The Common Ills: Another journalist killed in Iraq

Friday, March 28, 2014

Another journalist killed in Iraq

Another journalist has been killed in Iraq. All Iraq News reports that Wathiq al-Ghadhanfari was shot dead in Mosul. He had hosted "a TV program over the history of Nineveh at Mosul local TV stations" and he was "also the candidate of Motahidon Alliance chaired by Speaker" of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi.

Naturally, Marie Harf will declare at today's State Dept press briefing:

We are deeply concerned about the circumstances surrounding his death and we call on the Government of Iraq to conduct a full investigation into the incident and to hold the perpetrator of this criminal act to account. The killing of any innocent is to be deplored. The murder of a journalist is a particular affront because it strikes at a fundamental pillar of democracy.

Oh, wait, she won't.

Hundreds of journalists have died in Iraq. The only time it was news to this administration (2009 to present) was when it was a man who worked for the US propaganda service.

Hey, you know why NPR didn't highlight his work?

Because it can be played over US airwaves per law. The US Congress passed a law refusing to allow US government propaganda aired to fool foreign countries to be broadcast in the US.

The 'journalist' noted on Monday worked for the US government and worked to advance US propaganda in Iraq. For that reason, Barack Obama's administration finally gave a damn about a journalist.

They called his death a "murder." Even though eye witness reports state the Peshmerga officer and the 'journalist' had an exchange, the Peshmerga ordered the journalist to leave the area (the presidential compound) and the 'journalist' refused and became abusive.

Does that justify his being shot?

No.

But also true, you don't call it a "murder" before you know the facts and the facts are still emerging.

Hadi al-Mahdi?

He was murdered. He was assassinated. He was killed in his own home.

And Barack's administration never said one damn word. They didn't care that it looked like Nouri ordered a hit to silence a journalist who was critical of him.

And today they most likely won't care about Wathiq al-Ghadhanfari.

But when it's someone working for their propaganda outfit, they rush to the forefront.

In other violence, National Iraqi News Agency reports Baghdad Operations Command says they killed 2 suspects in Latifya, rebels "blew up a strategic bridge in Hadeetha district western Anbar province" and rebels "blew up a second bridge in Ramadi city center of Anbar province." Alsumaria reports 1 suicide bomber was shot dead in Mosul, the corpse of 1 truck driver was found near a farm in Dohuk, 3 Baghdad bombings killing 2 people and wounding eight, a Baghdad car bombing left one person injured, a Mousl fight left 3 dead and two injured, and, dropping back to last night, an Iraqi soldier was injured in a roadside bombing near Baiji.

Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 905 violent deaths so far this month.

Wednesday, US President Barack Obama made a fool out of himself as he attempted to justify and re-sell the illegal Iraq War. His lies are still causing a stir. Jessica Desvarieux files a report for The Real News Network (link is transcript and video). Excerpt:

YANAR MOHAMMED, PRESIDENT, ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN'S FREEDOM IN IRAQ: Sovereignty for whom? I think he's talking about the 275 or 300-something parliamentarians who are living inside the International Zone. (And that's the new name for the Green Zone. It's not "Green" anymore.) It's only the sovereignty for those people. And they have the whole wealth of Iraq, while the people are suffering. And there's a number that was produced by the UN reports: almost 38 percent of the Iraqi people are living under the poverty line. Sovereignty for whom?

DESVARIEUX: Many questions still remain for the people of Iraq after, almost 11 years ago, troops toppled the government of Saddam Hussein and brought to power the Shiite government of al-Maliki.

Iraqi labor organizer pointed out how the U.S.-backed al-Maliki government is more concerned with amassing wealth and seizing resources, and it aims to crush organized labor movements and remain in power.

FALAH ALWAN, PRESIDENT, FEDERATION OF WORKERS COUNCILS AND UNIONS: The new government, busy with how to redivide the wealth and how to seize the resources of the society and how to spend mountains of dollars and gold--and this corrupted government, supported directly by the U.S. government.

The new Iraqi authorities, despite the tragic situation in Iraq, they want to impose a new legislation, which enable them to be in power and [incompr.] in power by controlling the so-called elections and to issue new labor laws to control the workers and prevent them from expressing their demands and their interests, and keeping the old laws of Saddam, which would prevent the workers from organizing themselves, from holding strikes, from negotiating, from calling for their interests. All--we can talk about the tragedies day and night.

The following community sites -- plus the Independent, the ACLU, the Guardian, Jody Watley, Susan's On the Edge, Antiwar.com, Pacifica Evening News, Chocolate City, Great Britain's Socialist Worker, Jake Tapper and the House Veterans Affairs Committee -- updated last night and this morning: