Saturday, July 05, 2003
Killing to stay alive.
This is an article via Unenviable Situation, that ought to put shame in the hearts of anyone who wants this war to continue:
Sergeant First Class John Meadows revealed the mindset that has led to hundreds of innocent Iraqi civilians being killed alongside fighters deliberately dressed in civilian clothes. "You can't distinguish between who's trying to kill you and who's not," he said. "Like, the only way to get through s*** like that was to concentrate on getting through it by killing as many people as you can, people you know are trying to kill you. Killing them first and getting home."
Sergeant First Class John Meadows revealed the mindset that has led to hundreds of innocent Iraqi civilians being killed alongside fighters deliberately dressed in civilian clothes. "You can't distinguish between who's trying to kill you and who's not," he said. "Like, the only way to get through s*** like that was to concentrate on getting through it by killing as many people as you can, people you know are trying to kill you. Killing them first and getting home."
# posted by scorpiorising : 11:22 AM |
Constitutional Crises in Britain
There is a crisis in Britain, and it is one involving the constitution, and the health of the office of the prime minister. It appears that the office of the prime minister is willing to cannibalize Britain's very well-respected BBC news, in an effort to justify its involvement in Iraq. We can only hope that the BBC board of governors continue to support their reporters, and the cause of free speech:
Governors want Mr Dyke and his director of news, Richard Sambrook, to justify their reasons for standing by the controversial story at the heart of the dispute. Mr Dyke's determination not to back down, and Downing Street's insistence that the BBC was wrong to run the story, has led to the most serious fall-out between the government and the publicly funded broadcaster since Norman Tebbit attacked Kate Adie's reporting of the Libyan air raids in 1986.
On Monday, MPs are expected to clear Alastair Campbell, Downing Street's director of communications, of "sexing up" an intelligence dossier that claimed Iraq would be able to launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes.
This would present a serious problem for the BBC: its original report by Andrew Gilligan, defence and diplomatic correspondent for Radio 4's Today programme, quoted an intelligence source who claimed there was concern in intelligence circles about Downing Street's role in the preparation of the September dossier.
It is obvious to every intelligent, informed human being that intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was exaggerated to promote this war. You can call it "sexed up", you can call it lies, you can call it whatever you want to call it. It is the responsibility of the press to report on this. Someone lied somewhere along the line, and the lies were repeated and extended and condoned by those in power. This has to stop.
I urge everyone to send an email to the BBC's board of governors in support of the efforts of BBC reporters and others to expose the lies (newsonline@bbc.co.uk). I cannot judge the accuracy of Andrew Gilligan's article, but this controversy is deflecting from the main issue, that of deliberate attempts by Tony Blair to mislead the British public into believing in the cause for war against Iraq.
The BBC is already clamping down on freelance reporters as a result over this row between the BBC and the prime minister's communications director, Alastair Campbell. This is a wrong message to send to the public, and dispays a lack of trust in conclusions reached as a result of the original article that started everything, despite statements to the contrary:
The BBC's director of news, Richard Sambrook, today reiterated his support for Today programme defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan, whose May 29 story that an intelligence source was claiming the government "sexed up" last September's Iraq dossier is at the centre of the row with Downing Street.
Mr Sambrook sent an email to all BBC News staff rejecting claims in today's Times that Gilligan's position was "under threat".
But senior BBC insiders admit that an article Gilligan wrote for the Mail on Sunday, shortly after his May 29 Iraq dossier story, provided unnecessary ammunition for the prime minister's communications director, Alastair Campbell.
Is the truth "unnecessary ammunition"? The BBC needs to decide if it wants to remain in the business of journalism, or become an arm of the government, like the American network media. If the BBC were to issue a correction of some kind, perhaps it might read:
"We don't know who altered the intelligence on Iraq, but we do know that it was based on forged documents and exaggerations, and manipulations that the public has a right to be informed of." or
"We apoligize for the suggestion that Alastair Campbell was responsible for the "sexing up" of the dossier of Iraqi intelligence. We now realize this decision rests squarely on the shoulders of the Prime Minister himself, Tony Blair.
The is a crossroads for the BBC, and it looks as it they may not be choosing well.
Governors want Mr Dyke and his director of news, Richard Sambrook, to justify their reasons for standing by the controversial story at the heart of the dispute. Mr Dyke's determination not to back down, and Downing Street's insistence that the BBC was wrong to run the story, has led to the most serious fall-out between the government and the publicly funded broadcaster since Norman Tebbit attacked Kate Adie's reporting of the Libyan air raids in 1986.
On Monday, MPs are expected to clear Alastair Campbell, Downing Street's director of communications, of "sexing up" an intelligence dossier that claimed Iraq would be able to launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes.
This would present a serious problem for the BBC: its original report by Andrew Gilligan, defence and diplomatic correspondent for Radio 4's Today programme, quoted an intelligence source who claimed there was concern in intelligence circles about Downing Street's role in the preparation of the September dossier.
It is obvious to every intelligent, informed human being that intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was exaggerated to promote this war. You can call it "sexed up", you can call it lies, you can call it whatever you want to call it. It is the responsibility of the press to report on this. Someone lied somewhere along the line, and the lies were repeated and extended and condoned by those in power. This has to stop.
I urge everyone to send an email to the BBC's board of governors in support of the efforts of BBC reporters and others to expose the lies (newsonline@bbc.co.uk). I cannot judge the accuracy of Andrew Gilligan's article, but this controversy is deflecting from the main issue, that of deliberate attempts by Tony Blair to mislead the British public into believing in the cause for war against Iraq.
The BBC is already clamping down on freelance reporters as a result over this row between the BBC and the prime minister's communications director, Alastair Campbell. This is a wrong message to send to the public, and dispays a lack of trust in conclusions reached as a result of the original article that started everything, despite statements to the contrary:
The BBC's director of news, Richard Sambrook, today reiterated his support for Today programme defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan, whose May 29 story that an intelligence source was claiming the government "sexed up" last September's Iraq dossier is at the centre of the row with Downing Street.
Mr Sambrook sent an email to all BBC News staff rejecting claims in today's Times that Gilligan's position was "under threat".
But senior BBC insiders admit that an article Gilligan wrote for the Mail on Sunday, shortly after his May 29 Iraq dossier story, provided unnecessary ammunition for the prime minister's communications director, Alastair Campbell.
Is the truth "unnecessary ammunition"? The BBC needs to decide if it wants to remain in the business of journalism, or become an arm of the government, like the American network media. If the BBC were to issue a correction of some kind, perhaps it might read:
"We don't know who altered the intelligence on Iraq, but we do know that it was based on forged documents and exaggerations, and manipulations that the public has a right to be informed of." or
"We apoligize for the suggestion that Alastair Campbell was responsible for the "sexing up" of the dossier of Iraqi intelligence. We now realize this decision rests squarely on the shoulders of the Prime Minister himself, Tony Blair.
The is a crossroads for the BBC, and it looks as it they may not be choosing well.
# posted by scorpiorising : 9:33 AM |
The democratic party needs the African-American vote and support.
This article upset me, because it is American politics at its worse. Max Cleland is still recovering from the campaign battle for governor in Georgia, in which he was depicted as a traitor by a campaign ad run by his opponent, Saxby Chambliss:
Cleland, 60, is still livid over a now-infamous TV commercial that Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss ran against him. It opened with pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, then attacked Cleland for voting against President Bush's Homeland Security bill. It didn't mention that Cleland supported a Democratic bill that wasn't radically different.
"That was the biggest lie in America -- to put me up there with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and say I voted against homeland security!" he says, his voice rising in anger.
"I volunteered 35 years ago to go to Vietnam and the guy I was running against got out of going to Vietnam with a trick knee! I was an author of the homeland security bill, for goodness' sake! But I wasn't a rubber stamp for the White House. That right there is the epitome of what's wrong with American politics today!"
What is particularly upseting is that rural voters flocked to the polls in that election in anger over Cleland's hauling down of the Confederate flag over the Georgia state legislature. My question is, couldn't the democratic party anticipate this response, and work hard to get out the African-American vote in Georgia? We've got to start organizing now with voter registration drives to get the vote out for 2004, and we've go to work hard.
Cleland, 60, is still livid over a now-infamous TV commercial that Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss ran against him. It opened with pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, then attacked Cleland for voting against President Bush's Homeland Security bill. It didn't mention that Cleland supported a Democratic bill that wasn't radically different.
"That was the biggest lie in America -- to put me up there with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and say I voted against homeland security!" he says, his voice rising in anger.
"I volunteered 35 years ago to go to Vietnam and the guy I was running against got out of going to Vietnam with a trick knee! I was an author of the homeland security bill, for goodness' sake! But I wasn't a rubber stamp for the White House. That right there is the epitome of what's wrong with American politics today!"
What is particularly upseting is that rural voters flocked to the polls in that election in anger over Cleland's hauling down of the Confederate flag over the Georgia state legislature. My question is, couldn't the democratic party anticipate this response, and work hard to get out the African-American vote in Georgia? We've got to start organizing now with voter registration drives to get the vote out for 2004, and we've go to work hard.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:35 AM |
The right has Ann Coulter, and, thank goddess, we have Renana Brooks. Thanks to Emma from Notes on the Atrocities for reminding me of this article on Bush and his use, and abuse of language, a subject dear to my heart.
Emma quotes from the president's most recent speech, calling it one of the most shameful of his presidency:
"Our nation is still at war. The enemies of America plot against us. And many of our fellow citizens are still serving and sacrificing and facing danger in distant places. Many military families are separated. Our people in uniform do not have easy duty, and much depends on their success. Without America's active involvement in the world, the ambitions of tyrants would go unopposed, and millions would live at the mercy of terrorists. With Americans' active involvement in the world, tyrants learn to fear, and terrorists are on the run".
Emma contrasts Bush's utterances with snippets from the Nation article by Brooks, called a Nation of Victims:
George W. Bush is generally regarded as a mangler of the English language. What is overlooked is his mastery of emotional language--especially negatively charged emotional language--as a political tool. Take a closer look at his speeches and public utterances, and his political success turns out to be no surprise. It is the predictable result of the intentional use of language to dominate others.
President Bush, like many dominant personality types, uses dependency-creating language. He employs language of contempt and intimidation to shame others into submission and desperate admiration. While we tend to think of the dominator as using physical force, in fact most dominators use verbal abuse to control others. Abusive language has been a major theme of psychological researchers on marital problems, such as John Gottman, and of philosophers and theologians, such as Josef Pieper. But little has been said about the key role it has come to play in political discourse, and in such "hot media" as talk radio and television.
Bush uses several dominating linguistic techniques to induce surrender to his will. The first is empty language. This term refers to broad statements that are so abstract and mean so little that they are virtually impossible to oppose. Empty language is the emotional equivalent of empty calories. Just as we seldom question the content of potato chips while enjoying their pleasurable taste, recipients of empty language are usually distracted from examining the content of what they are hearing. Dominators use empty language to conceal faulty generalizations; to ridicule viable alternatives; to attribute negative motivations to others, thus making them appear contemptible; and to rename and "reframe" opposing viewpoints.
In my view, it will be difficult for Bush to "rename and reframe" the opposing viewpoint of the need for a regime change at home for the American people.
Emma quotes from the president's most recent speech, calling it one of the most shameful of his presidency:
"Our nation is still at war. The enemies of America plot against us. And many of our fellow citizens are still serving and sacrificing and facing danger in distant places. Many military families are separated. Our people in uniform do not have easy duty, and much depends on their success. Without America's active involvement in the world, the ambitions of tyrants would go unopposed, and millions would live at the mercy of terrorists. With Americans' active involvement in the world, tyrants learn to fear, and terrorists are on the run".
Emma contrasts Bush's utterances with snippets from the Nation article by Brooks, called a Nation of Victims:
George W. Bush is generally regarded as a mangler of the English language. What is overlooked is his mastery of emotional language--especially negatively charged emotional language--as a political tool. Take a closer look at his speeches and public utterances, and his political success turns out to be no surprise. It is the predictable result of the intentional use of language to dominate others.
President Bush, like many dominant personality types, uses dependency-creating language. He employs language of contempt and intimidation to shame others into submission and desperate admiration. While we tend to think of the dominator as using physical force, in fact most dominators use verbal abuse to control others. Abusive language has been a major theme of psychological researchers on marital problems, such as John Gottman, and of philosophers and theologians, such as Josef Pieper. But little has been said about the key role it has come to play in political discourse, and in such "hot media" as talk radio and television.
Bush uses several dominating linguistic techniques to induce surrender to his will. The first is empty language. This term refers to broad statements that are so abstract and mean so little that they are virtually impossible to oppose. Empty language is the emotional equivalent of empty calories. Just as we seldom question the content of potato chips while enjoying their pleasurable taste, recipients of empty language are usually distracted from examining the content of what they are hearing. Dominators use empty language to conceal faulty generalizations; to ridicule viable alternatives; to attribute negative motivations to others, thus making them appear contemptible; and to rename and "reframe" opposing viewpoints.
In my view, it will be difficult for Bush to "rename and reframe" the opposing viewpoint of the need for a regime change at home for the American people.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:01 AM |
Friday, July 04, 2003
Ban Cluster Bombs.
All weapons are inhuman, but the most inhumane of all are cluster bombs, used by the British and Americans in Iraq, and the coalition forces in Afghanistan:
Anything between 2,000 and 17,000 unexploded British bomblets may remain on the ground in Iraq, posing a daily threat to civilian lives, according to estimates by a British MP.
The Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb's figures are based on the likely failure rates of the "sub-munitions" inside the cluster bombs used during the invasion.
Landmine Action, one of the main campaigners against the use of these weapons, believes that the US and UK forces delivered about 300,000 bomblets in the war.
Cluster bombs are highly effective against troop concentrations, but a significant proportion of the bomblets fail to explode on impact.
They remain on the battlefield, in some cases in urban areas, where they can easily be picked up and detonated by children.
UN agencies say hundreds of Iraqi children have been killed or injured since the end of the fighting after collecting unexploded shells and bomblets.
The government says British aircraft dropped 66 cluster bombs, each containing 147 bomblets, and fired 2,000 artillery shells containing 49 bomblets each. That would amount to almost 100,000 bomblets.
Mr Lamb, the MP for North Norfolk, said: "Given a failure rate of just 2%, the minimum quoted by their manufacturers, this means that over 2,000 unexploded sub-munitions are left in Iraq as a result of the use of cluster bombs by British forces alone."
A 5% failure rate was seen as accurate after the war in Afghanistan, he said, which would translate to 5,385 unexploded bomblets in Iraq; the manufacturers' maximum 16% failure rate would mean 17,232.
"The government needs to take urgent action to speed up the clearance of these deadly remnants of conflict," Mr Lamb said.
Anything between 2,000 and 17,000 unexploded British bomblets may remain on the ground in Iraq, posing a daily threat to civilian lives, according to estimates by a British MP.
The Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb's figures are based on the likely failure rates of the "sub-munitions" inside the cluster bombs used during the invasion.
Landmine Action, one of the main campaigners against the use of these weapons, believes that the US and UK forces delivered about 300,000 bomblets in the war.
Cluster bombs are highly effective against troop concentrations, but a significant proportion of the bomblets fail to explode on impact.
They remain on the battlefield, in some cases in urban areas, where they can easily be picked up and detonated by children.
UN agencies say hundreds of Iraqi children have been killed or injured since the end of the fighting after collecting unexploded shells and bomblets.
The government says British aircraft dropped 66 cluster bombs, each containing 147 bomblets, and fired 2,000 artillery shells containing 49 bomblets each. That would amount to almost 100,000 bomblets.
Mr Lamb, the MP for North Norfolk, said: "Given a failure rate of just 2%, the minimum quoted by their manufacturers, this means that over 2,000 unexploded sub-munitions are left in Iraq as a result of the use of cluster bombs by British forces alone."
A 5% failure rate was seen as accurate after the war in Afghanistan, he said, which would translate to 5,385 unexploded bomblets in Iraq; the manufacturers' maximum 16% failure rate would mean 17,232.
"The government needs to take urgent action to speed up the clearance of these deadly remnants of conflict," Mr Lamb said.
# posted by scorpiorising : 4:53 PM |
Thursday, July 03, 2003
General J. C. Christian, Patriot, says goodby
Jesus's General says goodby for a good reason and a good cause:
Thanks
I've really enjoyed doing this. I love showing the bigots and the conservatives and the bigoted conservatives and the conservative bigots for the buffoons they are. I'd like to keep on doing it, but I've decided to devote all of my free time to booting Bush out of office. I can't justify spending a single moment doing anything else. It's just too important.
I've been away from politics for a decade now. It was once my life. I have a masters in political management from The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University and ten years of campaign experience -- I did it for a living for three of those years. I was good at it. Every campaign I had complete control over succeeded and I'm talking about Democrats in Utah. I quit doing it because I needed to be home with my family more and I was at a stage in my career where I had to travel around the country to make it to the next level. I don't regret doing it, but now I think I need to dust off those old skills to help put this country back on track.
I'm not angling for a campaign job. I'm just going to try to move my medium sized swing Republican county from red to blue where it belongs. I'll do that by getting people excited about Howard Dean. If his candidacy falters, I'll do it by getting people excited about someone else. The important thing is that my county and state vote Democratic in 2004. I'm going to spend every possible moment until then working to see that it happens. I think this kind of old fashioned on the street organizing is the only way we're going to be able to overcome the advantage the conservatives have via their virtual stranglehold over the media.
Thanks again for making this so much fun. I'd like to particularly thank Atrios for the early exposure and Andrew, Mac Diva, the Farmer, Dru Blood, Major Barbara, The Kid. Cowboy Khalil, and everyone else who offered me encouragement.
See you all in Atrios' comments section,
Tim
An e-mail that I sent to him:
Thank you for all of the wonderful satire. Somehow I feel you will be back with even more delicious satirical bravery, because once we kick Bush out of office, we will need to keep the pressure and exposure spotlight focused on the powers that swept him into office.
I, too am going to hitting the streets soon to work for a regime change. I am working with others now to coordinate voter registration drives in the state of Louisiana. We intend nothing less than to deliver Louisiana to the democrats in 2004. We reelected Senator Mary Landrieu, a democrat, last year, despite a strong challenge from the republican party. I will be blogging on my efforts to keep others informed and inspire them in their efforts. It would be good to hear from you now and then in your own efforts to help bring sanity back to the oval office.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Cook
Thanks
I've really enjoyed doing this. I love showing the bigots and the conservatives and the bigoted conservatives and the conservative bigots for the buffoons they are. I'd like to keep on doing it, but I've decided to devote all of my free time to booting Bush out of office. I can't justify spending a single moment doing anything else. It's just too important.
I've been away from politics for a decade now. It was once my life. I have a masters in political management from The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University and ten years of campaign experience -- I did it for a living for three of those years. I was good at it. Every campaign I had complete control over succeeded and I'm talking about Democrats in Utah. I quit doing it because I needed to be home with my family more and I was at a stage in my career where I had to travel around the country to make it to the next level. I don't regret doing it, but now I think I need to dust off those old skills to help put this country back on track.
I'm not angling for a campaign job. I'm just going to try to move my medium sized swing Republican county from red to blue where it belongs. I'll do that by getting people excited about Howard Dean. If his candidacy falters, I'll do it by getting people excited about someone else. The important thing is that my county and state vote Democratic in 2004. I'm going to spend every possible moment until then working to see that it happens. I think this kind of old fashioned on the street organizing is the only way we're going to be able to overcome the advantage the conservatives have via their virtual stranglehold over the media.
Thanks again for making this so much fun. I'd like to particularly thank Atrios for the early exposure and Andrew, Mac Diva, the Farmer, Dru Blood, Major Barbara, The Kid. Cowboy Khalil, and everyone else who offered me encouragement.
See you all in Atrios' comments section,
Tim
An e-mail that I sent to him:
Thank you for all of the wonderful satire. Somehow I feel you will be back with even more delicious satirical bravery, because once we kick Bush out of office, we will need to keep the pressure and exposure spotlight focused on the powers that swept him into office.
I, too am going to hitting the streets soon to work for a regime change. I am working with others now to coordinate voter registration drives in the state of Louisiana. We intend nothing less than to deliver Louisiana to the democrats in 2004. We reelected Senator Mary Landrieu, a democrat, last year, despite a strong challenge from the republican party. I will be blogging on my efforts to keep others informed and inspire them in their efforts. It would be good to hear from you now and then in your own efforts to help bring sanity back to the oval office.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Cook
# posted by scorpiorising : 1:35 PM |
Kucinich as Mayor of Cleveland.
I have to confess to having a bit of a temper. That said, I am a passionate person for my beliefs, and I suppose just as passionate over my fears that we are losing our country to a right wing fascist mentallity. My father and I just had an argument over Dennis Kucinich. Now my father is a democrat, mind you, but rather plodding and pragmatic. He has a web site on Germany in World War 2, and is developing one on current politics.
But one thing he doesn't know about is Kucinich's term as mayor of Cleveland, and just why the city defaulted. There are many who still want to portray this issue as a loggerhead for Kucinich. Truth is, Kucinich is now seen as a hero to many in Cleveland, according to the Clevelandmagazine.com (Thirty people who defined Cleveland issue):
In December 1978, as the city’s financial troubles mounted, the Cleveland Trust Bank refused to grant the city a loan extension unless it sold the Municipal Light System (now Cleveland Public Power). Kucinich wouldn’t sell and the city went into default.
Ryan: “Dennis was willing to risk a bright future in politics for cheap electricity. He showed me, as a young man, he was willing to stand up to incredible powers and put his own personal life in jeopardy in the interests of people he [represented] by refusing to sell Cleveland Public Power. Think of what he really did give up: all those years of political life when he was almost exiled.”
Kucinich lost his bid for re-election in 1979. He spent 13 of the next 15 years out of politicaloffice.
Forbes: He suffered. He couldn't make a living. He could not get a job. That was payback from the business community for what they felt he did to the town."
Kucinich was elected to Congress in 1996.
Joe Cimperman, city councilman: "We were in a Labor Day parade three years ago in Brook Park. And I remember him putting his arm around me and saying that I had to maintain spiritual peace inside, because giving in to anger would be my downfall. At that point, it was the best thing he could have said to me, because he sensedmy inexperience and my youth , and wanted to impart some wisdom."
“When the hospitals started closing, he reached out to every council member who was impacted by it. He called me at 3 in the morning. He was feeding, living, breathing off of this chance to keep [St. Michael’s] open.”
Forbes: “[Last year,] we went and had a cup of coffee together — he had his cup of hot water — and we sat and talked abut the mayor’s race. He had given it a passing thought. He said, ‘If I run for mayor, I want to talk to [Dick] Jacobs, I want to talk to [Al] Lerner, I want to talk to [Sam] Miller, I want to talk to [Bert] Wolstein, and I want to announce a project a month.’ Which told me that he had changed. He never would’ve even considered talking to those men before, when he was mayor.”
Cimperman: “There’s people from a generation that will never change their opinions about him, both positively and negatively: the older neighborhood core and the older corporate core. The more people my age, in their 30s and 40s, get to know him, the more they’re like, ‘This guy stands for things that are important to me.’ At the Tremont arts and cultural fair in Lincoln Park [in September], I was walking with him and it was unbelievable how many people said, ‘Keep the peace. Don’t let us go to war.’ ”
Dennis Kucinich wants to form the Department of Peace and reduce the Pentagon budget. Sounds like a good idea to me.
But one thing he doesn't know about is Kucinich's term as mayor of Cleveland, and just why the city defaulted. There are many who still want to portray this issue as a loggerhead for Kucinich. Truth is, Kucinich is now seen as a hero to many in Cleveland, according to the Clevelandmagazine.com (Thirty people who defined Cleveland issue):
In December 1978, as the city’s financial troubles mounted, the Cleveland Trust Bank refused to grant the city a loan extension unless it sold the Municipal Light System (now Cleveland Public Power). Kucinich wouldn’t sell and the city went into default.
Ryan: “Dennis was willing to risk a bright future in politics for cheap electricity. He showed me, as a young man, he was willing to stand up to incredible powers and put his own personal life in jeopardy in the interests of people he [represented] by refusing to sell Cleveland Public Power. Think of what he really did give up: all those years of political life when he was almost exiled.”
Kucinich lost his bid for re-election in 1979. He spent 13 of the next 15 years out of politicaloffice.
Forbes: He suffered. He couldn't make a living. He could not get a job. That was payback from the business community for what they felt he did to the town."
Kucinich was elected to Congress in 1996.
Joe Cimperman, city councilman: "We were in a Labor Day parade three years ago in Brook Park. And I remember him putting his arm around me and saying that I had to maintain spiritual peace inside, because giving in to anger would be my downfall. At that point, it was the best thing he could have said to me, because he sensedmy inexperience and my youth , and wanted to impart some wisdom."
“When the hospitals started closing, he reached out to every council member who was impacted by it. He called me at 3 in the morning. He was feeding, living, breathing off of this chance to keep [St. Michael’s] open.”
Forbes: “[Last year,] we went and had a cup of coffee together — he had his cup of hot water — and we sat and talked abut the mayor’s race. He had given it a passing thought. He said, ‘If I run for mayor, I want to talk to [Dick] Jacobs, I want to talk to [Al] Lerner, I want to talk to [Sam] Miller, I want to talk to [Bert] Wolstein, and I want to announce a project a month.’ Which told me that he had changed. He never would’ve even considered talking to those men before, when he was mayor.”
Cimperman: “There’s people from a generation that will never change their opinions about him, both positively and negatively: the older neighborhood core and the older corporate core. The more people my age, in their 30s and 40s, get to know him, the more they’re like, ‘This guy stands for things that are important to me.’ At the Tremont arts and cultural fair in Lincoln Park [in September], I was walking with him and it was unbelievable how many people said, ‘Keep the peace. Don’t let us go to war.’ ”
Dennis Kucinich wants to form the Department of Peace and reduce the Pentagon budget. Sounds like a good idea to me.
# posted by scorpiorising : 1:02 PM |
Kucinich can Win.
Daniel Patrick Welch wrote this inspiring article concerning his belief that Kucinich can be elected, and sent it to me via e-mail. You can link to the article here, and I'll print a little teaser for you:
It's a remarkable surge in just a few days, and with the resultant influx of sorely needed cash, it is only a matter of time before people start voting where they really want to--the buzz is that Dennis is people's "I would, but..." candidate. And all the notables who take note of Kucinich, even some who overtly or implicitly endorse him, "concede" that he doesn't have a chance.
I think they may be selling their man short. My answer to those who say we can only win by playing the same game is that--what seems completely logical to me--it's the only way we can lose. The money and the media will always favor the right--unless we can learn to run an insurgent, Kucinich--type candidate and campaign and win successfully, we are screwed. Why is this news? Why should U.S. elections be so special--they are some of the most corrupt and money-polluted scams in the world.
We need to look elsewhere for models and quit whining and focusing on old-school gamesmanship. It is nothing new for progressive populists to run against moneyed candidates with "only" the Truth and the People on their side. Why should this be a losing proposition? Lula did it in Brazil. Chavez did it in Venezuela. Allende did it in Chile before the CIA mowed him down... Not only is it possible--it may be the only way to win, especially as time goes on and the demographics further favor such insurgency. It's still Jackson's model: without bringing millions of new people into the process, by energizing and mobilizing base constituencies, the left is suicidally following the right's game plan and ignoring its own overwhelming strengths. The Emerging Democratic Majority may well be ours--but we have the power to blow it by convincing future generations of Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and others that their growing numbers are not of interest to us and they have nothing to gain by participating. The right is quite justifiably following a smart strategy which is the only way they can win. They have even succeeded in getting most Democrats to follow a strategy which is the only way they can lose.
It's a remarkable surge in just a few days, and with the resultant influx of sorely needed cash, it is only a matter of time before people start voting where they really want to--the buzz is that Dennis is people's "I would, but..." candidate. And all the notables who take note of Kucinich, even some who overtly or implicitly endorse him, "concede" that he doesn't have a chance.
I think they may be selling their man short. My answer to those who say we can only win by playing the same game is that--what seems completely logical to me--it's the only way we can lose. The money and the media will always favor the right--unless we can learn to run an insurgent, Kucinich--type candidate and campaign and win successfully, we are screwed. Why is this news? Why should U.S. elections be so special--they are some of the most corrupt and money-polluted scams in the world.
We need to look elsewhere for models and quit whining and focusing on old-school gamesmanship. It is nothing new for progressive populists to run against moneyed candidates with "only" the Truth and the People on their side. Why should this be a losing proposition? Lula did it in Brazil. Chavez did it in Venezuela. Allende did it in Chile before the CIA mowed him down... Not only is it possible--it may be the only way to win, especially as time goes on and the demographics further favor such insurgency. It's still Jackson's model: without bringing millions of new people into the process, by energizing and mobilizing base constituencies, the left is suicidally following the right's game plan and ignoring its own overwhelming strengths. The Emerging Democratic Majority may well be ours--but we have the power to blow it by convincing future generations of Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and others that their growing numbers are not of interest to us and they have nothing to gain by participating. The right is quite justifiably following a smart strategy which is the only way they can win. They have even succeeded in getting most Democrats to follow a strategy which is the only way they can lose.
# posted by scorpiorising : 7:34 AM |
Major defense firm wins bid to rebuild Iraq army.
This is slightly old news, but a major defense firm, Northrop Grummam, was awarded a $48 million contract to rebuild the Iraqi army. Northrop participated in secret bidding to win this award. The Defense Department is not naming the other bidders. Don't we have a right to know how our tax dollars are being parceled out?
Part of the US defence group Northrop Grumman has been given a year and $48m (£28.7m) to create a new Iraqi army.
The contract was awarded to Northrop's military training arm, the Vinnell corporation, which already trains the Saudi National Guard.
An adviser to the US authorities in Iraq said the first unit would be a light infantry division made up of twelve-thousand men, with two more units to be added the following year.
The new troops will replace the old Iraqi army which was disbanded by US-led forces a month ago.
Vinnell's website is recruiting former US Army and Marine officers and other specialised military experts to work in Iraq.
Vinnell is expected to start work this month and should be completed within a year.
Major General Paul Eaton, former commander of the US Infantry Centre at Fort Benning in Georgia will oversee the training.
The Defense Department said five bids were received for the army contract, but did not name the other firms which took part in the tender.
Part of the US defence group Northrop Grumman has been given a year and $48m (£28.7m) to create a new Iraqi army.
The contract was awarded to Northrop's military training arm, the Vinnell corporation, which already trains the Saudi National Guard.
An adviser to the US authorities in Iraq said the first unit would be a light infantry division made up of twelve-thousand men, with two more units to be added the following year.
The new troops will replace the old Iraqi army which was disbanded by US-led forces a month ago.
Vinnell's website is recruiting former US Army and Marine officers and other specialised military experts to work in Iraq.
Vinnell is expected to start work this month and should be completed within a year.
Major General Paul Eaton, former commander of the US Infantry Centre at Fort Benning in Georgia will oversee the training.
The Defense Department said five bids were received for the army contract, but did not name the other firms which took part in the tender.
# posted by scorpiorising : 7:26 AM |
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Willie Nelson endorses Dennis Kucinich for president!!!
A little bit of good news today for supporters of Dennis Kucinich. Willie Nelson today threw his hat into the ring and endorsed Kucinich for president, with this press announcement:
STATEMENT FROM WILLIE NELSON
"I am endorsing Dennis Kucinich for President because he stands up for
heartland Americans who are too often overlooked and unheard. He has
done that his whole political career. Big corporations are
well-represented in Washington, but Dennis Kucinich is a rare
Congressman of conscience and bravery who fights for the unrepresented,
much like the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Dennis champions individual
privacy, safe food laws and family farmers. A Kucinich Administration
will put the interests of America's family farmers, consumers and
environment above the greed of industrial agribusiness.
"I normally do not get too heavily involved in politics, but this is
more about getting involved with America than with politics. I encourage
people to learn more about Dennis Kucinich at http://www.kucinich.us and
I will be doing all I can to raise his profile with voters. I plan to do
concerts to benefit the campaign."
STATEMENT FROM WILLIE NELSON
"I am endorsing Dennis Kucinich for President because he stands up for
heartland Americans who are too often overlooked and unheard. He has
done that his whole political career. Big corporations are
well-represented in Washington, but Dennis Kucinich is a rare
Congressman of conscience and bravery who fights for the unrepresented,
much like the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Dennis champions individual
privacy, safe food laws and family farmers. A Kucinich Administration
will put the interests of America's family farmers, consumers and
environment above the greed of industrial agribusiness.
"I normally do not get too heavily involved in politics, but this is
more about getting involved with America than with politics. I encourage
people to learn more about Dennis Kucinich at http://www.kucinich.us and
I will be doing all I can to raise his profile with voters. I plan to do
concerts to benefit the campaign."
# posted by scorpiorising : 2:29 PM |
The Texas Cowboy strikes again!
George Bush would have our troops engage in conflict, apparently, for the sake of proving that we are up to the task:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday challenged militants who have been killing and injuring U.S. forces in Iraq, saying "bring them on" because American forces were tough enough to deal with their attacks.
"There are some who feel like that conditions are such that they can attack us there," Bush told reporters at the White House. "My answer is 'bring them on'. We have the force necessary to deal with the situation."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday challenged militants who have been killing and injuring U.S. forces in Iraq, saying "bring them on" because American forces were tough enough to deal with their attacks.
"There are some who feel like that conditions are such that they can attack us there," Bush told reporters at the White House. "My answer is 'bring them on'. We have the force necessary to deal with the situation."
# posted by scorpiorising : 11:30 AM |
The soldiers are weary.
The 307th Military Police Force of the United States Army has been in Iraq since May 24, which is about six weeks. From the sound of the soldiers, it is six weeks too long:
BAGHDAD, June 30 -- To Staff Sgt. Charles Pollard, the working-class suburb of Mashtal is a "very, very, very, very bad neighborhood." And he sees just one solution.
"U.S. officials need to get our [expletive] out of here," said the 43-year-old reservist from Pittsburgh, who arrived in Iraq with the 307th Military Police Company on May 24. "I say that seriously. We have no business being here. We will not change the culture they have in Iraq, in Baghdad. Baghdad is so corrupted. All we are here is potential people to be killed and sitting ducks."
To Sgt. Sami Jalil, a 14-year veteran of the local police force, the Americans are to blame. He and his colleagues have no badges, no uniforms. The soldiers don't trust them with weapons. In his eyes, his U.S. counterparts have already lost the people's trust.
BAGHDAD, June 30 -- To Staff Sgt. Charles Pollard, the working-class suburb of Mashtal is a "very, very, very, very bad neighborhood." And he sees just one solution.
"U.S. officials need to get our [expletive] out of here," said the 43-year-old reservist from Pittsburgh, who arrived in Iraq with the 307th Military Police Company on May 24. "I say that seriously. We have no business being here. We will not change the culture they have in Iraq, in Baghdad. Baghdad is so corrupted. All we are here is potential people to be killed and sitting ducks."
To Sgt. Sami Jalil, a 14-year veteran of the local police force, the Americans are to blame. He and his colleagues have no badges, no uniforms. The soldiers don't trust them with weapons. In his eyes, his U.S. counterparts have already lost the people's trust.
# posted by scorpiorising : 9:25 AM |
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Where is Raed? gives us Zanaib
I have heard much said that the average Iraqi is glad Saddam is gone. I have heard many public officials here say the resistance is limited to baathists and extremists, and mercenaries from other countries. Howard Dean has been castigated for his remark concerning Iraq, that he isn't sure the country is better off without Saddam. Yet here is a woman blogger, Zanaib, posting her first entry in Iraq, contradicting all of the official, Bush administration rhetoric on Iraq (there are a number of misspellings in the original blog, which I left in place):
I know that one day there will be agreat revolution against the Americans and now we have the first seeds of that revolution . many Iraqi soldiers have demonstrated on june 18th in front of ORHA(the republican palace) claiming their rights of either having salaries or retired Though this incident had been proceeded by many others , nevertheless, it is the first time like having a really organized activity , they where absolutely agitated or furious against the Americans . A convoy was trying to get inside ,one of the Americans got panic and started shooting at the masses ,two Iraqis got killed others wounded , terrible scarey scene . You have two sides each is inflicting the other great losses and its only the beginning . Did you know that at the beginning of the invasion everybody said it’s a bless getting rid of Saddam Hussien but it turns to be an ever lasting curse,haw could they just go leaving the biggest oil reservoir in the region, they have planned to stay, accept it or not ,the staunting thing is what the people want naw (the return of Saddam the tyrant)!!! . When you think thoroughly about it you find it logical & reasonable ,during the past regime there were safety &work chances(money) BUT, THERE IS NO FREEDOM, naw there is freedom without safety or public services with very very mini work opportunities , so normally they prefer the past time of saddam.
I know that one day there will be agreat revolution against the Americans and now we have the first seeds of that revolution . many Iraqi soldiers have demonstrated on june 18th in front of ORHA(the republican palace) claiming their rights of either having salaries or retired Though this incident had been proceeded by many others , nevertheless, it is the first time like having a really organized activity , they where absolutely agitated or furious against the Americans . A convoy was trying to get inside ,one of the Americans got panic and started shooting at the masses ,two Iraqis got killed others wounded , terrible scarey scene . You have two sides each is inflicting the other great losses and its only the beginning . Did you know that at the beginning of the invasion everybody said it’s a bless getting rid of Saddam Hussien but it turns to be an ever lasting curse,haw could they just go leaving the biggest oil reservoir in the region, they have planned to stay, accept it or not ,the staunting thing is what the people want naw (the return of Saddam the tyrant)!!! . When you think thoroughly about it you find it logical & reasonable ,during the past regime there were safety &work chances(money) BUT, THERE IS NO FREEDOM, naw there is freedom without safety or public services with very very mini work opportunities , so normally they prefer the past time of saddam.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:57 AM |
Chaos and death in Iraq
As my Cajun friends would phrase it, tell me there isn't guerilla warfare and near anarchy, in Iraq.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:42 AM |
Judge objects to Bremer's "gag" order.
From the Tennessean.com:, a Federal judge, visiting Iraq on behalf of the Justice Department to help re-start Iraq's judicial system, objects to a "gag" order from Bremer:
Federal appellate judge Gilbert S. Merritt of Nashville is in Iraq as one of 13 experts selected by the U.S. Justice Department to help rebuild Iraq's judicial system...
This is my last story from Baghdad. The so-called Coalition Provisional Authority, or CPA, acting through its head, L. Paul Bremer, issued a ''gag'' order two days ago that says:
''Speaking To The Media. To insure the effective co-ordination of the CPA's message, any plan for a member of the CPA to talk to the media should first be coordinated with the Directorate of Strategic Communication...''
I have been informed that this includes any article I may write, or verbal utterance I may speak, to any members of the press, including my hometown newspaper.
In my opinion, this is a clear violation of the First Amendment to our Constitution, which says that our government may not impose any law, regulation or directive ''abridging the freedom of speech.'' The First Amendment covers any attempt by our government to control the speech of a civilian citizen of the United States, with only a few exceptions.
There are many cases in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals — more than 2,000 — that hold that the Free Speech Clause covers state and federal officials and employees. Those cases secure to such employees the right to speak on matters of public concern broadly defined and to converse with the press and others without abridgment or control.
Federal appellate judge Gilbert S. Merritt of Nashville is in Iraq as one of 13 experts selected by the U.S. Justice Department to help rebuild Iraq's judicial system...
This is my last story from Baghdad. The so-called Coalition Provisional Authority, or CPA, acting through its head, L. Paul Bremer, issued a ''gag'' order two days ago that says:
''Speaking To The Media. To insure the effective co-ordination of the CPA's message, any plan for a member of the CPA to talk to the media should first be coordinated with the Directorate of Strategic Communication...''
I have been informed that this includes any article I may write, or verbal utterance I may speak, to any members of the press, including my hometown newspaper.
In my opinion, this is a clear violation of the First Amendment to our Constitution, which says that our government may not impose any law, regulation or directive ''abridging the freedom of speech.'' The First Amendment covers any attempt by our government to control the speech of a civilian citizen of the United States, with only a few exceptions.
There are many cases in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals — more than 2,000 — that hold that the Free Speech Clause covers state and federal officials and employees. Those cases secure to such employees the right to speak on matters of public concern broadly defined and to converse with the press and others without abridgment or control.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:31 AM |
Amnesty International weighs in on the detention of Iraqis by the U.S. military.
Are we mistreating detainees in Iraq? Considering that there will be many more such detainees, because of Operation Sidewinder, Amnesty International's recent report of Iraqi detainees ought to be ringing alarm bells for all concerned with human rights. From the BBC:
Amnesty International expressed particular concern about the conditions in which detainees are held.
The group said prisoners were bound so tightly with plastic handcuffs that many still showed scars on their wrists a month after their arrest.
"We spent our first night in custody lying on the ground in a school. We had no access to a toilet and were given no food or water," said a former prisoner quoted by Amnesty International.
The group warned that a two-tier system was evolving, with prisoners in the Iraqi legal system being afforded proper protection while those in military detention were not.
"Some detainees fall into a 'black hole' detention centre at the [Baghdad International] airport; their family has no news of them and they are only entitled to a review of their detention within three weeks by a US military lawyer," the group said in a statement.
Amnesty criticised US search methods
"Others arrested for similar offences are taken to Iraqi police stations and receive the protection of the procedures in the... Criminal Procedure Code... They are entitled to release if there is insufficient evidence against them," it added.
The group collected testimony from former detainees for its statement.
"We spent our first night in custody lying on the ground in a school. We had no access to a toilet and were given no food or water," one of four brothers who was hooded and handcuffed on detention told the group.
Amnesty says that there has been looting as Iraqis are detained.
The human rights campaigners urged the US to give detainees access to family and lawyers and to investigate reports of mistreatment of prisoners, including death in custody.
Amnesty International wrote to the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, with its concerns last week. A spokesman said the group had not yet received a reply.
Amnesty International expressed particular concern about the conditions in which detainees are held.
The group said prisoners were bound so tightly with plastic handcuffs that many still showed scars on their wrists a month after their arrest.
"We spent our first night in custody lying on the ground in a school. We had no access to a toilet and were given no food or water," said a former prisoner quoted by Amnesty International.
The group warned that a two-tier system was evolving, with prisoners in the Iraqi legal system being afforded proper protection while those in military detention were not.
"Some detainees fall into a 'black hole' detention centre at the [Baghdad International] airport; their family has no news of them and they are only entitled to a review of their detention within three weeks by a US military lawyer," the group said in a statement.
Amnesty criticised US search methods
"Others arrested for similar offences are taken to Iraqi police stations and receive the protection of the procedures in the... Criminal Procedure Code... They are entitled to release if there is insufficient evidence against them," it added.
The group collected testimony from former detainees for its statement.
"We spent our first night in custody lying on the ground in a school. We had no access to a toilet and were given no food or water," one of four brothers who was hooded and handcuffed on detention told the group.
Amnesty says that there has been looting as Iraqis are detained.
The human rights campaigners urged the US to give detainees access to family and lawyers and to investigate reports of mistreatment of prisoners, including death in custody.
Amnesty International wrote to the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, with its concerns last week. A spokesman said the group had not yet received a reply.
# posted by scorpiorising : 7:28 AM |
Why do we continue to detain prisoners in Guatanamo Bay?
Are we holding re-education camps? What is the purpose of Guatanamo Bay? What are the objectives? What are the goals there? From the New York Times, Sunday, June 29:
III. A Very Long Way From Geneva
The detention-and-interrogation operation at Guantanamo Bay is clearly a problem area of America's war on terror. In mid-April, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell sent Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld a strongly worded letter that cited complaints from our allies that the indefinite detention of foreign citizens undermines efforts to win international support for the campaign against terrorism. And yet, two months later, the children are still there, the prisoner count is up by 20 and tribunals have yet to be scheduled.
Combatants from 42 countries are held at Guantanamo. Most, apparently, are from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Pakistan, but others are citizens of allies like Canada, Sweden, Australia, Britain and Kuwait. The indefinite detention of the young is a small but revealing part of the operation. There is practically global unanimity that children deserve special protection by governments; the Convention on the Rights of the Child (C.R.C.), adopted by the United Nations in 1989, is the most widely ratified human rights treaty ever. It specifies that detained juveniles shall have the right to legal assistance and to a court's prompt decision on their detention. We are not providing either.
III. A Very Long Way From Geneva
The detention-and-interrogation operation at Guantanamo Bay is clearly a problem area of America's war on terror. In mid-April, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell sent Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld a strongly worded letter that cited complaints from our allies that the indefinite detention of foreign citizens undermines efforts to win international support for the campaign against terrorism. And yet, two months later, the children are still there, the prisoner count is up by 20 and tribunals have yet to be scheduled.
Combatants from 42 countries are held at Guantanamo. Most, apparently, are from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Pakistan, but others are citizens of allies like Canada, Sweden, Australia, Britain and Kuwait. The indefinite detention of the young is a small but revealing part of the operation. There is practically global unanimity that children deserve special protection by governments; the Convention on the Rights of the Child (C.R.C.), adopted by the United Nations in 1989, is the most widely ratified human rights treaty ever. It specifies that detained juveniles shall have the right to legal assistance and to a court's prompt decision on their detention. We are not providing either.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:41 AM |
Monday, June 30, 2003
Dennis Kucinich on CNN
Dennis Kucincih's response to a question today, put forth Martin Savage, taking the place of vacationing Wolf Blitzer, has everything to do with why I support this man for president. In response to a question concerning our current course in Iraq,
Kucinich said, "How can we trust our current leadership to guide us in the aftermath of war, when they haven't been straight with us in terms of weapons of mass destruction, and why we went into this war to begin with?"
I love this man.
Kucinich said, "How can we trust our current leadership to guide us in the aftermath of war, when they haven't been straight with us in terms of weapons of mass destruction, and why we went into this war to begin with?"
I love this man.
# posted by scorpiorising : 3:06 PM |
More accounts of human rights abuses in Iraq.
I just found this article on yahoo, concerning one man's account of his detention and interrogation in Iraq. Here is a link to the article, and I will print it in its entirety. If this man's account is accurate, then we are sinking to new lows in Iraq :
Amnesty Criticizes U.S. Interrogations
21 minutes ago
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi businessman detained during a raid on his home says U.S. interrogators deprived him of sleep, forced him to kneel naked and kept him bound hand and foot with a bag over his head for eight days.
Khraisan al-Abally's story, told to an Associated Press correspondent, comes as an Amnesty International report released Monday harshly criticizes American interrogation techniques.
A U.S. Army officer confirmed receiving a complaint from al-Abally, but coalition officials declined to discuss his account. The activist group Human Rights Watch said it was trying to corroborate his story.
Seeking to quell a burgeoning uprising, U.S. soldiers have detained hundreds of Iraqis — some of whom have endured days of strenuous interrogations, rights groups say. AP journalists have observed prisoners wearing only underwear and blindfolds, handcuffed and lying in the dirt 24 hours after their capture.
Interviewed June 20 and Monday, Al-Abally said U.S. troops stormed his home April 30, shooting his brother and taking al-Abally and his 80-year-old father into custody — apparently believing they had information on the whereabouts of a top official in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri.
The three men were all low-level members of Saddam's Baath Party, but al-Douri was not a family acquaintance, Al-Abally said.
The brother, Dureid, shot at the troops breaking in, apparently mistaking them for looters, the family said. Al-Abally said he was told during his interrogation at Baghdad International Airport that his brother had died.
Al-Abally, 39, said that while he was bound and blindfolded, he was kicked, forced to stare at a strobe light and blasted with "very loud rubbish music."
"I thought I was going to lose my mind," said al-Abally, a burly man whose wrists are still scarred from plastic cuffs more than a month after his release. "They said, 'I want you on your knees.' After three or four days it's very painful. My knees were bleeding and swollen."
The U.S. military said it could not comment on the raid or its methods of interrogation, saying only that its soldiers adhere to the rule of law. Military and intelligence officials have said sleep deprivation, shackling prisoners in uncomfortable positions and noise abuse are considered legal methods.
"This is democracy?" asked al-Abally, whose family operates a shipping business in Lebanon. "No Iraqi would have thought the Americans were capable of this."
The AP interviews with al-Abally were conducted mostly in English.
His interrogation came before a June 26 pledge by the Bush administration that U.S. officials would not use cruel treatment to gain information from detainees.
Several human rights groups — including London-based Amnesty International and New York-based Human Rights Watch — argue that current U.S. interrogation methods violate the pledge.
"When you talk of up to eight days' sleep deprivation, especially with hands and feet bound, that's already entering the realm of ill treatment," said Johanna Bjorken, a Human Rights Watch researcher in Iraq (news - web sites). "When you combine it with loud music, strobe lights and hooding, it's very possible you've inflicted cruel treatment, which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions."
She said her group is investigating al-Abally's allegations to see if the interrogation techniques he described can be corroborated.
A U.S. Army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. interrogators routinely used strobe lights. Bjorken said a U.S. military criminal investigator in Baghdad told her that loud music and sleep deprivation were acceptable interrogation techniques.
Amnesty International's report said the U.S. military appeared to subject Iraqi detainees to treatment that violates international law. The group said it was investigating the U.S. military's three-week detention of an 11-year-old boy and an incident in which U.S. shooting during a riot by detainees killed one and wounded seven.
A British spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, Lt. Col. Peregrine Lewis, denied the coalition violates human rights.
"Coalition soldiers are expected to scrupulously adhere to the rule of law in the conduct of military operations," Lewis wrote in e-mail response to AP questions. "Anything which suggests otherwise is inaccurate."
U.S. Army Maj. Toney Coleman of the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion said he took a written complaint in May from al-Abally about his treatment and his brother's disappearance. Coleman said he has no knowledge of U.S. interrogation techniques or whether al-Abally's allegations are accurate.
Coleman said he searched military computers for the whereabouts of al-Abally's missing brother, Dureid, a 48-year-old retired diplomat.
"There's no record at all of that individual," Coleman said.
Amnesty International researchers in Baghdad said the techniques cited by al-Abally were similar to those described by Palestinian detainees interrogated by the Israeli military and Irish Catholic prisoners detained by British forces.
"These are known techniques that there have been a lot of debate on for the past 20 years, as to whether they constitute torture," said Elizabeth Hodgkin, Amnesty's Baghdad-based research director.
Britain halted such procedures after a European court in 1982 found they violated human rights law and Israel did so in 1999 when its supreme court banned the practice except in extreme situations, Hodgkin said.
Amnesty's report accuses U.S. forces in Afghanistan (news - web sites) of performing similar "stress and duress" interrogations on detainees, a pair of whom died in U.S. custody. The deaths are being investigated as homicides.
Amnesty Criticizes U.S. Interrogations
21 minutes ago
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi businessman detained during a raid on his home says U.S. interrogators deprived him of sleep, forced him to kneel naked and kept him bound hand and foot with a bag over his head for eight days.
Khraisan al-Abally's story, told to an Associated Press correspondent, comes as an Amnesty International report released Monday harshly criticizes American interrogation techniques.
A U.S. Army officer confirmed receiving a complaint from al-Abally, but coalition officials declined to discuss his account. The activist group Human Rights Watch said it was trying to corroborate his story.
Seeking to quell a burgeoning uprising, U.S. soldiers have detained hundreds of Iraqis — some of whom have endured days of strenuous interrogations, rights groups say. AP journalists have observed prisoners wearing only underwear and blindfolds, handcuffed and lying in the dirt 24 hours after their capture.
Interviewed June 20 and Monday, Al-Abally said U.S. troops stormed his home April 30, shooting his brother and taking al-Abally and his 80-year-old father into custody — apparently believing they had information on the whereabouts of a top official in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri.
The three men were all low-level members of Saddam's Baath Party, but al-Douri was not a family acquaintance, Al-Abally said.
The brother, Dureid, shot at the troops breaking in, apparently mistaking them for looters, the family said. Al-Abally said he was told during his interrogation at Baghdad International Airport that his brother had died.
Al-Abally, 39, said that while he was bound and blindfolded, he was kicked, forced to stare at a strobe light and blasted with "very loud rubbish music."
"I thought I was going to lose my mind," said al-Abally, a burly man whose wrists are still scarred from plastic cuffs more than a month after his release. "They said, 'I want you on your knees.' After three or four days it's very painful. My knees were bleeding and swollen."
The U.S. military said it could not comment on the raid or its methods of interrogation, saying only that its soldiers adhere to the rule of law. Military and intelligence officials have said sleep deprivation, shackling prisoners in uncomfortable positions and noise abuse are considered legal methods.
"This is democracy?" asked al-Abally, whose family operates a shipping business in Lebanon. "No Iraqi would have thought the Americans were capable of this."
The AP interviews with al-Abally were conducted mostly in English.
His interrogation came before a June 26 pledge by the Bush administration that U.S. officials would not use cruel treatment to gain information from detainees.
Several human rights groups — including London-based Amnesty International and New York-based Human Rights Watch — argue that current U.S. interrogation methods violate the pledge.
"When you talk of up to eight days' sleep deprivation, especially with hands and feet bound, that's already entering the realm of ill treatment," said Johanna Bjorken, a Human Rights Watch researcher in Iraq (news - web sites). "When you combine it with loud music, strobe lights and hooding, it's very possible you've inflicted cruel treatment, which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions."
She said her group is investigating al-Abally's allegations to see if the interrogation techniques he described can be corroborated.
A U.S. Army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. interrogators routinely used strobe lights. Bjorken said a U.S. military criminal investigator in Baghdad told her that loud music and sleep deprivation were acceptable interrogation techniques.
Amnesty International's report said the U.S. military appeared to subject Iraqi detainees to treatment that violates international law. The group said it was investigating the U.S. military's three-week detention of an 11-year-old boy and an incident in which U.S. shooting during a riot by detainees killed one and wounded seven.
A British spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, Lt. Col. Peregrine Lewis, denied the coalition violates human rights.
"Coalition soldiers are expected to scrupulously adhere to the rule of law in the conduct of military operations," Lewis wrote in e-mail response to AP questions. "Anything which suggests otherwise is inaccurate."
U.S. Army Maj. Toney Coleman of the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion said he took a written complaint in May from al-Abally about his treatment and his brother's disappearance. Coleman said he has no knowledge of U.S. interrogation techniques or whether al-Abally's allegations are accurate.
Coleman said he searched military computers for the whereabouts of al-Abally's missing brother, Dureid, a 48-year-old retired diplomat.
"There's no record at all of that individual," Coleman said.
Amnesty International researchers in Baghdad said the techniques cited by al-Abally were similar to those described by Palestinian detainees interrogated by the Israeli military and Irish Catholic prisoners detained by British forces.
"These are known techniques that there have been a lot of debate on for the past 20 years, as to whether they constitute torture," said Elizabeth Hodgkin, Amnesty's Baghdad-based research director.
Britain halted such procedures after a European court in 1982 found they violated human rights law and Israel did so in 1999 when its supreme court banned the practice except in extreme situations, Hodgkin said.
Amnesty's report accuses U.S. forces in Afghanistan (news - web sites) of performing similar "stress and duress" interrogations on detainees, a pair of whom died in U.S. custody. The deaths are being investigated as homicides.
# posted by scorpiorising : 2:50 PM |
The imposition of our will.
Everyday it gets uglier and uglier in Iraq. Now we are rounding up supposed extremists and baathists in sweeping raids and house-to-house searches. We know that these people will not have due process. We know this from our record before us, in Afghanistan, Guatanamo Bay, and now in Iraq. These raids will not help our credibility with the Iraqi people. Bremer makes it clear, in this guardian.co.uk article, that it is the goal to "crush" the resistance:
The US military launched a huge operation yesterday to crack down on insurgents in Iraq as the civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, promised that America would "impose" its will upon the country.
The show of force began as the bodies of two US soldiers, missing since Wednesday, were found near the town of Balad, north of Baghdad. They bring the death toll since the official end of major combat to 23 Americans and six Britons.
In a candid interview on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Bremer said pockets of resistance in Iraq would be crushed. "We are going to fight them and impose our will on them and we will capture or, if necessary, kill them until we have imposed law and order upon this country," he said.
The mission to quell the resistance to the occupation, operation Sidewinder, started yesterday. Officials in Camp Boom, north-east of Baghdad, said at least 20 raids using ground and air forces were carried out simultaneously to capture people suspected of being loyalists to Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime.
Early reports said around 60 Iraqis were picked up, as well as documents and weapons, during the initial sweep. US of ficials said they were going into towns with "overwhelming combat power".
In the midst of continuing scrutiny of our handling of prisoners in Guatanamo Bay, we are going to add to the numbers and in all likelihood, create "permanent" camps similar to Guatanamo Bay in Iraq.
If the U.S. can't be trusted to preserve the rights of our prisoners of war, how long before these tactics come home to roost, and ordinary citizens are harassed and bullied?
The US military launched a huge operation yesterday to crack down on insurgents in Iraq as the civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, promised that America would "impose" its will upon the country.
The show of force began as the bodies of two US soldiers, missing since Wednesday, were found near the town of Balad, north of Baghdad. They bring the death toll since the official end of major combat to 23 Americans and six Britons.
In a candid interview on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Bremer said pockets of resistance in Iraq would be crushed. "We are going to fight them and impose our will on them and we will capture or, if necessary, kill them until we have imposed law and order upon this country," he said.
The mission to quell the resistance to the occupation, operation Sidewinder, started yesterday. Officials in Camp Boom, north-east of Baghdad, said at least 20 raids using ground and air forces were carried out simultaneously to capture people suspected of being loyalists to Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime.
Early reports said around 60 Iraqis were picked up, as well as documents and weapons, during the initial sweep. US of ficials said they were going into towns with "overwhelming combat power".
In the midst of continuing scrutiny of our handling of prisoners in Guatanamo Bay, we are going to add to the numbers and in all likelihood, create "permanent" camps similar to Guatanamo Bay in Iraq.
If the U.S. can't be trusted to preserve the rights of our prisoners of war, how long before these tactics come home to roost, and ordinary citizens are harassed and bullied?
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:44 AM |
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Issues the democratic candidates aren't talking about, to my knowledge.
The candidates aren't talking about corporate welfare, to my knowledge.
I haven't heard much said about why Martha Stewart has been indicted, and Ken Lay hasn't.
The issues of children, especially children of the working poor, has not been mentioned, to my knowledge, including the attacks on head start.
Heard anything on the issue of homelessness? Particularly homeless single parents, usually women and their children?
I could go on and on.
I haven't heard much said about why Martha Stewart has been indicted, and Ken Lay hasn't.
The issues of children, especially children of the working poor, has not been mentioned, to my knowledge, including the attacks on head start.
Heard anything on the issue of homelessness? Particularly homeless single parents, usually women and their children?
I could go on and on.
# posted by scorpiorising : 4:36 PM |
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