I feel the need to share and teach this cultural vulgarity -- which will get the point across to American officials very quickly -- because I just read Ben Hubbard's "Response to Attack Reflects Iraq's Sectarian Divide" (New York Times):
The
negotiations to form a new government were already fraught before the
attack, as Sunni politicians pushed demands that they considered
necessary but had little chance of being accepted. They included a halt
to government shelling and airstrikes on Sunni areas where ISIS is
present; the withdrawal of Shiite militias from predominantly Sunni
cities; the release of Sunni detainees who have not been convicted of
crimes; the dismissal of criminal charges against a number of Sunni
politicians, which they call politically motivated; and the cancellation
of the law banning former members of Saddam Hussein’s regime from
holding government posts.
Foreign
diplomats in Baghdad were concerned that those demands would prevent a
deal, and urged Sunni leaders to be more flexible.
Are foreign diplomats concerned?
Well aim the middle finger at them or toss the f-you phrase at them and maybe they'll get that these demands need to be addressed.
The negotiations to form a new government were already fraught before the attack, as Sunni politicians pushed demands that they considered necessary but had little chance of being accepted.
I'm sorry, expert Ben, why the hell do these demands have "little chance of being accepted"?
You tell the readers that they have little chance but you never tell them why that is?
What's so outlandish about the demands?
They included a halt to government shelling and airstrikes on Sunni areas where ISIS is present;
I'm sorry but that's not unreasonable. And if the international community had a spine and wasn't a bunch of international liars passed off as leaders, they'd be joining the Sunnis in saying no to these "government shelling and airstrikes" which are illegal under international law.
And, golly gee, let's include the New York Times on the list of spineless and liars because Benny boy didn't think his readers needed to know that this demand the Sunnis are making is a demand that the Baghdad government comply with the law.
Is that unreasonable, Ben Hubbard?
What else do they demand?
the withdrawal of Shiite militias from predominantly Sunni cities;
I can understand that as well.
And since all militias were supposed to have been disbanded, I don't see this as unreasonable either. (Nouri armed and paid the Shi'ite militias beginning in 2013 -- Tim Arango broke that story.)
Now that one may not take place because the Shi'ite militias are so entrenched in the current -- hopefully outgoing -- government.
What else are Sunnis demanding?
the release of Sunni detainees who have not been convicted of crimes;
Where's Amnesty International?
This is exactly why they formed in the first place.
If you're not convicted of a crime, you shouldn't be in prison.
Benny boy may be an idiot but he may be a liar as well.
Sunnis are actually demanding that the detainees who have not been convicted of crimes be released and the ones who've been charged with nothing be released and the ones who are relatives of family members and were thuggishly 'arrested' without warrants and tossed in prisons because the security forces couldn't find the wanted relative be released.
It's not unreasonable to demand, for example, that a woman married to a suspect be released when she's accused of nothing. It is unreasonable -- and inhumane -- to imprison someone because of who they married, gave birth to, fathered, is a sibling or child of, etc.
Does Benny Hubbard not know about this?
He writes like he doesn't.
Considering that the fall of 2012 exposed that women and girls -- yes, Nouri's 'arrested' girls as well -- were being tortured and raped in Nouri's prisons -- by prison officials, not by prisoners -- the demand is especially not unreasonable.
If Ben's lying, I hope the universe bites him in the ass -- hard. If he's just uninformed, he can try to educate himself. We'll do a little spoon feeding for him, this is from Human Rights Watch's February 2014 "Iraq: Security Forces Abusing Women in Detention:"
Iraqi authorities are detaining thousands of Iraqi women illegally and
subjecting many to torture and ill-treatment, including the threat of
sexual abuse. Iraq’s
weak judiciary, plagued by corruption, frequently bases convictions on
coerced confessions, and trial proceedings fall far short of
international standards. Many women were detained for months or even
years without charge before seeing a judge.
The 105-page report, “‘No One Is Safe’: Abuses of Women in Iraq’s Criminal Justice System,”documents abuses of women in detention based on interviews with women and girls, Sunni and Shia, in prison; their families and lawyers; and medical service providers in the prisons at a time of escalating violence involving security forces and armed groups. Human Rights Watch also reviewed court documents and extensive information received in meetings with Iraqi authorities including Justice, Interior, Defense, and Human Rights ministry officials, and two deputy prime ministers.
The 105-page report, “‘No One Is Safe’: Abuses of Women in Iraq’s Criminal Justice System,”documents abuses of women in detention based on interviews with women and girls, Sunni and Shia, in prison; their families and lawyers; and medical service providers in the prisons at a time of escalating violence involving security forces and armed groups. Human Rights Watch also reviewed court documents and extensive information received in meetings with Iraqi authorities including Justice, Interior, Defense, and Human Rights ministry officials, and two deputy prime ministers.
HRW's report, an important one, comes over a year after this was exposed and investigated by Parliament and after, in early 2013 (February, in fact), Nouri did a staged release of a small number of prisoners which included a smaller number of women. It was reported, in the Iraqi press -- not by the western press which didn't give a damn about Iraqi women -- that none of the women 'released' returned home.
So were they released?
Maybe they were. Maybe they knew going home might not be wise due to what they had experienced. (If one of the woman was raped, for example, some lunatic might feel she needed to be killed as a result -- these are known as 'honor' killings. They are acts of murder.)
So what's Hubbard's 'reasonable' reaction to this?
What else are the Sunnis asking for?
the dismissal of criminal charges against a number of Sunni politicians, which they call politically motivated;
That's understandable.
Politicians are outgoing -- some of them. If they did not get re-elected, they no longer have protection from the charges. Although they didn't have it under Nouri in most cases, the Constitution does say that MPs cannot be tried while serving unless the Parliament votes to strip them of their offices. When a term expires, they have no such Constitutional protection.
Again, Nouri refused to follow the Constitution but this is why so many are demanding this.
What else?
and the cancellation of the law banning former members of Saddam Hussein’s regime from holding government posts.
Wait, Benny, you sorry excuse for a reporter?
You're saying the thing that Nouri agreed to in 2007, the White House benchmarks, the de-de-Ba'athification?
You're saying that this thing the Baghdad government was supposed to have accomplished in 2007 -- but never did, this thing also put into The Erbil Agreement of 2010 that Nouri signed off on, you're saying this move that was supposed to have taken place over 7 years ago but still hasn't, you're saying this is unreasonable of Sunnis to demand.
When exactly are they supposed to demand it, Ben Hubbard?
I don't have a demand but I do have a request: Any Iraqi who sees Ben Hubbard, please feel free to flip him the bird as well.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4491.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
i hate the war
the ballet
