Guns and bikes

Guns and bikes
Originally uploaded by sweetmarias

What a great photo!

Dancing in Merida

War and forgetfulness

I heard some guy on the subway this morning chatting with a stranger about the state of the world. He's reading the local Boston version of the Metro newspaper (this rag is distributed all over the place, by the way, in case you were wondering) and jokes: "Yeah, Britney [Spears] is pregnant again! I can sleep at night knowing that...." He pauses and then he says, exasperatedly: "Gas prices through the roof, the war....but, I can't live without knowing all about Britney's sex life!" Both guys laughed a strained laugh and then there was silence again.

Freedom to be a racist

There is clearly a double-standard in the West regarding free speech. The recent furor over the racist, provocative caricature's of the Prophet Mohammed show how the West (in this case the ultra-right Danish newspaper tied to neo-conservatives pundits like Daniel Pipes) wants to hatemonger by using free speech as a foil.
Then, when muslims react to such a hateful provocation, the West cries out: "See! I told you they were all violent animals..."

It is sickening to see the MSM play along with such a calculated move and present the muslim world as over-reacting to what they simply term 'free speech' when, in fact, its racist provocation. Of course, the West's complicity in all of this points to a fearful trend that seems to pit 'muslim' against 'the rest of us. ' There was a time (1930s Germany) when this sort of hate-speech was flourishing with another ethnic group as its target with a result that produced some of the most horrific killing of the last century.
One wonders whether the abuse at Abu Graib and Guantanamo (and who knows where else?) not to mention the killing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, etc. have been preparing humanity for a similar atrocity to come. Let us pray to whatever god there might be that this is not the case.

Unembedded

Looking forward to checking out the new book Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq by Chelsea Green Publishing. The book contains the horrific photos of the civilian massacre by U.S. troops taken by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad on Haifa Street in September 2004. This is the same incident which killed journalist Mazen Tomeizi, from al Arabiya satellite network and wounded Ghaith.

When we look back on the carnage the U.S. has caused Iraq what judgement will history make?

Scooter takes a fall...

You can almost see the beads of sweat forming on Chimpy's forehead. Here's a key excerpt from a Chicago Tribune story:

"The indictment of Libby, a key national security and political adviser, held out the possibility that Bush, Cheney, former CIA Director George Tenet and other top officials might be called to testify at his trial and recount the reasons why the administration pushed so hard to go to war."

And, quite possibly, also be indicted for "charges of obstruction of justice, perjury before the grand jury and making false statements to FBI agents." As well as lying to the American public and causing the needless death of thousands of human beings!

War-crimes trials soon to follow.

2000

An example the callousness of the current regime, from Editor and Publisher:


Military's Advice to Reporters: 2,000 Dead in Iraq 'Not a Milestone'

By E&P Staff

Published: October 25, 2005 1:11 PM ET updated 3:30 PM
NEW YORK CNN reported this morning that the U.S. death toll in Iraq had reached 2,000, and a little later The Associated Press confirmed this. AP said the 2,000th military fatality was an Army sergeant who was wounded by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad and died in Texas last weekend. He is Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas.

But the chief spokesman for the American-led multinational force has called on the media not to consider the 2,000 number as some kind of milestone.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, director of the force's combined press center, wrote in an e-mail to reporters, "I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the effects on the families and those serving in Iraq. The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

Boylan, according to AP, added: "The 2,000th Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known freedom in over two generations."

He complained that the true milestones of the war were "rarely covered or discussed," and said they included the troops who had volunteered to serve, the families of those that have been deployed for a year or more, and the Iraqis who have sought at great risk to restore normalcy to their country. It also includes, he added, Iraqis who sought to join the security forces and had became daily targets for insurgent attacks at recruiting centers, those who turned out to vote in the constitutional referendum, and those who chose to risk their lives by joining the government.

"Celebrate the daily milestones, the accomplishments they have secured and look to the future of a free and democratic Iraq and to the day that all of our troops return home to the heroes welcome they deserve," Boylan wrote.

The Iraq War and America's Soul

I think Americans are in deep denial about the failure of this war. Despite what the government-controlled news media tells us, the situation in Iraq is tragic and hopeless. I've neglected this blog partly because I have nothing to say that will make any difference. I still visit Today in Iraq, check the Iraq Coalition Casualties website daily and read Baghdad Burning, A Family in Baghdad, and Raed in the Middle often but feel as if I have nothing to add to any of it.

The latest news that I'd heard was a porn for gore exchange involving U.S. soldiers and an amatuer porn website called thatsfuckedup.com. I won't link it because it is sickening. It's truly awful stuff, soldiers sending in photos of desecrated Iraqi bodies in exchange for free porn pictures. Betty Grable pinups this ain't, folks. Helena Cobban of Just World News helped break the story here in August and has a follow-up piece on it here. Of course, it didn't get picked up by the MSM because it didn't feature a missing blond teenage girl or a pedophile popstar or a celebrity alcoholic. No, it featured the reality of this war--one of the most pornographic displays of state evil since Hitler.

Adnan R. Rashed, Executive Officer, Union of Mechanics, Printing & Metal Workers. Founding member of IFTU and editor of union paper Worker's Unity.  

Iraq Labor Solidarity Tour: UMass Boston 

Iraqi Workers and the War

I had a chance to listen firsthand to a representative from the Iraqi Federation of Workers' Trade Unions (IFTU) yesterday who spoke about conditions for Iraqi workers under occupation and war. Adnan A. Rashed, the executive officer of the Union of Mechanics, Printing & Metal Workers and founding member of the IFTU spoke to the 40 or so mix of students, educators, and union representatives from the Boston area at the University of Massachusetts Boston campus. The event was locally sponsored by Mass Jobs With Justice, Labor for Justice with Peace, UMass Boston Labor Resources Center, AFSC Project Voice, UE District 2, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and nationally sponsored by US Labor Against the War.
The first fifteen minutes of the event was somewhat shaky as the translator that was hired, while fluent in Arabic, didn't seem to have any experience translating or was too nervous to properly do the job. His halting transcription of Mr. Rashed's introduction was difficult to bear. Luckily, however, much of Mr. Rashed's introductory comments were covered by the IFTU literature provided. When it was time for questions, a woman whose experience in translation far surpassed that of the hired translator thankfully stepped in.
Basically, the position of the IFTU is this: complete withdrawal of occupation forces and a guarantee of all power to the Iraqi people to control their own destiny and economic affairs. The IFTU sees the privitization of Iraq as a huge detriment to the Iraqi people, especially the oil industry which is seen as representing the wealth of Iraq. According to Mr. Rashed, 50% of Iraqi people are unemployed yet the percentage is closer to 70% according to his union brothers touring the western U.S.
One question posed from a member of the local plumbers union was in reference to Project Labor Agreements that his union had proposed and specifically related to infrastructure rebuilding. He asked how water treatment and sewage projects were coming along.

Mr. Rashed replied that he had just spoken with his family the prior day and said that they have been "two days without water and have electricity approximately six hours per day after two years of occupation" adding "where is this improvement you are talking about?"

He said that American companies are working security and not rebuilding infrastructure. Apparently, they already have their hands full building "enduring" bases.
As to how the IFTU hopes to unite what seems like a nation divided Mr. Rashed said that what unifies Iraqis now is the pain of war and occupation and a desire to end their suffering. The IFTU's close relationship with the Iraqi government, namely Iyad Allawi, and its endorsement of the January elections have been a sticking point with the anti-war American left. The official IFTU response to this is that Iraq's governmental affairs are the business of Iraqis. You can read more on this issue in Matt Harwood's article for AlterNet as well as David Bacon's Truthout article.

Perhaps the most telling exchange came when a local union representative asked if it was the "working man" behind the IEDs. The question had a certain amount of patronizing edge to it and it was unclear what the man was asking Mr. Rashed. It seemed that with this question and those that preceded it, the man was inferring that Iraqis wanted disorder and chaos in their country or perhaps couldn't handle freedom and democracy.

Even in translation the meaning was not lost to Mr. Rashed who launched into an impassioned reply which spelled out very clearly that Iraqis did not want and will never want an occupying force in their country. He went on to say that America came to Iraq for the strategic position and that Saddam and the U.S. paved the way for "what has come to Iraq." After what seemed like a very clear and forceful answer that called for an end to the occupation of his country, the man replied something to the effect of 'well, good luck. But, you know, you people can't have your cake and eat it, too!'
And, tragically, that about sums up the typically uniformed and ignorant American position on the war. One that posits that Iraqis should be grateful for us ridding them of Saddam Hussein--albeit with an uninvited, illegal invasion--and that they should forfeit their economic rights and sovereignty to us.

Breaking News! Truth spoken at U.S. Senate hearings

Watching British MP George Galloway rip Senator Norm Coleman a new asshole today was awe-inspiring--like a breath of fresh spring air. His remarks were intelligent, impassioned and spot on. Here are a few of his comments that BBC has collected:

"Who paid me hundreds of thousands of dollars? The answer to that is nobody and if you had anybody who paid me a penny you would have produced them here today." "I have met Saddam Hussein exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him. The difference is that Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns and to give him maps the better to target those guns." "You traduced my name around the world without ever having asked me a single question, without ever having contacted me, without ever having written to me or telephoned me, without any contact with me whatsoever and you call that justice." "Senator [Norm Coleman, committee chairman], this is the mother of all smoke screens. You are trying to divert attention from the crimes that you supported from the theft of billions of dollars of Iraq's wealth." "You have nothing on me Senator [Coleman], except my name on lists of names in Iraq, many of which were drawn up after the installation of your puppet government in Iraq." "I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one, and neither has anybody on my behalf." "I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington but for a lawyer you are remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice." "One of the most serious mistakes you have made in this set of documents is such a schoolboy howler it makes a fool of the efforts you have made." "Senator [Coleman], in everything I said about Iraq I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 have paid with their lives, 1,600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies."

What was so extraordinary about this? Apparently quite a bit. Another BBC story collects some of the dumbfounded media's reaction. They don't seem too familiar with this concept of truthtelling:

CNN's Wolf Blitzer described the British MP's evidence as "a blistering attack on US senators rarely heard" in the seat of American power.

"Members of Congress are clearly not used to what goes on in the British parliament," he suggested in an interview with Mr Galloway.

The New York Times website also noted that "the vitriolic tone used by Mr Galloway was rare for a witness in a Senate hearing".

It described his appearance as "unusual".

Unusual? What is unusual about a man vehemently defending himself from a political witchhunt by using his intelligence and factual evidence? What?! No media filter? No spin?
It was a beautiful moment when truth actually got through the filter of the right-wing media machine. And, (Mainstream Media should take note) it was entertaining!

Yes, it feels good to hear the truth!

Why? 

The unwritten Constitution

Tell me where it says in the Constitution that a soldier has more of a right to free speech than the average citizen.
Tell me also where it says that a policeman's life has more value than that of a civilian suspect.

Where is this unwritten Constitution that people keep referring to when they tell me I haven't earned the right to talk back to an illegal and unjust war. Or tell me I'm out of line when I question the integrity and intentions of the police.