Anonymous Press
The Grand Chief of Devils
2 days ago
Friday, May 10, 2013
The grown ups?
BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
FOR BARRY O, IT'S ANOTHER TOUR AND MORE WORDS.
FIVE YEARS NOW, THAT'S FAILED TO PRODUCE RESULTS.
BUT HE LOVES TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS.
REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, BARRY O SAID A NEW IDEA WOULD PARALYZE THE COUNTRY, "WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. TRUST US. WE'RE THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM. WHAT!!!! OH COME ON! GUYS, WHO TOOK MY JUICE BOX? YOU KNEW THAT WAS MY JUICE BOX!"
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Lynne Stewart is a US political prisoner. For the 'crime' of issuing a press release, she was eventually tossed in prison. The'crime' happened on Attorney General Janet Reno's watch. Reno has her detractors who think she was far too tough as Attorney General. She also has her supporters who see her as a moderate. No one saw her as 'soft.' Reno had her Justice Department review what happened. There was no talk of a trial because there was no crime. No law was broken. The Justice Department imposes guidelines -- not written by Congress, so not laws -- on attorneys. Lynne was made to review the guidelines and told not to break it again. That was her 'punishment' under Janet Reno. Bully Boy Bush comes into office and the already decided incident becomes a way for Attorney General John Ashcroft to try to build a name for himself. He goes on David Letterman's show to announce, after 9-11, that they're prosecuting Lynne for terrorism.
Eventually tossed in prison? Even Bully Boy Bush allowed Lynne to remain out on appeal. It's only when Barack Obama becomes president that Lynne gets tossed in prison. It's only under Barack that the US Justice Depart disputes the judge's sentence and demands a harsher one (under the original sentence Lynne would be out now). Lynne's cancer has returned.
Her husband Ralph Poynter and Mya Shone and Ralph Schoenman provide an important update this week:
A major milestone has been reached in the struggle for Lynne Stewart's freedom. Lynne Stewart wrote on April 26 to confirm that the Warden at FMC Carswell recommended Compassionate Release to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
“So Happy that the Compassionate Release was granted at Carswell and we are on the road!!!
"Who DID It? --- The People Yes – and we certainly deserve a VICTORY and this is one for sure!!”
With this dramatic development, the International Campaign to Save the Life of Lynne Stewart crossed a critical threshold. We directed our attention immediately to Charles E. Samuels, Jr., the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Following two expedited communications from former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a probation officer charged with inspecting the residence designated for Lynne Stewart's recovery was dispatched to the home of her son, attorney Geoffrey Stewart. Soon afterwards, we were notified that the residence was approved.
Thus, another hurdle has been overcome, paving the way for Lynne Stewart's Compassionate Release.
There is no time to lose. Lynne Stewart has been in quarantine for several weeks at FMC Carswell since her white blood count dropped precipitously. As Ramsey Clark wrote to BOP Director Samuels:
"Further medical tests reveal that the cancer that had metastasized rapidly to her lungs, lymph nodes and shoulder remains aggressive. If the series of chemotherapy treatments slowed its spread in certain areas, it has not attenuated in her lungs. … The sustained treatment and preparations by the medical team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City are critical to her survival.”
This is the moment to intensify our global mobilization. We must prevail upon the director of the Bureau of Prisons to file the motion for compassionate release with Judge John Koetl, the sentencing judge.
ASK FIVE OF YOUR FRIENDS OR COLLEAGUES TO SIGN THE PETITION. PUT THE PETITION ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND SEND A TWITTER MESSAGE NOW.
Among the latest signers are: Fr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, Bianca Jagger, Margaret Ratner Kunstler, Mark Lane, Noam Chomsky, Medea Benjamin, Rosa Clemente, Kathy Kelly, James Ridgeway and William Blum.
On Law and Disorder Radio last month, Michael Ratner (Center for Constitutional Rights) provided the work address for BP Director Charles E. Samuels, Jr.:
Charles E. Samuels Jr.
Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534
Lynne's been there when people have needed her -- everyone from so-called 'respectable' people to people no one else would help. That's how she earned the title of "The People's Attorney." She never should have been put in prison in the first place and she needs to be out now to get the treatment she needs, to have the support system of her family and her friends (and a support system is very important when you're being treated for cancer). She turns 74 this year. She's not a threat to anyone and she needs to be home.
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. I referred in the Tuesday snapshot to how Julian loses his case. A number of people want clarification. If the goal is to get Julian Assange out of London to Ecuador, then they're again bungling everything.
Julian Assange is a divisive figure. You may not like that fact if he's your hero or someone you support but the ugly truth needs to be told and it needs to be recognized. What his legal team wrongly thinks is that they can 'humanize' Julian Assange. No.
That will not happen. Assange is not an unknown where the problem is people just don't know him. He's not a cypher that you can write a new pattern over. He is a known. And he pisses a number of people off. If you want him out of the Embassy in London, you need to quit lying and start recognizing reality.
Before the rape allegations emerged, Julian Assange were already divisive. Long before they emerged, South Park was mocking him (he was a rat). He's also seen as an ego maniac. We can list all of his negatives but, if you're honest with yourself, you know how he's seen.
The key to Assange's freedom is not Celebrity Profile Assange!
And every time one of those appears, he looks stupid (and trivial) to all but his small fan base. That's not enough support. To garner more support, his legal team needs to grasp that WikiLeaks is more popular than Julian. When he gives interviews, he needs to be talking about WikiLeaks. No one needs his thoughts on today's 'hot topics.' He needs to give interviews where he talks about what WikiLeaks has done but, most importantly, what WikiLeaks can do, what's up next.
Julian Assange's value is limited. He's one person and not someone who polls well. (As his legal team knows from repeat polling but they keep kidding themselves that they're just one soft feature away from convincing the people that they actually love Assange.) WikiLeaks is where the value is -- provided WikiLeaks is publishing. WikiLeaks as a curio from the past? Not going to motivate people. WikiLeaks still active today (which it is) and that the focus of any Julian Assange interview is what lets his issues become issues that matter.
You tie him into WikiLeaks, you make the case for WikiLeaks. He doesn't become more likable in the process but he's off the table. It's no longer bout what Julian does as Julian Assange it's about what WikiLeaks does. I've made this argument repeatedly. People nod (I'm thinking of two of his attorneys) and claim insight. But then we get the nonsense like the Chris Hedges interview. Chris is going to softball Julian. He's going to fluff. He's the best (most favorable) interviewer Julian could have. And Julian and Michael Ratner wasted that interview with crap like what Julian Assange thinks about gay people in the military.
No one cares. Leave aside that the repeated use of "homosexual" at a time when most say "gay and lesbian" made it seem as if Julian was ridiculing gays and lesbians, there was no need for the topic and it had nothing to do with WikiLeaks. Every time he goes off topic, he risks saying something offensive and his favorables are so low he can't afford to turn off any more people.
The topic has to be WikiLeaks. By hard selling its past impact, its current work and, most important, where the future leads for WikiLeaks, you're suddenly on the issues that more people care about and you're making a case for extraditing Assange by sketching out something much more important than one person.
Matt Sledge (Huffington Post) reports, "Fed up with the military's limits on access to the court martial of Bradley Manning, the Army private who has admitted to sending hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents to the transparency organization WikiLeaks, a nonprofit group announced Thursday that it is crowdfunding a court stenographer to create daily trial transcripts." That's a topic that should have been raised with Chris Hedges. That's the sort of thing that WikiLeaks needs to be doing.
Vivienne Westwood revolutionized fashion beginning with the punk movement in the 70s so she was a natural for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's gala this week celebrating the exhibit PUNK: Chaos To Courture (which runs through August 14th). Karen Dacre (Evening Standard) reports, "The inimitable Vivienne Westwood -- a vision in a pale pink kimono and grey ruched waist dress from her own label -- led the charge. And rightly so, the British designer is the godmother of the era this whole evening was devised to celebrate." But not everyone was impressed. Lucy Waterlow (Daily Mail) explains that, on the red carpet, Vivienne was questioned by Vogue's Billy Norwich on a live feed and Norwich quickly cut her off. Norwich was bothered by her brooch and her discussing it. Michael Dickinson (CounterPunch) explains Vivienne's brooch was a large photo of Bradley Manning with the word "TRUTH" on it and that Norwich cut her off after Vivienne said:
The most important thing is my jewelry, which is a picture of Bradley Manning. I’m here to promote Bradley. He needs public support for what’s going on with secret trials and trying to lock him away. He’s the bravest of the brave, and that’s what I really want to say more than anything. Because punk, when I did punk all those years ago, my motive was the same: Justice, and to try to have a better world. It really was about that. I’ve got different methods nowadays.
The background on whistle blower Bradley Manning. Monday April 5, 2010, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7, 2010, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley Manning and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported in August 2010 that Manning had been charged -- "two charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first encompasses four counts of violating Army regulations by transferring classified information to his personal computer between November and May and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system. The second comprises eight counts of violating federal laws governing the handling of classified information." In March, 2011, David S. Cloud (Los Angeles Times) reported that the military has added 22 additional counts to the charges including one that could be seen as "aiding the enemy" which could result in the death penalty if convicted. The Article 32 hearing took place in December. At the start of this year, there was an Article 32 hearing and, February 3rd, it was announced that the government would be moving forward with a court-martial. Bradley has yet to enter a plea. The court-martial was supposed to begin before the November 2012 election but it was postponed until after the election so that Barack wouldn't have to run on a record of his actual actions. Independent.ie adds, "A court martial is set to be held in June at Ford Meade in Maryland, with supporters treating him as a hero, but opponents describing him as a traitor." February 28th, Bradley admitted he leaked to WikiLeaks. And why.
Bradley Manning: In attempting to conduct counter-terrorism or CT and counter-insurgency COIN operations we became obsessed with capturing and killing human targets on lists and not being suspicious of and avoiding cooperation with our Host Nation partners, and ignoring the second and third order effects of accomplishing short-term goals and missions. I believe that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information contained within the CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A tables this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as [missed word] as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan.
I also believed the detailed analysis of the data over a long period of time by different sectors of society might cause society to reevaluate the need or even the desire to even to engage in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations that ignore the complex dynamics of the people living in the effected environment everyday.
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Thursday, May 09, 2013
The White House plans a field trip -- if Barack promises to be good!
BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
EARLIER THIS WEEK BARRY O DECLARED "I DON'T WANT JUST MORE SPEECHES OR, YOU KNOW, AWARENESS PROGRAMS [. . .]"
BUT TODAY KILLER BARRY O BEGINS A SERIES OF WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS CALLING "FIELD TRIPS."
REALLY?
"FIELD TRIPS"? DID JAY CARNEY CUT THE CRUST OFF THE SANDWICHES BEFORE THEY LET HIM LEAVE ON HIS "FIELD TRIP."
THE "FIELD TRIPS" WILL ALLOW BARRY O TO GIVE, YES, "MORE SPEECHES" ABOUT CREATING JOBS.
THE SPEECHES LOST THEIR LUSTER ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO BECAUSE JUST TALKING ABOUT JOBS DOESN'T GIVE ANYONE A JOB. BARRY O IS IN THE 5TH YEAR OF HIS
PRESIDENCY AND HE'S FAILED TO CREATE JOBS.
BUT HAVING FAILED AT GUN CONTROL AND ALWAYS A CHICKEN WHEN IT COMES TO IMMIGRATION, HE DECIDED IT WAS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE HE PRETENDS TO CARE ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT AND OFFERS A FEW SPEECHES ON THE TOPIC.
REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, AN ANIMATED BARRY O JUMPED FROM FOOT TO FOOT AS HE EXPLAINED, "I PROMISED I WOULDN'T WANDER OFF AND THAT I WOULDN'T ROUGH HOUSE. THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN! WHERE'S MY JUICE PACK? JAY!!!! WHERE'S MY JUICE PACK?"
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
In peace news, a nun and two activists have been convicted today. Al Stefanelli (God Discussion) explains, "It is known as the 'Fort Knox' of nuclear storage facilities. Within is what is known as 'highly enriched uranium.' Located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the Y-12 National Security Complex is supposed to be an impenetrable fortress. It was breached by three senior citizens, armed with flashlights and a bolt cutter. One of these is an octogenarian nun.Sister Megan Rice, 83, along with 57-year-old Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli, 63 [. . .]" Tricia Escobedo (CNN -- link is text and video) adds, "Armed with flashlights and a bolt cutter, they cut their way through the fence, fully expecting to be arrested on the spot. Instead, they walked nearly a mile, cutting through four fences in all, breaching what was supposed to be the most tightly secured uranium processing and storage facility in the country."
Dan Zak (Washington Post) reports the jury briefly deliberated today before finding the three "guilty [. . .] of intending to injured the national defense" and of over $1,000 of property damage. Preston Peeden, David Bailey, Scott Malone, Alden Bentley and Tim Dobbyn (Reuters) note, "Defense attorneys said the activists, who belong to a group called Transform Now Plowshares, had taken part in a symbolic break-in that did not harm the facility. They had no intent to harm the facility and the damage cost was overstated, they said." Eric Schelzig (AP) has the best reporting on the trial which includes some of the the defendants' testimony:
Rice said she didn't feel obligated to ask the Catholic bishop in the area for permission to act at Y-12. Challenged by a prosecutor about whether it would have been a courtesy to inform superiors of her plans, Rice responded: "I've been guilty of many discourtesies in my life."
.
Transform Now Plowshares also notes Sister Megan Rice's testimony:
The stage was set for Sister Megan Rice. Sister Megan took the stand after 5:00pm and spoke for almost an hour, and yet she commanded the attention of every last juror. The whole room listened in rapt attention as she responded to Francis Lloyd’s questions, describing her early childhood realization of the horrors of nuclear weapons, her education in radiation biology in her master’s program at Boston College, and her missionary work in Africa, teaching science and building schools. She spoke of the sacredness of the Nevada desert, taken from the Shoshone people ("illegally, breaking a treaty") and desecrated by the effects of nuclear testing; she spoke of the suffering of downwinders, the cancer caused in people and animals, and the $6 million apiece spent on each test. She spoke of the transformative power of her participation in the Nevada Desert Experience. Besides the "harmonious vibrations" emitted by the mountains and all the earth, Sister Megan also felt in Nevada “the culture of silence, the culture of secrecy” surrounding weapons testing and its consequences. "It was extremely clarifying about the reality of the military industrial complex of this country."
Fast-forward to July 28, 2012. As Megan, Greg, and Michael approached Y-12, Megan says they "prayed together, we were filled with love and compassion" for the people who had to work in such a dangerous facility. "We wanted to bring love and healing."
She felt led by the Holy Spirit, and was more and more surprised to find herself reaching the heart of Y-12. When Francis asked her about the surveillance tape footage and the way she bowed to Mr. Garland, Megan explained the Buddhist tradition of deeply reverencing each living being. In response to questions about the extent of the damage she did, she said lightly, "I could have repaired it!"
As 6:00 approached, Sister Megan was still not quite finished answering Francis’s questions. The judge dismissed the jury anyhow, and when he did, Megan stood, folded her hands in front of her, and bowed to the jurors as they filed past the witness box.
Last August, Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group posted a video by Adam Brimer (Knoxville News Sentinel) of an interview with Sister Megan Rice during which she declares of the action, "We were doing it because we knew we had to reveal the truth of the criminality which is there -- and that's our obligation."
Art Laffin is with the Catholic Worker Movement and with Transform Now Plowshares and he led a prayer this morning outside the courthouse:
Our prayer is that this trial can truly be an occasion to continue the transformation process that began at Y-12 on July 18th. We pray for open hearts and minds and for the ongoing conversion of everyone involved in the trial to the way of love, nonviolence, and justice.
Let us be clear. Sister Megan, Greg, and Michael have committed no crime. Rather it was their intent to prevent a crime, and uphold God's law and international law.
Moving over to the body that makes laws in the US, the Congress, we'll note this from Senator Patty Murray's office:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
CONTACT: Murray Press Office
(202) 224-2834 Murray Presses Air Force Officials on Military Sexual Assault
Murray: “We don't want to be sitting here 20 years from now with the same statistics in front of us.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and Gen. Mark A Welsh III, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, on the issue of sexual assaults in the military, including recent allegations made against an Air Force official, and strongly urged them to revisit the current culture that fosters these attacks. Yesterday, Senator Murray and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) introduced the Combating Military Sexual Assault Act of 2013, which would reduce sexual assaults within the military and address a number of gaps within current law and policy, building upon the positive steps the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has taken in recent years.
“The fact that the SAPRO report that was released yesterday says that 62 percent of servicemembers who report sexual assaults are retaliated against is really disconcerting,” said Senator Murray. “Because if people are retaliated against and there’s that fear of retaliation, we will never be able to stop this. So can you please address that issue and talk to us about how we need to make sure that the chain of command issue is not preventing these people from really being protected from ever having someone go after them if they commit one of these heinous acts?”
A key provision of the Combating MSA Act is the formation of a new category of legal advocates, called Special Victims Counsels (SVCs), who would be responsible for advocating on behalf of the interests of the victim as well as advise the victim on the range of legal issues they may face. The formation of the SVCs was modeled after a current Air Force pilot program, which General Welsh addressed during today’s hearing.
“In the victim care arena, we believe one -- maybe the first game-changing thing we found, one of that collection of things we need to incorporate, is the special victims counsel program,” said General Welsh. “The initial returns on the special victims counsel program lead us to believe that victims are very happy with the legal advice they get from the time they're assigned to the time they complete their legal proceedings. We now have 265 victims from the last year assigned to the special victims counsel. That person's job is the represent that victim and guide them through the legal morass that goes along with prosecution of these cases. It's intimidating. It's scary. And if you don't understand the law, it is completely, completely baffling…So we think special victims counsel will help over time. And we think the results of the pilot program we're doing here will demonstrate that.”
Last month, Senator Murray questioned the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, and General James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, about the alarming rate of reported sexual assaults within the Marine Corps.
###
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Meghan Roh
Press Secretary | New Media Director
Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Mobile: (202) 365-1235
Office: (202) 224-2834
Senator Murray is the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee. She also serves on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (which she was the Chair of until this year). The issue is one that she has repeatedly raised and there may be more urgency for the Congress to address this issue as a result of the arrest that became public Monday of Air Force Lt Col Jeff Krusinski who is charged with assaulting a woman in a parking lot and who had been, as Jennifer Hlad (Stars and Stripes) noted, "the chief of the Air Force's sexual assault prevention and response branch."
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Wednesday, May 08, 2013
He just wants to be the second wife
BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
ALL EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON EVER WANTS IS TO BE MRS. BARACK OBAMA.
UNTIL THAT DAY COMES, HE WILL CONTINUE TO TALK CRAZY IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISTRACT FROM ANY PROBLEM KILLER BARRY MIGHT FACE.
BUT HE'S GOTTEN SO STUPID AND CRAZY EVEN HIS OWN READERS NO LONGER BELIEVE HIM. LIKE WHEN HE JUST DECIDED TO BLOG ABOUT BENGAHZI WITH ANOTHER 'NOTHING TO SEE HERE' POST (DESPITE TODAY'S CONGRESSIONAL HEARING):
I get what Robert says, MSNBC is running a similar article on their website by Bashir, I guess what these articles should be titled is “circling the wagons”, hey, we all know they blamed that lame video at first that no one had ever even seen, this whole thing is bizarre and not that long ago either.
THIS is one of the most bizarre stories I have ever heard.I have to question either the honesty or the sanity of the author.NOTHING in this article is anywhere close to reality.THE reason there is no conclusive evidence in the BENDHAZI matter is because the #1 witness; HITLERY CLINTON refuses to testify.FURTHER more the OBAMA administration has been intimidating whistle blower’s who wish to come forward and testify.THIS criminal president of your’s is covering up his illegal weapons deals with his terrorist buddy’s AL QAEDA.WHICH bring’s us to the next point the author has made about OMAMA’S foreign policy successes.IF you call success destroying LIBYA ; the wealthiest nation in AFRICA and killing 50 thousand people in the process I find that odd.OHH and I forgot to mention his drone’s bombing the poorist and defensless people of the planet.AND did I mention the 70 thousand SYRIAN’S that OBAMA and his gang has murdered so far.HAVE’NT you OBAMA supporter’s fiquered this out yet ;this is the same criminal government that BUSH was leading. OBAMA is a war criminal like;BUSH CHENEY’RUMSFEILD; RICE;POWELL etc.I have to warn the OBAMA supporters to be careful not to be caught on the wrong side in the coming day’s; because justice has arrived and it has no descretion.
Leslie says: WOAH, CORN BREAD EARL, BETTER BE SURE YOU GOT A BACK UP PLAN IF THAT WHOLE SECOND WIFE OF KILLER BARRY O THING DOESN'T WORK OUT.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Kelley B. Vlahos (Antiwar.com) notes what's going on and why the United States should be focusing:
According to UNICEF, 5.2 percent of children under the age of 17 experienced the death of one or more parent during the 2003 war and aftermath. The number of orphans in Iraq vary, with estimates at 800,000, all the way up to 3.5 million. The state-run orphanages are a scandal, with no investment and no child protection laws in place to speak of. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profits struggle, but find it hard to keep up with the demand, they say. According to UNICEF back in November, one-third of Iraqi’s 16.6 million children are lacking basic fundamental rights, like access to physical and mental health care, education, safety against domestic violence, and treatment for disabilities.
While we cannot expect the American public to focus on the tragedy of every child in every wretched place of the earth, Iraq is a particularly special tragedy because America caused it, then walked away. There is no other way to describe it when War Child, in its aforementioned report, points to the fact that international aid to Iraq went from $20 billion in 2005 to $1.5 billion in 2011. We know the U.S is responsible for most of the total aid, yet when the military pulled up stakes in 2009, the reconstruction and development effort largely went with it, leaving behind unfinished, unsustainable projects, and a nation broken by the occupation and civil war. Even Ryan Crocker, loyal Washington diplomat and former ambassador to both Iraq and Afghanistan, recently described the war/post-war ethos thusly: “let’s punch out their lights and realign their society…and then when we find out the latter is more difficult than we expect, we say ‘OK, let’s go somewhere else.’”
The Australian carries a wire service report which quotes UNICEF's Iraq representative Marzio Babille stating that "all boys between the ages of 14 and 17 -- several were said to have received severe gunshot wounds." What's Babille speaking of? the April 23rd massacre of a sit-in in Hawija when Nouri's federal forces stormed it. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. AFP has been reporting 53 dead for several days now -- indicating that some of the wounded did not recover. Over the weekend, UNICEF noted that the dead included 8 children (twelve more were injured). AKI notes that the youngest killed at the protest was a 13-year-old and that all who were killed died from gunshot wounds. Yassin al-Sabawi (Kirkuk Now) reports, "The administration council of Hawija has halted their duties as a tribute to the violence but the schools and service establishments are open." Ali Abel Sadah (Al-Monitor) notes another response, youths are arming themselves in Anbar, Kirkuk and Mosul "to protect protesters, should they be subjected to an attack similar to the one that occured in Hawija." Sadah adds that "carrying weapons is necessary, according to tribal traditions in Iraq. After tribal members are killed, their relatives believe they have to avenge their death and defend their peers."
Al Mada reports that Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi is calling for Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi to formally question Saadun al-Dulaimi who is fronting the Ministry of Defense for Nouri al-Maliki. Iraqiya bested Nouri's State of Law in the 2010 elections. Nouri has refused to nominate anyone to head the Ministry of Defense so he retains control while insisting that Saadun al-Dulaimi is the 'acting' official in charge. Allawi states Saadun slumbered in "deep sleep" while Nouri's SWAT forces carried out the massacre. Allawi also characterized Saadun's charge remarks on Sunday as "irresponsible."
From yesterday's snapshot:
Yesterday, AFP reported on the puppet Nouri tries to pretend is in charge of the Ministry of Defense (Nouri is in charge). That would be Saadun al-Dulaimi and he was calling the protesters terrorists and foreign agents or in control of foreign agents -- Basically, he was calling them everything but Iraqi citizens exercising their legal right to peacefully protest. His crazy did not go unnoticed. Alsumaria reports that the Parliament now wants al-Dulaimi to answer some questions about the Hawija massacre.
In the first six days of the month, Iraq Body Count counts 100 violent deaths in Iraq. The violence continues today, 2 workers in a Baghdad car repair shop were shot dead (guns had silencers), a Mosul roadside bombing left two police officers injured, 1 police officer was shot dead on the downtown streets of Falluja, the corpse of 1 of Nouri's security forces was discovered near Adhem (gunshots), Nouri's federal police shot dead 2 rebels outside Mosul, a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 man and left one woman injured, an Amara clash left 1 Iraqi soldier dead and another injured, a clash in Tikrit left four police officers killed and a fifth injured, 1 police officer was shot dead in Mosul, and a sticky bomb planted on the car of a Sana al-Messaoudi, a Nineveh Provincial Council member, exploded in the garage of the Nineveh Provincial Council killing the driver.
All Iraq News notes that one of the first decisions the legislative body made was to allocated one billion Iraqi dinars to the provinces effected by flooding. From yesterday's snapshot:
Over the weekend, it rained in Wasit Province. Heavy rains. What does that mean? All Iraq News explained displace families as a result of the flooding: "Dozens of families were forced to evacuate their residences leaving their livestock behind, heading towards Sheikh Saad district of southern Wasit province since their villages and their mud-hut houses were swept due to rain floods." As we were noting Friday, "Anytime heavy rains are forecast, various areas of Iraq have to worry about flooding because Nouri's failed in his seven years as prime minister to fix the sewage system." Alsumaria noted that the International Red Crescent Society has helped over 200 families Saturday in Maysan Province who also saw the heavy rains flood their streets and homes. Alsumaria reports that the Iraqi Red Crescent Society was conducting air relief missions in Diyala Province while Nouri's Cabinet allocated 100 million dinars each for flood relief in Wasit, Maysan and Dhi Qar Provinces. (That's roughly $86,000 for each province in US dollars.) Al Rafidyan reports that a natural damn has collapsed in Maysan Province and led to 61 villages being flooded while yesterday, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society announced, 4 people (two of which were children) died in Wasit when their homes collapsed due to flooding. Over 50 other homes have collapsed in Wasit and Maysan due to flooding in the last days.
Al Mada reports that the flooding has cut off roads, including one in to Baghdad, that families have been left standing out in the open, unprotected from the rain, some of the luckier ones are in tents set up by the Iraqi Red Crescent Society or seeking shelter in public government buildings. The effected areas are inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people.
Nouri's failures are so many. Including the 'magic' wands that detect bombs . . . but don't. And are still being used in Iraq under Nouri's orders. Dar Addustour reports that the Ministry of the Interior (over the police) is insisting that politicians should not be talking about this and that talk is politicizing the issue. The issues are that a fortune was spent on 'magic' wands that don't work, that in 2009 the wands were exposed as fake, that the man who made and sold them got convicted last month in a British court and yet Nouri still orders these wands that do nothing to be used. The National Alliance is a Shi'ite political body. Alsumaria reports that their MP Shirwan Waeli is describing the use of the wands as "genocide."
Which is what it is -- that or "assisted murder." If you're ordering the police to use these wands that don't work, you're not just having them use a device that does nothing. You're also grabbing the time that they could be using to prevent violence and wasting it, throwing it away. Nouri needs to face answers in Parliament about this -- as Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday.
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Tuesday, May 07, 2013
There's a time you gotta show you're growing now you know
BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
AS KILLER BARRY O GETS MORE CRIMINAL AND MORE HELPLESS, WHITE HOUSE PLUS SIZE SPOKESMODEL JAY CARNEY INSISTS, "HE'S LOOKING FOR PARTNERS ANYWHERE HE CAN FIND THEM -- INCLUDING ON THE 8TH HOLE."
THOUGH THAT WAS PROBABLY SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE WORLD SEE BARRY O AS STRONG AND ATHLETIC, IT JUST MADE HIM SEEM LIKE JO ON THE FACTS OF LIFE WHEN HARRISON ANDREWS TAKES HER TO THE 9TH GREEN AND ATTEMPTS TO RAPE HER. LET'S HOPE MRS. GARRETT ARMED BARRY O WITH A SHARP HIGH HEEL SO THERE WAS NO "PUTTING ACTION ON THE 9TH GREEN."
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Starting with the US . . .
Source says #hackers going to attack US high profile sites on May 7 http://www.ehackingnews.com/2013/05/us-honolulu-police-department-and-990.html … #OpUSA V @TMEP_Official
Nerea Rial (New Europe) reports, "Hacking group Anonymous has launched OperationUSA (#OpUSA), a coordinated online attack against nine US government sites and more than 130 financial institutions for 7 May, according to a post published in Pastebin. The attack, according to Anonymous, would be a response to social and political injustices. 'America you have committed multiple war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and recently you have committed war crimes in your own country'." Rhonda Schwartz, Pierre Thomas and Lee Ferran (ABC News) add, "The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are cautioning American government and financial institutions that they could be targets of a wave of cyber attacks Tuesday from Anonymous-linked hacktivists in the Middle East and North Africa." Marshall Honorof (TechNewsDaily) reports that the specific government web sites said to be targeted are "the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the FBI and the White House." In other worries for the US government, there's been an arrest (which is not a conviction) of a high profile military officer.
David Martin (CBS News) reports that Air Force Lt Col Jeff Krusinski was arrested after he "approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks." Martin notes the alleged victim is said to have fought off Krusinski and his mug shot "shows signs of struggle on his face" -- cuts and scratches. Jennifer Hlad (Stars and Stripes) identifies the 41-year-old accused as "the chief of the Air Force's sexual assault prevention and response branch." Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Tracy Connor (NBC News) notes that Kursinski had held that position for two months. Luis Martinez (ABC News) quotes Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek stating the accused "was responsible for writing plans and programs that supported victims of sexual assault. He worked on prevention programs for sexual assault." Barbara Starr and Greg Seaby (CNN) add, "Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the woman did not know her alleged attacker." Jennifer Hlad notes the Air Force's other assault problem: James Wilkerson. In November, Lt Col James Wilkerson was found guilty by a military court of assaulting a woman. At the end of February, Lt Gen Craig A. Franklin gave an order releasing Wilkerson from prison and Franklin tossed aside the conviction. March 13th, he was mentioned in the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel hearing. It was noted in that hearing (by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand) that 2011 saw "an estimated 19,000 sexual assaults." Senator Clair McCaskill is a former prosecutor. We'll note this from that hearing.
Senator Clair McCaskill: Rape is the crime of a coward. Rapists in the ranks are masquerading as real members of our military because our military is not about cowards. Now our military does an amazing job of training. I am so proud of our military. But, unfortunately, I believe that this is not a crime that we're going to train our way out of because the crime of rape has nothing to do with sexual gratification, it has nothing to do with dirty jokes, and frankly there are a lot of studies that say it's not even connected necessarily with people who like to look at bad or dirty pictures. It's a crime of assault, power, domination. And I believe, based on my years of experience, that the only way that victims of sexual assault are going to feel empowered in the military is when they finally believe that the focus on the military is to get these guys and put them in prison. So I believe that the focus of our efforts should be on effective prosecution and what do we need to do to make sure that these investigations are done promptly and professionally, that the victims are wrapped in good information, solid support and legal advice.
At this point, no trial has been held. The legal system in the US is based upon innocent until proven guilty so that's what Jeff Krusinski currently is.
In DC today, the issue of Iraq came up in the briefing State Dept spokesperson Patrick Ventrell gave.
QUESTION: No phone calls at all?
MR. VENTRELL: He was in touch with President Maliki[1] in Iraq, but I don’t have any phone calls with Israelis to readout.
QUESTION: Okay.
QUESTION: What about this phone call with Mr. Maliki?
MR. VENTRELL: Okay. Sure. One second here. Secretary Kerry called Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki over the weekend to discuss events in Iraq as well as in the region. The Secretary welcomed the recent discussions between Baghdad and Irbil and the commitment to follow through on important matters critical to Iraqi stability. The Secretary expressed condolences for the lives lost in Iraq in recent weeks and pledged continued support to Iraq’s counterterrorism efforts.
The Secretary also expressed concern about the potential for renewed sectarian conflict in Iraq and recognized the danger that the ongoing conflict in Syria poses for the region. And he urged Prime Minister Maliki to show restraint and flexibility in discussions with protesters, and stressed the need for all parties to refrain from violence and address legitimate grievances peacefully, in a manner consistent with the Iraqi constitution.
And finally the Secretary affirmed commitment of the United States, under the strategic framework agreement, to help all sides work toward sustainable compromises that will be essential to Iraq’s long term stability.
Iraq's long term stability? What Secretary of State John Kerry should have expressed was outrage over the April 23rd massacre of a sit-in in Hawija when Nouri's federal forces stormed it. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. In response to the assault getting covered by the press, Nouri attempted to shut down several satellite channels.
Barbara Serra: On April 28th, this past week, the Iraqi government revoked the operating licenses of ten satellite channels -- nine of them domestic, the tenth one being Al Jazeera Arabic. The national Communication and Media Commission -- or the CMC -- accused the broadcasters of inciting and escalating the violence. All but one of the channels are aligned with Sunni financial backers and the government's move is being seen as a crackdown on dissent by prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's majority Shia government.
That was Barbara Serra on Saturday's Listening Post (Al Jazeera), introducing a segment by Flo Phillips in which Dahr Jamail explains, "There's a very clear division between what the government wants people to say in response to government policies and government actions and that which is reported by so much of the rest of Iraqi media. If you look at recent events with the government crackdown on the protesters -- specifically killing of unarmed protesters Baghdad and Sharqiya, if you watch their coverage, they're going to have demonstrators on camera talking about what happened, being killed by Iraq forces. This is exactly the message the Communication and Media Commission does not want these outlets to be broadcasting because it refutes the government's claims that these people are all terrorists."
Of this attempt at censorship, Sharif Nashashibi (Al Arabyia) points out:
This is brazen hypocrisy, and a classic example of shooting the messenger. It is unsurprising that those targeted do not include state media or pro-government news outlets. So much for the CMC’s laughable claim that its decision is not political.
“If the Iraqi government is truly committed to ending violence and sectarianism, it should reform the criminal justice system, hold the security forces accountable for attacks on protesters, and stop blocking elections in provinces in which it has little support,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW’s Middle East director.
I doubt that even the authorities believe their own rhetoric. This is an act of desperation, in the wake of anti-government demonstrations that have grown considerably in frequency and size since last December, amidst the wider Arab Spring.
It is hard to fathom that Maliki would be so delusional as to think there would be no protest movement without these news organizations. Indeed, demonstrations have continued and intensified despite the authorities blocking journalists’ access to them since December.
The fact is that they are reporting events on the ground. That is their job, but the CMC is trying to ensure that they can no longer do so, because it is deeply damaging and embarrassing to the government. As such, the suspension has been widely condemned by media organizations, watchdogs and advocacy groups. “This draconian and disproportionate decision has seriously endangered freedom of information,” said Reporters Without Borders.
So it's a real shame that, based on the State Dept's read-out of the phone calls, John Kerry didn't bring this issue up.
It's also a shame that the US government can't call out the massacre. The slaughter of the peaceful protesters in Hawija was already bad news. Saturday it managed to turn into even worse news. That's when UNICEF issued the following:
BAGHDAD, 4 May 2013 – “UNICEF has received substantial and credible information that up to eight children have been killed and up to 12 others seriously injured during violence in Hawija, near the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, on 23 April 2013.
“Among those reported to have been injured – all boys between the ages of 14 and 17 – several were said to have received severe gunshot wounds.
“UNICEF is extremely concerned about these reports and has requested the Government of Iraq to urgently investigate these cases.
“Children must be protected against all forms of violence and the Government needs to do more to actively promote and establish effective child protection policies, laws and systems.
“Children and their families in Iraq continue to bear the brunt of the violence and instability currently escalating across the country.”
Nouri's forces killed 8 children and "seriously injured" twelve more. Human Rights Watch noted Saturday:
A preliminary parliamentary committee report based in part on witness interviews and given to Human Rights Watch claims top Iraqi officials ordered a raid on a demonstrators’ camp on April 23, 2013, in Haweeja.
During the operation, scores of protesters and some soldiers died. The report provides evidence that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the defense minister, and senior defense and interior ministry officials may have ordered the raid, although it does not address what orders they issued concerning the use of force. It does claim that the defense minister and senior defense and interior ministry officials did not respond to warnings of excessive use of force by the security forces. The committee gave Human Rights Watch the preliminary findings of its investigation. Members of a separate ministerial committee named by Maliki to investigate the episode told Human Rights Watch that they seriously doubt they will be able to complete their work. The ministerial committee is inadequately resourced, stymied by lack of cooperation from security forces, and unlikely to lead to prosecutions or publish its conclusions, committee members told Human Rights Watch.
“The people of Iraq aren’t going to be fooled by a Potemkin inquiry into the killings at Haweeja,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “As the country teeters on the brink of further violence, the government is wasting a critical opportunity to restore confidence in its ability to achieve justice for the civilians and security forces who died on April 23.”
Dirk Adriaensens (BRussells Tribunal) reports on the Parliament's preliminary findings:
The parliamentary investigative committee in the Hawija massacre, that left more than 50 peaceful protesters dead, revealed on Tuesday 30 April that 90% of the victims of the Iraqi SWAT team raid were shot in the head, abdomen and chest. Some protesters were shot while their hands were tied behind their backs. The report affirms that the protest area was free of weapons. This confirms the claim made by the demonstration organizers, who assured the peaceful nature of the protest and vehemently denied possessing weapons or inciting violence.
Chairman of the Iraqi Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, MP Salim Al-Jabouri, revealed that “senior Iraqi military officers” were involved in the Hawija army raid. He claimed that these officers had “issued kill orders” to soldiers. “The issue does not stop at an army raid, but it goes beyond this to include executions and murder; while some of the wounded were specifically targeted. This represents a crime against humanity,” he added.
Minister of Industry & Minerals Ahmad Nasir Dilli al-Karbuli, Education Minister Muhammad Tamim, and Minister of Science & Technology Abd al-Karim al-Samarrai resigned as a reaction to the incidents.
And let's just repeat one more time that twelve children were seriously injured in this slaughter and 8 other children were killed.
Yesterday, AFP reported on the puppet Nouri tries to pretend is in charge of the Ministry of Defense (Nouri is in charge). That would be Saadun al-Dulaimi and he was calling the protesters terrorists and foreign agents or in control of foreign agents -- Basically, he was calling them everything but Iraqi citizens exercising their legal right to peacefully protest. His crazy did not go unnoticed. Alsumaria reports that the Parliament now wants al-Dulaimi to answer some questions about the Hawija massacre.
NINA adds that he's been called out by the protesters in Anbar Province for those remarks as well. Mohammed al-Dulaimi is quoted stating, "The recent remarks by Saadoun al-Dulaimi reflect the government's hostility toward the protesters and Yards sit-in." He calls the accusations malicious and says the judiciary should hold Saadoun accountable for the remarks.
BRussells Tribunal carries an open letter from Iraqi protesters to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
H.E. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations - New York,
S/Ambassador Martin Kobler,
Iraqi
People masses protester in the streets of Iraq presents its compliments
to H.E. the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon
and has the honor to mention the following:
The
Iraqi people masses protesting Touched clearly that the representative
of the United Nations Mission in Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler has Indiffer
The
Iraqi People masse protesting in the streets would like to show it
considers that the Ambassador Martin Kobler is persona non grata in
Iraq, demanding drag and appoint someone else instead of him to be more
interested in issues of the oppressed Iraqis, and not to be a follower
of the wishes of the Iraqi government , curse openly criticizing and
denounced the actions characterized by hatred and sectarianism, and
raise the legitimate demands of the demonstrators to the General
Secretariat of the United Nations and other international forums
relevant quickly in a timely fashion without delay.
The
Iraqi People masse peacefully waiting to respond to their legitimate
demands, take this opportunity to express its thanks and great gratitude
and appreciation.
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Saturday, May 04, 2013
The Grand Chief of Devils
BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
KILLER BARRY O GOT A BLISTERING CRITIQUE FROM VENEZUELA TODAY WHICH INCLUDED CALLING HIM "THE GRAND CHIEF OF DEVILS."
REACHED FOR COMMENT THIS EVENING BY THESE REPORTERS, KILLER BARRY REPLIED, "GRAND CHEROKEE? I DON'T THINK SO. IT'S MORE OF A LIMO. LET ME CHECK WITH MICHELLE, SHE KNOWS ALL ABOUT CARS."
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Since December 21st, Fridays have meant protests in Iraq -- and harassment of protests by Nouri al-Maliki's forces. Today, protests took place in many locations including Mosul, Samarra (where Nouri had aircraft providing surveillance), Tikrit (where Nouri's forces -- like Americans in Abu Ghraib prison -- used dogs to 'assist' them, where protesters called for a unified Iraq, and decried attempts by the government to suppress the media), and Jalawla (where Nouri's forces closed roads in an attempt to stop the protests and then closed entrances to the square). All Iraq News notes that today the protesters elected Mohamed Taha al-Hamdoun to be the spokesperson for protesters in Anbar, Salahudden, Kirkuk, Baghdad, Diyala and Mosul.
National Iraqi News Agency notes that, in Falluja, Sheikh Ahmad al-Abadali spoke of the commitment to peaceful demonstrations and wondered why Nouri continues to use sectarian terms as it attempts to dismiss the protests? NINA notes that in Falluja's morning prayers, Sheikh Mohamed Taha Hamdon declared that there were four options: replace Nouri, divide Iraq into three regions, "we rule ourselves in our provinces according to the constitution and in accordance with systems of more than 41 percent of the world's countries, stressing that who advocates to implement this option are seeking preserve the unity of Iraq and the fourth option is, confrontation and war, and this option is hated by the people." Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) adds, "In Samarra, Sunni cleric Mohammed Taha warned that the country is descending to civil war because of what he described as a-Maliki’s dictatorship."
Replace Nouri? In today's New York Times, Nussaibah Younis makes the case for that with "Why Maliki must go" -- which we'll get to in a minute. In yesterday's snapshot, we noted former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker had a column (Washington Post) which is mistaken beyond means. I argued:
While the key moments of betrayal did not happen on his watch (it was under the dithering idiot Chris Hill), you cannot act, in 2013, as if talk will bring back the progress of 2010. We'll address that at length tomorrow. As with the issue of US forces in Iraq, it's one of those topics we have to keep going back to because so few will ever bother to cover it. The shortest version is when you make a deal in 2010 and one party (Nouri) fails to honor it, you can't show three years later and say, "Well let's just talk and try to progress." No, we don't reset the clock. If there is to be progress in 2013, the first step is honoring the contract that was signed in 2010.
He proposes everyone just talk and:
Last week, the US Congressional Research Service published "Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights." The report was written by Kenneth Katzman. We're noting the section on the 2010 elections and The Erbil Agreement:
Part of the difficulty forming a government after the election was the close result, and the dramatic implications of gaining or retaining power in Iraq, where politics is often seen as a "winner take all" proposition. In accordance with timelines established in the Constitution, the newly elected COR [Council of Representatives, Parliament] convened on June 15, 2020, but the session ended after less than a half hour without electing a COR leadership team. The various factions made little progress through August 2010, as Maliki insisted he remain prime minister for another term and remained in a caretaker role. The United States stepped up its involvement in political talks, but it was Iraqi politics that led the factions out of an impasse. On October 1, 2010, Maliki received the backing of most of the 40 COR Sadrist deputies. The United States reportedly was concerned that Maliki might form a government with Sadrist support. The Administration ultimately backed a second Maliki term, although continuing to demand that Maliki form a broad-based government inclusive of Sunni leaders. Illustrating the degree to which the Kurds reclaimed their former role of "kingmakers," Maliki, Allawi, and other Iraqi leaders met in the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government-administered region in Irbil on November 8, 2010, to continue to negotiate on a new government. (Sadr did not attend the meeting in Irbil, but ISCI/Iraq National Alliance slate leader Ammar Al Hakim did.)
On November 10, 2010, with reported direct intervention by President Obama, the "Irbil Agreement" was reached in which (1) Allawi agreed to support Maliki and Talabani to remain in their offices for another term; (2) Iraqiyya would be extensively represented in government -- one of its figures would become COR Speaker, another would be defense minister, and another (presumably Allawi himself) would chair an oversight body called the "National Council for Strategic Policies," and (3) amending the de-Baathification laws that had barred some Iraqis, such as Saleh al-Mutlaq, from holding political positions. Observers praised the agreement because it included all major factions and was signed with KRG President Masoud Barzani and then U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey in attendance. The agreement did not specify concessions to the Sadr faction.
We've address The Erbil Agreement over and over. Like US troops still in Iraq, it's one of those topics that results in drive-by readers e-mailing to insist (a) it never happened and (b) the US was in no way involved in it.
The Erbil Agreement ended the 8 month political stalemate that followed the 2010 elections. It's the legal contract, brokered by the US, that allowed those not supporting Nouri to throw in their support in exchange for legally defined within the contract terms. The KRG, for example, was supposed to get the census and referendum in Kirkuk (promised in Article 140 of the Constitution but that Nouri refused to move on in his first term). Another promise was that an independent national security council would be created and Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi would head it. (Iraqiya won the 2010 elections; Nouri's State of Law came in second. He refused to honor the election results and step down which created the political stalemate that lasted 8 months.)
Let's point out that this move by Nouri was not a surprise. In the lead-up to the 2010 elections, US Gen Ray Odierno was warning this could happen but the White House elected not to listen to him. They backed the idiot Chris Hill who was then US Ambassador to Iraq. Hill didn't even want Odierno speaking to the media and the White House went along with that as well. Odierno warned what could happen. The idiot and unqualified Hill (and we noted he was an unqualified and an idiot when we reported on his confirmation hearing -- see the March 25, 2009 snapshot and the March 26th snapshot) and the White House that courted and coddled him are responsible for what went down in 2010. And you can read more about that and how it took Odierno going to then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates after the 2010 parliamentary election and Gates bringing then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in on their conversation for Odierno to get the audience with the administration that he should have received automatically by reading Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor's The Endgame.
Barack was an idiot to have shut General Ray Odierno, the top-US commander in Iraq, out of the conversation. To his credit, when approached by Gates and Clinton (and faced with ongoing political stalemate and Chris Hill's inability to answer basic questions about it), Barack did act quickly to replace the idiot. Which is how you had James Jeffrey quickly nominated to be the new US Ambassador to Iraq with a confirmation hearing taking place July 20, 2010. That said, in our reporting on Hill's confirmation, we noted he was unqualified, we noted he had no understanding of the issues. The 15 or so months he was allowed to be ambassador to Iraq were a disaster whose repercussions are still felt today.
Ryan Crocker was the US Ambassador to Iraq immediately before Chris Hill. He was nominated by Bully Boy Bush and, after Barack was elected in 2008, Crocker offered to stay on until a replacement could be found.
As Betty noted last night, Iraq got coverage (finally) on The NewsHour (PBS -- all links to the program that follow are text, audio and video). Betty covered the segment on the violence. The other segment was Ray Suarez moderating a discussion about the state of Iraq featuring Ryan Crocker and former Iraqi Deputy Ambassadot to the UN (2004 to 2007) Feisal Istrabadi.
Istrabadi starts out noting the basic problem ("Nouri al-Maliki himself has been asserting greater and greater control over the instrumentalities of the state, and I -- and has been unable or unwilling to enter or execute the compromises") to which Crocker quickly agrees ("I think Feisal is right, Ray."). Crocker mentions the slaughter in Hawija (last week, a peaceful sit-in was attacked by Nouri's forces leaving 50 dead and 110 injured) but feels this is a "signal for Iraqis of all sects and ethnicities to take a very deep breath" -- no, that's not how it works in a functioning society. A despot does not launch a massacre and the response is, "Let's take a deep breath." While you're taking that deep breath, you're likely to be stormed the same way the sit-in in Hawija was.
As Betty did on Wednesday, Feisal Istrabadi noted some contents of the US diplomatic tookbox that the US could be using to influence events. Crocker wants US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to act as mediators. But for what purpose?
I agree they should be mediating. But Crocker's column in the Post offers this notion that things can be healed with talking.
No. The Erbil Agreement was a legally binding contract (that the White House swore had its full support and backing). Nouri used it to become prime minister and then tossed it aside refusing to honor it. Since 2011, the Kurds, Iraqiya and Moqtada al-Sadr have been calling for Nouri to implement The Erbil Agreement and he has refused.
You can't trust someone like that. Forget for the moment that The Erbil Agreement is like every other promise Nouri makes (including the "100 Days To End Corruption" promise to the Iraqi people of February 2011) in that he gets attention and praise for a proposal but never follows up on it.
The Erbil Agreement ended up a political stalemate. It was a legal contract. Nouri used just enough of it to get what he wanted (a second term as prime minister) and then trashed it. And has refused to implement even when called on to do so.
How do you trust someone who refuses to honor a contract?
You can not hit the re-set button and start all over on this. It doesn't work that way.
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