Labor Day usually means picnics and get togethers.
Or that's how it used to be. These days, it may just mean shopping. For those looking for an easy recipe Shondra e-mailed one she sampled on the 4th of July. She liked the taste but not the looks of it. That's because it contained yellow or white with a lot of green. She began substituting red bell pepper and likes the look better.
1 15.5 ounce can white or yellow hominy -- drained
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
1/4 cup of olives chopped
1/4 cup of pickle relish
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1 cup of grated cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
It is very important that you drain the hominy. It will be too salty otherwise and have too much of a gritty taste. You'll take all of the ingredients except the cheese and combine them in a bowl, cover it and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Then top with cheese.
You can use green bell pepper but I agree the red looks better. You can use green and red bell pepper or green, red and yellow bell peppers. On olives, she uses black olives and sometimes also adds green ones.
This is a recipe that requires no cooking and is easy to toss together for a sidedish during the week. Since Shondra e-mailed it, we've had it during the week and I usually make it the night before and let it chill until dinner the next day.
I'm going to move on over to the YouTube debate and first let me agree with C.I. that the racist location for the 'debate' needs to be called out. Electing to hold the debate at an institution created to address a potential slave rebellion really isn't something Democrats ever need to do again.
C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" and my son Mike's "Dave Lindorff on impeachment, and me on Koo Koo" address the nonsense that is The Nation magazine rewriting what actually happened to make Obama look better than Clinton (David Corn at The Nation did not rewrite, he quotes the actual question and the remarks).
What I wanted to address was the alleged equality and the craven, disgusting non-bravery on display.
Anderson Cooper may be someone's cup of tea but I've never felt the need to be Grace in a Will & Grace scenario so he's never done anything for me. Anderson Cooper's sexuality was spoken of long before he went to CNN. If he's not gay, I think the world would be shocked. If he is gay, I think he's shameful for participating in a discussion or 'debate' where gay rights were pretty much trashed and all he could ever offer was indicating when time was up.
Here's the Corporatist Obama trying to explain his position on same-sex marriage:
Well, I think that it is important to pick up on something that was said earlier by both Dennis and by Bill, and that is that we've got to make sure that everybody is equal under the law. And the civil unions that I proposed would be equivalent in terms of making sure that all the rights that are conferred by the state are equal for same-sex couples as well as for heterosexual couples. Now, with respect to marriage, it’s my belief that it's up to the individual denominations to make a decision as to whether they want to recognize marriage or not. But in terms of, you know, the rights of people to transfer property, to have hospital visitation, all those critical civil rights that are conferred by our government, those should be equal.
Well, I think that it is important to pick up on something that was said earlier by both Dennis and by Bill, and that is that we've got to make sure that everybody is equal under the law. And the civil unions that I proposed would be equivalent in terms of making sure that all the rights that are conferred by the state are equal for same-sex couples as well as for heterosexual couples.
Now, with respect to marriage, it's my belief that it's up to the individual denominations to make a decision as to whether they want to recognize marriage or not. But in terms of, you know, the rights of people to transfer property, to have hospital visitation, all those critical civil rights that are conferred by our government, those should be equal.
Marriage is not just recognized by churches. As a woman who's been married for years, I'm fully aware the federal government recognizes it. It recognizes it when I file a joint-tax return or file on my own. It recognizes it in a variety of ways.
Obama wants to play like this is something being forced off on churches. It's not. The government recognizes marriage. He wasn't the only one being pathetic. John Edwards was pathetic as well. John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards are close to pulling a GOP bait and switch. Those with long memories can remember all the Republican candidate wives over the years trotting out their "I am for abortion" while the husbands weren't. The wives don't matter in this instance, they aren't signing the legislation. Elizabeth Edwards has come out for gay marriage. Great on a personal level but it has nothing to do with the 2008 campaign. Her husband said in the debate he was against it and based that on religious reasons. That was cowardly.
Obama was far worse. He tried to 'finesse' the issue by pretending that civil unions and marriage are the same. They aren't. This society values marriage and, at best, accepts civil unions. Anyone who doesn't grasp the difference is either lying or an idiot.
Two people having the right to enter marriage is either a right or it isn't. There's nothing there to finesse. You either support the right of ALL couples to marry or you don't. (If you haven't grasped it, I do favor the right of all couples to marry.)
Obama is such a coward and you need to contrast his answer above with him speaking of women in the military. (For the record, Anderson Cooper did put the question to him by first noting interracial marriage was once banned. Obama chose not to speak to that.)
Here's the question, "Senator Obama, should women register for Selective Service?" Here's the answer from the Corporatist:
You know, a while back we had a celebration in the Capitol for the Tuskegee Airmen, and it was extraordinarily powerful because it reminded us, there was a time when African-Americans weren't allowed to serve in combat.
And yet, when they did, not only did they perform brilliantly, but what also happened is they helped to change America, and they helped to underscore that we’re equal.
And I think that if women are registered for service -- not necessarily in combat roles, and I don't agree with the draft -- I think it will help to send a message to my two daughters that they've got obligations to this great country as well as boys do.
So women have "obligations" and that allows for military service but gays and lesbians don't have rights that allow for equality?
He's such a little hate monger of his own. He ties it up in drippy words when he's playing his motivation speaker bit on the campaign trail but all he's doing there is offering racist screeds on African-American fathers.
It's not a surprise that the Koo Koo Katrina vanden Heuvel crowd would fall for Obama. He is them, a fake and a phoney. Someone who will not change a damn thing or challenge a damn thing.
Mike Gravel got cut off when he raised the issue of Obama's funding. Obama is back by corporations and lobbyists and I'm sure that fact sends Koo Koo Katrina vanden Heuvel into a tizzy everytime it's noted but that is reality.
On Iraq. Gravel, Kucinich and Bill Richardson are being realistic. Others, including Obama, are just lying.
Obama needs to be asked about withdrawal. He specificially needs to be asked why in 2004 (and videos are all over the web of this) he was saying the US couldn't withdrawal.
His public position is a LIE. He presents that he was against the illegal war before it began. Where he lies today is in refusing to tell the American people that once the illegal war started, he was against withdrawal and has repeatedly spoken out against it.
Now that 70% of Americans favor withdrawal, he keeps harping on the fact that he was against the illegal war before it started and trying to lump himself in with 70% of Americans but he has spoken out against withdrawal.
He's a liar and the Koo Koo Katrina crowd can praise him and pretend he's somehow different than Hillary Clinton but he's no better than she is.
If you missed it, the two year senator (sworn in Jan. 2005) made a fool out of himself by agreeing he would meet, if elected as president, in his first year with various foreign leaders. Hillary Clinton rightly rejected the idea that she'd agree on the stage that night to first year meetings. Koo Koo Katrina vanden Heuvel rewrote what happened and tried to make it a conspiracy that Hillary Clinton answered second. Koo Koo Katrina thinks that gave Hillary an unfair leg up. Apparently Koo Koo Katrina feels that it's a "ladies first" in a debate and Hillary must answer all questions before anyone else, even if the question is given to Obama first. John Nichols and Ari Berman also rewrote reality. (Only David Corn got the facts right.)
It's a sign of how unqualified their Dream Date is that Air, John and Koo Koo Katrina have to rewrite the facts to defend him. They can't defend the position he took, apparently, so they alter the facts of what he was asked and fudge his answer.
He knows nothing about diplomacy and he came off looking like he was running for class president and not president of the United States.
What the debate left me with was wanting to hear more from Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. I also want to hear more from Bill Richardson. He is saying the right things but I'm not really comfortable with him due to the Clinton era. People can change and maybe he has.
I am the least familiar with Bill Richardson. I think the coming months will allow him to articulate his positions more. At which point, I will decide I've misjudged him initially, he changed or he just knows how to make pleasing statements. Mike Gravel is someone I was already familiar with before he decided to run. I'm very comfortable with the idea of him as president and think the nation would be lucky to have him. Dennis Kucinich continues to have my full support because he continues to be a thinking adult.
Joe Biden is a cringe and a grimace everytime he speaks. John Edwards needs to figure out why it's okay to discriminate based on some alleged Biblical teaching. I'm in Church every Sunday and he's not winning over this believer with his arguments. Hillary Clinton is the known evil to me and Barack Obama is the unknown evil. What he's got to offer is frightening and even more frightening is the crowd that's lined up to shield him from every blow he's brought upon himself.
Chris Dodd could increase his favorables or his negatives in either direction because he remains a cypher to me.
I hope I didn't forget anyone.
If there's someone you are for and you feel insulted, tell yourself, "Well I'm smarter than Trina." If you're strongly for someone because of their positions it may mean we have a difference of opinion or you see something I don't. But if you're for someone due to some cult of personality, I do disagree with you and would to your face. This isn't a popularity contest, it's about getting an adult into the White House.
Thank you to everyone who wrote about last week's post. I'm really glad to know there is so much support for war resisters. They are taking courageous stands and they are helping to end the illegal war. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" from Friday:
Friday, July 27, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, Cindy Sheehan debates a moron, Operation Happy Talk continues.
Starting with war resisters. From September 2nd through September 26th, Agustin Aguayo was absent without leave. Aguayo self-checked out when facing a second deployment to Iraq and while his case was moving through the civilian courts. Aguayo was denied CO status by a military that doesn't know their own regulations. John A. Rogowsky Jr. is another, among many others, who have been wrongly denied CO status. From "Selective Service System: Fast Facts:" "Beliefs which qualify a registrant for CO status may be religious in nature, but don't have to be." Despite that basic reality, Aguayo, Rogowsky and others have been told that they're not religious enough, that their religion is not recognized, when religion really is NOT required for CO status. In Aguayo's case, the military refused to recognize that time in Iraq deepened Aguayo's faith (already present when he enlisted).
Speaking with Don Bustany on KPFK's Middle East in Focus Wednesday, Aguayo shared his story.and noted that when he arrived in Iraq in February of 2004, the medics were gathered for a speech that was in conflict in with the printed training material. They were told that they were medics and they were combat troops and that, "'You medics,' speaking to us, 'has to make it clear, has to make it clear in the minds of your infantry man that they must finish their job because if they don't then there will be more work for you'." As Aguayo looked around he saw acceptance and an eagerness to get back to the routine but "I could not accept that I was being told those things."
He also spoke of the eagerness to blame Iraqis for any problems as opposed to questioning the illegal war or the Bully Boy who sent them there. Aguayo began to realize, "I was a particiant, a supporter, of all the missions that took place." Today Aguayo is sharing his story publicly. Mialka Bonadonna (LAist) reports he will be speaking tonight (Friday) in Los Angeles, 7:00 pm at 3303 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd floor.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Jared Hood and James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Care, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters.
From reality to Operation Happy Talk. The push-back is on and Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno has enlisted. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) writes of the press briefing Odierno gave yesterday where he issued the talking points that US military deaths were falling. Parker rightly notes that seven deaths were announced after the press briefing and the one of the deaths announced on Thursday dated back to Sunday. The US military was delaying announcing deaths. Reality is that in terms of what has been annouced, the deaths were 67 on Thursday and that July is not yet over but July 2007 is already the deadliest July for US service members since the start of the illegal war. July 2006: 43 US service members were killed in Iraq. In July 2005 and July 2004, 54 US service members were killed in Iraq. In July 2003, 48 US service members were killed in Iraq.
Last week, Odierno enlisted in the push-back in a vareity of ways at a press briefing with reporters at the US Pentagon via video-link. In terms of downgrading expectations for the September report to the US Congress by the military, he declared that the report that was needed would come in November and clarified, "What I was saying is -- again, my remarks were, in 45 days I will have a better idea if the trends are continuing, and that's September. Obviously, we have an assessment we will conduct in September that will provide -- that General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will provide. I was not looking at extending that time frame when they have to report back. What I imagine we'll have to do is do assessments that follow that initial assessment in September, and that's -- I'm assuming we'll continue to do assessments while we're here." Yesterday, Odierno stressed "trends" as well but forgot to include 7 deaths he should have known about in his remarks.
In addition, at the same press briefing, he attempted to yet again sell the non-proven link between resistance fighters in Iraq and the Iranian government. When pressed by reporters for evidence, Odierno's confident remarks of such a link were replaced with his statements that, "We don't see any evidence -- significant evidence". And a third way he enlisted was in calling into question the right of an open debate in a free society when he took to suggesting that discussions in the media and in the US Congress about US forces withdrawing from Iraq, was 'emboldening' al Qaeda. Again, when pressed, Odierno had to back off from his original remarks and admit he had "no specific intelligence" on any such emboldening.
Operation Happy Talk is not confined to the US military brass and the US administration. Andrew Grice (Independent of London) reports that the UK Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup (I did not make that name up) has declared, "We are very close to being able to hand over Basra in my judgement. Just when we will reach that point is at the moment uncertain but I am fairly confident it'll be in the second half of the year." Basra is one base, the Basra Palace (and it's also the last of four provinces the British military currently controls -- the other three were already turned over) Grice interprets Jock Stirrup's remarks to mean control of Basra could be handed off before the year's end; however, it could come much sooner. After all, British troops, the Soldiers of the Queen's Royal Hussars, proved they could hustle when they pulled out of the Maysan province with less than 24 hours notice after their base their repeatedly was attacked back in August. As Haidar Hani (AP) reported then that following the British hitting the road in 'stripped down mode': "Looters ravaged a former British base Friday . . . taking everything from doors and window frames to corrugated roofing and metal pipes". Iraqi authorites noted then that the British had only given them 24 hours notice that the departure was coming. As with that base, the Basra Palace has been under rocket and mortar attacks repeatedly. In addition, IRIN reports that approximately "150 doctors in Basra, Iraq's second largest city about 600km south of Baghdad, began a three-day strike on 23 July, demanding the government protect them and their families." This was to call attention to the lack of security and this comes as over "618 medical employees" have been killed since the start of the illegal war.
Turning to realities that US administration prefers we don't know. Noam N. Levey and Alexandra Zavis (Los Angeles Times) report that the White House "has stopped reporting to Congress a key quality-of-life indicator in Baghdad: how long the power stays on." This is an agreed upon 'benchmark' by the US administration and Congress -- and one even Iraqis could agree to even though they were consulted when it was time to draw on benchmarks. When you can't meet the benchmark, this administration stops reporting it.
This approach is an affront to democracy and one of many the current administration has repeatedly shown not only to people in the US but to people around the world. Today, Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now!) hosted a debate on the issue of impeachment. All sides were represented, with Cindy Sheehan representing the pro-impeachment and Dan Gerstein representing the lunatic fringe. Gerstein is a Democratic Party Hack and not even a good one. His full credentials were not listed on the program and that's probably due to the fact that if he'd had to sit through even a partial litany of his many losses, he would have walked off on air.
Gerstein doesn't want impeachment. He doesn't think anything that's been done rises to the level of impeachment. He thinks the way to 'fix' is to vote Democrats into power in 2008 (he might want to check out his consulting p.r. faxes because I'm seeing something about him being in favor of Democrats "all things being equal"). To impeach the Bully Boy and/or Cheney would be a distraction that would harm the Democrats chances to regain the White House in 2008.
Gerstein's been more wrong than right when gazing into his crystal ball and that may say it all but for those who've forgotten his nasty snit-fits when his boy Joe Lieberman lost the primary to Ned Lamont, try google-ing.
The reality, as Cindy Sheehan pointed out, is that impeachment hasn't been a problem in terms of the White House. Gerstein is wrong, Sheehan is right. Gerstein tried to use the 1998 Congressional election (not a White House election) as an example. After the 2002 Congressional election demonstrated that no patterns were holding, no tea leafs could be read, Gerstein might try sticking to reality and leaving his fantasy land where he knows the outcome. (If he truly did, he might be a player and not a Lieberman lackey.)
From the broadcast:
CINDY SHEEHAN: Well, also in Article II, yeah, Clause 4, it says for treason and bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors. I believe that -- and there's, you know, legal proof out there that when he commuted Scooter Libby's sentence, he committed treason, because Scooter Libby was convicted of obstructing justice in the cover-up of the Bush administration outing Valerie Plame. And I believe that the American people will be behind this. The Democrats aren't trying to end the war. They just gave George Bush $120 billion more to wage it. And he has said the troops aren't coming home while he's president. So I think we need to look at it as human-based and not political. John Conyers told me in a meeting previously to the one we had on Monday that winning the presidency in '08 was more important to him than ending the war in Iraq. When are our leaders going to -- I guarantee there's 150,000 mothers in this country, who it's more important to them to end the war in Iraq and get their children home safely than who's president in '08. And I think, historically, when this impeachment has been tried, like I said before, the party who tried it, even though it hasn't been successful, has -- it has galvanized the base of that party to say, "Wow, our leaders are courageous. Our leaders have integrity. Our leaders are leading us from a moral base, not from political expediency."
It was hilarious to see the Sterile Gerstein LIE and we'll use the word even though he will take offense but that is reality. A liar, for instance, is someone who attacks Cindy Sheehan as an attention hog (or whatever the term he used) only a short time ago but pretends to have the upmost respect for her during the debate today. The Peace Mom cleaned his clock.
In today's violence, CNN reports that 17 Iraqis -- count includes 2 women -- were killed by the US military and the Iraqi military today in Karbala with hospital officials reporting at least twenty-five wounded ("including women and children") had been brought to the hospital. To no one's surprise the US military is claiming "Not true!" The US military asserts, in the same press release -- keep that in mind, that "No Iraqi civilians were present in the area while the strike was performed" -- the strike involved "aeiral fires" -- and that this was "a raid in a neighborhood in Karbala." One of those, no doubt, ghost town neighborhoods in Karbala? By their own admission, the raid took place in a neighborhood. The raid took place during the sleeping hours. The raid involved air strikes as well as shooting on the ground. And there is the matter of the bodies of the dead and the wounded.
Bombings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a man was killed in a Baghdad bombing when the car he was driving was stopped by assailants who put "explosives into his car" and then attempted to use the man and his car in an attack on a police check point (two police officers were wounded), a Baghdad mortar attack that left four wounded, two people wounded when "U.S. troops bombed Al Husseiniya district" in Baghdad, an Al Muqdadiyah roadside bombing claimed 1 life with five others wounded, a Kirkuk rocket attack that claimed 2 lives, and a Karbala roadside bombing targeting Brig. Gen. Raed Shakir Hamed that left 3 of his bodyguards killed while he survived. Reuters notes a Mahmudiya mortar attack that claimed the life of 1 woman and left a child and an adult wounded, that a Samarra roadside bombing that claimed the lives of 7 police officers so . . .Shootings?
Reuters notes the Samarra police decided to open fire and 3 innocent civilians were killed (open fire after the bombing). Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Saidiyah and Adeeb Abdul Salam were shot dead in a Baghdad home invasion, a person shot dead in Buhruz and attorney Hussam Al Nahi was shot dead in Basra. Reuters notes an Iraqi soldier shot dead in Kirkuk.Corpses?Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 7 corpses discovered in Baghdad, two corpses delivered to Al Muqdadiyah hospital, 1 corpse discovered in Baquba. KUNA reports the corpses of five women were discovered in Mosul today and that the women had been kidnapped yesterday while returning from work.
Today, the US military announced: "One Task Force Lightning Soldier died as a result of injuries sustained from an explosion near his vehicle while conducting operations in Diyala province, Thursday." The death brings ICCC's current total to 3646 US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war with 67 killed for the month thus far.
iraq
agustin aguayo
mcclatchy newspapers
the los angeles times
democracy now
amy goodman
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Egg plant, Onion, Tomato blend in the Kitchen
I was planning to go with one recipe today but ended up deciding to go with another when I checked the e-mails. Ginger wrote this morning. She asked what to do when your garden problem was that you were overrun with eggplants? (Be thankful, for starters.) She listed all the recipes she knew for eggplants and was looking for one that was quick on baking or stirring time.
I love eggplant. I love it baked, I love it stuffed. I've used it as a meat substitute in recipes and used it along with meat in some recipes over the years. But she's also got a lot of onions in her garden. (I e-mailed back wondering where she lives? I'm assuming in the south or southwest judging by the top five producers in her garden.)
So I'm going to share a recipe that I make for myself from time to time. It's easy and nothing to worry over.
You're going to cut the ends of the egg plant off and remove the skin. (I use a knife but I have an aunt whom I'll assume is more devoted to egg plant than even I am -- she uses a potato peeler to remove the skin.) Then slice it into cubes. Place the cubes in a skillet with olive oil, stir around to coat the cubes evenly and let set while you chop up one onion (you can also slice the oinion if you'd prefer a different texture). You can then chop up two tomatoes on a cutting board or open a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
Turn the stove burner on to a low-medium heat. Stir the egg plant for approximately 3 minutes. Add the onions and the tomatoes with juice. Stir a few times while allowing it to cook for five minutes. Add some fresh pepper and stir (salt if you'd like). Serve hot (and with some shredded cheese on top if you'd like).
For an egg plant recipe, that's very easy and the only thing I didn't see listed by Ginger. You can use diced tomatoes in a can with various spices (canned with the spices) or you can add some of your own spices. (Oregeno is one I enjoy.) It's quick and easy (and Ginger, I also e-mailed you a pickling recipe because I know you aren't going to be able to cook or give away all the egg plant your garden's producing).
I love all the e-mails but my favorite in 2006 was from a family member of a war resister. When I read that (and it went to my "junk" folder so I was about a week late in reading it), I had several thoughts. My first thought was, I do not do as much to note war resisters as I should. I strongly support war resisters and I've tried to make that very clear here but I read that wonderful e-mail and thought, "Oh, this should have gone to someone else." I called C.I. and read the e-mail over the phone. On Saturdays when I don't think I'll have time to blog (today for example), I'll remember that e-mail and make the time.
A war resister is doing a really brave thing and a very lonely thing. He or she is saying no to an illegal war and saying it very clearly. They're also saying it in at a time when others they've trained with are going along. That may not result in a lot of support. During Vietnam, the stories I would hear were of how they'd test it out on those they were with. Maybe as a joke, maybe just straight out. And by the reaction, they'd know how honest they could be. I don't know if anyone tests it out these days to that degree.
But I do know there's not going to be this overwhelming support from anyone who is in the military with you. That's because it's always easier to just go along.
If you make the decision to resist, you aren't just making a decision for yourself, you're forcing others to ask questions about themselves. Bob or Bobbie saying, "I'm resisting," means others have to think about it. They may immediately reject the idea. They may heap scorn on you. But it does put a question mark into their own lives.
Resistance is very powerful and it's also very hard for anyone to do. Those who find the strength to do so have my respect. Some resist in this country and some go to Canada. The ones who go to Canada do so knowing that there will probably not be a safe return to this country. If they do return, they'll most likely be arrested and that will be the case forever. In the current climate, it's very unlikely that the next president will do anything to offer even the limited amnesty that Jimmy Carter did when he was president. (Gerald Ford really did nothing for war resisters. Gerald Ford is a joke, was a joke.)
Someone who hits on the topic of war resisters is C.I. and this week two articles were highlighted in the snapshot. The start of the week had one where a woman was quoted. I read that and was just shaking my head in agreement with C.I. and realizing that not only do most in the press refuse to support war resisters, they refuse to call out nonsense. The woman is with a group that represents C.O.'s. That is a form of war resistance. I appreciate those who receive C.O. status.
But I really agreed with C.I.'s point, phrased more nicely than I'm about to, that woman needs to butt out. She does not work with war resisters who go to Canada and her ill informed and uninformed remarks were not helpful. The reporter was writing about war resisters in Canada. He never should have called her for a remark. But having taken the call, the woman should have explained, "That's not really my field. Let me suggest an organization for you." Instead, she wanted to gas bag and offer that no one should go to Canada, that it's not like during Vietnam (what is, dear, what it is?) and that the best thing to do (in her mind) was come back to the US. I now loathe that organization, the one she represents. I'm actively requesting that C.I. remove it from the permalinks at The Common Ills. (Only C.I. links to it.) (C.I. is considering it and it will probably be dropped today if there's time.) I've noted before that my husband and I have friends who went to Canada during Vietnam. I ran that by the wife of one (who is still married to him and they both live in Canada) to make sure my reaction (and C.I.'s) weren't exceptions.
She said the woman is "a fool" and should "shut her damn mouth." She reminded me of something I'd forgotten from that earlier period: there were 'helpful' ones like the woman saying the same thing during Vietnam, saying, "You shouldn't move to Canada, you should stay here or come back and face the music or firing squad." My friend said things were harder in terms of getting refugee status; however, she wouldn't be surprised if that is either overturned (there's growing support for war resisters in Canada) or if another avenue to citizenship was created. "As bad as things are, the fact remains that the government has yet to toss anyone out of the country," she pointed out.
She said the status was the only difference and the woman's remarks were insulting and misguided not just for today's war resisters but for the ones who went to Canada during Vietnam. "We started over. Put in that we had been married for about two months and this really wasn't planned" moving to Canada "on our part until two weeks before we did it. We were both against the war. His number came up and he was going to go. He said let's get engaged and I was for that and must have been a little more than he guessed because he said, 'Well, hell, let's get married.' So we were engaged for only a few days and then we were married. We were both against the war and I think I was the one who raised the fact that I would wait for him to get back but I didn't want to and I didn't want to worry that he'd come back in a coffin. I said, 'This is stupid, you don't believe in the war.' And I was griping to everyone, remember, and someone said 'There is Canada.' The second that was said, it seemed like the answer. We didn't expect to ever return. We packed up the Volkswagon and drove to Canada. The only bad thing was I didn't like the cities which were a little too crowded from the way I pictured it in my head. So we ended up, after about six months or so, moving out of the cities. We lived in the same home ever since, raised our children here, become grandparents here. What that woman reminds me of, actually, is Jerry Ford and his nonsense that he offered which is come back to the US and we'll see if we're going to toss you in prison or give you some form of limited amnesty. He was an idiot. You have to be an idiot to pardon Richard Nixon. And you have to be an idiot, like ___ [the woman] to say that war resisters in Canada should just pack up and return. What they are doing today is forcing a nation to make some choices. Canadians aren't serving in Iraq. This isn't an illegal war we're taking part in. And we can take some pride in that and pat ourselves on the back and get real comfy about it. But today's war resisters are forcing us, as a nation, to ask ourselves about our own role. The woman sees none of that and she's, frankly, a fool. Today's resisters have made an impact in their own country and by bringing the fight to Canada, they're impacting two countries. As the war continues, the US needs some form of support in the global community to continue. It won't be in the form of soldiers. And Canada's never sent any. But is Canada going to do more than that? That's the issue war resisters are placing on our tables here. And just raising that issue makes it harder for the fool-in-chief in the White House. But if Canada is forced to start granting asylum, that will make things even harder for the US. They are the northern neighbor, bordering the US. They have tremendous power in that regard. War resisters today are forcing Canada to explore using that power. We have a conservative government but I really don't think that matters on this issue. I don't think it matters that our prime minister wants to be close with the White House. The ball is rolling and if it keeps gathering speed, the government's going to be forced to deal with it and that will be a mighty rebuke to the White House and their illegal war. The conversations that are taking place are happening because of the presence of the war resisters. They are really impacting three countries, the US by leaving, Canada by arriving and Iraq by refusing to serve there. That woman, that fool, doesn't know the first thing she is talking about and should shut her mouth."
My friend, who was one of my closest friends beginning in sixth grade when we ended up in the same school, actually has experience to speak of. The woman with that organization didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Her words didn't reveal compassion, caring or awareness. They were idiotic and ill informed. Her support goes to C.O. and while I can support both (and others), she seems only willing to support one group. I see her as unhelpful as the Katrina vanden Heuvel led edition of The Nation. Those who struggle force us all to ask questions and I support war resisters.
In the snapshot below, C.I. highlights an article and I wanted to pull from that as well. This is from Ian Munro "US military deserters seek refuge in Canada" (Australia's The Age):
BEFORE he deserted the US Marines, Dean Walcott rode shotgun on besieged convoys to Baghdad and spent a second Iraq tour setting up military communications.
Even though he was in no imminent danger of returning for a third deployment, he took a Greyhound bus to Canada.
He is one of dozens of US military deserters hoping to be granted refugee status in Canada under the rule of the United Nations Charter on Refugees.
It was not Mr Walcott's combat experience but his time in a military hospital in Germany that prompted his desertion.
His route north followed a path taken decades earlier by tens of thousands of Vietnam War draft dodgers and deserters, to Toronto and the War Resisters Support Campaign.
Mr Walcott was in Landstuhl military hospital when the hideously burned survivors of the 2004 Mosul mess tent bombing arrived. Some, he says, resembled nothing so much as a lump of coal, still screaming in pain despite the tide of morphine coursing through them.
"Seeing people in that suffering and pain, if you are going to do that to your country's soldiers and sailors, then there's got to be a damn good reason, not just the abstract like this one was," says Mr Walcott, 25.
He grew tired of trying to answer the questions of young reservists, recovering from the loss of limbs, who wanted to know what the heck the war was about.
That was the second article on war resisters that C.I. highlighted this week. In that article, people speaking actually knew something about the topic. I also want to take a second to applaud C.I. for the online and offline work done in support of war resisters. In a time when there seems to be so much less courage (I'm contrasting today and Vietnam), C.I. consistently stands as one of the strongest voices and it would probably be much easier to practice the shameful silence that The Nation does. Contrast what Howard Zinn wrote for the Fourth of July with the embarrassing, creepy and craven Katrina vande Heuvel who felt the need to pin up flags and rush to assure readers that, basically, "Here at The Nation we are as patriotic as anyone and we did an issue in 1991 on patriotism. We've been opposed to some wars but we supported other. I am babbling like a school girl fool because I am one. Maybe my husband, who was once my professor, will explain to me later what I should have written because I'm the biggest fool in the nation and at The Nation. I destroy the magazine week after week by watering it down and make it weaker. Wave the flags with me because the best way to be left is to echo the right." I despise Katrina vanden Heuvel and all of today's cowards who couldn't take a stand on a subway with all the other seats taken. Katrina vanden Heuvel would elect to sit on the floor. She benched the powerful voice of the magazine long ago. It's really past time that The Nation benched her. May her own personal hell be one of silence, may she be condemned to live in the silence she's created at the magazine.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" from Friday:
Friday, July 20. 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the death toll mounts, a military judge sends the message that even if you're convicted in the killing of an innocent Iraqi you won't get any prison time, and the latest wave of Operation Happy Talk is Operation Push-Back.
Starting with war resisters. Ian Munro (Australia's The Age) explores the "estimated 250" US service members who have self-checked out and moved to Canada and zooms in on Dean Walcott and Phillip McDowell. Munro writes, "Mr Walcott's life was up-ended in 2004 at a military hospital in Germany when burns survivors from the Mosul mess tent bombing were shipped in." Like Walcott, McDowell served in Iraq before deciding to self-check out. Munro quotes McDowell stating, "I believed everything the Government told us about weapons of mass destruction, that there were links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. I was aware of the international opposition to going in, but growing up I always trusted my government" and reports, "By the end of his tour he saw the war as wrong, illegal and counterproductive, and was disturbed by the treatment of some prisoners. But he thought he was clear by the middle of last year when his enlistment expired. Then the army called him back. With his family's support, he and his partner Jamine took the Canada option in Ocotber." Jeffry House tells Munro that he estimates the number of war resisters in Canada to be 250 and, "Some don't want to go through the war resisters because they are a political group. Some people want to make the point about their concern but don't want to be part of a campaign." House represents many including Kyle Snyder, Joshua Key and Jeremy Hinzman. Lee Zaslofsky of the War Resisters Support Campaign tells his story, how he self-checked during Vietnam and moved to Canada -- where he's lived ever since and happily (to refute some of the nonsense offered earlier this week by a spokesperson for a group that does not represent self-checkouts) and he estimates there are hundreds who have self-checked out from today's illegal war and moved to Canada.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Jared Hood and James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Care, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.
Yesterday, Elaine (Like Maria Said Paz) noted that alleged 'withdrawals' pushed by Democratic leadership in the US Congress some how tend to factor in leaving troops in northern Iraq and the effects the Kurdish separatist movement has on neighboring Turkey which has its own Kurdish separatist movement. Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Gooodman and Juan Gonzales addressed the issue with the independent journalist Scott Peterson (Peterson reports for The Christian Science Monitor which actually is an independent publication and structured as one). As noted before, Turkey has an upcoming election and the tensions flaring between the regions has only increased -- whether or not for electoral gain is for someone else to determine. The region of northern Iraq has its own elections coming up which will determine its autonomy and with very little coverage from Western media, Kurdish flags have been planeted, families run off and those belonging to religious minorities have been either run off from the region or killed. Turkey alleges and identifies the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) as a terrorist organization and has argued that it is granted harbor in northern Iraq. Mortars have been exchanged and, on at least one occassion, Turkish troops have recently entered northern Iraq. From the broadcast:
JUAN GONZALEZ: Scott Peterson, this allegation by Turkey that the United States is indirectly assisting the PKK, is there any evidence of that, given the fact, obviously, that the -- isn't the PKK really a more, historically more of a leftwing insurgency, a secular insurgency that would be unlikely to be supported by the United States?
SCOTT PETERSON: Well, the PKK really disappeared as an organization for the past five or six years. In 1999, its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured by the Turks, in fact. And in his first appearance in court, Ochalan said that the PKK had made a number of mistakes during the fifteen-year separatist war, that they should now try and work within the state and with state structures to find recognition of Kurdish rights and recognition of Kurdish culture. And he also said that they're no longer fighting for a separate Kurdish state. So those were all quite important changes that really kind of took the wind out of the PKK sails for many years. What we've seen in the last year or two now is a surge of PKK activity in terms of attacks -- certainly in terms of attacks that the government attributes to the PKK, and those are both in Ankara, others also in Istanbul, some targeting civilians and many targeting also soldiers, especially in Kurdish areas in southeast Turkey. Now, of course, the issue of who is supporting the PKK is a very thorny one, because, of course, the PKK remains on the list of terrorist groups, as officially designated by the US State Department. The United States has identified and chosen a special envoy specifically for countering the PKK. That's the title of Joe Ralston, General Joe Ralston. And so -- and, of course, the US denies that it is giving any support to the PKK, but from the Turkish point of view they say, Wait a minute, there are American forces who control all of Iraq, and therefore since the PKK has bases in northern Iraq, that means that by definition there are -- you know, that the US is somehow involved, if nothing else, in turning a blind eye. And you've also got apparently safe haven given to the PKK by Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq. And the reason for these latest accusations or allegations is, just in the past ten days or so there was a press conference that was purported to be from four PKK members who had fled northern Iraq. They appeared in Ankara at a press conference wearing masks and saying, we have just fled, that PKK militants are leaving their bases, expecting a Turkish invasion, and that also they had witnessed, they say, American troops actually offloading weapons at PKK bases for the PKK. And I have spoken to senior Turkish police officers who feel that the entire story is concocted, and I'm sure that would be the American view, too, but, again, it really does raise a lot of popular questions in the minds of Turks.
Elections in Turkey take place Sunday and for more on that you can read Scott Horton's latest piece in today's Christian Science Monitor. In addition, Katharine Kendrick (Turkish Daily News) reports that political parties in Turkey have forgotten to court one group: "recent Turkish citizens." Some context re: the conflict between northern Iraq and Turkey. The US administration is attempting to lay the groundwork for a potential attack on Iran with a lot of loosely sourced claims which -- at best -- if true would only demonstrate that some Iranians have involvement in Iraq. The US administration uses that unproven link to argue that the Iranian government, therefore, must be assisting. In Bite Back In Your Own Ass news, Today's Zaman reports that not only has Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdulla Gul declared that the US is arming the PKK in Turkey but also: "The US Department of Defense has launched an investigation into US-registered weapons sent to the Iraqi army ending up in the hands [of] the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq."In addition, the paper reports, "Former members of the PKK escaping from mountain camps in northern Iraq recently gave testimony in which they told securities authorities and prosecutors they had seen US trucks delivering arms to PKK camps." By the US administration's 'logic' with regards to Iran, Turkey should be drawing up their battle plans. Reuters reports that Turkey was shelling northern Iraq. Meanwhile the Turkish Daily News reports conflicts between Turkey and Austria after Austraia refused to arrest "Ali Riza Altun, a founding member and the chief financial operator of the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States" when he surfaced in Austria this month before moving on to northern Iraq.Turning to England, the United Kingdom's Military of Defence announced: "It is with profound sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of one serviceman from 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force and two servicemen from 1 Squadron RAF Regiment on Thursday 19th July 2007. They were killed in an indirect fire attack on the Contingency Operating Base in Basra, Iraq." Robin Stringer (Bloomberg News) noted that British forces are "the second-largest contingent of the American-led coalition in Iraq." ICCC lists the total number of British troops who have died in Iraq since the start of the illegal war at 162. ITV News reports that 126 of the deaths are classified as having "died in action" while the BBC reports the three deaths come after the announcement that "british troops in Iraq will be cut to 5,000 by the end of 2007." Michael Evans and Fiona Hamilton (Times of London) observe that the three deaths come "ten days after three British soldiers were killed in the same area of southern Iraq" Earlier this week, Sean Rayment (Telegraph of London) reported, on a new study by the Royal Stastistical Society that "found the death rate of British troops has now surpassed that of Americans, following a sustained upsurge of violence in the southern city of Basra."
Turning to the United States, today on KPFK's Uprising, Sonali Kolhatkar spke with Erik Leaver of IPS (Institute for Policy Studies) on the topic of empire, Iraq and more topics addressed in the new report [PDF format warning] "Just Security." With regards to Iraq, the first step, stressed repeatedly, is getting all foreign troops out of Iraq. Kolhatkar brought up the demonizing the administration is attempting to do with regards to US Senator Hillary Clinton. As The Chicago Tribune reports: "Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, accused Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) of aiding the enemy by calling for contingency plans for a troop pullout. 'Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq,' Edelman wrote in reply to Clinton's May inquiry. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines called Edelman's letter 'outrageous'." The demonization of Clinton for reqeusting information on contingency plans (which do already exist) is part of a full out assault by the administration, a push-back effort attempting to resell the illegal war long after the majority of Americans have turned against it and are calling for a withdrawal from Iraq.
That's why, yesterday, US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, did a song and dance (via video link) for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Wally ("THIS JUST IN! THAT'S A CROCK!") and Cedric ("It's a Crock") covered it in their joint-post. Crocker was selling the 'fear' because the administration knows to get what they want, honesty doesn't work; however, if they can scare the American public, they might stand a shot. Starting with the Crock which existed to sell the fear (as did all parts of the marketing). Reneee Schoof (McClatchy Newspapers) reports US Senator Richard Lugar asked, "Are you planning for an eventual change of mission or redeployment of American forces in Iraq?" But Crocker refused to admit a Plan B existed or was being created. Thom Shanker and David S. Cloud (New York Times) report that Crock said the benchmarks weren't being met and probably wouldn't. Cloud's whines were laughable since the US administration created the benchmark talk long before Congress even considered legislation on it. But with more bad news coming, they needed to stall with something. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) would be reporting today, "A committee directed by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and President Bush to accelerate the transfer of security responsibility to Iraq's army and police has warned that Iraq is lagging in a number of categories. The quarterly report, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, says the Finance Ministry is blocking the Iraqi military from spending $660 million to build a logistical network; that militias are an obstacle to handing over to Iraqis responsibility for security in three mainly Shiite Muslim provinces; and that competition among rival security organizations has prevented the country from settling on a national security structure."
None dare call it progress. Which is why the big talking point is "Forget September, We Need To Wait Until November." As Kat noted last night, the new 'deadline' is supposed to November. Barbara Slavin's "General: September too soon to assess Iraq" (USA Today) noted that "the number two" (in Iraq), Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, was leading that pushback. Shanker and Sanger (New York Times) report, "Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters that while he would provide the mid-September assessment of the new military strategy that Congress has required, it would take 'at least until November' to judge with confidence whether the strategy was working."To really make the push, Bully Boy left DC and the national press corps hoping to yet again get soft press from local outlets. James Gerstenzang (Los Angeles Times) reports the stop yesterday was Nashville to the always hyper-enthused audience of a local Chamber of Commerce, "Such visits draw little national attention, but the out-of-town stops gain extensive local coverage sought by the White House to counter the steady beat of the Iraq war on news pages, websites, television and radio. And they provide a backdrop of a White House seeking, city by city, to portray the president as focused on the breadth of his job and not just the war."
The pushback comes as Nouri al-Maliki's promise that Iraqi troops would be ready to take over responsibilities in Iraq is revealed to be just one more bad sales pitch. CBS and AP report Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, the national security adviser, did everything but sing Don Henley's "Not Enough Love In The World" as he declared that promise was no more: "We had hopes and intentions to take over security in all provinces and command of all army divisions before the end of the year. But there are difficulties and challenges that appeared along the way, in arming, equipping, recruiting and training our armed forces."
Al-Rubaie droned on about how difficult it was "to predict a certain time." A difficulty al-Maliki wasn't bothered by in April. And the endless, illegal war that doesn't result in the puppet or his masters getting upset has now claimed the lives of 52 US service members this month and the lives of 3631 US service members since the start of the illegal war (ICCC). The number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war gets closer to one million but no reason for a puppet government, hidden away in the Green Zone and protected and flattered by foreign forces and government, to care too much.
In the real world . . .
Bombings?
Jenan (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Diyala mortar attack that injured eleven. Reuters notes a Baghdad roadside bombing that injured a police officer. DPA reports, "An Iraqi civilian was killed in a US helicopter attack in Mosul . . . The Iraqi civilian was killed and five others wounded Friday morning when a US helicopter bombed a residential area in Mosul" and two of the injured were children while two more women.
Shootings?
Jenan (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 person was shot dead in an attack on a car in Baghdad (three were wounded) and notes 2 more shot dead in Al Muqdaya suburb and 2 women shot dead "in Nawfal" and that an attack in Al Wajehia has left numerous people displaced and at least 5 dead -- Jenan also notes that on Wednesday "gunmen attacked Waheda Abd Al Muhsan Member of Salahudding governorate council. The gunmen shot her convoy when she was going to Tikret."
Corpses?
Jenan (McClatchy Newspapers) reports and that a corpse was turned over to Al Muqdadya hospital while, yesterday, the corpses of Zena ans Suha Khusai (sisters kidnapped two days prior) were discovered in Mosul. Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Abdul Razzaq al-Saiedi (New York Times) report that 17 corpses were discovered in Baghdad yesterday.Turning to legal news. Yesterday, we noted that Trey A. Corrales and Christopher P. Shore were each charged with the murder of an Iraqi civilian on or around June 23rd. Today, AP reports that Albert Corrales Sr. has stated his son is innocent (though "he hadn't talked to his 34-year-old son about the death") and quotes him stating, "I think that it's wrong because the people he supposedly shot, they were terrorists and he was under orders to clean them out, and he did." In other father and son legal news, Michael Vick (19-year-old) and James Vick (44-year-old) have both been charged. Lindsay Wilcox (KLTV, Tyler, TX) reports that the father's been held by authorities since May while the son "was arrested at DFW Airport [Dallas, TX] on Tuesday after returning home from Iraq" and that the two men are charged in the sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl and a nine-year-old girl who had been foster children in the Vick home during 2003 and 2004. Cindy Mallette (Tyler Morning Telegraph) spoke with Sgt. Wendell Wilcher of the Anderson county's sheriff's department who stated that "the Army released Michael Vick from his Iraq duties after the sherrif's department obtained a warrant for his arrest. He said the Army is considering Vick's status and may discharge him at some point in the future." Paul Stone (The Palestine Herald) also spoke with Wilcher who has been interviewing other children who stayed with the Vicks and states there will be more names added: "There's definitely going to be more than two. We may have a considerable amount of children. It's hard to say." AP notes the bail for each man is set at $300,000 and that Michael Vick is "assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington." On Wednesday, marine Trent Thomas was found guilty in the death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad who was dragged from his home, bound and murdered. Thomas was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to murder by a jury of his military peers. Although he could have been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, the military judge instead decided murder, lying, and more was no big deal. AP reports Trent Thomas' 'punishment' is to be discharged from the military and face a reduction in pay. And? That's it. No prison time for the man convicted by his peers in the murder of an innocenct civilian.
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amy goodmanjuan gonzalez mcclatchy newspapersusa todayned parkerthe new york timesthom shankerdavid e. sangerthe chicago tribunekats kornercedrics big mixthe daily jot
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I love eggplant. I love it baked, I love it stuffed. I've used it as a meat substitute in recipes and used it along with meat in some recipes over the years. But she's also got a lot of onions in her garden. (I e-mailed back wondering where she lives? I'm assuming in the south or southwest judging by the top five producers in her garden.)
So I'm going to share a recipe that I make for myself from time to time. It's easy and nothing to worry over.
You're going to cut the ends of the egg plant off and remove the skin. (I use a knife but I have an aunt whom I'll assume is more devoted to egg plant than even I am -- she uses a potato peeler to remove the skin.) Then slice it into cubes. Place the cubes in a skillet with olive oil, stir around to coat the cubes evenly and let set while you chop up one onion (you can also slice the oinion if you'd prefer a different texture). You can then chop up two tomatoes on a cutting board or open a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
Turn the stove burner on to a low-medium heat. Stir the egg plant for approximately 3 minutes. Add the onions and the tomatoes with juice. Stir a few times while allowing it to cook for five minutes. Add some fresh pepper and stir (salt if you'd like). Serve hot (and with some shredded cheese on top if you'd like).
For an egg plant recipe, that's very easy and the only thing I didn't see listed by Ginger. You can use diced tomatoes in a can with various spices (canned with the spices) or you can add some of your own spices. (Oregeno is one I enjoy.) It's quick and easy (and Ginger, I also e-mailed you a pickling recipe because I know you aren't going to be able to cook or give away all the egg plant your garden's producing).
I love all the e-mails but my favorite in 2006 was from a family member of a war resister. When I read that (and it went to my "junk" folder so I was about a week late in reading it), I had several thoughts. My first thought was, I do not do as much to note war resisters as I should. I strongly support war resisters and I've tried to make that very clear here but I read that wonderful e-mail and thought, "Oh, this should have gone to someone else." I called C.I. and read the e-mail over the phone. On Saturdays when I don't think I'll have time to blog (today for example), I'll remember that e-mail and make the time.
A war resister is doing a really brave thing and a very lonely thing. He or she is saying no to an illegal war and saying it very clearly. They're also saying it in at a time when others they've trained with are going along. That may not result in a lot of support. During Vietnam, the stories I would hear were of how they'd test it out on those they were with. Maybe as a joke, maybe just straight out. And by the reaction, they'd know how honest they could be. I don't know if anyone tests it out these days to that degree.
But I do know there's not going to be this overwhelming support from anyone who is in the military with you. That's because it's always easier to just go along.
If you make the decision to resist, you aren't just making a decision for yourself, you're forcing others to ask questions about themselves. Bob or Bobbie saying, "I'm resisting," means others have to think about it. They may immediately reject the idea. They may heap scorn on you. But it does put a question mark into their own lives.
Resistance is very powerful and it's also very hard for anyone to do. Those who find the strength to do so have my respect. Some resist in this country and some go to Canada. The ones who go to Canada do so knowing that there will probably not be a safe return to this country. If they do return, they'll most likely be arrested and that will be the case forever. In the current climate, it's very unlikely that the next president will do anything to offer even the limited amnesty that Jimmy Carter did when he was president. (Gerald Ford really did nothing for war resisters. Gerald Ford is a joke, was a joke.)
Someone who hits on the topic of war resisters is C.I. and this week two articles were highlighted in the snapshot. The start of the week had one where a woman was quoted. I read that and was just shaking my head in agreement with C.I. and realizing that not only do most in the press refuse to support war resisters, they refuse to call out nonsense. The woman is with a group that represents C.O.'s. That is a form of war resistance. I appreciate those who receive C.O. status.
But I really agreed with C.I.'s point, phrased more nicely than I'm about to, that woman needs to butt out. She does not work with war resisters who go to Canada and her ill informed and uninformed remarks were not helpful. The reporter was writing about war resisters in Canada. He never should have called her for a remark. But having taken the call, the woman should have explained, "That's not really my field. Let me suggest an organization for you." Instead, she wanted to gas bag and offer that no one should go to Canada, that it's not like during Vietnam (what is, dear, what it is?) and that the best thing to do (in her mind) was come back to the US. I now loathe that organization, the one she represents. I'm actively requesting that C.I. remove it from the permalinks at The Common Ills. (Only C.I. links to it.) (C.I. is considering it and it will probably be dropped today if there's time.) I've noted before that my husband and I have friends who went to Canada during Vietnam. I ran that by the wife of one (who is still married to him and they both live in Canada) to make sure my reaction (and C.I.'s) weren't exceptions.
She said the woman is "a fool" and should "shut her damn mouth." She reminded me of something I'd forgotten from that earlier period: there were 'helpful' ones like the woman saying the same thing during Vietnam, saying, "You shouldn't move to Canada, you should stay here or come back and face the music or firing squad." My friend said things were harder in terms of getting refugee status; however, she wouldn't be surprised if that is either overturned (there's growing support for war resisters in Canada) or if another avenue to citizenship was created. "As bad as things are, the fact remains that the government has yet to toss anyone out of the country," she pointed out.
She said the status was the only difference and the woman's remarks were insulting and misguided not just for today's war resisters but for the ones who went to Canada during Vietnam. "We started over. Put in that we had been married for about two months and this really wasn't planned" moving to Canada "on our part until two weeks before we did it. We were both against the war. His number came up and he was going to go. He said let's get engaged and I was for that and must have been a little more than he guessed because he said, 'Well, hell, let's get married.' So we were engaged for only a few days and then we were married. We were both against the war and I think I was the one who raised the fact that I would wait for him to get back but I didn't want to and I didn't want to worry that he'd come back in a coffin. I said, 'This is stupid, you don't believe in the war.' And I was griping to everyone, remember, and someone said 'There is Canada.' The second that was said, it seemed like the answer. We didn't expect to ever return. We packed up the Volkswagon and drove to Canada. The only bad thing was I didn't like the cities which were a little too crowded from the way I pictured it in my head. So we ended up, after about six months or so, moving out of the cities. We lived in the same home ever since, raised our children here, become grandparents here. What that woman reminds me of, actually, is Jerry Ford and his nonsense that he offered which is come back to the US and we'll see if we're going to toss you in prison or give you some form of limited amnesty. He was an idiot. You have to be an idiot to pardon Richard Nixon. And you have to be an idiot, like ___ [the woman] to say that war resisters in Canada should just pack up and return. What they are doing today is forcing a nation to make some choices. Canadians aren't serving in Iraq. This isn't an illegal war we're taking part in. And we can take some pride in that and pat ourselves on the back and get real comfy about it. But today's war resisters are forcing us, as a nation, to ask ourselves about our own role. The woman sees none of that and she's, frankly, a fool. Today's resisters have made an impact in their own country and by bringing the fight to Canada, they're impacting two countries. As the war continues, the US needs some form of support in the global community to continue. It won't be in the form of soldiers. And Canada's never sent any. But is Canada going to do more than that? That's the issue war resisters are placing on our tables here. And just raising that issue makes it harder for the fool-in-chief in the White House. But if Canada is forced to start granting asylum, that will make things even harder for the US. They are the northern neighbor, bordering the US. They have tremendous power in that regard. War resisters today are forcing Canada to explore using that power. We have a conservative government but I really don't think that matters on this issue. I don't think it matters that our prime minister wants to be close with the White House. The ball is rolling and if it keeps gathering speed, the government's going to be forced to deal with it and that will be a mighty rebuke to the White House and their illegal war. The conversations that are taking place are happening because of the presence of the war resisters. They are really impacting three countries, the US by leaving, Canada by arriving and Iraq by refusing to serve there. That woman, that fool, doesn't know the first thing she is talking about and should shut her mouth."
My friend, who was one of my closest friends beginning in sixth grade when we ended up in the same school, actually has experience to speak of. The woman with that organization didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Her words didn't reveal compassion, caring or awareness. They were idiotic and ill informed. Her support goes to C.O. and while I can support both (and others), she seems only willing to support one group. I see her as unhelpful as the Katrina vanden Heuvel led edition of The Nation. Those who struggle force us all to ask questions and I support war resisters.
In the snapshot below, C.I. highlights an article and I wanted to pull from that as well. This is from Ian Munro "US military deserters seek refuge in Canada" (Australia's The Age):
BEFORE he deserted the US Marines, Dean Walcott rode shotgun on besieged convoys to Baghdad and spent a second Iraq tour setting up military communications.
Even though he was in no imminent danger of returning for a third deployment, he took a Greyhound bus to Canada.
He is one of dozens of US military deserters hoping to be granted refugee status in Canada under the rule of the United Nations Charter on Refugees.
It was not Mr Walcott's combat experience but his time in a military hospital in Germany that prompted his desertion.
His route north followed a path taken decades earlier by tens of thousands of Vietnam War draft dodgers and deserters, to Toronto and the War Resisters Support Campaign.
Mr Walcott was in Landstuhl military hospital when the hideously burned survivors of the 2004 Mosul mess tent bombing arrived. Some, he says, resembled nothing so much as a lump of coal, still screaming in pain despite the tide of morphine coursing through them.
"Seeing people in that suffering and pain, if you are going to do that to your country's soldiers and sailors, then there's got to be a damn good reason, not just the abstract like this one was," says Mr Walcott, 25.
He grew tired of trying to answer the questions of young reservists, recovering from the loss of limbs, who wanted to know what the heck the war was about.
That was the second article on war resisters that C.I. highlighted this week. In that article, people speaking actually knew something about the topic. I also want to take a second to applaud C.I. for the online and offline work done in support of war resisters. In a time when there seems to be so much less courage (I'm contrasting today and Vietnam), C.I. consistently stands as one of the strongest voices and it would probably be much easier to practice the shameful silence that The Nation does. Contrast what Howard Zinn wrote for the Fourth of July with the embarrassing, creepy and craven Katrina vande Heuvel who felt the need to pin up flags and rush to assure readers that, basically, "Here at The Nation we are as patriotic as anyone and we did an issue in 1991 on patriotism. We've been opposed to some wars but we supported other. I am babbling like a school girl fool because I am one. Maybe my husband, who was once my professor, will explain to me later what I should have written because I'm the biggest fool in the nation and at The Nation. I destroy the magazine week after week by watering it down and make it weaker. Wave the flags with me because the best way to be left is to echo the right." I despise Katrina vanden Heuvel and all of today's cowards who couldn't take a stand on a subway with all the other seats taken. Katrina vanden Heuvel would elect to sit on the floor. She benched the powerful voice of the magazine long ago. It's really past time that The Nation benched her. May her own personal hell be one of silence, may she be condemned to live in the silence she's created at the magazine.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" from Friday:
Friday, July 20. 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the death toll mounts, a military judge sends the message that even if you're convicted in the killing of an innocent Iraqi you won't get any prison time, and the latest wave of Operation Happy Talk is Operation Push-Back.
Starting with war resisters. Ian Munro (Australia's The Age) explores the "estimated 250" US service members who have self-checked out and moved to Canada and zooms in on Dean Walcott and Phillip McDowell. Munro writes, "Mr Walcott's life was up-ended in 2004 at a military hospital in Germany when burns survivors from the Mosul mess tent bombing were shipped in." Like Walcott, McDowell served in Iraq before deciding to self-check out. Munro quotes McDowell stating, "I believed everything the Government told us about weapons of mass destruction, that there were links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. I was aware of the international opposition to going in, but growing up I always trusted my government" and reports, "By the end of his tour he saw the war as wrong, illegal and counterproductive, and was disturbed by the treatment of some prisoners. But he thought he was clear by the middle of last year when his enlistment expired. Then the army called him back. With his family's support, he and his partner Jamine took the Canada option in Ocotber." Jeffry House tells Munro that he estimates the number of war resisters in Canada to be 250 and, "Some don't want to go through the war resisters because they are a political group. Some people want to make the point about their concern but don't want to be part of a campaign." House represents many including Kyle Snyder, Joshua Key and Jeremy Hinzman. Lee Zaslofsky of the War Resisters Support Campaign tells his story, how he self-checked during Vietnam and moved to Canada -- where he's lived ever since and happily (to refute some of the nonsense offered earlier this week by a spokesperson for a group that does not represent self-checkouts) and he estimates there are hundreds who have self-checked out from today's illegal war and moved to Canada.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Jared Hood and James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Care, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.
Yesterday, Elaine (Like Maria Said Paz) noted that alleged 'withdrawals' pushed by Democratic leadership in the US Congress some how tend to factor in leaving troops in northern Iraq and the effects the Kurdish separatist movement has on neighboring Turkey which has its own Kurdish separatist movement. Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Gooodman and Juan Gonzales addressed the issue with the independent journalist Scott Peterson (Peterson reports for The Christian Science Monitor which actually is an independent publication and structured as one). As noted before, Turkey has an upcoming election and the tensions flaring between the regions has only increased -- whether or not for electoral gain is for someone else to determine. The region of northern Iraq has its own elections coming up which will determine its autonomy and with very little coverage from Western media, Kurdish flags have been planeted, families run off and those belonging to religious minorities have been either run off from the region or killed. Turkey alleges and identifies the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) as a terrorist organization and has argued that it is granted harbor in northern Iraq. Mortars have been exchanged and, on at least one occassion, Turkish troops have recently entered northern Iraq. From the broadcast:
JUAN GONZALEZ: Scott Peterson, this allegation by Turkey that the United States is indirectly assisting the PKK, is there any evidence of that, given the fact, obviously, that the -- isn't the PKK really a more, historically more of a leftwing insurgency, a secular insurgency that would be unlikely to be supported by the United States?
SCOTT PETERSON: Well, the PKK really disappeared as an organization for the past five or six years. In 1999, its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured by the Turks, in fact. And in his first appearance in court, Ochalan said that the PKK had made a number of mistakes during the fifteen-year separatist war, that they should now try and work within the state and with state structures to find recognition of Kurdish rights and recognition of Kurdish culture. And he also said that they're no longer fighting for a separate Kurdish state. So those were all quite important changes that really kind of took the wind out of the PKK sails for many years. What we've seen in the last year or two now is a surge of PKK activity in terms of attacks -- certainly in terms of attacks that the government attributes to the PKK, and those are both in Ankara, others also in Istanbul, some targeting civilians and many targeting also soldiers, especially in Kurdish areas in southeast Turkey. Now, of course, the issue of who is supporting the PKK is a very thorny one, because, of course, the PKK remains on the list of terrorist groups, as officially designated by the US State Department. The United States has identified and chosen a special envoy specifically for countering the PKK. That's the title of Joe Ralston, General Joe Ralston. And so -- and, of course, the US denies that it is giving any support to the PKK, but from the Turkish point of view they say, Wait a minute, there are American forces who control all of Iraq, and therefore since the PKK has bases in northern Iraq, that means that by definition there are -- you know, that the US is somehow involved, if nothing else, in turning a blind eye. And you've also got apparently safe haven given to the PKK by Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq. And the reason for these latest accusations or allegations is, just in the past ten days or so there was a press conference that was purported to be from four PKK members who had fled northern Iraq. They appeared in Ankara at a press conference wearing masks and saying, we have just fled, that PKK militants are leaving their bases, expecting a Turkish invasion, and that also they had witnessed, they say, American troops actually offloading weapons at PKK bases for the PKK. And I have spoken to senior Turkish police officers who feel that the entire story is concocted, and I'm sure that would be the American view, too, but, again, it really does raise a lot of popular questions in the minds of Turks.
Elections in Turkey take place Sunday and for more on that you can read Scott Horton's latest piece in today's Christian Science Monitor. In addition, Katharine Kendrick (Turkish Daily News) reports that political parties in Turkey have forgotten to court one group: "recent Turkish citizens." Some context re: the conflict between northern Iraq and Turkey. The US administration is attempting to lay the groundwork for a potential attack on Iran with a lot of loosely sourced claims which -- at best -- if true would only demonstrate that some Iranians have involvement in Iraq. The US administration uses that unproven link to argue that the Iranian government, therefore, must be assisting. In Bite Back In Your Own Ass news, Today's Zaman reports that not only has Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdulla Gul declared that the US is arming the PKK in Turkey but also: "The US Department of Defense has launched an investigation into US-registered weapons sent to the Iraqi army ending up in the hands [of] the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq."In addition, the paper reports, "Former members of the PKK escaping from mountain camps in northern Iraq recently gave testimony in which they told securities authorities and prosecutors they had seen US trucks delivering arms to PKK camps." By the US administration's 'logic' with regards to Iran, Turkey should be drawing up their battle plans. Reuters reports that Turkey was shelling northern Iraq. Meanwhile the Turkish Daily News reports conflicts between Turkey and Austria after Austraia refused to arrest "Ali Riza Altun, a founding member and the chief financial operator of the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States" when he surfaced in Austria this month before moving on to northern Iraq.Turning to England, the United Kingdom's Military of Defence announced: "It is with profound sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the deaths of one serviceman from 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force and two servicemen from 1 Squadron RAF Regiment on Thursday 19th July 2007. They were killed in an indirect fire attack on the Contingency Operating Base in Basra, Iraq." Robin Stringer (Bloomberg News) noted that British forces are "the second-largest contingent of the American-led coalition in Iraq." ICCC lists the total number of British troops who have died in Iraq since the start of the illegal war at 162. ITV News reports that 126 of the deaths are classified as having "died in action" while the BBC reports the three deaths come after the announcement that "british troops in Iraq will be cut to 5,000 by the end of 2007." Michael Evans and Fiona Hamilton (Times of London) observe that the three deaths come "ten days after three British soldiers were killed in the same area of southern Iraq" Earlier this week, Sean Rayment (Telegraph of London) reported, on a new study by the Royal Stastistical Society that "found the death rate of British troops has now surpassed that of Americans, following a sustained upsurge of violence in the southern city of Basra."
Turning to the United States, today on KPFK's Uprising, Sonali Kolhatkar spke with Erik Leaver of IPS (Institute for Policy Studies) on the topic of empire, Iraq and more topics addressed in the new report [PDF format warning] "Just Security." With regards to Iraq, the first step, stressed repeatedly, is getting all foreign troops out of Iraq. Kolhatkar brought up the demonizing the administration is attempting to do with regards to US Senator Hillary Clinton. As The Chicago Tribune reports: "Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, accused Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) of aiding the enemy by calling for contingency plans for a troop pullout. 'Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq,' Edelman wrote in reply to Clinton's May inquiry. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines called Edelman's letter 'outrageous'." The demonization of Clinton for reqeusting information on contingency plans (which do already exist) is part of a full out assault by the administration, a push-back effort attempting to resell the illegal war long after the majority of Americans have turned against it and are calling for a withdrawal from Iraq.
That's why, yesterday, US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, did a song and dance (via video link) for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Wally ("THIS JUST IN! THAT'S A CROCK!") and Cedric ("It's a Crock") covered it in their joint-post. Crocker was selling the 'fear' because the administration knows to get what they want, honesty doesn't work; however, if they can scare the American public, they might stand a shot. Starting with the Crock which existed to sell the fear (as did all parts of the marketing). Reneee Schoof (McClatchy Newspapers) reports US Senator Richard Lugar asked, "Are you planning for an eventual change of mission or redeployment of American forces in Iraq?" But Crocker refused to admit a Plan B existed or was being created. Thom Shanker and David S. Cloud (New York Times) report that Crock said the benchmarks weren't being met and probably wouldn't. Cloud's whines were laughable since the US administration created the benchmark talk long before Congress even considered legislation on it. But with more bad news coming, they needed to stall with something. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) would be reporting today, "A committee directed by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and President Bush to accelerate the transfer of security responsibility to Iraq's army and police has warned that Iraq is lagging in a number of categories. The quarterly report, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, says the Finance Ministry is blocking the Iraqi military from spending $660 million to build a logistical network; that militias are an obstacle to handing over to Iraqis responsibility for security in three mainly Shiite Muslim provinces; and that competition among rival security organizations has prevented the country from settling on a national security structure."
None dare call it progress. Which is why the big talking point is "Forget September, We Need To Wait Until November." As Kat noted last night, the new 'deadline' is supposed to November. Barbara Slavin's "General: September too soon to assess Iraq" (USA Today) noted that "the number two" (in Iraq), Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, was leading that pushback. Shanker and Sanger (New York Times) report, "Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters that while he would provide the mid-September assessment of the new military strategy that Congress has required, it would take 'at least until November' to judge with confidence whether the strategy was working."To really make the push, Bully Boy left DC and the national press corps hoping to yet again get soft press from local outlets. James Gerstenzang (Los Angeles Times) reports the stop yesterday was Nashville to the always hyper-enthused audience of a local Chamber of Commerce, "Such visits draw little national attention, but the out-of-town stops gain extensive local coverage sought by the White House to counter the steady beat of the Iraq war on news pages, websites, television and radio. And they provide a backdrop of a White House seeking, city by city, to portray the president as focused on the breadth of his job and not just the war."
The pushback comes as Nouri al-Maliki's promise that Iraqi troops would be ready to take over responsibilities in Iraq is revealed to be just one more bad sales pitch. CBS and AP report Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, the national security adviser, did everything but sing Don Henley's "Not Enough Love In The World" as he declared that promise was no more: "We had hopes and intentions to take over security in all provinces and command of all army divisions before the end of the year. But there are difficulties and challenges that appeared along the way, in arming, equipping, recruiting and training our armed forces."
Al-Rubaie droned on about how difficult it was "to predict a certain time." A difficulty al-Maliki wasn't bothered by in April. And the endless, illegal war that doesn't result in the puppet or his masters getting upset has now claimed the lives of 52 US service members this month and the lives of 3631 US service members since the start of the illegal war (ICCC). The number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war gets closer to one million but no reason for a puppet government, hidden away in the Green Zone and protected and flattered by foreign forces and government, to care too much.
In the real world . . .
Bombings?
Jenan (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Diyala mortar attack that injured eleven. Reuters notes a Baghdad roadside bombing that injured a police officer. DPA reports, "An Iraqi civilian was killed in a US helicopter attack in Mosul . . . The Iraqi civilian was killed and five others wounded Friday morning when a US helicopter bombed a residential area in Mosul" and two of the injured were children while two more women.
Shootings?
Jenan (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 person was shot dead in an attack on a car in Baghdad (three were wounded) and notes 2 more shot dead in Al Muqdaya suburb and 2 women shot dead "in Nawfal" and that an attack in Al Wajehia has left numerous people displaced and at least 5 dead -- Jenan also notes that on Wednesday "gunmen attacked Waheda Abd Al Muhsan Member of Salahudding governorate council. The gunmen shot her convoy when she was going to Tikret."
Corpses?
Jenan (McClatchy Newspapers) reports and that a corpse was turned over to Al Muqdadya hospital while, yesterday, the corpses of Zena ans Suha Khusai (sisters kidnapped two days prior) were discovered in Mosul. Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Abdul Razzaq al-Saiedi (New York Times) report that 17 corpses were discovered in Baghdad yesterday.Turning to legal news. Yesterday, we noted that Trey A. Corrales and Christopher P. Shore were each charged with the murder of an Iraqi civilian on or around June 23rd. Today, AP reports that Albert Corrales Sr. has stated his son is innocent (though "he hadn't talked to his 34-year-old son about the death") and quotes him stating, "I think that it's wrong because the people he supposedly shot, they were terrorists and he was under orders to clean them out, and he did." In other father and son legal news, Michael Vick (19-year-old) and James Vick (44-year-old) have both been charged. Lindsay Wilcox (KLTV, Tyler, TX) reports that the father's been held by authorities since May while the son "was arrested at DFW Airport [Dallas, TX] on Tuesday after returning home from Iraq" and that the two men are charged in the sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl and a nine-year-old girl who had been foster children in the Vick home during 2003 and 2004. Cindy Mallette (Tyler Morning Telegraph) spoke with Sgt. Wendell Wilcher of the Anderson county's sheriff's department who stated that "the Army released Michael Vick from his Iraq duties after the sherrif's department obtained a warrant for his arrest. He said the Army is considering Vick's status and may discharge him at some point in the future." Paul Stone (The Palestine Herald) also spoke with Wilcher who has been interviewing other children who stayed with the Vicks and states there will be more names added: "There's definitely going to be more than two. We may have a considerable amount of children. It's hard to say." AP notes the bail for each man is set at $300,000 and that Michael Vick is "assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington." On Wednesday, marine Trent Thomas was found guilty in the death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad who was dragged from his home, bound and murdered. Thomas was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy to murder by a jury of his military peers. Although he could have been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, the military judge instead decided murder, lying, and more was no big deal. AP reports Trent Thomas' 'punishment' is to be discharged from the military and face a reduction in pay. And? That's it. No prison time for the man convicted by his peers in the murder of an innocenct civilian.
iraqlos angeles timesdemocracy now
amy goodmanjuan gonzalez mcclatchy newspapersusa todayned parkerthe new york timesthom shankerdavid e. sangerthe chicago tribunekats kornercedrics big mixthe daily jot
the new york timesrichard a. oppel jr.
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Saturday, July 14, 2007
Broiled Zucchini in the Kitchen
Ben and Sue have a problem. Everything planted in their garden this summer seems to not be growing. There is one exception: zucchini. They write that they have eaten it boiled and fried and are "desperate" for any other recipe.
So let's try this one.
Broiled Zucchini
2 medium zucchini, ends cut off and sliced lengthwise down the middle
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon seasoned dry bread crumbs
Turn on your oven's broiler. (Those who have never used the broiler and are nervous about it can simply preheat the oven to 425 at this point. You can bake it in the oven. It will be different but it will work.) Place zucchini pieces (two) cut side up. Brush with mayo. If you don't have a brush, you can use a spoon or knife the same way you would with a sandwich although you'll have more mayo on the zucchini than you would on a piece of bread. Sprinkle with bread crumbs first and then cheese. You can use the parmesan cheese that's already grated and in a plastic container (like a spice) or you can use actual paremesan cheese. If you go with the latter, you'll have more of a cheese taste. (That goes for baked or broiled.) Put the zuchinni on a baking sheet (with the crumbs and cheese side facing up) and broil until the crumbs turn golden. Then serve. (Oven users, put zucchini in a baking dish, crumb side face up, turn oven from preheat to bake, and bake until the crumbs are golden.)
You can double the recipe (or triple it). But if this is a side dish, after it's cooked, you can slice each half further down. (Those using a baking dish in the oven can fill the dish up as needed but for broiling, stick to two at a time.)
Ben and Susan usually end up with a huge amount of green beans, bell peppers and squash from their garden. This year, only the zuchinni is producing. That has to be disappointing (we're struggling with our own backyard garden here) but there are many ways to prepare zucchini and fresh vegetables are important. That's the recipe my mother used to use to get us to eat zucchini. I remember her telling me once it was like squash, in order to get me to eat it, and my attitude being, "Well, it hasn't turned yellow yet." I wasn't going near it. Then she prepared the above dish and I was tempted to try it. You can also use zucchini in the place of meat for a vegetarian lasanga. Other than that, I'm honestly at a loss because I usually just slice it up, put it in a pan with fresh tomatoes and some sliced onions and cook it that way. But let me work on it and I'll find another recipe before summer's over. Although, judging from Ben and Susan's e-mail, they'll be having zucchini long after summer is over. Wally's mother had a great recipe for pickled zucchini that I've e-mailed them and I'm not sure about posting that here because I always have this vision of a first-time canner standing in a kitchen after an explosion. That never happened to me (one of the few kitchen experiences I haven't had) but I avoided canning for years out of the fear that would happen to me. Among the wedding gifts we received (years and years ago) was a canner. I used it to boil eggs for the first three years of my marriage only until my aunt (who had gifted us with it) noticed and was kind enough to stand there with me and talk me through. For the same reason, I avoid giving out pressure cooker recipes. With both of those pieces of kitchen equipment, I think you're better off having someone show you how to use them.
I use the pressure cooker all the time. But I will never post a recipe for one here due to the fact that not everyone has one and not everyone knows how to use them. I don't use my crock pot as much these days but I'd have no problem posting a crock pot recipe. I will also note that if you have a crock pot and don't use it during the holidays, you're making a mistake. When everyone brings something with them, your oven and the top of the stove can fill up quickly. You can plug in the crockpot and use it to warm something as easily as the microwave and it will continue to stay warm. If someone brings a vegetable that you would normally warm in a pan on the stove, you can use the crockpot for that.
Thank you to Jess for filling in for me last weekend. As he explained, my daughter-in-law gave birth and I really didn't have time. Since it was a C-section, we knew the due date and I asked him ahead of time if he would mind posting for me? He kindly said he'd do it. And I'm glad so many of you enjoyed his post. Fred wrote to say that he liked it and he wanted to share that "Creole Seasonings" is a spice he regularly uses on vegetables to spice them up. "From a can or fresh and tossed on the grill," he wrote, the spice really makes the dish and covers the fact that "I'm not much of a cook." I'm sure Fred's a far better cook than he knows. But all this food talk is making me hungry. I'm not generally up this early but I've been getting up when my granddaughter wakes up in the middle of the night. I don't hover but I know sometimes you have a question and don't want to wake anyone. So I come down to the kitchen and that way if my daughter-in-law has a question about something, she can ask and doesn't need to fear that she's woken anyone up. (I can be woken up. I don't mind that at all. My mother and my mother-in-law took my crack of dawn phone calls when my first two children were infants.)
It really is great having my son and daughter-in-law here. I know it has eased my husband's stress considerably. And thanks to the gift from Elaine, Rebecca, C.I. and Ava (Ava as well, Mike noted it but didn't note that Ava went in on it -- an oversight only because he wasn't aware of that, not an intentional omission), my oldest son's student loans are now paid off. That is a huge relief for him. (And a more than generous gift.) So now they're going to use their time here to focus on saving up for a down payment on a house.
That was a very wonderful, very generous gift. While I'm saying thank yous on education, I should also note that C.I.'s covering Mike's tuition. That started before my site did but I have noted it here before and will take this opportunity to say thank you again for that. Mike was going to take out loans (which my husband and I did not know about) and had mentioned that to C.I. and C.I. wouldn't hear of it. I hadn't even met C.I. when I found out about that. C.I. doesn't like thanks but I insisted Mike note it at his site (which he did) because thank yous need to be said.
I don't know if you've already heard or not but at Thursday's NAACP forum, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards had a private conversation in front of open mikes. I'm sure they wish they'd been a little more private. This is from Dennis Kucinich's "Clinton, Edwards overheard planning to eliminate other Democratic candidates:"
Unaware that their microphones were still on following an NAACP Presidential Forum in Detroit on Thursday, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards agreed to try to eliminate other Democratic Presidential candidates from future debates.
According to the Associated Press, "Fox news microphones picked up Clinton and Edwards discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some rivals lower in the crowded field."
"We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group," Edwards was overheard telling Clinton, according to the AP.
watch the abc video
watch the youtube video
Clinton agreed, according to the AP. "We've got to cut the number...They're not serious." Clinton added that she thought her campaign and Edwards' had previously been discussing steps to eliminate other candidates. "We've got to get back to it," Clinton told Edwards.
"Candidates, no matter how important or influential they perceive themselves to be, do not have and should not have the power to determine who is allowed to speak to the American public and who is not," said Kucinich.
"Imperial candidates are as repugnant to the American people and to our Democracy as an imperial President."
The Kucinich campaign will immediately take steps to address the planned actions of the Clinton and Edwards campaigns.
That really is disgusting and goes to the issue that they're afraid of an open forum they can't control. If you can't compete fairly, maybe you should drop out of the race instead of privately scheming ways to eliminate other candidates from being invited.
But Hillary Clinton needs everything pre-planned and when it's not, shows no ability to think on her feet as evidenced by this "Sen. Hillary Clinton's refusal to answer steelworkers' questions both troubling and revealing:"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 06, 2007
CLEVELAND OH -- The Kucinich for President Campaign issued the following statement this afternoon:
"It is deeply troubling, but, perhaps, very revealing, when a Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the United States seeks the support of one of the most important industrial labor unions in the nation but refuses to answer questions from the rank and file union members.
"That's what happened today when U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton addressed the United Steelworkers conference in Cleveland. Not only did she not participate in the question-and-answer portion of the program to which all of the Presidential candidates had agreed, but she also completely ignored one of the major issues that has forced millions of union workers and others into unemployment: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
"Yesterday, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Senator Joe Biden, and former Senator John Edwards held to their commitment to the USW to answer any and all questions from union members for 30 minutes each.
"It borders on arrogance for a Democrat to deliver pro-union promises and platitudes in prepared remarks, but then refuse to engage in an honest and open conversation with workers whose lives have been profoundly impacted by disastrous trade policies -- especially NAFTA, which was enacted during the Clinton Administration.
"Does Senator Clinton support NAFTA? Will she attempt to "fix it," as former Senator Edwards proposed yesterday? Or will she have the courage to repeal it, as only Congressman Kucinich has proposed? Members of the steelworkers union and other industrialized unions did not get any answers because they weren't permitted to ask the questions.
"Candidates have an obligation to go beyond orchestrated and scripted performances, answer tough questions, and address serious issues. If they calculate that it is preferable to side-step that obligation when they are trying to win votes, voters will be left wondering where those candidates really stand and what they will really do if elected. If anything, Senator Clinton has an even higher obligation to address this issue because NAFTA was enacted during the Clinton Administration. Someone needs to ask where the Senator stands. And the Senator has a responsibility to answer."
It takes a great deal of gall to go to a group seeking their support and refuse to answer their questions. Exactly why should Hillary Clinton be supported? The steelworkers have no idea because she refused to address their issues. Which can be summed up as, "Vote for me because I said so." Because I said so? The new Clinton campaign strategy.
I'm not trying to let John Edwards off, by the way. What he did at the NAACP forum was just disgusting and he needs to be called out for it. But with Hillary Clinton this really does seem to be a pattern and one that many of us noticed when she tried to claim some sort of executive privilege as First Lady with regards to the health care meetings. Kucinich is also mentioned in the snapshot, just FYI. I want to note one other thing before winding down. "Indian Bureau Oppression a Disgrace" is an article that was published in 1927. The Progressive is making selected articles from their archives available online for free. Unlike The Nation which wants you to pay for content decades old (apparently they never paid their writers?) by buying a digi-pack (whatever that is), The Progressive has been opening up their archives and I did want to note that. I actually need to also note one more thing. C.I.'s "And the war drags on . . ." Thursday night is wonderful. It calls out The Nation's nonsense in an article that has many heaping on praise (begging the question of does anyone actually read anymore?). Friday morning, I was going through the paper and having my morning cups of coffee when my husband came into the kitchen, booted up the computer and insisted I read it. I generally do not get online in the morning. I've got to do my make up, get dressed, get ready for the day, go over my checklist of things to do, etc. My one slow moment is in the kitchen when I have two to three cups of coffee while reading through the paper. My husband knows that so I knew if he was saying, "You have to read this now," that I did have to read it now. More cowardice from The Nation on the topic of Iraq.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" from Friday:
Friday, July 13, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, another journalist is annouced dead in Iraq -- the 3rd in the last 48 hours, Matthew Rothschild addresses the theft of Iraqi oil law, and more.
Starting with war resistance. The Progressive's Hidden History Of The United States (available in calander form) notes that on this day in 1863, "Draft riots began in New York City, leaving 1,000 dead over four days." Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer to public refuse deployment to Iraq. Currently, he is waiting while the appeals process determines whether he will have to face a second court-martial and, if so, whether Judge Toilet (aka John Head) will be allowed to preside over it again. While this goes on, people continue to demonstrate their support for Watada. Last Friday, we noted a rally held in San Francisco in support of Watada. Ryan Baladad (Asian Week) informs, "Members from the various groups, including Aisan Pacific Islanders Resist and the Watada Support Committee, took turns speaking in support of the Japanese lieutenant. Supporters held signs that read, 'Refuse Illegal War,' 'Bush lied, People Died' and showed photos of Watada in uniform. Malcolm Yeung of the Asian Law Caucus called the Army's actions 'frankly reprehensible' and said the case 'chills free speech'." Baladad closes with this statement from Rev. Norman Fong (Chinatown Presbyterian Church), "There shouldn't be another trial; they messed up the first time. We're proud of Lt. Watada."
Meanwhile, who is Steve Yoczik? The War Resisters Support Campaign explains, "Steve arrived in Toronto on November 25th, 2006. He trained in communications at Fort Gordon, Georgia. After a few months there, he began to realize that the decision he'd made to join the Army was a serious mistake and that trading 4 years of his life for the opportunity to have college paid for was not an agreeable enough trade. Also after seeing pictures of wounded or killed Iraqi civilians (and combatants) as well as stories from soldiers that had been to Iraq and Afghanistan, he knew without a doubt that he did not want to be involved in the war. Halfway through training, the 'job' he'd been signed on for was cancelled, and 'joblees' people in this particular war zone go on patrols and kick in doors, so Stephen prepared a last-ditch effort to come to Canada, as all other attempts to leave the Army 'legitimately' were exhausted. Since arriving in Toronto, Steve has adjusted fairly weel, and is being careful in the decisions he makes in life now, as his Army expereience has taught him that signatures hold a lot of power . . ."
Yoczik is part of a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Ross Spears, Jared Hood and James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder , Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Care, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.
Yesterday, Bully Boy went on and on, desperately attempting to stretch the definition of progress in yet another attempt to fool the American people. How bad did the spin and lies get? Kenneth R. Bazinet (New York Daily News) informs, "Even the White House was concerned Bush overstepped with his upbeat war talk, sending spokesman Tony Snow out to talk to the cable news outlets to clarify the President's remarks. 'The President isn't saying we're winning. He says we're in a fight. He says we cannot afford not to win,' Snow told Fox News." Tony Snow need not worry, reality will always Fact Check the Bully Boy upside his face. How are things with the Iraqi Parliament? Joshua Partlow and Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reports, "Iraqi politicians on Thursday struck a more pessimistic tone about Iraq than did the White House assessment, and said the deadlock between warring Sunni and Shiite factions makes major political progress unlikely in coming months." Well, as least those Iraqi troops are coming along nicely, right? Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) informs, "Despite stepped-up training, the readiness of the Iraqi military to operate independently of U.S. forces has decreased since President Bush's new strategy was launched in January, according to the White House progress report released yesterday." And try to find out the hard figures on this from the Pentagon, as DeYoung did, and be informed that's "classified information." Classified, apparently, on the grounds that Bully Boy is an incompetent.
And on the January 20th attack in Karbala that killed 1 US soldier immediately, wounded three and saw four kidnapped (all of whom would later turn up dead), Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) reveals the army's internal investigation has found:
•Iraqi police suddenly vanished from the government compound before the shooting started.•Attackers, evidently briefed on how U.S. forces would defend themselves, bottled up more than three dozen soldiers in a barracks and headquarters complex using a combination of smoke and fragment grenades and satchel charges to blow up Humvees.•Gunmen knew exactly where to find and abduct U.S. officers.•Iraqi vendors operating a PX and barbershop went home early.•A back gate was left unlocked and unguarded.Investigators recommended several changes to toughen defensive positions, including the installation of closed-circuit cameras to provide better early warnings, "duress devices" that can allow overrun outposts to signal headquarters, and requirements that any arriving convoy provide identification.
Now how do you suppose that got left out of Bully Boy's attempt to sell the continuation of the illegal war? In more reality the Bully Boy Never Told You, Robert Burns (AP via Los Angeles Times) reports that yesterday's White House progress report "strongly implies that the administration believes its military strategy will take many more months to meet its goals." And really driving home the lack of progress in Iraq, Mike Drummond and Hussein Khalifa (McClatchy Newspapers) tell the story of Nawal Na'eem Karim whose 18-month-child has learned to cry "Talaq inanan! Talaq inana!" ("Bullets here! Bullets here!"). Needless to say, the mother tells the reporters she just wants the US to leave. Of course, Bully Boy would probably get that dopey grin on his face (as when a woman explained she had to work two jobs) and say, "That's wonderful."
Meanwhile, Congressional Dems try to put one over on the public -- again, and it's the same shell game. From Democracy Now! today:
House Iraq Pullout Bill Leaves Thousands of Troops BehindThe House has approved a measure that would begin withdrawing combat troops from Iraq within the next three months. The final vote was two hundred twenty-three to two-hundred and one, mostly along party lines. Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged lawmakers to vote "yes."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "Let us pass this bill and those that will follow in the coming weeks and provide the new direction on Iraq that the American people demand and that is so urgently needed. I urge a 'yes' vote on the Skelton bill."Ohio Congressmember Dennis Kucinich was the lone anti-war Democrat to vote against the bill. The measure would remove most combat troops by April of next year but still leave tens of thousands soldiers behind.
As Amy Goodman noted above "leaves tens of thousands soldiers behind." And that's provided Bully Boy doesn't reclassify the ones that would be set to leave. Pushing the non-existant link between 9-11 and Iraq is a thread he picked up again yesterday. He could follow the Pelosi measure (if it passed) and reclassify "combat troops" as troops who will be fighting terrorists ("al Qaeda!") and none have to leave. He could also declare that the illegal war is over and that 160,000 US troops need to remain to maintain "police operations" which would mean no troops leave. It's the con game they pulled in March, credit Goodman with telling it straight and not sugar coating it.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State and Anger Condi Rice remakes Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time" with new words resulting in "War Takes Time." (CBS & AP, text and video).
In a crimes and violence update, Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) updates her bank robbery story from yesterday with the information that the bank is revising the figures for the stolen money to "282 million Iraqi diners, equal to about $225,000 and $366,00 American dollars." In some of today's violence . . .
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a mortar attacks in Baquba claimed 2 lives and left fifteen wounded and a Baquba bombing that claimed 1 life. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) notes that the Green Zone was "slammed" with mortars today, killing 2 Iraqi soldiers and that "U.S. civilian government employees have been required in the last few dyas to wear body armor and helmets because of the rising threat of rocket and mortar attacks. Reuters notes that 2 children died in Samawa from a roadside bombing, 1 Iraqi soldier died from a Baghdad roadside bombing and 1 police officer died from a Mosul roadside bombing.
Shootings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports five police officers were shot dead in Baghdad, 3 Iraqi civilians were shot dead by the US military (in what appears to be -- me speaking not Hammoudi -- indiscriminate firing) and "Gunmen killed an Iraqi journalist working for New York Times newspaper near Al Saidiyah fuel station south of Baghdad around 9:00 am." John Holusha (New York Times) observes that Hassan joined the paper in 2003 (fall) and that he was the second Times' reporter for the paper to die in Iraq and notes: "Mr. Hassan was shot in the Saidiya district of south central Baghdad while driving to work under circumstances that remain unclear, Mr. [John F.] Burns said. He had called the bureau earlier and said his normal route to the office had been block by a security checkpoint." Executive editor Bill Keller states, "Khalid was part of a large, sometimes unsung, community of Iraqi news gatherers, translators and support staff, who take enormous risks every day to help us comprehend their country's struggle and torment. Without them, America's understanding of what is happening on the ground in Iraq would be much, much poorer. To The Times, Khalid was family, and his death is heartbreaking." Khalid Hassan's death brings to three the number of reporters killed in Baghdad in the last 48 hours. Yesterday, we noted the deaths of Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh, two journalists with Reuters. Today, Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) reports that in addition to eyewitnesses quoted in the early reports yesterday, Ahmad Sahib, with AFP, arrived on the scene shortly afterwards and he states, "They had arrived, got out of the car and started taking pictures, and people gathered. It looked like the American helicopters were firing against any gathering in the area, because when I got out of my car and started taking pictures, people gathered and an American helicopter fired a few rounds, but they hit the houses nearby and we ran for cover."
Corpses?
Reuters reports 3 corpses discovered today in Sawayra. And Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) noted that 28 corpses were discovered in Baghdad Thursday.
Turning to the theft of Iraqi oil, Nancy Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) notes, "Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki announced unanimous Cabinet approval of a draft hydrocarbon law. But on Wednesday, Kurdish politicians said they opposed the latest version of the law. The draft law hasn't been published." Steve Kretzmann (Oil for Change) observes, "We have heard conflicting reports, although it seems clear that the annexes are gone. There was an arabic version published two days ago in a Baghdad daily, however we've heard that there has been at least one change since then." AVAAZ.ORG has an online petition entitled "Support Iraqi Oil Sovereignty."
At Inside Iraq (McClatchy Newspapers), a journalist shares a surreal experience, "The Electricity Minister and the Oil Minister, both being questioned in the Parliament as to the electricity and fuel situation in the country. They were fighting the 'good' fight, back to back, with their sabers flashing. Fact after distorted face spilled forth from their tongues. The Oil Minister, high browed, blue blooded, married to a bluer blood still -- all leaning east, said he hadn't enough power and fuel to work the refineries -- butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. The Electricity Minister, a man of the masses; an excellent technician, worked his way up through the ranks, said he hadn't enough fuel to work the electricity power stations. Wasn't there something strange here -- was it a distortion in my dream?? A Catch 22 situation if ever there was one!!" Hussain al-Shahristani is the Oil Minister (since May of last year) and prior to that post he was the deputy speaker in the National Assembly. Last week, on KPFT's Progressive Forum (Thursdays, 7:00 pm Central), host Wally James discussed the theft of the Iraqi oil with Matthew Rothschild (The Progressive).
Matthew Rothschild: It's amazing that with all that's been going on Iraq with maybes 600,000 Iraqis killed, 3600 US soldiers killed and 2600 US soldiers wounded, that the one thing the Bush administration really cares about is privatizing Iraq's oil. You know, they told us, over and over again, before this war started those of us that were talking about this war being for oil, that we were conspiracy people, but look, low and behold, the first thing that the army did when it got to Iraq was protect the oil fields, the second thing it did was protect the Oil Ministry and now the last thing it's doing is making sure that before all hell breaks further loose that they're going to get something on the books in Iraq that allows Exxon-Mobile and other US corporations to go in there and get their share of the oil there and expatriate the profits from that oil at a much greater degree than oil companies can do in that part of the world. I mean this is a huge sell out of Iraq's sovereign resource and there are, there have been strikes already by Iraqi oil workers and al-Sadr right now is aligning with the Sunnis to oppose this so there's all sorts of domestic opposition over there but this is the one thing that the Bush administration wanted al-Maliki to rail through if he could, railroad it through, he'd be back in the good graces of the Bush administration, back in the good graces of Exxon-Mobile.
Wally James: Well from the beginning you had Bush saying, you know, this is not about oil, we're not trying to get control of the oil. And, you know, but under the surface you have this going on and at the same time the US media just isn't reporting on it. They talk about how this is going to be a good thing if this goes through, how it's going to make for sure that the oil is divided up evenly in Iraq.
Matthew Rothschild: It is almost impossible, you're absolutely right here, Wally, and I think it's a really good point absolutely impossible to read the mainstream media and figure out what's going on with this Iraq oil behind the scenes. It's not about, or simply not just about, the equal sharing of the oil revenues. It's largely about the privatization of the oil industry in Iraq and allowing US and other foreign oil companies in to grab the oil. That's what's going on but you might get that in about paragraph eleven or paragraph fifteen and it won't explain really the benefits that are going to acrue to Exxon-Mobile and the other giants. And it certainly won't tell you that the Iraq oil workers were striking for a week in Basra over this. I mean, this has been one of the worst bits of coverage by the mainstream media in Iraq since what? The cover up or the funneling of propaganda about Weapons of Mass Destruction Prior to the war courtesy of Judith Miller and the New York Times.
Wally James asked Rothschild about the idea that Congressional Democrats might be refusing to impeach because they want Bully Boy around for the 2008 elections (as an issue to run against) and wondered if that was at least part of the reason Congress does nothing to end the illegal war, "they need him around in '08 to beat up" and the Iraq war? Rothschild responded: "Well this is kind of pragmatic politics at its worst, it seems to me. Because I think the same thing happened with the Iraq war vote. They want the Iraq war to go on so they can go against Bush and the Iraq war in 2008. But look at how callous that is. They want a hundred more US soldiers to die every month and 500, 600 to be wounded and what, you know, a couple of thousand Iraqis to die every month just because it's politically expedient and it might help them win the White House? I mean, come on, talk about immorality if that's what they're doing that's disgraceful on the war issue." Next addressed was the issue of impeachment which Rothschild's supported, publicly in his writing, since at least early 2006 and we'll use that as an opportunity to note that Bill Moyers Journal (begins airing on PBS in most markets today -- check local listings and you can also read, listen or watch online) will explore the topic of impeachment and, among the guests is John Nichols.
Back to Rothschild, he has a new book out entitled You Have No Rights: Stories of America In An Age of Repression (The New Press, list price $16.99) and he's doing stops across the country to promote the book:
Matthew Rothschild reading and signing YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS
Seattle, WA: 7/16 at 7:00PM San Francisco, CA: 7/17 at 7:30PM Berkeley, CA: 7/18 at 7:00PM Portland, OR: 7/19 at 7:30PMMadison, WI: 7/26 at 7:00PM San Luis Obispo, CA: 8/14 at 7:00PM Santa Barbara, CA:8/15 at 7:00PM Los Angeles, CA: 8/16 at 7:00PM Baraboo, WI: 9/8 all day
ehren watada
mcclatchy newspapers
the new york timesalissa j. rubin
iraq
matthew rothschild
gregg zoroyathe washington postjoshua partlowsudarsan raghavan
bill moyers journal
So let's try this one.
Broiled Zucchini
2 medium zucchini, ends cut off and sliced lengthwise down the middle
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon seasoned dry bread crumbs
Turn on your oven's broiler. (Those who have never used the broiler and are nervous about it can simply preheat the oven to 425 at this point. You can bake it in the oven. It will be different but it will work.) Place zucchini pieces (two) cut side up. Brush with mayo. If you don't have a brush, you can use a spoon or knife the same way you would with a sandwich although you'll have more mayo on the zucchini than you would on a piece of bread. Sprinkle with bread crumbs first and then cheese. You can use the parmesan cheese that's already grated and in a plastic container (like a spice) or you can use actual paremesan cheese. If you go with the latter, you'll have more of a cheese taste. (That goes for baked or broiled.) Put the zuchinni on a baking sheet (with the crumbs and cheese side facing up) and broil until the crumbs turn golden. Then serve. (Oven users, put zucchini in a baking dish, crumb side face up, turn oven from preheat to bake, and bake until the crumbs are golden.)
You can double the recipe (or triple it). But if this is a side dish, after it's cooked, you can slice each half further down. (Those using a baking dish in the oven can fill the dish up as needed but for broiling, stick to two at a time.)
Ben and Susan usually end up with a huge amount of green beans, bell peppers and squash from their garden. This year, only the zuchinni is producing. That has to be disappointing (we're struggling with our own backyard garden here) but there are many ways to prepare zucchini and fresh vegetables are important. That's the recipe my mother used to use to get us to eat zucchini. I remember her telling me once it was like squash, in order to get me to eat it, and my attitude being, "Well, it hasn't turned yellow yet." I wasn't going near it. Then she prepared the above dish and I was tempted to try it. You can also use zucchini in the place of meat for a vegetarian lasanga. Other than that, I'm honestly at a loss because I usually just slice it up, put it in a pan with fresh tomatoes and some sliced onions and cook it that way. But let me work on it and I'll find another recipe before summer's over. Although, judging from Ben and Susan's e-mail, they'll be having zucchini long after summer is over. Wally's mother had a great recipe for pickled zucchini that I've e-mailed them and I'm not sure about posting that here because I always have this vision of a first-time canner standing in a kitchen after an explosion. That never happened to me (one of the few kitchen experiences I haven't had) but I avoided canning for years out of the fear that would happen to me. Among the wedding gifts we received (years and years ago) was a canner. I used it to boil eggs for the first three years of my marriage only until my aunt (who had gifted us with it) noticed and was kind enough to stand there with me and talk me through. For the same reason, I avoid giving out pressure cooker recipes. With both of those pieces of kitchen equipment, I think you're better off having someone show you how to use them.
I use the pressure cooker all the time. But I will never post a recipe for one here due to the fact that not everyone has one and not everyone knows how to use them. I don't use my crock pot as much these days but I'd have no problem posting a crock pot recipe. I will also note that if you have a crock pot and don't use it during the holidays, you're making a mistake. When everyone brings something with them, your oven and the top of the stove can fill up quickly. You can plug in the crockpot and use it to warm something as easily as the microwave and it will continue to stay warm. If someone brings a vegetable that you would normally warm in a pan on the stove, you can use the crockpot for that.
Thank you to Jess for filling in for me last weekend. As he explained, my daughter-in-law gave birth and I really didn't have time. Since it was a C-section, we knew the due date and I asked him ahead of time if he would mind posting for me? He kindly said he'd do it. And I'm glad so many of you enjoyed his post. Fred wrote to say that he liked it and he wanted to share that "Creole Seasonings" is a spice he regularly uses on vegetables to spice them up. "From a can or fresh and tossed on the grill," he wrote, the spice really makes the dish and covers the fact that "I'm not much of a cook." I'm sure Fred's a far better cook than he knows. But all this food talk is making me hungry. I'm not generally up this early but I've been getting up when my granddaughter wakes up in the middle of the night. I don't hover but I know sometimes you have a question and don't want to wake anyone. So I come down to the kitchen and that way if my daughter-in-law has a question about something, she can ask and doesn't need to fear that she's woken anyone up. (I can be woken up. I don't mind that at all. My mother and my mother-in-law took my crack of dawn phone calls when my first two children were infants.)
It really is great having my son and daughter-in-law here. I know it has eased my husband's stress considerably. And thanks to the gift from Elaine, Rebecca, C.I. and Ava (Ava as well, Mike noted it but didn't note that Ava went in on it -- an oversight only because he wasn't aware of that, not an intentional omission), my oldest son's student loans are now paid off. That is a huge relief for him. (And a more than generous gift.) So now they're going to use their time here to focus on saving up for a down payment on a house.
That was a very wonderful, very generous gift. While I'm saying thank yous on education, I should also note that C.I.'s covering Mike's tuition. That started before my site did but I have noted it here before and will take this opportunity to say thank you again for that. Mike was going to take out loans (which my husband and I did not know about) and had mentioned that to C.I. and C.I. wouldn't hear of it. I hadn't even met C.I. when I found out about that. C.I. doesn't like thanks but I insisted Mike note it at his site (which he did) because thank yous need to be said.
I don't know if you've already heard or not but at Thursday's NAACP forum, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards had a private conversation in front of open mikes. I'm sure they wish they'd been a little more private. This is from Dennis Kucinich's "Clinton, Edwards overheard planning to eliminate other Democratic candidates:"
Unaware that their microphones were still on following an NAACP Presidential Forum in Detroit on Thursday, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards agreed to try to eliminate other Democratic Presidential candidates from future debates.
According to the Associated Press, "Fox news microphones picked up Clinton and Edwards discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some rivals lower in the crowded field."
"We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group," Edwards was overheard telling Clinton, according to the AP.
watch the abc video
watch the youtube video
Clinton agreed, according to the AP. "We've got to cut the number...They're not serious." Clinton added that she thought her campaign and Edwards' had previously been discussing steps to eliminate other candidates. "We've got to get back to it," Clinton told Edwards.
"Candidates, no matter how important or influential they perceive themselves to be, do not have and should not have the power to determine who is allowed to speak to the American public and who is not," said Kucinich.
"Imperial candidates are as repugnant to the American people and to our Democracy as an imperial President."
The Kucinich campaign will immediately take steps to address the planned actions of the Clinton and Edwards campaigns.
That really is disgusting and goes to the issue that they're afraid of an open forum they can't control. If you can't compete fairly, maybe you should drop out of the race instead of privately scheming ways to eliminate other candidates from being invited.
But Hillary Clinton needs everything pre-planned and when it's not, shows no ability to think on her feet as evidenced by this "Sen. Hillary Clinton's refusal to answer steelworkers' questions both troubling and revealing:"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 06, 2007
CLEVELAND OH -- The Kucinich for President Campaign issued the following statement this afternoon:
"It is deeply troubling, but, perhaps, very revealing, when a Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the United States seeks the support of one of the most important industrial labor unions in the nation but refuses to answer questions from the rank and file union members.
"That's what happened today when U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton addressed the United Steelworkers conference in Cleveland. Not only did she not participate in the question-and-answer portion of the program to which all of the Presidential candidates had agreed, but she also completely ignored one of the major issues that has forced millions of union workers and others into unemployment: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
"Yesterday, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Senator Joe Biden, and former Senator John Edwards held to their commitment to the USW to answer any and all questions from union members for 30 minutes each.
"It borders on arrogance for a Democrat to deliver pro-union promises and platitudes in prepared remarks, but then refuse to engage in an honest and open conversation with workers whose lives have been profoundly impacted by disastrous trade policies -- especially NAFTA, which was enacted during the Clinton Administration.
"Does Senator Clinton support NAFTA? Will she attempt to "fix it," as former Senator Edwards proposed yesterday? Or will she have the courage to repeal it, as only Congressman Kucinich has proposed? Members of the steelworkers union and other industrialized unions did not get any answers because they weren't permitted to ask the questions.
"Candidates have an obligation to go beyond orchestrated and scripted performances, answer tough questions, and address serious issues. If they calculate that it is preferable to side-step that obligation when they are trying to win votes, voters will be left wondering where those candidates really stand and what they will really do if elected. If anything, Senator Clinton has an even higher obligation to address this issue because NAFTA was enacted during the Clinton Administration. Someone needs to ask where the Senator stands. And the Senator has a responsibility to answer."
It takes a great deal of gall to go to a group seeking their support and refuse to answer their questions. Exactly why should Hillary Clinton be supported? The steelworkers have no idea because she refused to address their issues. Which can be summed up as, "Vote for me because I said so." Because I said so? The new Clinton campaign strategy.
I'm not trying to let John Edwards off, by the way. What he did at the NAACP forum was just disgusting and he needs to be called out for it. But with Hillary Clinton this really does seem to be a pattern and one that many of us noticed when she tried to claim some sort of executive privilege as First Lady with regards to the health care meetings. Kucinich is also mentioned in the snapshot, just FYI. I want to note one other thing before winding down. "Indian Bureau Oppression a Disgrace" is an article that was published in 1927. The Progressive is making selected articles from their archives available online for free. Unlike The Nation which wants you to pay for content decades old (apparently they never paid their writers?) by buying a digi-pack (whatever that is), The Progressive has been opening up their archives and I did want to note that. I actually need to also note one more thing. C.I.'s "And the war drags on . . ." Thursday night is wonderful. It calls out The Nation's nonsense in an article that has many heaping on praise (begging the question of does anyone actually read anymore?). Friday morning, I was going through the paper and having my morning cups of coffee when my husband came into the kitchen, booted up the computer and insisted I read it. I generally do not get online in the morning. I've got to do my make up, get dressed, get ready for the day, go over my checklist of things to do, etc. My one slow moment is in the kitchen when I have two to three cups of coffee while reading through the paper. My husband knows that so I knew if he was saying, "You have to read this now," that I did have to read it now. More cowardice from The Nation on the topic of Iraq.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" from Friday:
Friday, July 13, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, another journalist is annouced dead in Iraq -- the 3rd in the last 48 hours, Matthew Rothschild addresses the theft of Iraqi oil law, and more.
Starting with war resistance. The Progressive's Hidden History Of The United States (available in calander form) notes that on this day in 1863, "Draft riots began in New York City, leaving 1,000 dead over four days." Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer to public refuse deployment to Iraq. Currently, he is waiting while the appeals process determines whether he will have to face a second court-martial and, if so, whether Judge Toilet (aka John Head) will be allowed to preside over it again. While this goes on, people continue to demonstrate their support for Watada. Last Friday, we noted a rally held in San Francisco in support of Watada. Ryan Baladad (Asian Week) informs, "Members from the various groups, including Aisan Pacific Islanders Resist and the Watada Support Committee, took turns speaking in support of the Japanese lieutenant. Supporters held signs that read, 'Refuse Illegal War,' 'Bush lied, People Died' and showed photos of Watada in uniform. Malcolm Yeung of the Asian Law Caucus called the Army's actions 'frankly reprehensible' and said the case 'chills free speech'." Baladad closes with this statement from Rev. Norman Fong (Chinatown Presbyterian Church), "There shouldn't be another trial; they messed up the first time. We're proud of Lt. Watada."
Meanwhile, who is Steve Yoczik? The War Resisters Support Campaign explains, "Steve arrived in Toronto on November 25th, 2006. He trained in communications at Fort Gordon, Georgia. After a few months there, he began to realize that the decision he'd made to join the Army was a serious mistake and that trading 4 years of his life for the opportunity to have college paid for was not an agreeable enough trade. Also after seeing pictures of wounded or killed Iraqi civilians (and combatants) as well as stories from soldiers that had been to Iraq and Afghanistan, he knew without a doubt that he did not want to be involved in the war. Halfway through training, the 'job' he'd been signed on for was cancelled, and 'joblees' people in this particular war zone go on patrols and kick in doors, so Stephen prepared a last-ditch effort to come to Canada, as all other attempts to leave the Army 'legitimately' were exhausted. Since arriving in Toronto, Steve has adjusted fairly weel, and is being careful in the decisions he makes in life now, as his Army expereience has taught him that signatures hold a lot of power . . ."
Yoczik is part of a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Ross Spears, Jared Hood and James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Augstin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder , Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Joshua Key, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Jeremy Hinzman, Stephen Funk, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Care, Kyle Huwer, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, forty-one US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters.
Yesterday, Bully Boy went on and on, desperately attempting to stretch the definition of progress in yet another attempt to fool the American people. How bad did the spin and lies get? Kenneth R. Bazinet (New York Daily News) informs, "Even the White House was concerned Bush overstepped with his upbeat war talk, sending spokesman Tony Snow out to talk to the cable news outlets to clarify the President's remarks. 'The President isn't saying we're winning. He says we're in a fight. He says we cannot afford not to win,' Snow told Fox News." Tony Snow need not worry, reality will always Fact Check the Bully Boy upside his face. How are things with the Iraqi Parliament? Joshua Partlow and Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reports, "Iraqi politicians on Thursday struck a more pessimistic tone about Iraq than did the White House assessment, and said the deadlock between warring Sunni and Shiite factions makes major political progress unlikely in coming months." Well, as least those Iraqi troops are coming along nicely, right? Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) informs, "Despite stepped-up training, the readiness of the Iraqi military to operate independently of U.S. forces has decreased since President Bush's new strategy was launched in January, according to the White House progress report released yesterday." And try to find out the hard figures on this from the Pentagon, as DeYoung did, and be informed that's "classified information." Classified, apparently, on the grounds that Bully Boy is an incompetent.
And on the January 20th attack in Karbala that killed 1 US soldier immediately, wounded three and saw four kidnapped (all of whom would later turn up dead), Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) reveals the army's internal investigation has found:
•Iraqi police suddenly vanished from the government compound before the shooting started.•Attackers, evidently briefed on how U.S. forces would defend themselves, bottled up more than three dozen soldiers in a barracks and headquarters complex using a combination of smoke and fragment grenades and satchel charges to blow up Humvees.•Gunmen knew exactly where to find and abduct U.S. officers.•Iraqi vendors operating a PX and barbershop went home early.•A back gate was left unlocked and unguarded.Investigators recommended several changes to toughen defensive positions, including the installation of closed-circuit cameras to provide better early warnings, "duress devices" that can allow overrun outposts to signal headquarters, and requirements that any arriving convoy provide identification.
Now how do you suppose that got left out of Bully Boy's attempt to sell the continuation of the illegal war? In more reality the Bully Boy Never Told You, Robert Burns (AP via Los Angeles Times) reports that yesterday's White House progress report "strongly implies that the administration believes its military strategy will take many more months to meet its goals." And really driving home the lack of progress in Iraq, Mike Drummond and Hussein Khalifa (McClatchy Newspapers) tell the story of Nawal Na'eem Karim whose 18-month-child has learned to cry "Talaq inanan! Talaq inana!" ("Bullets here! Bullets here!"). Needless to say, the mother tells the reporters she just wants the US to leave. Of course, Bully Boy would probably get that dopey grin on his face (as when a woman explained she had to work two jobs) and say, "That's wonderful."
Meanwhile, Congressional Dems try to put one over on the public -- again, and it's the same shell game. From Democracy Now! today:
House Iraq Pullout Bill Leaves Thousands of Troops BehindThe House has approved a measure that would begin withdrawing combat troops from Iraq within the next three months. The final vote was two hundred twenty-three to two-hundred and one, mostly along party lines. Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged lawmakers to vote "yes."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "Let us pass this bill and those that will follow in the coming weeks and provide the new direction on Iraq that the American people demand and that is so urgently needed. I urge a 'yes' vote on the Skelton bill."Ohio Congressmember Dennis Kucinich was the lone anti-war Democrat to vote against the bill. The measure would remove most combat troops by April of next year but still leave tens of thousands soldiers behind.
As Amy Goodman noted above "leaves tens of thousands soldiers behind." And that's provided Bully Boy doesn't reclassify the ones that would be set to leave. Pushing the non-existant link between 9-11 and Iraq is a thread he picked up again yesterday. He could follow the Pelosi measure (if it passed) and reclassify "combat troops" as troops who will be fighting terrorists ("al Qaeda!") and none have to leave. He could also declare that the illegal war is over and that 160,000 US troops need to remain to maintain "police operations" which would mean no troops leave. It's the con game they pulled in March, credit Goodman with telling it straight and not sugar coating it.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State and Anger Condi Rice remakes Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time" with new words resulting in "War Takes Time." (CBS & AP, text and video).
In a crimes and violence update, Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) updates her bank robbery story from yesterday with the information that the bank is revising the figures for the stolen money to "282 million Iraqi diners, equal to about $225,000 and $366,00 American dollars." In some of today's violence . . .
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a mortar attacks in Baquba claimed 2 lives and left fifteen wounded and a Baquba bombing that claimed 1 life. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) notes that the Green Zone was "slammed" with mortars today, killing 2 Iraqi soldiers and that "U.S. civilian government employees have been required in the last few dyas to wear body armor and helmets because of the rising threat of rocket and mortar attacks. Reuters notes that 2 children died in Samawa from a roadside bombing, 1 Iraqi soldier died from a Baghdad roadside bombing and 1 police officer died from a Mosul roadside bombing.
Shootings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports five police officers were shot dead in Baghdad, 3 Iraqi civilians were shot dead by the US military (in what appears to be -- me speaking not Hammoudi -- indiscriminate firing) and "Gunmen killed an Iraqi journalist working for New York Times newspaper near Al Saidiyah fuel station south of Baghdad around 9:00 am." John Holusha (New York Times) observes that Hassan joined the paper in 2003 (fall) and that he was the second Times' reporter for the paper to die in Iraq and notes: "Mr. Hassan was shot in the Saidiya district of south central Baghdad while driving to work under circumstances that remain unclear, Mr. [John F.] Burns said. He had called the bureau earlier and said his normal route to the office had been block by a security checkpoint." Executive editor Bill Keller states, "Khalid was part of a large, sometimes unsung, community of Iraqi news gatherers, translators and support staff, who take enormous risks every day to help us comprehend their country's struggle and torment. Without them, America's understanding of what is happening on the ground in Iraq would be much, much poorer. To The Times, Khalid was family, and his death is heartbreaking." Khalid Hassan's death brings to three the number of reporters killed in Baghdad in the last 48 hours. Yesterday, we noted the deaths of Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh, two journalists with Reuters. Today, Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) reports that in addition to eyewitnesses quoted in the early reports yesterday, Ahmad Sahib, with AFP, arrived on the scene shortly afterwards and he states, "They had arrived, got out of the car and started taking pictures, and people gathered. It looked like the American helicopters were firing against any gathering in the area, because when I got out of my car and started taking pictures, people gathered and an American helicopter fired a few rounds, but they hit the houses nearby and we ran for cover."
Corpses?
Reuters reports 3 corpses discovered today in Sawayra. And Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) noted that 28 corpses were discovered in Baghdad Thursday.
Turning to the theft of Iraqi oil, Nancy Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) notes, "Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki announced unanimous Cabinet approval of a draft hydrocarbon law. But on Wednesday, Kurdish politicians said they opposed the latest version of the law. The draft law hasn't been published." Steve Kretzmann (Oil for Change) observes, "We have heard conflicting reports, although it seems clear that the annexes are gone. There was an arabic version published two days ago in a Baghdad daily, however we've heard that there has been at least one change since then." AVAAZ.ORG has an online petition entitled "Support Iraqi Oil Sovereignty."
At Inside Iraq (McClatchy Newspapers), a journalist shares a surreal experience, "The Electricity Minister and the Oil Minister, both being questioned in the Parliament as to the electricity and fuel situation in the country. They were fighting the 'good' fight, back to back, with their sabers flashing. Fact after distorted face spilled forth from their tongues. The Oil Minister, high browed, blue blooded, married to a bluer blood still -- all leaning east, said he hadn't enough power and fuel to work the refineries -- butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. The Electricity Minister, a man of the masses; an excellent technician, worked his way up through the ranks, said he hadn't enough fuel to work the electricity power stations. Wasn't there something strange here -- was it a distortion in my dream?? A Catch 22 situation if ever there was one!!" Hussain al-Shahristani is the Oil Minister (since May of last year) and prior to that post he was the deputy speaker in the National Assembly. Last week, on KPFT's Progressive Forum (Thursdays, 7:00 pm Central), host Wally James discussed the theft of the Iraqi oil with Matthew Rothschild (The Progressive).
Matthew Rothschild: It's amazing that with all that's been going on Iraq with maybes 600,000 Iraqis killed, 3600 US soldiers killed and 2600 US soldiers wounded, that the one thing the Bush administration really cares about is privatizing Iraq's oil. You know, they told us, over and over again, before this war started those of us that were talking about this war being for oil, that we were conspiracy people, but look, low and behold, the first thing that the army did when it got to Iraq was protect the oil fields, the second thing it did was protect the Oil Ministry and now the last thing it's doing is making sure that before all hell breaks further loose that they're going to get something on the books in Iraq that allows Exxon-Mobile and other US corporations to go in there and get their share of the oil there and expatriate the profits from that oil at a much greater degree than oil companies can do in that part of the world. I mean this is a huge sell out of Iraq's sovereign resource and there are, there have been strikes already by Iraqi oil workers and al-Sadr right now is aligning with the Sunnis to oppose this so there's all sorts of domestic opposition over there but this is the one thing that the Bush administration wanted al-Maliki to rail through if he could, railroad it through, he'd be back in the good graces of the Bush administration, back in the good graces of Exxon-Mobile.
Wally James: Well from the beginning you had Bush saying, you know, this is not about oil, we're not trying to get control of the oil. And, you know, but under the surface you have this going on and at the same time the US media just isn't reporting on it. They talk about how this is going to be a good thing if this goes through, how it's going to make for sure that the oil is divided up evenly in Iraq.
Matthew Rothschild: It is almost impossible, you're absolutely right here, Wally, and I think it's a really good point absolutely impossible to read the mainstream media and figure out what's going on with this Iraq oil behind the scenes. It's not about, or simply not just about, the equal sharing of the oil revenues. It's largely about the privatization of the oil industry in Iraq and allowing US and other foreign oil companies in to grab the oil. That's what's going on but you might get that in about paragraph eleven or paragraph fifteen and it won't explain really the benefits that are going to acrue to Exxon-Mobile and the other giants. And it certainly won't tell you that the Iraq oil workers were striking for a week in Basra over this. I mean, this has been one of the worst bits of coverage by the mainstream media in Iraq since what? The cover up or the funneling of propaganda about Weapons of Mass Destruction Prior to the war courtesy of Judith Miller and the New York Times.
Wally James asked Rothschild about the idea that Congressional Democrats might be refusing to impeach because they want Bully Boy around for the 2008 elections (as an issue to run against) and wondered if that was at least part of the reason Congress does nothing to end the illegal war, "they need him around in '08 to beat up" and the Iraq war? Rothschild responded: "Well this is kind of pragmatic politics at its worst, it seems to me. Because I think the same thing happened with the Iraq war vote. They want the Iraq war to go on so they can go against Bush and the Iraq war in 2008. But look at how callous that is. They want a hundred more US soldiers to die every month and 500, 600 to be wounded and what, you know, a couple of thousand Iraqis to die every month just because it's politically expedient and it might help them win the White House? I mean, come on, talk about immorality if that's what they're doing that's disgraceful on the war issue." Next addressed was the issue of impeachment which Rothschild's supported, publicly in his writing, since at least early 2006 and we'll use that as an opportunity to note that Bill Moyers Journal (begins airing on PBS in most markets today -- check local listings and you can also read, listen or watch online) will explore the topic of impeachment and, among the guests is John Nichols.
Back to Rothschild, he has a new book out entitled You Have No Rights: Stories of America In An Age of Repression (The New Press, list price $16.99) and he's doing stops across the country to promote the book:
Matthew Rothschild reading and signing YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS
Seattle, WA: 7/16 at 7:00PM San Francisco, CA: 7/17 at 7:30PM Berkeley, CA: 7/18 at 7:00PM Portland, OR: 7/19 at 7:30PMMadison, WI: 7/26 at 7:00PM San Luis Obispo, CA: 8/14 at 7:00PM Santa Barbara, CA:8/15 at 7:00PM Los Angeles, CA: 8/16 at 7:00PM Baraboo, WI: 9/8 all day
ehren watada
mcclatchy newspapers
the new york timesalissa j. rubin
iraq
matthew rothschild
gregg zoroyathe washington postjoshua partlowsudarsan raghavan
bill moyers journal
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