Coleen Rowley needs to buy a clue

There is something very sad about the Cult around Julian Assange.

Coleen Rowley has never struck me as a particularly bright person, for obvious reasons, but I was still shocked to read her nonsense at OpEdNews.

She's attacking Bill Keller. I'm not a fan of Bill Keller's.

Just last week, I wrote "Bill Keller the finger pointer." But I don't provide a laundry list of his sins and pretend I've made a case that he was unfair to little Julie Assange.

Bill Keller's a reporter. He wrote with an eye for detail in the excerpt the New York Times ran. It was lively. I had no problem with it. But I'm not worshiping Julian Assange.

Coleen Rowley is. Which is really pathetic.

But very telling.

So sorry for Coleen but if someone shows up around the press in "dirty socks," the press will most likely note that fact. That is how the press works.

That this surprises her goes to how grossly she was failed by the country's education system.

But there's no reason to punish the rest of us for that.

Bill Keller was wrong on Iraq. I will hold him accountable when addressing the Iraq War.

I will not equate Little Julie Assange with the Iraq War.

I'm not that stupid or that desparate. How very telling that they've got nothing left than to attack Keller over the Iraq War. That's all they've got to refute what he wrote about Assange.

I'm not a Bill Keller fan or friend. Not only did I call him out last week, I've done so before. But I will call him out for what he does. If I objected to an article he wrote, I could call out the article.

If I objected to an article he wrote, or told you I did, and then spent the rest of my journal entry griping about his stance on the Iraq War? I think that would tell you that I really can't object to the article he wrote so I'm desperate to sling mud at him some other way.

It's really amazing to see the Cult and realize what non-thinkers they are and how driven by hate they are.


"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Tuesday, February 8, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, Amsty International releases a report, Amnesty International finds time to focus on everything except their new report, unrest continues in Iraq alarming the government, an MP issues a warning, and more. Al Mada reports that yesterday the province of Dhi Qar in sourthern Iraq saw protests in Nasiriyah as people demanded rations card items and jobs. The protesters noted that the price of "sugar, flour and other essential goods" have doubled at the markets putting further strain on struggling families. One man explains that only a few months ago they were paying less than 10,000 dinars (around US $8) for a bag of flour but are now paying over 30,000 dinars (approximately $25.46 in US dollars). And he explains that the price of sugar has similarly increased. Which is why the decision by Nouri al-Maliki and his Cabinet to increase the monthly ration card by 15,000 dinars a month (see this Al Rafidayn article) is so meaningless. The prices have soared and 15,000 dinars (approximately $12.73 in US dollars) per month isn't going to help. Take the price of flour in Nasiriyah. A few months back, they paid less than 10,000 dinars. Toss in the 15,000 dinars and that's 25,000 dinars which still won't pay for the current price of one bag of flour. Dar Addustour notes protests are increasing and now include Kut, Hilla and Missan and notes Sheikh Qasim al-Tai decreed yesterday that citizens excercising their rights are engaged in activities which demand integrity and should be free of abuse. Haider Roa (Iraqhurr.org) quotes University of Baghdad political science professor Ali al-Jubouri stating that the Iraq protests are different from others in the region because they relate specifically to government performance and services. Related, Alsumaria TV reports, "The amendments made on Iraq's 2011 budget includes allocating 15% of the budget to the Iraqi people, member of the parliamentary financial committee Najiba Najib told Alsumaria News." Al Mada reports that the Parliament yesterday decided to form an investigative committee to examine the ration card system in relation to the years 2008 and 2010. Kholod al-Ziyadi (Zawya) adds: The Iraqi parliament put off today's session to tomorrow, after reading the first reading of the draft law of the Supreme Judicial Council, according to the KBC member. The Deputy, Sheriff Soliaman told AKnews that the Iraqi Parliament Speaker, Osama Nujaifi raised today's meeting to tomorrow after the postponed of the second reading of the law of the federal budget draft for 2011 and the first reading was read for the draft law of the Supreme Judicial Council. "Today's meeting was limited to discuss the ration card items and mechanisms adopted in the provision and distribution of flour exclusively that is experiencing scarcity in distributing it with in most of the provinces." Alsumaria TV notes the government's fears over protests which have been taking place in Diwaniya: "Iraq's Trade Ministry took drastic measures to meet the people's demands. The Ministry approved to provide full ration cards and acknowledged that the level of poverty in the province has approached the limit of 88%. [. . .] Diwaniya residents believe the latest measures taken by the central and local governments have come a bit late." And, as Al Mada observes, protests gathered steam quickly after starting with small demonstrations last week. And Alsumaria reports MP Alia Nassif (Iraqiya) has issued a statement warning about "an uprising in Iraq. All the motives of uprising are there, namely unemployment, bad services and mounting poverty, she said. The Iraqi people expected a lot from its Parliament and Government after the changing developments in the past years, Alia uttered. Recent demonstrations in Iraqi cities are alarming and should be a warning for the government and Parliament to take responsibility, she added." And she's not the only one with concerns. Al Mada reports on a new Babuz survey in which the majority of respondents declared that they did not believe the government would be able to provide adequate security or services any time soon. The newspaper notes that the poll can be seen as a warning to various figures that if the fight against corruption and lack of services is not resolved, there ould be a "political explosion." Hari Sreenivasan (PBS' NewsHour -- link has text, video and audio) stated last night, "The government of Iraq is moving to address a wave of protests there." However, Al Mada reports today that Iraq's housing crisis will require the construction of two million additional housing units over the next five years. Today Amnesty Internation released [PDF format warning] their report "Broken Bodies, Tortured Minds." For clarification, this report was noted this morning. A number of visitors e-mailing insist there is no such report. Use the link. Before we get to the report, let's talk about why people wrongly think there is no report: Amnesty did a report and now Amnesty decides TO BURY IT. Why? Because they can't resist being part of the useless gasbags. Go to their sites (whichever country you prefer) and you will see it's Egypt, Egypt, Egypt. That is not the only story in the world. And when you release a report, YOU NEED TO HAVE IT FEATURED PROMINENTLY ON YOUR HOME PAGE. Let's talk about the ambulance chasing of the soap opera for a moment. As January ended, Pew examined the coverage and US viewers response. The Middle East unrest made up 36% of the US news coverage (January 27th through 30th) with 30% of that being just Egypt. During this period, the media made it the story despite the fact that "[o]nly about one-in-ten (11%) cite news about protests in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries as the story they followed most closely last week." Today Pew released this report on the US public's attitude to the story the media really needs (a) to spend less time on and (b) to offer more insight when they do cover it. (All the wall-to-wall has produced is mass confusion. But that's what happens in a world of EZ Bake Gasbags.) If you need another example of how people are saturated with this story, ask the Pacifica program that tried to raise money on air and began yammering away -- for no reason -- about Egypt and ended up with their worst fundraiser ever. In the US, people are very much aware that Egypt is not the only story. And an already struggling fundraiser (only two lines were in use when they went into the Egypt pitch and then all the lines were available . . . forever). If you're not getting how much time has been spent oversaturating America with this story, Pew explains today, "Last week's turmoil in the Middle East registered as the biggest international story in the past four years- -- surpassing any coverage of the Iraq war, the Haiti earthquake and the conflict in Afghanistan. From Jan. 31-Feb. 6, the Middle East saga, driven by televised images of the protests and power struggle in Egypt, filled 56% of the newshole studied by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. Not only was that easily the biggest overseas story in a single week since PEJ began its News Coverage Index in January 2007. It registered as the fourth-biggest story of any kind -- trailing only two weeks in the 2008 presidential campaign and the aftermath of the Jan. 8, 2011 Tucson shooting spree." Repeating, oversaturation. (And with all that, unable to effectively communicate the story -- with all the wall-to-wall, they still couldn't communicate it to the public.) Taking it back to Amnesty, if the US home page lists 22 items (and it does), one of those items should be a headline about the report you issued today. Backstory, at the tail end of last month, Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) broke the story of the secret prisons in Iraq and how they were run by Nouri's security forces. Last week, Human Rights Watch issued their report adding many more details. Throughout it all, including Sunday to CNN, Nouri and his spokespeople have denied the reports. AFP notes that at least 30,000 people are held in these secret prisons, according to the report, and that torture is routine. The report includes the stories of prisoner abuse. Example: Samar Sa'ad 'Abudllah, aged 27, says she was beaten on the soles of her feet -- a form of torture known as falaqa -- and given electric shocks to force her to "confess" to killing her uncle and his family for money. Based on her "confession", she was sentenced to death in 2005 and her sentence was confirmed in 2007. The judge failed to order an investigation into her torture allegations. She says that her fiance carried out the killings; he is still being sought by the authorities. She is now in al-Kadhimiya Prison and, according to her father, suffering from depression, diabetes and high blood pressure. Another prisoner told Amnesty last April: We [father and son] were tortured in the same manner: suspension from a bed upside-down, suffocation by putting plastic bags on our heads, beatings, use of electric shocks on various parts of the body. The suspension is for about 30 minutes. . . I was tortured three times. They used electric shocks on me twice. I was beaten several times. After that I confessed. I confessed to things I never knew what they were. Forced confessions are one of the most common features of 'justice' in Iraq. Torture has many consequences (including imprisoning the innocent and letting the guilty go free). The report notes: Most torture victims have long-term psychological issues to deal with. A common consequence of torture is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including flashbacks, nightmares, depression, anxiety and memory loss. Many of the detainees interviewed by Amnesty International are not receiving psychological support for the torture they endured. Torture also affects families of detainees. According to the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, children are particularly vulnerable. They can suffer feelings of guilt and personal responsibility for what has happened to their tortured parent. Family members also experience anxiety and a sense of loss. Many psychologists believe that family members would benefit from therapy along with the survivor of torture. There are many forms of torture including rape. The report notes: In Iraq, rape or threat of rape of detainees or their loved ones has been widely alleged. Sexual assault shares with other forms of torture the objective of inflicing suffering, humiliation and degradation. It is also used to force "confessions", extract information or punish detainees. A member of Iraq's parliament who met four male inmates at al-Rusafa prison in Baghdad in June 2009 said they told him that they had been raped and otherwise tortured, and that he had seen marks on their bodies that supported their allegations. Hundreds of inmates at the prison went on hunger strike in May and June 2009 to demand an end to torture and other ill-treatment. Other Iraqi members of parliament have raised serious concerns about sexual violence in prisons. In mid-June 2009, for example, one said that security forces had sexually assaulted at least 21 male detainees at al-Rusafa and al-Diwanya prisons in southern Iraq since the beginning of the year. In May 2009, a delegation from the Council of Representatives' Human Rights Committee visiting al-Kadhimiya women's prison in Baghad heard testimony from two female prisoners who said they had been raped repeatedly after their arrest. Ramze Shihab Ahmed, a 68-year-old man with dual Iraqi-UK citizenship, was held in communicado and tortured, including by being raped with a stick, after he travelled to Iraq to secure the release of his son Omar. Both men were beaten, suffocated, given electric shocks to the genitals, and supsended by the ankles. Interrogators also threatened to rape Ramze's first wife, who lives in Mosul, in front of him, and threatened Omar that he would be forced to rape his father if he did not confess to killings. Both men signed "confessions". Rape or threat of rape has serious psychological and physical effects on survivors. The physical consequences for men and women can include sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV; sexual dysfunction; tears or lacerations to the anus and vagina that cause long-term pain; and bruising. Women can also suffer from unwanted pregnancy and gynaecological problems resulting in infertility. The long-term mental effects on both sexes can include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, phobias, eating and sleeping disorders, PTSD and suicidal behaviour. Turning to today's violence, Al Rafidayn reports that the Ministry of Defense's Brg Gen Ali Ashan was killed by a Baghdad bombing at his home. Xinhua adds, "Later, another roadside bomb went off at the scene when Iraqi security forces and civilians gathered at the site of the first blast, wounding two policemen, a soldier and a civilian, the source said." Reuters adds 2 Mosul bombings wounded two people, 1 injured man was discovered in Kirkuk and 1 corpse was discovered in Mosul. Scott Peterson (Christian Science Monitor) reports that US Lt Gen Robert Cone spoke at a press briefing today in Iraq and declared, "Theere are many indicators of violence -- attack trends, casulty trends -- but certainly by all measures we believe there was about a 20 percent decrease in 2010 from 2009." "We believe." That's always different than "we know." Once upon a time, reporters were aware of that. Yesterday at the State Dept briefing (link has text and video), spokesperson Philip J. Crowley was asked about Iraq. QUESTION: There was a report on Iraq on the weekend that Ambassador James Jeffrey has said that the U.S. troops might stay in Iraq beyond 2011, and there is a new threat to regional stability. Can you confirm that or talk to the -- MR. CROWLEY: Well, I'm not familiar with Ambassador Jeffrey -- I know he was here last week and testified before the Hill. He might have been responding to questions that were posed to him from senators who have asked questions about military presence. Look, we are proceeding based on an existing Strategic Framework Agreement and Status of Forces Agreement, which says that all military forces will be out of Iraq by the end of this year. We are working on that transition where many of the activities that have been performed by military personnel will be performed by State Department personnel. So we're proceeding on the current strategy. We're going to have a long-term partnership between the United States and Iraq. And we'll define with Iraq going forward, the nature of that relationship. To the extent that we have military cooperation going forward, we'll be happy to have that discussion with the Government of Iraq. His statements are being wrongly trumpeted by one outlet as stating the SOFA will not be extended. He said no such thing. And he's addressed the desire to renew the SOFA before. As for James Jeffreys, he addressed that option or putting the US military under the State Dept when he testified at last Tuesday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing and Thursday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Related, Julia Steers' "On The Ground In Iraq: Serving The Needs Of Disabled Iraqi Children" (Huffington Post) reports on Brad Blauser's Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids: "During my first wheelchair distribution event at a border command post on the Iraq Syrian border, a young boy named Alaa old pulled himself along the ground approaching me from behind," Brad said. "He asked me 'Mister, I can have a wheelchair?' and I lost my breath for a split second, I had to regain my composure." Brad describes giving Alaa a wheelchair as a process that transformed the young boy into "a person of worth and dignity." "For all his 10 years, he dragged himself through the desert sand...and he was given a respectable way of getting around. He became eligible to attend school for the first time because he didn't have to be carried." Due to the departure of General Petraeus from Iraq, Brad had to return to a day job, but remains in Iraq and focused on maintaining WFIK, the only nonprofit working with disabled Iraqi children. As the US State Dept begs for billions in tax payer monies in order to weaponize diplomacy, grasp how little money is required for WIK and how steadfastly the US government avoids assisting with that. Remember, for all the efforts at stamping the government's motives with a happy face, it's never really about addressing the human pain. Staying in the US, In March of last year, the Justice Dept announced: "A captain in the United States Marine Corps was charged today with conspiring with his wife to skim approximately $1.75 million from government contracts awarded under the Iraqi First Program while he was acting as a Marine Corps contracting officer's representative in Iraq. Eric Schmidt, 39, of Murietta, California, who is assigned to the First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, was charged this morning with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return that concealed the illicit income from the Internal Revenue Service. Capt. Schmidt's wife, Janet Schmidt, 39, also of Murietta, also was charged today with the same two felony counts. According to the criminal information filed this morning, Capt. Schmidt used his position in the contracting process to steer contracts to his favored Iraqi contractor, the Al-Methwad Company. The contracts were often awarded under the Iraqi First Program, which was designed to award certain contracts to Iraqi vendors to assist with Iraqi economic expansion and entrepreneurship. Once Al-Methwad had been awarded the contract, Janet Schmidt found United States-based vendors to provide the goods purportedly to be furnished by Al-Methwad under the terms of the contract. Janet Schmidt purchased the goods using money provided by Al-Methwad, often purchasing far fewer or inferior products than those required by the contract. She then arranged for the goods to be delivered to the United States Marines in Iraq. Once the shipment arrived in Iraq, Capt. Schmidt falsely certified that both the number and type of goods required by the contract had been provided by Al-Methwad Company to the Marines. Armed with the false certification, representatives from Al-Methwad Company sought and received payment from the United States." Tony Perry (Los Angeles Times) reports Eric Schmidt received a six year sentence to a federal prison and that Janet Schmidt will be sentenced in March. The amount of money they were convicted of stealing? $1.69 million. And what does the government have? "propereties in Big Bear and Murrieta" which are not worth what they were in 2008, "two automobiles and $40,000 in cash" and, no, that's not the same as the $1.69 million the couple made off with, $1.69 million of tax payer money. Nothing in the case, in fact, argues well for the claims that US Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey made last week about a system being in place to prevent theft of tax payer dollars from the money he would love to see allocated to Iraq. Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) quotes Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen stating, "The Schmidts defrauded U.S. taxpayers, cheated the Iraqi people and betrayed the trust placed in them. They will now pay a price for their criminal wrongdoing." And finally, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee released the following today: (Washington, D.C.) -- Yesterday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, along with 17 Senators from both sides of the aisle, wrote to Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, to urge the Administration to carry out the law and begin providing supportive services to caregivers of wounded veterans. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, Public Law 111-163, was enacted May 5, 2010 and directed VA to begin providing caregiver support by January 30, 2011. To date, the Obama Administration has failed to even set out its initial plan to carry out the law. In the letter sent Monday, the bipartisan group of Senators urged VA and the Office of Management and Budget to quickly implement this vital law to provide crucial benefits for very seriously injured veterans. The Senators noted that, as a result of the Administration's inaction, family caregivers across the nation have not received the benefits to which they are entitled. Among the services required by the caregivers law are training in the provision of care, respite care, technical assistance, counseling, and financial support for those who give up the opportunity to work in order to provide needed care to their injured loved ones. "Families of wounded warriors are waiting for these new caregivers' benefits," said Chairman Murray. "And with each day of delay the strain from the sacrifices they make only grows. Congress heard the concerns and problems of family caregivers and responded. This delay in putting the program in place is simply unacceptable. Responding to the needs of those injured while serving their country is a cost of war that must be paid." Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), who has served as the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs since 2007, said: "The long delay in getting this program up and running is a disservice to veterans and their families. Caregivers need training and instruction so they can provide the men and women who were severely wounded while serving our country a better quality of life." Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said "Many families are making enormous sacrifices to care for their loved ones. They are often forced to give up their full-time jobs, bear the cost of home care and even move across the country in search of treatment. It is past time for our nation to step forward and provide support to these families. Any further delay in distributing these benefits is a disservice to the brave men and women who have served our country." Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) said: "VA and OMB must fulfill their duty to implement this law and provide timely assistance to families and other caregivers of veterans who have served this nation bravely. These caregivers have sacrificed so much for so long, and they deserve the full support of the nation their loved ones risked everything to serve." The full text of the Senators' letter follows: February 07, 2011 The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki Secretary of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20420 The Honorable Jacob J. Lew Director Office of Management and Budget 725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503 Dear Secretary Shinseki and Director Lew: We are writing regarding the status of the family caregivers program mandated by the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, Public Law 111-163, which was enacted on May 5, 2010. To date, implementation of this program is significantly behind the schedule required by law. The statutory deadline for the full implementation of this program was January 30, 2011, yet not even an initial plan has been completed to this point. We are troubled by this apparent inaction. Among the critically needed benefits and services that are being withheld from family caregivers are instruction and training in the provision of care, respite care, technical assistance, counseling, and a living stipend for those who must give up their jobs or work limited hours to provide care to their loved one. This law also requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a plan for the implementation of the family caregiver program. That report was due to the Committee 180 days after the enactment of the law, which was November 1, 2010. At this point, the report is more than three months late. We also note that the National Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 111-383, tied the Department of Defense's stipend for caregiver services to the amounts of the caregiver stipend to be developed under Public Law 111-163. As a result, any further delay in implementing the caregiver program hinders the implementation of the Defense Department's program as well. We know you share our view that very seriously injured veterans and servicemembers should not be made to suffer by being denied care essential to daily living. Indeed, we noted the commitments made in the President's most recent State of the Union address, and his comments on the recent release of the report on services for military families, which seem to support prompt assistance to those who have served the nation. The caregivers program is one of the most important ways to assist the families of our servicemembers and veterans and we ask for the immediate completion of any further work so that efforts to implement this program can proceed. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Roger Wicker (R-MS), James Inhofe (R-OK), Mark Begich (D-AK), John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Scott P. Brown (R-MA), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) iraq the huffington post julia steers al mada iraqhurr.org alsumaria tv amnesty international the los angeles times ned parker human rights watch zawya kholod al-ziyadi the los angeles times tony perry reuters dan whitcomb

Stop the Patriot Act renewal

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The Unnatural Obsession"

Isaiah sounded the alarm in the comic above. I hope you were paying attention. Tomorrow the vote is scheduled for the Patriot Act.

"Tell Your Representative to Reject the PATRIOT Act Sneak Attack Before Tomorrow's Vote!" (Kevin Bankston, Electronic Frontier Foundation):

Tell your Congressperson to vote NO on the USA PATRIOT Act in tomorrow's vote! The PATRIOT reauthorization bill being fast-tracked to the House floor contains NO reforms to the law, and will be voted upon with NO debate and NO opportunity for amendments to add oversight and accountability. Help stop this sneak attack on your civil liberties: there are only hours left to visit our Action Center and tell your Representative to vote "NO" on H.R. 514, the PATRIOT extension bill.

In late 2009, when PATRIOT reauthorization was originally being considered by Congress, many important PATRIOT reform measures were proposed and debated, and a bill filled with powerful new checks and balances was reported favorably out of the House Judiciary Committee. But, as Congress ran up against the renewal deadline, it decided that there was not enough time to fully consider those reforms. So, in February 2010, Congress instead extended the "sunsetting" sections of the law until the end of this February, with a promise to fully consider the issues before the next deadline.

I can remember when it passed originally. People were outraged. Groups -- like the Bill of Rights Defense Committee -- formed. People went community to community pressing their cities to pass acts against the Patriot Act. C.I. helped on some of that.

Well the BORDC did send out an e-mail tonight . . . about one of their own appearing on Al Jazeera. Nothing about the Patriot Act.

How telling. How sad.

Don't be someone who only cares when it's easy to. Make your voice heard tomorrow.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Monday, February 7, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, the Iraqi Parliament and Nouri mouth a lot of pretty words over the weekend but apparently meant very few, protests alarm and worry the government, the US government seems to think it has money to waste in propping up Nouri's puppet government, and more. Asked what Barack Obama plans to cut in the budget by Renee Montagne today on Morning Edition (NPR), Cokie Roberts observed, "Well we had a little hint yesterday when his budget director Jack Lew had an op-ed in the New York Times which was titled 'The Easy Cuts are Behind Us,' But he said the administration is ready to cut some things like community services which was near and dear to the president's heart as a former community organizer. That they would cut $350 million out of that, that they would cut a $125 million out of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and another $300 million out of the community development bloc grants. Now, Renee, I remember the community development bloc grants being on the chopping block back in 1981, thirty years ago when President Reagan was there and they're still with us because the president caught then a lot of flack from mayors and other local officers and, uhm, and so these are not cuts that are easy to make and even if they were they would still just be chicken feed in terms of cutting the deficit. And Lew said that in his op-ed. So it's going to be a big fight ahead." And yet the federal government wants to drastically increase the budget of the US State Dept. For Fiscal Year 2010, the State Dept budget was $16,389 billion, as noted in [PDF format warning] "The Budget In Brief Fiscal Year 2010." Of that $16,389 billon, "[a]pproximately $1.7 billion of the request is required to support the Department's activities in Iraq, previously funded through supplemental appropriations." From the report: The Department requires a total of $1.715 billion to maintain operations at the U.S. Mission in Iraq. These funds will support basic mission operations, logistic support, information technology, the sustained operation of up to 27 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and overall security requirements. Funding will enable the U.S. Mission to continue to work toward the strategic goal of a unified, democratic Iraq that can govern, defend and sustain itself. The request moves to end the practice of funding these operations through supplemental appropriations, thereby normalizing the budget process. If money is to be cut, the most obvious place to cut would be the unneeded programs. "Unneeded" would include militarizing the State Dept. Don't look for Jack [Jacob] Lew to suggest that since he doesn't even know how much money the State Dept is asking for re: Iraq. Since he's the Deputy Secretary of State, he should know the money. Of course, he may know the amount and may just be lying. So whichever he sees as more flattering: ignorant or lying. Last Tuesday he gave a press breifing in DC (click here for text and video) and declared, "In the FY 2010 supplemental, funding for Iraq is necessary to assure that these time-sensitive investments proceed on schedule. The 2011 funding for Iraq is $2.5 billion. The programs in Iraq will include police training, rule-of-law programs, and a transition from the current military footprint to a more diplomatic and development presence." $2.5 billion? He declared that Tuesday afternoon. Yet, that morning, in Tuesday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, US Ambassador to Iraq declared 2011 would be 3 to 3.5 billion dollars. One might think that possibly Jack Lew found a way to save one billion dollars in a single afternoon. However, Ambassador James Jeffrey also appeared before Thursday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing and he was using the same figures Thursday that he had used Tuesday. So who is speaking for the State Dept and why is the department unable to speak in one voice on this issue? And why are we pretending the State Dept needs to spend money in Iraq -- anymore money than they spend for an embassy in England, France or Jordan? Let's remember this: A Stable and Democratic Iraq. Now that coalition military forces have ousted Saddam Hussein's regime, the United States will work side-by-side with the Iraqi people to build a free, democratic, and stable Iraq that does not threaten its people or its neighbors. Our goals are for Iraqis to take full control of their country as soon as possible and to maintain its territorial integrity. We will assist the Iraqi people in their efforts to adopt a new constitution, hold elections, and build a legitimate government based on the consent of the governed and respect for the human rights of all Iraqis. We will remain in Iraq as long as necessary, but not one day longer. That was the State Dept's Mission Statement issued in 2004. Where is the necessary? Do you really think the Iraqis need the US government to burp, wipe bottoms and change diapers? Iraq's now got a Constitution. They've had elections. Hasn't "as long as necessary, but not one day longer" arrived and then some? Especially when the US is in the midst of a recession? Now the senile and sexist Alan Simpson can go on CNN yesterday (link has video) and, in between discussing his apparently green penis ("Anybody giving you anything different than that, you want to walk out the door, stick your finger down your throat, and give them the green weenie."), demand that cuts be made to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and defense" and the defense industry will resist and protect itself by circling the wagons and preaching paranoia. Libertarian Nick Gillespie (Reason) is the only one noting that Simpson mentioned gutting foreign aid and that he's saying there should have been a tax (should be one now?) on the Iraq War. Gillespie notes, "Well, he's right that the actual folks fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and the people who live in those misbegotten nations too) are the only ones who have sacrificed. The real point, though, is that we don't need to be sacrificing anybody or anything there. We need to get out, sooner rather than later." That should include saying "NO!" very loudly to giving the State Dept monies to train Iraqi security forces, etc. And while the US government can find money for propping up Nouri, they've never been willing to invest even a fraction of that into aiding Iraqi refugees. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) reports on refugees being forcibly returned to Iraq from European countries: Refugee officials say those flown back from Sweden to Baghdad include Christians from Mosul, where the religious minority has been specifically targeted over the last year. Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden have each signed bilateral agreements with the Iraqi government to return failed asylum seekers, says Umran Riza, the United Nations' top refugee official in Jordan, where hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have sought temporary refuge. "We've advised these governments to still be cautious about it and we consider it the wrong message to be sending at this time where there is still a great deal of insecurity," he said in a recent interview with the Monitor. The UN automatically considers any Iraqi from central Iraq to be at enough potential risk to be automatically considered a refugee – a position not shared by the Iraqi or many European governments. Unrest in Egypt has dominated the news cycles for days and days. Abigail R. Esman (Forbes) ponders the issue of whether "democracy" will come to Egypt and points out: Five years ago, when a friend was struggling to arrange asylum for a young Iraqi refugee, she ran up against continuing refusal by the US government to open its doors to any of the four million Iraqis displaced by the war in Iraq, many running for their lives simply because they had assisted American journalists or soldiers. "Iraq is a democracy now," US officials said. "She doesn't need asylum here." If what we saw in Iraq five years ago is what "democracy" really means, then I have, indeed, no doubt: we'll be seeing democracy in Egypt. But I don't believe it is. Over the weekend, Nizar Latif (The National) reported, "Protesters who stormed government buildings and a police station in a small, poor southern Iraqi town on Thursday continued their demonstrations yesterday, despite a crackdown by security forces." You can refer to Thursday and Friday's snapshots for more on the Diwaniya protests. Saturday, Alsumaria TV reported, "Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on Friday in protest against unemployment, freedom restrictions and other demands. Demonstrators waving the photo of late Argentinean revolutionary leader Che Guevara said they had no one to represent them in Iraq. Iraqi demonstrators urged to change the policies in Iraq and accused Parliament of shortcoming." Al Rafidayn noted that they marched on Muntanabi Street, activist, young people and intellectuals, demanding improved services. Al Rafidayn reported Sunday that approximately 250 people demonstrated in Baghad over the continued problems with basic services with some protesters carrying a coffin upon which the term "services" was written and demonstrations took place in Basra. On the Basra protest, the paper quoted a protester who states, "My children and I depend entirely on food rations and will die without them. " The man is a construction worker who gets temporary jobs and he wonders, since they have been unable to afford kerosene, if the government wants his family to burn each other to stay warm? Ramdi and Mosul also saw demonstrations Sunday according to Al Rafidayn. Xinhua reports the Baghdad protest had 3,000 participants. Al Mada notes that the Basra protests demanded that the provincial governor resign. The UK Morning Star quotes professor Nidal al-Sarmad speaking at the protest Sunday in Basra, "The people feel they have been deceived, they are frustrated. The change the Americans brought has brought us a new set of thieves, a new set of dictators, not justice and freedom." Al Mada also features an essay which notes protests in Falluja as well and stresses that these protests are not an attempt to "imitate" either Egypt or Tunisia, that this is the Iraqi people -- with their proud heritage -- demanding that basic services be provided and demanding that the "cake" stop being eaten by politicans while the people starve. Salar Jaff and Raheem Salman (Los Angeles Times) added that MP Abbas Bayati declared Saturday that the Parliament "will also enact a law that guarantees equilibrium between the salaries of officials and ordinary Iraqis. The current circumstances are pushing us to descrease expenses and salaries, and spend them on the low income classes." Pushing? The Parliament's not held sessions during the recent holiday and only sprung back into them last week. Last week has seen a lot of words but not a lot of action. And words versus actions? After airing words of salary cuts, Al Mada reports today, there is a split in the Iraqi National Alliance on this issue and that it was said they would not be voting on the issue of salary reduction. Al Mada notes they were not the only political bloc in Parliament objecting to cutting their own salaries and allowances. Of course no one does easy, meaningless words like Nouri. Saturday, his words included the announcement that he wouldn't seek a third term. His spokesperson discussed the 'decision' and Nouri himself announced the decision to Sammy Ketz of AFP in an interview. Ketz reported him stating he won't seek a third term, that 8 years is enough and that he supports a measure to the Constitution limiting prime ministers to two terms. Well Jalal Talabani declared he wouldn't seek a second term as President of Iraq in an interview and then . . . took a second term. Point, if you're speaking to a single journalist, it really doesn't seem to matter what you say. Did Nouri announce his decision to the people? No, Iraqhurr.org is quite clear that an advisor made an announcement and that Malliki made no "public statement" today. In other words, a statement in an interview is the US political equivalent of "I have no plans to run for the presidency" uttered more than two years before a presidential election. That's Iraqi politicians in general. Nouri? This is the man who's never kept a promise and who is still denying the existence of secret prisons in Iraq. Deyaar Bamami (Iraqhurr.org) notes the Human Rights Watch report on the secret prisons and that they are run by forces Nouri commands. And Nouri couldn't even make it 24 hours with his latest 'big promise.' Sunday, Ben Lando and Munaf Ammar (Wall St. Journal) reported that Nouri's spokesperson, Ali al-Mousawi, declared today, "We would like to correct this article. Maliki said, 'I think that the period of eight years is adequate for the application of a successful program to the prime minister, and if he is not successful, he must vacate his place'." Of course he's not announcing that. He's a thug. His previous four year term was an utter failure. That's not speculation, that's not opinion. He agreed to the benchmarks that the White House set. He was supposed to achieve those in 2007. Those benchmarks, supposedly, were what would determine whether or not the US tax payer continued to foot the bill for the illegal war. But he didn't meet those benchmarks and apologists rushed forward to pretend like they weren't a year long thing and that, in fact, he had 2008 as well. Well 2008 came and went and the benchmarks were still not met. Nor were they in 2009. Nor were they in his last year in 2010. That's failure. When you agree you will meet certain things -- such as resolving the Kirkuk issue -- and you do not, you are a failure. Not only did he fail at the benchmarks, he failed in providing Iraqis with basic services. He failed in providing them with security. There is no grading system by which Nouri can be seen as a success. But just as he will not admit to or own his failures from his first term as prime minister, do not expect to own or admit to his failures in his second term. In other words, Little Saddam wants to be around, and heading the Iraqi government, for a long, long time. In other Nouri news, Al Mada reports that there are rumors of a reshuffling on Nouri's Cabinet in the next few months. Nabil al-Haidari (Iraqhurr.org) reports that efforts are now underweigh to provide the ration card system with actual rations the way they once were (US pressure has repeatedly led to more and more items being dropped from the rations system) and Nouri and his cabinet promised Friday that provinces will not experience shortages of what is currently offered. (No more will they experience shortages, that's the promise. A Nouri promise so refer to earlier for what that actually means.) Al Mada reports that Parliament wants an investgiation into the police interaction with protestors in Diwaniya (they shot at them). Al Sabaah notes that the Wafaa Amer Council has issued a call for Baghdad to train the country's security forces on how to interact with protestors. Regardless of how serious the words are, they indicate grave concern over the protests that have been taking place in Iraq especially when put in context with the other protests in the region. Meanwhile Nouri is called out for still not naming a Minister of Security with many worrying that armed militias will once again call the shots in the streets. And there is still no National Council -- the body Nouri promised to end the political stalemate, the one that is supposed to be headed by Ayad Allawi. (Anthony Shadid has a lengthy feature article profiling Allawi in the New York Times Sunday Magazine.) Al Rafidayn notes the upcoming meeting between Nouri and Allawi is said to be "crucial" for Iraq's future and survival. Al Mada notes that Allawi released a statement Sunday declaring his belief that the National Council will be created and that it's creation does not conflict with the Constitution. The statement comes one day after Alsumaria TV reported that Allawi was asking KRG President Massoud Barazani to intervene on this issue. Alsumaria TV reports today, "Al Iraqiya List cashed in on the lack of services issue brought to light recently in Iraq to pick holes in the new government which they are still reluctant to take part into. In a meeting with his bloc, Al Iraqiya leader Iyad Allawi stressed the necessity for the Iraqi government to take drastic measures in order to resolve the services shortage in the country." Today's reported violence? Reuters notes a Taji roadside bombing which left two people injured, a Baquba roadside bombing which left three people wounded, a Mosul roadside bombing which left two police officers injured, 2 Iskandairya roadside bombings which claimed the lives of 1 Iraqi military officer and 1 woman, a Baghdad roadside bombing which wounded four people (two were Iraqi soldiers) and another Baghdad roadside boming which left two people wounded. Among the many targeted groups in 'democratic' Iraq have been women. Manal Omar is the author of Barefoot in Baghdad: A Story of Identity -- My Own and What it Means to be a Woman in Chaos. At the University of Southern California, she spoke with Professor Najeeba Syeed-Miller about what she found in Iraq -- here for part one, here for part two. Excerpt from part one. Manal Omar: Amazing, powerful Iraqi women were on the ground. And there's always been a tradition of very strong women in Iraq. I mean, Iraq, like many other things in terms that they were the lead in the region on health care, they were the lead in the region on education and they were the lead on women's rights. The Iraqi Personal Status Law which deals with inheritance and divorce and marriage was one of the strongest laws since 1958. You know, Iraqi women had the right to vote since 1980. A lot of their neighboring countries still don't have that right. So when I came in, you find these really strong, older women who have been working on Iraq -- on rights for a long time. I say older because one grandmother, an Iraqi grandmother, told me 'Iraq is one of those countries where you've actually had to watch generation after generation get worse.' And you know, every grandmother's dream is to see her granddaughter have opportunity to do more than she did. Whereas you'll find in Iraq, the grandmothers who have traveled, who have higher education. You'll find the mother who maybe has a BA but has traveled only to neighboring countries. And the granddaughter who's only finished high school -- if she's lucky -- and never left her area. And that's because of sanctions and the Iran - Iraq War and these other wars. So by the time you got into Iraq, you saw this huge discrephancy between the younger generation and the older generation. And the older generation is where I started forging the allies. A lot of these women that I mentioned in the book, as they become exposed, some of them were participants. So people who were part of the program, as they became exposed to the program, the way that they just started leaping forward -- something that we would plant, they would, you know, start trail blazing in their own way what was important. And other women like Khanim who runs a women's shelter in the north of Iraq, in the Kurdish area, was really very much taking huge risk in providing shelter and support for Iraqi women all across the country. And she did it in a way that I think is very unique in the region itself which is that she didn't just provide protection to women, but she actually would capture all their stories. So, for example, women who were, you know, violence against women or under 'honor' crimes were killed, she had a deal with the hospitals where they would usually call her before they called the police. And she would come to the morgues and she would actually take pictures of the burn victims and all these corpses. And the next time, which is the third component of her work -- So she had this research component -- was when she started campaigning and advocating with decision makers about it, their first response, as we all know, is 'This never happens. This is exaggeration. This is a western ploy' She would show them the pictures. And she would always say that would make everyone automatically quiet because she was able to show them proof. And she also worked within the community. And she always emphasized this isn't part of the culture, this isn't part of the religion. She provided a safe space where people didn't have to be on the defensive and was saying, "This isn't normal in our society. We have to fight it." Barefoot in Baghdad: A Story of Identity -- My Own and What it Means to be a Woman in Chaos. documents the lives of many Iraqi women and girls. Kalthoum is a young girl, not yet an adult, that Manal Omar attempted to help. She's already been forced into a marriage at 13, then into prostitution. From the book: I called several Iraqi women's organizations for information, as I knew they would be the only people to tell me the truth about her situation. They all confirmed my worse fears: her return to her family would be a death sentence. Yet Kalthoum was fully aware of this. In her heart of hearts, she seemed to believe it to be a reasonable sentence. Over the span of a few days, Kalthoum had developed a strong sense of the cosmic powers of karma, and she begged me to allow her to pay her dues to her family so that her suffering would end. She explained to me repeatedly that her live was over and that the decisions she had made had left little room for her to start over. However, she had four unmarried sisters at home. Her scandal had reached the tribe. Before, she believed that people would think she had been kidnapped or killed, and there would be no way to confirm she had abandoned her husband and broken the family honor. Now it was confirmed. If she were to go back to her family and face her sentence, then honor would be restored. If she were to run away, then her four unmarried sisters would pay the price. They would be shunned by society and would never marry because of their sister's tarnished reputation. Worse yet, she argued, they would be forced into unsuitable marriages as a third or fourth wife. Her mistakes were hers alone, and Kalthoum wanted to be able to face them directly. She smiled at me and explained that she had been given choices in her life, and she had made the wrong ones. Now it was time for her to pay for her poor choices. Kalthoum was only sixteen. That was the lone thought that went directly rhough my mind as she pleaded with me to help her get back to her family. What life was this girl talking about? What choices? Was she really given a choice when she was married off? Or tricked into prostitution? Was her family really given a choice, fighting to survive war after war and a decade of international sanctions? I shook my head. I knew that the final decision would rest in my hands. For God's sake, how was I supposed to make such a judgment call? Whatever I would decide would mean life or death for Kalthoum and a string of unpredictable consequences for her sisters. Only in a war zone would a twenty-eight-year-old have so much power. Turning to the US, last week came the news that home foreclosures were increasing among veterans and that 15.2% was the unemployment rate for young Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following on Friday: (Washington, D.C.) -- Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), released the following statement after the Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate for veterans rose to 9.9% overall, and 15.2% for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This is a very disappointing report that demonstrates clearly the need for us to move quickly to help our nation's veterans find jobs. "We all know that veterans going from the battlefield to the working world face a unique set of challenges. And as we see with today's numbers, far too many of our veterans coming home from overseas are having trouble finding work in this tough economic climate. "Our veterans have the skills, determination, discipline and talent to succeed in the workplace, but despite learning a wide range of technical and leadership skills through their service, they often find it difficult to transfer these skills to civilian professions. And all too often, they fall through the cracks of existing employment assistance programs or do not qualify for their services. "So I am going to keep working to pass legislation to help our veterans find jobs. Because no veteran should come home from serving their country and not be able find work that would allow them to support themselves and their families." Last Congress, Senator Murray introduced the Veterans' Employment Act of 2010, which was the first comprehensive approach to address skyrocketing unemployment rates among veterans, especially those returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill included a number of proposals that improve training, skills translation, education, and small business assistance. Murray plans to introduce similar legislation in the near future. Patty Murray is the new Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Hal Bernton (Seattle Times) points out she's the first woman to chair the Committee and that "[t]he last time a Washington senator chaired a full committee was in the early 1980s, when Sen. Warren Magnuson chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen. Henry Jackson led the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee." On the subject of veterans, we'll note this upcoming Iraq Veterans Against the War event: February 25, 2011 9:30 - 10:30 am Busboys & Poets, Langston room 14th & V st NW Washington DC This report back will be to answer questions from media and the peace movement about the recent trip back to Iraq by members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The war is not over but it is not the same as it was in years past. What is the humanitarian situation in Iraq? How can we do reparations and reconciliation work? Speakers are all returning from this delegation and include: Geoff Millard (IVAW) Hart Viges (IVAW) Haider Al-Saedy (Iraqi Health Now) Richard Rowely (Big Noise Films) And next month, A.N.S.W.E.R. and March Forward! and others will be taking part in this action: March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Iraq today remains occupied by 50,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries. The war in Afghanistan is raging. The U.S. is invading and bombing Pakistan. The U.S. is financing endless atrocities against the people of Palestine, relentlessly threatening Iran and bringing Korea to the brink of a new war. While the United States will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011, 30 million people in the United States remain unemployed or severely underemployed, and cuts in education, housing and healthcare are imposing a huge toll on the people. Actions of civil resistance are spreading. On Dec. 16, 2010, a veterans-led civil resistance at the White House played an important role in bringing the anti-war movement from protest to resistance. Enduring hours of heavy snow, 131 veterans and other anti-war activists lined the White House fence and were arrested. Some of those arrested will be going to trial, which will be scheduled soon in Washington, D.C. Saturday, March 19, 2011, the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, will be an international day of action against the war machine. Protest and resistance actions will take place in cities and towns across the United States. Scores of organizations are coming together. Demonstrations are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more. Click this link to endorse the March 19, 2011, Call to Action. iraq npr morning edition renee montagne the christian science monitor jane arraf the national nizar latif alsumaria tv the los angeles times salar jaff raheem salman afp sammy ketz iraqhurr.org deyaar bemami nabil al-haidanri al sabaah al mada the wall street journal ben lando munaf ammar xinhua alsumaria tv the new york times anthony shadid al rafidayn iraqhurr.org nazim yasin alsumaria tv cnn mohammed tawfeeq

The beggar media

"A ship is safe in harbor but that is not where a ship is meant to be" (Liam Madden, Iraq Veterans Against the War):

On behalf of the nine IVAW members who made it to Key Largo, Florida for an unforgettable sailing expedition, I submit to the curious and adventurous among us a brief recap.

It started on an awkward foot, I announced to the entire membership that the trip offered by Outward Bound was free and had 20 positions available. Then I had the far from enviable task of informing many of the people whom I respect and hold dear that Outward Bound revised its offer and we would need to pay $375 and only 10 of us could go.

Fortunately, the trip recovered, and on January 8^th nine veterans and two civilian instructors went underway for six days that replenished our spirits, tanned our bodies and imprinted our lives. Many of us were afraid of forced sing alongs and contrived talks about our “feelings.” Instead, those with reservations were astonished with Outward Bound’s extraordinary ability to allow us to create our own culture while borrowing from their rich tradition.

If I could bottle a day it would pop like champagne with laughter, the ocean’s beauty and community. On the first day we were welcomed by a pod of dolphins playing underneath and around our vessel. Our instructors informed us that it was our duty to name the boat before the trip was over. In honor of one of the most underrated party foods ever served, and a serendipitous mis-hearing of Jeff Key’s suggestion, “Devil Dove”, we christened her the “Deviled Egg.”

It starts off as prose and quickly (after the excerpt) turns into poetry so make a point to read it. IVAW has an event upcoming Iraq Veterans Against the War event: and I need to join with C.I. in doing my part to promote it:

February 25, 2011 9:30 - 10:30 am

Busboys & Poets, Langston room

14th & V st NW Washington DC

This report back will be to answer questions from media and the peace movement about the recent trip back to Iraq by members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The war is not over but it is not the same as it was in years past. What is the humanitarian situation in Iraq?

How can we do reparations and reconciliation work?

Speakers are all returning from this delegation and include:

Geoff Millard (IVAW) Hart Viges (IVAW) Haider Al-Saedy (Iraqi Health Now)
Richard Rowely (Big Noise Films)

That's this month. C.I.'s been noting it regularly and does so again in today's snapshot. She was hoping to note an interview Geoff Millard gave on the event but the radio program and host are repugnant.

It's a shame that Geoff can't say, "Oh, and we're going to Egypt too!" If he said that, you can be sure Democracy Now! and a variety of Pacifica Radio programs would open up to him. Instead, it's nothing but silence.

You really need to ask why that is and why we want to pretend in the US that we have an independent media that serves us?

I'm tired of pretending. I saw that in the 70s. Saw all the we'll-change-the-world begging for money by Panhandle Media turn into nothing but 'we'll create our own offices and pay and make sure that our ends are protected.' I saw them sell out a genuine peace movement to elect the pathetic and embarrassing Jimmy Carter (whose administration is responsible for the Taliban). I saw these pathetic independent media 'leaders' stay silent as their 'hero' Jimmy Carter reintroduced registration for the draft.

Do you not get how repugnant that was?

I saw them whore for Jimmy and swear that war resisters would be allowed back in the US without threat of prison. But the reality was that Gerald Ford's weak-ass program at least included war resisters (those who left the military) while all Carter would do is provide clemency for those who avoided the draft. Not a damn thing for those who left the service.

Jimmy Carter was Barack Obama.

Nothing changes but the faces and they reshuffle the names.

That's why I refused to give a cent to the so-called independent media. I knew they'd show their true colors soon enough and wasn't at all surprised as they dropped Iraq like a hot potato.

They've continued to run from the ongoing illegal war and that's why IVAW's upcoming event has received so little attention from our beggar media.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Friday, February 4, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, the US State Dept puts more financial burdens on state and local communities, troops continue to deploy to the (ongoing) Iraq War, despite being fired upon yesterday the protesters in Diwaniya continue to take to the streets, the US Congress allows the administration to intimidate them, and more. Cache Valley Daily reports 33 members of Utah's National Guard are deploying to the ongoing war in Iraq while Ray Arzate (CBS Atlanta) reports on a send-off ceremony for 60 members of Georgia's National Guard yesterday as they prepare to deploy to Iraq. Iraq Veterans Against the War's Geoff Millard is going back to Iraq and hopefully he'll be invited to discuss that on a radio program we can link to. He discusses the demilitarized IVAW Super Bowl with Dave Zirin on Zirin's Edge of Sports radio program (last weekly broadcast for January). I don't care for Zirin but I can link to his show without any self-hatred. The same is not true for a program that IVAW friends asked me to link to. A) I know Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan and I'm offended with any show that attempts to use Michael or his illness to press their own political agenda. I find that grossly offensive. If you have a guess as to how someone catches Parkinson, find a way to discuss it without insulting someone suffering from the disease. 2) I do not call for an end to sexist skin mags. I believe in free speech which does include the right to publish many things offensive. However, I also believe that the left needs to have some standards. If you would not publish in a racist magazine (and no one on the left should), you should not publish in a sexist magazine. (To be clear, we're not referring to Playboy or Penthouse but to the gutter trash that demonizes women's bodies and encourages mutiliation of women's bodies -- and I'm not referring to mutilation via implants.) I'm not in the mood to link to interviews with 'authors' who publish in those magazines or hear their 'jokes' about how, sadly, their articles in those sexist and dehumanizing magazines do not also feature the pictures found in the rest of the magazine. (Yes, I suffered through some of that damn program.) I'm not interested in hearing how a piece of trash is wonderful because he supports the First Amendment. Bob Barr made the last ten years about supporting the First Amenmdent (I'm not calling Barr a piece of trash) and I've yet to hear these same lefty sources take to praising Barr. The host of that program is a frightmare and that's why he's no longer on radio. For those and so many more reasons, and my inability to join in the trashing and dehumanizing of my own gender, I cannot and will not link to or transcribe that interview. (I also didn't hear Geoff's remarks or any of his segment, I gave the broadcast to the count of three -- the host and the first guest -- and then said, "No way.") Geoff's returning to Iraq and that's an important story but I would not link to praise or excuses for racism or praise or excuses for homophobia and I will not link to praise or excuses for sexism. Again, I don't care for Dave Zirin -- to put it mildly -- but can link to his program (Edge of Sports) with no self loathing. I cannot do the same with regards to the other audio program. I have promised to promote this upcoming Iraq Veterans Against the War event: February 25, 2011 9:30 - 10:30 am Busboys & Poets, Langston room 14th & V st NW Washington DC This report back will be to answer questions from media and the peace movement about the recent trip back to Iraq by members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The war is not over but it is not the same as it was in years past. What is the humanitarian situation in Iraq? How can we do reparations and reconciliation work? Speakers are all returning from this delegation and include: Geoff Millard (IVAW) Hart Viges (IVAW) Haider Al-Saedy (Iraqi Health Now) Richard Rowely (Big Noise Films) And I would argue the commentary above does more to do that than would a transcript from the audio program in question. Hart Viges shares his thoughts on the upcoming visit here (it's two paragraphs or we'd excerpt from it). Let's stay on the topic of veterans, Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) reports that many veterans who mistakenly put their trust in "special government-backed mortgages," such as DoD's Homeowner's Assistance Program, have seen their homes taken away from them in foreclosures. In related news, Rick Maze (Army Times) reports that the US Labor Department released unemployment figures today and the unemployment "rate for veterans climbed to 9.9 percent, up from 8.3 percent the previous month. For Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans, the unemployment rate for January was 15.2 percent. This is a sharp increase from 9.4 percent in November and 11.7 percent in December, a clear trend of worsening job market for younger veterans, many of them combat veterans." And there are more veterans from the wars each day because they are ongoing wars as noted in yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. The hearing was covered in yesterday's snapshot, Kat covered it in "John McCain, Kelly Ayotte and Jim Webb," Wally covered it at Rebecca's site with "It's a bi-partisan hole (Wally)" and Ava covered it at Trina's site with "In appreciation of Lindsey Graham (Ava)." John T. Bennett (The Hill) reports on the hearing and the rush by so many to continue the US 'mission.' Let's get honest about what took place yesterday, a lot of people not wanting to be responsible if the civilian mishaps that might take place. Anna Mulrine (Christian Science Monitor) adds, "At the same time, in the face of ongoing instability on the ground, officials offered one of the first hints that the American military could stay in Iraq beyond this year. US troops must pull out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011 under the current security agreement." Jason Ditz (Antiwar.com) points out, "Which goes against the official position of the administration, that every last soldier will be out of Iraq by the end of December as per the Status of Forces Agreement. Given the Obama Administration's penchant for false promises and abortive "ends" to the Iraq War, it's perhaps no surprise that even the SOFA deadline is at risk." Don't want the mishaps (read "deaths" and "injuries")? Get the US out of Iraq. It's not that damn difficult. But, as Wally noted, the Iraq War is a bi-partisan hole that both are eager to dig. Bennett tells you that John Kerry (never trust a man who choses his career over a sick wife -- as we should have all learned from the John and Elizabeth Edwards saga) wants to start "a stand-alone funding bill to pay for civilian-led Iraq functions." Really? So off the books again, supplementals. Exactly what John Kerry and others condemned Bush for. Apparently, for Democrats in Congress, the real problem from 2001 through 2008 with the wars wasn't the wars but that their fellow wasn't the one making the calls. Today they rush to continue the wars -- overtly (hopes of an extension of the SOFA or a new treaty that will allow US forces, under the Defense Dept, to remain on Iraqi soil) or covertly (transferring the forces over to the State Dept -- a word trickery allowed in the agreements). The Iraq War never should have started but Bush knew the minor objection from Democrats in Congress would vanish the minute troops were on the ground and that the bulk of them would refuse to oppose funding his illegal war out of fear that they would be demonized if something went wrong. It's Barack's war now and he too knows the score. He insists US forces are staying, one way or the other, and despite the Great Recession the US is still experiencing, he's confident that Congress will waste billions on continuing the war out of fear that, if they don't, they will be blamed for any attacks. "THE US EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD WAS INVADED TODAY AND UNKNOWN ASSAILANTS -- THOUGHT TO BE LINKED TO AL QAEDA IN MESOPOTAMIA -- QUICKLY SHOT AND BEHEADED EMBASSY STAFF!" The Congress fears that such an attack -- or one on any scale -- would lead to them being blamed because they didn't provide enough tax payer money to the continued war. The way to avoid such an attack, or any at all, is to demand that the US leaves Iraq. But that requires bravery and you don't find a great deal of that from career politicians. So the State Dept will most likely get every cent that Barack wants it to have barring riots in US streets. David Boaz of the libertarian Cato Institute observes: We're spending $2 billion a year now on State Department operations in Iraq alone, and we intend to spend $1 billion a year on construction for some years to come. That's some withdrawal! I know that when Sen. Barack Obama asked to be entrusted with the presidency by repeatedly saying, "I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home," he only said "troops." But I can't believe that the voters who heard him anticipated leaving thousands of Americans and spending billions of dollars in Iraq for many years. If members of Congress are looking for ways to cut a trillion-dollar deficit, they might look at our construction and employment and nation-building plans in Iraq. And instead of aiding state and local communities, to continue the Iraq War, the State Dept is looking to rob state and local communities. Because the US tax payer hasn't given enough to the illegal war, the US State Dept now wants to raid local and state police forces. Yesterday, they posted the following: The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs met last week with local and state law enforcement offices, as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, to discuss opportunities available within the Iraq Police Development Program beginning this fall. The bureau is seeking to recruit both active and retired U.S. law enforcement officers as the U.S. Department of State builds a team of senior level and expert advisors to serve one-year missions in Iraq. Beginning October 1, 2011, U.S. Department of State, through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, will assume full responsibility for the development of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior's police and border forces while continuing strong support of professional development in the corrections and justice sectors. Under Department of State leadership, the Police Development Program will partner with the Government of Iraq in developing management, leadership and technical skills to support the rule of law and maintain Iraq's internal security. Experienced U.S. police officers have the opportunity to contribute to this large, post-conflict police development mission, partnering with Iraqi ministers, commanders, and police chiefs who will have impact on the future of the Iraqi police service. Through the Police Development Program, the Department of State is contributing to the broader goal of promoting security, stability, and respect for the rule of law in Iraq. While appearing before Congress currently (via Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey) to ask for the biggest budget in State Dept history, they now also want to poach trained police officers which will add to the costs for states and municipalities who will have to hire and train new officers instead of retaining current ones. Today in Iraq, a plane went down. Al Rafidayn reports the crash claimed the lives of 7 people and is being blamed by some on "bad weather conditions" -- but they also note that the plan "burst into flames" while still in the air -- according to an unnamed airline source and following its takeoff from Sulaimaniya airport which has led the airport director, Taher Abdullah, to blame the crash on "an outbreak of fire" on the plane. CNN adds that it was a private airplane and Sulaimaniya "is the second largest city in Iraq's Kurdish region." Technical issues and/or including a fire would explain why airport official Hadi Amer tells AFP that the plane "turned back to try to return to the airport" prior to its crash. Iraq is slammed with bombings again. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) notes a Ramadi suicide bombing last night in which the death toll has risen to 5 police officers. Tawfeeq has already updated that to note 9 now dead and twenty-three injured. Alsumaria TV counts 3 Ramadi bombings. Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) observes of Ramadi's Anbar Province, "The vast desert area has been relatively calm for more than three years after Sunni tribes and anti-U.S. insurgent groups turned to cooperate with the U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces against al-Qaida network in Iraq." In addition, Reuters notes "an Anbar University professor and cleric who criticised al Qaeda during prayers last week" saw his Falluja home blown up today and two of his children left injured, a Trikirt bombing of a police officer's home injured him and his teenage son and 1 police officer was shot dead in Falluja. In equally disturbing news, Basra has the polio virus. Al Mada reports that two children have polio, confirmed by the Ministry of Health. No word on whether immunizations are being planned or what efforts will be taken to contain the outbreak. There are entire generations that may not get how serious that is. Others will note the migration in and out of Iraq (not just Iraqis and that includes US citizens) and will remember that the polio vaccine stopped being dispensed in many countries when it was assumed the world had conquered it. Any who remember or studied the previous polio outbreak, however, will find the news very disturbing. Alsumaria TV reports two developments, Nouri al-Maliki has reportedly given Parliament the names to fill three vacant posts in Cabinet (which would leave 7 still needing to be filled for those keeping track). Which three? Minister of Electricity, Trade and the State Ministry for Women Affairs. In addition, Nouri appears to have been check-mated/bluffed by Parliament: "Al Maliki and Parliament Speaker Ousama Al Nujaifi agreed in their meeting on Thursday to have the Supreme Court clarify its ruling to place independent bodies under ministerial and not parliamentary control, the source told Alsumaria News. The clarification should be made through an announcement that confirms the independence of these bodies, the source noted according to Al Maliki and Al Nujaifi." Al Rafidayn reports that clerics used morning prayers today to warn against the instability in Iraq. Iman Soran ABdullah Abdul Rhaman warned that the government must "speed up to serve the people, otherwise the change is coming, revolution." Iman Abdul Sattar al-Janabi warned against "the injustice of the rulers to their poeple". Iman Mohammed al-Juburi delcared that Iraq could see the "spark sweeping other Arab countries as a result of the corrutpion and the political conflict." Dropping back to yesterday's snapshot to note: In Iraq, Ali Abdel Gentlemen (Al Mada) reports, many Iraqis see not the progress Jeffreys spoke of but "a paralysis of government" and more and more and more are taking to the streets to protest "the deterioration of living conditions" which is why leather and textile workers protested in Baghad and Hilla this week and activist Mohammed Salami is quoted stating, "There is daily frustration over the fact that successive political changes have not brought a new [better] level of service." That was earlier this week. Today things were not so peaceful. Suadad al-Salhy (Reuters) reports that the police began shooting at protesters in Diwaniya today (at least three were injured). Approximatley one thousand were out in the streets calling attention to the "shortages of power, water and other services" and they "set tires ablaze, hurled stones and tried to storm the local police station, witnesses said." But Jeffrey wanted to ride yet another wave of Operation Happy Talk while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Al Arabiya Net reports that protests continued today in Diwaniya and that the security forces "shot randomly at hundreds of protesters" (at least 1 was killed and four were left wounded). The protesters are calling for "the removal of al-Hamza head official and for the Iraqi government to provide basic services. In addition to demanding employment, the protesters carried lamps and small sacks of sugar to symbolize their demands for food and electricity. The ration card system includes only ncessary items such as wheat, rice, flour, and the government is mulling to cut the ration food supplies into four items only." Mandy Samira (Iraqhurr.org) reports that yesterday Diwaniya's local government was announcing it had things under control and the protests were over. Obviously, the local government was wrong. As for the violence targting the demonstrations, Samira quotes political analyst Hassan Hashem declaring 80% of the police officer are illiterate and have no concept of basic human rights which makes them willing to shoot at those protesting. Lara Jakes (AP) reports "a stunning statement for Nouri al-Maliki" -- that he is declaring he'll give back half his yearly salary. That's nonsense. Jakes notes it follows the clerics speeches this morning. But even more importantly, Nouri doesn't reveal how much he makes. How is anyone going to check that he's returned a dime let alone half of his salary? The records on his pay aren't open to the public. It was more spin from Nouri. Poverty is nothing new in post-invasion, oil-rich Iraq; however, the numbers of Iraqis living in poverty continues to increase. Ahmed al-Zubaidi (Iraqhurr.org) reports that there are estimated to be 100,000 Iraqis in Baghdad -- just in Baghdad -- who depend upon begging to survive with 95% of those being children. In other news, October 31s, Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad was attacked (approximately 60 people were killed, approximately 60 were injured) touching off the latest wave in the Iraq War of targeting Iraqi Christians. As the wave of violence has continued in Baghdad and Mosul, many Christians in those areas have left their homes for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq or to go to other countries. UPI notes that Abdullah al-Nawfa has told the press "that the rate of Iraq Christians fleeing the country doubled in November and increased again in December after the attacks." In his opening statements at yesterday US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Chair Carl Levin declared, "Finally, an important issue for the government of Iraq remains the security of Christian and other religious minorities. During our visit we met with leaders of Christian communities, which have suffered from suicide attacks, targeted killings, kidnappings and other intimidation by violent extremist forces. These communities live in fear and large numbers of Christians have either fled the country or uprooted to safer regions in northern Iraq. The leaders we met [on his recent trip to Iraq] explained with pride how Iraq has been home to some of the earliest Christian communities and Iraqi Christians do not want to have to leave their country to feel safe. Iraq has a long tradition of religious tolerance. On our visit we urged the government of Iraq to act with urgency to provide the security necessary to preserve these ancient Christian and other religious minority communities and to protect its religious minorities." There is news of some movement on the issue, Catholic Culture reports that Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil "has announced that the regional government has approved his plans to construct a Catholic university and a 100-bed Catholic hospital." He is quoted stating, "The plans we have been developing over the past few months are symbols of hope for the Christian presence in our country. The people arriving here [northern Iraq] from places of violence are receiving the gifts of relative security. They themselves are willing to offer the gift of their services in a region which cannot cope with the demands of an increasing population." Catholic News Agency adds, "Archbishop Warda said in a Feb. 1 interview that a fundraising campaign was necessary before the building work could begin. He expressed hope that the two institutions would open within the next couple years." Though the Diane Rehm Show (NPR) yet again turned their so-called international news hour over to Egypt! Egypt! Egypt!, it was a busy week for news about and out of Iraq. One of this week's stories that Diane and so many others avoided was the release of the Human Rights Watch report on Baghdad's secret prisons. Tuesday, Kelly McEvers (NPR's All Things Considered -- link has text and audio) reported on it: KELLY McEVERS: The latest report by New York-based Human Rights Watch says that a special unit of about 3,000 Iraqi soldiers, known as Brigade 56, or the Baghdad Brigade, is in charge of the secret facility. Human Rights Watch researcher Samer Muscati says this brigade works in partnership with two other brigades. One of which was trained by U.S. Special Forces, and all of which report directly to the prime minister. Muscati says that means they aren't accountable to anyone else. Mr. SAMER MUSCATI (Researcher, Human Rights Watch): When you have these institutions that are operating outside the rule of law, it creates a situation where there's no transparency, where forces are likely to engage in activity that is reprehensible, and there's no way to rein them in. McEVERS: After reviewing government documents and conducting interviews with Iraqi officials, Human Rights Watch found that the Baghdad Brigade transferred these detainees to the newest secret facility in November, just as human rights inspectors were planning a visit. Detainees at the original facility told the L.A. Times that conditions were appalling, that detainees were hung upside down, beaten and given electric shocks to their genitals. Officials say these men are hardcore terrorism suspects. But Muscati says that shouldn't deprive them of all their rights. Mr. MUSCATI: These are fathers, these are sons. These are people who are supposed to be innocent before a court of law. McEVERS: In previous statements, Maliki's office has denied Human Rights Watch's findings, claiming their reports are the work of his political enemies The UK publiciation The Week covers the secret prisons today with a rundown of the basics including: Is there evidence of secret jails in Iraq? Yes, in fact one was disclosed last year, and Maliki promised that the detainees there would be transferred to the Ministry of Justice. Detainees at the original facility -- Camp Honor, in the Green Zone -- told the Los Angeles Times that prisoners there were hung upside down and given electric shocks to their genitals. "The interrogators beat me repeatedly," one former Camp Honor detainee told an investigator, "and told me that they would go to my house and rape my sister if I did not sign a confession, so I did. I did not even know what I was confessing." Is there hope of progress? The reports of abuse suggest that some Iraqi authorities are "behaving in much the same way" as the disgraced government they replaced, says Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director of Human Rights Watch. "The difference now is there are political forces in Iraq that are not at all happy with this kind of thing," he said. "This has sparked outrage, as it should." Staying on the topic of imprisonment but moving to the US, picked Steve Kroft to go after and the real question there is why he's yet to defend Bradley Manning from the hatchet job Nancy A. Youssef did on him -- excuse me, the most recent hatchet job she's done on him. Who is Bradley Manning? Monday April 5th, 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 7th, 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 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." Manning has been convicted in the public square despite the fact that he's been convicted in no state and has made no public statements -- despite any claims otherwise, he has made no public statements. Manning is now at Quantico in Virginia, under military lock and key and still not allowed to speak to the press. Paul Courson (CNN) notes Bradley is a suspect and, "He has not admitted guilt in either incident, his supporters say." He remains imprisoned and the thought of a right to a speedy trial flies out the window. Watler Smolarek (Liberation: Newspaper of the Party of Socialism and Liberation) observes: Bradley Manning, accused of leaking classified materials to Wikileaks, continues to suffer under deplorable conditions at the Quantico military base in Virginia, where he is imprisoned. Although he passed psychiatric evaluations, Manning was recently placed on suicide watch for two days, meaning that he was confined to his cell for 23 hours a day without receiving visitors. Manning faces this new abuse in retaliation for the critical role he allegedly played in exposing some of the criminal actions of U.S. imperialism. He stands accused of leaking the famous "collateral murder" video of an aerial massacre of civilians and reporters by U.S. forces in Iraq as well as 250,000 state department communications. Manning has not committed any crime. If he indeed shed light on the secrets of the U.S. government, he has made a major contribution to the struggle of oppressed people around the world and inside the United States. Progressives and revolutionaries should stand in solidarity with Bradley Manning and demand his immediate release. US House Rep Dennis Kucinich is requesting a visit with Bradley and has released a copy of his letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates requesting the visit: Dear Secretary Gates: I write to request that I be able to visit Private First Class Bradley Manning at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. As you know, I am concerned about reports of his treatment while in custody that describe alarming abuses of his constitutional rights and his physical health. A March 2009 article by surgeon Atul Gawande discusses the effects of solitary confinement on prison inmates and prisoners of war: "Without sustained social interaction, the human brain may become as impaired as one that has incurred a traumatic injury." Studies highlighted that such prisoners, months after being released, revealed severe brain abnormalities mirroring those who had endured significant physical head trauma[1] . Private Manning's guilt or innocence is a question for adjudication and his treatment at Quantico severely undermines the presumption of innocence as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and raises questions as to whether he is truly able to stand trial. His care while in the custody of the Department of Defense is the responsibility of the U.S. Government and as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform it is my duty to conduct effective oversight. Thank you for your attention to this request. I look forward to your prompt reply. AFP reminds, "Amnesty International said late last month that the 23-year-old army private has been held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day in a sparsely furnished cell at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia since July. The group said last month it was worried that the conditions of his detention were "unnecessarily severe and amount to inhumane treatment." Moving over to trial news, Amal Khalaf took the witness stand yesterday in Phoenix. Who? Dropping back to the November 3, 2009 snapshot: In the US, Noor Faleh Almaleki has died. The 20-year-old Iraqi woman was intentionally run over October 20th (see the October 21st snapshot) while she and Amal Edan Khalaf were running errands (the latter is the mother of Noor's boyfriend and she was left injured in the assault). Police suspected Noor's father, Faleh Hassan Almaleki, of the assault and stated the probable motive was that he felt Noor had become "too westernized." As noted in the October 30th snapshot, Faleh Hassan Almaleki was finally arrested after going on the lamb -- first to Mexico, then flying to London where British authorities refused him entry and he was sent back to the US and arrested in Atlanta. Karan Olson and CNN note that the judge has set the man's bail at $5 million. Philippe Naughton (Times of London) adds, "Noor died yesterday, having failed to recover consciousness after the attack. The other woman, Amal Khalaf, was also seriously injured but is expected to survive. " Edecio Martinez (CBS News) reports Wednesday the trial heard from police detective Christopher Boughey who stated that Faleh Almaleki deliberately ran over his daughter. Lisa Halverstadt (Arizona Republic) reports Amal Khalaf testified yesterday that she screamed and threw her hands up in the air pleading for Faleh Hassan al-Maleki to stop the car when he hit her with his car before turning it to run down his daughter. Paul Rubin (Phoenix New Times) reports: She described how an irate Faleh Almaleki and his wife came by her home one night to try to convince Noor to return to the fold, with Mrs. Almaleki entering the residence through a window. The police were called, but no arrests followed. A few months later, on the morning of October 20, 2009, Khalaf and Noor went to a state Department of Economic Security office. Faleh Almaleki unexpectedly showed up in the lobby, though neither woman said anything to him or vice-versa. Khalaf said she later went outside, told Noor to wait by the front door, walked to her car and drove around the lot looking for Almaleki, whom had left some time earlier. She said she didn't see him, and parked back in the same spot. She got out of the car and went to get Noor, but then realized that she nervously had locked her keys in the vehicle. "[Noor] told me to calm down, 'He's not going to harm us,'" Khalaf testified. TVnote CBS' 60 Minutes: "60 Minutes" Presents: Gotti John Gotti, Jr. talks to Steve Kroft in his first extended TV interview about growing up with the infamous father whom he strove to please by living a life of crime but whom he eventually betrayed by leaving that life. | Watch Video Sunday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. ET/PT. iraq cnn the army times rick maze usa today gregg zoroya cbs news edecio martinez the arizona republic lisa halverstadt the phoenix news times paul rubin cnn mohammed tawfeeq xinhua mu xuequan al mada npr all things considered kelly mcevers