So much free time, so little work

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

CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O IS NOW ATTEMPTING TO TELL NEWS AGENCY WHAT IS NEWS AND WHAT IS NOT NEWS.

WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, BARRY O MADE CLEAR HE DID NOT SEE THE PROBLEM.

"I NEVER DO MY OWN JOB SO I HAVE ALL THIS FREE TIME AND A PERSON CAN ONLY GOLF SO MUCH," INSISTED THE DAHLIBAMA.  "SO I USE MY EXTRA TIME TO DO THE WORK OF OTHERS.  THEY SHOULD BE THANKING ME."



FROM THE TCI WIRE:


Mad Maddie's back in the news today.  David Lerman (Bloomberg News) reports the vampire zombie rose to speak in Chicago:


Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the U.S. must overcome a loss of trust from Arab nations that’s developed since the Iraq war as it seeks a deal with Iran on its nuclear program.
“In many different ways, there was an erosion of trust in terms of what we were doing there,” Albright said of the Iraq war in a session today at “The Year Ahead: 2014,” a two-day conference in Chicago hosted by Bloomberg LP. 


With the blood thirsty War Hawk Mad Maddie Albright (who thinks a standing military means its there for her own capricious adventures) to lead, what could possibly go wrong?

For the answer to that question, just look to Iraq which is yet again slammed with violence.  The western media focuses on Bahgdad.  Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) notes 7 car bombings and 2 roadside bombings have left 47 dead in Baghdad with one-hundred-and-thirty-two more injured.  RTE, RTT and Russia Today also focus on Baghdad (to distinguish themselves, RT presents a xenophobic statement by the UK's John Wright).  Mohammed Tawfeeq updates his report here.

Outside of Baghdad?

National Iraqi News Agency reports 1 military officer was shot dead outside his Shura Village home, 1 Iraqi soldier was shot dead outside his Mosul home, a Falluja roadside bombing left 1 police member dead and two more injured, a second Falluja bombing left three police members injured, a Baquba sticky bombing claimed 1 life and left two more people injured, and Jalal Talabani's chief body guard was shot dead in the KRG.  All Iraq News adds that 1 "Iraqi Army postman" was shot dead in Mosul as he delivered mail.  Cheng Yang (Xinhua) reports, "In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a young man was killed and his father critically wounded when a sticky bomb attached to their car detonated in the town of Buhruz, near the provincial capital city of Baquba, a provincial police source told Xinhua.  Separately, four bombs planted to houses in the eastern part of Baquba, went off in the morning and caused damage to the houses and slightly wounded two children, the source said."

Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 421 violent deaths so far this month.  BBC News reminds, "The UN says 979 people - including 158 police and 127 military personnel - were killed in violent attacks in October. More than 6,500 civilians have died since January."


About the death of that chief body guard of Jalal Talabani's,  Colonel Sarawr Hama Rashed.  Xinhua reports that he was shot dead in his Sulaimaniyah home "in front of his wife" and that he was "the chief bodyguard of Iraq's president."


Jalal Talabani is the President of Iraq.  Or he's supposed to be.  The question continues to be: Can you be the president of a country you're not in?  Last December,  Iraqi President Jalal Talabani suffered a stroke.   The incident took place late on December 17th (see the December 18th snapshot) and resulted in Jalal being admitted to Baghdad's Medical Center Hospital.    Thursday, December 20th, he was moved to Germany.  He remains in Germany currently.


So questions need to be answered regarding not just why the body guard wasn't in Germany but also regarding Jalal's real health condition because despite months of claiming that he'd be returning any second, Jalal still hasn't.  And he's still not spoken in front of any recording camera and all visits by Iraqi politicians are refused.  For 11 months now, he's not performed his duties and he's been out of the country.  The Iraqi people deserve answers.  

As the lies about Jalal continue so do the rains in Iraq.  All Iraq News notes 12 homes collapsed in Babel due to flooding and  4 people drowned in Najaf due to the flooding.  That's attributable to Nouri al-Maliki who's failed to improve the infrastructure despite being prime minister since 2006.  Improved civil construction would eliminate the standing waters.  Instead, an out-dated sewage system (last worked on in the 1970s) gets backed up and allows the waters to stand.   In Diwaniya, a home collapsed killing a mother and daughter.  That's very sad but the collapse of the home from heavy rains is nature, it's not an effect of Nouri.  Another woman in the same city died of electrocution.  That was from flooding in the home.  Most likely that is Nouri's fault.  The heavy rains pooled in the streets, there was not adequate sewage drains on the streets to pull the water elsewhere and the woman's home flooded.  That's government's fault, not nature.  Yesterday's snapshot noted that Nouri was stating each province in need would receive 200 million dinars.  Oops.  He got his headlines for 'leadership' and then his petty nature took over.  Al-Shorfa reports today that the deal is now 200 billion Iraqi dinars for all of Iraq's provinces -- not for each.  In addition, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran explains:

Following the heavy rainfall last night in Iraq, flood covered the entire of Camp Liberty. Water has accumulated many of the sections reaching up to half a meter in some parts.
No one can go around the camp and transportation has stopped completely. This has caused great problems for the residents at the camp.
This is while water accumulated from the previous rainfall that occurred 10 days ago had not been removed. Restrictions and lack of required systems has hindered the residents from being able to confront this catastrophe.
The widespread flood has also caused serious problems for the hunger strikers whom are on their 81st day, preventing transfer of those who face critical problems to the Iraqi clinic at the camp. This has caused great risk for the lives of the hunger strikers.

On Camp Ashraf, I need to do a disclosure.  We got an e-mail from someone connected with the movement.  I didn't read it.  Shirley responded to it on my behalf at my request.  That's as close as we're getting.  If that offends someone, my apologies.

We have defended the Ashraf community for years now.  When Jon Corzine and others were being targeted by the US government for their work on this issue, we defended them.  What I did not note then was that, while visiting friends at the Justice Dept at that time, I was asked if I would submit to official questioning because I was on 'the list.'  I sat for 15 minutes of questions.  It was ludicrous to assume that I'd take money from anyone but I did offer my bank records willingly.  They were not examined, the offer was not taken up.  But for what I'd written here, I was questioned.  My response was not to go silent on the issue and not to move away from it.  If anything, we got louder in our defense of the Ashraf community.   No charges were brought against me because I had no involvement with the Ashraf community.   That's why I nod to the people in yellow suits at the Congressional  hearings but don't approach them.  

I will continue to support the Ashraf community here -- as long as they're in Iraq and as long as we're here online.  But I will also continue to maintain a wall.  Nothing against the community, but I am independent and I think my voice here has more value as a result.  I also wish to remain able to say, if questioned again, "No, I have not any contact with any representative or member of the Ashraf community."  The Ashraf movement is more than welcome to e-mail articles or press releases and we'll note them when we can.  But I do not have private conversations with the movement.

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