August 1st and 31st we'll have full moons. CBS hems and haws but the reality is that when you have two full moons in the same month, the second one is called the blue moon.
I only know that because of Nanci Griffith. On her One Fair Summer Evening album (a live album) introducing "Once in a Very Blue Moon," she explains that.
I like Nanci and have all of her albums unless something's come out in the last few months. But for me, the best one is One Fair Summer Evening.
Why do I rank it the best?
Probably because it's how I learned of Nanci. C.I. kept telling me about Nanci. Probably for four years. I would listen and say, "Sure, sure, I'll check her out."
But I never did. Then one day I was at a CD store that is no more. Musicland? I think that was it. They gave a free monthly magazine. (Which was just an advertisement for the new releases but I do love magazines.) So it is 1988 and I am desperate for something to listen. They don't have anything I haven't already got in my collection. So I move over to country which, sorry, is always my last choice among the genres I buy.
I saw Nanci's cassettes. I didn't buy a CD player until 1990. So I see Nanci's cassettes. I'm trying to remember which one C.I. had recommended but I can't.
So I go through the cassettes and see that One Fair Summer Evening is live (I believe this was stated on a light blue, round sticker attached the the clear plastic wrapper around the cassette case).
That's how I made the decision to buy it.
Nothing can very match my excitement as one song gave way to another and all twelve tracks were perfect. "More Than A Whisper" was the one that really stood out to me first after the opening song ("Once In A Very Blue Moon"). Then "Love at the Five and Dime" became a sing along, then "From A Distance." Bit by bit, every single one of them became a favorite.
That happened over a period of three or so weeks.
But let me note what happened the day I bought the album. When I got home, guess what was in the mail? That album. C.I. had sent me a copy. It figures, the day I finally remember that I'm supposed to check out Nanci Griffith is the day C.I. gifts me with a copy.
"TV: Eating off his what?" (Ava and C.I., The Third Estate Sunday Review):
Accurate includes the notes that Ellen Burstyn hits as Elaine's mother Margaret. For the last 12 years, the Academy Award winning actress has surprised with each role and Margaret Barrish is another strong credit on her resume. She's part of a very strong supporting cast which also includes Sebastian Stan and James Wolk as Weaver's two sons TJ and Douglas.
This is the second time Wolk (above) has worked with Weaver. The two previously appeared in the film You Again. That may be part of the reason for the easy, relaxed relationship between Elaine and Douglas. It's far different from the relationship with troubled son TJ (who has a drug addiction, has attempted suicide and cannot be trusted with money).
Political Animals airs and on the USA Network -- and streams at its website and you can also stream it at Hulu. The strong acting and writing should call you to it anytime but, tonight. if you watch it on TV, you'll see an outstanding performance from Vanessa Redgrave. Yet as amazing as Redgrave is, the third episode is another where Sigourney Weaver gets to shine. Very few roles have given her the chance to demonstrate the range she does here. Very few roles ever give any actress this kind of opportunity. Whether you watch TV or catch programs via the internet, make a point to check out Political Animals.
I'm streaming Political Animals as I type and keep stopping because it is involving. If you haven't caught it yet, make a point to.
"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Monday,
July 30, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, Iraqis compete in the
Olympics, KRG President Massoud Barzani gives a major speech, violence
continues in Iraq, peace advocate Cindy Sheehan has been named a running
mate on a presidential ticket, and more.
Starting with the Summer Olympics. They're taking place in London and the official website is here. The NBC website for the Olympics is here and cluttered and poorly put together. If you're looking for anything other than video (live or otherwise) go to the London site
which is easier to navigate and more pleasing to the eye. Apparently
NBC spent so much on the rights to the Olympics, they didn't have any
money left to design a solid website.
Iraq has
sent 8 athletes to the Summer Olympics in London. Dana Abdul Razak
competed in the 2008 Olympics and this go round will run the 100 meter
race. The other seven are attending for the first time: Adnan Taess
Akkar (800 meter race), Noor Amer al-Ameri (shooting), Mohanad Ahmed
Dheyaa al-Azzawi (swimming), Safaa al-Jumaili (weightlifting), Rand
al-Mashhadani (archery), Ali Nadhim Salman Salman (wrestling) and Ahmed
Abdulkareem Ahmed (boxing).
Ahmed Abdulkareem Ahmed boxed yesterday. Click here for a Reuters photo of his match with South Africa's Siphiwe Lusizi (photo taken by Murad Sezer). Scott Christ (Bad Left Hook) reports,
"Siphiwe Lusizi (South Africa) def. Ahmed Abdulkareem Ahmed (Iraq),
17-13: Decent fight, and an admirable effort from Ahmed. He gave it all
he had, but Lusizi was better than him. A lot of these fights are
really as simple as that. One guy is just better than the other guy in
these early stages." The official Olympics site notes
that the first time Iraq ever competed in the Olympics were in the 1948
Olympics. And that was also the last time, until this year, that the
Summer Olympics were held in London. Back then, Iraq sent an "11-man
team" for basketball, L. Hasso for the 400 meter run and Ali Salman ran
in the 100 meter and the 200 meter in addition to playing on the
basketball team.
The second photo in the Toronto Sun's "Photos of the Week" is by Suhaib Salem (Reuters) and of Rand al-Mashhadani from Friday's ranking round for women's individual archery.
After the awful opening musical numbers (see Ann's "6 men, 1 woman"), you might think some in London might show some humility. That's not the case. Alsumaria reports that the Telegraph of London has declared that Algeria and Iraq have the worst national anthems. The unsigned article in the Telegraph of London, ranks what they call the ten worst anthems -- Iraq comes in at number seven:
Iraq's national song, "My Homeland," comes from a poem written by Ibrahim Touquan, a Palestinian poet, in 1934. Reinstated in 2004 after a previous anthem reminded residents too much of Saddam Hussein's regime, the lyrics are rousing but the jaunty melody underplays the seriousness of the message.
In actual Olympic news, AFP reports Noor Amer al-Ameri, competing in the shooting competition for Iraq, was prevented from taking her equpiment on the flight from Baghdad to Dubai, "Emirati authorities later gave the green light for the pistol to be transported to Dubai by plane on Wednesday, and pledged that it would arrive safely in London." Al Mada notes Noor competed Sunday and came in 46 out of 55, that she was born in Karbala in 1994 and attends Baghdad University. In the article, an Iraqi official -- Minister for Youth and Sports Jasim Mohammed Jaafar -- blathers on about how, five to ten years from now, Iraq will have heroes who compete. That's really insulting. Dana Abdul Razak, for example, has been shot at while training. The eight who made it are making history. Instead of Iraqi officials making insulting remarks about those competing, they might want to take a hard look at themselves and where they put the emphasis. It wasn't on training. People shouldn't have to leave their home country to train but that happened. As is usual in Iraq, a lot of over 40 men were made officials -- some who look they should be forced to retire -- and they made themselves the focus. I'm referring to Iraq's official Olympic Committee. Go to the website and prepare to be insulted. I thought three weeks ago (wrongly), that this website would provide bios of the athletes and photos. Wrong. Even now, with the Olympics underway, when you go to the photo exhibit what you get are a bunch of bald and balding old men, sitting around, congratulating themselves. If anyone visits the site, it's to see the athletes, not the officials. That they couldn't grasp that goes a long way towards explaining where the problem is. It's not with the athletes competing, it's with the egos of the officials. And many, like Jasim Moahmmed Jaafar have on claim to sports (engineer) and are only serving on the Committee because they are exiles like Nouri (Jaafar was an exile from 1981 to 2003).
Iraq's national song, "My Homeland," comes from a poem written by Ibrahim Touquan, a Palestinian poet, in 1934. Reinstated in 2004 after a previous anthem reminded residents too much of Saddam Hussein's regime, the lyrics are rousing but the jaunty melody underplays the seriousness of the message.
In actual Olympic news, AFP reports Noor Amer al-Ameri, competing in the shooting competition for Iraq, was prevented from taking her equpiment on the flight from Baghdad to Dubai, "Emirati authorities later gave the green light for the pistol to be transported to Dubai by plane on Wednesday, and pledged that it would arrive safely in London." Al Mada notes Noor competed Sunday and came in 46 out of 55, that she was born in Karbala in 1994 and attends Baghdad University. In the article, an Iraqi official -- Minister for Youth and Sports Jasim Mohammed Jaafar -- blathers on about how, five to ten years from now, Iraq will have heroes who compete. That's really insulting. Dana Abdul Razak, for example, has been shot at while training. The eight who made it are making history. Instead of Iraqi officials making insulting remarks about those competing, they might want to take a hard look at themselves and where they put the emphasis. It wasn't on training. People shouldn't have to leave their home country to train but that happened. As is usual in Iraq, a lot of over 40 men were made officials -- some who look they should be forced to retire -- and they made themselves the focus. I'm referring to Iraq's official Olympic Committee. Go to the website and prepare to be insulted. I thought three weeks ago (wrongly), that this website would provide bios of the athletes and photos. Wrong. Even now, with the Olympics underway, when you go to the photo exhibit what you get are a bunch of bald and balding old men, sitting around, congratulating themselves. If anyone visits the site, it's to see the athletes, not the officials. That they couldn't grasp that goes a long way towards explaining where the problem is. It's not with the athletes competing, it's with the egos of the officials. And many, like Jasim Moahmmed Jaafar have on claim to sports (engineer) and are only serving on the Committee because they are exiles like Nouri (Jaafar was an exile from 1981 to 2003).
All 8 who made it to
the Olympics have much to be proud of. And maybe if the officials ever
do their job, Iraq will be able to compete in a lot more events? But
don't trash the eight who made it to the Olympics. They overcame a
great deal to be there.
In Iraq conflicts continue between the KRG and the Baghdad-based central government. Last week, Rudaw reported,
"On Friday the minitry of Peshmerga said that the Iraqi government had
sent troops to border strip between Syria and the Kurdistan Region and
that 3,000 Peshmerga fighters stationed in the area had stopped their
advance. There was serious concern about armed classhes between both
sides." Xinhua added,
"Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki criticized authorities of the
country's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan for preventing Iraqi army
soldiers sent by Baghdad from reaching a border point with Syria located
at a disputed area controlled by Kurdish forces." Al Mada noted that Jabbar Yawar, Secretary-General of the Peshmerga, states these are areas that the Peshmerga naturally patrols. Al Mada also noted
that the Kurdistan Alliance states Nouri is not able to move forces
into the KRG without the consent of the Kurdish Regional
Government. Calling it "the most dangerous escalation and confrontation
between the two sides," Omar al-Saleh (Al Jazeera) reported from Fishkhabur on the Iraq - Syria border.
Omar
al-Saleh: What the Kurdish troops did is they prevented thes troops
from advancing further this way. They blocked it and they sent their
own reinforcements. We even saw some artillery, mortar, rockets and
we've seen heavy -- heavy weapons. And basically what the Iraqi
government has said in a statement is that it's not aimed -- this move,
this troops' movement -- is not aimed at the Kurdish Regional authority
but it wants to prevent any infiltration or any security breaches from
the borders with Syria. Now what the Kurds will tell you is the prime
minister of Iraq is trying to send his troops into a disputed area.
Besides the usual turf wars universal to different security forces around the world, there iss also the fear that Nouri would use the issue of the border crossings in an attempt to install the Iraqi forces permanently in these areas. That's a valid fear. Considering other power grabs that he's made, it wouldn't be a stretch. In addition, Nouri probably has a fear of his own. It wasn't that long ago that Syrian 'rebels' seized control of the borders (July 19th). Iraq's not had any cartography or survey done of that area in some time. They have focused their concerns with regards to the border they share with Iran due to the fact that Iran insists that land Iraq considers to be Iraqi land is actually Iranian land. With Syrian President Bashar Assad, this was not a concern or pressing issue. That changed when the rebels seized up to four borders. Nouri had no concern over 'securing the borders' until the 'rebels'
Alsumaria reported KRG President Massoud Barzanai gave a speech Saturday.
The
speech was a clarification of the crisis between the KRG and Baghdad
and Barzani states that he was compelled to address the basics and shine
a light on the problems. He argues it boils down to the fact that the
Kurds have tried to live in a peaceful coexistence under the Iraqi
Constitution but while some respect the rights and duties of the
Constitution others disregard and dismiss the Constitution to compile a
monopoly of power in their own hands. He states the disagreement
between Nouri al-Maliki and himself is not personal and that Nouri was a
close friend many years ago when he lived in Kurdistan [presumably this
is during Nouri's exile period which also includes stays in Iran and
Syria]. But since 2008 when Nouri sent the Iraqi soldiers and tanks to
Khanaqin in a face-off with the Peshmerga, dialogue has been harder and
harder. He notes that the Constitution's Article 140 has never been
implemented. [This is the Article about disputed territories such as
oil-rich Kirkuk. A census and referendum is supposed to be held. By
the end of 2007. Nouri has refused, for six years now, to implement
Article 140. Nouri is in violation of the Constitution. This issue, by
the way, was seen by the RAND Corporation as the biggest once facing
Iraq.] In addition, Baghdad is not providing the budget for the
Peshmerga, nor is it working on a draft oil and gas law. He notes that
the Erbil Agreement has been evaded and that a true partnership has been
lost. It is as though, he states, they hvae returned to a
dictatorship, following all the ignored promises. In violation of the
rules and laws, he states, Nouri has attempted to grab absolute power
over the administration issues, security issues, the military issues and
the economic ones. This is in violation of the Constitution, he
notes.
He states in his speech that the oil
contracts currently in dispute [ExxonMobil and Chevron] are about issues
that have been spoken of for years and that, for years, there has been
talk of the oil and gas law but still no passage. The KRG will call for
a special committee to review all of the government's files related to
oil in the KRG and Iraq. The Kurds have been patient and waited for
issues to be resolved but they have not been.
On
the political crisis, he states that the failure on Nouri's part to
implement past agreements and Nouri's lack of commitment to the
Constitution led to the move for a withdrawal of confidence in Nouri.
Barzani states he is willing to set that move aside if someone can put
an end to the outstanding issues [seems to echo Moqtada al-Sadr's
statement that all Nouri has to do to stop a vote of no-confidence is to
return to the Erbil Agreement]. The vote can be tabled and Iraq can
return to the right path that will prevent one person from amassing
control and a monopoly of power. That's my translation. The speech
was in Kurdish (which I don't speak or read) and the KRG translated it
to Arabic. There is no English translation provided by the KRG at
present.
Of the speech, Hiwa Osman (Rudaw) notes:
The
speech did not achieve the impact it should have, especially as the
crisis escalated and Iraqi soldiers approached the Syrian border close
to Kurdish territories.
As an observer, I
was first of all surprised that the speech was not televised. The
second surprise was that it was in Kurdish. Especially with the recent
escalations of tensions, Iraqi Arab public opinion is very much against
the Kurdish region. The media in Baghad has been full of pro-Maliki
voices to say the least, and they are all depicting Kurds as those who
want everything.
President Barzani's
speech touched on many issues related to the future of Iraq as a whole,
not just as pertains to the Kurds. One of the key points in talks with
Baghdad has been the vision of the country's federal future. But this
is not known to the Arab public.
In the
absence of a strong Kurdish presence in Baghdad's media, a televised
message from President Barzani in Arabic for the people of Iraq would
have explained the Kurdish position to the rest of Iraq. It would have
also been a strong response to Maliki's NRT interview.
And possibly Barzani felt the same way and that's why he made a high profile TV appeareance over the weekend. Barazni sat down with Jane Arraf (Al Jazeera) for an interview. Excerpt.
President
Massoud Barzani: There's no doubt that the Kurdish question has made a
lot of progress. But I cannot deny that we still face a lot of
challenges. I can however definitely say that the Kurds have passed the
stage where their survival could be threatened. It would be impossible
for us as a people to give up everything we have achieved.
Jane
Arraf: There's a real crisis going on in Iraq and you warned just a few
months ago that if it continues that the Kurdish region could seek its
independence. Are you still prepared to follow through on that?
President
Massoud Barzani: If I can make clear what exactly I said, it's this,
that Iraq is facing a serious and genuine crisis and we have two kinds
of problems. One is a general problem for Iraq as a whole and the other
is problems between the Kurdish region and Baghdad. We've called for
general reforms for the problems -- the Iraqi-wide problems and also the
ones between the Kurdish region and Baghdad. I call upon the Iraqi
leaders, if they are ready and willing to come talk to us. We are ready
to do whatever we can to solve these problems. If the other Iraqi
factions are not ready to follow us, then I will go back to the Kurdish
people and ask them to decide what needs to be done. And I am still
saying the same thing.
Jane
Arraf: And do you feel now, considering that there really hasn't been
much progress between Baghdad and Erbil, do you feel now that you will
go to the Kurdish people in September and ask them in a referendum
whether they want independence?
President
Massoud Barzani: Frankly speaking, the current situation is not
acceptable and we will not allow it to continue. Our people cannot
tolerate it and I'm sure the Iraqi people will not accept it either.
Certainly, at some point, I'd go back to the people but I'd first have
to consult with the political parties in the region. I have to consult
with Parliament. This is not a decision for me to make alone. But
certainly, the moment that we feel disappointed and lose hope of solving
the problems and getting out of this crisis then I will go back to the
people. But before that, I have to consult with the political groups
here and with Parliament.
Nouri,
who has thus far refused to appear before the Parliament for
questioning (he's in violation of the Constitution) has several tricks
he's attempting. Al Rafidayn notes one, Nouri wants to question Barzani before the Parliament.
A 70-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in prsion. That's the verdict handed down by the Iraqi 'legal' system after a 'hearing' that was shorter than a US traffic court appearance to appeal a speeding ticket. Amnesty International issues the following alert:
'Grossly unfair' 15-minute court hearing in Ramze Shihab Amhed case relied on 'torture' evidence
Amnesty International has condemned the trial in Iraq of a 70-year-old British man who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after a hearing that lasted only 15 minutes.
Ramze Shihab Ahmed, a 70-year-old dual Iraqi-UK national who has lived in the UK since 2002, was sentenced by a court in Baghdad on 20 June after being found guilty of "funding terrorist groups".
Amnesty has obtained and examined court documents and believes the trial proceedings were "grossly unfair". At his trial, the ninth in a series of trials (he had been acquitted in each of the earlier ones), Mr Ahmed's lawyer was not given the opportunity to challenge the prosecution's case, or to cross-examine prosecution witnesses or call his own witnesses.
The court also failed to exclude from the proceedings a "confession" of Ahmed's, despite longstanding allegations that this was extracted under torture. The court relied on information provided by a secret informant, with Ahmed's lawyer denied an opportunity to challenge this information. In addition, statements - also allegedly extracted from an individual under torture and other ill-treatment - were considered in the trial proceedings.
Earlier this month UK Foreign Secretary William Hague raised Ahmed's case with his counterpart, the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, while the latter was on a trip to London. Amnesty has been running a campaign for justice for Ahmed (www.amnesty.org.uk/ramze) and over 6,000 Amnesty supporters have already contacted Mr Hague about Ahmed's plight.
Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:
"This is deeply disturbing news. Ramze seems to have been convicted partly on the basis of a confession that was allegedly beaten out of him.
"The sentence comes on the back of what has already been a living nightmare for Ramze - of secret detention, alleged torture and then a prolonged trial that was itself grossly unfair.
"We need to see this dubious verdict set aside and Ramze either given a proper appeal or for him to be released and allowed to return home."
In November 2009 Ahmed had travelled from the UK to Iraq in an effort to secure the release of his detained son 'Omar. However, he was himself arrested at a relative's house in the northern city of Mosul on 7 December 2009. For nearly four months he was held in a secret prison near Baghdad, during which time his whereabouts were completely unknown to his family. During this period Ahmed alleges he was tortured - including with electric shocks to his genitals and suffocation by plastic bags - into making a false "confession" to terrorist offences.
Ahmed "reappeared" in late March 2010 when he was able to make a phone call to his wife Rabiha al-Qassab - a 65-year-old former teaching assistant who lives in London - imploring her to seek help from the UK authorities. However, partly on the basis of his "confession", Ahmed was subsequently put on trial, including on various terrorism charges.
Last week, Amnesty International issued an alert on the latest announced executions:
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, strimel@aiusa.org, 212-633-4150, @strimel
(New
York) – Amnesty International today urged Iraqi authorities to commute
all pending death sentences and impose a moratorium on executions with a
view to abolish the death penalty after the chief of police in the
Iraqi governorate of Anbar announced on Monday a Court of Cassation
decision to uphold 196 death sentences in the region.
It is unclear if the sentences have been ratified by the Iraqi presidency yet.
The announcement gave no timeline for carrying out the executions but expressed a hope that it would be soon.
"After
this alarming announcement, Iraqi authorities must move quickly to
commute all death sentences and declare a moratorium on executions
across the country," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa
Director at Amnesty International.
"If the
Iraqi authorities carry out these death sentences, they would nearly
quadruple Iraq's already shocking execution record so far this year."
In the first half of 2012 alone, Iraq executed at least 70 people, which is already more than the figure for all of last year.
According
to Amnesty International's information, in 2011 a total of at least 68
people were executed in Iraq. Around the country, hundreds of others are
believed to remain on death row.
The death
penalty was suspended in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003 but
restored in August 2004. Since then, hundreds of people have been
sentenced to death and many have been executed.
Amnesty
International opposes the death penalty – the ultimate cruel, inhuman
and degrading punishment – in all cases without exception, as a
violation of the right to life.
Amnesty
International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist
organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and
volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights
worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates
and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever
justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
Thursday, the UN News Centre noted
the UN Special Rapporteur on arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, was
also expressing his alarm and quoted him stating, "It is extremely
disturbing that up to 196 individuals may be at imminent risk of
execution, with a serious lack of public information on the cases. And
this is in a single province of the country." They noted, "He supported
the appeal, made in January 2012, by the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Navi Pillay, for the establishment of a moratorium on the death
penalty." Speaking to the United Nations Security-Council earlier this month, Martin Kobler (UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq) noted:
Mr.
President, Iraq retains the death penalty for a large number of
crimes. I therefore reiterate the call by the Secretary-General [Ban
Ki-moon] and the High Commissioner of Human Rights for the government of
Iraq to establish a moratorium on all executions with a view to their
abolition. I welcome that the authorities of the Kurdistan Region
continue to implement a moratorium on carrying out executions which has
been in place since 2007.
However, instead of a moratorium on executions, the Iraqi government appears determined to increase the number executed. Amnesty International noted that Iraq executed at least 68 people in 2011.
Staying with violence, Dar Addustour notes that the Pope has called out the attacks in Iraq last Monday which resulted in over a hundred deaths. Independent Catholic News reports
that Pope Benedict XVI issued an appeal for peace in Iraq yesterday,
"The Holy Father prayed, 'That this great country find once again the
path toward stability, reconciliation and peace'."
Alsumaria reports an attack in Kirkuk today in which 2 brothers were shot dead while a Baghdad roadside bombing -- in the Abu Ghraib district -- has claimed the lives of 2 police officers and left three more injured and a Baghdad sticky bombing left one person injured.
Dan Murphy (Christian Science Monitor) observes, "The Islamic State in Iraq, a Sunni militant group that describes itself as affiliated with Al Qaeda, has been seeking to reassert its presence
in the cities it plagued during the height of Iraq's civil war. Local
officials have long been targeted by insurgents in Iraq, and it's a
problem that really never went away. How many have been murdered over
the years? The number is almost certainly in the thousands, though it
doesn't appear there's ever been a systematic effort to track
assassinations of politicians and local government officials." The
International Crisis Group's Joost Hiltermann writes at CNN:
It's
easy to be distracted by an uptick in violence in Iraq and ignore the
larger political crisis in which al Qaeda, however diminished in its
capabilities, can operate with apparent impunity. Despite last week's
events, violence has been at a steady level since 2008 – too high for
sure to those caught up in the spasms that occur, but sufficiently low
to nonetheless convey a general sense of stability – a vast improvement
over the days of sectarian fighting some years ago. Spectacular attacks
have punctuated a pattern of declining violent incidents, causing mass
casualties even as overall casualty levels have gone down. Shia
militias, which mainly targeted the U.S. presence, put their guns back
under their beds after the military component of that presence came to
an end late last year.
Violent actors such as al Qaeda are likely to be around for some time, but without a political crisis, they could be contained. Iraqi security forces are still in the early stages of their development (after the Bush administration disposed of the former regime's army wholesale), and still exhibit clear vulnerabilities, especially in intelligence gathering and coordination that could prevent violent attacks, as well as in their explosives-detection capacity at checkpoints. (Security officers employ a piece of equipment that Western experts and journalists have referred to as a "divining rod" or "magic wand" for its inability to detect anything.) Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will be Iraq, nor its security forces. Yet by and large, these forces have been able to prevent a serious resurgence of violence.
Violent actors such as al Qaeda are likely to be around for some time, but without a political crisis, they could be contained. Iraqi security forces are still in the early stages of their development (after the Bush administration disposed of the former regime's army wholesale), and still exhibit clear vulnerabilities, especially in intelligence gathering and coordination that could prevent violent attacks, as well as in their explosives-detection capacity at checkpoints. (Security officers employ a piece of equipment that Western experts and journalists have referred to as a "divining rod" or "magic wand" for its inability to detect anything.) Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will be Iraq, nor its security forces. Yet by and large, these forces have been able to prevent a serious resurgence of violence.
What
matters in Iraq today isn't so much its sporadic violence, however
spectacular in nature, as the total absence of basic consensus over how
the country should be run, as deepening discord could trigger a new
round of civil war.
Still on violence, Matthew Russell Lee (Inner City Press) reports
the UN's use of private contractors in Iraq and quotes Martin Kobler
stating in an e-mail to him, "I would like to add that UNAMI is spending
approximately USD 1.73 million in 2012 on static security provided by
private security companies in Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait. The contract for
the SAIT training, which is conducted by a private security company, is
for up to USD 1,182,771.50 in 2012."
An issue we'll note tomorrow is covered by Emily Alpert (Los Angeles Times).
I'm not interested in the story today. We dealt with it last week and
the headline from Huffington Post and AP? We covered that aspect in the
June 29th snapshot when we reported on a House Oversight subcommittee hearing:
Acting Chair Blake Farenthold: I just have one more question so we'll just do a quick
second round of questions. Ambassador Kennedy, you mentioned the Baghdad police college annex facility as one of the facilities. It's my understanding that the United States' taxpayers have invested more than $100 million in improvements on that site. It was intended to house the police department program -- a multi-billion dollar effort that's currently being downsized. And as a result of the State Dept's failure to secure land use rights the entire facility is being turned over to the Iraqis at no cost.
We've covered
it already a month ago. It will wait until tomorrow. Emily Alpert gets
a link because she's hard working and two friends at the paper asked
for it.
Turning to the US presidential election, as we noted in "Roundtable" at Third, there was big news over the weekend. Roseanne Barr,
who is making an independent run for the presidency, announced her
running mate. Cindy Sheehan, probably the most famous peace advocate in
this country in the last decade, is Rosanne's choice.
Roseanne
earlier made a run for the Green Party presidential nomination.
There's a good chance she would have won if people had known she was
serious about it. (She declared at the start of her run that she was
just running to garner attention for the Green Party and that she would
support Jill Stein.) During her run, at some point, she decided she
needed to make a real run because she obviously believes she can make a
difference (whether that's in the race and in office or just in the
race, I don't know). She's not alone in feeling that way. Cindy
Sheehan has had supportive words for Jill Stein in the past. So has
Green Party member Cat Woods. But if you check the press release announcing Cindy is Roseanne's running mate, you'll see Cat Woods is the contact person.
Jill
Stein has the Green Party nomination. She also has several obstacles
against her that she has placed in her own path this month. No one's to
blame for that except for her as we explained in "Touring the online campaign offices."
Roseanne is not her 'problem.' Roseanne is running for public office
and is Jill Stein's rival, Mitt Romney's rival, Barack Obama's rival,
Jerry White's rival and Gary Johnson's rival. None of them own anyone's
vote. Every vote should be up for grabs and go to the person a voter
feels will best represent them.
Jill Stein needs a campaign blogger. She doesn't have one. She might want to consider Ian Wilder (On The Wilder Side) who writes with passion and clarity and is supporting her campaign. Yesterday Ian noted:
It's a leap year, so CODEPink/UFPJ's* Tom
Hayden must be shilling for a warmonger again. Obama has opposed any
Wall Street reform, and his Homeland Security Department coordinated the
shutdown of Occupy in the US just as Hayden & MoveOn helped
coordinate the shutdown of the peace movement in 2008, Hayden's new
article gives Obama credit for Bush's plan to shut down the Iraq war.
Not surprising since Obama has followed the Bush path on so many
issues, to the point of being called Bush's 3rd term. Tom Hayden totally misses the point.
Tom
always misses the point. And Ian Wilder has emerged as one of the
stronger political voices in the up-is-down-drones-are-good world we've
been stuck in since the White House flipped political party while
changing no policies. We'll close with the press release announcing Roseanne Barr has picked Cindy Sheehan for her running mate:
FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Contacts: Cat Woods 415-218-8138
David Josué djosue@yahoo.com
campaign@roseanneforpresident.org
campaign@roseanneforpresident.org
July 29, 2012
ROSEANNE BARR ANNOUNCES RUNNING MATE FOR PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
Roseanne
Barr announced that Cindy Sheehan will be her running mate in her bid
for the Peace and Freedom Party's nomination for President. Sheehan is
an anti-war activist who first gained national attention for her protest
camp outside then-President Bush's Texas ranch.
Barr
said, "Cindy and I are the 'Throw the Bums Out' ticket and the 'Ballot
Access' ticket. We want people to register in the Peace and Freedom
Party so that the party can keep its ballot status in California." After
the passage of the 'Top Two primary" in 2010, alternative political
parties lost one of their ways of staying on the ballot. The Peace and
Freedom Party needs approximately 40,000 more registrants to maintain
its ballot status beyond 2014. "We also want people to start Peace and
Freedom Parties in other states," added Barr.
Former
Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who has been working closely
with Barr on this campaign, commented, "Access to the ballot is a civil
rights issue that needs attention across the country. If voters only
have two choices, both of which represent the same interests, then we
don't really have a democracy." McKinney went on to describe a higher
standard of democracy, "When I was in Congress, I promoted proportional
representation for legislatures. This is the only way to make our
democracy representative of the people, rather than the corporate
donors."
The
Peace & Freedom Party nominating convention takes place on Saturday
August 4th in Los Angeles. Cat Woods, an officer of the Peace &
Freedom Party, echoed Barr on the party's emphasis on ballot access. She
said that the party hoped to "draw attention to the ongoing erosion of
alternative parties' access to the ballot and how this directly deprives
voters of control of their government."
When
asked whether she supported the Barr ticket, Woods added, "Our party
needs to reach a wider audience with its message of socialist solutions.
Roseanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan can bring that."
Responding
to charges that she could "steal votes" from Obama or "spoil the
election," Barr said, "The American people are sick and tired of this
'lesser evil' garbage they get fed every election year. Both the
Democrats and the Republicans do the same evils once they're in office.
I'm here to tell the voters: if you want to tell the government and the
two domineering parties that you're sick and tired of all their evil,
register in the Peace and Freedom Party and vote for me and Cindy."
To contact the Roseanne for President campaign, contact campaign@roseanneforpresident.org
