Saturday, January 26, 2013

Free Lynne!

I'm grabbing from the end of the snapshot to highlight something:

Now we're winding down with some awful news.  The topic is political prisoner Lynne Stewart whom President Barack Obama could set free tomorrow.  She broke no law.  She issued a press release.  The Janet Reno Justice Department reviewed that action -- it was a violation of an agreement (not a law) -- and Reno wisely concluded there was no offense to prosecute, they asked Lynne not to do it again, end of story.  Then Bully Boy Bush was sent to the White House by the Supreme Court.  Lynne is the people's lawyer -- called that because poverty didn't make someone an unattractive client to her, notoriety didn't scare her off, nothing did.  If someone needed an attorney and no one wanted to take the case for whatever reason, Lynn would be interested.  For that reason, she's an 'enemy' in the minds of people like John Ashcroft.  Remember that when people like Arianna Huffington try to gloss over Ashcroft.  As Bush's Attorney General, Ashcroft made it his mission to go after Lynne.  The same 'offense' that she was 'tried' for under Reno was pulled up again -- that's known as double jeopardy and it's against the Constitution but when has a White House shown any respect for the Constitution lately?  He used 9-11 and fear to convict her, having the trial in lower Manhattan, constantly referencing 9-11.  The same way the Bush administration lied and falsely linked to sell the Iraq War, they lied and falsely linked to put Lynne behind bars.  "Constitutional professor" Barack didn't order Lynn released.  No, his Justice Department took Lynn back to court to get her sentence extended.  She had been sentenced to 28 months behind bars for these alleged 'crimes' but that wasn't good enough for Barack.  His Justice Dept asked for and received a ten year sentence. They have made a mockery out of the American legal system and out of the concept of justice.

She is a grandmother, she is a woman over 70-years-old, she has been a cancer survivor.  This week's. Black Agenda Radio, hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey (first airs each Monday at 4:00 pm EST on the Progressive Radio Network),  features Lynne's husband Ralph Poynter.


Glen Ford:  Imprisoned human rights lawyer Lynne Stewart is facing a grave health crisis.  Stewart was sentenced to ten years in prison in connection with her vigorous defense of one of her clients, the blind sheikh charged in alleged bomb threats in New York City in 1993.  Stewart has been imprisoned in Fort Worth, Texas.  Her husband, Ralph Poynter, says her cancer is spreading.

Ralph Poynter:  For months, we have been worried about a spot that's shown on Lynne's lung -- one of her lungs.  And we did not want to go public with it until we were sure what was happening.  What is happening is her breast cancer is spreading.  It has spread to the other lung and to parts of her back.  We feel that it is a death sentence in the prison.  We fought in the beginning to keep Lynne out of jail, to make them take her from a local hospital with the doctor's objection because we could see the hand writing on the wall.  This was not taken up as a legal issue and Lynne went to prison and now the other shoe has fallen.  Her cancer is spreading.  She is in Fort Worth, Texas subjected to the regulations of a prison between her and health care.  From the greatest center of health care probably in the world from New York to Fort Worth, Texas and we know cancer is spreading.  And as our daughter the doctor says, cancer has to be nipped in the bud.  But first it has to go through regulations of Fort Worth Texas -- not knowing when you go to the hospital, not knowing who's going to be there.  So we're working on that.  And getting Lynne to the hospital, the getting her treatment --

Mya Shone : Ralph, we should point out that when Lynne does go to the hospital they shackle her.

Ralph Poynter:  Yes, Lynne goes to the hospital as an inmate -- in total shackling of waist and feet and nothing is funny about it.  But Lynne  says in her stories about what happens after she goes to the hospital  would be funny if it were a cartoon but her life is at stake -- and how she fell and the guards grabbed her and the guards were burly athletic type of guards and when the guards grabbed her and kept her from falling, they injured her and she had bruise marks for a month but she thanks the guards for grabbing her because she could have fallen flat on her face, out of the van, with shackles at her legs, waist and hands.  So this is the sort of thing that she is involved with and she has to endure.



Glen Ford:  Lynne Stewart's husband Ralph Poynter speaking with Mya Shone on the radio program Taking Aim.



Lynne needs to be released.

She never should have been convicted.

She never should have been tried.

But having screwed up what should have been done, the US government now needs to do what must be done: Free Lynne!

I find it really telling that Barack -- who hates women -- refuses to help Lynne and has instead actively sought to see her suffer more.

Barack hated his mother.

Then there's Lynne.  Married to Ralph Poynter.  They have children together.  Like White Ann Dunham and African Barack Obama Sr.

Like Ann, Lynne worked to make the world better.

Like Ann, Lynne has cancer.

You could play this comparison thing all day.    Lynne's only three years older than Ann would be if she were still alive.

It seems that a lot of Barack's hostility towards Lynne stems from his dislike of him mother.








"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Friday, January 25, 2013.  Chaos and violence continue, protesters turn out in Iraq, Iraqi forces fire on Falluja protesters, Nouri uncorks the crazy yet again, Nouri faces calls to back off as well as calls to listen to the protesters, Barack finds another pro-Iraq War man to elevate with a high profile job, and more.

Today Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's forces continued their assault on the Iraqi people who dared to exercise their Constitutional rights.  Yesterday Nouri's forces sent two protesters (and one reporter) to the hospital and that January 7th, Nouri's forces assaulted four protesters in Mosul.  And today?  In Falluja, Nouri's forces fired on protesters.  Kitabat reports Sheikh Abdul-Maliki al-Saadi accused Nouri of attempting to turn peaceful demonstrations into bloody attacks.  What happened?

There are various accounts.    Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reports, "The shooting began, according to witnesses, after Iraqi soldiers ordered demonstrators to stop filming security force positions. Protesters, in turn, responded by the throwing tear gas and non-lethal explosive devices known as flashbangs, witnesses said." His is one of the strongest reports and a reminder that, even today, real reporting can be done.  And he Tweets.



Alsumaria reports that 5 protesters are dead and 31 more injured -- six of whom are children -- including 1 Alsumaria TV journalist.  They note that Mohammed Dulaimi used his sermon to call for the judiciary to protect the protesters from the military.  It also notes that the military first attempted to block the protesters from entering the square. Prensa Latina notes that there are accounts which state "that police officers surpassed a religious ceremony and sparked off protests." All Iraq News notes that the 5 killed were attempting to take part in a sit-in. AFP goes with, "The rally had been moving to an area in east Fallujah but was blocked off by soldiers, an army captain said. Protesters began throwing bottles of water at the troops who then opened fire, the officer said."  BBC News concurs, "The clashes erupted after the soldiers prevented people joining an anti-government demonstration in the mainly Sunni city after Friday prayers."   Reuters offers, "A local television channel showed demonstrators approaching the army vehicles and throwing stones and water bottles while troops tried to keep them away by firing in the air. But images also showed one soldier aiming his rifle at demonstrators."  Dar Addustour columnist As Sheik notes that the protesters and their demands have been repeatedly ignored and that it appears any pretext for aggravation has been seized upon by the security forces but that there must be no more Iraqi blood spilled at the hands of the military.  Kitabat explains that the violence is leading to growing chorus of calls for civil disobedience in Iraq.

Dr. Khaled Khalaf, with Falluja General Hospital, tells AFP that the death toll rose to six.  Al Mada reports that by 4:30 pm Iraqi time, Falluja General Hospital could count 6 dead and sixty injured -- all of the injured were protesters.  Hospital sources reveal to Al Mada that three of the dead died from gun shots to their heads.  The same sources state the death toll may increase because a number of the injured have vital injuries (including chest wounds, neck wounds and abdomen wounds).   The shootings did not end the protests, Al Mada reports, not even in Falluja.  A number of protesters stayed or returned in the afternoon and then they let the army know that they could throw stones.  Some of the video that's being pimped online, check the position of the sun in the video and note that it's a small number before you buy into the myth that poor, little Iraqi soldiers were attacked and then had to fire.

Who's the leader in Iraq?  Nouri al-Maliki holds the title of prime minister.  (Iraqi President Jalal Talabani remains in Germany seeking medical treatment after suffering a stroke a few weeks ago.)  But who offered leadership today and who offered clinical insanity?   All Iraq News notes that Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr denounced the violence in a statement and noted that the security forces are tasked with protecting Iraqi citizens and ensuring their safety.  Kitabat quotes the statement noting "We denounce and condemn today's armed assault on demonstrators in Falluja."  The events were a daily double for Nouri al-Maliki's paranoia.  All Iraq News notes his response was to immediately declare that the protesters in Falluja, the injured ones, were Ba'athists or al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. 
Amnesty International issued the following today:
Iraq must immediately investigate the killings of protestors in accordance with international standards, Amnesty International said today after several people died when troops in the city of Fallujah fired on anti-government demonstrators who had reportedly thrown stones at them.

Several others were said to be seriously injured during Friday's protest, the latest in an ongoing and largely peaceful campaign protesting against the government and its abusive treatment of detainees.

"The Iraqi authorities must ensure that the investigation they have announced into these killings is independent, impartial and that the methods and findings are made public.  Anyone found responsible for abuses – including anyone found to have used excessive force against protestors – must be brought to justice," said Ann Harrison, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
"The authorities should also ensure that security forces are trained and properly equipped to police demonstrations and other gatherings in a manner which respects human rights, including those where some protestors turn violent."
There were conflicting reports about what had caused the shooting by the Iraqi troops. However, subsequently further clashes erupted and army vehicles were burned. There have been claims that some Iraqi soldiers were also injured in the incident. 
The UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials both lay down clear standards for the policing of demonstrations and the use of firearms, including by armed forces.
Since last December tens of thousands of mainly Sunni Muslim Iraqis have taken to the streets expressing discontent with the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'a Muslim, at the continuing discrimination against them in Iraq. The daily and largely peaceful demonstrations took place mainly in predominantly Sunni Muslim provinces, including Anbar, Mosul and Salah al-Din.
The protests were triggered by the detention of several bodyguards of the Finance Minister Rafi'e al-Issawi, a senior Sunni Muslim political leader, on terrorism charges. The move was thought by many Sunni Muslims to be politically motivated. There are concerns that increasing sectarian tensions may result in further violence. 
There continue to be frequent bomb attacks by armed groups targeting civilians. For example, dozens of pilgrims for Shi'a Muslim festival of Arba'een were killed at the end of last month; this week several people were killed by car bombs in Baghdad and more than 20 people were killed by a suicide bomber at a Shi'a Muslim mosque in Tuz Khurmato.
Protesters continue to call for respect for due process and legislative measures - including an amnesty law and a review of anti-terror legislation - and for an end to human rights violations against prisoners and detainees in Iraq.

For years Amnesty International has documented cases of torture during interrogations while held incommunicado; deaths in custody in circumstances suggesting that torture was the cause; detainees being coerced into making "confessions"; and unfair trials, sometimes resulting in the death penalty.
A few days before the protests started, Amnesty International contacted the Iraqi government about dozens of reported cases of human rights violations against detainees and prisoners. The Iraqi government has yet to reply.
In one such case in 2012, four men were reportedly tortured while held incommunicado for several weeks at the Directorate of Counter-Crime in Ramadi, Anbar Province before their release in April 2012. Their "confessions" were then broadcast on local television.
During their trial, they told the Anbar Criminal Court that their "confessions" had been extracted under torture. A medical examination presented to the court of one of the men's injuries indicated bruising and burning consistent with his allegations. 
"As far as we know, no official investigation into these allegations of  torture is known to have been held," said Harrison.
"It is imperative that investigations into this – and the dozens of other cases that we have raised with the Iraqi authorities – are carried out as a matter of urgency, particularly as these men are now on death row.
"Perpetrators of abuse need to know that they will face the consequences of their actions, and victims have a right to truth, justice and reparation."
The four men were sentenced to death on 3 December 2012, convicted of offences under Iraq's Anti-Terror Law.

Ban Ki-Moon is the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the UN issued the following today:

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the recent wave of terrorist attacks across Iraq, which have killed hundreds of people and left many more wounded. He regrets the killing and injuring of a number of protestors today in Fallujah. Recognizing the right to peaceful assembly, he calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
The Secretary-General renews his call of last December to Iraqi political leaders and Members of the Council of Representatives to engage in an inclusive dialogue, so as to strengthen the unity and security of the country. The United Nations, through the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), remains committed and stands ready to assist the people and the Government of Iraq in building a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous country.

In addition, Al Mada notes that 16 Iraqi civil society organizations declared their support for the protesters and called on Nouri al-Maliki to listen to their demands.  Kitabat reports the Chair of the Iraqi Institute for Strategic Studies, Sheikh Khamis al-Dagger, has declared that members of parliament should launch a boycott on all sessions of Parliament until the demands of the protesters are heard and he termed today's events "the Falluja massacre."  Though it's not a boycott of Parliament, Kitabat reports that Yassin al-Mutlaq issued a statement today declaring the National Dialogue Front (whose leader is Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq) is withdrawing from provincial elections to protest the goverment's refusal to listen to the demands of the demonstrators.  Meanwhile at the US State Dept today, spokesperson Victoria Nuland continued her war on the Iraqi people.


QUESTION: Staying in the region, Iraq?

MS. NULAND: Yeah.

QUESTION: A very quick question: According to reports, five protestors got killed today in Fallujah, Iraq. Have – are you able to confirm – during protests by the Iraqi security forces.

MS. NULAND: I'm not in a position to confirm numbers, but I will say that we are concerned about the use of deadly force during today's protests in Iraq. We understand that the Iraqi Government has now issued a statement indicating that they are initiating a very prompt investigation into the incidents, and that they have called for restraint by security forces. We obviously stand ready to assist in that investigation if asked, but we would also say that as the government and government forces show restraint, the demonstrators also have a responsibility to exercise their right to protest in a nonviolent manner, as well as to continue to press their demands through the political process.




Why have an investigation of any kind?  Didn't Nuland just declare from on high that the "government forces show restraint"?  She's a human rights nightmare.  Nouri and his wonderful forces?  Dar Addustur reports on the Lance Corporal just convicted in Basra for the rape and murder of a four-and-a-half-year-old girl?  Dar Addustour reports that Nouri imposed a curfew on Falluja and 'the Ministry of Defense' announced they would launch an investigation into what took place today.  The Ministry of the Defense?  I forget, who is the Minister of Defense?

Oh, that's right, Iraq doesn't have one.   Back in July, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed, "Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has struggled to forge a lasting power-sharing agreement and has yet to fill key Cabinet positions, including the ministers of defense, interior and national security, while his backers have also shown signs of wobbling support."  He was supposed to nominate them and have them confirmed by Parliament before December 2010 wrapped up but US President Barack Obama gifted Nouri with a second term via a contract (the Erbil Agreement) which meant Nouri didn't have to do the things -- like form a Cabinet -- that the Constitution demanded he do.  By not nominating someone to head the ministry, Nouri controls it.  That was his point in not nominating people to head the security ministries -- it was a power-grab. 

We'll note another Twet about what took place in Falljua today:


In case you forgot, Iraq is no better off than it was a decade ago: Iraqi Army opens fire on protesters throwing rocks. http://ow.ly/h8rpM 
View summary

RT notes today was dubbed "Friday of No Retreat." Zhu Ningzhu (Xinhua) reminds, "Sunnis in Iraq have been protesting for a month, asking Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to quit, after Sunni Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi's security chief and bodyguards were arrested on terror charges."   Al Arabiya provides this context:


Demonstrators began by criticizing the alleged exploitation of anti-terror laws to detain Sunnis wrongfully, but have since moved on to calling for Maliki to quit.
They were sparked by the Dec. 20 arrest of at least nine of the guards of Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi, a top Sunni politician.
The government has sought to curb the rallies by claiming to have released nearly 900 prisoners in recent weeks, with a senior minister publicly apologizing for holding detainees without charge.


The Washington Post's Liz Sly Tweets this observation:

  1. The Iraqi army firing at protesters in Fallujah tdy. It's Syria 2011; at risk of fastforwarding to Syria 2013 overnight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHB8qlYhnb8 …




Falluja wasn't the only site of protests.   The Voice of Russia notes, "Earlier today, a major protest rally was held in the city of Ramadi in western Iraq, where demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans."  SAPA and DPA note that protests also took place in Samarra, Kirkuk and Mosul.  On Mosul, Alsumaria reports that protesters continued their sit-in and have the backing of the tribes of Nineveh.  The demonstrators are prepared to cut off the road (with their bodies) linking Mosul with Baghdad if their demands are not met.  The demands include the release of innocent prisoners and detainees and the punishment of any who have tortured or raped women prisoners.   Kitabat notes that protests took place in Baghdad and Baquba as well with protesters chanting for a united Iraq and an end to sectarianism and many banners referring to the issues of the prisoners such as one that declared, "Enough! Break The Prison Door."  AFP's Prashant Rao Tweets:

Pictures by @AFP photographers of anti-government demos in Baghdad, Ramadi, Kirkuk, Hawijah, Samarra: http://bit.ly/10JFwZS  #Iraq
Expand

  1. Pictures by @AFP photographers of today's protests in Baghdad, Ramadi and Kirkuk: http://bit.ly/UpGdrX 



  2. .@AFP photos of today's #Iraq protests, so from Ramadi and Kirkuk (with more coming): http://bit.ly/UpGdrX 



Nouri's popularity (and cash) managed a turn-out in support of him.  Alsumaria reports that Baghdad's Firdous Square saw "dozens" of Nouri's supporters marching and chanting.  If this was like previous turnouts by The Wives of Nouri al-Malliki, the area around the square was shut down and soldiers and police were present to protect the faux-protesters.


Elsewhere in Iraq, All Iraq News reports, one Mosul bombing injured one police officer while a second left one dead and two injured. and a Samarra operation found security forces killing 14 suspects.

All Iraq News notes 1 woman died from avian flu (bird flu) in Karbala Province.  She was fifty-years-old.  Province officials held an emergency meeting today to address the topic of the avian flu and prevention.


Best Tweet on Iraq this week?


Only realised now that in a few months we go into "the Iraq war, ten years on" mode. Should be as awful as we can dream it to be.

Expand
Nouri has sent his federal forces into the provinces and that's who's attacking these protesters.




In the United States, President Barack Obama has given a key administration position to another man.  This one has quite a history.  Rosie Gray (BuzzFeed) reports on the new White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough:

As the top foreign policy aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, he was crucially involved in crafting the legislation to authorize the use of force in Iraq. The resolution passed the Senate on Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, with 29 Democrats voting for it; many would later say they regretted the vote, or the way the Bush administration used it.
McDonough has not spoken publicly about a period many Democrats would like to forget, but people close to him say the episode was one that shaped his views, which include a firm attachment to "regular order" -- the consultative process that critics say the Bush administration ignored in the march to war.
Daschle, in an interview with BuzzFeed, recalled that McDonough played a lead role in hammering out the resolution.
"These were very, very tough calls and our caucus was almost evenly divided on the war," Daschle said in an interview with BuzzFeed. "It was a real challenge. I had many very serious reservations myself."

Yet again, Barack rewards the wrong on the Iraq War.  Yet again.  Another of Barack's nominees is Senator John Kerry for Secretary of State.  We attended the confirmation hearing yesterday and Kat reported on it at her site last night.  A CIA bagman is targeting the Kerry nomination and honestly thinks he's going to kill it.  He really is delusional.  (Kerry's confirmation is not in doubt.) Another nominee is War Hawk Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense.  A large number of spinners and whores have rushed to prop up Hagel.  Last month, Charlie Davis had a great essay taking on these lies and the liars who tell him:


In this past election, Obama often ran to the right of Mitt Romney, his campaign frequently suggesting the latter would not have had the guts to kill Osama bin Laden. The DNC ridiculed Romney for suggesting he'd consider the war's legality before bombing Iran. "Romney Said He Would Talk To His Lawyers Before Deciding Whether To Use Military Force," read the press release, as if that's a bad thing. Obama, bomber of a half-dozen countries, never forgot to mention the "crippling" sanctions he's imposed.

And J Street, the group that just co-sponsored a rally with AIPAC backing the Israeli state's latest killing spree? Ask a resident of Gaza how "pro-peace" it is.
But, in order to create a sign-this-petition! narrative, one often can't do nuance. So Naiman doesn't. In another post, this one highlighting Hagel's establishment support, because antiwar activists care about that sort of thing, he casually refers to former ambassador Ryan Crocker as among the "diplomacy champions and war skeptics" backing the former senator. This would be the same Ryan Crocker appointed by George W. Buish who has said "it's simply not the case that Afghans would rather have US forces gone," and dismissed the killing of at least 25 people in Afghanistan, including children, as "not a very big deal."
That should give you a good idea of the obfuscation going on in the antiwar campaign for a Pentagon chief. This is a problem. If you're going to play the role of the savvy Washington activist and get involved in the inside baseball that is fights over cabinet appointments, ostensibly to reframe the debate more than anything we must defeat AIPAC! you ought not go about reinforcing adherence to orthodoxy and the perceived value of establishment support and credentials. And you ought not cast as heroes of the peace movement people that really shouldn't be. That's actually really dangerous.
Yet, some would rather play down Hagel's pro-war credentials for the all-important narrative. So we cast him as a staunch opponent of a war with Iran, ignoring his repeated assertions that we must "keep all options on the table" with respect to the Islamic Republic, including killing men, women and children. In a piece he coauthored with other establishment foreign policy figures, Hagel's opposition to war amounted merely to a call to consider its costs – and its benefits.




I'm being told that excerpt won't bold face, sorry.  Now we're winding down with some awful news.  The topic is political prisoner Lynn Stewart whom President Barack Obama could set free tomorrow.  She broke no law.  She issued a press release.  The Janet Reno Justice Department reviewed that action -- it was a violation of an agreement (not a law) -- and Reno wisely concluded there was no offense to prosecute, they asked Lynn not to do it again, end of story.  Then Bully Boy Bush was sent to the White House by the Supreme Court.  Lynn is the people's lawyer -- called that because poverty didn't make someone an unattractive client to her, notoriety didn't scare her off, nothing did.  If someone needed an attorney and no one wanted to take the case for whatever reason, Lynn would be interested.  For that reason, she's an 'enemy' in the minds of people like John Ashcroft.  Remember that when people like Arianna Huffington try to gloss over Ashcroft.  As Bush's Attorney General, Ashcroft made it his mission to go after Lynn.  The same 'offense' that she was 'tried' for under Reno was pulled up again -- that's known as double jeopardy and it's against the Constitution but when has a White House shown any respect for the Constitution lately?  He used 9-11 and fear to convict her, having the trial in lower Manhattan, constantly referencing 9-11.  The same way the Bush administration lied and falsely linked to sell the Iraq War, they lied and falsely linked to put Lynn behind bars.  "Constitutional professor" Barack didn't order Lynn released.  No, his Justice Department took Lynn back to court to get her sentence extended.  She had been sentenced to 28 months behind bars for these alleged 'crimes' but that wasn't good enough for Barack.  His Justice Dept asked for and received a ten year sentence. They have made a mockery out of the American legal system and out of the concept of justice.

She is a grandmother, she is a woman over 70-years-old, she has been a cancer survivor.  This week's. Black Agenda Radio, hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey (first airs each Monday at 4:00 pm EST on the Progressive Radio Network),  features Lynn's husband Ralph Poynter.

Glen Ford:  Imprisoned human rights lawyer Lynn Stewart is facing a grave health crisis.  Stewart was sentenced to ten years in prison in connection with her vigorous defense of one of her clients, the blind sheikh charged in alleged bomb threats in New York City in 1993.  Stewart has been imprisoned in Fort Worth, Texas.  Her husband, Ralph Poynter, says her cancer is spreading.

Ralph Poynter:  For months, we have been worried about a spot that's shown on Lynn's lung -- one of her lungs.  And we did not want to go public with it until we were sure what was happening.  What is happening is her breast cancer is spreading.  It has spread to the other lung and to parts of her back.  We feel that it is a death sentence in the prison.  We fought in the beginning to keep Lynn out of jail, to make them take her from a local hospital with the doctor's objection because we could see the hand writing on the wall.  This was not taken up as a legal issue and Lynn went to prison and now the other shoe has fallen.  Her cancer is spreading.  She is in Fort Worth, Texas subjected to the regulations of a prison between her and health care.  From the greatest center of health care probably in the world from New York to Fort Worth, Texas and we know cancer is spreading.  And as our daughter the doctor says, cancer has to be nipped in the bud.  But first it has to go through regulations of Fort Worth Texas -- not knowing when you go to the hospital, not knowing who's going to be there.  So we're working on that.  And getting Lynn to the hospital, the getting her treatment --

Mya Shone : Ralph, we should point out that when Lynn does go to the hospital they shackle her.

Ralph Poynter:  Yes, Lynn goes to the hospital as an inmate -- in total shackling of waist and feet and nothing is funny about it.  But Lynn says in her stories about what happens after she goes to the hospital  would be funny if it were a cartoon but her life is at stake -- and how she fell and the guards grabbed her and the guards were burly athletic type of guards and when the guards grabbed her and kept her from falling, they injured her and she had bruise marks for a month but she thanks the guards for grabbing her because she could have fallen flat on her face, out of the van, with shackles at her legs, waist and hands.  So this is the sort of thing that she is involved with and she has to endure.



Glen Ford:  Lynn Stewart's husband Ralph Poynter speaking with Mya Shone on the radio program Taking Aim.
























Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Protests and wars

Yesterday I noted Third had hit the eight year mark and that I could pick one favorite feature but I couldn't find it.  I said I'd ask C.I.

I did.  She said, "January 28, 2007, Show Me What Democracy Looks Like, Ava and I review The Class."


"Show Me What Democracy Looks Like (1-27-07)"

Among the students showing up was a young Muslim woman who didn't want to give her name.
"I was just asked for a comment," she explained, "and I just smiled and walked on. I don't trust that something I say won't end up being turned into something different and one more reason to target Muslims. I'm 16. I'm first generation American. I live an hour drive away from here. I only talked to you because of his button. [She was referring to Wally's "NO BLOOD FOR OIL button.] I don't think you'll change my words up or make me sound angry or stupid. I feel like the only time a Muslim gets on TV now is if he's shouting. And we're the bad guys on every other episode of that show that ticks down the clock. [24.] Those things hurt. And it makes me think that another roundup, like after the Twin Towers were destroyed, could happen again real easy. I'm against the war. This is my first protest. My mother asked me not to go but I told her how much I wanted to be here, and what it means to me, so she finally said yes. She even said if she was 10 years younger, she probably would be here too. I'm against the war. I'm against all this blaming of Iraqis. People say things like they're dogs, just stupid dogs who were given some wonderful gift and smashed it. Invading Iraq was not a gift. War on the country was not a gift. And Muslims are not idiots. There wasn't this hate between Shia and Sunni before George Bush's war. He created it. I think if the soldiers came home that the people of Iraq would work out their differences. I don't think that would happen in a month or even two. But I do think that within a year, there would be peace. And I may be wrong, but that is what I believe. I'm here because I want the killings to stop. When I get home, I'm going to tell my mother that people in Congress were here and Jane Fonda and Sean [Penn]. And I think, next time, when I come, she's going to come with me. But, you have to understand, it can be really hard to be a Muslim in the United States today. People look at you funny. Before the Twin Towers, I was only 11, but before that, I did not feel scared here. I felt like I was any other American kid. Now I feel like people expect me to prove that I am American, to say, 'I love America.' And what they really seem to want is for me to say, 'I hate Muslims.' It feels like they want me to denounce my faith. And like the only way I can fit in is if I change my name to Jill and become a Christian and, since that won't happen, I'm always under suspicion. One of my best friends is Christian and we were at the mall Tuesday and she said, 'I see what you are talking about.' Because at every store, the women were smiling at her and asking her if they could help her and they just kind of stared at me. I don't think I should have to prove that I am a good American. I was born here, this is my country. But since 9-11, it seems like people look at Muslims and don't really think we belong here anymore. Thank you."

Did she feel welcome at the march? "Yes, people here were very nice. They smiled, they nodded. The press, I do not know. I feel like they see me and think, 'Muslim!' That's why I did not talk to that woman who asked me for a comment. But the people who are to here to protest the war, I felt very welcomed. There are a lot of different people here and it looks more like America than what you see on TV. It gives me hope that someday things will change. Not just that the war will end, but that all the hatreds and suspicions will stop."

"Today, we must challenge ourselves to take this nation back."
-- Bob Watada

And then there was Bob. Bob Watada, father of Iraq war resister Ehren Watada, the first officer to publicly refuse to deploy and facing a court-martial on February 5th in Fort Lewis, Washington. Clearly the most cited speaker by people we interviewed. To his declaration of, "We are a civilized nation, we need to bring an end to a war for blood oil" the crowd began chanting, "Say it! Say it!" He spoke of "enough is enough" and how that message needed to given to Congress. And, of course, he spoke of his son.

"The military commanders want to punish him -- and punish him for saying the emperor has no clothes . . . The truth is a danger to the Bush empire," he explained. He recounted the lies Bully Boy used to sell the war including WMDs, chemical weapons, al Qaeda training camps -- "All lies." He spoke of how Ehren Watada is standing up and trying "to give a voice" to the ones in the military "who no longer have a voice to the troops who can't speak out," to the Iraqis suffering under the illegal war. He quoted Abraham Lincoln, "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."

Of his son, he asked that we all, "Tell Congress to listen to that voice. Tell Congress that people, you and I, are more important than corporations."

Rosa Sakanishi, Ehren' step-mother, also spoke, noting, "And you know, you and I know, that we have to live for peace and justice and that is what Ehren's doing . . . Bring the troops back home now!"

Other speakers included Jesse Jackson (calling for "new priorities and directions"); Gold Star Families for Peace's Carlos Arredondo, who son Alex died in Iraq in 2004, and who asked that those who lost love ones stand and cried out, "This is the cost of war!"; Garrett Reppenhagen of Iraq Veterans Against the War who noted those who had served in Iraq and were present at the Saturday rally; Noura Erakat spoke of the need to end the war in Iraq and also to end the decades long occupation of Palestine; and many others.

We were going through the crowd, interviewing people. Reppehhagen spoke with another member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, but we didn't catch his name. We didn't catch Reppenhagen's name either, but C.I. recognized him. We missed Sean Penn and we're sure we missed Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice (whom Elaine especially wanted to hear speak). We lost hearing when Tim Robbins was speaking as the crowd, in agreement, broke out into loud cries of "IMPEACH!" It was like, in the Jane Wagner play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, when Trudy, the bag lady, tries to teach the aliens about art by showing them the Warhol screen of a Campbell's soup can and then showing them a Campbell's soup can, then mixes them up to see if the aliens can now determine what is art and what is soup. Later, at the end of the play, Trudy explains what happened when she took the aliens to a play:

We were at the back of the theater, standing there in the dark, all of a sudden I feel one of 'em tug my sleeve, whispers, "Trudy, look." I said, "Yeah, goose bumps. You definitely got goose bumps. You really liked the play that much?" They said it wasn't the play gave 'em goose bumps, it was the audience. I forgot to tell 'em to watch the play; they'd been watching the audience! Yeah, to see a group of strangers sitting together in the dark, laughing and crying about the same things . . . that just knokced 'em out. They said, "Trudy, the play was soup . . . the audience . . . art."

And that's really what it was. For all the talk of apathy (student apathy, American apathy), a half a million people turned out in DC (with other actions to end the war taking place all over the country as well). They listened, they participated, they shouted, they applauded, they were motivated, they were hopeful. And we think what happened in the crowd was as important as what happened on stage.

Someone (Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times?) can play it off as "Bush haters". But, the truth is, calls for Congress to be accountable to the people, to hear the message from the November elections, to do their job, got just as great a response. A few weeks back, Cindy Sheehan noted there were no free passes -- pleasing sound bytes from Democrats with no actions to back it up were not going to cut it. This wasn't a group of people who foolishly believed that electoral changes meant the war ended (though many tried to sell it to the people that way). This was a group who is owning their power and demanding change. Watching them was far more inspiring than the horse race handicapping so much of independent media seems to determined to do for the 2008 election. (And if you think it's gotten bad already -- it has -- just wait until 2008.)

They had courage and determination, whether it was their first event or they'd been at many before. They weren't going to go pleading, "Do you think, Congress member, that maybe, kind of, you could do a little something about Iraq?" They are going to demand that Congress do something. And if Congress refuses? That's not going to be end the end of it. Silence will not be the response.

"I will amp it up and amp up, I'm not going to say, 'Oh you just are comfortable with a symbolic action? Thank you for that at least'," declared DeShawn from Chicago. "It's time to take the country back, like Ehren's father said, and it's time to make sure Congress knows they work for us, not the other way around. If they think we can be patted on the head and sent skipping down some daisy trail, they don't understand that street protests are next. The war is going to end and we're not going to settle for anything else."



 Nipping on the heels are: "'Why Are You Here' and 'What's Changed'" and "At the rallies, we ask, 'Why Are You Here?'" All three are reporting and artificats.  They document the protests so many of us participated in against the illegal war.

In addition, they're really good writing.

The one I selected for number one?

I remember that weekend.  I remember feeling like it was just not coming together, that article.

Somehow, with a lot of work it did.

I didn't even realize it until long after we'd left DC.  It was probably two weeks later when a friend called me to tell me she really enjoyed it.  Only then did I read it and I was and am proud of taking part in both the protest and the coverage.

Oh, for the days when we all were against war and didn't have to check with Barack first.


"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Wednesday, January 23, 2013.  Chaos and violence continue, a bomb rips through a funeral, ExxonMobil angles for the best oil deal it can get in Iraq, one member of Barack Obama's Cabinet makes history today (Leon Panetta) which may allow people to overlook that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton screamed, snarled, laughed and had a meltdown before Congress, and more.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared before Congress today.  In the morning, she spun before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in the afternoon, she spun before the House Foreign Relations Committee.  Does Hillary live in a bubble?

This morning, her voice broke as she read (from her prepared remarks), "I stood next to President Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews.  I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters."

Yes, she did meet with various family members.  Equally true, a significant number of them have publicly rebuked her and the administration.  Pat Smith is the mother of the late Sean Smith.  She spoke with Anderson Cooper October 10th for CNN's Anderson Cooper 360Here and here for video, here for transcript.  Here's an excerpt of Pat Smith speaking about her son:


COOPER: Do you feel that you know what happened or are you still searching for answers? Have you been in contact with the State Department? Have they reached out to you and given you details of what happened?

SMITH: That's a funny subject. I begged them to tell me what was -- what happened. I said I want to know all the details, all of the details no matter what it is, and I'll make up my own mind on it. And everyone of them, all the big shots over there told me that -- they promised me, they promised me that they would tell me what happened. As soon as they figure it out.  No one, not one person has ever, ever gotten back to me other than media people and the gaming people.



"No one," Pat Smith stated, "not one person has ever, ever gotten back to me other than media people and the gaming people."  Charlie Woods is the father of the late Tyrone Woods.  October 26th, he spoke with Megyn Kelly on America Live (Fox News).

Charlie Woods: My son was an American hero.  And he had the moral strength to do what was right, even if that would professionally cost him his job, even if it would potentially cost him his life.  He was a hero who was willing to do whatever was necessary to respond to their cries for help.  If, in fact, those people from the White House were as courageous and had the moral strength that my son, Ty, had immediately within minutes of when they found there was the first attack, they would have sent, they would have given permission, not denied permission for those C130s to have gone up there.



The two parents above are not being partisan, they are being parents.  We will note that Kate Quigley told Erin Burnett (Erin Burnett Out Front) that her family was getting updates.  (Kate Quigley is the sister of the late Glen Doherty.)  The families of Tyrone Woods, Glen Doherty and Sean Smith have largely been ignored/silence by the media.  Even worse, their loved ones have gone unnamed over and over in reports which usually read  "an attack that killed Chris Stevens and three other Americans."

Hillary did name all four.  She also repeatedly noted there was one DS Agent still in Walter Reed (the agent's name was not given).  But I didn't see anything that indicated this hearing was about that.  Instead, we got a lot of nonsense, a lot of, "You are so wonderful, Hillary."  That's garbage.  You were there to ask questions.  Four Americans are dead and I don't think "I am grateful" nonsense from senators recognizes the reality of those four deaths.  Senator Ben Cardin walked the line very well, taking a brief moment to note Hillary's accomplishments and not getting lost in it.  It's a real shame others couldn't do the same. Senator Robert Mendez was the acting Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Bob Corker is the Ranking Member.  ARB is Accountability Review Board.   Senator Barbara Boxer waxed on about how "you stepped up" -- I don't know that the hearing established that. 

One key exchange.


Ranking Member Bob Corker:  To my knowledge, no one has been held accountable.  Our staff had a meeting with one of the State Dept officials and I hate to use this word again but it was nothing short of bizarre as they talked about the communications.  These officials were screaming out for more security.  And I was just wondering if you might mention one reform that would be helpful so that you would have known of the needs of security that went undone.


Secretary Hillary Clinton:  Well obviously, I have, uh, thought about this almost constantly since that date, Senator, uhm, you know I do feel responsible.  I feel responsible for, uh, the nearly 70,000 people that work for the State Dept.  You know, I take it very seriously.  Uhm, the-the specific security requests, uhm, pertaining to Benghazi, you know, were handled by the security professionals in the department.  I didn't see those requests.  Uh, they didn't come to me.  I didn't approve them.  I didn't deny them.  That's obviously one of the findings that Ambassador Pickering and Admiral Mullen made -- that these requests don't ordinarily come to the Secretary of State.

Ranking Member Bob Corker:  If we could -- I know -- I respect you tremendously but we have short amount of time.  They did come in to folks. 

Secretary Hillary Clinton:  That's right.

Ranking Member Bob Corker:  We did have  SST people on the ground at no cost to the State Dept.  They were asked to be extended by the ambassador.  Someone at the State Dept turned that down. They were at no charge -- 16 officers.  So I just wonder, what has happened inside to make sure that never happens again?

Secretary Hillary Clinton:  Well -- uh -- several things.  Not only are we, uhm, on the path to implement all of the ARB recommendations but we've gone beyond that.  Uhm, we did, uh, immediately do this high threat assessment using DoD assets as well as our own.  That had never been done before.  Uh, we have asked the Congress to help us, uh, reallocate funds.  The Senate has given us that authority -- we-we don't yet have it from the House -- so that we can get more Marine guards, we can get more diplomatic security guards, we can try to put more money into the maintenance, the upgrades, the construction that's needed.  I created the first ever -- it sounds like it should have been done years ago -- but first ever Department  Deputy Assistant Secretary for High Threats.  I'm also recommending that there be a regular process that includes the secretaries and the deputies in these decisions because nobody wants to sit where I am and have to think now about what coulda-woulda-shoulda happened in order to avoid this.  Now, as I said, we've had 19 ARBS.  Only two have ever been unclassified.  The one coming out of the East Africa bombings where there was full transparency, there was a set of recommendations, many of which have been implemented, along with recommendations from other ARBS.  But this Committee never had a public hearing about the 17 other ARBS because they were classified.  So we're-we're-we're putting into action, steps that we think will help the next Secretary be able to make these decisions, be part of these decisions, have more insight into what is going on and we would, obviously, welcome the opportunity to work closely with a subcommittee or a set of members to make sure that that's what's happening. 



That's a lot of words.  If you know Hillary, and I do, she's not a "uhm" and "uh" and "the-the" type person.  When she is that?  She's hiding.  That's reality.  You can admit that or not.

But if you're on the fence about whether she's spinning, grasp that she used a lot of words.  Ranking Member Bob Corker wanted to know -- and asked three times -- what she'd done that would ensure that the Secretary of State would be aware of the security needs and requests? 

And Hillary couldn't answer it.  She went on and on.  To the point that Corker pointed out time was limited and re-directed her.  She responded by going on and on and still not answering his question.  So he tried asking it for a third time.  And no answer.


That's not just disappointing, that's actually damning. 


If you need to contrast?  Senator James Risch asked her about what's going on in Algeria.  She couldn't talk about it in terms of what it is but she, explained, she could talk about this ongoing situation in terms of the information she's receiving (that "we don't have anyway to confirm it" at present).  Hillary didn't stammer once, she'd didn't pause and it wasn't until the end that she even fell into a "uh"  (and there she was recalling what someone in another department had done).  That question was out of left field.  It played to her strengths, she is very knowledgeable.  She is very smart.  She thinks on her feet.  She was pulling from news reports and briefings in her head, off the top of her head, and speaking eloquently and to the point.  Contrast that completely unprepared for moment and how well she mastered it with her refusal to answer Corker's very basic question -- one she was asked three times.

Another serious issue "we knew we were piecing together what a host nation was not able to do."  That Hillary speaking to Senator Marco Rubio.  Who's insane idea was it that Libya could provide security?  How many billions has the US government spent on Iraq's police and military?  But the protection of the US staff there is US military and contractors.  That issue has not been dealt with adequately by the press, by the Senate or by the State Dept.  Do not say, "Well host countries provide security."  No.  Not in Iraq.   According to Reuters timeline of the 2011 Libyan War,  October 23, 2011, Libya is declared "liberated."  The attack happened less than a year later.  In what world does the US government assume that a regime not even a year old can provide adequate security?  Don't distract with budgets or authorizations or other nonsense.  Answer clearly who made the decision -- in State or out -- that the militias in Libya could protect US diplomatic staff?



"What difference at this point does it make!" she shouted to Senator Ron Johnson at one point in the hearing looking unhinged, unprofessional and, quite frankly, uncaring.

It was supposed to be a dramatic moment that showed her heart.  She's a diplomat.  Johnson was doing nothing but agreeing with her but she wanted a big TV moment apparently.  Instead she's flying off the handle in a hearing where she's gotten more praise than any non-uniformed witness in the last six years.  It wasn't pretty.  Nor her attempts shortly afterwards -- during Senator Jeff Flake's line of questioning -- to laugh about the same topic ("we didn't [laughter] have a clear picture").  There are four people dead.  I don't need to scream that as she did at Senator Johnson.  But there are four people dead and America doesn't need your laughter, Hillary Clinton.  She did not conduct herself in a professional manner and as this haunts and taints her legacy, look for people to step forward and insist it was health related and she should have waited a week or two longer before testifying.  I'm not here to rescue her, I'm reporting what happened in the hearing and it was embarrassing.  Wally will be covering Johnson's questions at Rebecca's site tonight, Ava will cover another aspect of the hearing at Trina's site and Ruth's covering it at her site (Ruth's offering an overview of the testimony Hillary offered).

It's public here that I supported Hillary in her 2008 run for the presidential nomination, that I like her and I know.  I've also long shared that I can't stand Senator John McCain (Cindy McCain is a very sweet woman).  I stated here as early as 2006 that I would not be voting for him.  I would love to be reporting John McCain unleashed the crazy and Hillary was just amazing.  But that's not what happened.

Senator John McCain:  Four months -- or months -- after the Benghazi tragedy -- it's a tragedy when we lose four brave Americans, there are many questions that are unanswered and the answers, frankly, that you've been giving this morning are not satisfactory to me.  Were you and the President made aware of the classified cable from Chris Stevens that said the United States Consulate in Benghazi could not survive a sustained assault?  Numerous warnings -- including personally to me -- about the security were unanswered or unaddressed.  It took a CNN reporter looking through the Consulate to find Chris Stevens' last warning.  When were you made aware of that cable?  When were you made aware of the attack on the British ambassador? And the assassination attempts?  And the closing of the Consulates there?  And what actions were taken? What were the president's activities during that seven hour period?  On the anniversary of the worst attack in American history, September 11th, we didn't have the Department of Defense forces available for seven hours.  Two brave Americans died in the last hour.  With all these warnings, all these things took place, we didn't have a single Department of Defense asset apparently available to come to these rescue.  I categorically reject your answer to Senator Johnson about 'Well, we didn't ask these survivors who were flown to Ramstein [Air Base] the next day that this was not a spontaneous demonstration.'   You say that it was because an investigation was going on?  The American people deserve to know answers and they certainly don't deserve false answers.  And the answers that were given the American people on September 15th by the Ambassador to the United Nations [Susan Rice] were false -- in fact, contradicted by the classified information which was kept out of the Ambassador to the United Nations' report who, by the way, in the President's words, had nothing to do with Benghazi -- which questions why she was sent out to start with. Why is it that the administration still refuses to provide the full text of the e-mails regarding the deletions of references to al Qaeda and terrorism in the talking points?  Why do we care? Because if the classified information had been included, it gives an entirely different version of events to the American people.  Going to the American people and tell them what happened then you ought to have your facts straight -- including, the Ambassador said, "al Qaeda is decimated and our consulates and embassies are secure." So here we are, four months later, and we still don't have the basic information.  Now if you want to go out and tell the American people what happened, you should have at least interviewed the people who were there instead of saying 'No, we couldn't talk to them because an FBI investigation was going on.'  And, by the way, as I said at the time, I just happened to be on one of those talk shows, people don't bring RPGs and mortars to spontaneous demonstrations.  That's a fundamental.  And, of course, the president continued to say, days afterwards, September 12th, he made a reference to active terrorists, September 12th on 60 Minutes "too early to know," September 20th on Univision "we're still doing an investigation," September 24th on The View "we're still doing an investigation."  The President of the United States, as late as September 24th, two weeks later, did not acknowledge that this was an act of terror conducted by people who were at least somehow connected to al Qaeda.  And, finally, Madam Secretary, I strongly disagree with your depiction of what we did after [Libyan leader before the 2011 assault, Muammar] Gaddafi fell.  We did not provide the security that was needed.  We did not help them with border security.  We did not give them the kind of assistance that would have been necessary to help dismantle these militias that still, to this day, remain a challenge to democracy in Libya and freedom.  You knew Chris Stevens very well.  I knew him very well.  I knew him on July 7th, when I went to Libya to observe the elections.  And at that time, on July 7th, he expressed to me his deep and grave concerns about security particularly in Begnhazi.  And he continued to communicate with the State Dept -- and I don't know who else was privy to those cables -- of his deep concern about the security there and the need for additional assistance.  And I will argue -- [will argue] with facts -- that after that event took place, after the fall of Gaddafi, the so-called 'soft footprint' was partially to some degree responsible for the tragedy that took place.  The American people and the families of these four brave Americans still have not gotten the answers that they deserve.  I hope that they will get them.

Secretary Hillary Clinton:  Well Senator, I understand your very, very strong feelings.  You knew Chris, you were a friend of Chris, you were one of the staunchest supporters of the efforts to dislodge Gaddaif and try to give the Libyan people, uh, a chance and we just have a disagreement.  We have a disagreement about, uh, what did happen and when it happened, with respect to explaining, uh, the sequence of events.  Uhm, we did get to, uh, talk to the DS Agents when they got back to this country.  We did so.  It was not before September 15th.  We had no access to the surveillance cameras for weeks which helped to answer a number of questions.  But with respect to helping the Libyans -- and that also goes to the question Senator Rubio asked -- we will provide a list of everything we were doing and were attempting to do but I will also tell you that since March 2011, Congressional holds have been placed on programs for many months for aid to Libya.  Uh, we've had frequent Congressional complaints: Why are we doing anything for Libya, it's a wealthy country, it has oil, disagreement from some sources that we should never have been part of some UN mission in Libya.  Currently, the House has holds on a bilateral security assistance on other kinds of support for anti-terrorism assistance, so we got to get our act together between the administration and the Congress if this is a priority and if we are serious about trying to help this government stand up security and deal with what is a very dangerous environment from east to west, then we have to work together, uhm, so I hope that, uh, we can have the kind of discussion where we can agree on, uh, certain approaches that will make a difference.  We -- And, again, I would urge that you look and read both the classified 6and unclassified versions of the ARP that tries to deal with the very questions that you and  Senator Johnson are raising -- the timing of it and the like.  But I also hope we're looking forward because right now Libya is still dangerous, it is still in a very unstable status and whatever we can do for them we at least ought to agree we need to do and get out there and start delivering.


Again, a lot of words and none of them address the issues raised by McCain, do they?  They do distract.  He's asking about the failures and she's talking about how support needs to be firm for funding Libya.  (Neither spoke of the illegal nature of the Libyan War -- the US involvement -- but War Hawks never do.)

It was an embarrassment and she might have been better off pleading health problems to avoid appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.   We'll try to grab her appearance before the House Committee in tomorrow's snapshot and I also want to return to the Senate hearing to note something from Senator Bob Casey.

For now, the press made clear this morning that Iraq better have a ton of violence or they just aren't interested.



At least four dead and four injured meant nothing this morning to the world press.  Alsumaria reports a Baquba car bombing claimed 1 life and left another person injured, 1 protest organizer, Mohammed Mustafa Hadi Jumail,  was assassinated in Falluja, a Diyala Province bombing targeting a home left three family members injured, a Baghdad sticky bombing claimed the life of 1 senior officer in the Ministry of the Defense, and a Baghdad bombing outside the home of 1 Sahwa left him injuredAll Iraq News notes that Mohammed Mustafa Hadi Jumail was also a Sahwa.  Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 256 violent deaths in Iraq this month. Alsumaria also reports that gunmen blew up towers and a generator at a division of Zain Telcom in eastern Mosul.

None of that mattered to the world press.  Then came a Tuz Khurmatu suicide bombing at a funeral and that grabbed their attention.  Duraid Adnan (New York Times) counts 35 dead and 117 injured -- "a number of high ranking regional dignitaries, military officers, professors and religious men among the Turkmen population."  AFP's Prahsant Rao Tweeted:


Iraq suicide bomb at Shiite mosque kills 42 - @AFP's latest wrap from Tuz: http://bit.ly/V7qOto  Pics: http://bit.ly/V7qQ4w 

Expand

Photos by @AFP of the aftermath of today's suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Tuz Khurmatu: http://www.imageforum-diffusion.afp.com/ImfDiffusion/Search/Results.aspx?numPage=1&srchMd=8&fsearch=iraq+unrest&dts=20130123&dte=20130123&ID_Fulcrum=1902739688_0&mui=1 …

Expand


Suicide bomb inside mosque in Tuz is single deadliest attack in Iraq since coordinated blasts in Taji on 23/7 - also killed 42 people
Expand

So it's the worst bombing in six months.  The Washington Post's Liz Sly Tweeted this observation:


Another bombing in Iraq's Tuz Khurmato kills 42. Visited it in Nov; it's a tiny town, and people were terrified http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/69448-iraq-suicide-bomb-at-shiite-mosque-kills-42 …
Expand


The Telegraph of London also counts 42 dead and quotes the Mayor Shallal Abdul stating, "Corpses are on the ground of the Husseiniyah (Shia mosque).  The suicide bomber managed to enter and blow himself up in the middle of the mourners."  Prensa Latina words it this way, "A man with a powerful explosive charge entered the husseiniya of the city of Tuyz Khurmatu and detonated the charge he was carrying amid the funeral service of a local politician's relative, who was shot the day before by an armed man, to cause the worst possible damage, witnesses told Al Manar television station."   Zhu Ningzhu (Xinhua) adds, "The attacker targeted the funeral of a government employee killed the day before, who is a relative Ali Hashim, Shiite member of the Council of Salahudin province, the source said. Hashim and the deputy governor of Salahudin province were among the wounded, the source added."    Mustafa Mohammed, Omar Mohammed, Aseel Kami, Patrick Markey and Louise Ireland (Reuters) quote injured survivor Abbas Qadir Mohammed stating, "I was sitting in the seats at the back when all of sudden I heard the sound of a huge explosion.  Thank God I was behind because people in front of me saved me with their bodies."  Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) quotes from a US Embassy in Baghdad statement:


This attack is meant to incite others into violence and is harmful to the interests of all Iraqis.  We extend our condolences to the families of these victims, and hope for the swift recovery of those who were injured.


The worst attack in six months, Prahsant Rao noted citing July 23rd.  From that day's snapshot:

Alsumaria notes the dead includes police officers and Sahwa members ("Awakenings" and "Sons/Daughters of Iraq") and that Baghdad, Nineveh Province, Diwaniyah Province, Kirkuk, Wasit Province, Diyala Province and Salahuddin Province were all targeted with bombs.  Rami Ruhayem (BBC News -- link is video and text) reports, "Well the attacks took place all over the country in different cities. They seem to have targeted primarily security forces -- army as well as police -- checkpoints, convoys and even some police officers were targeted inside their homes. There have also been a number of incidents targeting civilians and marketplaces -- especially in Sadr City in Baghdad." In a sidebar on the right-hand side, the BBC notes the most violent attacks of 2012 and today replaces June 13th when 84 were killed and "nearly 300" wounded.   Ala A. Nabhan and Sam Dagher (Wall St. Journal) add, "Several parked car bombs were detonated in markets packed with Ramadan shoppers in predominantly Shiite areas such as Baghdad's congested Sadr City district, the town of Taji northwest of the capital and the city of Diwaniya to the south, killing and wounding dozens, according to a Ministry of Interior official." Mark Leon Goldberg (UN Dispatch) notes over 100 dead.


 Kareem Raheem (Reuters) puts the death toll at 107. 


Of today's violence, AP has a very strong report that, in the last third, features a strong round up of all the violence in Iraq today.  BBC News adds, "In recent weeks, thousands of Sunnis have been holding mass protests in western Iraq against what they believe is discriminatory treatment by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shia-dominated government."  Protests continued today and are expected to be even larger tomorrow. 
Alsumaria notes that MP Bahaa al-Araji (with Moqtada's bloc) declared yesterday that the failure to meet the demands of the protesters is aggravating the political crisis in Iraq.  The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq is Martin Kobler.  The United Nations this week began meeting with the protesters.  Alsumaira notes that Kobler held a press conference in Kirkuk yesterday where he stated that the government needs to meet the demands of the protesters and that the UN doesn't see a resolve on the part of the Iraqi government currently to meet the protesters' demands.  Kobler called for serious dialogue.  Chris Fry covers the protests with "Opposition grows to Iraqi regime" (Workers World) and, from Fry's article, we'll note the protesters' demands:

The protesters are justly demanding:
1. The immediate release of detained protesters and dissident prisoners.
2 . An end to the death penalty.
3. The approval of an amnesty law for innocent detainees.
4. The abolition of anti-terrorism laws (especially Clause 4 used to target them).
5. The repeal of unfair rulings against dissidents.
6. Fair opportunities for work based on professionalism.
7. The end of the use of all military command based on geographic areas.
8. The provision of essential services to all areas in Iraq neglected by the guardian.co.uk, Jan. 17state.
9. The holding of all … governmental officials, army or security units who have committed crimes against dissidents accountable, especially those who have violated the honor of women in prisons.
10. A U.N.-sponsored population count.
11. An end to marginalization, a stop to agitating divisions between ethnic and religious groups, and a stop to the house raids without legal warrant based on the information of secret informers.
12. A stop to financial, administrative and legal corruption.
13. The combating of sectarianism in all its forms by returning religious buildings and all religious properties to their rightful owners, and the abolishment of law No. 19 of 2005.
The Maliki regime has used brutal repression to maintain its grip on power. The Baghdad government has admitted that it is holding 6,500 prisoners whom it accuses of “terrorism,” including 97 women, along with 15,000 prisoners for “civil” crimes, including 500 women. On Jan. 18, Baghdad TV announced that 97,000 people were arrested last November alone in Anbar, Diyalah and Salah-Adedeen provinces. (“Friday No Deception. Protesters to Maliki: Stop Cheating and Go Away,” Eman A. Khamas, Brussell’s Tribunal,  Jan. 18)



The Kurdistan Regional Government notes a meeting (photo above) in Davos, Switzerland yesterday where KRG President Massoud Barzani and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Pilarson addressed oil exploration in the KRG.  (Before Barzani arrived in Switzerland, he stopped in Germany where he visited the hospital where Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is being treated and he states Jalal's status has greatly improved.)  Barzani was in Switzerland for the World Economic Conference.  This follows Pilarson's meeting with Nouri al-Maliki this week to address ExxonMobil's plans in Iraq.   Seeking Alpha notes speculation that ExxonMobil has received an offer from Nouri of "improved conditions" on the Iraq deal.


In the US, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced a change of policy.  Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and her office issued the following statement this afternoon:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
CONTACT: Murray Press Office
(202) 224-2834

Senator Murray's Statement on Sec. Panetta's Decision to Remove Ban on Women in Combat

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, and a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement on Secretary Leon Panetta's decision to remove the military's ban on women serving in combat.
"This is an historic step for equality and for recognizing the role women have, and will continue to play, in the defense of our nation.  From the streets of Iraqi cities to rural villages in Afghanistan, time and again women have proven capable of serving honorably and bravely.  In fact, it's important to remember that in recent wars that lacked any true front lines, thousands of women already spent their days in combat situations serving side-by-side with their fellow male servicemembers.  I commend Secretary Panetta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for their decision and look forward to working with them on quickly implementing the end of this ban.


###

Matt McAlvanah
Communications Director
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
202-224-2834 - press office
202--224-0228 - direct
matt_mcalvanah@murray.senate.gov
News Releases | Economic Resource Center | E-Mail Updates
 
 
 


Good for Leon Panetta.  It is the right thing to do.  There is concern that Barack's nominee for Secretary of Defense would be less of an advocate, so good for Panetta for acting and for making history.  Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) reports:

Panetta made the decision “upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” a senior defense official said Wednesday, an assertion that stunned female veteran activists who said they assumed that the brass was still uneasy about opening the most physically arduous positions to women. The Army and the Marines, which make up the bulk of the military’s ground combat force, will present plans to open most jobs to women by May 15.
The Army, by far the largest fighting force, currently excludes women from nearly 25 percent of active-duty roles. A senior defense official said the Pentagon expects to open “many positions” to women this year; senior commanders will have until January 2016 to ask for exceptions.



The ACLU issued the following statement:

January 23, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666media@aclu.org

“We are thrilled to hear Secretary Panetta’s announcement today recognizing that qualified women will have the same chance to distinguish themselves in combat as their brothers-in-arms, which they actually already have been doing with valor and distinction,” said Ariela Migdal, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “But we welcome this statement with cautious optimism, as we hope that it will be implemented fairly and quickly so that servicewomen can receive the same recognition for their service as their male counterparts.”
For more information please visit: www.aclu.org/womens-rights/hegar-et-al-v-panetta
At Ms. magazine's blog, Rachel Kassenbrock reports on the historic development and notes:



Though this decision is a positive development, it will take time to implement and it remains unclear to what degree Congress will review the decision. As of now, the decision is receiving support from both sides: Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), remarked that the decision “reflects the increasing role that female service members play in securing our country.’’ Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, agrees:
[The decision] is a historic step for recognizing the role women have, and will continue to play, in the defense of our nation. In recent wars that lacked any true front lines, thousands of women already spent their days in combat situations serving side-by-side with their fellow male service members.

Yes, we've already quoted Senator Murray.  It's worth quoting her again because it's good to see some agreement from both sides of the Senate and because Senator Murray has raised the issue of women in combat as Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and as a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee before that.  She has been one of the strongest voices in the Senate for the need to recognize that women are in combat in today's wars and they deserve to have the recognition for what their service actually was.



iraq












afp
prashant rao



the washington post
ernesto londono