It's an honor just to win

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE



POLITICAL CONSULTANT PETER DAOU DECLARED TODAY:

From day one, the principled critique of Obama has come from the left. From gay rights to civil liberties to secrecy to the environment to Afghanistan and national security, progressive opinion-makers have gone after the administration for failing to fulfill its overarching purpose of being the anti-Bush, to reverse America's near-fatal, turn-of-the-millennium mistake, to restore sanity to a nation that temporarily lost it, to reinstate fealty and respect for its greatest values.

FROM DAY ONE?

ON BEHALF OF THE FOLLOWING, WE GLADLY ACCEPT THE AWARD AND HONOR:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.

AND:
HILLARY IS 44
CORRENTE
THE CONFLUENCE
THE BLACK AGENDA REPORT


WOOH! CINDERELLA MADE IT LOOK SO EASY! BUT BACK TO OUR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH. WE DIDN'T TOM HAYDEN OUR CRITICISM WITH MEEK PLEAS OR THREATS TO REMOVE BUMPER STICKERS. WE DIDN'T ALEXANDER COCKBURN IT PRETENDING FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT. AND WE DIDN'T DAVID SWANSON IT BY PRAISING BARRY O IN PUBLIC WHILE TRASHING HIM IN E-MAILS.

WE SPOKE TRUTH TO POWER. WE HAVE MAINTAINED OUR STANDARDS AND CALLED OUT THE DEMOCRATIC WAR HAWK THE SAME WAY WE DID THE REPUBLICAN ONE BEFORE HIM. SO WE SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE. AND WE SAY THANK YOU, PETER DAOU, FOR THIS HONOR.


FROM THE TCI WIRE:

Friday a bombing attack on US service members resulted in the deaths of 2 US soldiers. Today US Senator Blanche Lincoln's office issued the following:

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln today released the following statement upon learning of the passing of Specialist William C. Yauch, 23, of Batesville. Specialist Yauch died in Jalula, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to initial reports, Specialist Yauch died of injuries sustained when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol. He is survived by his wife of Batesville, his mother of Cave City, and his father of Saint Charles, Missouri.

"My heart goes out to the family of Specialist Yauch who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation," Lincoln said. "Along with all Arkansans, I am grateful for his service and for the service and sacrifice of all of our military service members and their families. I am committed to ensuring they have the full support that they need and deserve. Our grateful nation will not forget them when their military service is complete.

"More than 11,000 Arkansans on active duty and more than 10,000 Arkansas reservists have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. These men and women have shown tremendous courage and perseverance through the most difficult of times. As neighbors, as Arkansans, and as Americans, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to honor their service and to provide for them and their families, not only when they are in harm's way but also when they return home. It is the least we can do for those whom we owe so much."

Specialist Yauch was assigned to B Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

The other soldier killed in the attack was Sgt Israel Obryan of Newsbern, Tennessee who was twenty-four years old and on his second tour of Iraq. A friend with the DSCC gave me the heads up to Senator Lincoln's statement above. Tennessee has two Republican senators (Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander) but, for the record, their websites were checked for statements on Obryan. There were none. Tennessee' governor is a Democrat, Phil Bredesen, and his website was also checked (and his office was checked with). There was no statement at present on Obryan. If any of the three Tenn. officials issues a statement, we'll note it.

Staying with service members, Hal Bernton (Seattle Times)reports, "Seattle researchers, with the aid of sophisticated scanning technology, have found long-term changes in brain functions of Iraq veterans exposed to blast shock waves." Iraq War veteran and police officer Timothy E. Carson faces charges in the US for a January 6th bank robbery attempt. Sarah Lemagie (Minneapolis Star Tribune) reports his attorney, Andrea George, told the court Friday that Carson "was under severe stress from financial problems, a deceptive wife, a sick child and nightmares about his military service in Iraq". Hart Van Denburg (Minneapolis City Pages) adds he "was evidently hoping for a suicide-by-cop confrontation the day he robbed a bank". AP notes that Carson entered a plea of guilty back in March and that current court proceedings are over the sentencing with the prosecution wanting at least nine years prison time and George arguing for less prison time for her client (seven years) and for psychological treatment.

"They gave me a gun" he said

"They gave me a mission

For the power and the glory --

Propaganda -- piss on 'em.

There's a war zone inside me --

I can feel things exploding --

I can't even hear the f**king music playing

For the beat of -- the beat of black wings."

[. . .]

"They want you -- they need you --

They train you to kill --

To be a pin on some map --

Some vicarious thrill --

The old hate the young

That's the whole heartless thing

The old pick the wars

We die in 'em

To the beat of -- the beat of black wings."

-- "The Beat of Black Wings," words and music by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm.

Moving over to a UK service member, Danny Fitzsimons continues to await trial in Iraq. He served in the British military for eight years and was stationed in Afghanistan and Kosovo as well as Iraq. He returned to Iraq last fall as a British contractor, or mercenary, accused of being the shooter in a Sunday, August 9th Green Zone incident in which 1 British contractor, Paul McGuigan, and 1 Australian contractor, Darren Hoare, died and one Iraqi, Arkhan Madhi, was injured. His family has explained that he suffers from PTSD and have asked that the trial be moved to England. Eric and Liz Fitzsimons (his father and step-mother) spoke to the BBC (link has video):

Liz Fitzsimons: You see, when he came out of the army because the army had always been his life, it was then at a real crossroads in his life and where some people might be able to cope, unfortunately, Daniel didn't cope well because he did enjoy army life. It was all he ever wanted, he loved it. And you come out and you live Middleton, which is where he ended up, and he couldn't find a path that suited him, he couldn't find a job although he tried very hard. And a testament to Daniel is that he joined a gym and kept himself -- Daniel likes routine. Daniel goes to the gym every day almost, I would suggest, every day, goes jogging he's a very clean young man. You know, he's not sort of gone wayward and just gone to the dogs kind of thing. And he met a girl, like you want your children to do, but then he wanted the normal life and he wanted the money that would go with a normal life. How does he do that when he can't find a job? And unfortunately becoming a security --

Eric Fitzsimons: He went back into doing security.

Liz Fitzimons: -- person in Iraq. [. . .] Oh, awful. Awful. The situation in Iraq isn't good, is it? We all know it's not good. But he would be out in convoys I believe their main job is to escort to --

Eric Fitzsimons: Oil [workers? Second word isn't clear.]

Liz Fitzsimons : Yes but they do escort people to jobs. And they do ride shotgun basically. They ride around --

Eric Fitzsimons: He's told us quite a lot of --

Liz Fitzsimons: Yeah.

Eric Fitsimons: -- tales

Liz Fitzsimons: He saw some awful things. The person in the cab next to him was blown up.

Eric Fitzsimons: Yeah.

Liz Fitzsimons: Next to him. At the same he had a bullet in his foot.

Eric Fitzsimons: Bullet in his foot, yeah, he's seen all sorts of IEDs you know, sorts of explosions at the side of the road. Loads and loads of them. And seen lots and lots of his friends killed.

In an article published today by Fleetwood Weekly News, Liz Fitzsimons states, "It's a nightmare. By August it will be virtually a year since the incident happened. We are quite worried about Danny now. It's a struggle for him. We already know that he's suffering from PTSD. He's on medication but it must be very difficult for him. The case has been adjourned so many times now but we hope on August 4 they'll actually start the trial. Even when it starts, it'll still be a long time..." He was supposed to go on trial last January. It was pushed back. Today it was pushed back again. BBC News reports the trial is now set for August 4th. Richard Spencer (Telegraph of London) adds that this is true barring any "further medical reports which contradict the assessment" that Danny's fit to stand trial.

Winding down, Ann notes that singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon is Terry Gross' guest on today's Fresh Air. Audio is up at the program's website. Wally asked me to note this press release Madre sent to him:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
New York: Yifat Susskind, Policy and Communications Director, MADRE (available through Diana Duarte, Media Coordinator, MADRE)
(212) 627-0444; email: media@madre.org

Geneva: Malya Villard-Appolon (available through Lisa Davis, Human Rights Attorney, MADRE)
078 / 7991892; email: ldavis@madre.org

Geneva: Blaine Bookey, Attorney, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
(415) 515-8956 (US number in Geneva); email: blaine@ijdh.org

Haitian Women's Rights Activist Leaves Camp for Displaced People to Testify before the UN Human Rights Council

**Additional information will be presented at a press meeting on Tuesday, June 8 at 9:45 am, in the Library of Press Room 2, Palais des Nations (Main UN Building in Geneva, Avenue de la Paix)**

June 7, 2010- Geneva, Switzerland -Today, as the United Nations Human Rights Council gathers in Geneva, its representatives will hear testimony from Malya Villard-Appolon, a Haitian women's rights activist and MADRE partner who has lived in the camps for displaced people since the earthquake destroyed her home in January. Ms. Appolon, a leader of KOFAVIV, a Haitian grassroots women's organization, has witnessed the skyrocketing incidence of rape in the camps and the lack of a coordinated or effective response to these persistent threats.

Also testifying will be lawyers from MADRE, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), and the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, who recently returned from a delegation to Haiti and will be accompanying Ms. Appolon in Geneva.

Today, Malya Villard-Appolon of KOFAVIV said, "We want to tell the Human Rights Council that the systems for protecting women in the camps are broken. We get no protection from the police, or the peacekeepers. We feel we do not have access to the rooms where decisions about our safety are made. We need the support and commitment of the international community."

In her testimony, Ms. Appolon will call for increased security measures to prevent rape within the camps in repeated attacks against women sleeping in their tents, walking to the latrines, or otherwise left vulnerable. She will also demand that grassroots women's groups - often the only source of support for rape survivors and other women subsisting in the camps - be included in decision-making related to the United Nation's work in Haiti. Furthermore, she will insist that funding from UN member states for the response efforts be conditioned on meeting these basic requirements to uphold women's rights.

Lisa Davis, a human rights attorney with MADRE, said, "During our time in Haiti, we observed a troubling failure by Haitian and UN officials and large non-governmental organizations to adequately address the rampant levels of rape in the camps. Malya's testimony will force this issue into the spotlight, and the UN member states will face the necessary reminder of their responsibility to protect the human rights of women living in the camps."

"It is totally unacceptable for these rapes to continue to go unpunished and undeterred," asserted Blaine Bookey, an attorney with IJDH, and coordinator of the delegation. "Women in the camps have suffered enough. The organizations running the camps and the United Nations have raised enough money to provide basic protections to vulnerable women."

Erica J. Richards, an attorney with the law firm Morrison & Foerster added that "Not only do our findings from Haiti show that women face a grave lack of security necessary to prevent and respond to the sexual violence crisis, but medical services are overwhelmed and unable to meet women's healthcare needs stemming from the assaults."

Yifat Susskind, MADRE Policy and Communications Director, said today, "Malya's testimony has few precedents. Rarely are the voices of displaced women heard by those in the halls of power. The Human Rights Council must seize the opportunity to benefit from her expertise."

For more information about MADRE's work in Haiti, visit our website at http://www.madre.org/index/press-room-4/news/key/haiti.html

About the Organizations

Coordinated by the IJDH-organized Lawyers' Earthquake Response Network (LERN), the delegation to Haiti, met with grassroots women's organizations, including KOFAVIV and FAVILEK, and larger NGOs including Kay Fanm and SOFA. IJDH fights for human rights and justice in Haiti and for fair and just treatment of Haitians in the United States.

KOFAVIV, a MADRE sister organization established by and for rape survivors, has long served as a lifeline for countless women who face sexual violence in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they have organized emergency support services for people living in the camps, including medical aid for rape survivors, neighborhood watch patrols and human rights trainings.

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