-- Ned Parker, "Who Lost Iraq?" (POLITICO).
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Truest statement of the week
It was the April 2010 national election and its
tortured aftermath that sewed the seeds of today’s crisis in Iraq.
Beforehand, U.S. state and military officials had prepared for any
scenario, including the possibility that Maliki might refuse to leave
office for another Shiite Islamist candidate. No one imagined that the
secular Iraqiya list, backed by Sunni Arabs, would win the largest
number of seats in parliament. Suddenly the Sunnis’ candidate, secular
Shiite Ayad Allawi, was poised to be prime minister. But Maliki refused
and dug in.
-- Ned Parker, "Who Lost Iraq?" (POLITICO).
-- Ned Parker, "Who Lost Iraq?" (POLITICO).
Truest statement of the week II
The president wants us to forget that he was the one who proposed
sequestration in the first place, in an effort to force a Grand Bargain
with Republicans; that his economic advisors are secretly meeting with
hundreds of corporate lobbyists to shape a jobs-destroying Trans Pacific
Partnership that is “like NAFTA on steroids,” and then fast-track it
through Congress; and that Obama has nominated two Republican prospective judges
from Georgia to federal courts, one of whom fought to keep the
Confederate banner in the state flag, while the other was the lead
lawyer in defense of Georgia’s Voter ID law. The Obama administration
has many priorities, but nondiscrimination is not one of them.
-- Glen Ford, "Obama, the Great Dis-Equalizer" (Black Agenda Report).
-- Glen Ford, "Obama, the Great Dis-Equalizer" (Black Agenda Report).
A note to our readers
Hey --
Yet another Sunday.
First up, we thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.
And what did we come up with:
Mike and the gang wrote this and we thank them for it.
And that's our edition. We think it's stronger than last week and are glad Ava and C.I. were feeling better (though they're still hacking).
Peace.
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
Yet another Sunday.
First up, we thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.
And what did we come up with:
Ned Parker returns to offer some perspective on Iraq.
Glen Ford.
Everyone worked on the editorial. Kat was feeling sick as was Marcia so that was the only piece they worked on.
Ava and C.I. return to form with a look at how the networks continue to take the audiences for granted.
In our continuing series, we get around to the classic After Hours.
Short features! And, seriously, why is David Simas so tense in that photo?
A picture can say much more than a thousand words.
This is disgusting. Why do we have the Leahy Amendment if it's not going to be followed?
Despot Nouri can try but he can't kill off the protests.
Repost from Workers World.
Repost from Great Britain's Socialist Worker.
Mike and the gang wrote this and we thank them for it.
And that's our edition. We think it's stronger than last week and are glad Ava and C.I. were feeling better (though they're still hacking).
Peace.
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
Editorial: Look at the ahistorical
When we talk about the actions of a government, we say so. We, for example, might call out the British government but not the British people or the Chinese government but not the Chinese people or thug Nouri al-Maliki but not the Iraqi people.
Having survived eight years of illegal occupation by Bully Boy Bush of our White House, we are well aware that a government doesn't necessarily represent a people.
That people like Rachel Shabi ("US in Iraq: They broke it but didn't fix it," Al Jazeera) and Simon Assaf ("US intervention in Iraq encouraged growth of Al Qaida," UK Socialist Worker) lack that same consideration doesn't surprise us.
That people like Shabi and Assaf are so stupid?
That embarrasses us.
We are embarrassed for them.
Especially for those like Simon who are British.
Or did he forget Tony Blair?
Wasn't that the prime minister of England?
We kind of think it was.
How very smug to spit and point at the US people while pretending your own country didn't take part in the destruction of Iraq.
--------------------------
Illustration is Isaiah's "Now he's soaking in it" from September 6, 2010.
TV: Running off the audiences
Once upon a time, NBC sat on top of the ratings pile. That was a very, very long time ago. And TV then was a tale of arrogance. Today's sad fact? It still is.
Thursday nights on NBC were unbeatable in the ratings. Friends and Seinfeld and ER, then Friends and Will & Grace and ER. Three hours of "must see TV." Well, not three hours.
Two hours in the three hour block. Usually, NBC offered two awful sitcoms in that block. Ever changing ones. Some were at least honest mistakes, others were outright frauds (Union Park, Cursed, Madman of the People, Fired Up, etc.).
Keeping, for example, Mad About You in the mix could have helped build solid comedy but the network was more concerned with doling out as little quality on one night as possible.
And NBC's arrogance was such that they didn't see a day when people would ever just stop watching. They're there today.
They may not be the only ones.
Just as NBC lived in denial about how they punished and ran off audiences on Thursdays, so too do all the networks today refuse to face what they're doing every night of the week.
The lie is that people aren't interested in watching network television. The reality is that they're just not interested in watching what network television keeps airing.
Fall 2013 saw a pattern emerge as the pilot episode of one program after another became the highest rated episode of the series. One dramatic example, 12.12 million people tuned in to watch the debut of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but now only about six million tune in to ABC's underwhelming show each week.
If anyone's winning right now it's the marketing people.
They take these bad shows and find something minor in them to hype enough to create interest so people check it out.
But the show runners have failed because, given an audience to captivate, they only send them running.
Has The Assets been cancelled?
That's the question The Water Cooler Set struggles with.
ABC has yanked the program after two low rated episodes were broadcast. That leaves the fate of the other six episodes in question.
But since The Assets was a mini-series, was it cancelled?
Cancelled means a show ceases production, after all, and The Assets had ceased production prior to airing.
So as they quibble over split hairs, they ignore the larger picture: The Assets was lousy television.
The mini-series was based on the true crime novel Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Alrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed. Right away, it's a dirty dog with fleas. The men he betrayed? What century is this? Even worse, the 'authors' were women: Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeulle. 'Authors'?
Let's get honest, a CIA-vetted book is a not a true story.
Former CIA agents Grimes and Vertefeulle wrote a 'based on a true story' book that the CIA vetted.
Along with lacking truth, the source material also lacked complexity and interest.
If there's a story to be told of a Cold War espionage, it's already being told in FX's The Americans -- starring Kerri Russell and Matthew Rhys and whose show runner is an ex-CIA agent (Joe Weisberg).
The Assets had a Rhys as well, Paul Rhys. The 50-year-old Brit is, at best, unappetizing to the eye.
And he's the lead.
ABC decided to structure an eight-part mini-series around a dead weight.
Did they think they were doing Sundance Film Festival?
No, of course not, because years ago Sundance fell prey to the same casting considerations as every other medium.
But ABC thought they could bill a mini-series around an actor unknown to most Americans and not likely to garner a second look from those attracted to men.
It only got worse from there.
How do you cast an American mini-series, an eight hour mini-series, for commercial network TV without one damn name?
Over 69 speaking roles and not one damn actor or actress America recognizes -- let alone likes?
In 1986, CBS had a huge -- top ten -- success with the mini-series Sins. A potboiler, no one mistook it for Great Performances, but it did deliver the ratings and that's in part due to a cast led by Joan Collins (who also produced the mini-series). There were other names in the cast as well: Capucine, Timothy Dalton, Marisa Berenson, Giancarlo Giannini, Lauren Hutton, Gene Kelly, Paul Freeman, Joseph Bologna and James Farentino. Joan Collins was among the biggest TV names of 1986 but CBS still wasn't going to farm out three nights of television to a mini-series if she was the only name.
Or take ABC's 7-part mini-series from 1983, The Winds of War. The cast for that included Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Polly Bergen, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Houseman, Topol, Peter Graves and Ralph Bellamy.
Yet in 2014, ABC wanted to air an 8-part mini-series where the biggest name was . . .
Well, no one.
Over 69 speaking roles
Some might wrongly applaud that. Some might wrongly assume this was a quality production.
It was a piece of crap, an American story cast with British actors posing as Americans which only added to the stiffness and fakery.
A woman in a power suit is in the kitchen holding a skillet, scolding a child (apparently dressed as Madonna) and then heading off to work.
No.
In no world would a woman have dressed like that, shoulder pads and all, and cooked breakfast without an apron on to ensure no cooking mishap meant a second-change.
It wasn't based in reality, it was based in boredom.
Bad actors, ugly ones, in badly written scenes about a topic that wasn't even trendy.
What did ABC think would happen?
This was their Union Square, they're pissing on American viewers and assuming they'd watch any trash the network threw on.
Broadcast TV has not reached the funeral stage.
Yet.
But it may not be that far off.
Niche programming will not save the networks. If they want big audiences, they'll need to learn (once again) how to grab them.
Thursday nights on NBC were unbeatable in the ratings. Friends and Seinfeld and ER, then Friends and Will & Grace and ER. Three hours of "must see TV." Well, not three hours.
Two hours in the three hour block. Usually, NBC offered two awful sitcoms in that block. Ever changing ones. Some were at least honest mistakes, others were outright frauds (Union Park, Cursed, Madman of the People, Fired Up, etc.).
Keeping, for example, Mad About You in the mix could have helped build solid comedy but the network was more concerned with doling out as little quality on one night as possible.
And NBC's arrogance was such that they didn't see a day when people would ever just stop watching. They're there today.
They may not be the only ones.
Just as NBC lived in denial about how they punished and ran off audiences on Thursdays, so too do all the networks today refuse to face what they're doing every night of the week.
The lie is that people aren't interested in watching network television. The reality is that they're just not interested in watching what network television keeps airing.
Fall 2013 saw a pattern emerge as the pilot episode of one program after another became the highest rated episode of the series. One dramatic example, 12.12 million people tuned in to watch the debut of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but now only about six million tune in to ABC's underwhelming show each week.
If anyone's winning right now it's the marketing people.
They take these bad shows and find something minor in them to hype enough to create interest so people check it out.
But the show runners have failed because, given an audience to captivate, they only send them running.
Has The Assets been cancelled?
That's the question The Water Cooler Set struggles with.
ABC has yanked the program after two low rated episodes were broadcast. That leaves the fate of the other six episodes in question.
But since The Assets was a mini-series, was it cancelled?
Cancelled means a show ceases production, after all, and The Assets had ceased production prior to airing.
So as they quibble over split hairs, they ignore the larger picture: The Assets was lousy television.
The mini-series was based on the true crime novel Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Alrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed. Right away, it's a dirty dog with fleas. The men he betrayed? What century is this? Even worse, the 'authors' were women: Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeulle. 'Authors'?
Let's get honest, a CIA-vetted book is a not a true story.
Former CIA agents Grimes and Vertefeulle wrote a 'based on a true story' book that the CIA vetted.
Along with lacking truth, the source material also lacked complexity and interest.
If there's a story to be told of a Cold War espionage, it's already being told in FX's The Americans -- starring Kerri Russell and Matthew Rhys and whose show runner is an ex-CIA agent (Joe Weisberg).
The Assets had a Rhys as well, Paul Rhys. The 50-year-old Brit is, at best, unappetizing to the eye.
And he's the lead.
ABC decided to structure an eight-part mini-series around a dead weight.
Did they think they were doing Sundance Film Festival?
No, of course not, because years ago Sundance fell prey to the same casting considerations as every other medium.
But ABC thought they could bill a mini-series around an actor unknown to most Americans and not likely to garner a second look from those attracted to men.
It only got worse from there.
How do you cast an American mini-series, an eight hour mini-series, for commercial network TV without one damn name?
Over 69 speaking roles and not one damn actor or actress America recognizes -- let alone likes?
In 1986, CBS had a huge -- top ten -- success with the mini-series Sins. A potboiler, no one mistook it for Great Performances, but it did deliver the ratings and that's in part due to a cast led by Joan Collins (who also produced the mini-series). There were other names in the cast as well: Capucine, Timothy Dalton, Marisa Berenson, Giancarlo Giannini, Lauren Hutton, Gene Kelly, Paul Freeman, Joseph Bologna and James Farentino. Joan Collins was among the biggest TV names of 1986 but CBS still wasn't going to farm out three nights of television to a mini-series if she was the only name.
Or take ABC's 7-part mini-series from 1983, The Winds of War. The cast for that included Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Polly Bergen, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Houseman, Topol, Peter Graves and Ralph Bellamy.
Yet in 2014, ABC wanted to air an 8-part mini-series where the biggest name was . . .
Well, no one.
Over 69 speaking roles
Some might wrongly applaud that. Some might wrongly assume this was a quality production.
It was a piece of crap, an American story cast with British actors posing as Americans which only added to the stiffness and fakery.
A woman in a power suit is in the kitchen holding a skillet, scolding a child (apparently dressed as Madonna) and then heading off to work.
No.
In no world would a woman have dressed like that, shoulder pads and all, and cooked breakfast without an apron on to ensure no cooking mishap meant a second-change.
It wasn't based in reality, it was based in boredom.
Bad actors, ugly ones, in badly written scenes about a topic that wasn't even trendy.
What did ABC think would happen?
This was their Union Square, they're pissing on American viewers and assuming they'd watch any trash the network threw on.
Broadcast TV has not reached the funeral stage.
Yet.
But it may not be that far off.
Niche programming will not save the networks. If they want big audiences, they'll need to learn (once again) how to grab them.
Film Classics of the 20th Century
So far in this series, we've looked at Edward Scissorhands, Christmas in Connecticut, Desk Set, When Harry Met Sally . . ., Who Done It?, That Darn Cat!, Cactus Flower, Family Plot, House Sitter, and Outrageous Fortune. Film classics are the films that grab you, even on repeat viewings, especially on repeat viewings.
.
Martin Scorsese is one of the 20th century's great directors and he is responsible for many classics of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
1985's After Hours is his first comic masterpiece. With a script by Joseph Minion (and some would add "and an uncredited Joe Frank), Scorsese fashioned a world around a lat night and early morning trapped in Soho.
Data processor Paul Hackett finds nothing on TV, so he grabs a paperback copy of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and heads for an all night cafe. There he meets Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) who is beautiful and flirtatious. She mentions a friend, Kiki Bridges, makes plaster of Paris paperweights and gives Paul Kiki's number if he needs to reach her.
Shortly after, Paul calls Kiki (Linda Fiorentino) who puts Marcy on the phone and he's off to Soho with twenty bucks . . . which flies out the window of the cab.
Things go incredibly wrong for Paul and Marcy -- even more so for Marcy -- and Paul can't take the subway home (the fares have gone up and he only has 95 cents) so he's trapped in Soho trying to get home.
At various times, it appears help may have arrived. Such as when the diner waitress Julie (Teri Garr) takes him home.
She dances to "The Last Train to Clarksville" but fails to cheer him up so puts on "Chelsea Morning" instead but all he wants to do is get out of the rain.
Help us appears to arrive when he bumps into Gail (Catherine O'Hara) who even offers him a ride home in her Mr. Softee Ice Cream Truck.
But instead, he will be pursued through Soho by an angry mob convinced he's the local burglar. The cast also includes John Heard, Cheech and Chong, Will Patton, Verna Bloom and Bronson Pinchot.
We'll note one of the key scenes. Paul is attempting to figure out if he's attracted to Marcy enough to make it worth enduring the craziness.
Marcy: Franklin is my husband.
Paul: Really. Is that his loft then?
Marcy: He owns it, yes.
Paul: Well do you live with him?
Marcy: No, he's in Turkey. Look, I stayed with my husband for three days. I was very young when I got married. My husband was a movie freak. Actually, he was particularlly obsessed with one movie. The Wizard of Oz. He talked about it constantly. I thought it was cute at first. On our wedding night -- I was a virgin -- when we made love -- you've seen the film, haven't you?
Paul: The Wizard of Oz? Yeah, I've seen it.
Marcy: Well, when we made love, whenever he -- you know, when he came, he'd just scream out, "Surrender, Dorothy!" That's all. Just "Surrender, Dorothy!"
Paul: Wow.
Marcy: I know. Instead of moaning or saying "Oh God," or something normal like that. You know, it's pretty creepy. And I told him I thought so but he just, he just couldn't stop. He just, he just couldn't stop. He just, he just couldn't stop. He said he didn't even realize it was happening. He just couldn't stop. So I just broke the whole thing off.
This is a hilarious film with Griffin Dunne at his most appealing and a triumphant Rosanna Arquette reminding you how much joy a great performance can provide.
.
Martin Scorsese is one of the 20th century's great directors and he is responsible for many classics of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
1985's After Hours is his first comic masterpiece. With a script by Joseph Minion (and some would add "and an uncredited Joe Frank), Scorsese fashioned a world around a lat night and early morning trapped in Soho.
Data processor Paul Hackett finds nothing on TV, so he grabs a paperback copy of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and heads for an all night cafe. There he meets Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) who is beautiful and flirtatious. She mentions a friend, Kiki Bridges, makes plaster of Paris paperweights and gives Paul Kiki's number if he needs to reach her.
Shortly after, Paul calls Kiki (Linda Fiorentino) who puts Marcy on the phone and he's off to Soho with twenty bucks . . . which flies out the window of the cab.
Things go incredibly wrong for Paul and Marcy -- even more so for Marcy -- and Paul can't take the subway home (the fares have gone up and he only has 95 cents) so he's trapped in Soho trying to get home.
At various times, it appears help may have arrived. Such as when the diner waitress Julie (Teri Garr) takes him home.
She dances to "The Last Train to Clarksville" but fails to cheer him up so puts on "Chelsea Morning" instead but all he wants to do is get out of the rain.
Help us appears to arrive when he bumps into Gail (Catherine O'Hara) who even offers him a ride home in her Mr. Softee Ice Cream Truck.
But instead, he will be pursued through Soho by an angry mob convinced he's the local burglar. The cast also includes John Heard, Cheech and Chong, Will Patton, Verna Bloom and Bronson Pinchot.
We'll note one of the key scenes. Paul is attempting to figure out if he's attracted to Marcy enough to make it worth enduring the craziness.
Marcy: Franklin is my husband.
Paul: Really. Is that his loft then?
Marcy: He owns it, yes.
Paul: Well do you live with him?
Marcy: No, he's in Turkey. Look, I stayed with my husband for three days. I was very young when I got married. My husband was a movie freak. Actually, he was particularlly obsessed with one movie. The Wizard of Oz. He talked about it constantly. I thought it was cute at first. On our wedding night -- I was a virgin -- when we made love -- you've seen the film, haven't you?
Paul: The Wizard of Oz? Yeah, I've seen it.
Marcy: Well, when we made love, whenever he -- you know, when he came, he'd just scream out, "Surrender, Dorothy!" That's all. Just "Surrender, Dorothy!"
Paul: Wow.
Marcy: I know. Instead of moaning or saying "Oh God," or something normal like that. You know, it's pretty creepy. And I told him I thought so but he just, he just couldn't stop. He just, he just couldn't stop. He just, he just couldn't stop. He said he didn't even realize it was happening. He just couldn't stop. So I just broke the whole thing off.
This is a hilarious film with Griffin Dunne at his most appealing and a triumphant Rosanna Arquette reminding you how much joy a great performance can provide.
Barack returns to work
Barack celebrated his return from vacation with a few cutting remarks about the inability of portly man-child Jay Carney to grow a real beard while David Simas smiled in abject fear thinking, "Please, Lord, don't let him turn the bitchy on me. Please, Lord, don't let him turn the bitchy on me."
Canada outshines the US
That's the top Canadian diplomat in Iraq, the country's Charge D'Affaires meeting with Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi who posted the photo Saturday.
While the Canadian government can send a woman to Iraq, not so with Barack.
The US President has nominated four people to be ambassador to Iraq (Chris Hill, James Jeffrey, Brett McGurk and Stephen Beecroft) -- all are men.
The illegal war destroyed the rights of Iraqi women. Who the US chooses as an ambassador to the country carries great weight.
Barack wants to arm Nouri . . .
because the murders of 8 children just wasn't enough.
April 23rd, the massacre of a sit-in in Hawija resulted by Nouri's federal forces storming in left many people dead and wounded. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. AFP reported the death toll rose to 53. UNICEF noted that the dead included 8 children (twelve more were injured).
And this killer of the Iraqi people is who Barack's given drones and Hellfire missiles to and wants to rush F-16s to.
Apparently, the Leahy Amendment no longer matters.
It's supposed to:
Consistent with U.S. law and policy, the Department of State vets its assistance to foreign security forces, as well as certain Department of Defense training programs, to ensure that recipients have not committed gross human rights abuses. When the vetting process uncovers credible information that an individual or unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, U.S. assistance is withheld.
Nouri's actions should have resulted in the Leahy Amednment being applied long ago.
He's used the military to terrorize politicians.
Dropping back to December 17, 2011:
Like Tareq al-Hashemi, Saleh al-Mutlaq is a member of the Iraqiya political slate. Dar Addustour is reporting that the homes of al-Hashemi and al-Mutlaq as well as the home of Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi have been surrounded by "tanks and special forces." Dr. Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi was the previous Deputy prime minister (2007 through 2010). He was the head of Falluja General Hospital prior to that and he is currently the Minister of Finance. Like the other two, al-Issawi is a member of Iraqiya.
From the December 19, 2011 snapshot:
Late Saturday night online (Sunday in print), Liz Sly (Washington Post) noted that the 'government' in Iraq is "unraveling faster than had been anticipated Saturday." Really? All in one day. Well, no, not in one day. She continued, "In recent days, the homes of top Sunni politicians in the fortified Green Zone have been ringed by tanks and armored personnel carriers, and rumors are flying that arrest warrants will be issued for other Sunni leaders."
Could you imagine the outrage if Barack -- if any US president -- sent military tanks and special forces to stake out the homes of Senator Barbara Boxer or US House Rep. Charlie Rangel?
But that's what Nouri did. His charges against Tareq would be numerous. So let's focus on what led to Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq to be targeted.
His crime? He gave an interview. Arwa Damon and Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reported:
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is amassing dictatorial power as U.S. troops leave the country, risking a new civil war and the breakup of the nation, his deputy warned Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq told CNN that he was "shocked" to hear U.S. President Barack Obama greet al-Maliki at the White House on Monday as "the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant and democratic Iraq." He said Washington is leaving Iraq "with a dictator" who has ignored a power-sharing agreement, kept control of the country's security forces and rounded up hundreds of people in recent weeks.
[. . .]
"America left Iraq with almost no infrastructure. The political process is going in a very wrong direction, going toward a dictatorship," he said. "People are not going to accept that, and most likely they are going to ask for the division of the country. And this is going to be a disaster. Dividing the country isn't going to be smooth, because dividing the country is going to be a war before that and a war after that."
For that Nouri targeted him, tried to strip him of office and much more.
And that was 2011. Things have only gotten worse since.
Most recently? How about Decemeber 28th when Nouri ordered the arrest of Ahmed al-Alwani? There were a number of problems including that a dawn raid on a person's home left 6 people -- including al-Alwani's brother -- dead. Equally true, there was no right to arrest him. He's a Member of Parliament. He can be arrested by police if they catch him while he's carrying out a crime. Otherwise, Parliament's got to first vote to strip the MP immunity or there's no arrest.
He refuses to follow his own country's Constitution.
He refuses to follow the laws.
He abuses his power and position.
And he'll even order the deaths of children.
In what world can the US government justify continuing to arm the despot Nouri al-Maliki?
Tweet of the Week
Even in the face of Nouri's brutal attack on Anbar Province, Iraqis turned out in Samarra on Friday to protest al-Maliki's brutal government.
اعلام الربيع العراقي
الجمعة الموحدة في مدينة سامراء:
. pic.twitter.com/SeRBwWsQ8E
International meeting to seek justice for Iraq (WW)
International meeting to seek justice for Iraq (John Catalinotto)
Repost from Workers World:
An increase in deaths in Iraq from internal fighting and bombing doubled in 2013 from a year earlier, reaching levels unseen since 2008. In early January, the Nouri al-Maliki regime launched an attack on demonstrators in Falluja and Ramadi, using the alleged presence of al-Qaida as a pretext and asking for U.S. military aid.
It is more than appropriate now for those who opposed the 2003 invasion to fight for reparation payments from the war criminals who invaded and occupied Iraq. The following notice from the Bertrand Russell Tribunal explains what is being done to accomplish this. In the U.S., the International Action Center is supporting this effort, as are others.
“The International Association of Democratic Lawyers, a nongovernmental organization having consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, will hold its 18th Congress in Brussels, Belgium, April 15-19, 2014. This Congress will be the number one meeting, networking and exchange opportunity for hundreds of legal activists throughout the world.
“Two days of this Congress will be dedicated to several commissions on topics and themes in which legal activists worldwide are involved. In partnership with IADL the BRussells Tribunal will organize a commission on April 16-17 about ‘Accountability and Justice for Iraq.’
“The aggression against Iraq, launched by the ‘Coalition of the Willing,’ under the command of the U.S. and Britain, was not just immoral, it was properly illegal and fits the Nuremberg definition of a Crime against Peace. Such a war should have its legal consequences for the aggressors and rights for the victims under international law.
“To date, no official has been brought to justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity and for waging a war of aggression, the supreme international crime. We have to change that equation. All those who are responsible for the invasion of Iraq should be held accountable for the destruction of the country’s infrastructure, its economic and social structures, its historical past and its health and education.
“Reasonable legal experts should work towards the goal of making reparations to the Iraqi people, who have been so deeply affected by this war and its aftermath and they should bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Developing a ‘roadmap’ for justice
“The BRussells Tribunal intends to bring together international legal experts and activists who will explore the possibilities for legal actions against those responsible for the war of aggression against Iraq. Participants will also share their experiences about past and present legal procedures and will discuss the different forms of legal action.
“In participation with the International Anti-Occupation Network (IAON), the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalize War, the Geneva International Center for Justice and other humanitarian organizations, we will try to develop a legal roadmap that can be used by law professionals and activists worldwide.
“The Coalition’s military operations, including massive attacks on cities like Falluja, and the counter-insurgency policy, led to substantially increased mortality and massive displacement, affecting millions of people. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or maimed, families have been destroyed, displaced, and forced into refugee status all over the world. Iraq’s education system has been destroyed and its society deconstructed.
“The sectarian political process, organized by the occupying powers, has created a failed state characterized by the complete collapse of all public services, and systematic violations of all aspects of human rights, including the right to life. The U.S. deliberately provoked various factions in Iraqi society in order to divide and rule the country. An ancient, deeply rooted culture has been destroyed, brutalized, thrown into chaos.
“People’s tribunals, citizens’ arrests and other forms of activism may represent the conscience of the world community and should be deemed necessary in the absence of implementation of international law, but that’s not enough.
“Legal action is essential and can take many forms: universal jurisdiction, defending Iraqi victims in court, seeking arrest warrants when former U.S. politicians want to travel outside the U.S., etc.
“We cordially invite you to join us in Brussels in April. If we want to restore the respect for international law; if we want international law to be enforceable; if we want to ensure the legal rights of the victims of illegal aggressions, Iraq should be high on the agenda of lawyers and human rights organizations.”
Contact: IADL@brussellstribunal.org. Follow this event on facebook: tinyurl.com/l7ouqy7.
Articles copyright 1995-2014 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
International meeting to seek justice for Iraq
By John Catalinotto on January 10, 2014
An increase in deaths in Iraq from internal fighting and bombing doubled in 2013 from a year earlier, reaching levels unseen since 2008. In early January, the Nouri al-Maliki regime launched an attack on demonstrators in Falluja and Ramadi, using the alleged presence of al-Qaida as a pretext and asking for U.S. military aid.
It is more than appropriate now for those who opposed the 2003 invasion to fight for reparation payments from the war criminals who invaded and occupied Iraq. The following notice from the Bertrand Russell Tribunal explains what is being done to accomplish this. In the U.S., the International Action Center is supporting this effort, as are others.
“The International Association of Democratic Lawyers, a nongovernmental organization having consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, will hold its 18th Congress in Brussels, Belgium, April 15-19, 2014. This Congress will be the number one meeting, networking and exchange opportunity for hundreds of legal activists throughout the world.
“Two days of this Congress will be dedicated to several commissions on topics and themes in which legal activists worldwide are involved. In partnership with IADL the BRussells Tribunal will organize a commission on April 16-17 about ‘Accountability and Justice for Iraq.’
“The aggression against Iraq, launched by the ‘Coalition of the Willing,’ under the command of the U.S. and Britain, was not just immoral, it was properly illegal and fits the Nuremberg definition of a Crime against Peace. Such a war should have its legal consequences for the aggressors and rights for the victims under international law.
“To date, no official has been brought to justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity and for waging a war of aggression, the supreme international crime. We have to change that equation. All those who are responsible for the invasion of Iraq should be held accountable for the destruction of the country’s infrastructure, its economic and social structures, its historical past and its health and education.
“Reasonable legal experts should work towards the goal of making reparations to the Iraqi people, who have been so deeply affected by this war and its aftermath and they should bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Developing a ‘roadmap’ for justice
“The BRussells Tribunal intends to bring together international legal experts and activists who will explore the possibilities for legal actions against those responsible for the war of aggression against Iraq. Participants will also share their experiences about past and present legal procedures and will discuss the different forms of legal action.
“In participation with the International Anti-Occupation Network (IAON), the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalize War, the Geneva International Center for Justice and other humanitarian organizations, we will try to develop a legal roadmap that can be used by law professionals and activists worldwide.
“The Coalition’s military operations, including massive attacks on cities like Falluja, and the counter-insurgency policy, led to substantially increased mortality and massive displacement, affecting millions of people. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or maimed, families have been destroyed, displaced, and forced into refugee status all over the world. Iraq’s education system has been destroyed and its society deconstructed.
“The sectarian political process, organized by the occupying powers, has created a failed state characterized by the complete collapse of all public services, and systematic violations of all aspects of human rights, including the right to life. The U.S. deliberately provoked various factions in Iraqi society in order to divide and rule the country. An ancient, deeply rooted culture has been destroyed, brutalized, thrown into chaos.
“People’s tribunals, citizens’ arrests and other forms of activism may represent the conscience of the world community and should be deemed necessary in the absence of implementation of international law, but that’s not enough.
“Legal action is essential and can take many forms: universal jurisdiction, defending Iraqi victims in court, seeking arrest warrants when former U.S. politicians want to travel outside the U.S., etc.
“We cordially invite you to join us in Brussels in April. If we want to restore the respect for international law; if we want international law to be enforceable; if we want to ensure the legal rights of the victims of illegal aggressions, Iraq should be high on the agenda of lawyers and human rights organizations.”
Contact: IADL@brussellstribunal.org. Follow this event on facebook: tinyurl.com/l7ouqy7.
Articles copyright 1995-2014 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Iraq War encouraged growth of al Qaeda (Simon Assaf)
Repost from Great Britain's Socialist Worker:
The US is sending advanced weapons to the Iraqi government to help crush a growing rebellion in Anbar province in the west of the country. Anbar was a centre of the resistance against the 2003-2011 US occupation.
The rebellion began when the Iraqi state used violence to break up peaceful protest camps in Fallujah and Ramadi—originally inspired by the Arab Spring. Protesters were demanding the end of marginalisation and discrimination of Sunni Muslims by the Shia dominated sectarian government of Nouri al-Maliki.
Maliki is also a key supporter of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The attack on the camps triggered armed confrontations with locals and the tribes, many of whom are connected to the Awakening movement.
The Awakening movement was originally part of the resistance to the US. But it switched sides during the occupation to drive out Islamist fighters loyal to Al Qaida.
Confrontations
Following last week’s armed confrontations between the army and the tribes, a resurgent Al Qaida marched into the Anbar cities. This triggered a three-way battle with the state and the Awakening movement.
The Al Qaida group is known both as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The battle has spilled over into Syria, with confrontations between the Al Qaida dominated groups and the mainstream Islamist and revolutionary forces. Over the past year fighters linked to ISIS have tried to hijack the Syrian revolution.
They have abolished the popular councils that grew out of the uprising, launched sectarian attacks against minorities, and murdered secular opposition leaders.
The retreat of the revolutionary wave underpins the growing complexity and fracturing of the rebellion in Iraq and the uprising in Syria. It now pits competing regional interests and powers against each other, against the regime and against surviving revolutionary forces.
US intervention in Iraq encouraged growth of Al Qaida
by Simon AssafThe US is sending advanced weapons to the Iraqi government to help crush a growing rebellion in Anbar province in the west of the country. Anbar was a centre of the resistance against the 2003-2011 US occupation.
The rebellion began when the Iraqi state used violence to break up peaceful protest camps in Fallujah and Ramadi—originally inspired by the Arab Spring. Protesters were demanding the end of marginalisation and discrimination of Sunni Muslims by the Shia dominated sectarian government of Nouri al-Maliki.
Maliki is also a key supporter of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The attack on the camps triggered armed confrontations with locals and the tribes, many of whom are connected to the Awakening movement.
The Awakening movement was originally part of the resistance to the US. But it switched sides during the occupation to drive out Islamist fighters loyal to Al Qaida.
Confrontations
Following last week’s armed confrontations between the army and the tribes, a resurgent Al Qaida marched into the Anbar cities. This triggered a three-way battle with the state and the Awakening movement.
The Al Qaida group is known both as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The battle has spilled over into Syria, with confrontations between the Al Qaida dominated groups and the mainstream Islamist and revolutionary forces. Over the past year fighters linked to ISIS have tried to hijack the Syrian revolution.
They have abolished the popular councils that grew out of the uprising, launched sectarian attacks against minorities, and murdered secular opposition leaders.
The retreat of the revolutionary wave underpins the growing complexity and fracturing of the rebellion in Iraq and the uprising in Syria. It now pits competing regional interests and powers against each other, against the regime and against surviving revolutionary forces.
Highlights
This piece is written by Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Kat of Kat's Korner, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Mike of Mikey Likes It!, Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Ruth of Ruth's Report, Marcia of SICKOFITRADLZ, Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends, Ann of Ann's Mega Dub, Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts and Wally of The Daily Jot. Unless otherwise noted, we picked all highlights.
"The Atlantic 'subconsciously' plagiarized Senator ..." -- most requested highlight by readers of this site.
"Kat's Korner: All hail the new stud" -- Kat on a music performance.
"Sick in the Kitchen?" -- Trina offers some tips for those feeling the winter blues.
"Why is Asheligh Banfeld on TV?," "hannah allem: cheap whore," "Too much partisanship," "Gayle King needs to be pulled off the CBS news desk," and "Dan Murphy: King of Fan Fiction" and "THIS JUST IN! NEXT MURPHY WRITES 'DEAR PENTHOUSE FORUM . . .'!" -- Ruth, Rebecca, Betty, Cedric and Wally offer some media critiques.
"Elementary, Dracula and other things," "community: basic intergluteal b.s.," "Revolution returns . . . for the worse," "The not so Good Wife""revenge (the good)," "Hostages," "TV and Fracking," "The Mindy Project," "Hostages," "The NAA what?" and "revenge (the bad)" -- Mike, Rebecca, Marcia, Stan and Ann cover TV.
"Jody Watley," "What the heck was she thinking?" and "Will You Be There In The Morning?" -- Betty and Kat cover music.
"Shame on Brad Sherman," and "Iraq" -- some Iraq coverage from Elaine, Trina, Ruth and Mike.
"This is where White Fan Girls don't understand," "Why Judd Apatow is no longer funny?," "Stirring the social news stew" and "Again on Shia LaBeouf" -- KKK Dunham has no fans here.
"Time To Wizz" -- Isaiah dips into the archives.
"The page turner" and "THIS JUST IN! COLOR HIM KITTY KELLEY!" -- Cedric and Wally on a new book.