Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Court-martial, press conference, Iraq

England's Daily Mail reports on a court-martial taking place in Georgia with Army Sgt Joseph Bozicevich accused of killing two US soldiers -- Staff Sgt Darris Dawson and Sgt Wesley Durbin -- in cold blood while he claims self-defense. It's agreed that he was being criticized for his performance (though the accused questions the accuracy of the criticism) and after that? The Associated Press adds that the accused is stating he was threatened by "The Black Masons," that the deceased admitted they were masons and claimed they could get away with killing him as a result. The defense is offering Dr. Thomas Greiger as a witness to speak about the accused's delusions.

Today in DC, Senator Patty Murray and others will be holding a press conference addressing veterans' employment issues:

(Washington, D.C.) -- On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, will hold a press conference with co-sponsors of the bill, veterans struggling to find work, and veterans service organizations to discuss aggressive new legislation to address rising unemployment among our nation's veterans. Senator Murray's bill, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, is the first of its kind to require broad job skills training for all service members returning home and comes at a time when more than one in four veterans aged 18-24 are unemployed. In addition to providing new job skills training to all service members, the bill will also create new direct federal hiring authority so that more service members have jobs waiting for them the day they leave the military, and will improve veteran mentorship programs in the working world. For more information on the bill visit HERE.

WHO: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Patty Murray

U.S. Senator Jon Tester

U.S. Senator Mark Begich

U.S. Senator Chris Coons

Eric Smith, Unemployed Iraq War Veteran, Baltimore, MD

Also represented at the event:

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

WHAT: Press Conference Introducing the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011

WHEN: Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

11:00 AM EST

WHERE: Senate Swamp -- Outdoor press area located on the Senate side of the Capitol Complex across from the East stairs -- SEE MAP - HERE

Note for press -- there is power access at this site and the Capitol will be the backdrop.

Matt McAlvanah

Communications Director

U.S. Senator Patty Murray

202-224-2834 - press office

202--224-0228 - direct

matt_mcalvanah@murray.senate.gov

News Releases | Economic Resource Center | E-Mail Updates


Ben Lando's bylines are many and include the Wall St. Journal and UPI. He primarly reports at his own Iraq Oil Report. At WMUK, Gordon Evans interviews him. Excerpt:

Gordon Evans: Two years ago a Kalamazoo native launched a website dedicated to reporting on Iraq, specifically how the oil sector affects politics the economy and security. Ben Lando began his journalism career in his hometown, working for, among others, WMUK. Two years ago, he moved to Baghdad and launched Iraq Oil Report.com. Recently, he appeared on the Fox News Channel to weigh in on Donald Trump's comments that oil from Iraq could be help address rising gasoline prices in the United States.


Ben Lando: . . . and the fact that Donald Trump shows that he really does not know too much about Iraq.

Gordon Evans: Last week, I spoke with Ben Lando and one of his colleagues who asked to be identified only as "Ali." Without rehashing that whole argument, I just want to know if what you said about Donald Trump could apply to many other Americans as well? That they just don't know very much about what's going on there?

Ben Lando: I think that the understanding of Iraq, I think that the history of Iraq and even the social make up of Iraq was missing and that's evident in the planning for and the execution of the occupation of the country. I mean it was clear that the US government didn't -- didn't understand the tribal make up and all these different factors that make a very complex and extremely historic society that goes back to, legend has it that the Garden of Eden -- And we're going to, here's this the democratic model and you're going to be successful and in the middle of the Middle East. So I think it's clear that the US' lack of understanding about Iraq, we as journalists, I think we try our best, sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't, in explaining what's happening in the country [. . .]


The following community sites -- plus Antiwar.com, War News Radio, On The Wilder Side and NYT's At War -- updated last night and this morning:



Monday, we gladly noted Noam Chomsky's brief piece entitled "My Reaction to Osama bin Laden's Death" (ICH). And how good is it? Immediately savaged at the Wall St. Journal website. Sean Kirst (Post-Standard) reports:

Once bin Laden died, Chomsky wrote what he calls a “form letter” to sum up his reaction. The short essay quickly made its way to the Internet. It set off a furious reaction that Chomsky referred to as “mostly hysteria” in Western nations, although he said he received thanks from other parts of the world.

In the essay, Chomsky described the action against bin Laden as “a planned assassination.” He accused President Obama of “simply lying” when he said investigators established years ago that al-Qaida carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. He said the destruction of the war in Iraq, brought about by former President Bush, consisted of criminal acts that “vastly exceed” those of bin Laden. He asked how Americans would react if commandos from Iraq flew into Texas, shot Bush and dumped his body in the ocean.

Tonight, Chomsky brings those views to Nottingham High School in Syracuse.

The article went up Tuesday night, the event is tonight (Wednesday).

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.













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