Thursday, December 20, 2007

I Hate The War

American officials have detained thousands of insurgents in the months since the surge of forces began this spring, in an effort that most agree has improved security in Iraq. But now the commander of the American detention facilities in Iraq is wondering aloud if holding all those detainees is breeding a "micro-insurgency" and asking whether it's time to begin releasing thousands of people.
The two main detention facilities operated by the US military in Iraq, at Camp Bucca near Basra and Camp Cropper in Baghdad, have swollen to hold nearly 30,000 detainees. That's not the 40,000 individuals Army Gen. David Petraeus allotted for when American forces began to implement the Baghdad security plan this spring. But it may be too many, says Marine Maj. Gen. Doug Stone, who oversees detainees for the US-led force.
Holding thousands of "moderate" detainees runs counter to the notion of winning over a population in a classic counterinsurgency, he says. General Stone believes many of these Iraqi insurgents were never motivated by anything more than money and most only desire to live peacefully. Many can be safely released back to society, back to their families and in their neighborhoods without straining security or their communities, he says.

The above is from Gordon Lubold's "Do U.S. Prisoners in Iraq breed insurgents?" (Christian Science Monitor). So it's only now being noticed that the prisons aren't an answer? Seems as if we've seen this dance play out in public before -- including earlier this year. (Gordo wrote about the 'fixes' being made, to name but one.) But we're supposed to believe 'insight' has come. And that it will be implemented. And that there will be changes.

When the reality is that the round ups were always a failure. War resister Joshua Key notes that they weren't effective, that they tore families apart and breeded hostility and fueled anger when he was serving in Iraq (see his book The Deserter's Tale). He went to Iraq in April of 2003. It's December of 2007. And we're supposed to believe that something's been learned now by the military brass? Now? Key explained who got rounded up, all males who looked to be 16 years or older. There was no effort to determine 'guilt' or anything else. They were sent to a house, they set out explosives to knock down the front door. And they rounded up any men and young males who might be in the home. The men and boys were then carted off by the group that carried them on (possibly eventually on) to prison.

Or do we want to talk about what still goes on regarding women? How, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, if they are looking for a male and can't find him, they grab a female family member and hold her prisoner until he turns himself in. Often even the US military later admits that the man was innocent. But in the meantime, the women have been held for no reason except they're related to someone. It's the sort of thing you might expect organized crime to do in the United States but even the FBI wouldn't do it in this country. And it is against the Genevea Convetions.

And the US doesn't run all the prisons. Some are run by Iraqis (trained and installed by the US) and on those rare reports of what goes on in those prisons we see similar tactics. And why not? Why not when the US does it?

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!)

Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 3889. Tonight? 3896. Just Foreign Policy's total for the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war stood at 1,131,831. Tonight? 1,139,602.

Since last Thursday, 7 deaths have been announced (some by DoD, though the press pretends that's not happening). [M-NF is supposed to announce deaths. DoD is only supposed to identify them. DoD has been indentifing some that were never announced by M-NF which is a neat little trick to avoid deaths being carried in the daily reports from Iraq.] Seven since last week. And currently the count is 3896, four away from the 3900 marker. There are ten more full days in the month (the 20th of December is pretty much over as I type this) and it is very likely that the 3900 mark will be reached. The 3000 mark was reached December 31, 2006. And, in one year's time, nearly a thousand have died. The Congress held their first session on January 4, 2007. At that point the number dead was 3006. There was a huge shake-up in the Congress, for any who've forgotten. Democrats promised a lot with regards to Iraq and they delivered nothing. In the November 2006 elections, they had a sweep. They had hoped to win control of one house. They won control of both houses of Congress. Since their first session, 890 US service members have been announced dead in Iraq. Since they were handed control, Byron W. Fouty and Alex R. Jimenez went missing. They were part of a group that was slaughtered. (By Iraqis waived through checkpoints, for those who've forgotten.) Hopefully, they are still alive. But they went missing May 12th. (They are two of four missing since the start of the illegal war. Keith M. Maupin went missing April 16, 2004 and Ahmeda Qusai al-Taei went missing right before the November elections, October 23, 2006. Ahmeda Qusai al-Taei is the US soldier who married an Iraqi and was captured while visiting her in Baghdad, outside the Green Zone.) The count doesn't include the deaths from physical wounds following the departure from Iraq. Five service members are known to have died. The number is probably higher. This year three died, from physical wounds received in Iraq, after leaving Iraq: Jack D. Richards (July 29, 2007), Gerald J. Cassidy (September 25, 2007) and Anthony Raymond Wasielewsk (October 8, 2007). In addition there are the many who have come back with mental traumas and have taken their own lives. They aren't included in the count either.

It wasn't bad enough that last Friday the Congress passed on more money for the illegal war, they had to do again this week. They continue to fund the illegal war.

They haven't tried to stop it. They have tried to trick American citizens with claims that they're proposing legislation that will end the illegal war. The reality all year long has been that they speak of 'combat' troops. Troops would remain even if 'combat' troops leave. And these are always non-binding measures. They allow the Bully Boy, if he were ever so inclined and they could pass the bills, to sign off on them and not reduce the number of US service members in Iraq. All he'd have to do is reclassify them. Say that the 'combat' troops were now 'training' or 'police' or 'terrorist fighting' troops or whatever. By reclassifying them, even if he signed the worthless legislation, he could continue the illegal war.

Instead of getting honest, the Democratic leadership continues to lie. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted to lie on PBS' NewHour:

GWEN IFILL: I want to point out to you -- I'm sure you've seen them -- page one of today's Capitol Hill newspapers, "Dems Cave," another ones says, "Democrats set to cave on Iraq, on the budget." What do you say to people who call this a cave-in Democratic Congress?REP. NANCY PELOSI: Well, I guess they're trying to sell papers, but the fact is, is that I will never confine the hopes, aspirations of the American people, as reflected in the legislation of the House of Representatives, to what the president of the United States, George W. Bush, will sign.We set a high watermark. We negotiate. We compete. We debate for our position to be held. And I'm pleased that, when we come out of this process, our priorities will be largely intact. It won't be funded to the levels that we want, but I'll never start at the president's bottom line. We'll always start at a high watermark.

What a load of crap. In November, Nora Ephron (The Huffington Post) noted the reality on the Democratic controlled Congress:

What a bunch of losers, hiding behind the fact that it takes 60 votes to shut down debate and 67 votes to override a presidential veto. So what? So pass a law and make Bush veto it. Make him veto something every single day. Drive the guy crazy. What have you got to lose? And meanwhile what have you done? You've voted for the surge, you've voted to authorize a war against Iran, and you're about to vote in favor an attorney general-designate who refuses to call waterboarding torture.

That's the ugly reality of what Pelosi calls a 'high-water mark.'

"I Hate The War." The Thursday night entry has had a number of names. When the site started, Iraq was a focus daily but it wasn't the only focus. The community wanted more of a focus on Iraq. In the early days, we'd piece together things for this entry and call it "Independent Media Roundup" or some such thing. (Sunday night's entry would focus on international coverage.) As Iraq became more of the focus, it wasn't hard to find Iraq coverage in independent media. There are the freebie weeklies. There are independent magazines. So it wasn't that hard. Then it became near impossible.

At one point, a member e-mailed thrilled about a song she'd just found online, Donovan's "And The War Drags On." I listened to (and still listen to) Donovan. The member is from Europe and it just in noting Donovan, it was a way to acknowledge the many members from outside the US. So that became the title of the Thursday and Sunday entries. Then, rightly, some members complained noting that while the song fits (it fits amazing well, a comparison to Vietnam that no one ever wants to make), it is decades old. That is true. And we're not running an oldies site. That's not an insult to Donovan. Or to the song. And it will remain the title of the Sunday night entries. But we toyed around with what to do. For awhile, it was note two songs. We'd close out the Thursday night entry with another song. But sometimes I'd forget. Or sometimes there wasn't a second song that someone had noted that week. Not always, but on the best Thursdays, we had something new or newish by an artist under 40.

Ruth, Rebecca and Kat noted "I Hate The War" last week after Ruth and Rebecca heard it on WBAI's Out-FM. It's perfect. In terms of the title it fits in a way that other songs wouldn't (including some of the ones we noted when we were noting two songs on Thursdays). It's a wonderful song. The Ballet is a group of today.

I talked it over with Mike last week, using him as a sounding board, when I was thinking about making the change over. The reaction to it from it being mentioned at other community sites was already favorable. My only concern (and it made this a hard entry to start tonight) was the fact that that we now regularly read and hear "the war drags on" in the media. And that's great because it's not sailing on. It's not breezing along. It's dragging on and dragging everyone in Iraq with it. (And of course Congress drags its feet on their supposed intent to end the illegal war.) But we passed the three year mark last month and (no e-mails on this) the plan is for the site to go dark in November after the elections. I haven't thought about it. I know members want it to continue. And maybe it will. But in 2005, I needed (that summer) to know this had an ending. The illegal war doesn't appear to have one. But time is limited and I really couldn't take much more at that time of my life. (Which happened after the health scare.) So that's been the stated goal. (It may change, it may not. No e-mails on this please.) And when things are really crazy, or when I feel like I've said everything I can on Iraq that day already on campuses and in entries, I can (and do) tell myself, it'll be over in November 2008.

Now that may change and I know members hope it does. But it may not and we've got one year. I have a friend who jokes/teases/accuses that I started off one way (here) and grew more radical/angry/whatever as it went along to take the community on that journey. That would require a lot of planning on my part and I didn't know what I was doing online then (or now) so it's a nice little joke/fantasy. In terms of the direction, that's always been dictated by the members (I'm just one member). In terms of the anger, that's been dictated by elected officials who refuse to do their job and use their power to end the illegal war.

But whatever happens or doesn't happen in terms of this site, we do have a little less than a year that it will continue (and maybe it will go on after that). And "I Hate The War," whether you know the song or like it, really does sum up the community's attitude. It also serves the earlier intent of trying to bring in a song that was of this period. You can buy the song online. You can download it for free. And they're a group that could probably benefit from some awareness. They already have a loyal audience. I don't think every member that's able to listen will go buy or download the song. (Nor am I asking anyone to.) But we do have power, each one of us, and we can use it. No one may download it (many already have a copy of the song). But what is known is that by being in each Thursday's entry, The Ballet will move up on Google. (Because the link will be there with their name.) Last week, when people were trying to find out about the group by searching it's name, there were too many search results to wade through. (And, in fact, Ruth's entry came up in the top ten last week.)

From the start, we've talked about the power of "no." That is an important power for all of us to use in our lives. We can say "no." That's not something that's stressed enough. And certainly wasn't being stressed by a media that cheerleaded the illegal war. And "no" can be a positive power. But providing the link and including The Ballet in each of the Thursday night entries can be a positive power as well. There are musicians (not nearly enough) who are weiging in on the illegal war. And this is a way to note one group who has (the song is from 2006).

I don't think any member is going to scream and rant in an e-mail (I could be wrong and I often am). But I know that any change can be difficult or toss someone off. We put away plans on changing the look of the site for that reason. But this isn't going to change. From now on the Thursday entry is going to be "I Hate The War." If nothing else, there will be over forty weeks where The Ballet gets noted at this site. And they are a group of today and they are an independent group and they did weigh in on the illegal war. I really think it's important to support those things.

Again, those who can listen (we do have hard of hearing, hearing disabled and deaf members in the community) may never choose to listen to the song. That's fine and that's up to each member. But whether the site continues or goes dark after the elections, every member is going to know there was a song by a new group that was about the illegal war. The Ballet is not the only new group or new artist or artist under 40 to weigh in. Their song will fit in easily with an entry. And noting it each Thursday will remind us all that it's not just Neil Young, Green Day, Ann Wilson, Joni Mitchell and a few others weighing in. Kat does a wonderful job of noting who's weighing in (and who's not) in her reviews. I think we're all aware that a large number have weighed in. But I think we're all also aware that an even larger number have released crap and avoided the issue. That's especially disappointing to me in terms of my own generation. Especially if they found fame later in the seventies and went on and on about how if they'd been famous during Vietnam, they would have weighed in, they would have spoken out, they would have stood up and been counted. Where are they now? When they are most needed, where are they now? In one case, they're even changing the lyrics to a hit song because it 'offends' politicians they perform for if they sing the original rhyme (which has nothing to do with war at all but that is how cowardly they are).

So there's a song out there and it's by a group that might not get the recognition they deserve. They are commenting on the illegal war. I believe all the members are gay (out, I'm not outing anyone). That honesty is probably very natural to them, but considering everyone I know is talking about ___ and "How sick is ___?" and "If ___ dies are people going to point out that the marriage was a lie from way back?"it is a brave thing. Rufus Wainwright is very talented and even all this time later, in the 90s which weren't that long ago, as he has noted, he was advised not to go public. So while The Ballet are just being who they are and not trying to rack up bravery points, it needs to be noted that there are a lot of people who aren't. There are a lot of people who create their own prisons. (My personal opinion is no one needs to out themselves that doesn't want to but I do roll my eyes at the ones who make a point to play straight via marriages and photo-op relationships. I'm a private person myself. Elaine and Rebecca will tell you that even in college, they'd only know what guy I was sleeping with at what moment if they happened to be up -- we all shared an apartment in college -- when he left. So I really believe that who ever you sleep with is no one's business unless you want it to be. But I do roll my eyes at people who make it their entire lives to pose and pretend. I think that's a different ballgame all together. I also roll my eyes at those who use children to 'campaign' for their careers. And I think it's disgusting that Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise -- it's disgusting, not they're disgusting -- had to pose for a photo with their child just to get the press off their backs and off the non-stop attacks on Cruise.) The Ballet's just being who they are (or as much as anyone is who they are in the media circus) and the groups that matter (such as the Mamas and the Papas) usually have that trait.

I've belabored the point, I'm sure. But I don't usually say, "We're going to do this." I'm just one member, just one vote in the community. But I really feel strongly about this and it's something that on Thursdays when I'm really tired and thinking "There's no way I can pull together anything tonight," I'll be able to say "The Ballet!" And if I'm staring at the laptop and thinking it's just not going to come that night, that'll give me a push. It really is a great song.

So . . .

Friday night in most PBS markets (check local listings) PBS' NOW with David Brancaccio will air:

In this holiday season, is there a solution to chronic homelessness? What do homeless people most need to reenter the fabric of society? Some say the answer is right there in the question: homes. On December 21 at 8:30 pm (check local listings), NOW investigates a program that secures apartments for the long-term homeless, even if they haven't kicked their bad habits.
If you think that sounds crazy, think again. Advocates say this approach reduces costs, encourages self-help and counseling participation, and restores self-esteem. NOW follows a man nicknamed 'Footie' who invited us to see this idea in action.
As a holiday gift, see the show for free RIGHT NOW at the NOW website:http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/305/index.html
Also, watch a web-exclusive video report about how some homeless earn a living on the street, and assumption-busting truths about America's homeless population.
Check out as well the Top 10 NOW reports of 2007! www.pbs.org/now

Yes, I groan over that "even if they haven't kicked their bad habits" phrase. Remember, true of Moyers as well, some PBS stations are in fundraising mode so programs may be shuffled around on those stations.

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














Posted by at

Iraq snapshot

Thursday, December 20, 2007.  Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, Jamie Leigh Jones testified yesterday but look who can't cover it, the refugee crisis continues and more.
 
 
Starting with war resistance.  Joe McMorrow (Western Catholic Reporter) notes Sophie  Scholl  and Franz Jagerstatter (who both resisted the Nazi regime in Germany) and how the Catholic Church in Germany remained silent and McMorrow builds on that to call out: "The general indifference by Canadian Catholics to the plight of American war deserters who have fled to Canada in recent years rather than fight in Iraq is evidence that selective conscientious objection to war is still viewed as somehow not a valid Catholic moral, position.  This despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Catholic moral theologians agree with these deserters: the Iraq war is unjust; destertion, in a situation where there are no other alternatives, is preferable to participation in an unjust war.  The war in Iraq is conservatively estimated to have taken the lives of over 100,000 civilians and violates every traditional criterion used to justify war: the invasion of Iraq is not defensive, is not declared by a lawful authority, is not a last resort, does not sufficiently distinguish between civilian and military participants, and is not likely to create more good than the harm it is inflicting.  Yet, the plight of American deserters who have fled to Canada for refuge has not drawn a word of attention from the Canadian Conference of Cahtolic Bishops (CCCE)."
 
The Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.


There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.



Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).



In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.

 
March 13th through *16th* are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.  I would assume that this is fairly obvious but I would have assumed wrong: IVAW is asking that there be no anti-war rallies, marches, etc. called for the national level during that time period and that, since the Investigation is based in DC, that no "local" anti-war actions be planned for that period in DC.   The illegal war started on March 19, 2003 so that's two days after the event.  The 19th falls on a Wednesday.  If there are other actions held during that period, we won't be noting them.  This is something that was in planning stages for some time, something that a lot of people have worked very hard on and it's been announced for sometime.  IVAW has carved out these dates and we will note the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation announcement in every snapshot leading up to this event.  We won't be noting any other actions that take place during this time period.  I don't believe any one group leads and I certainly don't believe the peace movement should attempt to hide behind the military (is there any room left with the White House and Democratic leadership already crowded around back there?).  But this is a major event that's required intense planning and organizing and they gave more than enough notice ahead of time that everyone should have been aware of the event.  Those days should belong to the Investigation.  And the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation is a public event.  So, in terms of mobilization, if any group or organization wants to mobilize, they can can mobilize people to Investigation which will include the testimonies of those who have served as well as people from Iraq and Afghanistan who have survived the illegal war.
 
Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman noted, "On Capitol Hill, Justice Department officials are coming under criticism for refusing to attend a hearing on allegations of rape ans sexual assault of female contactors in Iraq.  A former employee has sued Halliburton and its former subsidiary KBR after she says she was gang-raped by employees of the company in Baghdad.  The alleged victim,  Jamie Leigh Jones, accuses the company and the U.S. government of covering up the crime."  Feminist Wire Daily summarizes: "Jones filed a lawsuit against her former employers, Halliburton and its then-subsidiary KBR in May, stating that she was drugged and gang-raped by a group of her co-workers in the KBR camp in the Green Zone in Iraq in 2005. In her testimony, Jones stated that her experience while working for contractors in Iraq was not an isolated incident, reports the Associated Press. Representative Ted Poe, R-TX, who was contacted for help by Jones's father while she was held in Iraq by her co-workers after the attack, also testified that several women have now come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault while employed by Halliburton's former subsidiary, KBR.  As of yet, no charges have been brought against Jones's alleged attackers. According to ABC News, legal experts say they might never even have to stand trial: A loophole in US law effectively leaves contractors working in Iraq out of the jurisdiction of US courts."  [Feminist Daily News Wire's item is also up at Feminist Majority Foundation.]  On yesterday's House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security,  Maddy Sauer (ABC News) points out that DoJ "refused to send a representative to answer questions from Congress today on the investigations into allegations of rape and sexual assault on female American contractors."   Rebecca Carr (Cox News via The Plains Dealer) observes, "Glaring at the empty seat assigned to an absent Justice Department official, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, vowed to 'move Justice in the right direction.'  Gohmert told Jones she is giving a voice to other victims of rape."  Barbara H. Peterson (OpEdNews) considers the meanings of these events: "Is the United States taking a step backwards in the area of women's rights?  It would seem so.  Violence against American women goes un-prosecuted, and women who have suffered violence remain traumatized with no justice in sight." CNN quotes Rep Poe declaring, "We need a new sheriff in Iraq to enforce federal laws."  We also a need a US State Department that provides the oversight it is supposed to.  AP notes that Rep Poe "says three women -- including Tracy Barker, who submitted written testimony of her account and was at the hearing -- contacted him" -- three women who have also been assaulted.  The Secretary of State is Condi Rice.  She heads the State Department and she assumed those duties January 26, 2005 which means she was in the charge of the department that was supposed to be overseeing contractors when the assaults on Jones and Barker took place.  Tracy Barker was harassed by contractors, true, but she was assaulted by an employee of the State Department -- Ali Mokhtare  -- an employee who, as of 20/20's report last Friday was still employed by the State Department.  It's not as if the State Department's a model department.  Warren P. Strobel (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that Charles Williams, who was in charge of oversight for the department's embassy construction in Iraq just became "the third senior State Department official to depart amid failures in managing the burgeoning U.S. diplomatic presence in Iraq.  The department's inspector general and head of diplomatic presence in Iraq."  Barker's statement was noted in yesterday's snapshot and maybe the fact that she submitted her statement in writing is why some of the press ignored her today?  Jones testified in public.  Flip through the New York Times today to find that report.
 
It's not there.
 
Jane Fonda speaking in January of this year (here for video, here for text)
 
Last month, in the Washington Post, there was a heart-breaking article by Nancy Trejos about the women's lives in Iraq.  The headline was, "Women Lose Ground in the New Iraq.  Once They Were Encouraged to Study and Work; Now Life Is 'Just Like Being in Jail'."  The article was on page A12.  If the female half of the world were visible and powerful, that article would have been the lead story, on the front page and above the fold. 
And to return to the Abeer Al-Janabi's tragic story.
The U.S. Army wants us to believe that what happened to Abeer was just another tale of a few bad apples.  One of the soldiers allegedly responsible -- the pupropted ringleader, private Steven Green, of Midland, Texas -- had a criminal record, and a history of drug abuse and emotional problems.  Once, the army would have rejected him.  But in 2005, desperate for recruits, they dismissed his dangerous past by granting him a so-called "moral waiver," and accepted him into their ranks.
 
On the first point, and Jamie Leigh Jones would be on the front page of today's New York Times (instead of not even noted) while on the second point, US soldiers carried out a criminal conspiracy to gang-rape and murder Abeer Qassim Hamza and to murder her parents, Qassim Hamza Raheem and Fakhriya Taha Muhsasen, and her five-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza on March 12, 2006.  Brian De Palma's brilliant film Redacted is work of fiction inspired by Abeer.  Dan Geist (IPS) examines the film, "Brian De Palma's new movie 'Redacted' is a fictional take on the overseas exploits of another youthful resident of the city, one who Midland days are not touted by the local Chamber of Commerce.  The real-life character whose deeds inspired the film is Steven Dale Green.  Still shy of his twentieth birthday, he had already racked up a record of alcohol and drug abuse that included three misdemeanor convictions.  Meanwhile, two years after Bush had declared a United States victory  in its latest war, the U.S. Army was experiencing a severe recruitment shortfall.  More liberal, embracing attitudes naturally gained sway  in the hiring office.  Thus it was that the newly anointed Private First Class Green arrived in another oil-rich country, Iraq, in the autom of 2005.  There, if the acounts of his fellow soldiers are to be credited, this younger son of Midland left his mark on history as well.  Steven Green is alleged to be the primary insitgator of the Mahmudiyah atrocity, a slightly altered version of which forms the centrepiece of 'Redacted'.  One afternoon in March 2006, a group of U.S. soldiers based in that suburb of Baghdad, well lubricated by whiskey-and-energy-drink cocktails, stormed the home of 14-year-old Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi.  As two soldiers took turns raping the girl, her parents and five-year-old sister were shot dead in another room, allegedly by Green.  According to the testimony of the other soldiers involved, Green proceeded to rape Abeer and kill her.  One of his associates then poured kerosene on her body, which was set ablaze.  Following a tip from another man in their unit, four soldiers were arrested for their roles in the crme and a fifth for failing to report it.  Green was discharged from the Army on psychiatric grounds before his participation came to light.  The two men who first raped Abeer -- Sergeant Paul Cortez and Specialist James Barker -- ultimately confessed and are now serving prison sentences that will last a minimum of 10 and 20 years, respectively, perhaps much longer.  Their roles are merged in one 'Redacted' character, B.B. Rush."
 
In some of today's reported violence . . .
 
Bombings?
 
 Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad car bombing claimed 3 lives and left twenty-eight people injured.  Reuters notes, "A suicide bomber wearing a belt packed with explosives struck a recruiting station for neighbourhood patrols in the twon of Kannan in restive Diyala province.  Police said 13 volunteers were killed and 10 wounded.  The U.S. military said a U.S. soldier was killed and 10 U.S. soldiers were wounded."  Hammooudi informs that the "neighborhood patrols" were the "Sahwa (awakening)" council -- the attack continues a trend.  Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) quotes an official who explains, "There was a meeting with U.S. forces at the time of the attack, when the suicide attacker aws able to get inside before exploding himself."
 
Shootings?
 
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 person was shot dead in Baquba and, also in Baquba, an armed clash resulted in 2 deaths.
 
Corpses?
 
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad.  Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) notes a US military statement released today on the discovery (apparently between the eighth of December and the eleventh but who knows) of 26 corpses in Muqdadiya.
 
 
Turning to the refugee crisis.  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees notes, "Popular Arab Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma on Tuesday launched a fund-raising campaign that he hopes will raise millions of dollars to help Iraqi refugees in major host countries such as Syria and Jordan" and quotes Shamma declaring, "I did not know before today that there are many layers [of Iraqi refugees] under the poverty line.  UNHCR has done its share but it is time now for the Arab people to do their share and support Iraqi refugees."  Over 4 million Iraqi refugees have been created by the illegal war (that's internally and externally displaced Iraqis).  Of course some aren't in Iraq technically and some aren't in another country technically.  Miret El Naggar (McClatchy Newspapers) reports, "Hundreds of Palestinian refugees who've been forced out of thier homes in Iraq are stranded in a remote stretch of the Syrian desert, where they're living in tents that offer little shelter against blinding sandstorms and the biting cold of winter nights, according to humanitarian aid workers and refugees.  Syrian authorities have barred the Palestinians from leaving the Tanaf refugee camp near the border with Iraq.  Journalists aren't allowed to visit."  On all Iraqi refugees, Church World Service notes, "Despite recent reports their homes, it is reportedly a small percentage and those returning face an uncertain future given continuing violence and widespread humanitarian needs.  As well, authorities in Iraq, Syria and Jordan have begun restricting movement of civilians, raising concerns about the ability to flee dangerous areas."  Cara Buckley (New York Times) examines  Maha Hashim and Afraah Kadhom and their families are two of the refugees Buckley examines. Both women tell similar details -- monies ran out in Syria, return to Baghdad . . . to nothing. There is no work, there is no place to live. A truck bombing destroyed Hashim's home and she (and her children) live in an uncle's apartment, Kadhom's is gone. Bombed. Rubble. Hashim's husband was a police officer. He was shot dead in 2006. Kadhom's "father and four brothers were killed two years ago" in a home invasion.  On employment, Ali al-Fahdily (IPS) quotes Mohammad al-Dulaymi explaining, "To survive in Iraq under U.S. occupation, there are only two jobs; police and garbage collection.  Unemployment is leading many Iraqis to join the security forces despite the risk invovled."
 
Finally, on the heels of Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism latest study noting the effects of Operation Happy Talk, FAIR has issued an analysis (which sounds similar to some of the points Peter Hart was making last Thursday and Friday) entitled "War Is Over -- Say the Pundits" (here for Common Dreams, here for FAIR):
 
To hear many in the mainstream media tell it, the Iraq War is of diminishing importance to American voters. But the evidence for such a shift in the electorate is thin at best--suggesting that journalists and pundits are really the ones who would rather not talk about Iraq as we head into an election year.

The New York Times offered a glimpse of this argument in a November 25 piece headlined "As Democrats See Security Gains in Iraq, Tone Shifts." The article suggested that "leading Democratic presidential candidates" were having trouble acknowledging "success" in Iraq while still opposing the war: "But the changing situation suggests for the first time that the politics of the war could shift in the general election next year, particularly if the gains continue."

This was carried further a few days later by the Washington Post (11/28/07), where it was reported that the "debate at home over the Iraq war has shifted significantly," a phenomenon that "has strategists in both parties reevaluating their assumptions about how the final year of the Bush presidency and the election to succeed him will play out."

The Post suggested that the "evolving public attitudes reflect, or perhaps explain, a turn in Washington as well." The suggestion that Washington might be reacting to subtle changes in public opinion is a curious one; if public sentiment were truly guiding policy, then U.S. troops would have long been on their way out.
 
 

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
Posted by at

Other Items

There is much to be learned from Sophie Scholl and Franz Jagerstatter. Since their death and in part due to their witness, the Second Vatican Council recognized the validity of selective conscientious objection to war.
Catholics are now advised to refuse to participate in an unjust war. This teaching, however, has yet to be understood and lived.
The general indifference by Canadian Catholics to the plight of American war deserters who have fled to Canada in recent years rather than fight in Iraq is evidence that selective conscientious objection to war is still viewed as somehow not a valid Catholic moral position.
This, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Catholic moral theologians agree with these deserters: the Iraq war is unjust; desertion, in a situation where there are no other alternatives, is preferable to participation in an unjust war.
The war in Iraq is conservatively estimated to have taken the lives of over 100,000 civilians and violates every traditional criterion used to justify war: the invasion of Iraq is not defensive, is not declared by a lawful authority, is not a last resort, does not sufficiently distinguish between civilian and military participants, and is not likely to create more good than the harm it is inflicting.
Yet, the plight of American deserters who have fled to Canada for refuge has not drawn a word of attention from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB.)


The above is from Joe McMorrow's "American deserters deserve the support of the Canadian Catholic Church" (Western Catholic Reporter). War resisters in Canada need to be granted legal status that offers them residency. In the past, that wasn't a problem. In the past, Canada stood up and led. It can lead today but it needs people to stand up outside of Parliament for members of the Parliament to stand up.


Garett Reppenhagen, Jeff Englehart, Joe Hatcher and Ben Schrader are the topic of the next highlight. Rob notes J. Adrian Stanley's "Mightier than the Sword: Inspired by overwhelming emotion, local veterans turn to the healing power of poetry" (Colorado Springs Independent):

They dispersed across the country, but the blog kept going. Reppenhagen was quickly drawn into activism. He took a job in Washington, D.C., with Veterans for America. In his spare time, he volunteered at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and for Iraq Veterans Against the War, a national support, advocacy and education organization.
In 2006, Reppenhagen was at the Vans Warped Tour with the Bouncing Souls, introducing the song "Letters from Iraq" -- one of Reppenhagen's poems, set to music.
Coincidentally, a young soldier named Jared Hood was in the audience that day. Hood later told Reppenhagen that the Warped speech helped him decide to go AWOL.
In 2007, Reppenhagen moved to Green Mountain Falls and started attending Pikes Peak Community College, studying to be a history teacher. Slowly, he began gathering his old friends. Schrader lives in the Fort Collins area. Hatcher lives in Cascade with his girlfriend and her 5-year-old son; they are expecting twins. Englehart moved to Denver at Reppenhagen's urging, bringing his wife.
The friends are all active in IVAW. And they've found others like them. Hood is now the Denver chapter president. Another friend, Mark Wilkerson, runs the Colorado Springs chapter. Wilkerson started writing in earnest while he was locked up for deserting.
"In prison, I really started to find myself," he says, "and this stuff just started to spew out of me."
Across the country, veterans are writing and blogging. IVAW has locked into the growing interest that veterans have in poetry, by launching the Warrior Writers Project. It has since hosted five workshops, where vets share ideas and write poetry, across the country. (There has yet to be a workshop in Colorado.)
Green Door Studio, in collaboration with People's Republic of Paper, has printed one compilation book, Warrior Writers: Move, Shoot and Communicate. L. Brown & Sons Printing, Inc., is putting out a new book, Re-making Sense, in January. Colorado Springs vets are featured in both.
The local veterans' writing community continues to grow, through open mics and advocacy groups. Here are some of the poems coming out of it, along with authors' introductions.

You can also find out more information at IVAW.

The Iraqi refugee population is over 4 million people -- internally and externally displaced.
From Miret El Naggar's "Palestinian refugees from Iraq stranded in desert camp" (McClatchy Newspapers) :


Hundreds of Palestinian refugees who've been forced out of their homes in Iraq are stranded in a remote stretch of the Syrian desert, where they're living in tents that offer little shelter against blinding sandstorms and the biting cold of winter nights, according to humanitarian aid workers and refugees.
Syrian authorities have barred the Palestinians from leaving the Tanaf refugee camp near the border with Iraq. Journalists aren't allowed to visit.
But United Nations officials and camp residents reached by phone described deteriorating health conditions, with an increase in illnesses related to contaminated water and skin afflictions caused by unhygienic conditions. Many children have lice, the Palestinians said, and the elderly suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure. They survive solely through handouts from the U.N. and Arab humanitarian groups.
"We die a thousand times a day," said Wafaa Mazhar, 37, a mother of five who said that her 16-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia six months ago at Tanaf. "We Palestinians are leading miserable lives. We're helpless, and no one feels our pain."
The fate of the 500 or so Palestinians at the Tanaf camp has been largely overlooked as governments and humanitarian groups focus on the 2.5 million Iraqi refugees who've flocked to urban hubs in Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Across from Tanaf, on the Iraqi side of the border, 1,900 Palestinians from Baghdad live in the squalid Walid camp, aid workers said.

Refugees is also a topic in this morning's New York Times. Cara Buckley's "Refugees Risk Coming Home to an Unready Iraq" begins on the front page. Maha Hashim and Afraah Kadhom and their families are two of the refugees Buckley examines. Both women tell similar details -- monies ran out in Syria, return to Baghdad . . . to nothing. There is no work, there is no place to live. A truck bombing destroyed Hashim's home and she (and her children) live in an uncle's apartment, Kadhom's is gone. Bombed. Rubble. Hashim's husband was a police officer. He was shot dead in 2006. Kadhom's "father and four brothers were killed two years ago" in a home invasion.

Buckley doesn't source this statement: "The government's widely publicized plan to run free buses from Damascus, Syria to Baghdad was suspended after just two runs." If it's true, it's worth noting that they sure got a lot of mileage (propaganda) out of those two runs. (Buckley isn't saying there were "two buses," she's referring to two runs.)

Stephen Farrell (New York Times) reports on an event that left 18-year-old Waleed Khalid Khudhaier, an Iraqi police officer, dead. Farrell reports that Waleed is thought to be the man who died in an event under investigation where an Iraqi police officer and a US marine are thought to have been involved in a knife battle on a base and the police officer was killed.

The incident is an embarrassment for the United States military, which has paised Anbar as a model for Sunni tribes and American soldiers cooperating to fight fundamentalist groups like Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the homegrown militant group that United States intelligence officials say is led by foreigners. The death has provoked local anger and demands for legal action.

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




Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)