Saturday, September 01, 2007

Talking entry

First up, two weeks ago a friend found a site that was a link to female bloggers and said The Common Ills was listed. I asked what the site was and she couldn't remember. I usually have very little idea what's going on online. The site is Blogs by Women and they've also got a spot on the left befor the permalinks start. "Where are the women bloggers! Where are the women bloggers!" You can utilize the link to find out. (No, The Common Ills isn't a "blog" -- for that to be the case, among other things, I'd have to know what I'm doing. But it was very nice of them to list this site.)



A great woman blogger is our own Rebecca and due to a problem at 2 high schools and 1 middle school (a filtering program), some readers were finding her site blocked this fall at the school libraries. "Sex, Politics, Screeds and Attitude" being the title apparently sent up a flare because "Sex" was in it. And, you know, under the Bully Boy, young adults must never, ever learn about sex. To make her blog accessible she attempted to change it to "Six, Politics, Screeds and Attitude." That didn't fool the filter due to the fact that the web address still had "sex" in it. So she now has a mirror site at Blogdrive. I set that up for her Thursday and it's entitled "Politics Attitude." Why so short? Apparently that's as much as Blogdrive allows people now. She hadn't carried Friday's post over and I assumed (when e-mails came in about that) it was because school was out until Tuesday. No. She forgot the user name. She also forgot the password. As did I. She's now crossposted. And her backup site is on the permalinks to the left. The backup site is linked to by all other community sites. So if you're reading this at home but, come Tuesday, you'll be in school, you can go to any community site and look through the links. I believe everyone's billed it as "Politics Attitude (Rebecca's mirror site)" or something similar so you should be able to find it. Rebecca says she'll cross post there regularly (provided she remembers her username and password).

On The Wilder Side is a site that Kimberly Wilder (and, I believe, her husband) run. The Wilders are Greens and I've added their site to the permalinks right below the link for the Green Party. My apologies because I thought that was actually already on the links. (I did add it to The Third Estate Sunday Review's links and thought I had added it here as well.) There is an e-mail about something to do with the Green Party (I haven't read it yet) that we'll include tomorrow night. (We could so so now but talking entries aren't formal, obviously.) My apologies on that as well but due to the nature of recent e-mails, I pulled everyone off the public account. So there is a huge pile up of e-mails that I still have to read and e-mails that I'm honestly not going to answer more than likely. When that nonsense resulted in pulling everyone off the public account, I had thought I could read all the e-mails (ha!) myself and that I could reply to ones needing a reply. I created a "To reply" folder and moved the ones that should have gotten a reply into it. The thought was that at some point during that first week time would materialize and I'd be able to use it to reply. Didn't happen the first week, hasn't happened since.

A right-winger who e-mails about once a month e-mailed to ask if he calls me a "bitch," does that get him in trouble. He's referring to the note that went up sometime ago. The note basically was covered in entries but I was told it needed to be up prominently since the wack job was e-mailing threats. (The wack job is not a right-winger, he's a centrist. And are any of us surprised?) To the right-winger, this isn't about name calling, it's about threats. If you're name calling me, let it rip. I really don't care. If you're making threats, I do care.

And if you're trashing friends of mine, I do care.

We'll repeat this again, if you don't like something at another site in this community, e-mail them. Don't e-mail me. I don't need like tattelers to begin with. But as Trina pointed out to me, the screamer who went bonkers wasn't even talking about things up here in his last bit of bonkers. He was blowing a gasket at me for things that others had written at their own sites.

At some point (hopefully soon), I'll bring others back in to work the public account. I'll probably start with Ava because she's tough and won't get upset by it. (It really bothered Jess to read those threats and he took them very seriously and was very worried for me. There was no reason to worrry. And, of course, it bothered Ruth. It really upset her.) When that happens, we'll be moving at a faster pace again in terms of the public account.

If you're a visitor e-mailing something to get it noted here, your first question to yourself should be: What does this have to do with Iraq?

That is the focus, as determined by members. If it's not Iraq related, it's very likely never going to be noted. If it's foolish about Iraq (such as claiming a War Hawk has seen the light when they're just doing the smoke & mirrors trick), it probably won't get noted. From time to time, I am able to work in other things. But there's no promise on that. And I may hold something until I can fit it in. If it's a daily paper you're noting, chances are it won't get noted if it doesn't get noted within a day of you e-mailing it. And, unless it's the Washington Post, there's no point in noting it in most cases because either the article's gone or it's now asking for a log in before anyone can view the article (a pay money log in). (The Washington Post's archives are open to anyone who registers -- free registration.)

A common question right now is what's the weekend schedule? Sunday is the same schedule for me. I've told Isaiah if he wants a day off, take it. He's doing multiple comics for community newsletters. I've also told him if he wants Sunday off but to do a comic on Labor Day, that's fine as well. Right now, I have no idea what he's decided. Ruth's planning to do a report on Monday. We'll have that, the article everyone's working on and I'll do an entry before noon (my time) on whatever news from Iraq (it won't be a snapshot). Kat's going to post her review Monday as well. (It's technically finished. She just wants a fresh eye on the editing. She worked on it while we were on the road this week. And the editing is needed because she wrote, basically, two reviews and needs to meld into them into one.) Tomorrow, I'll do an entry after we're done at The Third Estate Sunday Review and I'll do "And the war drags on . . ." If Isaiah's taking the day off, I'll do another entry as well at some point. Both Polly's Brew and El Espirto will go out tomorrow morning.

Marshall asked if we could note what Democracy Now! has scheduled for Monday:

On the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Jack Kerouac's "On theRoad," we spend the hour with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, bookseller, bookpublisher, artist and activist, leading literary figure of the BeatGeneration.

So that will be Monday on DN! -- over the airwaves (TV and radio), on satellite and cable TV and online.

Talking entry, so I'll just note CounterPunch. We're going to do a mailbag at Third and Ty said this was a common question. Since it's about this site, we'll put it up here and get it out of their mailbag. Alexander Cockburn wrote a piece that resulted in him being slammed. We didn't link to Pollitt's slam. Phyllis Bennis' critique (which I still haven't read) made it into a snapshot this week because a rebuttal speech was given and in it there was a link to Bennis' critique. A number of e-mails went into Third asking why I linked to Benis but not Cockburn? The link was in Common Dreams' piece and in the section of the speech we were quoting from. We did link once to Cockburn's piece. Not in a snapshot. In an "And the war drags on" entry. Why no snapshot? I really wasn't in the mood to type a "Warning" note as I had when we noted it in "And the war drags on." The photo of the nude woman didn't offend me. I did think it could have been (his column) just as fine without the nude photo. But we've got community members who only have computer access at work or in a library and we have community members who check at work even though they have their own computers. I'm not putting anything in the snapshot (even with a warning) that's going to take someone to a page where they could get written up for it. As it was, many members avoided CounterPunch the Monday after I noted Cockburn's column because (as I noted in the warning), the page featured a photo of a nude woman.

With "And the war drags on," I was able to start with that and include the Warning very clearly. With the snapshot, if Cockburn had been quoted, it would have come further into the snapshot and people reading clearly might have missed the "Warning". It's also true that every community site repost snapshots. And while I can bold a "Warning," they usually bold the entire snapshot so someone could read it at another site and miss the warning.

We've kept it work safe here from the start and that's due to concerns of members getting written up at work if we didn't. I use much stronger language in my own conversations than I do up here. But we take that policy seriously at this site. So when someone includes a nude photo in the article they really shouldn't be linked to in the first place. That's reality. Because of what he was saying, it got linked to but it got a very clear heads up "Warning" for members so they'd know what would happen if they clicked on the page. As cheesecake goes, it was what would be termed a 'tasteful nude'. But nude photos in the work place can get a person written up or fired. I honestly think including it in that column cut down on the chances for Cockburn to be read. And some members, who normally check CounterPunch on Monday mornings, stayed away. This wasn't about "prude" or anything like that, it was about them avoiding a write up.

That's why that Cockburn column didn't get linked to in a snapshot.

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

Two Times, different emphasis

The Army has confirmed that "several" of the 10 Schofield Barracks soldiers who died in an Aug. 22 helicopter crash in northern Iraq were witnesses in a murder case involving two other Schofield soldiers accused of shooting an Iraqi detainee.
"Their tragic deaths do not affect the prosecution of the cases, which will proceed as planned," said Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, a spokesman for Task Force Lightning in northern Iraq.
None of the soldiers who died in the Black Hawk helicopter crash was in any way implicated in any misconduct related to the Iraqi man's death, Donnelly said.
Sgt. 1st Class Trey A. Corrales, of San Antonio, and Spc. Christopher P. Shore of Winder, Ga., were charged with one count of premeditated murder in the death of the unidentified man.
The shooting occurred June 23 in al Saheed near the northern city of Kirkuk, according to a charge sheet previously obtained by The Advertiser.


The above, noted by Joan, is from The Honolulu Advertiser's "Hawaii soldiers died before testifying." In Iraq, the violence continues today. Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a bombing assassination attempt on the official in charge of deBaathification in Najaf (he survived) via a bombing by his home (also in Najaf but on Friday, a corpse was discovered and a "cafe owner" was shot dead), 2 brothers, and an Iraqi soldier were shot dead in Kirkuk (and a person was shot dead in Hawija yesterday), and on Friday in Basra "the representative of Grand Ayat Allah Ali Al Sistanti" (Sayed Salim Al Battat) was shot dead. Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the lives of 5 Iraqi soldiers and a corpse was discovered in Mosul (six corpses were discovered in Baghdad on friday),

Reuters is reporting the death toll for US service members stands at 3737 killed in the illegal war. ICCC reports the total is 3739 and if you go to period details for the month of August, you see that everyone who died is identified by name. That is 81 announced deaths for the month of August.

Turning to a tale of two Times. In the Los Angeles Times, a reporter knows how to lead. In the New York Times? From Tony Perry's "Witness accuses Marine squad leader" (Los Angeles Times):

A Marine squad leader executed five Iraqi men after a roadside bomb blast killed a Marine and then told squad members to falsely claim that the men were shot while running away, a member of his squad testified Friday.
Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz said he saw Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich fire his M-16 at the five as they stood beside a taxi in which they had been riding in the Iraqi village of Haditha, some with their hands locked behind their heads. He said Wuterich then walked over to the bodies and pumped more bullets into them.

Note the headline, note the lede. In Paul von Zielbauer's "At Marine's Hearing, Testatment to Violence" you have to wait until the eight paragraph to get to that detail and PvZ tosses it in casually with no exploration. The New York Times is in the news business, at least officially, right?

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com. (There will be another entry later today. We just landed.)


mcclatchy newspapers
the los angeles times

Friday, August 31, 2007

Iraq snapshot

Friday, August 31, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, disease outbreaks in northern Iraq, Bully Boy shows contempt for Congress (again), Texas gears up for a big protest Saturday and more.

Starting with war resistance. Tampa Bay's WMNF (88.5) interviewed Aidan Delgado.

Aidan Delgado: First of all I wouldn't encourage just anyone to become a Conscientious Objector because if you don't know it already CO status is the most difficult way to get out of the army. Mine took 18 months and it was a hard 18 months. So if someone's just looking to leave the military, CO status is not the way to do it and you should only do it if you feel absolute moral conviction that you can't participate. And the other thing I would stress is to go online and look up CO packets that have been successful. Go and read through a couple of entire packets that show what it takes to become a successful CO. And don't ever be intimidated by the army and don't let them tell you the regulations. You have to go and read the regulations on CO yourself. Look at some of the successful packets to get an impression of how wide the field is and how you can go about it.

Aidan Delgado also tells his story in The Sutras Of Abu Ghraib: Notes From A Conscientious Objector In Iraq which came out this month. The advice he offered on the radio is advice he followed. That includes the packets and that includes not allowing the military to tell you what you really believe as they attempted to with him.

Aidan Delgado: When I wrote The Sutras Of Abu Ghraib: Notes From A Conscientious Objector In Iraq in my mind I was reacting against a lot of the war literature that was out there -- books like Black Hawk Down and The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell and a lot of the older war novels -- in that I think too much of the war novels are really a kind of hero worship in disguise and they tell the stories of violent actions and real physical bravery and daring. And I think that's great and I think that story needs to be told; however, I think there's a huge gap and I don't think we should read only one kind of war story. And I'm proud to say my war story is not about violence although there is violence in it. And it's not about war exploits although those are in it too. It's kind of about the moral side of war and the moral journey and the development which I think is something that will resonate with a lot more readers. I'm not interested really in having a, you know, heroic soldier flag waving gently in the background. And I'm not really trying to entertain people or satisfy their ghoulish curiosity about war. I really want people to think about the other side, the personal side, that hasn't been reflected in all these gory, violent war memoirs . So my idea was to create a different kind of war novel that talks about the shades of grey not the uncompromising black and white, good and evil, to talk about all the moral quandries and decisions you have to make as a soldier.

There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Zamesha Dominique, 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, 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, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one 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, 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.

Saturday Iraq Veterans Against the War will be in Texas. Texans For Peace are staging an American People's Poll on Iraq in Fort Worth, Texas featuring many speakers including IVAW's Adam Kokesh, Leonard Shelton and Hart Viges as well as Diane Wilson, Tina Richards, Ann Wright and many others. Click here for the press release. There is not a fee to attend, the event is Saturday, in Fort Worth, Texas which is also where the Republican Straw Poll will be "taking place in General Worth Square". People will begin arriving at nine in the morning, the speeches will begin at 1:30. There will be music and entertainment. Though the event is free, people can donate and Texans For Peace is encouraging everyone planning to attend to print up tickets online. The tickets will be used for a number count of those attending. No one will be turned away because they didn't have access to a computer to print up the ticket.

The event is sponsored and Endorsed by Texans for Peace, Dallas Peace Center, IVAW, Veterans for Peace, Crawford Peace House, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, CODEPINK - Dallas Chapter, Peace Action Texas, Peace and Justice - Arlington, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and more.

Throughout the day (nine to five, this is a Saturday) there will be canvassing and straw polls, the pre-rally entertainment starts at one p.m. and the peace rally begins at 1:30 and lasts until 3:30. Fort Worth is a city in Texas, part of the Dallas and Fort Worth region known there as "DFW." Suburbs, towns and cities in the area include Denton, Plano, Arlington, Irvining, Bach Springs, Desoto, Duncanville, Lewisville, Addison, Grand Prairie and a host of others. There is a point. Texans for Peace notes that you can catch the Trinity Railway Express to Fort Worth and that at 12:30 pm volunteers will be helping transport people to the rally.Community member Diana and her family took part in the April 2006 immigrants rally in downtown Dallas that had at least a half million participants making it the largest protest in Dallas' history. She noted the traffic issue when she shared her experiences from that rally. Today, she explained over the phone that the easiest thing for people to the north, east or south of Fort Worth wanting to attend Saturday's events but unsure of how to get there is to utilize the Trinity train. She suggests grabbing a Dart Express Train and taking it to Union Station (in downtown Dallas). You can pick up the TRE there. ("It's the big, brown -- same brown as UPS uses --train that runs right next to the two light rails," says Diana.) ADDED: Dallas and Billie both note that there is also a solid white train. Billie: "Brown or white, they are real trains that look like trains, not the light rail." Texans for Peace notes that the TRE (Trinity Railway Express) runs from eight in the morning until eleven at night on Saturdays. September will kick off many actions across the country calling for an end to the illegal war and this Saturday, Texas kicks off the action in Fort Worth.

September is a month of actions and protests and it kicks off tomorrow in Fort Worth Texas.
Jeff Gibbs will apparently not be in Fort Worth or DC. Gibbs (CounterPunch) explains, "I am tired of protests: they don't stop wars. Not protests that are mostly sign waving and hooking up with friends and strangers and feeling the solidarity and then going back to work or school on Monday. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." Gibbs' feelings on this are quite common. If those are your feelings then figure out what actions do speak to you. If something's not speaking to you or working for you, find something that is. The movement doesn't need to grow stagnant. Gibbs is calling for work-stoppage and other actions (all solid actions). Iraq Moratorium is proposing new actions as well.

And in Iraq . . . Yesterday's snapshot noted:

While Iraq's Foreign Minister critiques the British decision to withdraw, David Miliband, UK Foreign Secretary, has his own (and presumably the British government's take). Thomas Harding (Telegraph of London) reports that Miliband has indicated what others think (including the US) really isn't the issue declaring "we will always take British decision in the British national interest. Our decision about Basra are about the situation on the ground in Basra not the situation on the ground in Baghdad" (with Harding noting that was "in reference to America's zone of control").

Today Miliband joins with the UK's Minister of Defence Des Browne to pen a column for the Washington Post where they explain the British decision to withdraw from Basra: "We pledged to help Iraqis develop a functioning state, with armed forces, police and other institutions capable of delivering security for the people. We also promised that, when we had done that, we would promptly hand over full responsibility for security to the legitimate, elected Iraq authorities." Damien McElroy (Telegraph of London) notes that Basra Palace is the last British base within Basra and that "[t]he American military is known to harbour concerns over the security of the oilfields that are Iraq's only source of oil exports and its supply lines along the north-south highway". The British began the occupation of Basra April 6, 2003. That was over four years ago. As Great Britain's Socialist Worker notes, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has declared that there is no planned withdrawal (5,500 British forces are in Iraq, the Basra withdrawal is expected to allow for no more than 500 troops to leave Iraq) and that British army head Richard Dannatt has termed Iraq "a region perched precariously above a large proportion of the world's remaining supply of oil."

Meanwhile Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London) reports that 5,000 Iraqis in the northern part of the country have cholera. AFP reports that the the World Health Organization terms the outbreak a "major epidemic". Earlier this week, UNICEF announced they had "rushed emergency aid" in to "Suleimaniya and Kirkuk in northern Iraq" and that: "Serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment are being blamed for the outbreak. Local reports indicate that only 30 per cent of the population in Suleimaniya has an adequate water supply. Mains water is only available for two hours per day at the most in the main city quarters and suburbs. A water quality report from Suleimaniya from July showed the only 50 per cent of the water inside the city was chlorinated. Many people have been reduced to digging shallow wells outside their own homes." IRIN quotes Slaimaniyah General Hospital's Dr. Dirar Iyad stating, "We need urgent medical support as the disease is spreading. We didn't expect an outbreak in this area. There is a shortage of medicines to control the disease and the focal point [source of the disease] hasn't been identified yet . . . Five deaths have so far been reported here and in Kirkuk, and we believe more could occur over the next couple of days as victims are already in an advanced stage of the illness." Cockburn explains, "Most of Iraq outside Kurdistan is flat so water and sewage need to be pumped, but this has often become impossible due to a lack of electricity. The water in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is highly polluted and undrinkable." Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) notes that earlier (June) there was an outbreak in southern Iraq.

Cockburn also notes 4.2 million is the current number of Iraqi refugees "of whom two million have been displaced within Iraq." UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie vitied Iraq and Syria this week to meet with Iraqi refugees. The UN notes that Jolie visited a Damascus UNHCR center and visited the "small rented room shared by 13 people between the ages of eight months and 67 years" of one family who were registering with the center and also visited Iraq's Al Waleed camp "which houses 1,300 refugees . . . where there is no running water or electricty." ABC News (US) has photos of the visit. Pasadena Weekly notes the estimate is 1,200 for the number of Iraqi refugees she met with on Tuesday. Many external Iraqi refugees have gone to Syria or Jordan. Today, Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now!) noted, "The Syrian government has announced it will soon prevent Iraqi refugees from crossing its border unless they have work visas. The new rules take effect on Sept. 10. Over 1.5 million Iraqi refugees have fled to Syria since the U.S. invasion. More than 30,000 Iraqi refugees continue to arrive in Syria each month." Peace Mom and candidate for the US Congress in California's eighth district Cindy Sheehan recently visited Iraqi refugees in Jordan. Great Britain's Socialist Worker reports, "Asked whether the occupying powers had taken steps to alleviate the suffering of refugees, she compared the tiny amounts spent to the billions given to the military. Cindy Sheehan said, 'This is a war crime. It is a crime to create so many refugees and then wash our hands of them'." Josie Clark (Independent of London) also noted the London press conference last week and that Sheehan was asking "the UK to help with the emergency aid operation and to consider taking more refugees from the area."

Refugees, disease outbreaks, how lucky the Iraqi people are to have been 'given' 'peace.' David S. Cloud (New York Times) reports today that an independent committee established by Congress and headed by Gen. James L. Jones will report that the Iraqi police force needs "remaking" due to "corrupt officers and Shiite militants suspected of complicity in sectarian killings". There's the Bully Boy's 'progress'. Rosa Brooks (Los Angeles Times) offers some strong truths regarding the need for US forces to withdraw and also observes, "The honest (though not very satisfying answer is that no one really knows what will happen in Iraq after the United States leaves. Interestingly, a poll in March found that a majority of Iraqis thought the security situation would improve immediately after a U.S. withdrawal. But things could also get worse -- and anyone who claims to have a crystal ball is lying. We long ago squandered any capacity to guarantee a happy ending for the Iraqis."

Meanwhile the US White House has launched an attack (again) on the legislative branch of the United States. Jonathan Weisman (Washington Post) reports that the US military brass distributes 'rap sheets' on visiting Congress members to "Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank" and, by these sheets, those encountering representatives of the US Congress know where they're friend or foe and treat accordingly. This is an assault on the legislative branch and an embarrassment to Congress. Weisman notes:

At one point, the three were trying to discuss the state of Iraqi security forces with Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, but the large, flat-panel television set facing the official proved to be a distraction. Rubaie was watching children's cartoons.When Moran asked him to turn it off, Rubaie protested with a laugh and said, "But this is my favorite television show," Moran recalled.

The disrespect shown to Congress, forget the particular members, is shameful. That these actions have been tolerated goes a long way to demonstrating just how Congress continues to stand up for itself repeatedly. The White House should be called to the carpet on this.

Margaret Kimberley (Black Agenda Report) examines the long relationship between Iraq and the US, ponders the candidates for president and notes, "Poor al-Maliki. He is just the latest to discover that in certain circumstances, being a friend of the United States is a terrible position indeed. Uneasy lies the head of America's allies. Just ask Saddam Hussein." As Kimberly notes, Nouri al-Maliki knew the odds going in (or should have). Meanwhile Nermeen Al-Mufti (Al-Ahram Weekly) summarizes the many failures of al-Maliki's government (including "seems unable to keepts its own ministers in the cabinet) and concludes, "Al-Maliki is facing domestic and international criticism over the failure of his government to achieve national reconciliation and pass certain laws --- principally the US-favoured oil law. So far, Al-Maliki has reacted angrily to criticism, pledging to stay on in office." Robert H. Reid (AP) reports that al-Maliki is now attempting to blame Sunnis for this week's viiolence in Karbala -- the violence that was Shia-on-Shia violence. Sami Moubayed (Asia Times) reports on the latest paranoid induced ravings of al-Maliki regarding Krabala: "Maliki also accused the culprits of having wanted to blow up the shrine of Imam al-Hussein and then ordered the arrest of Hamid Kannush, a member of the city's municipality who is a ranking member of the Sadrist bloc. Kannush was accused of conspiracy in the Karbala violence. Maliki was effectively saying: the Sadrists did it, although his office's official press release blamed 'the Saddamis'. Maliki's office, however, did not actually explain what had happened in Karbala. National Security Advisor Muwafaq al-Rabei, however, said that militants wanted to occupy the two holy shrines of Imam al-Husseini and Imam al-Abbas, 'and topple the Maliki government'."

Marshall Helmberger (Timberjay Newspapers) reminds, "And don't forget that Gen. Petraeus himself said the most critical progress in Iraq had to come on the political front. On that score, there’s little debate over the fact that the Iraqi government is in utter chaos. A large portion of Prime Minister al-Maliki's cabinet has quit, as have significant blocs within the Parliament. None of the benchmark legislation the White House called 'must-pass' six months ago has been approved. The political situation is so bad that some in Congress, from both parties, are now calling for al-Maliki's replacement and rumors are again afoot about a U.S.-supported coup that would put former interim Iraqi prime minister and CIA informant Ayad Alawi in charge in Baghdad. So much for promoting democracy. While President Bush hasn't yet signed on to the idea, it's clear even the White House is no longer oblivious to Iraq's political implosion."


In some of the violence today . . .

Bombings?

Reuters reports a Samarra car bombing that claimed the lives of 4 police officers (seven wounded). Late last night, Mary Orndoff (The Birmingham News) reported that a plane "carrying Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, and two other sentors" was en route to Baghdad when it was fired upon by three rockets. No person or plane was hurt.

Shootings?

Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports, "Gunmen killed a barber man, Ghazwan Jawad, inside his shop in Al Nasr neighborhood. The deceased worked as a personal barber man to a colonel in Kirkuk police." Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) explains Ghazwan Jawad's murder is "the ninth slaying of a barber in the city this year by Islamic militants who oppose Western haircuts and grooming styles."

Corpses?

It's Friday. Reports trickle out of the day's violence on Saturday.

Today, the US military announced: "A Marine and a Soldier assigned to Multi National Force-West died Aug. 29 in separate in attacks while conducting combat operations in AlAnbar Province." The announcement brings ICCC's total for the number of US service members killed in Iraq so far this month to 80 with the total since the start of the illegal war to 3738.

A new book entitled Army of None, published by Seven Stories Press, available at Courage to Resist and many other places, is written by Aimee Allison and David Solnit. This is a practical, inspiring book on ways to resist. Watch for these events in the month of September [And clicking here will give you more info]:

Sep 14 at 4:00P Army of None Workshop - San Jose, CA @ Californians for Justice, San Jose, CA;Sep 14 at 7:30P Army of None Book Release/Signing - San Jose, CA @ Dowtown San Jose - Location TBA; Sep 15 at 12:00P Army of None Tour in Pittsburgh, PA; Sep 19 at 7:00P Army of None Tour in Cleveland, OH; Sep 20 at 6:00P Army of None Tour @ Kent, OH;Sep 23 at 6:00P Army of None Tour @ Milwaukee, WI; Sep 24 at 6:00P Army of None Tour in Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee, WI;Sep 25 at 7:00P Army of None Tour @ Madison, WI; Sep 26 at 6:00P Army of None Tour @ Madison, WI; Sep 27 at 6:30P Army of None Tour @ May Day Books, Minneapolis MN; Sep 28 at 10:00A Army of None Tour @ High Schools in Minneapolis, MN;Sep 28 at 7:30P Army of None Tour @ Lyndale United Church of Christ, Minneapolis MN; Sep 29 at 1:00P Army of None Tour @ Rondo Community Outreach Library - St. Paul, MN; Oct 12 at 7:00P Army of None Tour @ Bluestockings Bookstore - New York City; and Oct 17 at 7:00P Army of None Tour @ Sanctuary for Independent Media - Troy, NY

In US political news, Matthew Rothschild (The Progressive) reports that US House Rep John Conyers has declared that impeachment may be off Nancy Pelosi's table (more room for the centerpiece made of the spines that once were in Democratic leaders) but it's not off his table and Pelosi "cannot prvent me from introducing an impeachment resolution." Remember that for two reasons. First, Conyers have caved and backtracked on this issue before. Second, those enablers rushing to rescue Conyers a few weeks back kept insisting that Conyers had no real power. He's said otherwise. Rothschild wonders, "So what's his hesitation now? And when is a more appropriate time than now, after all the crimes Bush and Cheney have already committed?" Also wondering about the refusal to move foward on the part of Democrats is Jimmy Breslin (New York Daily News via Common Dreams):

There had been the sound of many feet on a Brooklyn street at the first funeral, of firefighter Joseph Graffa-gnino, and at the second funeral, of firefighter Robert Beddia, a fire engine sounded in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. In my office about an hour later, slips of paper came silently out of a machine, the slips coming from the Department of Defense and carrying the names and ages of the 14 soldiers who were killed in Iraq when their helicopter crashed. Four were under 21 and nine 25 or under. Of course the first thought was how the city at this time could handle such calamity if the 14 dead were New York firefighters or police officers. This gives a good view of the catastrophe that happens in Iraq, day after day. But as the soldiers die at a time of national Alzheimer's, there was virtually no reaction to the 14. When anybody you elect tries to end the war, Bush blocks all intentions with a veto or threats of a veto that prevent it. And his Supreme Court is ready to validate whatever he does, this court with its five Catholic justices, and a chief who falls on his face a couple of times that we know of. Our politicians despair that there can be no way to override Bush and save our young and everybody of any age in Iraq. Of course there is. By all the energy and dignified disgust of a nation that needs it to keep any semblance of greatness, there is an extraordinary need for an impeachment of this president and his vice president.You start an impeachment with an investigator who starts to develop a case. That's what got Nixon out. He had the most expensive, elaborate defense in the world, and when they were pressed his assistants folded and Nixon quit. I wonder whether Bush and his people can do any better when pressed.

Breslin was one of the few voices this time last year noting the silence on Iraq as media elected to travelogue over the summer and allowed Iraq to fall off the media radar. The late Molly Ivins also called out the nonsense. Sadly, others cannot be added to the list. As he did last summer, Breslin is refusing to allow his voice to be wasted.


iraq
democracy now
juan gonzalez
margaret kimberley
iraq veterans against the war
army of none
aimeee allison
david solnit
jimmy breslin
matthew rothschild
mcclatchy newspapers
the los angeles times
tina susman

the washington post
karen deyoung

Other Items

Today, the US military announced: "A Marine and a Soldier assigned to Multi National Force-West died Aug. 29 in separate in attacks while conducting combat operations in AlAnbar Province." The announcement brings ICCC's total for the number of US service members killed in Iraq so far this month to 79 with the total since the start of the illegal war to 3737.

Standing in a small room in the Iraqi home they'd raided an hour earlier, a dozen soldiers from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division were trading jokes when 1st Sgt. Troy Moore, Company A's senior enlisted man, shouted out.
"We're bringing democracy to Iraq," he called, with obvious sarcasm, as a reporter entered the room. Then Moore began loudly humming the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Within seconds the rest of the troops had joined in, filling the small, barren home in the middle of Iraq with the patriotic chorus of a Civil War-era ballad.
U.S. officials say that security has improved since the Sledgehammer Brigade, as the 3rd Brigade is called, arrived five months ago as part of the 30,000-strong buildup of additional U.S. troops to Iraq and took control of an area 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. The brigade, with 3,800 soldiers, has eight times the number of troops that were in the area before.
Although the soldiers who since spring have walked and ridden through this volatile area mixed with Sunni and Shiite Muslims have seen some signs of progress, they still face the daily threat of roadside bombs, an unreliable Iraqi police force, the limitations of depending on Iraqis for tips and the ever-elusive enemy.
"Even though we've out-stayed our welcome, in the big picture of whether we've helped or not, I know we have," said Sgt. Christofer Kitto, a 23-year-old sniper from Altamont, N.Y. "But now it's just in a state of quagmire. The U.S. time here has come and gone."
On this night, the troops had been ferried by helicopter to a rural enclave abutting the Tigris River. Their mission: Uproot a suspected nest of Sunni insurgents.
But the soldiers found only a small cache of weapons outside one of the 13 houses they searched. They detained one man who identified himself with a name that didn't match his government-issued ID, earning him a noisy, expletive-laden interrogation that was easily overheard in the next room.
"Keep your head down! Keep your (expletive) head down!" the interrogator yelled in English as an interpreter translated. "Why are you speaking if you're lying? You better think about what you're saying before you talk to me, son. I've got a real short temper tonight!"


The above is from Chris Collins' "South of Baghdad, U.S. ttroops find fatigue, frustration" (McClatchy Newspapers). The 'cache of weapons' is most likely the guns Iraqis are allowed to have for self-defense. The scene described above has been repeated over and over since 2003. There is no progress, only more of the same. There will be no progress while the US remains in Iraq.

Martha notes Karen DeYoung's "Pentagon Challenges GAO's Report on Iraq" (Washington Post):

The Pentagon has disputed parts of a progress report on Iraq drafted by the Government Accountability Office, and asked that some of the assessment's failing grades on key political and security benchmarks be changed before the final report is made public next week, a Defense spokesman said yesterday.

This is a follow up to DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks' "Report Finds Little Progress On Iraq Goals" report yesterday and justifies the concern of the person providing the draft copy that the US administration would attempt to water down the report.

Where will you be tomorrow? Iraq Veterans Against the War will be in Texas on Saturday. Texans For Peace are staging an American People's Poll on Iraq in Fort Worth, Texas featuring many speakers including IVAW's Adam Kokesh, Leonard Shelton and Hart Viges as well as Diane Wilson, Tina Richards, Ann Wright and many others. Click here for the press release. There is not a fee to attend, the event is Saturday, in Fort Worth, Texas which is also where the Republican Straw Poll will be "taking place in General Worth Square". People will begin arriving at nine in the morning, the speeches will begin at 1:30. There will be music and entertainment. Though the event is free, people can donate and Texans For Peace is encouraging everyone planning to attend to print up tickets online. The tickets will be used for a number count of those attending. No one will be turned away because they didn't have access to a computer to print up the ticket. This has the potential to be a very big event but that will depend upon people being aware of the rally so get the word out. If you don't think you know anyone in Texas, be sure to mention it throughout the day (even outside of Texas) and someone may tell you, "My uncle/aunt/college friend . . . is against the illegal war and they live in Texas. I wonder if they know about it? Let me call/e-mail them."


On most PBS stations tonight NOW with David Brancaccio begins airing (check local listings) and the focus for tonight is:


When Tom Siebel, a billionaire software developer and part time Montana resident, learned the devastating effect methamphetamine addiction was having on the big sky state, he decided to use his successful marketing techniques - and 20 million dollars from his own wallet - to "un-sell" the deadly and highly addictive drug. It's called the Montana Meth Project. On Friday, August 31 (check your local listings), NOW's David Brancaccio talks with the venture philanthropist about blitzing the state with stark and shocking ad campaigns designed to drag meth use out of the shadows and get into the faces of kids. The results are promising, and his idea is spreading around the country.
Also on the show, another "Enterprising Idea": a business model focusing on ethnic foods that's creating local jobs for Boston's inner city.To complement this week's show the NOW website at www.pbs.org/now will offer access to the Montana Meth ad campaigns, statistics on methamphetamine use, and an exclusive interview with the Partnership for a Drug Free America CEO on what it takes to fight meth addiction.
**Note that on September 14, we'll be airing a one-hour NOW special, which follows up -- in Iraq -- on the soldiers we profiled deploying from Fort Stewart in our January 19 show "Back to the Front": http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/303/ **

Already today in Iraq, Reuters reports a barber was shot dead in Kirkuk, a Samarra car bombing claimed the lives of 4 police officer and "an employee of the customs office" was shot dead in Hawija.

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



Iraqi police 'need' 'retraining' & Congress gets played

In this morning's New York Times, David S. Cloud's "Panel Will Urge Broad Overhaul of Iraqi Police" demonstrates just how little progress the puppet government has made. A report to Congress "will recommend remaking the 26,000-member national police force to purge it of corrupt officers and Shiite militiants suspected of complicity in sectarian killings" and Cloud cites an official who worked on the report summing it up as "we should start over". US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates sends out his flack (Geoff Morrell) who tells cloud that retraining is the answer and "said that Pentagon officials believed that such an effort could succeed in removing sectarianism from the ranks without requiring a complete overhaul of the Iraqi force."

The illegal war hits the five year mark in March. And that's the sunny view of where things stand (sunny side up is how the Times serves up war). Retraining is the laugable 'answer' proposed by the Defense Dept.

How much longer does this illegal war go on? How many more 'retraining's take place? And how stupid do you have to be to think 'retraining' addresses the problems?

From the article:

American commanders on the ground in Shiite-controlled areas of Baghdad say that the local police actively subvert efforts to loosen the grip of militias, and in some cases, attack Americans directly. One commander in northwest Baghdad said most bomb attacks against American patrols in the area this spring occurred close to police checkpoints.

But the Defense Dept. says the 'answer' is retraining.

No corner ever got turned in the illegal war. Waves of Operation Happy Talk flow in and out repeatedly, but the reality is there no progress, there has never been any progress. There can't be any progress. The illegal war was built on lies. That can never be made 'noble'. (Or, for that matter, 'legal'.)

The waves of Operation Happy Talk is the topic of Lloyd's highlight, Jonathan Weisman's "Lawmakers Describe 'Being Slimed in the Green Zone'" (Washington Post):

Brief, choreographed and carefully controlled, the codels (short for congressional delegations) often have showed only what the Pentagon and the Bush administration have wanted the lawmakers to see. At one point, as Moran, Tauscher and Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.) were heading to lunch in the fortified Green Zone, an American urgently tried to get their attention, apparently to voice concerns about the war effort, the participants said. Security whisked the man away before he could make his point.
Tauscher called it "the Green Zone fog."
"Spin City," Moran grumbled. "The Iraqis and the Americans were all singing from the same song sheet, and it was deliberately manipulated."
But even such tight control could not always filter out the bizarre world inside the barricades. At one point, the three were trying to discuss the state of Iraqi security forces with Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, but the large, flat-panel television set facing the official proved to be a distraction. Rubaie was watching children's cartoons.
When Moran asked him to turn it off, Rubaie protested with a laugh and said, "But this is my favorite television show," Moran recalled.


But Weisman reveals that's not the concern. The scripted visits don't rankle the Congress members. They're upset that information sheets (with questionable information) are distributed about them prior to their visits to "Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank" by the US military brass.

Now while the sheets no doubt determine whether an Iraqi, for instance, that's supposed to speak with them turns off cartoons and gives them some attention, the reality is Ellen Taushcer being upset that her August vote was not noted is really missing the point. It's not about what they said about one person. The issue is that it was done at all and that the way Congress members were treated resulted from those sheets. The military brass, at the behest of the administration to be sure, has decided for Americans which Congress members will get accorded the 'respect' of being sincerely lied to and which ones will get blown off. It's not about Taushcer. It's about the way the Congress is being treated on the orders of the administration. It's one more sign of how the current administration ignores that there are three branches of the federal government. It should be offensive to all -- Republicans and Democrats in Congress (as well as the independents) and all Americans.

That's disgusting. Last night we noted that a plane bound for Baghdad carrying various lawmakers was reported to have 3 rockets launched at it. What Congress gets in Iraq is nothing but a dog and pony show that they'd be smarter to avoid in the first place. But they do risk their own lives going to Iraq (they also risk the lives of the US military that has to travel around with them). So that sheets are passed around ahead of their visit to indicate how much respect they are granted or not is disgusting.

And Mowaffak al-Rubaie needs to be fired. It's shameful that the story is only told when a few are taking an assault on Congress as just an assault on each of them as individuals. The National Security Adviser of Iraq was visited by Congress members and he made it a point to convey that he was more interested in watching a cartoon than in speaking to them.

That's offensive. And it's really offensive that we only learn of it now. This is al-Maliki's choice and this is how he conducts himself. Whether this was disrespect he'd show anyone coming into office or not isn't known but certainly the continued chaos and violence indicates he may spend a great deal of time blowing off issues to sit around watching cartoons.

The illegal war should never have started, US forces need to withdraw and Congress needs to cut off funding. Congress has continued to fund the illegal war and al-Maliki is fond of issuing cries that the US must stay (to prop up his own unpopular ass) so when members of the US Congress (who have the power of the purse) visit and his hand picked National Security Advisor blows them off to watch a cartoon, that's telling you a great deal. It should be telling Congress (regardless of their party) a great deal as well.

In another article in the Times, Damien Cave gets tacked with a laughable headline: "Shi'ites Tale: How Gulf With Sunnis Widened." Of course the paper's avoided addressing what came before, what the US started. And Cave's happy to go 'historical' as long as that means the pinata that is Saddam Hussein. So you hear about Hussein's very real abuses but you don't hear about the US encouragement of the conflict, the US encouragement of dividing the nation into Sunni and Shia (other sects exist but that was the question the US repeatedly asked to speed conflict along, "Are you Shia or Sunni?"). Cave presents Shatha al-Musawi's 'turning point' of realization with no context. al-Musawi realized the conflict when a Sunni she was friends with failed to share her joy about the capture of Saddam Hussein. The capture, for many at the time and for more since, demonstrated the US would remain in Iraq. There would be no 'handover' in the immediate future. A number feared the US controlled show trial would be all that it was and encourage the barbaric nature of the illegal war would seep over into what was said to be the newly created 'justice'. It did just that. Many see it as an attempt to put Hussein to death before he could talk too much. Which is why some Iraqi victims were rightly outraged that before he stood trial for the crimes against them, he was executed. It wasn't Iraqi justice, it wasn't justice at all. Victims who had longed for the day when Hussein would be held accountable for the crimes against them and their families saw with their own eyes that the puppet government existed to extract what the US wanted, not justice for Iraqis.

What is in the article is instructive to a degree. But the refusal of the paper to address the issue of the US role in the Sunni and Shia split and the US role in continuing to feed the hostilities is shameful. Or, for that matter, the US installing of and support for Saddam Hussein all those years and the willingness to ignore the crimes while they were ongoing.

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


Thursday, August 30, 2007

And the war drags on . . .

Want to end the illegal war? Subscribing to a magazine's not going to do it. Candle light vigils aren't going to do anything. Wishing really hard is not going to end the illegal war. Getting active will. September is a month of action. If it doesn't include anything that you're able or willing to take part in, create your own thing. If there's nothing in your area . . .

Five community members are going from Oklahoma to Texas to be in Fort Worth for the rally Saturday. That may or may not be possible for all members who don't have an activity in their own area. But if you don't have an activity in your area or you don't have one that you can support, create your own. Make your voices heard.

In the public account, there's an e-mail from Joseph who writes, "Why the push on the Texas thing? I'm not understanding. You can quote me." Texas is not where Bully Boy was born. But many believe that. Texas gets a really bad rap. There are a huge number of people in Texas working to end the illegal war. When this community started, Texas was a huge chunk of the community. It still is.

In 2004, Google or use the archives, it's in November 2004, we did a series on the myth of the "Red States." Texas members can tell you the reality of their state. They can tell you that Bill Clinton, in 1992, went all over their state campaigning. They can tell you if they wanted to shell out big bucks, they could meet Teresa Heinz Kerry in Dallas. (THK also spoke in small areas of Texas near the end of the campaign.) John Kerry? He didn't go to Dallas. Now Dallas is not just a big city in Texas, it is in the top ten cities nationwide. Bill Clinton and Al Gore (and Hillary and Tipper) went on a bus tour around the country including Texas. Howard Dean spoke in Dallas.
Now Dallas provided a huge number of votes for the Democratic Party in 2004. So if you're thinking, "Well, that was seen as a safe area so no need to campaign there," you might want to explain why the far less populated Austin got John Kerry in person. Less votes, less people, but there he was.

Laura Flanders has pointed out the nation is purple and she is exactly right.

Texas gets a very bad reputation and the reality of Texas elections, as any member can tell you, is that the Democrats do not compete. They do not show up, they do not fund the Democratic Party headquarters (in fact, in 2004, some counties learned there were no longer party headquarters in their counties).

We've gone over this before. Use Google, use the archives. Texas is where the month of activism is kicking off. It's a big event in Fort Worth on Saturday. Iraq Veterans Against the War will be at Texans For Peace's American People's Poll on Iraq in Fort Worth, Texas as will people like Diane Wilson, Tina Richards and Ann Wright. It can be a huge turnout but for that to happen, people need to be aware of it.

In March, we did a speaking tour in Texas. Dona scheduled it in advance and did a wonderful job of that. However, she had to toss out that schedule once we got there because there were always opportunities to pick up additional engagements. There is no denying that this could be a huge crowd. But the issue is awareness.

The event is not getting a lot of publicity. It's building because of word of mouth. So (a) because of the event and (b) because of where it is, we will push that event. There were other things that I'd planned to note this week elsewhere. They're falling by the wayside and that's a decision I made. March wasn't the first time I visited Texas and I know there is a huge hunger for an event like this. So we will note it here to do our part to get the word out.

Click here for the press release on the event. You can print up tickets online. The tickets are free. There is no charge to attend. The tickets are just to help them have an accurate count of how large the crowd is. Another visitor e-mailed to say that if tickets are wanted then I shouldn't say that tickets aren't required. Not everyone has a computer (or a printer) and, more importantly, what will most likely happen is people will bump into friends along the way. You might stop for something at a 7-11 or a Wal-Greens on your way and bump into someone. You say, "Me? I'm on my way to Fort Worth for the big rally." If the person says, "What rally?" and, after you explain, wants to tag along, they are welcome to tag along. You don't have to find a Kinkos or public library to print up a ticket on your way to the event. Ideally, people with computers and printers will print up additional tickets to use if they bump into people on their way. But no one's going to say, "Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't bring a ticket, you can't participate." That's the point I've been making.

The event is sponsored and Endorsed by Texans for Peace, Dallas Peace Center, IVAW, Veterans for Peace, Crawford Peace House, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, CODEPINK - Dallas Chapter, Peace Action Texas, Peace and Justice - Arlington, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and more and all are working their butts off to get the word out. I'm very serious about the fact that if you have friends or family in Texas, you should give them a heads up (e-mail or call) to let them know about Saturday's rally in Fort Worth. The news media's really not covering it right now. Fort Worth is part of the D-FW area. (Some say "DFW" -- I usually put in a hyphen due to the airport.) That is a huge, huge area. It has suburbs, surrounding towns and big cities. East Texas community members are going. They're driving from East Texas to DFW on hours long drives. Every member that's e-mailed on that has said they weren't even aware of the event. So it's really important to get the word out and it's really important that if you're driving from Lindale or Tyler and you stop somewhere along the way and bump into a friend who hears about the rally from you that you don't say, "Oh, yeah, you should be there. But you have to print out a ticket and I don't have any extra." So, to repeat, no one will be turned away. If you're going and you're able to print out extra tickets, do so. Diana's printing up extras in case anyone needs some at the train station. (TRE in Dallas will take you to Fort Worth. Diana and others note you can pick that up at Union Station in downtown Dallas. You can pick it up elsewhere as well but no one's noted that and I don't know anything about the trains.)

If you're against the illegal war, this is a place you can make your voice heard. The larger the turnout, the louder the voices. Silence isn't going to end the illegal war. E-activism isn't going to end to end the illegal war.


They're just there to try and make the people free,
But the way that they're doing it, it don't seem like that to me.
Just more blood-letting and misery and tears
That this poor country's known for the last twenty years,
And the war drags on.
-- words and lyrics by Mick Softly (available on Donovan's Fairytale)

Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 3724. Tonight? 3735 with 77 for the month. Just Foreign Policy's current total for the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war stands at 1,028,360, up from 1,018,263 last week.

And Lucy highlights Mary Orndoff (The Birmingham News) reporting that a plane "carrying Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, and two other sentors" was en route to Baghdad when it was fired upon by three rockets. No person or plane was hurt. But remember the days when flacks for the US military could still get away with claiming that the techonology for attacks on helicopters and planes really didn't exist in Iraq? They could make that claim (and did) without fear of questioning. Those were the days of 'hard landings' as opposed to 'crash landings' or 'crashes.'

In the public account, a visitor notes something he wishes we would note but assumes we won't because it calls out Peter Galbrath's support for the partitionng of Iraq. Galbrath was highlighted Friday with an analysis of the current situation in Iraq and again yesterday. His partition plan was not endorsed and was rejected some time ago. Joe Biden also supports partitioning and it's been noted we don't support his push for that either. We've noted Chris Floyd before and there's no problem with noting him now. This is from "Liberals, Bush Unite in Ethnic Cleansing of Iraq" (Information Clearing House):

While Bush pursues ethnic cleansing by stealth in Iraq -- or rather, pursues it quite openly, but just doesn't call it ethnic cleansing -- the Democrats and their outriders, the "liberal hawks" (or "humanitarian interventionists" or "Wilsonian idealists" or whatever tag they're wearing these days) are championing the policy in the public sphere. The idea of a three-way split of Iraq between Sunnis, Shias and Kurds has long been mooted in some quarters -- Joe Biden and "liberal" intellectuals like Leslie Gelb and Peter Galbraith were early enthusiasts -- and it is now gaining force within the foreign policy "clerisy" that Glenn Greenwald and Arthur Silber have been dissecting in recent days. Firedoglake points us to the incisive commentaries of Reidar Visser, "an actual expert on the regional aspects of Iraq and its history," who has lately been debunking the deeply ignorant and murderously arrogant "partition" proposals of Galbraith and others.Visser takes aim at one of the most hideous of these proposals: "The Case for Soft Partition in Iraq," by respected "scholars" Michael O'Hanlon (see A Tiny Revolution for more on this fine mind of our time) and Edward Joseph. When I first read of these gentlemen's work, I thought it must surely be a parody, a take-off on the deadly serious, genocidal fantasies of Philip Atkinson, who, on a website hardwired to the rightwing power grid of Frank Gaffney, James Woolsey and Dick Cheney, called for Bush to nuke Iraq, repopulate it with Americans and declare himself President-for-Life. The O-Hanlon-Joseph piece for the highly respectable Brookings Institution partakes of that same kind of murderous fantasy.

I've removed the link to Glen Greenwald because he's in awe of Samantha Power and she's at the heart of the problem. The "Foreign Policy" crowd includes her. Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn have both recently noted the Modern Day Carrie Nation with Chomsky noting that she criticizes foreign governments but not the US for their violence and Zinn noting that she draws a wall between deaths that are by the US and by others (Zinn notes that air bombing an area with civilians is not as 'noble' as Sammy thinks it is). She is a War Hawk. Greenwald

If Iraq's going to be partitioned, that would be a decision Iraqis (not a puppet government during occupation) would have to reach. It is not for the US or any foreign power to decide 'what to do with Iraq?'. This isn't a development that homes will be built in and then inhabited, Iraq is inhabited. Iraqis exist and they will determine what it best for them or not.

The three-split shouldn't be imposed upon Iraq. It's also demonstrating huge ignorance (or a disrespect for minorities) because Iraq is not just Kurds, Shias and Sunnis. Behind the push for partition, for many, is the continued endorsement of the Kurds that the US has practiced for some time. (Though not during the 80s, of course.) The three groups are the majority groups, they are not the only groups. Other groups include: Armenians, Baha'is, Chald-Assyrians, Fali Kurds, Jews, Mandaens, Palestinians, Shabaks, Turkomans and Yazidis. Where will they go if the US divides Iraq into three regions?

The decision the US government has to make is to withdraw from Iraq. Decisions about Iraq itself belong to the people of Iraq.

Odds and ends. (I'm participating in the roundtable for the gina & krista round-robin right now and this probably hops around, sorry.) Politcs Attitude is Rebecca's backup site. High schoolers (and middle schoolers) have always been a huge segment of her readers and there's a problem with three school systems now blocking her site due to the title. The backup site is up now. The title should allow it to be accessed. PBS' NOW with David Brancaccio begins airing on most PBS stations tomorrow (check local listings for times and dates):


When Tom Siebel, a billionaire software developer and part time Montana resident, learned the devastating effect methamphetamine addiction was having on the big sky state, he decided to use his successful marketing techniques - and 20 million dollars from his own wallet - to "un-sell" the deadly and highly addictive drug. It's called the Montana Meth Project. On Friday, August 31 (check your local listings), NOW's David Brancaccio talks with the venture philanthropist about blitzing the state with stark and shocking ad campaigns designed to drag meth use out of the shadows and get into the faces of kids. The results are promising, and his idea is spreading around the country.
Also on the show, another "Enterprising Idea": a business model focusing on ethnic foods that's creating local jobs for Boston's inner city.
To complement this week's show the NOW website at www.pbs.org/now will offer access to the Montana Meth ad campaigns, statistics on methamphetamine use, and an exclusive interview with the Partnership for a Drug Free America CEO on what it takes to fight meth addiction.
**Note that on September 14, we'll be airing a one-hour NOW special, which follows up -- in Iraq -- on the soldiers we profiled deploying from Fort Stewart in our January 19 show "Back to the Front": http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/303/ **

Katha Pollitt and Katrina vanden Heuvel . . . "showed their ass" is how we used to put it. I am aware of the e-mails and have read many of them. I can't get into that tonight. There's too much to do and the Labor Day piece is coming. Ideally, I'd like to wait on that topic until after Labor Day. If that's not possible, that's fine. Gina and Krista were kind enough to make that their polling question for tomorrow's gina & krista round-robin but you need to vote early if you want it addressed before Labor Day. The bad news is that David Corn has a very strong article that should be up or going up. If Common Dreams or someone else reposts it (or if it goes up at his own site), we'll note it that way but until the nonsense of Pollitt and vanden Heuvel is addressed, we won't note The Nation.

Briefly (and I mean brief), there's really no reason for vanden Heuvel to respond to the letter. The response comes off insincere and is full of distortions. In fact, we'll leave at that here and work it into the Labor Day piece because her nonsense really goes to the heart of the Labor Day piece. (Which will go up at all community sites on Labor Day.) Pollitt?

Wow. Cindy Sheehan really touched a nerve when she pointed out Pollitt hadn't gone to the Middle East, didn't she? Not really a surprise when Pollitt's image took a beating when she displayed her xenophobia recently. It's amazing that Pollitt's so touchy after she refuted a right-winger (on the letters' page not all that long ago) by ridiculing the woman's book sales. Pollitt started the nonsense with Sheehan and now wants to play injured party. Cindy Sheehan wrote honestly and truthfully. Pollitt (and vanden Heuvel) treated Sheehan in a patronizing manner (for Pollitt it goes back to her first piece on Sheehan -- which arrived this month, all the time Sheehan was so 'valuable' to the peace movement according to Pollitt, Pollitt had no interest in writing about her). Pollitt probably shouldn't write about political races that she knows nothing about and that she won't be voting in. That was her first mistake. She's in NYC, she has no business writing about a San Francisco race she knows nothing about. She doesn't live in the area, she's really not welcome in large portions by feminists after her xenophobia. (She may or may not be aware of how she has angered feminists over that nonsense.) She then followed xenophobia by telling a woman (Sheehan) that she shouldn't run, by being patronizing about Sheehan's chances of winning. Sheehan hasn't even started campaigning. Pollitt doesn't know the voters, there's no polling. Pollitt's doing that useless writing that has become the hallmark of her career.

An illegal war has lasted over four years and Pollitt has avoided it. She avoided Abeer, she avoided all of it. She has wasted her voice with silly-ninny columns that weren't worth the paper they were printed on. No one needs her yearly "Most Needy Causes" (which have not even mentioned Iraq) or her scolding at the start of the year to "BE HONEST" about Iraq. She didn't write about Iraq. She doesn't know the first thing about what's going on. She's a useless, chatty, fuzzy headed columnist who muddles feminism and goes running to the pop-cultural well every chance she gets to make the most shallow 'observations'. She's totally useless and she's made herself that. She should be embarrassed. (vanden Heuvel should be ashamed of herself and I'm biting my tongue on that.)

So the point is, two useless people weighed in on something and they don't care about Iraq, they don't try to end the illegal war. They waste everyone's time and they did again this week.

They are the reason the illegal war drags on. It's really amazing to grasp that Cindy Sheehan has now been the subject of three pieces by Katha Pollitt this month. Prior to this month? Never a focus. In fact, unless I'm remembering wrong, Pollitt's commentary in full on Cindy Sheehan previously consists of "Cindy Sheehan put a family face on the antiwar movement." That's page ten, January 2006, I can't remember the week, sorry. It's where she's writing that dippy column that she had to e-mail friends on to find topics to write about. Prior to Sheehan deciding to run, that, I believe, is the full extent of Pollitt's 'commentary' on Sheehan.

So instead of being offended that two posers want to now speak for the peace movement, grasp that no one listens to them anyway (no one who's serious about ending the illegal war) and it's a testimony to the power of Cindy Sheehan that Pollitt's now three times felt the need to pull out the darts and aim them at Cindy Sheehan in one month. How pathetic is that anyway?

It's pretty pathetic. Katha Pathetic. But this is the woman who made the 2004 election night all about getting huffy that her first name was mispronounced by Janeane Garofalo. Yes, Katha Pathetic, that was the most important issue on election night 2004 . . . in your mind.

If that can stand as addressing the two until after the Labor Day piece runs, that's great. If not, make your voice heard in the latest poll tomorrow and I will make time to address it.

But get the word out on Saturday's rally in Fort Worth. This isn't a DC rally where people all come in, then leave. This is a rally that can plant seeds and is an action that will lead to further action.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com. And if the above is not enough because you're thinking of certain topics, please note that some topics are reserved for the Labor Day piece and I really do not want to go into those ahead of time. So if I do address it again before Labor Day and you think, "You've missed the biggest points," wait until Labor Day before getting upset because the biggest points to you may be the ones included in that. After The Nation was passed an e-mail on the last one and tried to do a last minute end run, we're avoiding discussing the topics ahead of time. (And only Elaine and I know one aspect of the piece right now.) The July 4th piece, if you missed it, was:

"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you must have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"
"Are You A Writer For The Nation? If so, chances are you have a penis"




Iraq snapshot

Thursday, August 30, 2007.  Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, Wikipedia 'cleans up' al-Maliki's history, Texas gears up for a major rally against the illegal war on Saturday and more.
 
 
Starting with war resistance.  The Seacoast reports some of the statements from last Saturday's rally for peace in Kennebunkport, Maine and quotes Eli Israel declaring, "We are not fighting insurgents, we're fighting Iraqis in their own neighborhoods.  We were there -- we saw the truth."  The rally was there since Bully Boy -- haunted by the memory of Camp Casey -- has preferred to spend his summer vacation instead of at the ranchette in Crawford, Texas.  Among the over 4,000 present were the Ragin' Grannies, members of Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Cindy Sheehan, and Dennis Kucinich.  Sheehan declared, "In August 2005, I went to Crawford to ruin the vacation of the man who has ruined all of my vacations."  IVAW's Liam Madden told the crowd, "Our government has failed us.  This war will not end by an act of Congress.  It will end through an organized and collective act of conscience." 
 
Eli Israel is a member of IVAW and the first US service member to publicly refuse to serve in the illegal war while stationed in Iraq.  At Courage To Resist (video and text) Israel declares, "The last few months have changed my life forever.  From Soldier, JVB Protective Service Agent, and Sniper in the middle of an occupation war, to anti-war veteran within days. . . . I'm hoping to use my experience and my education to change the course our country has been on: To end the policies of occupation.  To stop the avoidance of domestic defensive measures.  To end the violations of domestic liberties.  And to stop the heavy-handed offensive actions around the world which are done in the name of security, but which instead result in more insecurity."  He is also attempting to regain his veterans' benefits, get his discharge upgraded, etc.  Courage To Resist has started a donation page that will help with those costs as well as the costs of getting Eli Israel throughout the country to tell his story.
 
 
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Zamesha Dominique, 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, 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, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one 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, 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.
 
Last Saturday the big peace event was in Kennebunk Port, this Saturday?  Iraq Veterans Against the War will be in Texas. Texans For Peace are staging an American People's Poll on Iraq in Fort Worth, Texas featuring many speakers including IVAW's Adam Kokesh, Leonard Shelton and Hart Viges as well as Diane Wilson, Tina Richards, Ann Wright and many others. Click here for the press release. There is not a fee to attend, the event is Saturday, in Fort Worth, Texas which is also where the Republican Straw Poll will be "taking place in General Worth Square". People will begin arriving at nine in the morning, the speeches will begin at 1:30. There will be music and entertainment. Though the event is free, people can donate and Texans For Peace is encouraging everyone planning to attend to print up tickets online. The tickets will be used for a number count of those attending. No one will be turned away because they didn't have access to a computer to print up the ticket.
 
 
Throughout the day (nine to five, this is a Saturday) there will be canvassing and straw polls, the pre-rally entertainment starts at one p.m. and the peace rally begins at 1:30 and lasts until 3:30. Fort Worth is a city in Texas, part of the Dallas and Fort Worth region known there as "DFW." Suburbs, towns and cities in the area include Denton, Plano, Arlington, Irvining, Bach Springs, Desoto, Duncanville, Lewisville, Addison, Grand Prairie and a host of others. There is a point. Texans for Peace notes that you can catch the Trinity Railway Express to Fort Worth and that at 12:30 pm volunteers will be helping transport people to the rally.

Community member Diana and her family took part in the April 2006 immigrants rally in downtown Dallas that had at least a half million participants making it the largest protest in Dallas' history. She noted the traffic issue when she shared her experiences from that rally. Today, she explained over the phone that the easiest thing for people to the north, east or south of Fort Worth wanting to attend Saturday's events but unsure of how to get there is to utilize the Trinity train. She suggests grabbing a Dart Express Train and taking it to Union Station (in downtown Dallas). You can pick up the TRE there. ("It's the big, brown -- same brown as UPS uses --train that runs right next to the two light rails," says Diana.) ADDED: Dallas and Billie both note that there is also a solid white train. Billie: "Brown or white, they are real trains that look like trains, not the light rail." Texans for Peace notes that the TRE (Trinity Railway Express) runs from eight in the morning until eleven at night on Saturdays.  September will kick off many actions across the country calling for an end to the illegal war and this Saturday, Texas kicks off the action in Fort Worth. 
 
In Kennebunkport last week, Dr. Dahlia Wasfi spoke and Common Dreams has posted her speech in full.  We'll note this from the speech:
 
There has been debate recently within the American peace movement on the issue of support for the Iraqi resistance. The argument has been made by some that we don't support the resistance in Iraq because it's different than it has been for other countries we've invaded. That "what is understood to be 'the Iraqi resistance' is a disaggregated and diverse set of largely unconnected factions…There is no unified leadership that can speak for 'the resistance'…...There is no unified program, either of what the fight is against or what it is for…(Bennis, 2007)"
Well -- judge not lest we be judged, for this is an offensive display of the arrogance of empire.
We sit here 8000 miles away with our luxuries of electricity and water, while Iraqis suffer in the desert heat with no relief, and we tell them they are disorganized. This is fiddling while Iraq burns. People are dying; the question is moot.
We are not fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq; we are slaughtering people's children. We went in to liberate Iraqis from a ruthless dictator we imposed upon them who allegedly killed 300,000 during his 30 year reign of terror. We've accomplished more than triple that in a fraction of the time.
If ever there were legitimate resistance to illegal occupation, it is in Iraq.
If ever there were a people struggling for democracy and independence, there are Iraqis.
If ever there were a people who have known suffering at the hands of bloodthirsty American imperialism, there are Iraqis.
 
Meanwhile, if "knowledge is power" -- what's Wikipedia.  Mike (Mikey Likes It!) observes that the online encyclopedia has 'cleaned up' puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki's history, removing all references to his exile period in Iran and Syria as well as the fact that he served in the post-invasion interim government on the De-Baathification Commisson
As AFP has reported of al-Maliki, "His first job in post-Saddam Iraq was one perhaps better suited to someone of his background than the premiership; he was head of the de-Baathification commission that booted Saddam's supporters out of public office."  In fact, everything Wikipeida apparently allowed a user from MOREnet to remove has been reported by many outlets.  But the reality of al-Maliki is no longer available to Wikipedia readers. Vanishing it doesn't alter the fact that he left Iraq and lived in Iran and Syria nor does it take away the fact that he served on the De-Baathification Commission.  De-de-Baathing Iraq has been a problem for him to put it mildly.  This month's 'alliance' created by him did not include Sunnis and he's basically tossed out the US White House's 'benchmarks' two and sixteen.  As he continues to turn a blind eye to the thugs serving in his own Interior Ministry who regularly target Sunnis, Wikipedia readers would probably be better served knowing that al-Maliki in fact served on the De-Baathification Commission.  [Mike's write up has been reposted at uruknet.info.]
 
In news of Iraq, Nancy Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that "the Pentagon said Wednesday that it won't make a single unfied recommendation to President Bush during next month's strategy assessment, but instead will allow top commanders to make individual presentations. . . . Military analysts called the move unusual for an institution that ordinarily does not air its differences in public, especially while its troops are deployed in combat."  Meanwhile, Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks (Washington Post) obtained a a draft copy of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Iraq which they term "strikingly negative" and finds that "Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress".  The reporters were provided the report out of fear that it the US administration would attempt to water it down or classify sections of it ("as some officials have said happened with security judgments in this month's National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq").
 
In Iraq, Moqtada al-Sadr declared yesterday that he was asking his forces (Mahdi Army) to stand down for six months (cease operations).  Joshua Partlow and Saad Sarhan (Washington Post) obeserve, "Some officials interpreted the statement to mean Sadr had called off attacks on U.S. soldiers as well as Iraqi opponents, but a source close to Sadr said some fighting would continue in the name of 'self-defense'."  Ewen MacAskill (Guardian of London) reminds, "Mr Sadr, who has thousands of armed men at his command, has called truces before but these have been short-lived."  Carol J. Williams (Los Angeles Times) reports, "Aides to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr appeared Thursday to place conditions on his call for a six-month halt to militia operations . . .   The militia operations were frozen for no more than six months, said the aide, Abu Firas Muteri, 'and the halt can be revoked at any time if there is a need for that'."
 
Turning to broken record news, Hoshyar Zerbari -- Iraq's Foreign Minister and apparent KC and the Sunshine Band fanatic, has only one song to sing these days, "So please don't go, Don't go, Don't go away, Please don't go, Don't go, I'm begging you to stay . . ."  On the United Kingdom's planned withdrawal from Basra, Martin Fletcher (Times of London) notes Zerbari has questioned and critiqued Britain's committment to the illegal war and quotes Zerbari declaring, "I am worried, absolutely worried."  So worried in fact that he rushed to give Bassem Mroue (AP) a soundbyte as well, this time on the reports that US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petreaus will give to Congress (after the White House 'polishes' it): "The whole world is waiting anxiously to see what this report will indicate.  I personally believe that this report would not provide any magical solutions or provide any magical solutions or provide and instant answers to the difficulties and challenges we are going through."  Zebari, take a breath.  Anyone remembering the Zebari of 2003?  The one who told Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London) that the US had to give up control of Iraq "because their present course -- occupation by America alone -- won't be successful."  Apparently, Zebari doesn't remember that.  But he's a busy guy.  He's also announced he's hosting "a meeting with Iraq's neighboring countries, the five permanent members of the United Nations, and the G-8 during the first week of September."
 
AP reports Zebari's also issuing statements regarding Iran allegedly shelling "Kurdish guerilla positions in border areas" which the government of Iran claims is launching attacks in Iran.  In a rush of words, Zerbari explains that this "has been ongoing and unfortunately has become a daily or a routine practice.  Recently, we summoned the Iranian ambassador and handed him a note of protest. . . . [We] demanded an immediate cessation of these attacks on innocent people because it has led to extensive damage to the property, to the environment of the area and it also has led many people to leave their homes because of the continuation of the shelling."  The PEJAK is the group accused of shelling Iran, they are also accused of shelling Turkey and launching attacks there and a splinter group of the PKK which is considered a 'terrorist' group by many countries (including the US).  They are a Kurdish group (Zerbari himself is a Kurd) and the Turkish government has been very vocal about their belief that actions launched by the group from Iraq are ignored.  The Turkish Daily News reports, "In a speciall session called after the alleged bombing in northern Iraq by Turkey and Iran, the parliament of the northern Iraqi government called on both its neighbors to find a solution to the conflict through dialogue, reported the NTV news channel yesterday.  Parliament speaker, Adnan Mufti, stated that the stability of the region was severely threatened due to the shelling of northern Iraqi territories."  As Lenore G. Martin (Boston Globe) noted today the US "administration's polices are pushing Turkey toward Iran rather than planting it firmly in the US security network."  Martin notes pre-illegal war fears in Turkey that the Iraq War would result in the northern section of Iraq becoming a Kurdish state thereby encouraging a similar, ongoing push led by the PKK.  Martin sketches out the conflict:
 
With the revival of PKK violence in Turkey in 2004, Turkish fears concerning Kurdistan are becoming a reality. The PKK is ensconced in the Kandil mountains of Northern Iraq, killing Turkish soldiers almost daily, and has set off bombs in major Turkish cities. The Kurdish Regional Government, led by Massoud Barzani, refuses to isolate or oust the PKK.
In response, the Turkish military has assembled a large force at the border and threatened to invade northern Iraq. The United States is warning Turkey not to, fearing that a major Turkish military incursion will destabilize Kurdistan, currently the most stable region in Iraq.
This stability is ephemeral. Indeed, signs of trouble are already evident, due in part to the contest between Kurds and the rest of Iraq over oil-rich Kirkuk. The instability is likely to continue, whether the constitutionally mandated referendum over Kirkuk's fate is held or not. The Sunni and Shia will not live quietly with the inclusion of Kirkuk into the Kurdish Regional Government -- at least without an oil-sharing agreement, which has proved elusive.
 
While Iraq's Foreign Minister critiques the British decision to withdraw, David Miliband, UK Foreign Secretary, has his own (and presumably the British government's take).  Thomas Harding (Telegraph of London) reports that Miliband has indicated what others think (including the US) really isn't the issue declaring "we will always take British decision in the British national interest.  Our decision about Basra are about the situation on the ground in Basra not the situation on the ground in Baghdad" (with Harding noting that was "in reference to America's zone of control").
 
Turning to some of today's violence . . .
 
 
Bombings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports three police officers wounded in a Baghdad roadside bombing while another Baghdad roadside bombing wounded four civilians, a third had no known fatalities or injuries but a fourth claimed 1 life (two more wounded) while 2 Kirkuk roadside bombings which left a bodyguard of police brigadier Burhan Taeeb wounded; while "Wednesday night" a Kirkuk car bombing claimed 3 lives (four wounded).  CNN reports that "at least four Iraqi police officers" were wounded while they attempted to dismantle a bomb planted on a bridge in Baghdad: "Insurgents have targeted bridges in and around the Iraqi capital in recent months, including a suicide bombing in June that killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded six other near Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad.  That blast triggered a highway overpass to collapse on the Americans."
 
Shootings?
 
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that Abu Haider Al-Hasnawi was shot dead ("head of Najaf oil warehouses"); while yesterday
 
Corpses?
 
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
 
Today the US military announced: "One Task Force Lightning Soldier was killed by an explosion near his vehicle while conducting combat operations in Diyala province, August 29."  And they announced: "A Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldier was killed and another wounded during combat operations in a western section of the Iraqi capital Aug. 30."
ICCC's total for the number of US service members announced dead this month is 77 so far with 3735 being the number since the start of the illegal war.
 
 
Another thing we'll be noting through the end of the week -- events for  Army of None, published by Seven Stories Press, available at Courage to Resist and many other places, which is written by Aimee Allison and David Solnit. Tonight there will be a release celebration for the event at Club Oasis (135 12th St., btwen. Madison and Oak Sts., Oakland 6 blocks E. of Broadway/12th St. -- click here for East Bay express' map of Club Oasis' location). The event is free and open to all. The authors will be there, Jeff Paterson will have a slide show, there will be a puppet show, poets, snakcs, a dj . . . The event starts at 6:30 pm. More information can be found [Warning: MySpace page] by clicking here.

Aug 29, at 12:00P, Aimee and David on KPFA Radio! @ KPFA Radio 94.1;
Aug 30, at 6:00P
Army of None Book Release Party & Tour Kick-Off @ Oasis Restaurant & Bar - Oakland, CA;
Sep 14 at 4:00P
Army of None Workshop - San Jose, CA @ Californians for Justice, San Jose, CA;
Sep 14 at 7:30P
Army of None Book Release/Signing - San Jose, CA @ Dowtown San Jose - Location TBA; Sep 15 at 12:00P Army of None Tour in Pittsburgh, PA;
Sep 19 at 7:00P
Army of None Tour in Cleveland, OH;
Sep 20 at 6:00P
Army of None Tour @ Kent, OH;
Sep 23 at 6:00P
Army of None Tour @ Milwaukee, WI;
Sep 24 at 6:00P
Army of None Tour in Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee, WI;
Sep 25 at 7:00P
Army of None Tour @ Madison, WI;
Sep 26 at 6:00P
Army of None Tour @ Madison, WI;
Sep 27 at 6:30P
Army of None Tour @ May Day Books, Minneapolis MN;
Sep 28 at 10:00A
Army of None Tour @ High Schools in Minneapolis, MN;
Sep 28 at 7:30P
Army of None Tour @ Lyndale United Church of Christ, Minneapolis MN;
Sep 29 at 1:00P
Army of None Tour @ Rondo Community Outreach Library - St. Paul, MN;
Oct 12 at 7:00P
Army of None Tour @ Bluestockings Bookstore - New York City;
and Oct 17 at 7:00P
Army of None Tour @ Sanctuary for Independent Media - Troy, NY
 
 


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