Friday, October 16, 2009

3 Americans still held in Iran

In July, three American citizens visiting Iraq allegedly crossed into Iran while they were allegedly hiking. They have been held by Iranian authorities ever since: Shane Bauer, Joshua Fattal and Sarah Shourd. Mary Snow (CNN) reports:

The mothers have put their lives on hold to get them freed.
"We are missing our kids very much," says Fattal.
Hickey adds, "We're moms, these are our kids ... We have to be strong, we have to be grounded, and we have to do what needs to be done."
The women decided what needed to be done was make a direct appeal through the Iranian mission in New York. To do that, they printed out petitions containing 2,500 signatures.
On the eve of delivering them, they worked in their room with boxes sprawled out on a bed as they stacked the petitions inside of them. They recognize names from preschool carpools and baby-sitting co-ops.

That's Cindy Hickey, Laura Fattal and Nora Shourd. Michael Matza (Philadelphia Inquirer) notes they delivered the petition to the UN's Iran mission yesterday.

San Antonio Express-News reports that St. Anthony Catholic High School is retiring jersey number 87 this Saturday in honor of alumni Stephen Perez who died April 13, 2006 while serving in Iraq. There will be a ceremony honoring the Marine at 2:15 in the afternoon before the Yellow Jackets' homecoming game.

Andrew Ramonas (Main Justice) notes that Stan Harris, acting US Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, deploys to Iraq next week as part of the 155th Brigade Combat Team of Mississippi's Army National Guard. And Mike Francis (The Oregonian) reports on service members returning to Iraq after a brief -- very brief -- leave:

"We're sorry to have to bring you back, but hopefully we'll see you on another one of our flights real soon, when you're coming home for good."
Almost everyone on this flight wears Danner boots and the olive digital camouflage of the U.S. Army (though a few sailors and Marines are also on board, wearing sand-colored camouflage.) Among them are a handful of soldiers of the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, returning to duty in Iraq after 15 days at home. They're not yet back on duty, but they're in deployment mode. They assemble when somebody with an air of authority orders it, they produce their badges when asked, and they hoist their duffle bags and file down the hallways on command.
For Staff Sgt. Rod Widows, 42, of Sherwood, leave ended Monday "when I checked in in Dallas." That's when, he says, "you relinquish control of your life and do what the Army tells you to do."

Kathlyn Stone (Flesh and Stone) observes:

On Blog Action Day ’09: Climate Change Flesh and Stone wishes to draw attention to the water crisis in Iraq and how climate change is adding to worries over Iraq’s future water supplies.
In a column headed Iraq and Climate Change Michael T. Klare, professor of peace and world-security studies at Hampshire College and the author of "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy," wrote that "the war itself is producing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases."
Many argue that America's preoccupation with Iraq has always been about that nation's ample oil reserves and America's future energy security.
What's that have to do with Iraq’s future water security?

This is the second Blog Action Day. At Third, we covered last year's Blog Action Day in "Blog Action What?". This year? It came and went and we didn't even know it.

Like Kat, I've been asked to note the following:

An Evening with Janis Ian

Thursday, October 22, 2009

6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Click Graphic to Purchase Tickets

Back to Calendar
An Evening with Janis Ian
Thursday, October 22, 2009
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Click Graphic to Purchase Tickets

Janis Ian live is a great concert and she doesn't get to the D-FW area that often. On top of a wonderful show, it's also for a good charity. So you get to see an artist at the top of her game blow your socks off and know that you're money is going to a worthy cause. That's next Thursday.

The following community sites updated last night (plus Elaine who updated Wednesday):