News headlines Thu 28 Feb 2008

Deadly missile strike in Pakistan

Last Updated: Thursday, 28 February 2008, 09:55 GMT - BBC News

At least 12 people, including suspected militants, have died in a missile attack on a house in a Pakistan village near the Afghan border, reports say.

The house in Kalosha village, in the troubled South Waziristan region, was destroyed, officials and residents say.

It is not clear where the missile was fired from, but residents said they suspected it was from Afghanistan where Nato troops are fighting the Taleban.

Last month, an al-Qaeda leader died in a similar attack in a nearby region.

~~~cont'd~~~

29 militants killed in south Afghanistan

By NOOR KHAN, Associated Press Writer
4:23 am EST Thu 28 Feb 2008

A militant ambush of an opium poppy eradication force sparked clashes that left 25 Taliban fighters and a policeman dead, a provincial police chief said Thursday. Four other militants died when a bomb went off.

Insurgents ambushed the drug eradication force Wednesday in Marja district of Helmand province killing one police officer and wounding two, said Gen. Mohammad Hussein Andiwal, the provincial police chief.

Police attacked the militants afterward, killing 25 Taliban fighters, including a senior regional militant commander, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

~~~cont'd~~~

Progess in Iraq "a charade", Americans cannot wash their hands of responsibility

Compare and contrast the 5 stories or headlines juxtaposed below and decide for yourself if progress is real in Iraq, or if the situation in Iraq is being portrayed as improved for U.S. political purposes including the 2008 U.S. elections. I conclude that United States has screwed Iraq royally, and Iraqis have turned on United States because no real effort at national reconstruction has been made - only a pretense, only a "charade" as Dr. Najib Hanoudi stated in his summation statement on NPR's "On Point" yesterday. American voters are being fooled into believing the situation in Iraq is substantially and sustainably better for the U.S. military and for Iraqis. It is NOT! There is no "good news" coming out of Iraq from ordinary Iraqis. Iraqis do not perceive that they are physically safer or more secure economically. There has been zero politcial progress promised from "the politicial space" provided by the surge. Any pretense of national reconciliation or national reconstruction in Iraq is a cruel joke. Iraqis understand that United States' priority is not their well being but a permanent military presence in Iraq. Iraq will not become a back burner issue for Americans but will remain a searing foggot in our collective consciousness. Iraq is emblematic of the slide toward fascism United States has undergone in recent years.

Iraq food ration system could get cut

QUOTE

By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer 3:20 am EST Thu 06 Dec 2007 Food rations might have to be cut due to a lack of budget funds, the trade minister said, warning such a move would pose hardship for the majority of Iraqis who depend heavily on the Saddam Hussein-era program. The comments by Trade Minister Abed Falah al-Sudani came as critics have called for the costly system to be revised or eliminated. Two-thirds of the some 26 million Iraqis rely on the rations, al-Sudani said. "Any change in the ration items will create new problems that will add new burdens on families," al-Sudani said in a statement Wednesday. He said his ministry had requested $7 billion for the program in next year's budget but only received $3 billion, a move that could force it to cut the number of items distributed from 10 to five. ~~~cont'd~~~

The following are from http://www.IRAQ.net headlines at 4:16 am EST Thu 06 December 2007:

Top US general says no 'victory dances' yet in Iraq (AFP)
The top American general in Iraq, David Petraeus, expressed satisfaction on Thursday at the progress made in Iraq but said the military was still far from any victory dance.

Petraeus cites violence decline in Iraq (AP)
Citing a 60 percent decline in violence in Iraq over the last six months, Gen. David Petraeus said Thursday that maintaining security is easier than establishing it and gives him more flexibility in deploying forces.

Zogby: Iowans, New Hampshirites angry but less focused on Iraq (The Christian Science Monitor)
In Iowa and New Hampshire, where the first contests in the 2008 presidential election season will be held, voters are angry at government, but they are also less preoccupied with US policy in Iraq than in the recent past

The Daily Grind in Iraq

QUOTE

NPR's "On Point" Aired: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10-11AM ET By guest host Jacki Lyden You know the news out of Iraq these days: the surge seems to be working, at least for now. Some refugees are trickling back in. The U.S. military complains that Iraq's politicians aren't doing their part to stabilize the country. Foreign jihadis are on the run. There's still not much oil flowing. To Iraqi citizens these headlines don't exactly ring false -- but they don't really speak to their daily struggles to stay alive and look ahead to when this mess is over. This hour, On Point: On being a civilian in Iraq today. Life? Maybe. Liberty and the pursuit of happiness? You've got to be kidding. Guests · Sarah Sewall, director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, she served during the Clinton administration as the first deputy assistant secretary of defense for peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance · Dr. Najib Hanoudi, an Iraqi ophthalmologist and former resident of Baghdad, now residing in the United States · Kristele Younes, an advocate and analyst for Refugees International · Michael Youash, project director for Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project. Click on link above for origianl post which contains link to podcast of this program. Decide for yourself if the situation in Iraq is really better or is being played that way to an American audience. There is no good news coming from ordinary Iraqis.

Mission Accomplished! Il Duce Bush pens permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq

Expect 50,000 U.S. troops to remain in Iraq FOREVER. That's the Bush/neocon plan. It won't be tolerated by Iraqis.

US, Iraq deal sees long-term US presence

QUOTE

BEN FELLER AP News Nov 26, 2007 21:53 EST ~~~snip~~~ The Iraqi officials [who spoke under conditions of anonymity because the subject is sensitive] said that under the proposed formula, Iraq would get full responsibility for internal security and U.S. troops would relocate to bases outside the cities. Iraqi officials foresee a long-term presence of about 50,000 U.S. troops, down from the current figure of more than 160,000. ___ Associated Press Writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this story.

A "Declaration of Principles" from George Bush? by BarbinMD [Daily Kos front-page story] Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 06:07:33 AM PST

QUOTE

Yesterday it was announced that George Bush has unilaterally decided that the United States will have what appears to be a permanent presence in Iraq. ~~~cont'd~~~

General Douglas Lute said the long term agreement signed by President Bush and Iraq Prime Minister al-Maliki on the permanent stationing of U.S. troops in Iraq will not need to be brought before Congress because "it does not rise to the level of a treaty agreement". Another unilateral decision by our self-declared Wartime President, supreme Commander-in-Chief, and Unitary Executive extraordinaire! This is a fascist smack in the face AFAIC.

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict

As I document the ongoing vioence between Israelis and Palestinians, it is revealing to watch the comparative number of deaths on each side. I prognosticate that the number of Palestinians killed will far exceed the number of Israelis killed. That brings up the question of the appropriate use of force.

President Bush has convened a "peace" conference in Annapolis, Md. today. Hamas wasn't invited! Gazans are completely cut off (economically and every other way - borders are sealed). Palestinians living in Gaza are caught between Israel and the sea. The situation in Gaza is completely unacceptable. Bush is using this peace conference to build or strengthen a concensus against Iran and against Hamas. That is why this peace conference is a joke. Who cares about Condi Rice's legacy. The living conditions of Palestinians should be the first concern of all Palestinian leaders (including the Palestinian Authority) as well as United States if it is interested in brokering peace. I don't expect peace from Bush. I expect war. The man breaks everything he touches. The meeting in Annapolis will likely make things worse not better.

Three Gazans die in Israel strike

QUOTE

Last Updated: Tuesday, 27 November 2007, 12:07 GMT - BBC News Reports from the Gaza Strip say three people have been killed in two separate attacks by Israeli forces. The militant group Hamas said two of its members were killed in an Israeli air strike near the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Israeli military officials said the armed men were approaching the barrier between Israel and Gaza. And in southern Gaza, medical staff said a civilian was shot dead by Israeli troops near the Sufa crossing. However the Israeli army said that the man was crawling towards the crossing in a "suspicious manner". ~~~cont'd~~~

The legacy of slavery and southern white "heritage"

Many southern white Republicans routinely pooh-pooh the legacy of slavery by saying "I never owned slaves, and my parents and grandparents didn't own slaves either." They wash their hands of the legacy of slavery that to this day profoundly affects America's second largest minority group as well as American society in general.

I was listening to a program on public radio several days ago about efforts to build appropriate housing in a poor section of western Alabama. The area wasn't always poor. At one time it was at the heart of the prosperous Old South's empire of cotton which was built by slaves of course. In trying to build efficient housing today (not “tin can” trailers that are the norm) architects look to the old ways of orienting houses and providing natural ventilation. The professors remarked that the old manor houses couldn't have been built without slave labor.

The legacy of slavery in America is inescapable no matter how much southern white Republicans want to dismiss it. I, a southern white male who is 59 years old, well remember the 100th anniversary retrospective of the Civil War years back in 1961-1965. I clearly remember segregation in the American south during the 1950s. The experience of slavery is still fresh in the collective memory of American blacks, a huge stain on America, and a perplexing dilemma for Americans' psyches. The only comparable instances of collective guilt shared by American society are: the genocide perpetrated upon the native peoples of this land; the dropping of two atomic bombs on civilian populations in Japan during WWII; the deaths of between 1.5 and 3 million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians during the U.S. war in Vietnam; and the more than 1 million Iraqis who have died since the U.S. illegally invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003. Many “conservatives” attempt to justify those atrocities as well.

Racial memory is long term. To this day the Jews celebrate Passover and praise the God of Israel as "the one who delivered us from the bonds of slavery in Egypt." That was millennia ago. Slavery in America was ended less than 2 centuries ago. Is it any wonder that we are still dealing with the consequences of such an inhumane institution as that of slavery in America? Until Americans collectively face our history, admit the unfathomable injustices done to huge numbers of humanity, and redress those wrongs, this society will continue to move forward carrying a heavy burden of subconscious guilt whether southern white Republicans recognize it or not.

Iraq 20 Nov 2007 - 7th report

As of 4:16 pm EST icasualties.org had raised its tally of U.S. military fatalities from the war in Iraq to 3875.

Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

11/20/07 CBS/AP: U.S. Helicopter Crash In Iraq Kills 2, 12 injured
A U.S. military helicopter crashed Tuesday southeast of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and injuring 12, the U.S. military said. Initial reports indicated the crash was not due to hostile fire, the military said.

Two killed as US helicopter crashes in Iraq

AFP 3:49 pm EST Tuesday 20 November 2007

A US military helicopter crashed near Salman Pak, 25 kilometres (16 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing two soldiers and wounding 12, the American military said.

Military spokesman Specialist Charles Espie told AFP that the helicopter crashed due to causes yet to be determined.

"It was not brought down by enemy fire," he said.

"Two coalition force soldiers were killed and 12 were wounded," Espie said.

A military statement said an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.

~~~cont'd~~~

Is there any doubt that Iraq is beyond any possibility of reconcilation between Sunnis and Shiites? See previous entry in 4th report today about how Ammar al-Hakim and his Shaheed al-Mihrab Foundation is a major player with a vision for a Shiite Iraq.

Al-Maliki lashes out at Sunni leader

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer
4:34 pm EST Tue 20 Nov 2007

Iraq's prime minister lashed out at the country's Sunni Arab vice president in an interview published Tuesday, drawing attention to a bitter rift between two key politicians from rival sects at a time the U.S. is pressing for Iraqi unity.

~~~snip~~~

The outburst by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, printed in a newspaper read throughout the Arab world, occurred as American officials are urging the Iraqis to take advantage of a downturn in violence to resolve their differences before next year's planned drawdown of U.S. forces.

In the interview, published by Al-Hayat, a London-based, Arabic-language daily, al-Maliki, a Shiite, said Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi was to blame for a backlog of legislation adopted by parliament but not yet ratified by the three-man presidential council of which the Sunni is a member.

Al-Maliki also said al-Hashemi's Iraq Accordance Front, the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, was not representative of the country's Sunni Arab community.

The prime minister said he had given up trying to persuade five members of al-Hashemi's bloc to return to Cabinet posts they abandoned last August in a dispute with al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki said he planned to name other Sunnis from Anbar province and the cities of Tikrit and Mosul to those Cabinet posts and that "we are in the final selection stage."

~~~cont'd~~~

Iraq 20 Nov 2007 - 6th report

File this under a thread titled "U.S. military has become politicized" if using a bulletin board format.

Dems says Pentagon using scare tactics

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
12:40 pm EST Tuesday 20 November 2007

In their latest tussle with the White House on the Iraq war, two leading House Democrats said Tuesday the Pentagon was using scare tactics to try to goad Congress into passing another war spending bill.

And Reps. David Obey and John Murtha said they won't bite. Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Murtha, D-Pa., head of the panel's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said they won't support more money for the war this year unless President Bush accepts a timetable for troop withdrawals.

Last week, the House passed a $50 billion bill that would keep operations afloat for several more months, but sets a goal of bringing most troops home by December 2008. After Bush threatened to veto the measure, Senate Republicans blocked it.

"If the president wants that $50 billion released, all he has to do is to call the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, and ask him to stop blocking it," Obey told reporters.

Obey and Murtha convened the rare recess-week news conference to counter Pentagon reports that the military will have to take drastic steps next month if it doesn't get the money soon.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday signed a memo ordering the Army to begin planning for a series of expected cutbacks, including the layoffs of as many as 100,000 civilian employees and another 100,000 civilian contractors, starting as early as January.

Obey and Murtha said they calculate the military has enough money to continue operations through March by eating into its $471 billion annual budget.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the military has only limited transfer authority.

"Those who think we have some sort of flexibility here are simply misinformed," Whitman told reporters on Tuesday. "We've entered into a very serious period here."

Murtha said the Pentagon was issuing "irresponsible" propaganda.

"They're scaring people," he said. "They're scaring the families of the troops. . .That's the thing that's so despicable."

When asked whether public opinion could eventually turn against Democrats if they hold out too long, Murtha said no because the Pentagon has destroyed credibility.

"Go back and look: mission accomplished, al-Qaida connection, weapons of mass destruction," he said. "On and on and on and you'll believe the Pentagon?"

~~~cont'd~~~