Friday, April 14, 2023. The western press continues to Turkey's bombing
of Iraq last Friday (even though US service members were part of the
convoy attacked), Moqtada has movement issues, the fundamentalist war on
LGBTQ+ persons continues in the US, and much more.
Starting
in Iraq with big news from their own personal Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Cleric and dwindling cult leader Moqtada al-Sadr failed at forming a
government in 2022 and continues to be a failure.
AFP reports:
Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, who wields great influence over
national politics, said Friday he was “freezing” for a year his powerful
movement over “sinful” practices among supporters.
Al-Sadr, a Muslim Shiite leader, has the ability to mobilise tens of
thousands of his supporters with a single message and presents himself
as an anti-corruption champion, often clashing with Iraq’s political
leadership.
He has repeatedly taken supporters and opponents by surprise with
major announcements on social media, such as a Twitter message last year
on his “definitive retirement” from politics.
In a statement shared on the cleric’s official Twitter page on
Friday, Al-Sadr said he had decided to “freeze the movement… for at
least a year”.
It's just like when Marjorie and Lauren Boebert had their public break.
But
it's so bad, Moqtada is even going off Twitter. The sacrifices he's
willing to make to continue to (mis)lead his cult. As he has lost many
followers, it's not surprising that he's now turning on some of the
remaining ones and blaming them for the fact that he's never addressed
corruption -- Sadr City remains a slum, Moqtada continues to have money
-- but it is surprising that even now the western press (that includes
AFP) can't note that his hold is not what it was and that his numbers
continue to fall. There was a time when he could turnout millions --
many years ago. In more recent years, he'd hidden the growing
defections by calling for assemblies on the backs of other causes to
make it appear that he still commanded the same following. He doesn't.
And his most recent action -- which just called for people to walk out
of their homes in Sadr City -- found hundreds taking part. To walk out
the front door into their own streets.
Moqtada's
failed to deliver. A cult leader can accomplish a lot -- usually
horrible things. But the cult has to believe in him. Moqtada's been in
charge for too long and his excuses for failing to deliver have exposed
him for the fraud he is. That is why his numbers have decreased and
why they continue to do so.
In other news, Saturday,
Michael R. Gordon (WALL ST. JOURNAL) reported that
the Turkish government carried out an attack Friday on a convoy in
Iraq which included three US military members. Outside THE JOURNAL,
there hasn't been much interest among the US press (see this week's
State Dept press briefing, for example, where no one even asked about
it). Today,
The
convoy of YPG/PKK ringleader Ferhat Abdi Sahin, codenamed Mazloum Abdi,
was targeted on April 7 by a drone strike near Sulaymaniyah
International Airport. Three US personnel were in the convoy. The United
States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported no injuries.
"On April
7, a convoy, including US personnel, was fired upon while in transit
within the Iraqi Kurdistan region in the area near Sulaymaniyah," Ryder
confirmed, adding that US forces are in Iraq and Syria in support of the
"defeat ISIS mission."
"It struck more than 100 meters from the convoy and CENTCOM is currently investigating the incident," he added.
When
asked what was the mission of the US personnel, he responded: "We're
supporting the Iraqi security forces as part of the defeat ISIS mission.
As you know, we have forces in Iraq. They're not conducting combat
operations. They're advising and assisting the Iraqis. And then we have
forces in Syria that are supporting the SDF."
The drone that attacked the convoy missed by
slightly more than 100 yards, CENTCOM spokesman Col. Joseph Buccino said
in a phone call Thursday.
"It didn't hit anything in the convoy," Buccino said.
Abdi is the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group that the U.S. has allied with in the fight against ISIS.
Responsibility for the strike has been widely attributed to Turkey, although Ankara has denied these claims.
The attack and its aftermath
highlight the complicated nature of American relations in the Middle
East, where troops tasked with containing ISIS are partnering with
Kurdish units seen as threats by NATO ally Turkey, while also defending
against attacks from Iran and its proxy militias.
Even
STARS AND STRIPES isn't trying to play like anyone but Turkey carried
out the attack. Despite this, Turkey continues to insist it wasn't
them.
In
yesterday's snapshot,
we noted the three deaths -- three people electrocuted. We noted the
heavy rain, the corruption that allows the infrastructure to go
unrepaired and climate change. Today,
Why it matters: Flooding is a regular occurrence in Iraq and late March saw flooding throughout the country.
At the same time, Iraq is also experiencing desertification.
The situation has worsened in recent years, and Iraq is often described
as one of the most at-risk countries in the world to climate change.
Iraq experiences relatively high water insecurity thanks to a lack of
rainfall and poor water management.
The heavy rain has some potential benefits, despite the dangers. The
water levels in eastern Iraq's al-Azim reservoir rose 30%, the Kurdish
Iraqi news outlet Rudaw reported on Thursday.
So
let me be sure I understand this, heads did not roll after the disaster
a few winters back where Texas' entire electrical system almost
collapsed and they still haven't fixed the system (and have seen some
'rolling' issues) but they've got time to to attack LGBTQ+ people?
When it comes to LGBTQ Americans, the Republican Party has traded its dog whistle in for a train whistle.
This week, for example, during a legislative hearing on a bill
that would make it a misdemeanor to use a bathroom that doesn’t match
the sex a person was assigned at birth, Florida state Rep. Webster
Barnaby called transgender people “demons” and “mutants.”
“The
Lord rebuke you, Satan, and all of your demons and all of your imps who
come parade before us,” Barnaby thundered. “That’s right, I called you
demons and imps, who come and parade before us and pretend that you are
part of this world.”
Barnaby quickly apologized. But his
comments, like many political gaffes, told an unpleasant truth: that
bigotry and open hostility underpin the GOP’s continuing assault on the
rights of transgender and other LGBTQ people.
Indeed,
Barnaby could take a lesson from Florida’s senior Republican senator,
Marco Rubio, in how to use greater subtlety when being bigoted toward
gay Americans.
On Wednesday, Rubio tweeted a short video by Lt. j.g. Audrey Knutson of the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Knutson, who identifies as nonbinary,
spoke glowingly about their opportunity to read a poem at an LGBTQ
spoken word night while stationed on an aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald
R. Ford. According to Knutson: “My grandfather served in the Navy in
World War II. He was on board the USS Hornet. And he — it means a lot
for me to be able to join the Navy, because he was a gay man in the
Navy, and he had a really difficult service. So for me to join as
nonbinary is really powerful to me and something that I’m certainly
proud of.”
For most Americans, this would be an
inspiring story of service to one’s country. If not for the fact Knutson
is nonbinary, one could easily imagine Rubio, who has never served in
the military, praising it.
But instead, Knutson’s
experience worries Rubio. “While China prepares for war this is what
they have our @USNavy focused on,” he tweeted.
In relying on the most juvenile of gay stereotypes, Rubio is
suggesting that gay, trans or nonbinary service members are simply not
tough enough to fight America’s wars, especially against a rising power
like China. Writing poetry is for sensitive emo kids, not killers.
(Maybe someone should buy Rubio a book by Siegfried Sassoon.)
It’s
not every day you see a senator denigrating a member of the U.S.
military, and it’s far from clear how an LGBTQ spoken word night
undermines America’s ability to “prepare for war.” Indeed, one might
argue that building camaraderie and acceptance in a diverse institution
like the military is essential to enhancing unit cohesion. At a time
when enlistment numbers in the military are in steep decline (the
military missed its recruitment goals by 25% last year), welcoming all Americans — no matter their backgrounds or sexual orientations — seems more important than ever.
Noting
the bigots of her time, Tallulah Bankhead once declared, "Too many of
our countrymen rejoice in stupidity and look upon ignorance as a badge
of honor. They condemn everything they don't understand."
As over a dozen anti-trans bills are advancing in committees and
legislative chambers in at least nine states including Florida, Texas,
Tennessee, and South Carolina, other states are continuing to set the
groundwork with policies to protect the trans community.
Recently pro-trans bills in Colorado, SB188; and in Oregon, HB2002, have been moving through their respective state legislatures.
The Colorado bill also known as “Protections For Accessing
Reproductive Health Care” aims to protect individuals including trans
people’s access to reproductive health care services and facilities, and
prohibit discrimination based on reproductive decisions; and require
health care providers to offer unbiased information about reproductive
health care options. Furthermore the bill would protect those traveling
from states with restrictive reproductive health laws to access care.
Rep. Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat and the state General
Assembly’s first out transgender member, calls the bill “imperative” to
protect patients and medical professionals who provide health care to
transgender people.
“As laws around the country seek to prevent this care outside their
borders, we need a shield to provide these essential services. SB188
will do just that,” she tells me.
Erin Reed, a trans activist and journalist who testified in favor of
the legislation in Colorado, spoke about how the law can help trans
people and families in states such as Texas, Florida, and Tennessee
where they are being targeted.
“One of the most common questions that I am asked by families, almost
daily, is the question, ‘Am I safe? Where can I go? Is it time to
leave?’ Colorado is often one of the places I point these families to.”
In an email, Meredith Gleitz, Policy Manager at One Colorado,
the state’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing
equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)
Coloradans and their families, called the measure “critical” for
transgender people to be able to fairly access what is often lifesaving
health care.
“Research shows that gender-affirming care improves mental health and
overall well-being for transgender people, and is recognized and
endorsed by 29 leading medical organizations. In spite of its medical
necessity and health benefits, access to gender-affirming care is being
politically targeted, to the detriment of providers and patients - and
attacks are intensifying,” she said.
“Colorado needs shield legislation to protect patients and providers
from interstate political attacks and to prevent further obstacles to
accessing critical health care."
While Colorado’s trans community celebrates the state's continued
progress in the right direction, the community in Oregon is also
praising HB2002, which seeks to create a universal health care system
for all residents of the state. The law would establish a new system
called “Oregon Health Care Program” and would require health care plans
to cover transition-related care including hormone therapy and gender
affirming surgeries.
The bill was shaped after the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe
v. Wade last June. In response, House Speaker Dan Rayfield,
D-Corvallis, formed a legislative workgroup last summer that worked for several months to develop HB2002.
“The right to access an abortion does not mean that abortion is accessible,” Rayfield said.
Last week transgender and gender nonconforming Oregon residents as well as allies gave testimonies
during a hearing on the measure, including Dr. Christina Milano, a
doctor who provides transgender care at Oregon Health & Science
University.
“I hear a panic that we are opening up the gates, allowing young
patients to come in and cajoling them and pressuring them to start
pubertal suppression and pursue surgical procedures,” she said, noting
that her team always works with a team of providers that includes
endocrinologists and psychologists.
“Our teams work with exquisite caution and thoughtfulness.”
The state's Medicaid program, known as The Oregon Health Plan, as
well as private insurance companies have all been required to provide
coverage for medical care for transgender Oregonians since 2015. This
law would expand the list of covered treatments.
Seth Johnstone, the Transgender Justice Program Manager at Basic Rights Oregon,
a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ individuals in the
state, says the bill will help ensure trans and gender-expansive Oregon
residents have access to life saving treatment and gender affirming
care.
“This bill will advance the Oregon value that everyone should be free
to be who they are, and that everyone should have affordable access to
medical care. As over 300 anti-LGBTQ2SIA+ bills have been introduced in
state legislatures across the country this year, we’re proud to see
Oregon lawmakers not only protecting existing rights, but also working
to expand access for our community,” he said.
“This landmark legislation will protect, strengthen, and expand
equitable access to all forms of reproductive and gender-affirming care,
and is based on recommendations developed by the Reproductive Health and Access to Care Work Group in December 2022.”
Johnstone states that Oregon has demonstrated clear values regarding
healthcare, particularly with regards to reproductive and
transgender-related care, and the recommendations made by Rep.
Rayfield’s work group was “an affirmation and continuation of those
values.”
“We believe every person in Oregon deserves access to high quality
healthcare, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money
they make.”
Similarly, Illinois and California have also demonstrated their commitment to protections for the trans community.
In January, Illinois, led by out State Rep. Kelly Cassidy
of Chicago, passed a bill to protect access to both reproductive
healthcare and transgender healthcare. The bill, signed into law by Gov.
JB Pritzker, expands healthcare access and options in the state and
protects healthcare providers and patients who travel to Illinois to
access essential care now banned in their home states.
"This comprehensive legislation is proof that Illinois does not and
will not stand by as hard-fought freedoms of the people of this state
are taken away,” Cassidy stated.
“It is further proof that protecting reproductive rights and gender
affirming healthcare is broadly supported, contrary to Republican-led
efforts to strip away the protections we all rely on. By partnering with
community stakeholders, organizations, and our government colleagues,
we are setting the example for other states and their reproductive and
healthcare policy in a post-Roe world."
New York’s Assembly Bill 709,
sponsored by Democrat assembly member Nily Rozicis, is a proposed
measure that seeks to improve the treatment of incarcerated individuals
based on their gender. If passed, the law would require that individuals
in state and local prisons who identify as a gender different from
their assigned sex at birth be addressed and provided with items like
clothes and toiletries that match their gender. The bill would also
establish a presumption that these individuals should be placed in
correctional facilities with others who share their self-attested gender
identity, unless they choose otherwise. Overall, the law seeks to
ensure that incarcerated individuals are treated with respect and
dignity, regardless of their gender.
Elsewhere, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed SB04
in the state which modifies a previous law from 1976 known as the The
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, expanding protections to LGBTQ Michigan
residents.
“No resident in Michigan should feel they have to hide their identity
to ensure job security or successfully purchase a new home. This
legislation protects individuals from harmful discrimination that has no
place in our community,” said Michigan Senator Sue Shink (D-Northfield
Twp) in a release. “I’m proud to be a part of a diverse body of
legislators that understand discrimination based on sexual orientation,
identity, or expression is an issue that needs to be prioritized and
swiftly addressed.”
As states continue to shape legislation to protect the trans and
gender nonconforming community, Minnesota is gearing up to add further
protections for those living with HIV with SF3062, a bill that will
appropriate ten million dollars set aside from the government’s general
funds to help support community-based HIV/AIDS support services.
The funds will be given to the commissioner of human resources who
will then distribute it as grants to organizations that provide support
services to people living with HIV or AIDS. The funding will be made
available in the fiscal year 2024 and 2025.
The bill has been referred to the Health and Human Services committee.
With more than 480 anti-trans bills
sweeping across the country, it’s crucial to remain vigilant about
pro-trans legislation and ongoing efforts towards trans equality. While
the fight for trans rights continues, it’s important to acknowledge
states that are actively working to make a safe and inclusive home for
trans and gender nonconforming people.
The following sites updated:
