Monday, December 20, 2010

The frenzy over celebrity, the silence over a political prisoner

On Dec. 16, President Barack Obama reported on the findings of the intelligence analysis of the war in Afghanistan. Through all the rhetoric of "progress" in the country, one fact was made crystal clear: the war will rage on, with heavy combat and increasing casualties, for many years to come.
While inside the White House the politicians attempted to dress-up the grim findings, outside the White House the truth about the war was being told by hundreds of veterans and supporters who occupied the fence directly in front of the White House and refused orders by the police to disperse.
Organized by Veterans for Peace, March Forward!, the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and several other organizations, the action was the largest veterans-led civil disobedience since the wars began 10 years ago. Veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, World War II and other conflicts were among those arrested.
Those arrested included Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition; Mike Prysner and Ryan Endicott, both Iraq war veterans and March Forward! organizers; Mike Ferner, president of Veterans for Peace; and Daniel Ellsburg, who leaked the famous Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War.


The above is from the Party for Socialism and Liberation's "Veterans lead dramatic act of civil resistance at White House" about the Thursday protest held outside the White House. Tim King (Salem-News) also reports on the protest and he notes journalist and author Chris Hedges' speech:

Hope demands for others what we demand for ourselves.
Hope does not separate us from them.
Hope sees our enemy in our own face.
Hope is not for the practical and the sophisticated, the cynics and the complacent, the defeated and the fearful, hope is what the corporate state which saturates our airwaves with lies hopes seeks obliterate.
Hope is what this corporate state is determined to crush. 'Be afraid' they tell us, 'surrender your liberties to us so we can make the world safe from terror, don't resist, embrace the alienation of our cheerful conformity, buy our products, without them you are worthless, become our brands, do not look up from your electronic hallucinations, no, above all do not think, obey'.


There's one reason to listen to Law and Disorder Radio today (WBAI today at 9:00 a.m. EST, throughout the country the rest of the week): former guest host Dalia Hashad returns for a segment. I've worded it that way because I'm not interested in crap. Though Michael Ratner corrects him, Michael Smith goes off on the women who are said to have been raped by Julian Assange. Michael Ratner does correct him on it but it's embarrassing (at best). It's also offensive to hear WAR presented as a feminist group by Michael Ratner. As noted in "TV: The Craziest Sitcom," Ava and I contacted every feminist we know in England -- over thirty name feminists -- and only one of them was vaguely familiar with WAR and she informed us that they were a joke and a female Marxist group, not a feminist group.

Feminists can be Marxist. But females who identify solely as Marxist and not as feminists -- you can tie in with the 'helpers' in this country -- don't exist for feminism, they exist for men and to 'struggle against the system' which is not patriarchy. They're male defined and male objectified, they're not feminists. They aren't honest and that alone is reason not to trust them. It reminds me of the mood post-1988 when, following Rev Jesse Jackson's second run for the Democratic Party's nomination for president, there was a real move among a number in the African-American community to start a third party and along comes professional liar Francie Fox Piven to insist first that they can't -- which did not go over well -- and then, in 1990, that, well, golly, they could, but just make sure it doesn't challenge Democrats in presidential elections. Who the hell asked her? Francis Fox Piven is one of the world's worst liars and fakes. She's not about democracy, she's not about equality, she's not about honesty. She's a trickster and a liar. And I think it's fair, for those who really know her, to refer to her as a racist. My thoughts on that are only 'controversial' among the Anglo White left out of NYC. It is Francie's generation that gave Reds a bad name. When she's dead, people will finally talk honestly and openly about all the damage she did. (And young people today will wonder why the Anglo White left spent so much time last year trying to mount outrage that Francie was videotaped? Why all the energy was wasted on her.)

And as Ava and I pointed out, it's incredibly sexist and incredibly telling that just because a group is against rape that they must be feminists. That's ridiculous. Rape is a crime, a large number of men and women are against it. They're not required -- nor are they all -- feminists. Buy a clue. How very telling that all these years later, a woman who objects to rape has to be a feminist in the eyes of so many.

If you have a problem with that segment, take it up with Law & Disorder Radio. I'm only noting the program this morning because of the fact that Dalia's on. I find it appalling that members of CCR would participate in that discussion. Michael Smith needs to do a self-check and he's not the only one. That was embarrassing and insulting and far beneath Michael Smith. It's shameful of him -- but this is why these women who are not feminist exist -- to hide behind WAR and imply that the two women are liars and that they hurting real rape victims. To call the two women "liars"? That's hurting women who are raped. You don't know a damn thing and you need to shut your damn mouth. I hope that's clear enough. Also, to be very clear, I'm not promoting the claim that the US has a secret grand jury working on charges for Assange. We didn't promote the pleasing tale that "charges are imminent against Karl Rove!" that many, many outlets did. Karl Rove never got charged. Apparently was never going to be charged. But the same fervor behind this 'secret grand jury' (which may or may not exist) was behind the lie that Karl Rove was going to be charged (in Plamegate). Paranoia doesn't help any of us look sane, sound or reasonable. Nor does it help you shine a light on real issues and events you supposedly are trying to draw attention to. There may be a grand jury, there may not be one, we'll try to stay grounded in fact and leave the wild-eyed claims to others. Repeating, were Dalia not on the show today, I wouldn't even note it. We'd just step away from the crazy. But she's a community favorite and she's that for being a strong voice.

It's a real shame that Law and Disorder Radio made time yet again for Julian Assange -- who is not a whistle blower and not really much more than a celebrity (he is not WikiLeaks, he is one aspect of WikiLeaks) while they still haven't told you that Lynne Stewart has been pulled out of New York -- where her family is -- and punished by being put into a prison too far from her family for easy visitation. She's been relocated to a Texas prison. Lynne Stewart's a political prisoner and she's a brave woman and maybe we could get an update on her as opposed to incessant hand writing over Julian Assange? Also if Julian shot you down as a legal representative this month, why don't you find a new topic? Just asking the obvious. The obvious also includes that Lynne has helped millions and that very few are willing to stand up and help Lynne.

It's rather telling and symptomatic of a large portion of the left that they want to work themselves into a frenzy over what might happen to a man (Julian Assange) when a woman's rights have been stripped, she's been punished for doing her job as an attorney, she's been punished for standing up for justice and her punishment and suffering continues but we don't obsess over it, we don't make time for it, we don't see the MSNBC crew defending her or updating on her and our so-called 'brave' left can't make time for her. But, look, over there, a man's accused of rape! Hurry, we can defend him by beating up women!!! Everybody join in!

Julian Assange is now resting on a sprawling British, countryside estate. Lynne's in a Texas prison, far, far from her family. I think we've spent quite enough time this month worrying what MIGHT happen to Julian Assange as opposed to what is happening to actual political prisoners.

Bonnie notes that Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Not Quite There" went up last night. Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan notes:

This Sunday's Soapbox (The final one of 2010
--where did this year go?), may be the most important show we have ever aired.
I speak to four people who are working with survivors of the BP Gulf Oil Spill that is far from over--in fact, for 10-20 million residents of that region and over six-billion people on this planet, it is just beginning.
Please listen beginning at 2pm Pacific on Sunday (at: www.CindySheehansSoapbox.com) to a show that even fired up my engineer, Scott, who has been in this business forever, so much so, that he is sending press packets, with the show included, to the White House!
The problem is as profound as terrible health problems for the residents and interrupting the Gulf Stream to as simple as changing our own habits in our personal lives with regards to the usage of fossil fuels.

If you missed the broadcast, use the link to the soapbox to hear an archived broadcast.

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




























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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Not Quite There"

Not Quite There

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Not Quite There." A doctor instructs, "Push! Push!" Nouri al-Maliki replies, "I'm done. Just call it a birth all ready." Isaiah archives his comics at The World Today Just Nuts.







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And the war drags on . . .

Steven D. Green

May 7, 2009 Steven D. Green (pictured above) was convicted for his crimes in March 12, 2006 gang-rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, the murder of her parents Kassem and Fakhriya and the murder of her five-year-old sister Hadeel while Green was serving in Iraq. Green was found to have killed all four, to have participated in the gang-rape of Abeer and to have been the ringleader of the conspiracy to commit the crimes and the conspiracy to cover them up. May 21, 2009, the federal jury deadlocked on the death penalty and instead kicking in sentence to life in prison. September 4, 2009, he was sentenced. Throughout it all, he failed to take accountability, instead whining and playing the victim. AP's Brett Barrouquere was one of the first reporters to cover Green's crimes ad he continues to cover the case today able to report on an interview he's done with Green.

During the interview, Green whines about himself a lot and -- as with his court appearance -- demonstrates no remorse or real accountability for his actions. At one point, he tells Barrouquere, "If I hadn't ever been in Iraq, I wouldn't be in the kind of trouble I'm in now. I'm not happy about that." Well he could have gotten the death penalty, maybe he should be happy. Death is what he sentenced two young Iraqi girls and their parents to. Abeer's surviving family was very upset that he was going to prison and not getting the death penalty.

Green killed four people, in cold blood. While he likes to lessen the rape, it was gang-rape and he went last. Plenty of time to 'cool off' (he's claiming he couldn't think more than 10 minutes into the future). He took part in the gang-rape and he killed Abeer. And before he killed her, he'd already killed her sister and her two parents.

He killed four people. He gang-raped a 14-year-old girl. A 14-year-old girl he'd already been stalking. He'd stopped her at the neighborhood checkpoint, made unwanted advances and comments, her parents were getting her out of town, she would have been gone the next morning. But he and his friends broke into the family's home and gang-raped Abeer while she could hear Green killing her parents and her sister in the next room, then Green raped her, killing her after he got off and then attempting to set her corpse on fire.

He tries to claim in his latest revision of history that he was despondent over deaths in Iraq but, as the jury was informed during the trial, "screwing Iraqi chicks" was what they'd been talking about as they began plotting, not about any deaths.

Green was tried in civilian court because he had already been discharged when the crimes came to light. His co-conspirators were tried in military court (and were found guilty or admitted their guilt). On the military side, it started with an August 2006 Article 32 hearing held in Iraq in which US Army Capt Alex Pickands pointed out:


Green's been playing the victim for some time. In his interview today, he's claiming he enlisted out of 'duty to country.' Really? Because it's already on record that he enlisted because he'd been arrested (again) and exhausted all other avenues. (He's also very lucky his juvenile records remain sealed.) At 19, with his record, he was looking at doing time. It was jail or the military and he made his choice.

From day one, he's been convinced (and his attorneys believe it as well) that he doesn't belong behind bars for life and that's how he's acted all along (it's why he wasn't able to pull off a plea bargain, Marisa Ford wasn't going to go along with a slap on the wrist for a gang-rape and four murders). He killed four people in cold blood.

To this day, there has been no effort on his part to acknowledge what his actions did -- that's why Abeer's family was outraged in the courtroom with her aunt having to leave the courtroom so enraged was she by his cavalier remarks.

Green needs to take responsible for his actions. He wants to blame the military. The killers of Pfc Joseph John Anzack, Sgt 1st Class James D. Connell, Spc Daniel W. Courneya, Pfc Byron Wayne Fouty, Spc Alex Ramon Jimenez, Cpl Christopher E. Murphy and Sgt Anthony J. Schober are responsible for their actions as well. But it is something that Green has still never mentioned the 7 dead US soldiers whose killers claimed that they attacked because of the War Crimes carried out in Abeer's home -- they named. And this was before the US military was aware of what took place, they made their claim of retaliation for the murder and rape before the US military knew about what really happened at Abeer's home (it had been done by 'insurgents' was the finding at that time). After the assault on the seven soldiers (three of whom were in kidnapped status at the time and would later be found to be dead), Pfc Justin Watt came forward with what he'd heard the co-consipirators say and do (he came forward at the end of June 2006, a month after the assault on US soldiers). Green has never publicly acknowledged the deaths of those 7 soldiers. But he wants to repeatedly claim his actions were forced on him.



They're just there to try and make the people free,
But the way that they're doing it, it don't seem like that to me.
Just more blood-letting and misery and tears
That this poor country's known for the last twenty years,
And the war drags on.
-- words and lyrics by Mick Softly (available on Donovan's Fairytale)

Last Sunday, the number of US military people killed in the Iraq War since the start of the illegal war was 4433 (but listed as 4430 by the Defense Dept which hadn't updated at the time). Tonight? PDF format warning, DoD lists the the number of Americans killed serving in Iraq at 4433 still.

In today's reported violence, Reuters notes that today's violence included 11 corpses discovered in Mosul, 2 Baghdad roadside bombings which left six people injured (half police, half Iraqi soldiers), 1 police officer stabbed to death in Baghdad, a Baghad sticky bombing which injured one person and, dropping back to Saturday, 1 security guard was shot dead in Baghdad and a Baghdad roadside bombing injured four people.

Ammar Karim (AFP -- with a date of tomorrow) reports, "The upcoming announcement gives parliament five days to consider and approve ministers ahead of a Saturday deadline for a government to be named, with a year to go before US troops must withdraw from Iraq completely." That's what's supposed to happen. Though some in the press are either confused or attempting to buy time for Nouri. It's a point that escapes Gabriel Gatehouse (BBC News) who apparently foolishly believes that Nouri names nominees and that's the end of story.

I'm not interested in tonight. I'm not. I'm just not in the mood for all the damn liars and damn idiots in the press who apparently can't take the time to read the Iraqi Constitution yet want to pose as experts on it. Ammar Karim is correct. The New York Times, BBC, et al are either stupid or whoring and I'm just not in the damn mood. There is no accountability in the press. They are not bound by facts and what's taking place is not minor. Intentionally or not, they are getting the facts wrong and this is basic and was basic in 2006, the last time this process was gone through.

I'm not interested in fact checking idiots or liars like Serena Chuadhry of Reuters who can't grasp that tomorrow Nouri is set to announce nominees and that the nominees (pay attention, Serena) will have to be approved by the Parliament. I'm sick of it. This is so damn basic and everyone reporting from Iraq should have grasped it. The idiocy on display -- or the desire to knowingly lie -- is appalling.

It gets so damn old. When the press was declaring in November that "the stalemate was over!" we were left to do the clean up and point out that Iraq elected MPs on March 7th. That wasn't in doubt. The post of president is ceremonial. The executive branch is the prime minister and his/her cabinet. Until that is created, the stalemate continues. They couldn't get those basics in real time and now they still can't get the basics. You wonder what the hell they learned in J-school because research and analysis certainly weren't required skills to earn a diploma.

I always start with the premise that I'm the dumbest person in the room and the one who has to play the most catch up. When the bulk of the press is behind me on basic details, that's not only depressing, it's scary as hell.

New content at Third:


Isaiah's latest goes up after this. Pru notes "Student occupations have focused the struggle:"

Some students suspended university occupations this week as the winter holiday approaches—but others are vowing to stay in over Christmas and more began new occupations.

Students in Sheffield, Manchester, Bradford, UCL, Soas and Newcastle are among those that have suspended occupations. But they are clear that they will be back to fight in January.

At the University of Kent, students have been occupying part of the senate building since Wednesday 8 December.

“It’s indefinite,” said Andrew Hoyle, one of the occupiers. “Our campus security are threatening to turn off the electricity when term ends this Friday, but people are determined to stay.

“Workers have got over 200 people to sign a statement to support us.”

Workers at Hull university are also petitioning to raise support for the students.

Other students began new occupations this week.

Students at the University of Hull and Aberystwyth University began occupying on Monday of this week.

Kieran Ford, from the Aberystwyth occupation, said, “Thursday’s vote has not halted our momentum.

“Come the new year, Aberystwyth students will continue their campaign of action against cuts.”

The following should be read alongside this article:

Day X3 - the day students shook the Tory coalition

Workers support for students is key

UCU union demands inquiry into policing of student protest

Where next for student movement?


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