Other Items

On the first day of the final exams, at work, translating an article about the difficulties that are expected to face students during their exams, my phone rings.
"MOM! There was an explosion near to our school! Some of the boys ran to see -- but I remembered what you told me about them coming in twos and kept walking. But I took photos of the smoke -- Mom, do you think many people were hurt?
A wave swept over me. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep -- shuddering -- breath and answered him, "Well done, habibi. Abu Ahmed will be waiting for you around the corner, don’t go home, just come straight here." I didn’t want to think of the outcome of an explosion so near to a boy’s school at the time they were all going home.
Ten minutes later, my phone rings again.
"Hello, Khala (aunty), please tell me that your son is OK!" A young friend of the family, a doctor who works in the nearby hospital.
"Yes, alhamdu lillah -- he called me after the explosion. You please tell me that none of the school boys were hurt."
"The first explosion was just a trap to catch their attention. Many boys walked towards the site out of curiosity. It was only after there was quite a group surrounding the burning car that the second explosion went off. It was terrible."

The above is from a McClatchy Newspapers Iraqi correspondent's "Final examinations commence today…A begining or an end?" (Inside Iraq). Remember, the violence is over . . . or ending . . . or whatever the spin is for the day.

Tensions also continue between northern Iraq and Turkey. From Hurriyet's "Turkey's pro-Kurdish DTP's PKK criticism, denial creates confusion:"

Turkey's pro-Kurdish party criticized the PKK on Wednesday saying its armed struggle hurt Kurds, as Turkey set to intensify its relations with the administration in northern Iraq in its fight against the outlawed separatists. However Ahmet Turk and other DTP officials immediately denied the report. Turk said Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told him that the Kurdish issue should be solved through diplomatic and political means and he told the president that they are exerting efforts to end violence, Milliyet reported. Turk added he didn't even use the name of the PKK. Turkish MPs from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) welcomed on Thursday Turk's statements.

While "US colonel: no PKK impact in Kirkuk" (Today's Zaman) notes:

US Army Col. David Paschal, commander of the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, on Monday spoke to Pentagon reporters in a teleconference from his headquarters at Contingency Operating Base Speicher. His remarks came in response to a question over whether he had seen "any evidence or any influence by the PKK in his area," particularly taking into consideration the fact that winter snows have melted and PKK members are able to move over rugged terrain more easily.

Meanwhile Blackwater remains in the news. From Tony Perry's "Blackwater's proposed San Diego training facility draws criticism" (Los Angeles Times):

Blackwater Worldwide, the global security firm whose conduct in Iraq has drawn criticism, is again trying to open a training facility in the face of local opposition.

In March, the firm dropped plans to build a 220-acre training camp in rural Potrero, about 45 miles east of downtown San Diego. A coalition of rural property owners, environmentalists and antiwar activists opposed its effort to build a "combat town."But the coalition did not know that Blackwater was simultaneously moving to open a smaller facility with a shooting range in Otay Mesa, within the city limits and near the Mexican border.The other project became known to the public only after leaders of the coalition received a tip from someone with inside information.

Unlike the Potrero plan, which would have required approval from the county Board of Supervisors, the Otay Mesa project required only the sort of basic permits that can be issued over the counter.

On the subject of money grubbers, Chevron is the focus of an upcoming action:

Tell Chevron Executives and Shareholders:
WE DEMAND PEACE, CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

CHEVRON: FUELING WARS AND ABUSING HUMAN RIGHTS & THE ENVIRONMENT
From Richmond to Ecuador, Nigeria, Canada, Philippines, Burma and Iraq

WED, MAY 28, 7am to 10:30am
Mass Theater Action and Demonstration
Chevron World Headquarters
6001 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA

Special Guests:
Luis Yanza, Ecuadorian Community Organizer and 2008 Goldman Environmental Award Recipient

Hugo Criollo, Ecuadorian Indigenous Leader

Omoyele Sowore, Nigerian human rights, pro-democracy and anti-corporate leader.

Larry Bowoto, Plaintiff in the lawsuit against Chevron for their 1998 flying of Nigerian soldiers by helicopter to attack a nonviolent occupation of Chevron's Parabe offshore oil platforms. Two activists were killed, others injured, and Bowoto himself was tortured.

These leaders from Ecuador and Nigeria will demonstrate with Bay Area environmental justice, solidarity, antiwar, and human rights groups, and will also join supportive shareholders and organizers in confronting Chevron executives and shareholders inside their annual shareholder meeting. While we take action at the gates of Chevron World Headquarters (please come on time so we can greet the shareholders who arrive by 7:30am), some shareholders have filed a resolution demanding that Chevron report on the environmental laws in every country where it has operations, in an attempt to push for accountability.
http://www.chevrontoxico.com/article.php?id=381

MASS THEATER: We need 100 people to join us, put on HazMat suits and gloves, and help us "clean up" Chevron's human and environmental rights abuses and oil wars. If you are willing to join us, please send a note to: info@chevrontoxico.org

Sponsored by:
Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Direct Action to Stop the War, Amazon Watch, Laotian Organizing Project, Justice for Nigeria Now, Global Exchange, Burmese American Democratic Alliance-SF, Filipino American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity (FACES), Rainforest Action Network, West County Toxics Coalition, Richmond Greens, Richmond Progressive Alliance

How to Get There:
Take BART to Walnut Creek BART: We will provide shuttles from Walnut Creek BART to the demonstration. Or you can take short ride on County
Connection shuttle 121, or it's a flat 12-mile bike ride.
Carpools: (if you have space in your car or need a ride):
SF: Meet @ 6am; Safeway parking lot, Church and Markets Sts.
East Bay: Meet @ MacArthur BART @ 6:15am
Driving/Carpooling Directions: Fast 25 miles E. of Oakland.
Take 580 to Hwy 24 E. to I-680 S to exit #34/BOLLINGER CANYON ROAD. Left over Hwy. 1st left into Shopping Center. Park, walk back to Chevron across Bollinger.

For more information:
info@chevrontoxico.org
(510) 984-2566
ActAgainstWar.org

***************
Related events:
***************
TUES. MAY 27, 5:30-9pm
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco
CHEVRON BASH; On the eve of the Chevron Shareholder Meeting, join locals and international guests affected by Chevron's human rights and environmental violations as they share their stories and inspire our continued struggle for justice.


THURS. MAY 29, 7pm
COMMUNITY FORUM: Capping Chevron's Crude
Richmond Recreation Complex, 3230 Mac Donald Ave., Richmond
Teach-In about Chevron's Dirty Crude Richmond Refinery Expansion plans that will go before the Richmond Planning Commission on June 5. With Antonia Juhasz, Henry Clarke, Greg Karras, and Marleen Quint
Info: 510 232-4493

Brenda notes Hillary Clinton's "Clinton will 'stand for you'" (Louisville Courier-Journal):

Campaigning in Kentucky and across this country has been an honor and a privilege. Day after day, I've been inspired by the people I've met -- people who embrace opportunity, never waver in the face of adversity, meet hard times with hard work, and never stop believing in the promise of America.
I'm in this race to stand for you -- to stand for everyone who's struggling to pay the grocery bills and the doctor's bills, the credit card and the mortgage payments, and the ridiculous price of gas at the pump.
With two wars abroad and an economic crisis here at home, we need a president who knows how to turn our economy around, and who is ready on day one to be commander-in-chief, end the war in Iraq and keep our families safe. We need a president who will get this country back in the solutions business. That is exactly what I'm offering.
Because the real test is not the speeches you deliver -- but whether you deliver on the speeches. You have to get the job done, and that is exactly what I will do as president.

Michelle York's "An Antiwar March Through Towns Unused to One" (New York Times) reports on some actions to end the illegal war:

He watched as a small group protesting the war in Iraq marched toward him, carrying peace signs and waving at the cars and tractor-trailers whizzing by. "I don't think it's going to do any good," Mr. Price said of their efforts. "I want to get out of there, too, but I don't think this is the way."
Yet once the protesters, headed for Fort Drum, more than 50 miles away, reached him, Mr. Price eagerly offered them water and a place to rest -- a more pleasant welcome than they had received from many others along the way.
[. . .]
"Many may have believed in the principle of the war at the start, but now they’re saying that they want the soldiers to come back," said Kathleen Castania, 59, an organizer who lives in Rochester. Whatever the reaction they draw, the organizers say they are making headway, both emotionally and physically.
"There is some apprehension" in the towns, said Tod Ensign, the director of Different Drummer Cafe, a veterans'-support organization in Watertown. "But I don't believe this has ever been done before anywhere in the country. This is a first step."

Also in the Times, War Hawk Michael Gordon writes about the US military constructing the wall in Sadr City and how residents don't want it -- the supposed thrust of the article -- is an aside. Somehow the wishes and wants of the inhabitants of the country don't matter to the occupiers and Gordo seems fine-and-dandy with that. Alissa J. Rubin notes:

The Mosul operation follows two other offensives, in Basra and the Sadr City district of Baghdad, that the government has carried out in recent months; the other two offensives focused on Shiite militias.
Iraqi and American security forces believe that Mosul is the last urban stronghold of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, which American intelligence says is a homegrown militant group led by foreigners.
The Iraqi Army began the offensive over the weekend and is being aided by American troops. There has long been support in Mosul for the Sunni insurgency because many former members of Saddam Hussein's security forces live there.

Yesterday we noted "Hillary's Remarks at Charleston, WV Celebration Event" (HillaryClinton.com) in text. Here's the video:




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

tony perry
the los angeles times
michelle york
the new york times
alissa j. rubin
michael gordon

Awakening or Sawha it all translates as 'thug'

A youthful suicide bomber killed at least 23 people Wednesday in an attack against relatives of Col. Faisal Ismail al-Zobaie, a U.S.-backed police chief and former insurgent who has turned against his onetime comrades.
Zobaie, the police chief of Fallujah in Anbar province, said a bomber of about 12 years of age attacked the funeral of Zobaie's uncle. He said insurgents had seized his uncle, a school principal, on Tuesday, demanding to know whether the police chief was his nephew.
"When he said yes, they killed him in front of his students," said Zobaie, the subject of a Washington Post profile in March that chronicled the stern methods he employs against members of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni insurgent group responsible for sectarian violence and attacks against U.S. targets.
Abu al-Laith al-Jubori, a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, asserted responsibility for the attack at the funeral. He said in a telephone interview that the group was "proud that we carried out this operation by one of our youngest soldiers" and said it targeted leaders of the Awakening or Sawha movement -- predominantly Sunni groups that have joined with U.S. forces.
"Today's operation is a message to the Sawha members . . . who were gathering at the funeral of the uncle of the infidel" Zobaie, Jubori said.

The above, noted by Lloyd, is from Ernesto Londono and Uthman al-Mokhtar's "Child Bomber Kills 23 In Iraq" (Washington Post). Sawha or "Awakening" Council members are the thugs who terrorize local populations today. Prior to be putting on the US payroll -- at $300 a month per member -- they were attacking US service members. From the April 8th snapshot:

In his opening remarks, Petraues explained of the "Awakening" Council (aka "Sons of Iraq," et al) that it was a good thing "there are now over 91,000 Sons of Iraq -- Shia as well as Sunni -- under contract to help Coalition and Iraqi Forces protect their neighborhoods and secure infrastructure and roads. These volunteers have contributed significantly in various areas, and the savings in vehicles not lost because of reduced violence -- not to mention the priceless lives saved -- have far outweighed the cost of their monthly contracts." Again, the US must fork over their lunch money, apparently, to avoid being beat up.

How much lunch money is the US forking over? Members of the "Awakening" Council are paid, by the US, a minimum of $300 a month (US dollars). By Petraeus' figures that mean the US is paying $27,300,000 a month. $27 million a month is going to the "Awakening" Councils who, Petraeus brags, have led to "savings in vehicles not lost". Again, in this morning's hearings, the top commander in Iraq explained that the US strategy is forking over the lunch money to school yard bullies. What a proud moment for the country.

In other news, the front page of the New York Times, bottom corner on the right, contains a lovely picture of Beverly Leslie and Benji. Jim Rutenberg hasn't written of sitcoms in some time; however, I assume a Will & Grace spin-off is news and, certainly, it's good to know that the business associates are still together. The little drawf and the giant, ripe with comic possibilities.

Our Jordan notes Jordan "Unfinished Business" (HillaryClinton.com):

Jordan, a student at PSU, is a field organizer for Oregon for Hillary. Fourteen years ago, she met the then-First Lady in a meeting arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. At just eight years old, Jordan had endured two heart operations, cancer and a kidney transplant. People like Jordan are the reason why Hillary is in this race.

On Friday I woke up at 4:30 in the morning -- I had jumped the gun by two hours. However it’s not every day you get to reunite with your life-long hero, hence my anxiousness. As an eight-year-old girl recovering from renal failure, I first met then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House.

I am 22 now, and in less than four hours I would be meeting Hillary yet again. Only this time she was coming to my neck of the woods, Portland, Oregon, and not as First Lady, but as Senator Clinton, Democratic presidential hopeful. Our reunion would take place at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, a place that has given me a second chance at life on numerous occasions.

Upon seeing her at last, I met her half way as she greeted me with open arms. This was history coming full circle and I could barely contain my nerves. In an attempt to compose myself, I recalled the advice of my father who told me days prior, "Remember this isn't about you. Just remember what you are there for." I tried to keep in mind the bigger picture, and thus the larger-than-self meaning behind Hillary’s visit.

More important than me was the Senator’s effort to revisit the cause she so vigorously championed during the time of our first meeting. Universal health care is as she said -- "unfinished business." I have the luxury of being relatively healthy now, and more so, have had the luxury of being insured, making my trials much easier for me and my family to deal with. The same can’t be said for 43 percent of the patients currently treated at Doernbecher.

As a former patient I now had the honor of guiding the Senator on a tour of the intermediate care ward. Her candor and grace immediately struck me, and her inquisitive nature made her effortlessly approachable. Watching the Senator reach out to one young man, clearly suffering from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation -- a distant memory in my mind -- prompted flashbacks, which further reinforced my sense of place and purpose.

At 9:30 the visit culminated in a roundtable discussion in the main courtyard where dozens of doctors, patients and their families braved the cold to hear the Senator make her case for why every American must have health care. We heard from two mothers of ill children treated at Doernbecher -- two separate stories as case in point for how the current health care system has failed its people, and in this particular instance, its children. "How can we expect to achieve Universal Health Care if the stated goal is something far less?" Hillary asked of the hospital’s onlookers.

This is why I support Senator Clinton. She was ahead of her time when she first worked to achieve universal health care fourteen years ago and she has refused to give up since. I am thoroughly convinced that, above all, Hillary has a personal interest in seeing this come to fruition, and we know she won’t shy away from the fight ahead. I'm for Hillary because she's a fighter like me.

This month (in five days), Molly Bingham and Steve Connors' amazing documentary Meeting Resistance is released on DVD:


MEETING RESISTANCE
Available on DVD May 20th

Click here to read the press release

On-the-ground reporting with resistance fighters in Baghdad reveals a wholly different narrative than the one portrayed by many in the mainstream news.

"Meeting Resistance," is about the people and make-up of the Iraqi resistance. Since it was released in theaters last fall, we have shown the film in more than 80 U.S. cities, as well as to several key military audiences. We've made more than 200 appearances with the film to talk about our understanding of the conflict in Iraq and take questions from the audience. When the lights come up, we are greeted with the kind of silence associated with people trying to reconcile what they thought they knew with what they now understand. We've come to realize that our film is delivering a paradigm shift about the Iraq conflict--one audience at a time.

There are two wars in Iraq. "Meeting Resistance" explores the first war, the popularly supported resistance to occupation, which contains the majority of the organized violence that is happening in Iraq. Using primary source material, critical analysis and cross-referencing, we crafted a film that tells the story of that conflict. The second war is the civil war--an internal political struggle being waged over competing visions of Iraq's future, of which the country’s sectarian violence is a symptom, not a cause.

The View From Baghdad

"Meeting Resistance" is a journalistic documentary, not an advocacy or polemic film. Although we did not set out to challenge the narrative of the Iraq conflict--the one that has been constructed in Washington--our reporting eventually led us to do so.

U.S. military's briefings in the Green Zone during 2003 and 2004 told journalists that the violence against American troops came from "dead-enders" and "Ba'athi die-hards," from common criminals, religious extremists, foreign fighters, and al-Qaeda--characterized as "fringe elements". While some might fit some of these descriptions, the vast majority of those involved are citizens from the core of Iraqi society.

In time, we came to see the U.S. military's misnaming of the "enemy" as an intentional act--as a key part of their objective to control the "information battle space." They aspire to control the perception of the enemy's identity, and through the news media persuade the American public that these "fringe elements" of Iraqi society are the only ones who oppose the U.S. presence in Iraq. A military push (or surge) to isolate and eliminate them would accomplish a perceived "victory."

From the Pentagon to Iraq

The National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq delivered to the White House in October 2003 was leaked in February 2006 by Robert Hutchings, the 2003-2005 chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Speaking in interviews, Hutchings revealed that the report said that it is composed of nationalists fighting for their country with deep roots in the society and that the U.S. military, if it remains in Iraq, will be fighting a counterinsurgency war for years to come, a conclusion that echoed what we had found in our on-the-ground reporting for "Meeting Resistance."

This spring, a New York Times' front-page investigation revealed the Pentagon's well-oiled "briefing" system for retired military analysts who are working for TV outlets and writing op-eds in ways that reflect and amplify the U.S. government's narrative. The reporting done by the Times underscores the critical importance the Pentagon ascribes to its efforts to control the "message," including how it defines the enemy.

If the predominant narrative about the Iraq conflict was truly based in reality, it would involve pointing out that the majority of Iraqis want a withdrawal of all foreign forces, and that the Department of Defense's quarterly reports to Congress, on average, show that from April 2004 to December 2007, 74 % of significant attacks initiated by Iraqis targeted U.S.-led coalition forces.

Americans would also find out that half of registered marriages in Baghdad in 2002 were mixed marriages between Sunni and Shia, Kurd and Arab, Christian and Muslim, and many of the tribes and clans and families are, in fact, mixed between Sunni and Shia. Also, nearly all of the Arab Iraqis polled oppose dividing the country along ethnic and sectarian lines, and the vast majority demands that Iraq have a strong central government, not the decentralized powerlessness imposed by the American-influenced constitution.

It is not that these points have never been reported, but the booming voice of "disinformation"--from which the Pentagon wants the American public to view the conflict--drowns much of this information out. Ultimately, our film has helped reveal the success of the Pentagon's strategy to obscure the real nature of the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, too many in the news media have been willing to allow that to happen.

Throughout the world's history, there have been occupations--and resistance to those occupations. Why then do Americans have such a difficult time grasping that our troops are unwelcome by the vast majority of the Iraqi population? And why has reporting by our mainstream news media generally failed to recognize and draw our attention to this central, core aspect of the violence?

Steve Connors and Molly Bingham are directors of "Meeting Resistance." Their film is distributed by First Run Features and available on DVD May 20th.

Please send review links to kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com or mail tear sheets to:

First Run Features
The Film Center Building
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213
New York NY 10036

Make it easy for your readers to find First Run Features:
www.firstrunfeatures.com / 1-800-229-8575

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

ernesto londono

uthman al-mokhtar
the washington post

meeting resistance
molly bingham
steve connors
the new york times
jim rutenberg

Iraq snapshot

Wednesday, May 14, 2008.  Chaos and violence continue, a bombing leads to multiple deaths, al-Maliki pulls a for-show stunt, John Edwards endorses a super-model, Hillary wins West Virginia, and more.

 

Starting with political realities.  There have been reports that US Senator Barack Obama intends to declare himself the Democratic presidential nominee (click here for Tennessee Guerilla Women citing an outlet's report). It's possible that the campaign truly is that stupid.  Making that declaration would be a disaster and most have focused on the p.r. when the bigger disaster would be the finanical one.  Ava and I discussed this morning a number of realities including that if August seems to long to wait for a Democratic presidential nominee to take it up with the DNC that shoved the convention back so that the Democratic candidate would be running on a level playing field (financially) with the Republican candidate.  We didn't factor in the alleged May announcement because we'd honestly forgotten it. 

 

In 2004, John Kerry and the DNC considered delaying the nomination.  Not because Kerry was at risk of losing it   Why?  Because the DNC convention was in July of 2004 and the GOP convention would wrap up in September.  The Washington Post, May 2004: "Under federal law, each major-party nominee will receive a check for $74.69 million from the U.S. Treasury to finance the general election.  Receipt of the money is triggered by formal acceptance of the nomination, and after that no money raised for the primaries can be used on behalf of each nominee's general election campaign."  Read the article.  The Kerry campaign and DNC were not talking about delaying the convention, they were talking about no announcement of the nominee being made at the convention and doing that later.  That was one idea they were toying with.  If the announcement is made, the FEC regulations kick in.

 

When John McCain's mentioned here we generally note he is the presumed nominee and often include the point that, barring some upset ("heart attack or scandal"), he will be the GOP nominee in the fall.  Barack Obama making an announcement this month would result in one of two things.  A) The DNC calls him out on it and he has egg on his face that the press laughs at from now until the convention.  (Possibly beyond.)  B) The DNC doesn't call him on it.  If the DNC makes no statement that the nominee has not been decided and it is not in Barack Obama's power to declare himself the nominee, then Barack would be in the presidential spending cycle.  In May.  Defeating everything the DNC was hoping to achieve this year by pushing the convention back to August.  Read the Washington Post article.  The 2004 convention would take place but John Kerry would make a speech in August declaring himself the nominee and they intended to argue that the speech was when Kerry became the nominee.  By the same token, if Barack declares himself the nominee before the convention and is not loudly rebuked by the DNC, the federal guidelines should kick in and you better believe the Republicans will argue that they should. 

 

When one candidate is left standing (the 'norm' for those especially young), they still aren't the nominee until the declaration.  Barack making such a declaration before the convention and doing so while another candidate remains in the race would be viewed as a formal acceptance (seizure) of the nomination and the FEC spending rules would kick in.

 

Along with the p.r. nightmare Barack would create by declaring himself the nominee, people better get real about what happens in terms of financing.  And, if you missed it, Barack's engaged in a dance with the press about how he would finance a general election campaign.  Declaring himself the nominee -- with no LOUD rebuke from the DNC -- would take the issue from the hypothetical into the near future into the immediate present.  (While the GOP nominee would have months to decide what they intend to do.)  Since, unlike 2004, there are still two candidates, Barack declaring himself the nominee to shut out Hillary would most likely have to be seen by the FEC as his nomination unless the DNC loudly rebuked him and the federal finance laws on the general election cycle would immediately kick in.

 

Barack shouldn't be able to declare himself the nominee.  It's a tie and the rules and guidelines say it goes to the convention where it's decided.  But if he does try to do that the two most likely outcomes are (A) he enters the general election finance period in May or (B)he is loudly rebuked by the DNC.  If it's (A), he defeats the entire purpose of the DNC moving the convention to August for 2008.  If it's (B), he becomes the laughingstock of the press and America which suddenly gets an education on how a nominee is decided and Barack's speech becomes his Dan Quayle potato moment (or, as Dan spelled it, "potatoe").

 

We'll return to politics later in the snapshot.  Turning to war resistance, Jesse McLean (The Samia Observer) reports on war resister Richard Droste. Twenty-two-year-old Droste served in Iraq as a medica and then self-checked out after seeing what was really taking place in the illegal war.  He says, "I was a stupid one and didn't see what we were really doing there until I was already there for four months."  Now he's in Canada, where he's married to a Canadian citizen, and speaking out in favor of the Canadian Parliament granting safe harbor to US war resisters.  He and Josh Randall spoke in Sarnia yeterday and he states, "It's not looking good.  I'm worried the government in Canada right now is too bought into the American life" and if safe harbor isn't granted "you're going to see hundreds of objectors shipped back stateside, where a lot of them would probably get imprisoned."

 

Currently, you can utilize the following e-mails to show your support: 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.  In addition Jack Layton, NDP leader, has a contact form and they would like to hear from people as well. A few more addresses 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.         

 

Meanwhile George Bryson (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that a US judge, John D. Roberts, has declared that paratrooper Michael Barnes is a conscientious objector.  In the Anchorage Daily News, Bryson explains that Barnes enlisted in 2005 and was sent to Iraq where he realized he was a conscientious objector.  Bryson notes: "In a 26-page recommendation to the U.S. District Court, Roberts noted that the Army failed to show 'any basis in fact' to support its decision to deny Barnes' petition to be honorably discharged due to his religious beliefs. At the same time, the record includes strong reasons to justify the request, including Barnes' own testimony, supporting letters from fellow soldiers and the opinion of an Army chaplain, the judge said."  He is not the first war resister to require a court interceeding.  Robert Zabala is the most recent example and Agustin Aguayo is hoping the Supreme Court will intercede on his behalf.

There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, 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, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara 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, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, 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. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).

 

Turning to Iraq where the violence, like the illegal war, never ends.  Reuters notes a bombing resulting in mass deaths at an Al Anbar Province funeral.  AP notes the death toll is 22 and that: "The bomber blew himself up inside a funeral tent in the village of Abu Minasir, just west of the capital. Police say that funeral was for Taha Obaid, the principle who was shot and killed one day before in his school. There was no reason known for Wednesday's killing, but many members of so-called Awakening Councils, Sunnis who switched allegiance and are now fighting al Qaeda, were attending the funeral. Col. Faisal al-Zubaie, the director of police in nearby Fallujah, says the original death toll was 18, but some people died later.

In other reported violence."  Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) notes that the principle was Taha Obaid Zubai and identifies him as "a member of the Islamic Party" and the cousin of "Faisal Zubair, . . .the Fallouja police commander."  The "Awakening" Council members are paid $300 US dollars a day by the US government.  al Qaeda in Iraq has always been a small presence and the ones on the payroll of the US government today are mainly paid to not attack US service members (as Petraeus and Crocker repeatedly admitted/bragged in their April Congressional testimony).  In other reported violence . . .

 

Bombings?

 

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad car bombing targeting Iraqi parliamentarian Ayad Al Samarai which did not kill him but claimed the lives of 3 bystanders and wounded twenty-seven people, a Baghdad 'female suicide bomber' who claimed her own life as well as 1 Iraqi military captain and 1 Iraqi soldier while injuring four more Iraqi soldiers, a Baghdad roadside bombing that targeted another Iraqi parliamentarian, Abdul Kareem Al Samari, and claimed the lives of 3 of his bodyguards (he survived) and left seven people injured, a land mine bombing in Sulaimaniyah claimed the life of an NGO worker with another wounded, while a bag bombing in Sulaimaniyah left three children wounded.

 

Shootings?

 

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports armed clashes in Sadr City continued and claimed 6 lives with fourteen more wounded.

 

Corpses?

 

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses discovered in Baghdad,

Sulaimaniyah

 

In other news, Reuters reports puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki has headed to Mosul to oversee the assault and has dubbed the ones under attack "terrorists" and "criminals."  al-Maliki last oversaw the failed campaign in Basra which created the current conflict in Sadr City.

 

 

In US political news, West Virginia held a primary yesterday.  As the Boston Globe headline proclaimed, "Clinton Crushes Obama in W. Va."  With 100% precints reporting, Hillary Clinton beat Barack Obama by 41% and exit polling revealed a number stating that if Barack was the Democratic Party nominee, they would vote for John McCain in November.  On NBC's Today Show this morning, Matt Lauer noted that the voters rejected the conventional wisdom the pundits keep pushing: that Barack is the nominee; while Andrea Mitchell noted problems in the upcoming primary in Kentucky "unless there is a major change in the way he connects to people."  Barack Obama is in a tie with Hillary Clinton.  Neither will finish the primaries with enough delegates awarded to claim the nomination.  The rules and guidelines dictate that the decision be made at the August convention.  In the meantime the 'invincible' Barack seems even less so but David Gregory assured Lauer that "new math" was being used by the Obama campaign and that they are convinced he can lure Republican states in the last two elections based on his 'appeal' to Latino voters -- an appeal that did not exist in Texas, California or Florida.  Hillary declared in her victory speech last night, "After tonight's tremendous victory here in West Virginia, it's clear that the pundits declaring this race over have it all wrong. The voters in West Virginia spoke loud and clear -- they want this contest to go on."   If there were a nominee selected by the people, the press-appointed nominee wouldn't have lost yesterday's primary by 41%.

 

Meanwhile, yes, it's true, John Edwards, former Democratic presidential candidate this year (and 2004 vice presidential nominee) appeared on TV today to make an endorsement.  His taped announcement appeared at the end of The Tyra Banks Show where he joined other celebrities (such as Will & Grace's Debra Messing) in congratulating Tyra on her 500th show and wishing her many more episodes.  With Merv Griffin and Michael Douglas no longer having TV shows, Edwards spoke live to endorse Barack Obama, the candidate who repeatedly punked him on stage, the one he refused to stand up to, the refusal that led to American voters seeing him as weak.  At this late date and considering his non-stop desire to act as if his campaign existed for him to be part of an Obama entourage, no one gives a damn.  Edwards joined Barack, Tim Russert and Brian Williams in the tag-team bashing of Hillary -- the debate FAIR didn't think warranted a "media advisory."  He was a weak candidate who couldn't finish.  His endorsement is meaningless.  But it was nice to see him on Tyra playing the grinning fool he does too well.

 

Today Hillary Clinton explained what's at stake:

 

There are some people out there who want to declare this race over now, before all the ballots have been counted or even cast. There are some who say they don't know why I'm in this race. So let me tell you why I'm still running.  

I'm in this race for everyone who needs a champion. For the hardworking families who are losing sleep over gas prices and grocery costs and mortgage payments and medical bills -- but who never lose that American can-do spirit and optimism.

I'm in this race for the more than 16 million people like you who have supported me -- for the people who have put their hearts into winning this race. You never gave up on me, and I'll never give up on you.   

We are in the homestretch. After sixteen months, there are only three weeks left to compete in the final contests. With your help I'm going to keep fighting until every last American has a chance to be heard, and as we learned last night in West Virginia, I know we can win.  

Contribute now to keep our campaign going strong.  

I'm also in this race because I have the best chance of beating John McCain in November and putting America on the right track.  

We proved something in West Virginia last night -- a state every Democratic president has won since 1916. And we proved something in a few other battleground states that have a history of picking presidents. Pennsylvania. Ohio. Arkansas. New Hampshire. New Jersey. New Mexico. Nevada. And, yes, Michigan and Florida. 

I am in this race, and so are you, because we both know the stakes in this election are too high to stay on the sidelines.

So let's keep going together, you and me. Let's keep driving our campaign forward, and let's keep winning.  

Make a contribution today to help me win.  

I want to thank you again for the incredible generosity of spirit you have shown over the course of this campaign. Together, you and I are going to make history.  

 

Turning to Team Nader:

 

While most of us sit in front of screens typing and searching, Ralph Nader still types out his prose on a manual Underwood typewriter.

On Monday, Mr. Underwood traveled to Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. 

Nader is not easily dazzled by technological wonders.  

Throughout his career, Nader has confronted head-on the downside of nuclear, automobile, genetic engineering and other industrial advances.  

And now he's questioning the enormous amount of time we spend in front of our computers. 

Has Google and the information revolution that it leads made our society better?

Or is it just another mass diversion from the reality of the corporate takeover of our democracy?  

At Googleland, Nader took questions for an hour.  

And then sat down for an eight-minute interview with Youtube.  

Nader/Gonzalez is confronting head-on the reality of the corporate takeover of our democracy.  

As you know this week, we are raising money to get Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot in the Land of Lincoln - Illinois.  

In just five short days, 462 of you - on-line and face-to-face at Nader/Gonzalez rallies on the West Coast - have donated $43,718.  

Thank you.  

We need just another 70 of you - our loyal supporters - to donate $100 each - to reach our Illinois goal of $50,000.   

 

 

iraq

richard droste
jesse mclean

nbc
today
matt lauer
andrea mitchell
cbs news
dean reynolds

mcclatchy newspapers

tina susman
the los angeles times

the washington post