucus, I accept responsibility for this," she added. "Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over."

"The proximity of these statements," the CPC leader said, "created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian forces."

Jayapal said that narrative—peddled by one Democratic leader who Politico granted anonymity to slime their colleagues as Putin apologists—could not be "further from the truth."

"Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory," Jayapal continued. "The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians' just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter."

[, , ,]

Late Monday, in the face of growing backlash, Jayapal issued a statement purportedly aimed at "clarifying the position" of the letter, which was endorsed by a number of peace groups including Just Foreign Policy, Win Without War, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

"Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support," Jayapal said. "Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives—but it is just one tool."

Erik Sperling, the executive director of Just Foreign Policy, told The Intercept Monday night that "the shrill response to this utterly moderate letter exposes that war proponents are scared of an open debate about the range of potential approaches to address this escalating conflict."


Jayapal's an idiot -- Mike named her Idiot of the Week -- and there's a lot of stupidity at play here so its hard to know where to start.

But to start anything, you have to know -- so let's start there.  Yesterday, we noted WSWS's article on this.  Today, we note COMMON DREAMS.  And?

THE PROGRESSIVE should just fold shop.  It should just shutter its doors.  It claims to be:  "A voice for peace, social justice and common good."  Yet if you read it in the last years, that really comes across like a punch line, doesn't it?  They haven't stood for peace -- or anything -- in forever.  They're so fluffy that they make IN STYLE look like an investigate outlet.  They always have time to rot your brain, but THE PROGRESSIVE has no time to deal with reality and what happened is reality.

THE NATION?


Joan Walsh offers "DO WE REALLY HAVE TO CARE ABOUT MISERABLE WHITE PEOPLE?"  No, Joan, we don't have to care one bit about you.   Geoffrey Marx, apparently believing he was contributing to THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, hands in "I WANTED A BOYFRIEND.  MY LIFE COACH TOLD ME TO BECOME A COMMODITY."  Hairball Dave Zirin jerks off to "Is Portland About to Have Two Supporter-Owned Soccer Teams?" -- the universal answer being, of course, come a nuclear war, Dave's scribbles will come off even worse.  John Nichols lands yet again on his knees in front of the DC, fully ready to demonstrate that he has no gag response with his usual nonsense that has no weight or meaning.  

This was an important moment, The Fraud Squad backing down yet again.

This was an instructive moment.

But you don't know about it if people don't cover it.

THE PROGRESSIVE, THE NATION, IN THESE TIMES and COUNTERPUNCH have elected to ignore it.  

Why?

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Voting matters!!!!

Not if you don't hold politicians accountable.  Not if you just vote and then go silent.

Which is what political parties want.  It's natural, they need your vote.  That's all they want.  Then leave them alone and let them do the job they mistakenly believe that they're smart enough to do all on their own.

They need to be called out and they need to know that this is not acceptable.

We're getting closer to the brink of nuclear war, this is not acceptable.

And it is not acceptable that supposed 'independent' media like THE NATION, et al can't cover this as the big story that it is.

JACOBIN's worthless.  They won't cover it.  They've pimped this war all along.  Just like some on the 'socialist' left pimped the Iraq War.  A friend pimped it, self-identified as a Socialist.  I told her it was the worst mistake of her life.  She's had some fawning since her death but no real scholarly piece.  When that day comes or when a biography is written about her that her daughter doesn't screen, they'll have to deal with her stupidity of calling for the Iraq War.

Ukraine is popular with the Bette Midler crowd on Twitter.

It's not popular with the American people.

The letter the Fraud Squad issued was weak.  But it was also stupid.  In terms of being stupid, the most ignorant part was leaving out the financial cost.  Over $65 billion already pledged, another $50 billion about to be.  The American people do not like that.  As the country suffers from inflation and you can honestly spent $100 at a grocery store and leave with only two bags (as e-mails to the public account continue to note), the American people are tired of billions going overseas.

Many remember that Barack Obama, when he was president, talked of how Ukraine really wasn't an American issue, didn't have impact on this country.

It's a war of choice.  We don't need to be involved.  And considering the regime in Ukraine is racist and neo-nazi, we shouldn't be giving them a dime.  

Nor should we have instigated this conflict, but we did.

In one year, our politicians are willing to give over $110 billion to Urkaine?

While we suffer at home?

Progressive caucus, that was the first point you should have made.

The stupidity is all around.  

The only thing more shameful is the silence.


Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia Al Sudani is expected to submit his Cabinet list to Parliament on Thursday for approval, as squabbles over government posts continue between political parties.

If approved, it will end the longest political deadlock over the formation a new government in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime.

At its height, that stalemate turned bloody when clashes broke out between Shiite militias in Baghdad's Green Zone, the heart of government that contains Parliament and foreign embassies. Dozens of people were killed and wounded.


BROS is streaming in the US and playing around the world.  





There's been a non-stop, right-wing attack on the film in the US and it's an attack on LGBTQ+.  You could help prove them wrong by seeing the film.  We'll be writing about that at THIRD so I'll just leave it at that for right now.


Let's wind down with this from MS. MAGAZINE:

 



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