Monday, June 27, 2011

Does that Gate ever close?

Used to be a president nominated someone to a Cabinet position and, if the Senate confirmed the person, the day the confirmation vote took place you had your new Secretary. That template didn't factor in Robert Gates who just will not leave. As he continues The Never Ending Farewell Tour, you find yourself asking, "Didn't Leon Panetta get confirmed already?"

Yes, he did.

Not unlike his own odor (a mixture of unwashed ass and cheap cologne), Gates refuses to go away. Today on Morning Edition (NPR), Rachel Martin gushes over Gates. Really? Really because I know NPR's ethics policy. It's really strict on what you can get or do with people you're covering. So why am I thinking of that ethics policy and remembering an NPR employee all but dry humping Gates' leg to get a public but off-the-record photo with him?

In fact, I'd hate to think that all this never ending blitz on Gates -- instead of the suggestion that he do the honorable thing (pack his desk and go home all damn ready) -- this cooing adoration from the press resulted from something other than journalistic training. But I guess ethics in a bordello can be boiled down to "get the money upfront," eh, Rachel?


As we've pointed out before, you will know the whores posing as press by their inability to explore (or in Rachel's case, even mention) Iran-Contra and Gates' involvement in that.

Under his tenure, the DoD is most infamous for an employee refusing to testify about sexual assaults to the Congress. She remains employed by DoD. That's because Gates gave the order for her not to testify. But we're not going to see the press go into that either, are we?

Or the fact that sexual assault increased under Robert Gates, that despite all his many statements, he didn't do a damn thing to ensure the safety of those serving when it came to sexual assault. And we certainly won't hear about how testy he got in Congress when sexual assault was the topic and a Representative or Senator had the nerve to leave "fawning mode" and actually ask him a tough question on that topic.

It's really telling in all these 'reporters' efforts to offer 'tributes' to Robert Gates, that no one thinks to explore the actual record. The actual record includes the rate of sexual assault.

Let's give him credit for an accomplishment: In 2006, he repeatedly told Congress that stop-loss was being phased out. That year, and in 2007, he implied it was on the verge of ending. This year, just a little while ago, he was finally able to announce that it had ended. Five years after he assured Congress it was being phased out and he didn't expect to see anyone stop-lossed and . . .

How about the rate of suicide within the Army?

Is that the reason the press refused to cover the May suicide statistics? Were they released at an unfortunate time? As the press was rushing to pant and moan over Gates?

The rate of suicide among members of the military has only increased under Robert Gates' 'leadership'.

Find me the article or commentary which notes that fact.

You won't. The press has spent nearly 3 months whoring for Robert Gates. The press that is supposed to the watchdog, the press that is supposed to inform the public. To serve the public in fact. Not to serve up glossy portraits of ugly officials (and Gates is butt ugly and don't get me started on his pores) as though they were film stars. Maybe if the press hadn't been so eager to fawn over Gates throughout his tenure sexual assault and military suicide would have been addressed. In the end, they are as guilty as Gates himself.

Bonnie reminds that Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Let Someone Else Be A Leader" went up yesterday. Today on Law and Disorder Radio (begins broadcasting at 9:00 am EST on WBAI and around the country throughout the week),attorneys and hosts Heidi Boghosian, Michael S. Smith and Michael Ratner (Center for Constitutional Rights) speak with attorney Dan Gregor about the topic of mountaintop removal and with attorney Azadeh Shahshahhani about human rights in Tunisia. Also Michael Ratner and Heidi Boghosian read from the column that Michael Ratner and Margaret Ratner Kunstler have written (The Progressive) about the current war on protest and dissent in the US. Michael Ratner and Margaret Ratner Kunstler are the authors of the new book Hell No, Your Right To Dissent. In addition, don't miss the opening commentary -- especially the exploration of a war 'critic'.

We'll close with this from Phiip C. Restino Jr.'s "Impeach Obama Now Or Forever Hold Up Peace" (IHC):

The sovereign nation of Libya posed no such threat whatsoever to the United States, and Obama’s ordering of more than 120 Cruise Missiles fired into Libya in just the first day of his own March 19th “Shock and Awe” is nothing less than another outright illegal U.S. war of aggression similar to the illegal U.S. war of aggression on Iraq launched 8 years to the day prior, minus the land invasion which is the next step in the process if the American people don’t draw the line and call for a stop to it now.
With such a clear cut case ready to make for impeaching President Obama over his war on Libya, along with the legal experts and the political figures ready to proceed with a call for impeachment, then why has there not been a call from the leaders of the national antiwar organizations for impeaching Obama when making such a call now could actually prevent him from going ahead with a land invasion into Libya and even be enough of a threat of impeachment to force him to finally end the 10-year U.S. wars and occupations by using his unique ability as Commander in Chief to order a cease-fire?
People involved in the national antiwar organizations have told me that the issue of racism is a major factor in their failure to call for impeachment of President Obama for what amounts to the same crimes cited in their former calls for impeachment and present calls for prosecution of President George W. Bush over his war on Iraq. If calling for the impeachment of the first Black American U.S. President for prosecuting illegal wars of aggression is racist, then that first needs to be squared with all the brown-skinned people being killed under his command. Even more so, if calling for the impeachment of the first African-American U.S. President for prosecuting an illegal war of aggression on Libya is racist, then that first needs to be squared with all the brown-skinned Africans being killed under his command before such a claim be taken seriously. A friend put it to me this way, if racism is applying different standards based on race, then not calling for impeachment because of race is in fact racism as well.
I spoke recently with the president of a major national antiwar organization about the silence from his organization regarding a call for impeachment of President Obama and he told me that the reason he and his organization are against applying the same standard of impeachment in their public call for accountability to President Obama, even after his recent attack on Libya, as they had so strongly applied to President George W. Bush in regards to his war on Iraq was the possibility of groups that were “racist” joining their call for the impeachment of Obama not because they agreed with his prosecuting the U.S. war on Libya being impeachable but instead because they were racists and just wanted to remove Obama from office because he was a person of color. If that’s really the thinking of the leaders of the national antiwar organizations in America, then I say who needs “controlled opposition”?



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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Let Someone Else Be A Leader"

let someone else be the leader


Isaiah's latest The World Today Just Nuts "Let Someone Else Be A Leader." NY Governor Andrew Cuomo declares, "New York has finally torn down the barrier that has prevented same-sex couples from exercising the freedom to marry." Barack, surrounded by the Cult of St. Barack, points at Cuomo and says, "New York's the way to do it. I don't believe in equality. Might be politically risky. Let someone else be a leader." Isaiah archives his comics at The World Today Just Nuts.








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And the war drags on . . .

Aswat al-Iraq reports that Iraqi writers in Karbala are calling for the national and provincial governments to provide treatment to Iraqi poet Mohammed Ali al-Khafajy who is "suffering from kidney failure in both of his kidneys." Mohammed Ali al-Khafajy first found national acclaim as a poet while still a student in 1956 and his poetry has been acclaimed for decades in Iraq and throughout the Arab region. The Iraqi writers issued a statement which includes, "Karbala Writers hope for a response to their demands to treat Khafaji, being a writers symbol for Karbala, Iraq and the Arab Homeland. His treatment at the expense of the Iraqi government shall be a real achievement reflecting its attention and care for writers and cultural symbols of Iraq."


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 4466. Tonight? PDF format warning, DoD still lists the the number of Americans killed serving in Iraq at 4466. And that number doesn't include today's deaths.

Tim Craig (Washington Post) reports, "Two U.S. service members were killed Sunday in northern Iraq, making June the deadliest month for American combat fatalities in more than two years, officials said." 11 combat fatalities in June 2011 . . . when Barack declared an end to combat on August 31, 2010.

The war didn't end just cause his pretty little mouth said it did. Reuters notes a Mosul attack in which 1 Iraqi soldier was killed and another was injured, 1 person killed in Tal Afar by a roadside bombing which he may or may not have been planting, a Jibla car bombing claimed 1 life, a Ridyadh bicycle bombing which left four people injured, a Baghdad suicide bombing in which http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe bomber took his own life and left twelve people injured, and, dropping back to Saturday, a Sulaiman Pek sticky bombing which claimed the life of 1 police officer. On the Baghdad suicide bombing, Aswat al-Iraq reports seventeen were injured and 2 people were killed (one police officer, one bystander).

I'm ignoring Tim Arrango's article that 15 of you have e-mailed about. If you're confused from his article, refer to Scott Horton's conversation with Patrick Cockburn on Antiwar Radio last week. I'm tired and not in the mood to perform a medley of greatest hits tonight. We've already covered it and covered it again and again.

Far more interesting is Aswat al-Iraq's story about Jalal Talabani's visit to Iran. There was Jalal kissing up like crazy, selling out Camp Ashraf, ignoring the PKK, fawning over the Iranian government and yet they brushed him aside. The paper reports that Talabani was insulted and they quote the National Coalition spokesperson Hakim al-Zamily stating: "The reception of the President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, by the Iranian Oil Minister during his recent visit to Tehran, is considered as a rejected matter. Iran should have arranged Talabani's reception by his Iranian Counterpart, not by a Minister only, because Talabani is a respectful personality, and Iran’s President must issue a justification for his position."

Talabani's such an idiot. Kurds may make up a large portion of Iran's population, but not the deciding portion and the Iranian government sees not just the PKK as enemies but also (another Kurdish group) the PJAK. Only a fool would have thought Talabani (a Kurd) would get the official embrace from the current government in Iran.


New content at Third:



Isaiah's latest went up earlier tonight (so it could be used at Third) but I will change the time on it so that it's at the top of the site as usual for early Monday morning readers. Pru notes this from Great Britain's Socialist Worker:

Brian Haw 1949-2011: peace activist and a thorn in the government’s side

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Brian Haw <span class='black'> (Pic: <a href='http://www.guysmallman.com/'>Guy Smallman</a>)</span>

Brian Haw (Pic: Guy Smallman)

by Matthew Cookson

Veteran peace activist Brian Haw, whose anti-war camp has been a fixture in Parliament Square for ten years, died last Sunday from lung cancer.

His protest began in June 2001, initially against sanctions on Iraq. The 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan soon followed.

The protest continued as the “war on terror” expanded into Iraq and threatened other states.

He was a thorn in the side of the government, and resisted attempts to remove him. Brian and his supporters’ presence embarrassed those in power with the reality of what their slaughter meant for millions.

The Labour government passed legislation in 2005 restricting the right to protest in designated areas within a kilometre of parliament in an effort to remove him. But the High Court ruled that Brian’s protest was not covered by this as it began before the law came into effect.

The Court of Appeal later ruled that Brian had to get police permission to continue his camp. This was granted but Brian continued to face attempts to reduce and remove his protest.

Precious

Tory Westminster council is launching a court bid later this year to get the camp moved off the pavement.

Brian, a committed Christian, said that the children of Iraq and other countries were “every bit as valuable and worthy of love as my precious wife and children.

“I want to go back to my own kids and look them in the face again, knowing that I’ve done all I can to try and save the children of Iraq and other countries who are dying because of my government’s unjust, amoral, fear—and money-driven policies.”

Many people visited Brian’s camp to show their support, while protests outside parliament received a warm welcome from Brian and his supporters.

It inspired artist Mark Wallinger to recreate the entire protest as an exhibition titled State Britain. This won the 2007 Turner Art Prize.

Brian also won the Channel 4 News award for Most Inspiring Political Figure of the Year in 2007, beating Tony Blair. He also spoke many times at Stop the War Coalition events.

His determination and consistent fight against our rulers will be long remembered.

© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.






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