The Common Ills: Nouri's criminal ways

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Nouri's criminal ways

Moni Basu, Hamdi Alkhshali, Holly Yan and Chelsea J. Carter (CNN) report, "Four rockets fired from Syria landed across the Iraqi border in the town of al-Qaim, Iraqi Interior Ministry officials said Saturday. The rockets fell on a residential area, killing a 4-year-old girl." Patrick Markey, Ahmed Rasheed, Barry Malone and Robin Pomeroy (Reuters) quote the girl's father Firas Attallah stating, "She was sitting on my lap just before we heard the rocket. I knew she was dead immediately after the explosion. " KUNA quotes Adnan al-Asadi, undesecretary at Ministry of the Interior, stating that Iraq "condemns the criminal act against the people of Al-Qa'em area in the city of Al-Ramadi, when four rockets fired from the Syrian side fell in the area which killed and injured some of our citizens. Iraq has a neutral position of the Syrian crisis and our forces will be ready to retaliate in case such operation is repeated." Along with the young girl that was killed, three more of her relatives were injured.

That wasn't the only violence. Xinhua reports, "At least 30 people were wounded Saturday in a series of bomb attacks in the city of Baquba, the capital of Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a provincial police source said." Alsumaria adds that ten people were injured by a Baji car bombing, seventeen soldiers were injured in a Tikrit assault, a Falluja attack left 1 police captain dead and the corpse of 1 police officer was found dumped on the road in Nineveh Province. All Iraq News adds a Ramadi roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 woman.

In other violence, Middle East Online notes, "Owners and employees at Baghdad nightclubs and bars voiced frustration on Wednesday after their establishments were raided by troops who allegedly beat customers and staff a day earlier. The raids, the first of their kind in several months, come as the Iraqi capital takes tentative steps to emerge from years of conflict and violence, with a limited nightlife having slowly returned." From Wednesday's snapshot:

In other violence, Alsumaria reports that armed forces in police uniforms attacked various social clubs in Baghdad yesterday, beating various people and firing guns in the air. They swarmed clubs and refused to allow anyone to leave but did make time to beat people with the butss of their rifles and pistols, they then destroyed the clubs. AFP adds, "Special forces units carried out near-simultaneous raids at around 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Tuesday 'at dozens of nightclubs in Karrada and Arasat, and beat up customers with the butts of their guns and batons,' said an interior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Artists who were performing at the clubs were also beaten,' the official said." The assaults were ordered by an official who reports only to Nouri al-Maliki. In related news the Great Iraqi Revolution posted video Friday of other attacks on Iraqi civilians by security forces and noted, "Very important :: a leaked video show Iraqi commandos during a raid to Baaj village and the arrest of all the young men in the village .they threatened the ppl of the village they will make them another Fallujah and they do not mind arresting all village's men and leave only women . they kept detainees in a school, and beating them, u can see they burned a car of one of the citizens"

And from Thursday's snapshot:

Alsumaria notes that Iraqiya, led by Ayad Allawi, has called out the assault on the social clubs and states that it is violation of the Constitution as well as basic human rights. Iraqiya spokesperson Maysoun al-Damalouji called on the security forces to respect the rights of the citizens. Tamim al-Jubouri (Al Mada) adds that the forces working for Nouri attacked many clubs including Club Orient which was established in 1944 and that the patrons including Chrisitans who were surprised Tuesday night when Nouri's forces entered and began breaking furniture, beat patrons and employees and stole booze, cell phones and clothing. So they're not only bullies, they're also theives. Kitabat notes that the people were attacked with batons and gun butts including a number of musicians who were performing live in the club including singer Hussein Basri. Alsumaria adds that the Baghdad Provincial Council states that they were not informed of the assaults on social clubs.

Today, Al Mada attempts to make sense of the confusing stories. Follow if you can. Nouri's spoksesperson maintained Thursday that these actions were done to carry out a court order. The Iraqi Supreme Court today denied such an order. If such an order would have been issued, it would make sense to use the police. Of course Baghdad Province was never informed of the raids so that left them and their forces out. The Ministry of the Interior announces they knew nothing of the raids until the news covered it and that their forces did not take part in the raids. (The last part is true, the forces that conducted the attack are directly under Nouri.)   An unnamded, high-ranking Ministry of the Interior source states that the order was from Nouri and Nouri alone, that he issued the order and based it upon his role as commander-in-chief (demonstrating that there are a great many dumb asses who don't understand that commander-in-chief has nothing to do with civilian life -- dumb asses in the US as well as Iraq).

It's interesting what those close to Nouri do, isn't it? And how they get away with it? Al Mada reports that the assassinated journalist and civil rights activist Hadi al-Mahdi was threatened by those "close to al-Maliki" prior to being assassinated last year.   They also report that the investiation into the assassination isn't ongoing but was quickly closed on Nouri's orders according to an Iraqi MP.   It's known by the official Commisson of Inquiry that Hadi received threatening phone calls on his cell phone.   They elected to ignore that and close the case. The MP isn't nameless. She's a member of Iraqiya, in fact, she's one of their spokesperson's. Maysoon al-Damluji made these remarks on the record. Guess who else is on the record? a member of the Baghdad Provincial Counil, Mohammed al-Rubaie.

That's what the US government still does, no change from Bush, they back and hold hands with devils who kill their own people, who think nothing of assassinating a journalist in his home. Next time the DC press corps gets in bed with Barack, they might want to check for crabs or a social disease because there's nothing noble about Barack Obama. He's just the latest crook in a long line of crooks who prop up despots who harm their own people.

I can't imagine anyone worse than Nouri leading Iraq -- I'm sure there's someone in the country now who must be worse -- and this is who Barack has backed for four years now. This is Barack's buddy. Nouri didn't win in 2010 but damned if Barack wasn't willing to break the Iraqi Constitution for Nouri, damned if he wasn't willing to spit on a potential democracy by instead ignoring the votes, and damned if he wasn't more than inclined to piss on the Iraqi people who braved great violence to go the polls and ask for actual change only to discover that everything stayed the same.

Nouri may think he got away with the murder of Hadi but he didn't. And bit by bit, like the current problems one of his daughter's having (the press doesn't know this little scandal yet), everything he has will fade or be torn from him. The universe has its own way of meting out justice.

Kersten Knipp (DW) reports on how bad things are for the Iraqi people:

Though the oil industry accounts for over 90 percent of Iraq's income, it provides few opportunities for Iraqis themselves, since it employs barely one percent of the Iraqi workforce. Agriculture comprises a disproportionate sector of the Iraqi economy - supplying a fifth of all Iraqis with a living, but only four percent of the gross domestic product, leaving those who depend on it in relative poverty.
And the Iraqi private sector has developed much less than had been hoped. The country is struggling with widespread poverty, an employment rate of 18 percent, rising illiteracy, and above all rampant corruption. And state institutions are far from adequately established.

Alsumaria notes that Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi declared that the security situation is out of control, the public services are declining, poverty and unemployment are increasing and the amnesty law remains stalled. He is calling for action to address the needs of the people and safety. He made those remarks at a press conference today and Al Mada notes the remarks and that he's sent letters to the leaders of the political blocs. Iraqiya came in first in the March 2010 elections. That result was overturned by the US White House -- no, that's not allowed in the Iraqi Constitution. Maybe that will be addressed one day when Iraq becomes an independent country? Al Mada also notes that Kurdistan Alliance MP Chaun Mohammed Taha has declared that State of Law has no intention to resolve the current political crisis. Based on Nouri's record, Taha would be right.

WMC Live with Robin Morgan broadcast a new show on Sunday, "Dr. Cristina Azocar on media images of Native Americans, Judy Norsigian on the Our Bodies Our Votes Campaign, Brenda Berkman remembers overlooked women firefighters of 9/11, Diala Shamas exposes 9/11’s ongoing fallout on Muslim American women."
The following community sites -- plus Tavis Smiley, Cindy Sheehan, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Susan's On the Edge, the Guardian, PRI, and On The Wilder Side -- updated last night and today: