Michael Savage-Loose Cannon

Michael Savage-Loose Cannon

Savage: Arabs are "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots"

At Intl News (May 15th archive), there are excerpts from Michael Savage's May 11 and May 12 radio show, Savage Nation highlighting his views of Arabs, immigrants, etc. In the course of the shows, Savage called Arabs "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots"; asserted that Americans would like to "drop a nuclear weapon" on any Arab country; and that "these people" in the Middle East "need to be forcibly converted to Christianity" in order to "turn them into human beings." Savage also claimed that, in the United States, "You can never hear about the bad things they [minorities] do"...and more.

Here, my dear readers, is one ignorant human being. We only have to thank the fates that a man like him never reaches the handle of real power.....
Then again...is control of the airwaves of AM radio/mainstream media NOT representative of power?

Perhaps the sane amongst you should write a letter to your local radio station currently airing Mr. Savage's spewfest...unless you agree with him.

Look at what he's getting away with at your apathetic expense:

Savage on Arabs:

From the May 12 Savage Nation:

Right now, even people sitting on the fence would like George Bush to drop a nuclear weapon on an Arab country. They don't even care which one it would be. I can guarantee you -- I don't need to go to Mr. Schmuck [pollster John] Zogby and ask him his opinion. I don't need anyone's opinion. I'll give you my opinion, because I got a better stethoscope than those fools. It's one man's opinion based upon my own analysis. The most -- I tell you right now -- the largest percentage of Americans would like to see a nuclear weapon dropped on a major Arab capital. They don't even care which one. They'd like an indiscriminate use of a nuclear weapon. They want this over with. One thing people cannot live with, which is an undefined, limitless conflict, which is what we have now. They can't take it. They want this war over with, and they want it ended like the war against Japan. They'd like Big Boy dropped on one of the little cities over there. They don't care where. They don't care any more. The American people have had it up to here with this garbage.

In fact, Christianity has been one of the great salvations on planet Earth. It's what's necessary in the Middle East. Others have written about it, I think these people need to be forcibly converted to Christianity but I'll get here a little later, I'll move up to that. It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings.

I'm going to give you one further example from my background as an anthropologist just so that you -- I'm trying to put context on this because you can go crazy if you don't have the context on this, because I'm going to lead up to something of what we must do to these primitives. Because these primitives can only be treated in one way, and I don't think smallpox and a blanket is good enough incidentally. Just before -- I'm going to give you a little precursor to where I'm going. Smallpox in a blanket, which the U.S. Army gave to the Cherokee Indians on their long march to the West, was nothing compared to what I'd like to see done to these people, just so you understand that I'm not going to be too intellectual about my analysis here in terms of what I would recommend, what Doc Savage recommends as an antidote to this kind of poison coming out of the Middle East from these non-humans.

Savage on minorities:

From the May 12 Savage Nation:

And as the churches have been emptying out, the mosques have been filling up, in France and Germany. We all know that but we're all looking other way. And now street gangs of young Muslims are beating up and killing people in France and of course you don't read about that either. Because during a revolutionary period you've got to understand that there's a story line and the storyline is they're the oppressed minority and therefore they can do no wrong. . You can never hear about the bad things they do. It's hush-hush but if a Timothy McVeigh should come along, then it gets front page coverage. Because the story line goes that white male, Christian, heterosexuals are evil and all of the others are -- are -- are victims and only getting their just rewards by fighting back.
It's very much like the American minorities here in this country

Zell Miller attacks Kerry at Bush fundraiser

Zell Miller attacks Kerry at Bush fundraiser




Let's face it, people. Zell Miller is campaigning for George Bush and he ought to take off the cloak of the Democratic party because he's staining it with grassroots elephant-dung.

Miller, the lone Democratic senator publicly backing Bush, commented in remarks prepared for a Bush-Cheney grassroots event, held in conjunction with the state Republican convention.

[LINK]

Bush tax cut losing charm with fuel price hikes

Bush tax cut losing charm with fuel price hikes

"Each $10 per barrel increase in crude prices is like a $70 billion tax
increase on American consumers, levied through inflation."

From Paul Krugman N.Y. Times
[LINK]

Oil prices soared to a record Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crossing $41 a barrel and settling at the highest point in the 21-year-history of crude futures trading in New York.

[LINK]

Iraq: Fred Kaplan Finds Reasons Bush is Culpable

Iraq: Fred Kaplan Finds Reasons Bush is Culpable

The Buck Stops … Where?
Stop blaming your henchmen, Mr. President.
By Fred Kaplan / Slate

My main argument was that Bush has placed too much trust, for far too long, in the judgment of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, despite his ceaseless string of bad judgments.

However, two news stories that have since come to my attention—one that appeared on the same day, the other more than two months ago—suggest not merely that Bush is guilty of "failing to recognize failure" (as my headline put it) but that he is directly culpable for the sins in question, no less so than his properly beleaguered defense chief...

[LINK]

The facts on Medicare-A Bad Bill

The facts on Medicare:
Bernie Sanders shows us how a bad bill becomes law

In step-by-step fashion, Bernie Sanders shows us how "George W. Bush and Republican Leadership in Congress redefined lawmaking when they forced their Medicare law through Congress". Let the facts speak for themselves.

Shame: Editor sacked over 'hoax' photos

Editor sacked over 'hoax' photos

At a news conference in Preston on Friday afternoon, the regiment demonstrated to reporters aspects of uniform and equipment which it said proved the photographs were fake.
The regiment's Brigadier Geoff Sheldon said the vehicle featured in the photographs had been located in a Territorial Army base in Lancashire and had never been in Iraq.

Colonel Black, a former regiment commander of the QLR, said the pictures put lives in danger and acted as a "recruiting poster" for al-Qaeda.

The Sun newspaper had offered a £50,000 reward for "information about the fake Mirror photos" but withdrew the offer following the sacking of [editor] Piers Morgan.

.

Let Nick Berg's Life Lead Us-Not His Death

Let Nick Berg's Life Lead Us-Not His Death

I was reading these thoughts at the Mahablog today and it got me thinking.....

Nick Berg was a vibrant, curious, enterprising, free-spirited, and loving individual.
What the terrorists did to him was strategically and murderously stupid.

If we step back and look at the big picture, we'll realize that those terrorists killed someone who represented what is best not only about America, but what is best in the world.

This is another golden opportunity for President Bush. It's his political chance to embrace and act in the best interests of his country by engaging those sensible souls in the world community who are just as appalled as we are over Nick's death.....to help them see how wrong it is to indiscriminately take innocent life. This might take a lot of humility about our own shortcomings and mistakes, but its value would be priceless and its power unbreakable...

...or President Bush can continue using Nick's death as a cover-up for our nation's blunders and misdirection on the war on terror for re-election gain.

President Bush seems to really be at war with Americans like me...a rational liberal..and I just can't understand it. I would be supportive of any President, regardless of his party, if I could see he was taking my nation (and its democracy of beloved people) in the right direction.

There has to come a time when Americans can see that their President truly believes in the good of his nation more than his political party's power.

Let Nick Berg's horrible death not overshadow his beautiful life. He embodied what is best about America. Our President should be very careful about how he politically chooses to use Nick's exemplary life.


Ref: Resist Using Nick Berg as a Prop by C. Brackney

Nicholas Berg-Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial

Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial | Nicholas Berg

The Philadelphia Inquirer did a nice job with this one.

You all have the opportunity to send messages of support and condolence to the Berg family here:

Click here: Guest Book - Nick Berg

Salam Pax Goes to Bloggywood

Salam Pax Goes to Bloggywood

Calling him the "Nick Hornby of the Iraq war", the Guardian gives the world news of its first BloggerStar. There's a film deal for the 'Baghdad blogger'. Media group Intermedia is searching for a scriptwriter. Raed must be proud! Blogger.com, too!

Why can't we take responsibility for Abu Ghraib?

Why can't we take responsibility for Abu Ghraib?

Senator John Kyl's attempt to obliterate conscience through moral rationalization (as quoted below) makes us Americans look weak and excuse-making. Let's take responsibility for what we've done, say we are sorry, and get on with business of punishing those responsible and fixing the system. No more damned excuses. James Inhofe's huffy use of moral rationalization (in the hopes we'll somehow forget what we've done) and political grandstanding makes him look weak and desperate to please and defend the President rather than supporting the Ashcroft-damaged/flimsy hold on democracy by the American citizenry.

Nick Berg's horrible death is being used as a political safety blanket by partisan ghouls and I can't help but wonder if the Bush administration didn't already know about the beheading for some time and waited for the most advantageous political moment (the Abu Ghraib hearings) to pull it out of their hats.(This is not to AVOID putting blame where blame is due--The Allah-abusing murderous terrorists were no stategic brain-trusts themselves for putting it on the internet for the world to see--which proves further to me that these types of people can be defeated by the RIGHT *not rightwing* leaders).

I'm sick of this administration and their unsteady moral rationalizers running from responsibility. They do not represent me, an American. I am ashamed of them. How can I call a man my President when he has no sense of personal accountability? I have little respect for his (lack of) character.

"As bad as some of the things were that were done to Iraqi prisoners, it didn't involve beheading," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Conservative talk radio has simmered with anger about the attention paid to Abu Ghraib prison abuses by relatively few U.S. soldiers. In the Senate, Republican James Inhofe said he -- and others -- were "more outraged by the outrage than we are by the (prison) treatment."

Loath to express regret, Bush has apologized repeatedly for the abuse. The issue has deepened doubts about his Iraq policy at a time when his approval rating is at its lowest.

Berg's death gave Bush an opportunity to stop saying sorry.

Political analysts said Berg's death might give Bush a little breathing room.

[LINK]

Oh My God- Bush is Chauncey Gardiner

Oh My God-Bush is Chauncey Gardiner

I saw this at the O'Franken blog and had to post it. I was just saying the exact same thing yesterday...no joke. Ask Anonymoses if you don't believe me.

""Oh my God! George Bush is Chauncey Gardiner. And America is living the movie (originally the book, but this Administration doesn't read) "Being There." Could author Jerzy Kosinski have been so brilliantly prescient? I fear yes. Except, this is one t-v show "I don't like to watch."
Posted by NYCLiberal at 05.13.2004 12.13 PM

"It's a really close analogy - but Bush doesn't have the quiet grace that Chauncey Gadiner had. We'd be giving Georgie the benefit of the doubt. He's not allowed that - ever!

However, Kosinski is truly an amazing writer, and Sellers' portrayal was fantastic."

~Stephen
Posted by lovemelongtimelistener at 05.13.2004 12.35 PM [LINK]

___

This, of course, is not the first time the observation's been made.
Interestingly, the revelation, when it comes to people, nearly always evokes the respose "OH MY GOD." That's what we usually say when we realize we've been "had".

"I was reading a post by one of our more far right wing members who was saying
that GW Bush is a genius, and that his critics are the fools, and I was transported back to the early 70's and a book by Jerzy Kosinski called"BEING THERE"
It was a brilliant satire about a man who was a simpleton, and only knew the world by what he saw and interpreted on TV. He winds up in Washinton DC where everyone he talks to thinks he speaks with such deep insights about the nature of man, politics, war, art etc. And then I realized that GW Bush'd is actually Chauncey Gardiner. OH MY GOD."
[LINK]

On Tour

On Tour



CHEAP TRICK AT BUDOKAN


RUMMY AT ABU GHRAIB

Making Up with Tom Friedman

Making Up with Tom Friedman




I've been hard on Tom Friedman at times. In his most recent column, I suddenly feel, at last, that we are looking into the frame and seeing the same image staring back at us.

Tom gets my best Mona Lisa smile for this one. (I'm now confident he'll know which of the three frames to choose).

My mistake was thinking that the Bush team believed it, too. I thought the administration would have to do the right things in Iraq — from prewar planning and putting in enough troops to dismissing the secretary of defense for incompetence — because surely this was the most important thing for the president and the country. But I was wrong. There is something even more important to the Bush crowd than getting Iraq right, and that's getting re-elected and staying loyal to the conservative base to do so. It has always been more important for the Bush folks to defeat liberals at home than Baathists abroad. That's why they spent more time studying U.S. polls than Iraqi history. That is why, I'll bet, Karl Rove has had more sway over this war than Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Bill Burns. Mr. Burns knew only what would play in the Middle East. Mr. Rove knew what would play in the Middle West.

I admit, I'm a little slow. Because I tried to think about something as deadly serious as Iraq, and the post- 9/11 world, in a nonpartisan fashion — as Joe Biden, John McCain and Dick Lugar did — I assumed the Bush officials were doing the same. I was wrong. They were always so slow to change course because confronting their mistakes didn't just involve confronting reality, but their own politics.
[LINK]

Kerry Cites Bush's War Miscalculations

Kerry Cites Bush's War Miscalculations

"Why should we reward more of the same? Why should we reward miscalculations of what it would take to make the peace?" I think that it's been one miscalculation after another, frankly. And arrogance that has lost America respect and influence in the world. They had no plan for winning the peace and now Americans are paying the price."

--John Kerry

John Kerry is criticizing Bush's direction on Iraq.

Republicans call call it political, and I suppose, in some ways, it is. The fact that it is true, however, greatly trumps the fact that it's political. We know politics and truth are seldom bedfellows.

John Kerry was "on-the-money" Wednesday in the 'Truth-department' when he claimed the war in Iraq is being misdirected and that a shake-up is needed to end the Bush administration's mistakes and incompetence. It was, indeed, a sharp critique that sparked Republican criticism that Kerry's making the war a political issue.

Bush's top campaign-man Mark Racicot said, "Political attacks come at a price for the military," I'm sorry, but I must disagree. The military could not have paid a higher price than they have already paid, in precious life.

Racicot went on, "If there was ever a time to refrain from partisan politics, this is it. But all we see from the Kerry campaign and from John Kerry is political exploitation for political gain."

I would think Kerry's failure to mention the misdirection on Iraq would be akin to me seeing a black-widow spider crawling on my best friend's back and failing to mention it.

Our soldiers are in danger.

So mention already, John, Kerry...mention!



*Note: A question about professionalism-
The Washington Post/AP Headline reads as follows: Kerry Calls Iraq War a Failure. Failure is a heavy-duty word to toss around when I see no quote from Kerry using the word "failure" anywhere at all in the article. Professional journalists are not supposed to be politically inflammatory. That's a politician's job. This one AP article has spread to many national news publications. The writer should be reprimanded.

Nick Berg's desire to come homes conflicts with U.S. official statements

Officials acknowledge the presence of the military police at the jail where Nick Berg was being detained, but said their sole function was to "monitor his treatment."

Nick had sent a lengthy e-mail to his family describing the 13 days that he spent in the Shirdta Iraqiyah station near Mosul, an Iraqi detention center where, he said, the United States Military Police supervised and trained the Iraqi officers.

"The M.P.'s were a little surprised to see an American in civilian clothing, and I think out of formality and boredom they decided to do a background check, which involved C.I.D.," he wrote, referring to the Army Criminal Investigation Division.

The next morning, Mr. Berg described F.B.I. agents' questioning as amicable, but pointed. Among the questions asked, he wrote, were: "Why was I in Iraq? Did I ever make a pipe bomb? Why was I in Iran?"

He conjectured that their questions arose from some Farsi literature and a book about Iran that he had. Mr. Berg wrote that after four days he was transferred to a cellblock that included prisoners charged with petty offenses and suspected "war criminals."

"Word had spread due to the presence of certain items amongst my stuff that I was Israeli," Mr. Berg wrote. "So I felt a bit like Arlo Guthrie walking into a jail full of mother rapers and father stabbers as an accused litterbug."

The American military police, in fact, "were pretty stand-up," he wrote. "They heard the chants of Yehudien, Israelein, and told the I.P. prison staff to put me in my own cell."

"I did get on much friendlier terms with the other prisoners after they discovered I could speak a little Arabic and verified I didn't have horns or anything," Mr. Berg said.

Some prisoners, considered political or suspected war criminals from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran "had been in custody for 40 days without a single interpreter interrogation, just waiting as they still do today, and the Iraqi guards treat these poor fellows — especially the Hindis among them — as real dogs.'


Nick was released on April 6.

Nick's friends and acquaintances at the hotel said he was working on communications towers for some Baghdad hotels. Mr. Infante said he last saw Nick on April 10, writing an e-mail message to his family. "I saw him there," he said, gesturing to the Internet cafe. "I said, `Hello, how are you?'

"And he said, `I want to go home.' "

An F.B.I. statement says that coalition authorities had offered "to facilitate his safe passage out of Iraq," but that Nick refused their help.


That doesn't really jibe with the rest of the story, does it? Common sense would only tell you, from Nick's own words, that he was good and ready to get out of Iraq.


Corrente blog is raising some interesting questions surrounding the shaded circumstances surrounding the death of Nick Berg:
Coflicting statements
Nick's mail from Iraq
Where's the copy of the pending lawsuit?

When Sean met Ehdaa

When Sean met Ehdaa



"I’m Muslim and he’s a Christian. I’m Iraqi and he’s American. It just can’t happen. It did. Love can make miracles. I do believe this now.”
--Ehdaa Blackwell


Do you know the story about the handsome young American soldier and the beautiful Iraqi doctor? The soldier would not disobey the orders of his heart.

A Crisis of Modern Civilization

A Crisis of Modern Civilization

Civilization Sinking to All-time-Lows..
Anti-Imperialists concerned about trend toward barbarism throughout all modern civilization

....let me say also loud and clear - predatory Western Imperialism is not alone in its sinking to these lows of inhumanity. There is an absence of civilized behavior on all sides of this mean and mindless conflict that is truly frightening.

Beheading civilian hostages in the name of Allah? Carrying out suicide missions without concern for civilian casualties, publicly mutilating bodies of dead opponents? Blowing up scores of ordinary Spanish citizens (most of them probably opposed to the war on Iraq) to 'teach a lesson' to the Spanish government? Are you guys human or horror-movie extras?

For all their prattle about 'fighting the Crusaders' these cowards are surely no successors to the great Saladin who fought a principled war of resistance, saving not just fellow Muslims but also the large population of Jews under his protection. A successful resistance that led to the great renaissance of the Islamic world and the creation of societies superior to that of the invaders at that time. (Read your history carefully Bin)

And not very far from Iraq is that mother of all colonial occupations, in the Gaza and West Bank, where the Israeli regime of Ariel Sharon is bent on putting the Palestinians through every trauma that the Jews themselves underwent at the hands of the Nazis. In turn, a section of Palestinian militants are willing to stoop to the level of gunning down pregnant women and children just because they happen to be Jewish settlers on occupied land or dancing on the streets with body parts of dead Israeli soldiers. Liberation from colonial oppression, yes, but liberation from all basic human values?

I hesitate to call all this 'barbarism', a term that for too long has been abused to describe the 'primitive', 'tribal' people of this world - who despite their own bouts of occasional madness have done nothing as systematically evil as we see in Iraq and Palestine. Indeed, what we are witnessing now is nothing short of a crisis of modern civilization and its various concepts and institutions that have either outlived their utility or corroded to the point of complete collapse. A situation that could either lead to catastrophe or provide a chance to reshape the world depending really on what all of us propose to do about it. (Nothing I hate more than getting shot in the bloody crossfire)

[LINK]

From "Just A Common Soldier"

From "Just A Common Soldier"



Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land

A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

--A. Lawrence Vaincourt


[Link]

Iraq- Sheila Provencher's view from the inside

Iraq- Sheila Provencher's view from the inside


Sheila Provencher- Torture and Responsibility in Iraq

Sheila Provencher is a Christian Peacemaker Team member in Iraq, is a Catholic lay minister, and full-time activist from South Bend, Indiana.

CPT comments on `patterns of abuse' in Iraq

With horrific images of abused Iraqi prisoners in the media this week, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) urged attention to the patterns of abuse in Iraq and the question, "How did this happen?" CPT is a ministry initiated by Mennonites, Brethren, and Friends, and has an "Adopt a Detainee Program" to support Iraqi detainees.

The organization has been documenting abuses within the detention system in Iraq for nearly a year, a CPT release said. "The problem is very broad," wrote Sheila Provencher in the release. "These photos, tragically, were not a surprise to me." Provencher has been a member of the CPT team in Iraq, where her work focused on detainees. The team left Iraq in April on the advice of Iraqi colleagues of risks to international workers. CPT has had a team in Iraq almost continuously since Oct. 2002.

"We have communicated grave concerns about the detention system in several meetings with US military and Coalition Provisional Authority officials in Iraq, and with representatives in Congress," said Provencher. "Many Iraqis who tell us stories of degrading abuse also comment on the `noble soldiers' who protested such abuse and treated them with respect. However, the sheer number of allegations of mistreatment, many of which I have heard personally, suggests that the problem is not just a matter of a few `bad people,'" she wrote. She acknowledged that there are Iraqis guilty
of violent acts, but added that "the methods used to capture, imprison, and interrogate such Iraqis are so violent that the Coalition only creates more resisters."

Provencher suggested that factors contributing to the abuse include ideology that separates the world into "good guys" and "bad guys," military hierarchy, and the dehumanization of young US soldiers by their training, combat stress, and neglect. "To feel a constant threat to one's life, coupled with the psychological stress of being separated from home and family, is devastating," she said.......

"Once the men are in detention, families find it extremely difficult to secure information about them, and do not know if they are alive or dead....." [SEE LINK]

IRAQ: Abundant life
by Sheila Provencher

5-year-old Hussein sits with his father, Emir, along Abu Nawwas street across from the Tigris River. Emir sells cigarettes and juice from a tiny stand tucked against the gate of an abandoned building. Humvees and tanks roar past. Across the street, nearly empty restaurants block the sight of the river's dignified movement between shores littered with plastic bags and garbage.



Hussein always runs to greet me with a smile, his little cheek tilted up for a kiss. One day I surprised him with a box of crayons. Two days later, he surprised ME when he ran behind his father's stand and emerged clutching a 10"x10" piece of cardboard. He had used a cigarette carton as a canvas for a crayon masterpiece.

Hussein's picture teems with life. The Tigris flows a brilliant blue, and pink flowers sway amid a blanket of grass. A donkey munches on a tree bursting with orange blossoms, a duck contemplates a date-palm heavy with fruit, and a rabbit smiles under a smiling sun. A flock of birds soars within the stripe of sky colored across the top of the page. Two fish and a giant duck swim through the river of turquoise, and what looks like a bumblebee (as large as the duck!) flies over it all.



A few days ago, an IED (improvised explosive device) exploded not two blocks away, shattering windows and sending a child Hussein's age to the hospital. But in this picture, there is no broken glass, no guns or tanks or helicopters, no presidential palace. Instead--abundant life. How did Hussein see such a Garden in the dust?

. . . . .

It is easy to see only the dust these days. Daily reports describe attacks, kidnapping, and hundreds of deaths. Our Iraqi friends are visibly upset at the escalating level of violence across the country. "We are tired, so tired," says Maryam, a young mother who has lived through three wars. "We have suffered so much,and it is getting more frightening now."

Violence comes from so many places: the past regime, the US-led wars and sanctions, resistance fighters who attack soldiers, terrorists who bomb civilians, and Coalition troops who imprison thousands of innocent Iraqis alongside the guilty, surround entire cities, and kill civilians in the street battles with militia. And this violence is not just external . . . violence is born in all of our hearts.



But this morning, as I sat on the rooftop above the city, a bumblebee landed on my shoulder. Chickadees and turtledoves flitted about and chatted to each other. Across the street, tall green rushes swayed on the banks of the Tigris.

Maybe Hussein's picture is not so imaginary. Maybe we just have to NOTICE the life that is already here in front of us, and draw it out, and nurture it. How can we call forth the abundant life that already IS--in every river, every animal, every heart of every person --to overcome the darkness?

Beheaded Man's Firm Was On Right-Wing 'Enemies' List

Beheaded Man's Firm Was On Right-Wing 'Enemies' List

Sound familiar?
I helped to break this story early yesterday at Daily Kos.
(Patting self on back).
Fintan Dunne has expanded upon this initial enemy-list-discovery and raises some compelling points.
Could it possibly be because of this "enemy list" that Nick Berg was detained in Iraq for so long?

The family firm of beheaded American Nick Berg, was named by a conservative website in a list of 'enemies' of the Iraq occupation. That could explain his arrest by Iraqi police --a detention which fatally delayed his planned return from Iraq and may have led directly to his death.

Tom Tomorrow has caught wind of the story, too.

Hart Seeley's Rumsfeld Poetry Makes Today's News Headlines

Hart Seeley's Rumsfeld Poetry Makes Today's News Headlines

As I told you about on March 16th, Syracuse columnist Hart Seeley's "Existential Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld" has been set to music by San Francisco-based pianist Bryant Kong. (Songs sung by soprano Elender Wall).

Kerry's eyeballing McCain for Defense Secretary

Kerry's eyeballing McCain for Defense Secretary

What do we think about that?

What does McCain think about that?
(The article doesn't really say)

What about Wesley Clark?



Update- 5/13 Taegan Goddard blog- McCain says no dice.

Thoughts About America and Her Relation to the World

Thoughts About America and Her Relation to the World


Somewhere.......

To advocate an imperial foreign policy is to call for a foreign policy that attempts to organize the world along certain principles affecting relations between states and conditions within them. The U.S. role would resemble 19th century Great Britain....Coercion and the use of force would normally be a last resort; what was written by John Gallagher and Ronald Robinson about Britain a century and a half ago, that “The British policy followed the principle of extending control informally if possible and formally if necessary,” could be applied to the American role at the start of the new century.

--Richard N. Haass, director of policy planning in the State Department [LINK]

....in between.......

‘Shall we go on conferring our Civilization upon the peoples that sit in darkness, or shall we give those poor things a rest? Shall we bang right ahead in our old-time, loud, pious way, and commit the new century to the game; or shall we sober up and sit down and think it over first?’

--Mark Twain

....lies our truth.

American democracy is at risk today from many sides: from media ownership concentration, from the power of money in politics, from the red scare atmosphere of our nebulous war on terror and Islamic fundamentalism, and from an administration that has a touch of fundamentalism of its own. But even an American society that has suffered the depredations of George W. Bush and John Ashcroft holds more hope as a model than one shaped by the caste system of India, the lockstep vision of al-Qaida and its supporters, the ethnic rivalries of the Balkans, or the strongman politics of most of Africa, Central Asia and the Arab world.

This, to me, is the paradox: that what is, at home, perhaps the most vibrant civil society on earth is, abroad, a trigger-happy superpower of terrifying arrogance. If there is a single hope I have for my country it is that the great promise of the one can begin to rescue us from the great dangers of the other.

--Adam Hochschild [LINK]

Conservative vs. Conservative

Conservative vs. Conservative

Coming Thursday to the Washington Post:
William Bennett will repudiate Limbaugh's recent comments about Abu Ghraib. Bennet says that although the actions of U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib may fall short of war crimes, the offenses were serious and the photos of naked Iraqis piled on top of each or tethered to leashes will becomes effective "al Qaeda recruiting posters."

RUSH ARCHIVE:
Exactly! Exactly my point! This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation, and we're going to ruin people's lives over it, and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer 'em because they had a good time.You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time. These people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of needing to blow some steam off?[LINK]

The Vactican's foreign minister has told Italian newspaper La Repubblica:

"The torture? A more serious blow to the United States than Sept. 11. Except that the blow was not inflicted by terrorists but by Americans against themselves," Lajolo was quoted as saying in La Repubblica.

Lajolo said that "intelligent people in Arab countries understand that in a democracy such episodes are not hidden and are punished ... Still the vast mass of people — under the influence of Arab media — cannot but feel aversion and hate for the West growing inside themselves."
And, he added, "the West is often identified with Christianity." [LINK}

Should Nick Berg's death dilute the outrage over Abu Ghraib?

Should Nick Berg's death dilute the outrage over Abu Ghraib?
The media should have the respect to ask Nick's own family. I believe, from all I know of them so far, that they would most likely NOT wish the death of their son to be condensed into a partisan spin on this human rights issue...or to have his death used as an excuse for more wrongly-directed war.

Should Nick's death reinforce our nation's resolve to "win" in Iraq? If so, why? (I implore all to step away from your emotion and look at the big picture). What does "win" mean? How do we plan to succeed? Nothing is clear.

How would this man's beheading suddenly make us "see" we have a magical strategy to win anything in Iraq? How would Nick's savage treatment prove we ever had good reason to be occupying the Iraqi state (where WMDs/imminent threat still haven't appeared)? How would Nick's death give us a clear idea of who will be taking the reins of Iraqi government on June 30th?

Will Nick's death prove that violence begets violence? Will his death prove that the photos of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners were a direct cause of the decision made by his killers to execute him? Will Nick's death make more torture acceptable?

I'm sorry. I don't think we should let our emotion over Nick's death distract us from the core issues and facts at hand in Iraq today.

This "war on terror" is not being properly prosecuted and Americans are beginning to see it clearly. Our nation's reputation is seriously at stake.

Lynndie a Mere Model in Psy-op Photos

Lynndie a Mere Model in
Psy-op Photos

"I was instructed by persons in higher rank to stand there and hold this leash and look at the camera."

- Lynndie England


"To all of us who have been charged, we all agree that we don't feel like we were doing things that we weren't supposed to, because we were told to do them. We think everything was justified, because we were instructed to do this and to do that," England said.

THE PHOTOS

Who's Responsible for Abu Ghraib?

Who's Responsible for Abu Ghraib?

Every Sunday ChIP’s (Choosing an Independent President 2004 Process) political coordinator Jacqueline Salit and activist/philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. This link provides excerpts from what I consider to be exceptionally interesting dialogue last Sunday- May 9, 2004- after they'd watched “The McLaughlin Group,” “Meet the Press” and “The Chris Matthews Show” – all on NBC.

Excerpts:

There are all kinds of conflicts in the American psyche which are exposed in this scandal at Abu Ghraib, and we have to deal with that. This is a country of the underdog, but it’s the wealthiest country in the history of civilization. These are fundamental conflicts in the American psyche. We have to – not just for psychological purposes, but for political purposes – go forward with a recognition of that conflictedness and try to build and develop with that as a basepoint. That’s not how partisan politicians think about it. To them, the basic axiom of public presentation is ‘Never admit that you have a dark side. Never admit that there’s a down side. Never admit that you’re conflicted.’ With those as guiding methodological premises, these kinds of situations are very difficult to deal with.

--Fred Newman

All of us. Americans are responsible. That’s who’s responsible. Are there some particular people who are going to be judged responsible because of their positions? Yes – and probably they should be. But who’s responsible? We are. We are conflicted, but easily seduced by our arrogance. Americans like to hear from our leadership that we are the Righteous People, and so forth. It sounds good. It just happens that some people in the world don’t go along with that. So, this arrogance of ours lives side by side with our goodness and our decency and our wealth and our this and our that. But it’s all there mixed together. It’s all mixed together, and so we are responsible for the people who we elect, and the people who they select, and our troops. Daniel Goldhagen wrote a book, “Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust,” that said that the German people were responsible for the Holocaust. And today, the American people are responsible for this war and for the way it’s being conducted, because this is a democracy. The American people did select this president. I know some people would argue that they didn’t really, not by the popular vote, but Bush managed to get elected according to the laws of this land, and we have to take responsibility for it. And if we take responsibility, as we justifiably do, for all the extraordinary good things that this country does throughout the world, we have to take responsibility for what it means to be the sole superpower – whether we like the title or not. We are an imperialist power. De Facto. Forget about what you think of anybody’s intent.

--Fred Newman

(Many thanks to Hamilton for referring me to this one.)

Meet The Judge Advocate General: Thomas J Romig

Meet The Judge Advocate General:
Thomas J Romig



General Romig

General Thomas J Romig is Judge Advocate General for the U.S. Army. You may have seen him at yesterday's Congressional hearings about Abu Ghraib, where he said the Army is now tracking a total of 83 different prisoner abuse cases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here's a few things you may not know about him.

Born, raised, and educated in our great state of Kansas, General Romig has been with the U.S. Army since October, 1971. In 1977, General Romig was selected for the Funded Legal Education Program and attended Santa Clara University School of Law, where he served as an editor on the Santa Clara Law Review and as a member of the Honors Moot Court Board. He graduated with honors in 1980. He is a graduate of the National War College and the Armed Forces Staff College. He was promoted from Colonel to brigadier general in July 1998. General Romig's most recent assignment was as the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations, Office of The Judge Advocate General, United States Army, Rosslyn, Virginia.

Gen Romig paid a visit to Iraq in November, 2003, accompanied by three personal staffers. According to the Pentagon, the purpose of his trip was "to assess the provision of legal services, look at integration of RC (Reserve Component) soldiers in our operations, talk with commanders, look at both traditional and nontraditional legal issues, gather lessons learned ... and check on the status of our soldiers and our equipment."

Sadly, Gen Romig's combat mission became a nightmare when one of the two Blackhawk helicopters transporting him and his team was shot down. Romig's assistants, Chief Warrant Officer
Sharon T. Swartworth and Sgt. Maj. Cornell W. Gilmore, were killed along with the entire Blackhawk crew, Capt. Benedict J. Smith, Chief Warrant Officer Kyran E. Kennnedy and Sgts. Paul M. Neff and Scott C. Rose.[link]

Freepers considered Nick Berg's family "the enemy"

Freepers considered Nick Berg's family "the enemy"

"..Less (sic) we forget. Everyone send this to Rush, Sean, Fox, and everyone you can e-mail this list. Don't stop until everyone has a copy...."


This is how the extreme partisan polarization in this country is rotting our nation from the inside.

Look at this list of people---
Michael Berg, (business name Prometheus Methods highlighted on list) the father of slain Nick Berg, signed a list of those who simply wished to express dissent about the war in which our nation was engaged. Yet, he and his family still contributed directly to the effort to help America to help the Iraqis establish a new democracy.

The Freepers state on this site:
Here is "the enemy"--they have posted their names.

I submit the true enemy of America is the ignorant, filthy polarization in this nation. When the hell are people going to wake up?

Shirin Ebadi speaks at Syracuse University

Shirin Ebadi speaks at Syracuse University

SHRIN EBADI'S MESSAGE TO US
On Religion and Democracy

Hendricks Chapel
Syracuse University
May 10, 2004

The following are my rough notes on a speech given by 2003 Nobel peace-prize winner Shirin Ebadi of Iran..

Shirin Ebadi walked to the podium to a standing ovation. She smiled warmly and slightly bowed several times before her audience of approximately 500 sat down to listen to her hour-long speech, given in her language of Farsi. Her interpreter was Syracuse University Political Science professor Mehrzad Borouherdi.

Madame Ebadi had been introduced by S.U. College of Law dean Hannah Arterian, who prefaced the speech with a story about the subtleties found in this life and the experience of growing up-a child of lawyers. She used a very simple example- her own daughter whose Grandfather said to her: "Clean your plate," and her daughter replying: "It's not a plate, Grandfather. It's a bowl." Subtlety often makes an important and essential difference. Ms. Arterian read comments from a former law student's e-mail regarding the joy upon learning Mme Ebadi, an attorney (of all professions) had won a Nobel Peace prize. She then introduced Mme Ebadi.

Mme Ebadi explained her topic would be 'Religion and Democracy'. Philosophers have long debated the relationship between the two.

There is a certain movement within/between the Islamic states with those who believe humanity is a creation of God. Islamic state-leaders see themselves as sheer maintainers of their society's duties to God. Social rights are not the priority or focus in this movement. This belief and this movement has trans-national reach in the region.

In this movement, yesteryear's intellect is relied upon and modernity suffers as a result. Prophets are given governmental weight and popularly-elected officials can be easily rejected for their perceived failure to maintain societal duties directly related to certain interpretations of Islam. Divine law trumps civil law..period. Divine ordinance trumps parliamentary democracy.

European blueprints for democracy have long been resisted by this movement. 'State religion' weighs heavily... at a sad cost to human rights in a 'religious state'.

There are no names, no headquarters, no leaders in today's movement toward this certain interpretation of Islam...yet it is ingrained in the mind and sensibility of nearly every Muslim.

Mme Ebadi is an avowed Muslim and insists it is a religion of equality. She quoted Mohammed's doctrine of the equality of all believers.

The problem is that today's practice of state religion does not emanate from the true essence of Islam. There is an unwillingness for Islamic states to give an interpretation of Islam toward equality and human rights.

For these reasons, the dominant culture is in need of reform. An understanding and recognition of social realities compatible with the spirit of Islam is needed.

The most important step to achieve this goal is the teaching of the nature of inclusiveness of the Islamic faith itself. Mulims need to learn (and teach) the dynamic spirit of Islam and realize they can accept modernity without the risk of losing this essence.

If education becomes prevalent and citizens learn to press for their rights, religious states will be compelled to respect legal rights and civil law rather than imposing divine law which often reults in an ignorance of human rights. Islamic governments now silence laws they don't like and regard themselves as God's law on earth. This is often nothing more than convenient excuse to silence and intimidate members of their society. Often, for example, they will accuse others of having "wishy-washy" faith in order to intimidate. Being accused of abandoning your faith at a moment's notice will make you very unpopular in these societies. Freedoms are limited by the great fear of being charged with "apostacy" (deserting one's faith) when there is dissention against these authoritarian regimes.

Mme Ebadi believes that Muslims, who comprise one-sixth of the world's population, should connect with the masses by any means available to expose false claims of despotic rulers that the true essence of Islam is represented by their rule. Mme Ebadi especially appealed to the intellectual class to reach the mass audiences so they be made to better understand that the current ruling elite in Iran and other Islamic states are violating the very core of Islamic essence.

Islamic states do not have the key to Paradise.

When it comes to democracy, all people of this world share a common thread. All people in all cultures and societies share the hope for freedom, respect for life, property, and human dignity. War, violence, and terror are not desired nor admired.

Cultural relativism and reactionary tyrants using this relativism to retain political power blinds the cultural masses and leads to violations of what should be all of our common rights as human beings.

Whether we like it or not, there is a globalization of both war and peace. We're in this venture together. If we want peace, we must struggle for peace--together. Partnerships must be consolidated and concern for humanity must transcend national boundaries and religions. We cannot be blind to human violations wherever and whenever they may occur..be it Afghansitan, Palestine, or our very own homelands.

We're all on the deck of the same ship. Every individual damage and/or violation to our sense of humunity endangers all of us. The destiny of all humanity is tied to every single person. We cannot value and enjoy freedoms and rights ourselves when we deprive others of the same freedom and right.

Mostly, we need compassion.

Mme Ebadi appeals to you--be kind to one another. Kindness is the only commodity that doesn't diminish when you spend it.

Those who seek gain in times of war find it advantageous to use Islam as a reason for terror and violence. This is wrong-minded. Think about the Bosnian war and you will see that Muslims did not blame all of Christendom for the atrocities committed against them. It is also erroneous when political opportunists erroneously claim Islamic culture is incompatible with Western culture and values. There has been a lot of blame toward the religion of Islam for acts of terror. Some have claimed that violence is reflective of Muslim values and this is often a way to cause mass-reaction and perpetuate political conflict. This is not so, Mme Ebadi said. Islam is not a religion of violence and terror should never be attributed to Islam. In the same manner, Israel's rejection of many U.N. resolutions should never be equated with Judiasm.

Actions of the masses should never be confused with the message of God. We must learn to distinguish humanity's mistakes and recognize the nature of the cultures from which those mistakes stem. Culture and civilizations do not need to be in conflict with one another. We've lived by each other's sides for ages. We must not forget our shared values and we cannot allow a civilization-clash to be used as a justification for war.

Mme Ebadi ended with an extension to all people of love and affection.

There was a question and answer session, which I will write about in another post.


Reference: Mme. Ebadi's Nobel-prize speech is [here].

UPDATE: Newsday-Nobel winner criticizes U.S. invasion of Iraq, prisoner abuse

Abu Ghraib: What did Bush know--and when did he know it?

Abu Ghraib: What did Bush know--and when did he know it?

Why is Donald Rumsfeld the cut-off when we go up the chain? Where do we consider 'the buck' really stops? Is an investigation of President Bush (and VP Cheney) necessary? Given the extreme circumstances of Abu Ghraib, I believe we should leave all possibilities open.

At Buzzflash, Maureen Farrell asks some important questions:

...though it's tempting to cling to the narratives that make us feel good, in the end, reality catches up with us any way. Right about the time William Kristol and Lawrence Kaplan were promising that America would "demonstrate to all the compatibility of its interests and ideals" and make the world "a safer and more just place," for example, the Guardian's George Monibot was saying 'It will end in disaster.' "The United States, like Israel, will discover that occupation is bloody and, ultimately, unsustainable," he wrote. "Its troops will be harassed by snipers and suicide bombers, and its response to them will alienate even the people who were grateful for the overthrow of Saddam." [Guardian]

So at this juncture, believing in the Bush administration means embracing incompetence.
And while the Taguba report reportedly went unread by the Pentagon brass, are we to believe that the Red Cross report on torture delivered to the Bush administration earlier this year did, too? And though Paul Bremer was reportedly told of the abuse in November [Guardian] are we expected to believe that CNN knew about the abuse at Abu Ghraib in January [CNN] while the president remained "out of the loop?" For God's sake, if the President had tuned into Wolf Blitzer's May 2, 2004 interview with Seymour Hersh, perhaps he would have learned about the abuse and not said, a mere one day later, "Because we acted, torture rooms are closed [and] rape rooms no longer exist. . . in Iraq." [WhiteHouse.gov]

See Paul Krugman's op-ed from today's N.Y. Times titled Just Trust Us. We cannot operate or depend on trust alone when it comes to this administration. Not anymore. Congress needs to end partisanship and save our nation's reputation before it's too late.


The Army Times has an editorial in its May 17th edition that calls for going straight to the top.

The Daily Mislead has some questions for the White House about their ignoring so many pleas to address this prison situation far earlier.

From Harvey Wasserman/Free Press-Independent News Media-- Bush the torturer must leave office:

...like My Lai, atrocious behavior in Iraq comes straight from the top. Bush's contempt for international law, including the Geneva Accords, has been legend. His stirring praise for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld must be taken at face value. If Rumsfeld is doing a "superb job," it's because Rumsfeld is doing superbly what George W. Bush wants done.

What Bush did as governor he now does as president. It has nothing to do with stopping terrorism or protecting the United States. It's not the product of a few "bad" or poorly trained soldiers. It's not about a wayward Secretary of Defense and his out-of-control military apparatus. The inevitable reaction that's now come with this first beheading has been provoked by an administration engaged in global drunk driving.

This ghastly spiral of brutality is all about George W. Bush and who he really is. And since he is doing this in the name of the United States, it is ultimately about us, and what we do about him.

I've read the story of Nick Berg

I've read the story of Nick Berg

click photo to learn a bit about Nick's life

The story is told in all its cold detail.

These are only my first impressions.

It's nearly too much to bear.

My heart goes out to Nick's family...I have a lot of questions about the circumstances which prevented his return home at a time when he desired to come home.

Because of a savage thirst for revenge, Nick won't be home at all.

Michael, Suzanne, David, Sarah--I am so, so sorry.

This war is nothing but madness and it needs to end.

The article says the people who did the beheading praised God in the name of Islam. That, my friends, is horse-shit, plain and simple. Killings in the name of God have nothing to do with the essence of Islam. The killing occurred in the presence of war, anger, vengeance, and blood-lust. I'm sick of criminals using the name of God to kill in cold blood.

All good people of the world--Islamic, Christian, Hindu, atheist-- need to consolidate and speak out against any who kill for shrouded politics in the holy name of God.

Iraq is over, people. All we've done from the get-go is to send an army to inflame the godless who act with violence in the false name of their state-God.

I'm afraid all we have left to reap in Iraq is a whirlwind of godless blood-vengeance.

Cultural reform cannot happen at the drop of a bomb, an occupation, or a new-government puppet show.

It cannot happen that way.

Nick is gone because of this folly and it makes me sick.


________

May 7th AP article about Nick:

The Associated Press [LINK]

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Nick Berg was on his way out of Iraq. He had been released from the prison where he had been held for 13 days by Iraqi police for reasons he said he did not know. He had made his way from Mosul to his Baghdad hotel. He was finished with being an independent civilian contractor and was coming home to West Chester.

That was April 9. A month later, Berg's parents, Michael and Suzanne, still haven't heard from him. They've gone from concerned to frantic.

"Our hopes are that he's still in hiding or en route and traveling in a very slow manner," Michael Berg said.

A spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq who tracks the number of civilians missing in that country was unavailable for comment. But in mid-April, coalition spokesman Dan Senor said during a news briefing in Baghdad that about 40 people from 12 countries were missing and presumed hostages.

Nick Berg, 26, owns a business called Prometheus Methods Tower Service Inc. He climbs communications towers to inspect the antennas, the electrical connections and the structure. He first went to Iraq on Dec. 21.

He stayed until Feb. 1, making contact with a company that indicated there would likely be work for him later. But he returned on March 14 and there was no work, so he began traveling. He usually called home once a day and e-mailed several times; Michael Berg is his business manager, and they needed to stay in touch.

They spoke on March 24, and Nick Berg told his parents he was coming home on March 30. Then the communications stopped, and he wasn't on the plane on March 30.

When FBI agents arrived at the Berg's West Chester home on March 31, they were relieved to know their son was alive, but in jail. The agents questioned them about various details that only they and their son would know about.

Jerri Williams, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI office, said the agency was "asked to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq."

On April 5, the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia, contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military in Iraq.

The next day, April 6, Nick Berg was released. He told his parents he had been riding in a taxi on March 24 when he was arrested by Iraqi officials at a checkpoint in Mosul. He told his parents he had not been mistreated.

Nick Berg said he would come home through Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait. But by then, hostilities in Iraq had escalated, and Michael Berg said they have not heard from their son since.

The Bergs have hounded the State Department, the FBI and the International Committee of the Red Cross, seeking information. Michael Berg said the State Department sent an official to Nick Berg's hotel, where an employee told the official they had not heard of him.

The Bergs hired a private investigator, who talked to an American hotel guest who said he remembered Nick Berg.

Sometimes, they tell themselves their son "is a resourceful fellow who can take care of himself," Michael Berg said.

"Other times we think perhaps he was dead on April 10," he said. "My worst fear is that I'll never hear anything." [Philly.com LINK}

Reuters
Boston Globe
L.A. Times
Guardian
Globe and Mail

UPDATE: "I don't think this administration is committed to democracy."
--Michael Berg, father of Nick

*HEAR NICK'S FATHER MICHAEL BERG IN A LIVE INTERVIEW AT HERE AND NOW

Nick had a great heart. He had previously traveled to Ghana, where his family said he had purchased a $900 brick-making press for a poor village.

AP: Reaction to Nick's death

Pennsylvania community shocked by death of `real nice kid'

*Note--If you're looking for the video of Nick's death, don't expect to find it here. I won't sink that low. Sorry. I'm sure there's someone else..some ghoulish soul out there who will lack the taste, the compassion and the conscience.*

Senator Inhofe makes a political show of Taguba hearing

Senator Inhofe makes a disgusting political show at Taguba hearing

James Inhofe is equivocating and rationalizing away the violation of human rights at Abu Ghraib at the Taguba-Congressional hearing as I'm writing this post. He actually just suggested that these Iraqis deserved the treatment they got in these prisons. What a total ass he's making of himself! He sounds like a FOX News propagandist, for Pete's sake. He's whining about the politicization of this Abu Ghraib torture-story, but I have to tell you-- I've never seen such blatant politicization myself. It's sad.. really sad. Inhofe's outraged at "do-gooders" looking for violations of human rights in our military prisons. He reminds us of violations Iraqis have committed against our soldiers. (As if we didn't know).

I remind Inhofe that we are supposed to be BETTER than savages. He seems perfectly willing to forget that we are supposed to be a civil people.

Inhofe is the same fundamentalist kook who babbled, just after 9-11, "One of the reason I believe the spiritual door was opened for an attack against the United States of America is that the policy of our government has been to ask the Israelis, and demand it with pressure, not to retaliate in a significant way against the terrorist strikes that have been launched against them."

Inhofe is also the same ugly partisan who refused to support his President or give him the benefit of any confidence during the Kosovo crisis, stating in April, 1999: "The best way we can support our troops is to keep them out of Kosovo, out of a protracted war that, in my opinion, we are not going to end up winning."

We "won" the hearts and minds in Kosovo. Inhofe was dead-wrong.

Look at what Inhofe is supporting now...the damned hypocrite. I do not suffer fools lightly and I must call them out when I see them. Senator Inhofe is a fool. Our military needs to get out of Iraq. We need an exit strategy, not a foolish political display for all the nation to see.


Knowing Inhofe's making American law is a very frightening thought.



Update: 5/ 12- Walter Shapiro writes on the subject.

The Second Superpower Meets the Pentagon

The Second Superpower Meets the Pentagon

The Second Superpower is the term coined by James F. Moore of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. As the United States government becomes more belligerent in using its power in the world, many people are longing for a “second superpower” that can keep the US in check. This Guardian article shows how this idea of Mr. Moore's is actually taking shape.When the Abu Ghraib photos depicting the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US troops began to surface, it became clear that many of them were amateur shots taken by soldiers using their own private digital cameras. The internet played a large role in distributing the images, which highlights the ease with which troops serving in Iraq can now send photos back to the U.S. and are curiously not subject to any kind of military censorship.(I wonder if things will soon change?)The morality of war will always pose the same dilemmas, but the internet (and blogs) have provided a powerful new way of exposing truths in real-time. The Internet and other interactive media continue to penetrate more and more deeply and promptly. It's hard for world leaders to hide things they once found easy and convenient to hide.

Ref: See "The Other Superpower" at Rodger Payne

The Tipping Point by Lt Col. Karen Kwiatkowski

Ship of state not leaking info, but leaking bodies

Karen Kwiatkowski's latest article, The Tipping Point, can be found at the Military Week website. As the title suggests, Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski believes we've reached that point in Iraq already. She's seeing what she calls a "bloodless evacuation of the appointed ideologues from Washington to some safe and profitable haven". Once-strategizing-and-hopeful Neoconservatives are "peeling off like a bad paint on an old Chevy". A sure sign.

Maj. General Antonio Taguba to testify tomorrow

Maj. General Antonio Taguba to testify tomorrow

Tuesday, May 11

IRAQ POLICY
Prisoner Report's Author on Hill
Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba testifies before the Senate Armed Services Cmte. on his report on the treatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison.
TUESDAY ON C-SPAN AT 9:30AM ET

Also on CSPAN tomorrrow:

--Prisoner Hearing in Senate: Part 2
Sen. John Warner (R-VA) chairs a hearing on the treatment of Iraqi prisoners. Intelligence Undersec. Stephen Cambone & Army JAG Thomas Romig testify.
TUESDAY ON C-SPAN3 AT 2:30PM


--Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is one of our Tuesday morning guests. Another is Stephen Mansfield, author of "The Faith of George W. Bush."
TUESDAY ON C-SPAN AT 7AM ET

Joel Katzman on Israel

Joel Katzman on Israel

Joel Katzman, PhD, has written a piece for Arutz Sheva titled "Israel, Beware!". In it, he states that the current stand on Israel by the Bush administration is all about "running scared" and "botching" the Middle East situation.

The US is terribly humiliated and fearful, because Iraqi prisoners were mild to moderately abused by US service personnel; yet the US appears to be becoming less concerned about humiliating and putting Israelis at risk, than it is about making sure that the Islamofacists and the Muslims of the world feel comfortable and protected.

I don't agree that we can dismiss the matter of Abu Ghraib as a case of moderate or mild abuse. I find that to be incredibly disingenuous from an intellectually honest standpoint. I also sense a form of either resentment, distrust, or envy for the attention the situation is getting the Muslim world. It may be best, if Dr. Katzman wishes to catch liberal American attention, to pose his argument with far more care and appreciation for the American situation.

He continues,

I truly hope that I can be written off as being overly paranoid and incapable of grasping the "holier than thou" and failed approach to peace making so common to the diplomats of "evenhandedness" and their failed land-for-peace arrangements. However, if I am not wrong, then Israeli concessions will not be allowed to stop at even the 1967 borders, and Israelis and many Jews may be unpleasantly surprised to find that the US, along with other nations, and the UN, will push relentlessly to drive Israel back to pre-1949 borders.

I would hope this is, indeed, paranoia. Yet, I share Dr. Katzman's concerns. This is a terribly trying time for America. Iraq turned out to not be a cakewalk. If the politics surrounding the failing war are hurting Israel, I can understand the discomfort. Perhaps, if America could gracefully walk (not run) away from Iraq, we could get the Middle East back on track. I honestly think it's going to take a new administration to set us on the track again.

To Dr. Katzman, I say: Please do not blame liberal people. We never chose this path for our nation...or Israel.

Learn these names

Learn about these names


John Israel
Steven Stephanowicz
Col Thomas M. Pappas
LTC Steve L. Jordan

[See LINK]

Oh no, not Lt. General Boykin...

Oh, no....not Lt. General Boykin

I'm afraid that Lieutenant-General William "Jerry" Boykin's words are going to come back to haunt all of us. America was supposed to keep its religious intent out of the Iraq war. Now we learn he's involved in this Abu Ghraib mess? Some in the media are saying Donald Rumsfeld has tried to
cover up the controversial Boykin, who was allegedly hired by him to pin down the "interrogation" process. Since most of the people that Boykin is charged with capturing in Iraq are Muslim, his past words and actions will now draw even more scrutiny in the Arab and Islamic world.

Casualty of War- Colin Powell in GQ

Casualty of War-
Colin Powell in GQ

"It is rare for a member of any president's cabinet to stand alone.."

[LINK]

Bloody Road from Abu Ghraib leads back to Rumsfeld

Bloody Road from Abu Ghraib leads back to Rumsfeld

The creation of torture units was the consequence of orders by the Defence Department – headed by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld – to prise information out of prisoners.

What we haven't seen...yet...

American soldiers beating an Iraqi to a bloody pulp.

A male U.S. soldier having sex with a female Iraqi inmate.

Soldiers acting inappropriately with a dead body.

A video allegedly showing Iraqi guards raping young boys.

Dancing the Web

Dancing the Web

Read American diplomat Phil Kosnett's story titled Little Glamor for U.S. Diplomats in Najaf . Kosnett, a 43-year-old diplomat from Black Mountain, NC, has seen his job made much tougher by the Shiite uprising in their holy city of Najaf.

Kosnett and [Col. Dana] Pittard, whose troops are poised to attack if ordered, both say harm to Najaf's holy places has to be avoided. The Imam Ali and Kufa mosques, the city's most sacred shrines, remain in the hands of al-Sadr's gunmen although they've vacated the main government office and police station.

"They may have moved out of the pizzerias but they still hold the Vatican," one of Kosnett's assistants said. "That's the biggest hostage they hold."

John at Archy rewards Tom Friedman (he does say something worth an honorable mention sometimes).

John says-

I recognize that [Friedman’s] headed in the right direction and especially give him credit for a good hook:

I have never known a time in my life when America and its president were more hated around the world than today…. It's no wonder that so many Americans are obsessed with the finale of the sitcom 'Friends' right now. They're the only friends we have, and even they're leaving.

At Rodger Payne's Blog, we learn a Conservative revolt is hitting the front pages of mainstream media.



The Army Times along with three other military papers owned by the Gannett Companies, have suggested Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top Pentagon civilian and military leaders should be removed over the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal.



How does this grab ya?

At World Net Daily, I read this

Osama bin Laden's family business is on the short list of contractors bidding to build the world's tallest skyscraper...The Saudi Binladin Group, the biggest developer in the kingdom, begun by Osama bin Laden's father, is in the running for the project.

I don't know about you. I keep thinking...

"World Trade Center"....

"He who dies with the biggest and the tallest toys wins"...

"My ****'s bigger than your ****"....

Moqtada Sadr Controls Sadr City

Moqtada Sadr Controls Sadr City
With the quick takeover, which was completed at dawn, Sadr City joined two southern towns, Najaf and Kufa, now under the control of Sadr's militia...

Here's what we've got:

In Iraq, we're fighting against a Shiite cleric and those whose Shiite hearts have been won by him (some of them mere teenagers). I happen to believe we're going to have a hard time convincing these folks this is not a war against their religion since their religion is so closely tied to their government.

A U.S. raid Saturday night and the detention of two of al-Sadr's lieutenants, Amr Husseini and Amjad Saedi, triggered a whole new uprising. One-third of Baghdad's 5 million residents live in this place. They may call this place a "slum", but no matter how you slice it, you can't discount it--that's a lot of people.

Our forces are hitting al Sadr's forces where they can---Diwaniyah, Karbala, Kut and Kufa. The U.S. now has fewer than eight short weeks to transfer some type of authority to a new Iraqi government (whoever on earth that might be...). There's intra-Shiite fighting to worry about in the process of the turnover of power. Rival Shiite clerics hate al-Sadr and here we are-- stuck in the middle of their civil hatred-- precisely where we've never belonged. To boot, all the Shiites have nothing save distrust for the U.S. for reaching out and touching someone...who happen to be members of Saddam's old Baath Party (to placate Sunnis in Fallujah).

We don't belong there. We never have. FOX News Sunday tried to piece together a short propaganda pro-war film to counter Ted Koppel's reading of the names of our Fallen (how dare he?). The FOX news
propagan-documentary fell apart from its start when the filmmaker had the audacity to show Saddam's torture and rape rooms (in the wake of Abu Ghraib).The rest of the film showed our troops doing social work, which should be done by organizations created for that purpose. It drove home the sickeningly sad point that our troops don't belong there and are now suffering (some facing court-martial) for a situation in which they were thrown...untrained..unprepared..and given a wink and nod all the way up the chain of command to do what they needed to do to get the locals to "talk".

I blame FOX News for unethically misleading the American public far too long. The fact that 80% of FOX News-viewers surveyed believed weapons of mass destruction had been found and a connection between al-Qaeda and Iraq existed reveals FOX's ethical transgession. When the Vice President says he loves your work (as he did with FOX), you have to realize that they are not doing their job..which should be challenging power instead of sucking up to it.

It's time to look through the lens clearly (both literally and figuratively) and get these troops back home. Let this become a world-crisis, because that is precisely what it is. Back away and let the entirety of the world step into the vaccuum. It should never have been a lone U.S. Crusade.
The American public, although constantly misinformed, is slowly beginning to understand.
It's a no-win situation.

"Let all you do be done in love"




Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not Love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not Love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not Love, it profiteth me nothing.

Love suffereth long, and is kind;
Love envieth not;
Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly,
Seeketh not her own,
Is not easily provoked,
Thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.



Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, Love, these three; but the greatest of these is Love.

Paul of Tarsus
1 Corinthians 13

Seymour Hersh: Chain Of Command

New Yorker Feature-
Seymour Hersh: Chain of Command


[LINK]
Mr. Hersh shows how the M.P.s at Abu Ghraib were failed by their commanders—both low-ranking and high.

In his devastating report on conditions at Abu Ghraib prison, in Iraq, Major General Antonio M. Taguba singled out only three military men for praise:

1. Master-at-Arms First Class William J. Kimbro, US Navy Dog Handler, knew his duties and refused to participate in improper interrogations despite significant pressure from the MI personnel at Abu Ghraib.

[not mentioned in article, but I wish to mention:]

2. SPC Joseph M. Darby, 372nd MP Company discovered evidence of abuse and turned it over to military law enforcement.

3. 1LT David O. Sutton, 229th MP Company, took immediate action

One of the new photographs shows a young soldier, wearing a dark jacket over his uniform and smiling into the camera, in the corridor of the jail. In the background are two Army dog handlers, in full camouflage combat gear, restraining two German shepherds. The dogs are barking at a man who is partly obscured from the camera’s view by the smiling soldier. Another image shows that the man, an Iraqi prisoner, is naked. His hands are clasped behind his neck and he is leaning against the door to a cell, contorted with terror, as the dogs bark a few feet away. Other photographs show the dogs straining at their leashes and snarling at the prisoner. In another, taken a few minutes later, the Iraqi is lying on the ground, writhing in pain, with a soldier sitting on top of him, knee pressed to his back. Blood is streaming from the inmate’s leg. Another photograph is a closeup of the naked prisoner, from his waist to his ankles, lying on the floor. On his right thigh is what appears to be a bite or a deep scratch. There is another, larger wound on his left leg, covered in blood.

The Pentagon official told me that many senior generals believe that, along with the civilians in Rumsfeld’s office, General Sanchez and General John Abizaid, who is in charge of the Central Command, in Tampa, Florida, had done their best to keep the issue quiet in the first months of the year. The official chain of command flows from General Sanchez, in Iraq, to Abizaid, and on to Rumsfeld and President Bush. “You’ve got to match action, or nonaction, with interests,” the Pentagon official said. “What is the motive for not being forthcoming? They foresaw major diplomatic problems.”
Secrecy and wishful thinking, the Pentagon official said, are defining characteristics of Rumsfeld’s Pentagon, and shaped its response to the reports from Abu Ghraib.

[From the Major Gen.Taguba report:] "There are a large number of Iraqi criminals held at Abu Ghraib. These are not believed to be international terrorists or members of Al Qaeda." Taguba noted that [Major Gen. Geoffrey] Miller’s recommendations “appear to be in conflict” with other studies and with Army regulations that call for military-police units to have control of the prison system. By placing military-intelligence operatives in control instead, Miller’s recommendations and [General]Sanchez’s change in policy undoubtedly played a role in the abuses at Abu Ghraib.

One lingering mystery is how [Maj. Gen. Donald J.] Ryder could have conducted his review last fall, in the midst of the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, without managing to catch it.

Bush: "You can count on God and me"

"God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear."

--—G.W. Bush Los Angeles, Calif., March 3, 2004
___

"What hawks never seem to realize is that while war is sometimes necessary, it always breeds inhumanity. There are no "evildoers" and good guys when bullets fly. When enemies threaten you, it's you or them, and you shrug off "collateral damage." And when our leaders preach that "they" are evil, and we have God on our side, anger can morph oh-so-easily into brutality. Think Rwanda. My Lai. Al-Qaida. Hitler.

We've lost. How many more must die before we admit it?" [LINK]

Debbie Armstrong speaks for Lynndie

Lynndie's Aunt Debbie is proud of her

Seen at the website for the David Lawrence show:
(I repost the message as I found it--written in caps)

IM (sic) AM LYNNDIES AUNT AND PROUD OF IT! THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING BAD THINGS ABOUT LYNNDIE DONT EVEN KNOW !!! SHE IS A GOOD KID AT WRONG PLACE AT WRONG NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS SHE WAS FOLLOWING
ORDERS.I GUESS SOMEBODY HAS TO TAKE THE FALL!DO YOU THINK THAT THE IRAQS WOULD DO THE SAME TO THE AMERICANS GIVEN THE CHANCE?

Posted by: debbie on May 8, 2004 04:05 PM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would invite Lynndie's aunt, Debbie Armstrong, to make any comment here at Iddybud. We need to have an American discussion in a place we all feel safe.