Thursday, May 13, 2010

I Hate The War

Tonight we're writing about co-opting. This is due to e-mails stemming from Wednesday's snapshot and from this morning's second entry.

Shouldn't we be applauding the effort of John Kerry and Joe Lieberman on the environment? That's the question coming in e-mails to the public account. No, we shouldn't. As noted in the snapshot, corporations love, LOVE, their proposal. Read their endorsement sheet. It's not about the environment.

It's a bunch of garbage that actually weakens our entire eco-system. There are a lot of efforts like that and many of them also pimp nuclear power as 'safe' and 'needed'. We don't note the vet group that plays environmentalist for that reason.

They aren't independent, they aren't honest and they are co-opted by Big Energy and by the Democratic Party. They are no different than the jokes of VoteVets which is really VoteDemocraticVets and will do anything to excuse Democrats and not hold them accountable. Remember when VoteVets pretended to want US troops out of Iraq now -- back in 2006?

They're co-opted.

This ties into this morning's entry because a friend of David Swanson's wants to know if we want blood?


He needs to sit his butt down if he can't be honest.

The movement can't afford him otherwise. And we need to notice that he wants to 'lead' on Iraq as . . . election season approaches. In other words, it may be because people may be voting and he wants to influence (or try to) those votes.

I'm not interested. David Swanson needs to get honest about what he did. If he can't, he needs to stop trying to lead. We cannot afford to see the peace movement derailed yet again as someone tries to prove their loyalty to the Democratic Party.

I'm not in the mood. We can't afford them anymore. They have destroyed the peace movement. They have refused to call out War Hawk Barack Obama the same way the way they did War Hawk George W. Bush.

I don't have time for them and to make time for them is to slide backwards.

Why should they be leaders to begin with?

Leaders show bravery. When have they done that? When have they loudly called out Barack?

They haven't. And they whine in private about how they can't. It would hurt them. They just can't. Please, if you can't speak up, then shut up. And I'm not who person who uses that phrase. But I'm not in the mood.

I'm tired of these candy asses who don't even have the strength to call out a War Hawk. How many Iraqis have to die in the ongoing war before you find your comfort zone and can call out a War Hawk? It's a serious question. How many Afghans have to die? And, Nixon wanna-be that he is, he's expanded the war, he's taken it to Pakistan. Bush argued that he could imprison anyone he wants to. Barack tops that by claiming he can kill anyone he wants to.

Where's the outrage?

After September 11th, calling out Bush took courage and those of us who did shouldn't be the same ones who have to again carry the load. In a year or two, some of the silent will find the courage to call Barack out. Of course, it really won't matter then because their silence will have allowed the country to be further destroyed.

I didn't vote for Barack -- the first time in my life that I did not vote for the Democratic candidate (I voted for either Cynthia McKinney or Ralph Nader -- and that's as much as I'll reveal my vote). But I sure heard all the pimps from the Liar Class tell us what a Barack victory would mean and what it meant. It was going to turn back all of Bush's abuses. Instead all it did was advance the abuses -- make them bi-partisan.

And what do we get from our 'brave' Liar Class? Endless articles about Sarah Palin. A woman who probably will never be president and who doesn't even hold a public office at this point. But she's the great focal point for the 'left' while they refuse to call out the destruction of our country and our Constitution.

The Nation thinks they went out on the ledge with their editorial insisting that Elana Kagan face tough questions. That passes for bravery. (And, goodness the self-stroking on the phone from two friends at the magazine over that dumb ass editorial.) Elana Kagan isn't fit to serve on the Supreme Court. She will not represent the people's interests. When Bush nominated Harriet Miers, the right was able to storm the gates. But the 'left' -- our Liar Class -- thinks asking that she face tough questioning (before being confirmed) is hitting hard.

I'm sick of it and we can't afford it. As a country we cannot afford. All you have to do is look to the disaster in the Gulf and you have your answer that Barack Obama is not only in over his head, he is as inept as George W. Bush.

His 'answer' was to militarize the operation. Golly, I kind of thought the country was in a recession and people were desperate for jobs. Seems a real rescue effort could have been put together by relying on science and not on the military.

But having relied on the military, he needs to wrap this up pretty damn quick and then send the bill to BP. Instead the pollution and destruction goes on and on and on. And Lieberman and Kerry want to pretend that their stupid, corporate friendly bill does a damn thing for the environment?

Where are the leaders on the left? We've got Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan and damn few others.
Those who want to be leaders -- and I don't think Cindy wants to be a leader, I think she feels she's being pushed into that role (I could be wrong) because no one else will lead. She's got to be the grown up so everyone can play in the Kool Aid. Again, I could be wrong, that's the impression I get.

David Swanson needs to take accountability and do so publicly. That accountability needs to include a promise that he will not attempt to steer votes to any political party. He and others whored out the peace movement for the Democratic Party and they need to make pledge that they won't do so again. They need to get honest about what they did because if they don't, they'll just try to do it again.

If he's worth listening to, he should have no problem taking accountability. Real leaders aren't afraid of it and know they learn from it and so do we. Which is why it's very telling that, for example, Norman Solomon has repeatedly refused to take accountability. He thinks he can do a switcher-roo and all's forgiven and everyone forgets. No. We can't afford that. If we want a real movement, one that demands accountability from our elected officials, we need to see accountability on the part of those who present themselves as leaders and spokespersons.


If we can't get even that, forget about ever holding elected officials accountable.



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 4397. Tonight? It remains 4397, three away from 4400.


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



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Iraq snapshot

Thursday, May 13, 2010.  Chaos and violence continue, Allawi has a pow-wow (where's the US media?), what's going on with the drawdown, old words may haunt, and more.
 
Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of an assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists -- Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. One of the people speaking on the topic is Iraq War veteran Josh Stieber.  Paul Jay (Real News Network) has a multi-part interview with Stieber and we'll note this from the second part of the interview.
 
Paul Jay: We are talking to Josh Stieber.  He was a member of the army company in Baghdad that day that everyone has now seen. This is the video where Apache helicopters attacks a group of Iraqis on the ground.  Josh was a member of that company.  Not there that day.  But now we're talking about how Josh came from joining the army to, a couple of years later, applying for conscientious objector status. Thanks again for joining us, Josh.
 
Josh Stieber: Sure.  Thanks for having me.
 
Paul Jay:  So let's just pick up the story where we left off. So you've more or less finished boot camp, what comes next?
 
Josh Stieber: A couple of more months training with the company I eventually deployed with.
 
Paul Jay: And in terms of this arc of how you get from joining to conscientious objector status.  What took place before you go to Iraq? Is there another kind of moment there for you?
 
Josh Stieber: I guess another big moment in training that really started making me ask questions -- and a good excuse not to ask too many -- but what initially disturbed me was our leaders would take us to us into a room one at a time, take the new soldiers, and they would ask us a series of questions leading up to this big question that if somebody were to pull a weapon in a marketplace full of completely unarmed civilians and there was only one person with a weapon, would you return fire towards that person? And not only did you have to say "yes" but in this exercise if you even hesitated in your answer then you got yelled out for not being a good soldier and not being prepared to do what it took to keep your fellow soldiers safe?
 
Paul Jay: So when they asked you, what did you say?  Did you hesitate?
 
Josh Stieber: I hesistated.  And after a second or two, they really ripped into me.
 
Paul Jay: Saying what?
 
Josh Stieber:  Again, I needed to be prepared to fire whenever I was told and I had to keep it -- always be aware of these threats and any hesitation could potentially mean the lives of the other soldiers.
 
Paul Jay:  So the idea of killing women and children is an actual part of the training that you have to internalize that this is acceptable under the right circumstances?
 
Josh Stieber: Yeah, it's not specifically said that we're going to go out today and kill women and children but if it should happen in the process of doing what we're supposed to --
 
Paul Jay: But when you  put that with what you told us in the first segment of the interview that one of the marching chants was killing women and spewing bullets on children, it seems to be something they know you're going to get into -- these situations with civilians -- and so part of the training is accepting the killing of civilians as part of your job.
 
Josh Stieber: Yeah, again, it's all very psychological.  And I even take that beyond just military training and say there's aspects of our society -- going back and looking at my history class, when I learned about the atomic bombings or bombings in other wars that either intentionally targeted civilians or there were a lot of civilian casualties in the process. Just that same mindset:  "This was unfortunate, we don't intentionally do this most of the time but if it should so happen that it happens as we're accomplishing our greater goals, then so be it.  
 
We'll try to note more from the multi-part interview.  The plan was to pair the above with something a friend wanted to noted.  Can't note the latter.  Radio program.  Not in the mood for uninformed hosts.  Don't talk about past war coverage by broadcast networks if you don't know what you're talking about. I don't care if says a kernal of truth somewhere in that nonsense.  He's uneducated and he doesn't know what he's talking about. During Vietnam, you had reporters who were not embedded.  The moron seems to believe that the only way reporters have ever covered a war is by being embedded.  I'm not noting his program.  We'll instead move over to US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
 
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: I was just in Iraq last week to visit the troops, in preparation for Memorial Day, to see them and they're so great.  There's nothing that's happening there that-that would justify continuation of the policy.  In order to bring stability to the region, more security to the American people and restore our reputation, we must redeploy those troops out of Iraq safely, honorably, responsibly and soon. We've lost -- what is it, 4075 -- something like that now.  Every one of them precious to us.  Tens of thousands wounded, many of them permanently. And I was just at the hospital -- and I'll go to the VA hospital again after I leave here.  The loss of repuation in the world. The cost in dollars to our -- taking us into debt, into recession, into a-a -- where the relationship between the war and the economy are becoming more apparent.  And if you didn't care about -- well I'm sure you care about all of that -- but if you're just thinking militarily, the undermining of our capability to protect the American people, undermining our military strength is staggering.  We don't have one combat ready unit in the United States to go to protect our interests where ever they are threatened or those of our friends. So it has to end.  And soon.  We just passed another bill.  The House keeps passing with deadlines or to accomodate the Senate's sometimes goals We just sent them another one.  They sent it back without-without the redeployment language.  We'll send something back to them.  But it is essential and it will happen.  And it will happen, in my view, with a Democratic president and that will begin in a matter of months and that is the optimism that I --
 
San Francisco Chronicle: Why not put withdrawal dates in this bill to the Senate and stand up to them and just say, "It's got to be this way, we're not going to give in"?
 
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Well they -- See there is a bipartisan majority for that in the Senate -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- but there aren't sixty votes. So nothing would ever get to the president's desk. And there just isn't a -- That just won't happen.
 
Not much happened, Nance.  Not much at all.  The above -- Nancy claiming a withdrawal of all US troops will take place "soon" -- took place in May of 2008, when Nancy sat down with the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial board and reporters.  " And it will happen, in my view, with a Democratic president . . ."  You got that Democratic president, Nancy, so why is it your remarks are now two years old and yet US troops remain in Iraq?  Why is that?  And did I miss something?  Between now and then did the US economy recover and begin thriving?  I don't believe it did.  But somehow the fact that the economy is even worse than it was during your interview doesn't demand that the Iraq War end if only for economic reasons?
 
 
Barack Obama allowed the left to believe he was one of them. Some of his campaign promises certainly fed its hopes: He'd close Guantanamo, pass union "card check," renegotiate Nafta, leave Iraq. Adding to the left's exuberance was the party's filibuster-proof Senate majority.            
But Guantanamo is still open, card check is still dead, Nafta is still functioning, and troops remain in Iraq.
 
Yesterday's snapshot noted  Martin Chulov (Guardian) reporting, "The White House is likely to delay the withdrawal of the first large phase of combat troops from Iraq for at least a month after escalating bloodshed and political instability in the country."  Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman explained, "The Guardian newspaper reports the White House is likely to delay the withdrawal of the first large phase of combat troops from Iraq for at least a month after escalating bloodshed and political instability in the country. The US commander, General Ray Odierno, had originally expected to give the order within sixty days of the general election held in Iraq on March 7. In a message to Congress yesterday, President Obama said the situation in Iraq continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States." David Martin (CBS News) notes the talk of the pace of the drawdown and provides this walk through, "There are currently 94,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, meaning Odierno will have to send 44,000 home over the next three and a half months to meet the deadline. Right now, it is still possible to move that many troops - but just barely. Any further delay in the drawdown will cause him to miss the deadline."  Peter Kenyon reports on the drawdown for NPR's Morning Edition here.
 
Iraqi journalist Sardasht Osman was kidnapped from his college campus and murdered.  His corpse was discovered last Thursday. Demonstrations have been held to protest the murder and Mihemed Eli Zalla (Hawler Tribune) reports that protests were staged yesterday as well in Sulaimania with demonstrators chanting, "We all are other Sardashts. We are not afraid of dath. Dr. Kamal Kirkuki, who killed Sardasht!" Kamal Kirkuki is the Speaker of the Krudistan Parliament. Yahya Barzani (AP) adds, "There have been nearly a dozen demonstrations over the past week in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region calling for his killers to be brought to justice." Ranj Alaaldin (Guardian) notes, "Osman, writing anonymously but later revealing his identity, had been critical of the authorities and the patronage and corruption that plague Kurdistan. He pushed the boundaries of freedom in the region by publishing a number of inflammatory articles, insulting senior officials of the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic party (KDP); and crossed the red line of local taboo by writing of his desire to marry President Massoud Barzani's daughter: a no-go area for any sane Kurd."  AFP reports protests continued today and quotes Hawlati editor Kamal Rauf stating, "We are continuing to demonstrate to demand an inquiry to discover the murderers."
 
Monday May 3rd's snapshot noted the Sunday attack on Christian college students just outside Mosul.  At that point, there was one death with approximately seventy wounded.  The death toll went on to climb to at least 4.   Saif Tawfiq (Reuters) reports today, "Wailing with grief and rage, Iraqi Christians this week buried the teenage victim of a bombing and lamented again their vulnerability in the complex stew of Iraq's sectarian warfare and Arab-Kurd disputes. Thousands turned out for the funeral of Sandy Shibib, 19, a first-year biology student at Mosul University, who died on Tuesday from head wounds caused by shrapnel when bombers struck buses carrying Christian students in northern Iraq on May 2." Spero News notes that the Council of the Christian Church Leaders of Iraq issued a statement which includes:
 
We, the heads of Christian churches gathered at the College of St. Ephraim in Qaraqosh, express our deep pain in facing this tragedy that has affected our children the Christian students at Mosul University, and we express our full solidarity with them. This attack is one painful episode in a series targeting Christians, especially painful since these students were defenseless. They are the hope for the future of Iraq, and as a group they have nothing to do with politics.  
These sad events, affecting the everyday lives of peaceful citizens in all components of the Iraqi people, require a serious review and the concerted efforts of all government officials and political parties in order to give priority to the public interest and the security of citizens. Thus we urgently reiterate our call to expedite the formation of a government of national unity that will work to ensure law, security and safety; any delay will have a negative impact reflecting negatively on the lives of citizens and the task of nation-building. We also call upon the concerned authorities in the province of Nineveh, and especially the members of the parliament from the Hadbaa and Nineveh coalitions, to embrace dialogue and consensus for the benefit of their province and its inhabitants.  
 
The statement is signed by Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iraq; Archbishop George Qas-Moussa, the Archbishop of Mosul; Archbishop Louis Sake, Archbishop of Kirkuk for the Chaldean Church; Bishop Athanasius Matta Mtoka, Archbishop of Baghdad for the Syrian Catholic Church; Archbishop Mor Gregorios Saliba Shamoun, Archbishop of Mosul for the Syrian Orthodox Church; Bishop Thomas Georgis, representative of the Patriarchate of the Ancient Church of the East; Bishop Isaac Kames, representative of the Patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East; and Father Najib Moussa, Dominican representative of the Latin Church in Iraq.  Yesterday the US Army's press office quoted that the team leader for the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Ninawa (W. Patrick Murphy) stating, "We condemn all violence here. The targeting of minorities and Christians in particular is unacceptable.  We are coordinating with Iraq authorities to improve security, so that all citizens here, including Christians and minorities can conduct their lives. These are for the most part young students going to the university trying to improve their lives."
 
In some of today's reported violence . . .
 
Reuters notes a Kirkuk roadside bombing injured two Iraqi soldiers, a Tuz Khurmato roadside bombing injured a bodyguard for a Turkmen leader, a Mosul sticky bombing injured six people, a Mosul suicide car bombing injured three people (plus the bomber who was killed), a Baghdad roadside bombing injured seven people and a Mahmudiya roadside bombing claimed the lives of 2 Iraqi soldiers and injured seven people.
 
Today in the US, Qubad Talabani spoke at the Nixon Center.  Paul Richter (Los Angeles Times) reports that the KRG spokesperson had harsh words for the White House and its 'laid back' attitude towards Iraq.  He is quoted stating, "There has got to be serious thought given to how the United States applies its leverage. They've got to help us get our act together."  Iraq held elections March 7th.  Parliament has still not been seated and, of course, no prime minister has been selected.  Alsumaria TV reports that Ayad Allawi (Iraqiya slate) met with Ammar al-Hakim (Iraqi National Alliance) and "After the meeting Allawi said that any alliance between the blocs shall not be perceived as aimed against other parties. Futhermore, Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and Al Iraqia Senior Official Hassan al-Alawi talked over means to overcome the current crisis."  Meanwhile   Alsumaria TV reports that Nouri al-Maliki met "with security ministers and senior field officials" to declare that security plans need to be revised.
 
Senator Byron Dorgan chairs the Senate Democratic Policy Committee which continues to address the econmy.  Yesterday they issued "Whose Side Are They On: Republican Carve-Out For Special Interest Would Hurt Consumers" and we'll note this section of it:
 
 

Military families have been a target of unscrupulous lenders. With their first steady paycheck in hand, recently enlisted service members often face their first chance to be lured into easy credit offers. Many experienced military families have also fallen victim to these unfair practices, while struggling with daily expenses such as child care and medical bills in the face of deployments and frequent moves.

In a recent letter to the Treasury Department, Undersecretary of Defense Clifford Stanley outlined the severity of the issue: "personal financial readiness of our troops and families equates to mission readiness." He reported that 72 percent of financial counselors surveyed had counseled service members on auto abuses in the past six months.                   

Military families deserve a consumer agency that will crack down on abusive auto lending practices. While Republicans would like to preserve the status quo, the Restoring American Financial Stability Act would address:

 

 

· Wrong incentives: Like mortgage brokers, auto dealer-lenders are paid more to sell loans with higher rates and fees than borrowers qualify for. This gives dealers a perverse incentive to charge higher rates.           

 

· Bait and switch financing: Sometimes a dealer-lender sends the buyer home with a "purchased" car and calls a few days or weeks later to say that the financing "fell through." The borrower then is trapped into paying a higher interest rate.                        

 

· "Packing" loans: Dealers also receive commissions to sell expensive add-ons to the loans, such as extended warranties. Dealer-lenders frequently obscure the cost of add-ons, which can be thousands of dollars, by emphasizing that they only moderately increase the monthly loan payment.[1]                  

 

· Discriminatory lending: Among consumers who obtain dealer financing, African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to pay dealer mark-ups (54.6% of blacks versus 30.6% of whites),[2] and African Americans are 70% more likely than white men to finance at the dealer rather than a bank or a credit union.[3]                 

 
 
From Debra Sweet's "Assassination First? Due Process Never? NO!" (World Can't Wait), we'll note this: 
 
"In the past few weeks, it has become common knowledge that Barack Obama has openly ordered the assassination of an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, because he is suspected of participating in plots by Al Qaeda. 
 
Al-Awlaki denies these charges.  No matter.  Without trial or other judicial proceeding, the administration has simply put him on the to-be-killed list."
 
 
So begins the text of a paid ad in The New York Review of Books May 27 issue which arrives on newsstands Thursday.  The statement, under the headline "Crimes Are Crimes - No Matter Who Does Them" poses the challenges:

What would we have done if President George Bush had publicly ordered the assassination of a citizen? And what should we do now as a fever pitch of media calls for the drones to "take out" Al Awlaki?
 
 
ObamaCare doesn't help women.  Assaults on reproductive rights do not help women.  That's reality and there's not a member of this community who is unaware of that. I have to remphasize that because we're noting this from Ms. magazine:
 
 
In the about-to-be-released new Spring issue of Ms., our publisher Ellie Smeal highlights 25 key benefits for women in the new health reform law-some you've heard of, and some you haven't.                 
Smeal also heralds the far-reaching gender-equity language in the bill. Could this be a Title IX for women's health?                         
And here's a sneak peek at the rest of the Spring Ms.:                  
-- Was the murderer of abortion provider Dr. Tiller really a "lone wolf"?      
-- What life is like for Haitian women in refugee camps            
-- The lawyer who is taking on the U.S. military's disturbing sexual assault problem   
-- What can we do about shockingly high global maternal mortality rates?                   
-- Donna Brazile thanks Nancy Pelosi for health-care reform and mourns Dorothy Height
-- Gloria Steinem remembers long-time friend Wilma Mankiller                    
Join now to get the next issue of Ms. delivered straight to your mailbox. And you'll be doing your part to support fearless, feminist journalism that you can't get anywhere else.
 
Ms. hopefully does more than cheerlead a law crafted for and of men.  After all, they're still recovering from the embarrassment of putting Barack on their cover and say he was what feminism looks like.  But we're noting the above and will note Ms. from time to time.  Of course, once upon a time, when they dealt with reality and things that actually mattered, we were able to note them more often.  No offense, but we don't need "Bulletins from a funeral home."  Translation, when you're focusing more on passings than the present, there's a problem. 
 
 
 

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Continued persecution of Iraqi journalists and Christians

It would be just another tragedy if it had taken place anywhere else in Iraq, but the killing of Zardasht Osman, a 23-year-old Kurdish freelance journalist and university student who was kidnapped, tortured and then found dead with bullet wounds has shocked the comparatively stable Kurdistan region of Iraq, where the authorities now have much explaining to do.
Osman, writing anonymously but later revealing his identity, had been critical of the authorities and the patronage and corruption that plague Kurdistan. He pushed the boundaries of freedom in the region by publishing a number of inflammatory articles, insulting senior officials of the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic party (KDP); and crossed the red line of local taboo by writing of his desire to marry President Massoud Barzani's daughter: a no-go area for any sane Kurd.

The above is the opening to Ranj Alaaldin's "Death of Kurdish journalist must be explained" (Guardian) about the kidnapping and murder of Iraqi journalist Sardasht Osman whose corpse was discovered last Thursday. Demonstrations have been held to protest the murder and Mihemed Eli Zalla (Hawler Tribune) reports that protests were staged yesterday as well in Sulaimania with demonstrators chanting, "We all are other Sardashts. We are not afraid of dath. Dr. Kamal Kirkuki, who killed Sardasht!" Kamal Kirkuki is the Speaker of the Krudistan Parliament. Yahya Barzani (AP) adds, "There have been nearly a dozen demonstrations over the past week in Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region calling for his killers to be brought to justice."

Journalists aren't the only group targeted in Iraq. Among the many groups persecuted are Iraq's religious minorities. Saif Tawfiq (Reuters) reports:


Wailing with grief and rage, Iraqi Christians this week buried the teenage victim of a bombing and lamented again their vulnerability in the complex stew of Iraq's sectarian warfare and Arab-Kurd disputes.
Thousands turned out for the funeral of Sandy Shibib, 19, a first-year biology student at Mosul University, who died on Tuesday from head wounds caused by shrapnel when bombers struck buses carrying Christian students in northern Iraq on May 2.
"As students, we were heading to university, not to a battlefield. We carried no weapons. Nevertheless, we were targeted," said Maha Tuma, a schoolmate of Shibib.

Spero News notes that the Council of the Christian Church Leaders of Iraq issued the following:

1. We, the heads of Christian churches gathered at the College of St. Ephraim in Qaraqosh, express our deep pain in facing this tragedy that has affected our children the Christian students at Mosul University, and we express our full solidarity with them. This attack is one painful episode in a series targeting Christians, especially painful since these students were defenseless. They are the hope for the future of Iraq, and as a group they have nothing to do with politics.

2. These sad events, affecting the everyday lives of peaceful citizens in all components of the Iraqi people, require a serious review and the concerted efforts of all government officials and political parties in order to give priority to the public interest and the security of citizens. Thus we urgently reiterate our call to expedite the formation of a government of national unity that will work to ensure law, security and safety; any delay will have a negative impact reflecting negatively on the lives of citizens and the task of nation-building. We also call upon the concerned authorities in the province of Nineveh, and especially the members of the parliament from the Hadbaa and Nineveh coalitions, to embrace dialogue and consensus for the benefit of their province and its inhabitants.

3. Given the increasingly large number of university students in the district of Hamdaniya and its neighbourhood (in the centre of the district of Qaraqosh alone there are more than 1300 students), we ask the central government to open a public university in the area to accommodate the students in a safer environment.

4. Further to the incident targeting the buses of the university students on the morning of 2 May 2010, which caused serious physical and psychological damage to a large number of them and which makes it impossible for them to finish their studies and to take their final exams within the campus of the University of Mosul, we demand a solution that will guarantee that they will take their exams in a safe place in the centre of Hamdaniya. It is unjust to let them forfeit the current academic year.

5. In conclusion, we deeply thank all official bodies and persons who have contributed to transfer the injured to health centres, and those who donated blood and covered the costs of the treatment, both from within and outside the country. We also thank all the official bodies, including religious, social and subsidiary agencies, who have shown solidarity with us in this great tribulation.

We pray to God to give comfort to the martyrs and a quick recovery to the wounded and to protect our country from all harm, and to restore to us the gift of peace and stability.

Thursday, 6 May 2010


Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iraq, Secretary General of the Council of Christian Church Leaders of Iraq (CCCLI)

Archbishop George Qas-Moussa, the Archbishop of Mosul and its region for the Syrian Catholic Church, Assistant Secretary-General CCCLI

Archbishop Louis Sako, Archbishop of Kirkuk for the Chaldean Church

Bishop Athanasius Matta Mtoka, Archbishop of Baghdad for the Syrian Catholic Church

Archbishop Mor Gregorios Saliba Shamoun, Archbishop of Mosul for the Syrian Orthodox Church

Bishop Thomas Georgis, representative of the Patriarchate of the Ancient Church of the East

Bishop Isaac Kames, representative of the Patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East

Father Najib Moussa, Dominican representative of the Latin Church in Iraq

Over at OpEd News, David Swanson gets creative with history and the truth yet again. It's not going to work that way, Swanson. Not anymore than you're e-mailing Rebecca with those I-love-your-website e-mails and then forwarding around her honest replies to your nosy snooping. You're a joke and you refuse to rise above the level of joke. No, "we" did not vote for Barack Obama. Many of us voted for Cynthia McKinney or Ralph Nader, many of us in the peace movement were not taken by the liars like yourself who pimped Barack like there was no tomorrow. No, David Swanson.

Some in the peace movement used their vote strategically and voted for McCain (following a policy that Izzy Stone recommended in the 50s but wasn't it funny how the Panhandle Media -- while pimping that bad book on Stone -- couldn't tell anyone about that part of I.F. Stone's history?). You whored and you pimped, David. You have to live with that and the movement can't afford to let you back in on a pass. You either get honest or you've got nothing to offer anyone.

You were an idiot and a fool and until you can't admit that, don't presume to speak for the peace movement. You're just another whore for the Democratic Party. There is nothing independent about you. You distract and deflect and the proof of that is that you've never called for a challenger to run against John Conyers (aka I-Hope-I-Get-Prison-Visits-To-See-My-Crooked-Wife). Conyers played like you like a fool and you never held him accountable. Even now, you avoid calling the coward out.

You're just a Democratic apologist. Until you can get honest, you have nothing to say to the peace movement. You hijacked it to push electoral politics and, no surprise, you didn't have the education or the background to know what the hell you were talking about. You savaged Hillary Clinton with lies and sexism because you couldn't do an honest take down of her. You lied for Barack and, like so many others (Kevin Zeese, for example) you then wanted out sympathy because you were too damn pathetic to tell the truth that you knew. What did Zeese say in that ridiculous e-mail? That he was being as outspoken as he could -- this is summer of 2008 -- because people really liked Barack.

Oh, poor baby. I was on campuses calling Bush out when he was beloved. Don't whine to me about how hard truth telling is. Don't expect sympathy from me. And as with Bush, it's been the same group of us carving out the space on the left where Barack could be criticized while all the rest of you whored and wanted to whine in e-mails about how if you told the truth about Barack, people might not like you. Boo-hoo. Boo-hoo. Truth telling isn't pretty and it's not easy. It is, however, required. If you're unable to do it -- when it matters, not after the fact -- then you've got nothing to offer anyone (something your bad writing indicated long ago).

A real writer is Jon Lee Anderson. Joel Simon (Committee to Protect Journalists) has posted a speech Anderson gave at the Courage Forum and we'll note the following on Iraq:

“A couple of years ago, in Baghdad, I met a man named Ali. He had embarked on a killing spree to avenge his brother who had been murdered by militiamen of his own sect a few months earlier. Ali had vowed before God to kill 10 men for each of his dead brother’s fingers.

“Ali told me that he would not stop until he had killed 100 men, whether members of the militia responsible, or if not, their brothers and fathers. At that point he had killed 20. From each of his victims, he informed me, he sliced off a piece of their bodies—a hand, a toe, an eyeball, an Adam’s apple—and took it to his mother, who then travelled to the gravesite of her son, Ali’s brother, and buried the pieces in the soil next to him.

“Ali’s mother confirmed the story. She told me that as she buried the pieces she spoke to her dead son and told him the name of the latest man’s life taken by Ali to avenge his death. Ali said to me that ever since he had begun his revenge killings he no longer felt any fear, and he felt closer to God. God, Ali told me, approved of what he was doing because the men he was killing were evil and did not deserve to live.

“What made Ali’s story so disturbing was that he was also a secret collaborator of the American military forces in Iraq. He called in targets against the militiamen in his neighborhood for the American troops to raid and capture.

“Ali’s blood vengeance -- endorsed by and participated in by his mother -- came out of old, deep-seated tribal traditions of honor that predate their religion, Islam, but which has become suffused with it. The Americans who paid him had no understanding of Iraq’s culture. And that was the terrifying truth: They were colluding with a serial killer in order to end a war, and who knew what the effects of that would be? They didn’t, and we still don’t. Like a mutating gene, human history keeps moving on, accumulating its own DNA which continues to show up in what we do and how we behave.

“Ali’s story is extreme, maybe, but is not an isolated case. Revenge is a concept that, to a greater or lesser degree, is universal. Revenge is one of the keys to understanding war itself. Once the killing starts, it becomes very difficult to stop, for every drop of blood that is shed demands another to avenge it. When President Bush declared the “War on Terror” after 9/11 and then invaded Iraq, it would seem that he unwittingly opened Pandora’s Box to further war, which continues unabated.

the Senate Democratic Policy Committee continues to highlight the economy and finances in a number of videos this month. Click here to be taken to the DPC video page. Senator Byron Dorgan is the Chair of the DPC and we'll note his video.




Yesterday, the DPC issued "Whose Side Are They On: Republican Carve-Out for Special Interest Would Hurt Consumers:"

Senate Republicans have once again declared their support for special interests and Wall Street banks, all at the expense of the American consumer. Senator Brownback has brought forward an amendment to carve-out auto dealer financing from consumer protection rules written by the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This amendment would hurt America ’s families, our military, our community banks and credit unions, and our responsible auto dealers, all of whom would be left vulnerable to the predatory practices of Wall Street and the minority of dealer-lenders who sell unfair auto loans with hidden fees.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Levels the Playing Field for Consumers, Community Banks and Credit Unions on Auto Financing

To ensure that consumers are protected, Senate Democrats have brought forward a plan to create a level playing field and empower consumers to shop effectively for the best financing available. The Consumer Bureau established under the Restoring American Financial Stability Act would defend the responsible lenders and crack down on the greedy practices that hurt hard-working American families. The Bureau, which would not place any new burdens on auto dealers, would give Americans the tools they need to comparison shop for the best prices and the best loans. Greater transparency would increase competition and innovation that benefit borrowers, not take advantage of them through hidden costs and traps. Regardless of where a consumer gets a loan, this bill ensures that they are protected from unfair, deceptive, or abusive lending practices.

Exempting Auto Dealers Gives Big Wall Street Banks an Advantage Over Responsible Dealers and Hurts Community Banks and Credit Unions

Exempting dealers means exempting Wall Street and putting community banks and credit unions at a disadvantage. Wall Street makes auto loans through dealers – and it often pays these dealers more to arrange loans with higher interest rates than borrowers qualify for. This encourages some dealers to increase rates and pack loans with expensive and unnecessary add-ons, while using deceptive tactics to make customers think they’re getting a good deal.

The proposed amendment is so broad that irresponsible dealers funded by Wall Street could even sell expensive payday loans, auto title loans or tax refund loans without being subject to any of the Bureau’s rules for such products. This is because the proposed amendment would exempt dealers from all rules except those governing mortgages. Such lending would further tarnish the image of the auto dealer industry.

Free from regulation, Wall Street will continue to push dealers to offer the bad loans. And unregulated payday lending by some dealers will subsidize price wars harmful to responsible dealers – who stick to just selling and financing cars.

Too Many Members of Our Military Have Been Caught Up in Bad Loans, Threatening Military Readiness

Military families have been a target of unscrupulous lenders. With their first steady paycheck in hand, recently enlisted service members often face their first chance to be lured into easy credit offers. Many experienced military families have also fallen victim to these unfair practices, while struggling with daily expenses such as child care and medical bills in the face of deployments and frequent moves.

In a recent letter to the Treasury Department, Undersecretary of Defense Clifford Stanley outlined the severity of the issue: “personal financial readiness of our troops and families equates to mission readiness.” He reported that 72 percent of financial counselors surveyed had counseled service members on auto abuses in the past six months.

Military families deserve a consumer agency that will crack down on abusive auto lending practices. While Republicans would like to preserve the status quo, the Restoring American Financial Stability Act would address:

· Wrong incentives: Like mortgage brokers, auto dealer-lenders are paid more to sell loans with higher rates and fees than borrowers qualify for. This gives dealers a perverse incentive to charge higher rates.

· Bait and switch financing: Sometimes a dealer-lender sends the buyer home with a “purchased” car and calls a few days or weeks later to say that the financing “fell through.” The borrower then is trapped into paying a higher interest rate.

· “Packing” loans: Dealers also receive commissions to sell expensive add-ons to the loans, such as extended warranties. Dealer-lenders frequently obscure the cost of add-ons, which can be thousands of dollars, by emphasizing that they only moderately increase the monthly loan payment.[1]

· Discriminatory lending: Among consumers who obtain dealer financing, African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to pay dealer mark-ups (54.6% of blacks versus 30.6% of whites),[2] and African Americans are 70% more likely than white men to finance at the dealer rather than a bank or a credit union.[3]


[1] Delvin Davis & Joshua M. Frank, Center for Responsible Lending, “Car Trouble: Predatory Auto Loans Burden NC Consumers,” April 2009.

[2] Mark A. Cohen, “Imperfect Competition in Auto Lending: Subjective Markup, Racial Disparity, and Class Action Litigation,” December 2006.

[3] Ian Ayres, “Discrimination in Consummated Car Purchases,” 2005, available at http://islandia.law.yale.edu/ayers/abf%20conference.pdf.




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