The fear card

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE     IN AN ATTEMPT TO PUSH HIS INCREASINGLY UNPOPULAR STIMULUS PLAN, BARACK OBAMA, MR. HOPEY FROM CHANGEY, DECLARED TODAY THAT IF THE CONGRESS DOES NOT PASS THE STIMULUS IT WILL BE CATASTROPHE.   REACHED FOR COMMENT BARACK OBAMA TOLD THESE REPORTERS HE WAS LEARNING HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO "SCARE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.  LIKE MILDRED SAYS, 'IF YOU WANT VEDA TO DO ANYTHING, HIT HER FIRST'."     FROM THE TCI WIRE:   Jon Allen (People's Weekly World News) reports on a teach-in entitled "War's Real Impact: Our Voices" that a number of groups staged in Chicago:   Eugene Cherry joined the army at the age of 19 in the hopes of getting money for college. Despite being a good student, he found his options in his impoverished south side neighborhood limited. "I thought the military would be my ticket out, but I found an organization based on racism, sexism and misogyny" he testified before the assembled audience. Later he spoke of "[a] culture of violence and racism" that the military promotes within its ranks. These pressures proved to be too much for Sherry. He deserted for 16 months after being refused mental health support by the army. "I found myself fighting and oppressing a group of people in the name of the war on terror" concluded his remarks to the gathering.    The plight of women in the armed forces proved to be a recurring theme. Patricia McCann, a National Guardsman deployed in 2003, noted during her testimony that instances of sexual assault and sexual harassment within the armed forces have risen but court-martials for these crimes have declined. Another veteran (and current Chicago police officer), Lisa Zepeda, added that victims of assault have no outside authority they can report assaults to; a victim must go through her immediate superior within her unit.   Allen notes that US House Rep "Jan Schakowasky and several Chicago aldermen also took the floor and addressed the audeince.  Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and Illinois Senator Roland Burris also sent staff members to reaffirm their support of bringing the troops home."   Military Families Speak Out  was among the organizations participating in the Chicago event and today they started a DC action that will run through Monday: Come to Washington February 6-9 to demand "The Change WE Need" President Elect Obama opposed the war in Iraq before it started, calling it a "dumb war." But he and his advisors have also said that they plan to spread the return of combat troops from that "dumb war" out over sixteen months and to keep tens of thousands of other troops on the ground in Iraq indefinitely. So from February 6-9, MFSO will be traveling to Washington to bring the new President and new Congress the message that it is long past time to bring all our troops home from Iraq. The four days of events will include: * A teach-in featuring the voices of military families, veterans, and Iraqis, explaining the need for an immediate and complete end to the war in Iraq -- and the human impacts of continuing the occupation. Friday, February 6 from Noon - 3:00 p.m. at Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue. * A solemn procession from Arlington National Cemetary to the White House beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 7. Meet at the front gate of the cemetery right outside the exit of the Arlington Metro stop. Please arrive early. * A "Meet and Greet" and Legislative Briefing from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8 at the Mariott Metro Center.      * Lobbying members of Congress to end the war in Iraq. Meet in the cafeteria of the Rayburn House Office Building at 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 9. The teach-in takes place this afternoon. Actions continue through Monday.   Meanwhile US war resister Andre Shepherd is seeking asylumn in Germany (we last noted Andre in  Wednesday's snapshot). Wednesday, he was making his case for asylum to Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Andy Eckardt (NBC News) offers a strong report on Andre who explains, "When I enlisted in 2004 and later was sent to Iraq, I believed I was doing the right thing.  But then, like other comrades around me, I started questioning why we were there and what we were fighting for. . . . My job was harmless until I factored in the amount of death and destruction those helicopters caused to civilians every day.  The government made us believe we would be welcomed as heroes in Iraq, but we saw nothing but hostility from the Iraqis that came to work for us, they wanted to kill us."  Meanwhile James M. Brnaum's GI Rights Lawyer.com explained yesterday:     U.S. war resister Cliff Cornell surrendered himself to U.S. border police on Wednesday after being ordered to leave Canada. He was promptly arrested for being AWOL from the U.S. Army, and is now being held at the Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham, Washington, twenty miles south of the U.S.-Canada border.        Cornell's attorney and supporters expressed outrage at the arrest.           "Clifford Cornell came back to the United States so that he could voluntarily return to his old unit at Fort Stewart," stated attorney James Branum. "He stated this intention to the Border Patrol, both verbally and in writing, by way of a letter I drafted on his behalf. I am disappointed that the Border Patrol chose to arrest my client and place him into a county jail with general population prisoners. This should not have happened."          Cornell, 28, fled to Canada four years ago after his Army artillery unit was ordered to Iraq. But despite a popular outcry to provide sanctuary to soldiers who refuse to fight in illegal wars, Canada's Conservative government is pressing ahead with deportations. Cornell, an Arkansas native, had come to call British Columbia home. But he now faces a possible court martial and imprisonment in the United States.    "Cliff Cornell should not be going to jail," said Gerry Condon, director of Project Safe Haven, a war resister advocacy group. "He had the guts to follow his conscience and obey international law," continued Condon. "President Obama should grant amnesty to Cliff Cornell and all war resisters."     Cornell is the second Iraq War resister to be held in the Whatcom County Jail. He follows Robin Long, who was deported from Canada in July. Long is now serving a 15-month prison sentence at Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig near San Diego.            "We want Bellingham to be a Sanctuary City for war resisters," said Gene Marx of Veterans For Peace, "not a way station for war resisters being sent to prison." Bellingham is known for being a progressive city, having passed two anti-war resolutions through its city council.     A public vigil in support of Cliff Cornell will be held outside of the County jail on Thursday from 10 am -- 1pm, organized by the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center.     A legal defense fund for Cliff Cornell is being established by Courage To Resist, a war resister support group, at www.couragetoresist.org.          CONTACT:               Marie Marchand, Executive Director, Whatcom Peace & Justice Center (360) 734-0217 (office); (434) 249-5957 (cell), WhatcomPJC(at)fidalgo.net Gene Marx, Bellingham Veterans For Peace, Chapter 111, 253-653-4423 (cell) Gerry Condon, Project Safe Haven, 206-499-1220 (cell), projectsafehaven(at)hotmail.com              In an update, AP reports that Cliff is being allowed to travel "by bus to Georgia" and will "turn himself in Tuesday at the Army base near Savannah."   And, as Gerry Condon stated, Barack Obama should grant amnesty to all war resisters.  But the reality is Barack's not even in a rush to end the illegal war.   Staying with the White House, US vice president Joe Biden is headed to Germany.  Before he left the US today, he made some public remarks.  Edward Epstein (CQ) reports, "He listed the economic crisis and ongoing fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as the most pressing issues.  Biden used a football analogy to describe the situation in Iraq, saying the United States is 'on the 20-yard-line' and 'driving toward the goal'." Jared Allen (The Hill) states the Biden "admitted that any victory is far from certain, and he reiterated that a victory through military means alone is unattainable."  AFP quotes him stating, "Our administration is going to have to be very deeply involved not only keeping the commitment that we've made drawing down our troops in an orderly fashion consistent with what we said."   McClatchy Newspapers' Nancy A. Youssef is convinced that Barack's decision to request a variety of options for 'withdrawal' from Iraq is "the first indication that the Obama administration may be willing to abandon a campaign promise of a 16-month withdrawal."  Or it may be Barack wanting to see all options, wanting to check if opinions ever see withdrawal possible (would you listen to someone's opinion if they didn't think the US could pull out in 16, 19 or even 23 months?).  Who knows.  But withdrawal' is not withdrawl. It is "combat" troops only. The White House unofficially says the number left behind would be approximately 70,000. That's not withdrawal.  Youssef reports, "Obama is likely to announce his strategy for Iraq by mid-March, a senior administration official told McClatchy."  That would be an indication of a broken promise and Youssef misses that point. At Hopey Changey "Three Facts about Barack Obama and Iraq" which includes this 'fact:' "Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq; successfully ending the war.  The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased."    What did Barack promise? "Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: successfully ending the war. The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased." Mid-March? Mid-March is "immediately upon taking office"? Immediately upon taking office was when Barack was sworn in. That was last month. It's February. And a White House source is telling McClatchy it will be mid-March before anything's announced. Another case where "Barack kicks the can" and here he's promised "immediately upon taking office". (I have no idea who Nancy Youssef spoke to and this morning I'm being told that is not correct and that Barack will be making an announcement "this month" on Iraq. He may or he may not. But Youssef didn't make up that source. Even if an announcement is made this month, as two insisted this morning, the fact that some White House insider would tell Youssef it wouldn't be until mid-March goes to how unimportant Iraq is in the Obama White House. And "this month" would not be "immediately upon taking office".)   RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "'Iraq Can Wait,' cries Barack" "Even if you spin it, not good news for Nouri" "I Hate The War" "Sauerkraut and weinies in the Kitchen" "Washington Week" "green party news" "irish civil society, robert fisk" "Iraq" "Justice Ginsburg" "Kellogs, FDA, etc." "On the road" "The Cuban Five" "LGBT issues" "The Cheap Detective" "Phelps" "Striking in France, John Pilger" "Dennis Loo and this week's Dumb Ass pick" "Disappointing Barack" "Hank is backdoor company" "THIS JUST IN! WHITE HOUSE WELCOMES WAR CRIMINAL!"

Hank is backdoor company

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE   BARACK OBAMA, THE WAR HAWK CORPORATISTS, HAS FOUND MORE 'BI-PARTISANSHIP' IN WAR CRIMES.    THE MAN WHO REFUSES TO END THE ILLEGAL WAR IN IRAQ HAS NOW SENT GENOCIDE MAN HENRY KISSINGER TO RUSSIA.   HENRY KISSINGER, THE REPUBLICAN DEATH MACHINE, BROUGHT BACK INTO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BY BARACK.  THAT'S BULLS**T YOU CAN SMELL.     FROM THE TCI WIRE:   Starting with an action that begins tomrrow and runs through Monday in the US.  Military Families Speak Out explains:   Come to Washington February 6-9 to demand "The Change WE Need"     President Elect Obama opposed the war in Iraq before it started, calling it a "dumb war."  But he and his advisors have also said that they plan to spread the return of combat troops from that "dumb war" out over sixteen months and to keep tens of thousands of other troops on the ground in Iraq indefinitely.        So from February 6-9, MFSO will be traveling to Washington to bring the new President and new Congress the message that it is long past time to bring all our troops home from Iraq.  The four days of events will include:   * A teach-in featuring the voices of military families, veterans, and Iraqis, explaining the need for an immediate and complete end to the war in Iraq -- and the human impacts of continuing the occupation.  Friday, February 6 from Noon - 3:00 p.m. at Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue.        * A solemn procession from Arlington National Cemetary to the White House beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 7.  Meet at the front gate of the cemetery right outside the exit of the Arlington Metro stop.  Please arrive early. * A "Meet and Greet" and Legislative Briefing from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8 at the Mariott Metro Center.       * Lobbying members of Congress to end the war in Iraq.  Meet in the cafeteria of the Rayburn House Office Building at 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 9.           Friday from noon to three p.m. will offer the teach-in at the Mott House (122 Maryland Ave, NE Washington, DC).  Among those scheduled to participate are Joyce and Kevin Lucey, Elaine Johnson, Tim Kahlor, Stacy Bannerman, American Friends Service Committee Raed Jarrar, IPS' Phyllis Bennis, Iraq Veterans Against the War's Kris Goldsmith and Ryan Deckard and Veterans for Peace's Mike Marceau.  (An aspect of the previous sentence will be noted in tonight's entry.  If you have a question about it, wait until tonight's entry.)   Deborah Haynes and Wail al-Obaidi (Times of London) observe, "Preliminary results, issued today, indicate a drastic shift in the political map nationwide, with Sunni Arabs also securing a better representation after boycotting the last polls four years ago in protest at the US-led occupation.  Final results are not due out for several weeks, but should show little change with 90 per cent of the ballots already counted."  Marc Lynch (Foreign Policy) offers these impressions: "Preliminary results from the Baghdad provincial council election have begun to filter out into the Iraqi press. The lead story will probably be that Maliki's Rule of Law list won more than half the seats. But the more important story may be that all of the Sunni lists combined evidently only won four or five seats between them. That, combined with the fiasco in Anbar, could put Sunni frustration firmly back into the center of Iraqi politics – risking alienation from politics, intensified intra-Sunni competition, and perhaps even a return of the insurgency."  UPI notes that 'secular' Nouri al-Maliki spent time in Najaf today . . . briefing Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani on the results. Mark Kukis (Time magazine) quotes Ayad Allawi (head of the Iraqi National Accord, CIA asset and one time prime minister of Iraq) whose party did well in the elections stating he wouldn't want to be prime minister again "in a sectarian regim.  I respect religion.  But religion needs to be de-politicized."  Please note, these are not final results.  Lebanon's Daily Star stresses, "The Iraqi regional elections held on Saturday are not expected to deliver a final result for a few weeks".  UPI also points out, "Though Maliki won big in Basra and Baghdad, the post-election political landscape suggests several parties may need to form coalitions in the provincial councils."  al-Maliki was NOT a candidate.  RTT gets the wording right, "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party and its allies have dominated in the crucial provincial council elections, finishing first in nine out of the fourteen provinces in which elections were held, although reports suggested the bloc would still need to form coalitions in order to govern."  Aamer Madhani (USA Today) also grasps the difference between candidates and someone not even running and notes, "But throughout the country, voting went along sectarian lines, with predominantly Shiite provinces backing Shiite parties and Sunni-majority provinces choosing Sunni parties vying for 440 local government seats in 14 of the country's 18 provinces."  Jane Aarraf (Christian Science Monitor) states 90% of the vote was counted (she also hails al-Maliki for his 'win' -- so take that into account as well) and, "In Iraq's north the most dramatic results installed a new Sunni Arab party, al-Hadba, to take charge of the provincial council after winning almost 50 percent.  The council had previously been overwhelmingly dominated by Kurds, who have voewed not to work with the leader of al-Hadba, who is seen as anti-Kurdish."  Calling this al-Maliki's 'win' is a bit like congratulating George W. Bush on Kirsten Haglund's win last year.  The Kurdish Regional Government's President Masoud Barzani issued a statement Tuesday evening, "We respect the will of the people of Iraq.  We hope that this was an emphatic message from Kurds, Arabs, Turkomens, Chaldaens, Assyrians, Muslims, Christians and Yezidis of the Kurdish areas to voice what they really want. . . . I hope and I call on the Iraqi parliament, the federal Iraqi government, the United Nations, the United States, and all concerned parties to respect the will of the people of these areas and to stop avoiding the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution."  Mohammed A. Salih (IPS) explained Article 140 as follows, "Article 140 sketches a three-step plan to remove traces of the Arabisation policy of the regime of former president Saddam Hussein.  The constitution now provides for a census followed by a referendum on the facte of the province, after normalising the situation."  This is about whether or not oil-rich Kirkuk remains a part of the central government out of Baghdad or becomes part of the KRG.  Before the vote -- which would be residents of Kirkuk voting -- takes place, Article 140 outlines a length of measures that would allow Kurds to return.  Reality is that the KRG has done forced 'returns' to Kirkuk, expelling Kurds from the KRG and forcing them to live in Kirkuk.  Has this achieved de-Arabization?  Who knows?  And that would also depend upon who judges it.   Turning to Anbar Province.  As noted yesterday, Sheik Ahmed Buzaigh abu Risha has been threatening violence over the possibility that the Iraqi Islamic Party might have done better in the polls than his own party.  Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) observes, "In Anbar province, in western Iraq, tension between rival Sunni parties have been running high after leaders of the Awakening Council groups, or Sahwa militant groups who fought al-Qaida militants in their areas, accused the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), headed by Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, of committing fraud to win majority of the 29-seat provincial council. IIP vehemently denied the accusation."  Sam Dagher (New York Times) reports "al-Maliki sent a deputy, Rafie al-Issawi, a Sunni who is an Anbar native" to speak with Shik Risha and that the meeting was also attended by the Iraqi military.  He threatens violence -- he continues to threaten violence -- and he gets his way. All the people who peacefully demonstrated against not being permitted to vote? They're ignored. But it's rush down to make nice with Sheik Risha when, if it was anyone else, the US military would be rushing down to arrest him. And al-Maliki can't stand Risha. The fact that the sheik is being catered to indicates just how little control al-Maliki still has. Dahger speaks with another tribe leader from the area, Sheik Ali al-Hatem, who has (like many in Anbar) frequently been in conflict with Sheik Risha (al-Hatem has also had issues with the Iraqi Islamic Party)who notes that each tribe put up their own candidates so you had slates competing against each other as well as competing against IIP. He states that Risha is "sowing rifts among the tribes" and that the violence could become "intratribal": "Ahmed is playing with fire. We will confront him if he acts this way and divides the tribes." al-Hatem doesn't call on al-Maliki to reign in Risha, he calls on the US military to do so. (If that happens, it may take place during today's meet-up in Anbar.)  Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reports the US Marines are back in "Ramadi in observation roles, patrolling areas from which they had largely withdrawn."  Again, Risha stamps his feet and threatens violence and gets his way. All the people turned away from the polls and refused the right to vote? All Faraj al-Haidari has to offer them is this 'pithy' little comment, "It's not our fault that some people couldn't vote because they are lazy, because they didn't bother to ask where they should vote." Again, they should have ditched the peaceful protest and run around threatening violence -- that's the only way al-Haidari would have listened. Sheik Risha works the commission the way he wants to. And you need to grasp how ludicrous the claims of Risha, et al are. Now ludicrous doesn't mean that they are false. I believe they are but I don't know that. But reporters do know and did report on the vast number of Iraqis in Baghdad, for example, being refused the right to vote. But that's not being investigated. Risha's drama leads to an investigation. Risha is unhappy that his slate of candidates appear (no vote counts are final yet) to have done poorly. He insists that his candidates should have done better and that voter fraud is responsible for them not doing better. Risha says the ballot boxes were stuffed. Don't worry about whether he's right about that or wrong for a second. Just grasp that is the basis of his assertions. Now note this from Monte Morin and Caesar Ahmed (Los Angeles Times): "Tribal sheiks and their followers here in Ramadi, the provincial capital, and in Fallouja charge that their political rivals gained control of local election offices and stuffed ballot boxes the day after the elections. Election officials reported that 40% of eligible Anbar voters cast ballots, but tribal candidates say the turnout was half that and that the additional votes are false." Less than 40% voted -- according to the people asserting voter fraud, only 20% of registered voters in Anbar bothered to vote.  Do you not see the conflict in the two positions? "We are popular and we should have won!" vs. "They cheated because really only 20% of the registered voters voted!"  If you're argument is that 80% of registered voters stayed home, you can't make the claim that you're popular with voters at the same time. The two positions are in conflict. Today the commission that did nothing for the Iraqis who peacefully called for their rights appears to have fixed the Anbar results.   Back to Marc Lynch (Foreign Policy):       The official results in Anbar are sharply different from the reports of the last few days.  The IHEC tally gave the victory to Saleh al-Mutlak's bloc, followed by Abu Risha's Awakenings Bloc, followed by the Islamic Party in third place. This is a surprise. The behavior of the Islamic Party and the Awakenings bloc over the last few days strongly suggests that they had the same information about the preliminary results-- that the Islamic Party had won. This "adjustment" -- if that's what happened -- for now appears to have defused the crisis over the alleged electoral fraud by the Islamic Party and the threats of violence by the Awakenings leaders by denying victory to either of the two main rivals (Abu Risha says that he's happy with the result).  This resolution is very, shall we say, convenient... and, perhaps, a clever solution to the escalating confrontation. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this soon.. the Islamic Party's website is currently silent on this sudden change in their electoral fortunes.  Where's Nate Silver to analyze the exit poll data when you need him?      RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Suicide bomber kills at least 15 in Iraq" "Sheik Risha stomps his feet and threatens" "Movieline, Premiere" "interview " "Dynamite" "Lionel Richie, Billy Corgan, and more" "off our backs" "Clamor" "The Progressive" "International Socialist Review "THIS JUST IN! DICK THREATENS!" "Dick issues a threat "

Dick issues a threat

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE     THE PRESIDENT OF VICE, OLD DIRTY BASTARD HIMSELF, DICK CHENEY SURFACED FROM AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION (REPORTEDLY BUSH'S ASS) TO INSIST THAT IF BARACK OBAMA REVERSED BUSH'S POLICIES THE COUNTRY WOULD BE ATTACKED.   FIRST OFF, WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND STILL THINKS THERE'S ANY BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUSH AND BARACK.  SECOND, IS THE F.B.I. GOING TO INVESTIGATE DICK CHENEY FOR THESE VEILDED THREATS?    IF THE F.B.I. IS CONSIDERING INVESTIGATING AND PROSECUTING THE DICKSTERS FOR HIS THREATENING REMARKS, THESE REPORTERS URGE THEM TO MOVE QUICKLY WHILE GITMO IS STILL ACCEPTING 'GUESTS'.   FROM THE TCI WIRE:     Starting with an action that begins this week in the US.  Military Families Speak Out explains:   Come to Washington February 6-9 to demand "The Change WE Need"   President Elect Obama opposed the war in Iraq before it started, calling it a "dumb war."  But he and his advisors have also said that they plan to spread the return of combat troops from that "dumb war" out over sixteen months and to keep tens of thousands of other troops on the ground in Iraq indefinitely.      So from February 6-9, MFSO will be traveling to Washington to bring the new President and new Congress the message that it is long past time to bring all our troops home from Iraq.  The four days of events will include: * A teach-in featuring the voices of military families, veterans, and Iraqis, explaining the need for an immediate and complete end to the war in Iraq -- and the human impacts of continuing the occupation.  Friday, February 6 from Noon - 3:00 p.m. at Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue.    * A solemn procession from Arlington National Cemetary to the White House beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 7.  Meet at the front gate of the cemetery right outside the exit of the Arlington Metro stop.  Please arrive early. * A "Meet and Greet" and Legislative Briefing from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8 at the Mariott Metro Center.    * Lobbying members of Congress to end the war in Iraq.  Meet in the cafeteria of the Rayburn House Office Building at 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 9.       The November 27th snapshot noted Iraq War veteran Andre Shepherd who self-checked out of the US military while in Germany and held a press conference to explain: "When I read and heard about people being ripped to shreds from machine guns or being blown to bits by the Hellfire missiles I began to feel ashamed about what I was doing.  I could not in good conscience continue to serve. . . . Here in Germany it was established that everyone, even a soldier, must take responsibility for his or her actions, no matter how many superiors are giving orders."   The December 2nd snapshot quoted the following from James Ewinger's Cleveland Plain Dealer article: Shepherd said he grew up on East 94th Street in Cleveland, attended Lakewood High School and studied computer science at Kent State University until he ran out of money. He enlisted in 2004 with the hope of flying the Apaches, but was urged to become a mechanic first. Scharf said he doubts that Shepherd's expected order to return to Iraq would, by itself, constitute an unlawful order. "His best argument would be that Apaches are used to kill civilians," Scharf said, but he still viewed it as a weak case.   Andre is seeking aslyum in Germany and has been working with the Military Counseling Network and attorneys on that effort.  Today AP's Patrick McGroarty reports that Andre is one of 71 US soldiers who has self-checked out from "European bases in 2008" (actually, he shouldn't be, he self-checked out in 2007) and his case was scheduled to take place before the Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees today where Andre would be stressing "a 2004 European Union directive that established basic guidelines for refugee status within the 27-nation bloc. Soldiers who face punishment for refusing to commit a war crime or serve in an unlawful conflict are to be granted that status, the directive says." The Military Counseling Network blog notes Samantha Haque's January 28th report for the UK's Channel 4 News on Andre (both links have videos):   Andre Shepherd: When I speak to the other asylum seekers in the asylum camp and I explain to them my story, they completely understand it however this doesn't make me any better or any worse than anyone else that's there.  We're all there because we can't go home.   Samantha Haque: As an asylum seeker he is currently in a camp in Germany with people from places like Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. All in a similar position to him.  The difference is that Andre Shepherd is a US citizen.  And an Iraq War deserter.  For security reasons, we were not allowed to film in the camp.  Shepherd has a friend, a peace activist, who lives within the restricted boundary he's allowed to move in.  He took us there.   Andre Shepherd: I was working on the Apache helicopter.  Those Apaches won't fly unless we take care of them.  The Apache helicopter is a deadly weapon a lot of people call it a flying tank.  What started my doubts was when I saw the Iraqi people, when they would come and help us, the looks that they gave us weren't the looks of heroes or people that you know were bringing freedom. We looked like conquerors and oppressors.  That really bothered me a lot.  So I started to look into the reasons why we were actually there in Iraq. I thought that what we were doing was a great thing and a positive thing.  That we were actually bringing freedom to people and making them happy but what I found out instead was that we completely destroyed an entire country on a pack of lies.  It started to weigh very heavily to the point where my actions when I was a soldier were starting to deteriorate so as this was going on I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to back to Iraq.   Samantha Haque: None of the criteria that the US military offered for discharge were availble to Mr. Shepherd.  To be a conscientious objector in the US means to be against all wars, something he was not.  While in Germany, he was faced with a second mission to Iraq.  On April 11, 2007 he went absent without leave.  Unable to apply for German residency without official military discharge papers, he decided that applying for asylum was the only way forward.   MCN's Tim Huber: Andre contacted us about a year and a half ago and he asked about asylum  He wasn't the first to ask about asylum but our answer was always the same, we don't know what would happen if you tried aslyum.  We went over the pros and cons of trying it. We noted that we were quite pessimistic that it would actually work, but we said it's an option.   Samantha Haque: His lawyer on the other hand is confident that he will have his application accepted.   Reinhard Marx: It's a specific European law, the so-called directive on qualification of refugees and in this directive it is ruled that deserters of an army who refer to international reasons, refer that the war is conducted in a way which infringes the national law then he has a right to be accepted as a refugee.    Samantha Haque: His lawyer cites the case of Florian Pfaff, a German officer demoted after refusing to work on a computer program for the US Army in Iraq in 2005.  A federal court overturned his demotion because the Iraq War contravened international law.  But although Germany opposed the war in Iraq and said no to the US resolution backing it, it still allowed its territory to be used as a base for military operations in Iraq.  Here in Heidelberg is the US Army's headquarters in Europe.  There are currently around 51,000 US military service men in Germany If Mr. Shepherd's application for aslyum is accepted, there could be implications for US-German military relations.    Gas Bag: It would mean that any US soldier in Germany who disagrees with military operations being conducted can basically step out of the base and seek asylum in Germany and that would probably be a situation that would be unacceptable to the US military.    Samantha Haque: The US is already looking at shrinking its military presence in Germany and possibly moving bases to Europe.   Gas Bag: There is a 60-year tradition, there's many Germans who cherish having the Americans here.  There's also an economic factor, the US bases, particularly in the German southwest provide a lot of jobs.   Samantha Haque: Shepherd is something of a darling for the anti-war movement.  Here at the Miltary Counseling Network, an American center where conscientios objectors go for help, letters of support come in from all over the world.   Tim Huber: He joined for the American dream.  He joined for life, liberty and the pursuit of justice. Suddenly he finds that his pursuit of life, liberty and, most importantly, justice causes him to take a 180 degree turn and walk away from the military.   Samantha Haque: Do you think that there's a danger that Andre's case trivializes the term asylum seeker?    Tim Huber: Not at all.  I think, if anything, it's causing people to look at the term asylum and put it in a 21st century defenition   Samantha Haque: The US army said that it was aware of the case but that the matter was completely in German hands.  As for Mr. Shepherd it will be some months before he finds out the results of next week's hearing and whether he faces jail in America or exile abroad.    Andre Shepherd: Not being able to go back?  At this point, that's just something I have to live with if I can make my consc clear then fine that's just a sacrifice I have to make.   Russia Today notes the Pentagon claims 5,000 US Army soldiers "are missing from duty" presently and quotes Andre explaining, "When the CIA report came and they said that there were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq, that really made me angry.  I wondered if there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the CIA obvioulsy the Bush administration knew about this, then why did we just destroy Fallujah, completely wiped out the entire city?"     RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Steven Lee Myers pleasures himself (if no one else) in print" "And the counting of ballots continues" "Tuesday post, alive and well" "gaza, tom brady, a.n.s.w.e.r." 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Suddenly Barry hates all the crap they've been selling?

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE   IN HIS WILDEST AND GREEDY DREAMS EVEN GEORGE W. BUSH DID NOT TRY TO CIRCUMVENT THE CONSTITUTION BUT THAT'S WHAT BARACK OBAMA IS CURRENTLY EXPLORING.   TSK-TSKING OVER THE BEATLEMANIA STYLE MERCHANDISE BEING SOLD IN HIS LIKENESS, BARACK OBAMA WANTS TO PUT A STOP TO IT.    SORRY, BARRY, YOU'RE A PUBLIC FIGURE, YOU WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT AND NOW YOU ARE MEANING YOU BELONG TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.  TOO DAMN BAD IF THE CHEESY ASS PLATES WITH YOUR PHOTO ON THEM UPSETS YOU.    YOU AND YOUR LITTLE THUG DAVID AXLEROD BETTER GET USED TO THE FACTS THAT (A) YOU DON'T OWN THE COUNTRY AND (B) YOU WORK FOR THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA.  START ACTING LIKE IT AND LOSE THE DIVA BEHAVIOR.   FROM THE TCI WIRE:   Starting with an action that begins this week in the US.  Military Families Speak Out explains:   Come to Washington February 6-9 to demand "The Change WE Need"   President Elect Obama opposed the war in Iraq before it started, calling it a "dumb war."  But he and his advisors have also said that they plan to spread the return of combat troops from that "dumb war" out over sixteen months and to keep tens of thousands of other troops on the ground in Iraq indefinitely.      So from February 6-9, MFSO will be traveling to Washgton to bring the new President and new Congress the message that it is long past time to bring all our troops home from Iraq.  The four days of events will include: * A teach-in featuring the voices of military families, veterans, and Iraqis, explaining the need for an immediate and complete end to the war in Iraq -- and the human impacts of continuing the occupation.  Friday, February 6 from Noon - 3:00 p.m. at Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue.    * A solemn procession from Arlington National Cemetary to the White House beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 7.  Meet at the front gate of the cemetery right outside the exit of the Arlington Metro stop.  Please arrive early. * A "Meet and Greet" and Legislative Briefing from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8 at the Mariott Metro Center.    * Lobbying members of Congress to end the war in Iraq.  Meet in the cafeteria of the Rayburn House Office Building at 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 9.   Meanwhile A.N.S.W.E.R. explains:   We are organizing a Mass March on the Pentagon on Saturday, March 21, and it is important that you and your family, friends, co-workers and fellow students put on your marching shoes that day.  People are coming from all over the country.  Simultaneous demonstrations are taking place in San Francisco and Los Angeles.    Why are we still marching even after the war criminal George W. Bush has left office?  Because the people must speak out for what is right.  More than 1 million Iraqis have died and tens of thousands of U.S. troops have been wounded or killed.    The Iraq and Afghanistan war will drag on for years unless we act now.  The cost in lives and resources is criminal regardless of whether the Democrats or Republicans are in charge of the government.  [. . .] If Bush's war and occupation of Iraq was an illegal action of aggression -- and it was -- how can the new government say that it can only gradually end the war over a number of years?  The Iraqis don't want foreign military forces running their country.  No one would!  The Pentagon has employed 200,000 foreign contractors (mercenaries) and 150,000 U.S. troops to maintain the occupation of Iraq.  They have no right to be there.  A few thousand are being brought out of Iraq only to be redeployed to occupy Afghanistan, and the fools in the media proclaim "the war is winding down."  That is not true.    President Obama decided to keep the Pentagon just as it was under Bush.  He even selected Bush appointee Robert Gates to keep his position as chief of the Pentagon.  Gates announced that the new administration would double the number of troops sent to Afghanistan.  That is certainly not the "change" most people though was coming following the end of Bush's  tenure.      Meanwhile United for Peace and Justice is reportedly planning something.  Soon.  Any day now.  If not action, maybe a series of glossy pin-up photos of Barack suitable for framing in the best fan-worshipping, Tiger Beat manner.  Remember, United for Peace and Justice may be sleeping on the job but they are dreaming -- very moist and wet dreams.  Someone change the sheets already.   Cindy Sheehan (World Can't Wait) calls it like it is: Many anti-war activists are concentrated on insuring that Obama fulfills his campaign promises to withdraw "combat" troops from Iraq without having the integrity to demand complete withdrawal of all troops and a return to total sovereignty of the country to the people of Iraq, and are not questioning Obama's determination to double troop strength to Afghanistan.I think the US MIC empire needs to be destroyed, but I would prefer that we incorporate a voluntary reduction of empire, before the weight of The Empire® collapses like a house of cards on us; or on the innocents of Afghanistan.      In Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki demonstrates  a puppet can be taught a few tricks.  Among them, how to seize control of the daily news cycle.  Sinan Salaheddin (AP) repeats what al-Maliki's government is saying -- repeats instead of reporting.   Samira Ahmed Jassim has confessed! There's a video of the woman allegedly also known as Umm al-Mumineen ("the mother of all believers") stating she is the one who has recruited over "80 female suicide bombers". The first sentence tells you she "has been arrested." You have to wade through many paragraphs to discover she was arrested January 21st. So the video confession is all the more doubtful and may have been produced under torture. (And bruises hide so much better when you're wearing "an all-ecompassing black Islamic robe".) If al-Mumineen is the or a recruiter, it really makes little difference. She's not a hypnotist -- if she is, that's the only allegation AP's forgotten to present as fact. At best, she provided an avenue to those already prepared to seek violence. It goes to the gender stereotypes of women to believe that they had to be 'corrupted.' The violent response on the part of some Iraqi women is a perfectly natural response to what they are living under. ("Natural" is not the same as "legal." But we're not addressing that. We are continuing to address the pathologizing of one gender.)  Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) manages to cover the same government issued spin but manages to lower the frentic tabloid nature.  But it's only Deborah Haynes (Times of London) who can use the term "suspect" in the first sentence of a report?  Why is it only Haynes can refer to the DVD played at the press conference as an "apparent confession"?   To be clear, Haynes has done her job as a journalist.  In any country, it is not the job of the press to take a government's claims and present them as fact.  In a country where justice is a joke, where human rights organizations and the United Nations have documented reports of tortured confessions -- including from female prisoners -- a press that simply repeats claims of the government as fact isn't offering news.  They are offering tabloid-style entertainment.  Haynes also notes, "At least 36 female suicide bombers attempted or successfully carried out 32 suicide attacks last year, compared with eight in 2007, according to US military data."  As we've noted before, there are many, many more male 'suicide bombers' than female.  But there's something about when it's a woman that tends to make the press minds go all mushy. Maybe it's a sexual response (akin to the way some are turned up by a woman holding a gun -- on screen, in photos or in real life) or maybe it's panic that a woman would think of death.  Oh goodness, it's also troubling and frightening -- apparently.    It's not impossible that Samira Ahmed Jassim has recruited women to be bombers and it's not impossible that she hasn't.  She stands accused, she's not been tried.  And those with any short term memory at all will remember last month when Iraqi officials told the press someone had expressed regret and then his family finally got to see him and, turns out, he didn't say what the Iraqi officials were telling the press.  Whether Samira Ahmed Jassim is a recruiter for female bombers or not, the bombings will continue.   And while CNN may think acknowledging that women in Iraq have "always" been part of the resistance by "helping feed militants, hiding them in their homes and helping to sneak weapons around the country," the women have been far more active.  And note how passive that last phrase is.  Women didn't sneak weapons, according to CNN, they helped to.    If Nouri's smart, he'll continue to play the press via women since he has so many willing cohorts in the press.  Willing cohorts in the press?  File it under "Not since Frank Pitcairn so desperately attacked the Trotskyites out of his love for Stalin has a professional journalist so disgraced himself,"  Patrick Cockburn found himself a true love: Nouri.  At the Independent of London, Patrick writes the kind of garbage that his own father (writing under the psuedonym Frank Pitcaim) would hold his nose at.  Patrick write a valentine to Nouri and Nouri's amazing powers and . . .  Patrick leaves out the part that he was out of Iraq for most of last month as he covered the assault on Gaza.  Patty's been playing pocket pool around Nouri for months now and let's hope he's racking up an impressive score with that because he's leaving his journalist reputation in tatters.      RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Alegre goes to her first feminist sell-out conference" "The human toll in Iraq?" 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The tax cheating duo

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE TODAY ERIC HOLDER WAS CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE AS THE NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL. HE IS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO HOLD THE POST. STRANGELY HE HAS NO KNOWN TAX PROBLEMS. EARLIER HILLARY CLINTON WAS CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE AS SECRETARY OF STATE. STRANGELY SHE HAS NO KNOWN TAX PROBLEMS. TOM DASCHLE WANTS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE U.S. SENATE AND HE HAS TROUBLE PAYING HIS TAXES JUST LIKE TIMOTHY GEITHNER. WHAT IS IT WITH THESE MIDDLE-AGED WHITE BOYS? FROM THE TCI WIRE: Yesterday, Matt Lauer offered the equivalent of journalistic footsie with US President Barack Obama on NBC (link has text and video): Matt Lauer: Let's talk about some of those men and women who are serving this country overseas in Afghanistan, other locations, in Iraq and I'm sure they're watching today. It's a big event for the armed services and a lot of those people have a vested interest in one of your campaign promises, to end this war and get home as soon -- within 16 months or so -- as humanly possible. So when you look at them, can you say that a substantial number of them will be home in time for next Superbowl Sunday?Barack Obama: Yes, uh, er, I mean we're gonna roll out in a very, very formal fashion what our intentions are in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. But in conversations that I've had with the Joint Chiefs, with people -- the commanders on the ground, uh, I think that we have a sense, now that the Iraqis just had a very significant election, with no significant violence there, that we are in a position to start putting more responsibilities on the Iraqis and that's good news for not only the troops in the field but their families who are carrying an enormous burden. That's the entire Iraq 'exchange' and despite the efforts of reporters to put Lauer's words into Barack's mouth, Barack's reply does not indicate what they've endlessly hyped. Barack's words are also remarkably similar to the previous White House occupant's words -- in tone and the fact-free nature. There were tribal fights, bombings, and much more during the elections. Saturday in Iraq, provincial elections were held in fourteen of Iraq's eighteen provinces. In his January 10, 2007 radio address, George W. Bush declared, "To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year." Two years later and they still weren't able to meet the benchmark of provincial elections in all the provinces. Though the three provinces that make up the KRG did not hold elections, the Kurdish Regional Government did issue a statement Saturday noting, "Although there are no elections scheduled in the three KRG goernorates and Kirkuk, the KRG supports all citizens who are voting today and is facilitating the voting process for those displaced individuals currently residing within the Region but casting absentee ballots for their original districts. In Suleimaniah, Erbil and Dohuk there are 15, 23, and 33 voting centres, respectively." Reuters reports today the Kurdish Naional Assembly Speaker Adnan Mufti announced that the Kurdish region will hold their elecitons May 19th. That would still leave Kirkuk out of the mix. There were 14,428 candidates vying for 440 seats. Saturday the print version of the New York Times included a look at three of the candidates. Sam Dagher profiled Zeinab Sadiq Jaafar, an attorney running in Basra: "Over the last month, she hunted for votes in the city's worst neighborhoods. An independent, Ms. Jaafar makes the case that she is an 'authentic' daughter of Basra who better understands her city's anxieties and needs. She empahsizes that unlike many candidates, she is not backed by some big shot from Baghdad. She also wants to prove that women can compete and win in politics in Iraq on their own merit. Alissa J. Rubin profiled Haithem Ahmed Alam Khalaf who is a "38-year-old sheik" and is running in Abu Ghriab. He says: "There were many violations of human rights in our area by the Iraqi Army; it is better now, but honestly, the official departments of the government were not at the level we were expecting." He's an "Awakening." Timothy Williams profiled Khalid Shakar al-Dulaimi who is a 44-year-old man running in Baghdad and is running as a member of the Gathering of Iraqi Nationalists and Labor. He states: "The Sunnis and Shiite religious parties failed their opprotunity and involved the country in unrest. People want new faces and new ideas." The paper provided these graphs regarding the elections. Timothy Williams predicted that the campaign posters will be the visual image of these elections (while the ink stained fingers were the visual in 2005). He covers expectations as well. Alissa J. Rubin and Sam Dagher explore Moqtada al-Sadr's low profile which includes no slate of candidates but "the movement is backing two parties." Those who prefer audio, click here and scroll down the left side of the page for Alissa J. Rubin offering analysis of the players. The New York Times live blogged the elections (the live blog is one continuous entry in terms of link, they break it up into sections but it's one link and you scroll through). Correspondent Mohammed Hussein wrote of walking over three miles and visiting four polling stations before he was allowed to vote -- repeatedly he was told he wasn't on that polling station's list. At the fourth station, he wasn't sure of the nominees listed. His wife gave up after repeatedly bing told she wasn't on that station's list to vote. Hatim Hameed tells the paper of experiencing similar problems in Falljua where it took trips to five polling centers "before I found my name. I had to walk for more than an hour." And, Abu Abdullah al-Jubouri explained, "There is no transportation to bring people to the voting centers. Don't they think about how the people will get to the places where they have to vote? I'm going to vote by myself because I won't bring my family that far." In today's paper, Stephen Farrell and Alissa J. Rubin report Nasreen Yousif went to three different polling centers in Baghdad before she gave up, "Now I am going home. Maybe there is a fourth school, but it is too far and I can't walk anymore." At the paper's blog, Timothy Williams explains western Baghdad voters were searched three times before they were even allowed to enter the polling center. The paper's Alissa J. Rubin observed Sunday, "In the United States, many Americans view the war as already over, even though more than 140,000 American soldiers remain on Iraqi soil." Omar al-Dulaimi offers his take on the illegal war, "The American military presence brought nothing to our streets but destruction and chaos." Stephen Farrell and Rubin noted of Saturday, "Driving was banned in most of the country to prevent suuicide bombers from attacking any of the more than 6,000 polling places and security checkpoints, often spaced just yards apart. The tight security, couples with confusion over where voters should cast their ballots, appeared to have reduced turnout in many districts across the country." They estimate Nineveh Province saw 75% turnout of registered voters while Basra saw only 50%. Deborah Haynes (Times of London's Inside Iraq) reported on one get-out-the-vote attempt: texting:I was being inundated, like everyone else in Baghdad, by mass text messages from hopeful candidates pitching for votes ahead of provincial elections tomorrow. A confusing array of more than 14,400 candidates from 407 different parties, independent entities and individuals are vying for just 440 seats on 14 provincial councils across the country. In a bid to make sense of the huge choice, the candidates are on lists -- either independent or for a party. The list has a number, which is what I stupidly mistook to be the varying price of my monthly phone bill.One voter-wooing text (received multiple times) read like this: "Vote for 302, the list of Prime Minister Maliki who achieved security and restored national sovereignty." Another one went: "With your vote we will hold them accountable and build our country. Elect from the list of Mithal Allusi, 292."A third message (I could go on forever) read:"Vote for a Baghdad with everyone living with freedom and security. Tawafuq 265." The votes are still being counted but AP notes election commission chair Faraj al-Haidari estimates turnout across the country to be at 51%. al-Haidari is an ass who won't take accountability, "It's not our fault that some people couldn't vote because they are lazy, because they didn't bother to ask where they should vote." If the percentage remains low when all votes are counted, that not only rejects the hype that the elections had captured Iraqi's fascination and that they were wild to vote. The reasons for the low percentage -- if that number holds -- may include not feeling vested in the puppet government or in their occupied country, not trusting the system or voter suppression. Votes can be suppresed, as 2004 voters in Ohio can attest, if you create chaos and frustration. Certainly having people forced to walk from polling station to another repeatedly and requiring they be frisked multiple times before enterting each polling center can be seen as security or as harassment. Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) pins it on reluctance to embrace 'democracy' on the part of Iraqis (how could they embrace what they don't have?) and she notes, "Voter turnout in Iraq's provincial elections Saturday was the lowest in the nation's short history as a new democracy despite a relative calm across the nation. Only about 7.5 million of more than 14 million registered voters went to the polls." It's cute the way the press reported nearly 15 million registered voters when they thought the turnout would be huge and now that it wasn't huge, they stop using "nearly 15 million" to run with "more than 14 million". RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Matt Lauer is not Barack Obama" "Provincial elections Saturday and votes still be counted" Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The Greedy Pig" "And the war drags on . . ." "NYT examines provincial elections and offers special online features" "Provincial elections (in 14 of 18 provinces)" "Weekend!" Truest statement of the week A note to our readers Editorial: The fear paralysis TV: Fate laughs at 2006's handicappers Military sexual assault Congrats America, you elected a Jewish mother Mailbag And that's why you don't let Republicans in the door The Shirley goes to . . . The backstory on the White House press briefings Hypocrisy Corrente Style ETAN says drop charges against Jose Belo Roundtable Highlights "Roundtable" "Talking"