Monday, October 22, 2012

Protests re-emerge in Iraq



Much to Nouri al-Maliki's distress, protests have begun again in Iraq. They've been small and the foreign press (US and European) has ignored them, but they are taking place. Just Saturday, teachers were protesting.  It's not ending there.  Dar Addustour reports a Maysan Province demonstration on Sunday in which people gathered (dozens) to protest the lack of basic services as well as a probelm specific to the province, sinking homes. Though the protest was peaceful, the people were surprised to see Nouris security forces storm in using batons and attacking the people, hurling threats and insults at the people, firing into the air and injuring one child who was shot.

For those who remember January 2011, this is how it started in Iraq.  Scattered protests building up to the February 25th protests across Iraq, as the cry for improved basic services, jobs and addressing 'the disappeared' in Iraq's 'justice' system.  As various governments were threatened in the region and a few brought down, Nouri grew worried. That's when he made his 'promise' that he wouldn't go for a third term (since rescinded by his attorney and many others), insisted that he would fix things in 100 days, begged Iraqis to stop protesting.  It was kick the can, what Nouri always does.  Stall, distract and hope your opponents are exhausted and just give up.  In this case, Nouri's opponents were the Iraqi people.

Now it would appear that the protests are re-starting.

 The violence never stopped. Al Rafidayn reports a Nineveh Province roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left another injured and a Salahuddin Province roadside bombing left one police officer injured. Also in Salahuddin Province, All Iraq News notes a Samarr cemetery bombing targeted a mosque but left no one dead or injured.


 Bonnie reminds that Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The Cowardly Debater" went up last night.  On this week's Law and Disorder Radio,  an hour long program that airs Monday mornings at 9:00 a.m. EST on WBAI and around the country throughout the week, hosted by attorneys Heidi Boghosian, Michael S. Smith and Michael Ratner (Center for Constitutional Rights) topics addressed include military commission and David Hicks, attorney Noura Erakat speaks with the hosts about the Russell Tribunal on Palestine Findgins and Ilan Pappe's speech at the Russell Tribunal is broadcast.


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


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michael ratner




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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The Cowardly Debater"

the cowardly debater

Isaiah's latest The World Today Just Nuts "The Cowardly Debater."  Barack shouts, "47%! Ha! Saved it until I was running off stage!"    Isaiah archives his comics at The World Today Just Nuts.






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Hejira

Mad Maddie Albright and Sandy Berger have penned a column for USA Today slamming Mitt Romney's foreign policy plans.

Seriously?

What, not enough sanctions to kill enough innocent children to make Mad Maddie's heart beat with pride?  Sandy wasn't able to fully study Romney's plan because, while smuggling it out in his panties, Sandy got a little excited and the pages are now stuck together.

I know Mad Maddie.  Don't care for her.  I really think she needs to learn to take her leave from the public stage.  I know Sandy and defended him when he was smuggling top secret government documents out of the designated review room by stuffing them in his underwear.  At last, Sandy had a bulge where it mattered.

I defended Sandy.  And then he copped a plea which says guilty.  He should never hold appointed office as a result of that.  I don't think he should ever run for elected office without opponents bringing that up.  But if he could persuade voters to forgive him, that would be between him and his constituents.

But as Mad Maddie and Sandy join forces, you have to wonder what the hell they were thinking?  I can't imagine two Democrats not currently in government who would be more appalling or cause more damage for Barack by penning a column.

Mad Maddie and Sandy Panties really think they have sway?  They don't get that they're both the punchlines to dirty jokes?

Which reminds me of an interview last week.  A member of Congress, a Democrat, was remembering their roots and calling out Barack, saying his failure to prosecute Bully Boy Bush for his many crimes allowed Barack to pursue them.

We actually almost did include that.  But time and space did not permit.

The person doing the talking?  Dennis Kucinich.  Speaking to David Swanson, click here.

And does Dennis really think people say, "Way to go, Denny!"  How does he see himself?

Once upon a time, he had a legion of supporters.  Then came his sell-out of the anti-war movement in Boston in 2004 (Democratic Party convention).  Four more years of Denny's tough talk that never amounted to much.

Then came ObamaCare.  Dennis knew it was wrong.  Dennis knew it was not universal health care but a gift to corporations.  It provided no new rights to Americans.

They already had the right to buy insurance if they wanted to and could afford it.  ObamaCare made them have to do that.  It forced you to become a customer.  The poor will not be hurt by this.  The poor are covered and that's good.  But the working poor will be hurt by this.  They don't have the money though government estimates insist they do.  And I suppose if they ate rice and Ramen noodles only for every meal, they might be able to afford it.  If their kids never got any treats, if they never got a little something extra (I'm talking fries at McDonalds, not a new car), then they might be able to swing it.

Dennis knew all of this and much more.

And he stood up and said he would not vote for ObamaCare.  He promised that.

Then Barack took him on a little plane ride and explained to Denny K that he would be re-districted, that he would have a serious Democratic opponent.  And Denny K caved.

But that didn't save him.  He was re-districted right out of Congress.  He should have stood up and said no.  His votes are basically meaningless and futile.  When there's no chance in hell of something being stopped, Dennis 'takes a stand.'  But when his vote actually matters, he goes along and votes for things he knows are destructive and harmful.

In the lame duck session, if Dennis wanted to make a difference, he could hold a hearing about the Iraq War.  A real hearing, the kind we still haven't gotten in the US.  It shouldn't be that difficult to do.  There are others who would support him on that and it would let him leave Congress with an actual credit to his name.  We'll see what happens.








I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
That shell shock love away
-- "Hejira," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her album of the same name

 The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.



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