Saturday, August 28, 2004
UK's Guardian on Abu Ghraib:
It was only last month that the US army formally asserted that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison consisted of "aberrations" that could not be put down to systemic problems. This week, however, two official reports... one for the Pentagon chaired by the former defence secretary James Schlesinger, and the other for the US army by Generals George Fay and Anthony Jones, describe a situation in which the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners was more extensive than previously acknowledged and in which military leadership was found seriously wanting.
Forced nudity was common... from the importation to Abu Ghraib of techniques used in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay. "They simply carried forward the use of nudity into the Iraqi theatre of operations," General Fay observes. Prisoners were frequently stripped and hooded, then left in extreme heat or cold for hours. One detainee was handcuffed naked and forced to crawl on his stomach as US soldiers urinated and spat on him; later he was sodomised...
These were acts of "brutality and purposeless sadism"... continued for several months. They were not, the report stresses, "just the failure of some individuals to follow known standards."
It is an utmost failure of leadership that senior military commanders:
(1) allowed this to happen in the first place, and to continue for months,
(2) during the long time since, continued resisting comprehensive investigation (let alone justice), whitewashing known abuses while concealing the rest: such a strictly a cover-your-own-ass operation instills zero confidence in the capability and moral integrity of the same leaders,
(3) are willing to put enlisted reservists up for punishment meanwhile. Culpable individuals? Yes. Plausibly the only ones responsible? Clearly not.
Do they want it both ways? The latitude to torture unknown foreigners and the power to pin it on subordinates? With these reports out, nobody can contend there were no systematic failures. What then? "We have found the system failed. People are being punished for it. This is proof the system works." That's exactly the sentiment Rumsfeld has declared (the last sentence verbatim). Pathetic.
The Guardian does a good job of contextualizing also, that the fault does go further than Rumsfeld. The Pew Center poll last week found a great number of Americans think torture of suspected terrorists can "often or sometimes" be justified:
43% of all Americans;
48% of American men;
54% of American men aged under 50; and
58% of people intending to vote for Mr Bush in November.
If de Tocqueville was right, America should now cease to be great.
It was only last month that the US army formally asserted that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison consisted of "aberrations" that could not be put down to systemic problems. This week, however, two official reports... one for the Pentagon chaired by the former defence secretary James Schlesinger, and the other for the US army by Generals George Fay and Anthony Jones, describe a situation in which the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners was more extensive than previously acknowledged and in which military leadership was found seriously wanting.
Forced nudity was common... from the importation to Abu Ghraib of techniques used in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay. "They simply carried forward the use of nudity into the Iraqi theatre of operations," General Fay observes. Prisoners were frequently stripped and hooded, then left in extreme heat or cold for hours. One detainee was handcuffed naked and forced to crawl on his stomach as US soldiers urinated and spat on him; later he was sodomised...
These were acts of "brutality and purposeless sadism"... continued for several months. They were not, the report stresses, "just the failure of some individuals to follow known standards."
It is an utmost failure of leadership that senior military commanders:
(1) allowed this to happen in the first place, and to continue for months,
(2) during the long time since, continued resisting comprehensive investigation (let alone justice), whitewashing known abuses while concealing the rest: such a strictly a cover-your-own-ass operation instills zero confidence in the capability and moral integrity of the same leaders,
(3) are willing to put enlisted reservists up for punishment meanwhile. Culpable individuals? Yes. Plausibly the only ones responsible? Clearly not.
Do they want it both ways? The latitude to torture unknown foreigners and the power to pin it on subordinates? With these reports out, nobody can contend there were no systematic failures. What then? "We have found the system failed. People are being punished for it. This is proof the system works." That's exactly the sentiment Rumsfeld has declared (the last sentence verbatim). Pathetic.
The Guardian does a good job of contextualizing also, that the fault does go further than Rumsfeld. The Pew Center poll last week found a great number of Americans think torture of suspected terrorists can "often or sometimes" be justified:
43% of all Americans;
48% of American men;
54% of American men aged under 50; and
58% of people intending to vote for Mr Bush in November.
If de Tocqueville was right, America should now cease to be great.
UK's Guardian on Abu Ghraib:
It was only last month that the US army formally asserted that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison consisted of "aberrations" that could not be put down to systemic problems. This week, however, two official reports... one for the Pentagon chaired by the former defence secretary James Schlesinger, and the other for the US army by Generals George Fay and Anthony Jones, describe a situation in which the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners was more extensive than previously acknowledged and in which military leadership was found seriously wanting.
Forced nudity was common... from the importation to Abu Ghraib of techniques used in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay. "They simply carried forward the use of nudity into the Iraqi theatre of operations," General Fay observes. Prisoners were frequently stripped and hooded, then left in extreme heat or cold for hours. One detainee was handcuffed naked and forced to crawl on his stomach as US soldiers urinated and spat on him; later he was sodomised...
These were acts of "brutality and purposeless sadism"... continued for several months. They were not, the report stresses, "just the failure of some individuals to follow known standards."
It is an utmost failure of leadership that senior military commanders:
(1) allowed this to happen in the first place, and to continue for months,
(2) during the long time since, continued resisting comprehensive investigation (let alone justice), whitewashing known abuses while concealing the rest: such a strictly a cover-your-own-ass operation instills zero confidence in the capability and moral integrity of the same leaders,
(3) are willing to put enlisted reservists up for punishment meanwhile. Culpable individuals? Yes. Plausibly the only ones responsible? Clearly not.
Do they want it both ways? The latitude to torture unknown foreigners and the power to pin it on subordinates? With these reports out, nobody can contend there were no systematic failures. What then? "We have found the system failed. People are being punished for it. This is proof the system works." That's exactly the sentiment Rumsfeld has declared (the last sentence verbatim). Pathetic.
The Guardian does a good job of contextualizing also, that the fault does go further than Rumsfeld. The Pew Center poll last week found a great number of Americans think torture of suspected terrorists can "often or sometimes" be justified:
43% of all Americans;
48% of American men;
54% of American men aged under 50; and
58% of people intending to vote for Mr Bush in November.
If de Tocqueville was right, America should now cease to be great.
It was only last month that the US army formally asserted that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison consisted of "aberrations" that could not be put down to systemic problems. This week, however, two official reports... one for the Pentagon chaired by the former defence secretary James Schlesinger, and the other for the US army by Generals George Fay and Anthony Jones, describe a situation in which the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners was more extensive than previously acknowledged and in which military leadership was found seriously wanting.
Forced nudity was common... from the importation to Abu Ghraib of techniques used in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay. "They simply carried forward the use of nudity into the Iraqi theatre of operations," General Fay observes. Prisoners were frequently stripped and hooded, then left in extreme heat or cold for hours. One detainee was handcuffed naked and forced to crawl on his stomach as US soldiers urinated and spat on him; later he was sodomised...
These were acts of "brutality and purposeless sadism"... continued for several months. They were not, the report stresses, "just the failure of some individuals to follow known standards."
It is an utmost failure of leadership that senior military commanders:
(1) allowed this to happen in the first place, and to continue for months,
(2) during the long time since, continued resisting comprehensive investigation (let alone justice), whitewashing known abuses while concealing the rest: such a strictly a cover-your-own-ass operation instills zero confidence in the capability and moral integrity of the same leaders,
(3) are willing to put enlisted reservists up for punishment meanwhile. Culpable individuals? Yes. Plausibly the only ones responsible? Clearly not.
Do they want it both ways? The latitude to torture unknown foreigners and the power to pin it on subordinates? With these reports out, nobody can contend there were no systematic failures. What then? "We have found the system failed. People are being punished for it. This is proof the system works." That's exactly the sentiment Rumsfeld has declared (the last sentence verbatim). Pathetic.
The Guardian does a good job of contextualizing also, that the fault does go further than Rumsfeld. The Pew Center poll last week found a great number of Americans think torture of suspected terrorists can "often or sometimes" be justified:
43% of all Americans;
48% of American men;
54% of American men aged under 50; and
58% of people intending to vote for Mr Bush in November.
If de Tocqueville was right, America should now cease to be great.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Gaining the attention of editors overseas, our own Ohio University is in the news, not for imposing a "Napster tax" but for revealing the imposition! Napster, unsurprisingly, has demanded that they stfu. Check out the Register: "Napster gags university over RIAA's student tax"
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Interesting comparisons in an Italian study reported by New Scientist: Cigarettes more polluting than diesel exhaust.
This is the somewhat predictable result of measuring particulate emissions, i.e. smoke, that cigarettes are explicity designed to produce. Otherwise though, the fact that a diesel engine idling for 10 minutes burns 10 times cleaner than 3 cigarettes is rather notable. The article inclues a jab at adolescent environmental protesters in Milan.
This is the somewhat predictable result of measuring particulate emissions, i.e. smoke, that cigarettes are explicity designed to produce. Otherwise though, the fact that a diesel engine idling for 10 minutes burns 10 times cleaner than 3 cigarettes is rather notable. The article inclues a jab at adolescent environmental protesters in Milan.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Washington Post (via Buffalo News) reports Dogs used to frighten teenagers at Abu Ghraib:
...the new report according to Pentagon sources will show that MPs were using their animals to make juveniles - as young as 15 years old - urinate on themselves as part of a competition.
"There were two MP dog handlers who did use dogs to threaten kids detained at Abu Ghraib," said one Army officer familiar with the report, one of two investigations on detainee abuse scheduled to be released this week. "It has nothing to do with interrogation. It was just them on their own being weird."
...military intelligence soldiers kept multiple detainees off the record books and hid them from international humanitarian organizations....
Also check out the notable nugget at the bottom of the page: A military judge in the alleged prisoner abuse case demanded that prosecutors speed up the investigation. Judge James Pohl warned that further delays could derail the case against at least one of the accused soldiers and expressed displeasure after being told a lone Army criminal investigator was reviewing thousands of pages of records contained in a secret computer server at Abu Ghraib.
...the new report according to Pentagon sources will show that MPs were using their animals to make juveniles - as young as 15 years old - urinate on themselves as part of a competition.
"There were two MP dog handlers who did use dogs to threaten kids detained at Abu Ghraib," said one Army officer familiar with the report, one of two investigations on detainee abuse scheduled to be released this week. "It has nothing to do with interrogation. It was just them on their own being weird."
...military intelligence soldiers kept multiple detainees off the record books and hid them from international humanitarian organizations....
Also check out the notable nugget at the bottom of the page: A military judge in the alleged prisoner abuse case demanded that prosecutors speed up the investigation. Judge James Pohl warned that further delays could derail the case against at least one of the accused soldiers and expressed displeasure after being told a lone Army criminal investigator was reviewing thousands of pages of records contained in a secret computer server at Abu Ghraib.
Coming off the dry spell since Jim Traficant's failed stab at re-election to Congress from inside Federal Prison, Youngstown is officially back in action as the state's premiere purveyor of bizarro politics.
Ohio Democrat endorses Bush
In the 2000 presidential election, Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic nominee, received 69,212 votes to 40,460 for Bush in Mahoning County, which includes Youngstown. Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 5-1 ratio, according to the Mahoning County Board of Elections.
“What has our community received in return for the past loyal support for Democratic presidential candidates? Dare I speak the answer? Nothing,” McKelvey said.
The appropriate question might be "WTF did we *expect* when we elected James Traficant, year after year?" Or, more pointedly, "what exactly have Republicans done for us lately?" Maybe he likes what the Bush economy has done for manufacturing, and he'd like more of it? What does McKelvey get out of this deal? As it turns out, the article moves to just that question:
McKelvey said his decision came after he had gotten to know Bush. He and his wife were guests of Bush at the White House last May, after the president promoted community health centers during a visit to Youngstown.
You may recall that late in the game, Traficant himself threatened to switch party loyalties. A former staffer in Traficant's constituency office from that period told me "It was stressful. You didn't know week to week who you should be talking to, what party you were in. Acutally, you didn't know if you even had a job, week to week, because of the [corruption] trial." In the end I think the switch-threat actually did get Traficant some allocation dollars for a pet project... wait, was it those same community centers?? If you know, hook me up with the info.
Quotes from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. You know it's bad when Ft. Wayne is mocking you.
Ohio Democrat endorses Bush
In the 2000 presidential election, Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic nominee, received 69,212 votes to 40,460 for Bush in Mahoning County, which includes Youngstown. Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 5-1 ratio, according to the Mahoning County Board of Elections.
“What has our community received in return for the past loyal support for Democratic presidential candidates? Dare I speak the answer? Nothing,” McKelvey said.
The appropriate question might be "WTF did we *expect* when we elected James Traficant, year after year?" Or, more pointedly, "what exactly have Republicans done for us lately?" Maybe he likes what the Bush economy has done for manufacturing, and he'd like more of it? What does McKelvey get out of this deal? As it turns out, the article moves to just that question:
McKelvey said his decision came after he had gotten to know Bush. He and his wife were guests of Bush at the White House last May, after the president promoted community health centers during a visit to Youngstown.
You may recall that late in the game, Traficant himself threatened to switch party loyalties. A former staffer in Traficant's constituency office from that period told me "It was stressful. You didn't know week to week who you should be talking to, what party you were in. Acutally, you didn't know if you even had a job, week to week, because of the [corruption] trial." In the end I think the switch-threat actually did get Traficant some allocation dollars for a pet project... wait, was it those same community centers?? If you know, hook me up with the info.
Quotes from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. You know it's bad when Ft. Wayne is mocking you.
Friday, August 20, 2004
But wait, now NYTimes is saying "The alias used by the suspected terrorist on the watch list was Edward Kennedy said David Smith a spokesman for the senator."
T.? Edward? Tedward? Do we even have a consistent cover story for this one?
T.? Edward? Tedward? Do we even have a consistent cover story for this one?
Still don't think "Homeland Security" is a jumbled political mess? You must not have been hanging out w/ Senator Kennedy then.
Sen. Kennedy Flagged by No-Fly List: "U.S. Sen. Edward M. Ted Kennedy said yesterday that he was stopped and questioned at airports on the East Coast five times in March because his name appeared on the government's secret no-fly list... A senior administration official, who spoke on condition he not be identified, said Kennedy was stopped because the name "T. Kennedy" has been used as an alias by someone on the list of terrorist suspects."
Of course, since we are in this tautological black-hole of paranoia and government secrecy, it is not surprising that "The government does not make public the names or the total number of people on the list, which officials say is constantly updated.... [but] the list has not led to any arrests."
Hint to terrorist: please adopt the alias "J. Ashcroft" asap.
Sen. Kennedy Flagged by No-Fly List: "U.S. Sen. Edward M. Ted Kennedy said yesterday that he was stopped and questioned at airports on the East Coast five times in March because his name appeared on the government's secret no-fly list... A senior administration official, who spoke on condition he not be identified, said Kennedy was stopped because the name "T. Kennedy" has been used as an alias by someone on the list of terrorist suspects."
Of course, since we are in this tautological black-hole of paranoia and government secrecy, it is not surprising that "The government does not make public the names or the total number of people on the list, which officials say is constantly updated.... [but] the list has not led to any arrests."
Hint to terrorist: please adopt the alias "J. Ashcroft" asap.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
"It looks to me to be a two-bit frame-up"
Will anyone contend that humanities research and skills are not relevant to national security? Is there a single skill set deficiency in the entire Intelligence Community greater than that in language comprehension? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying understanding documents at the intersection of Urdu, Turkish and Arabic is easy. But without it, we get stories like the following. And we look stupid. And it costs us.
NYTimes:
Federal prosecutors acknowledged possible flaws yesterday in a major piece of evidence used in their case against two leaders of an Albany mosque on charges that they supported terrorism.
The two men, Yassin M. Aref, 34, and Mohammed M. Hossain, 49, were arrested after a yearlong sting operation in which they were led to believe that a government informer was really a terrorist who wanted them to launder money from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile that would be used in an attack on a Pakistani diplomat in New York City.
While the government presented no evidence during a bail hearing in Albany last week that Mr. Hossain had any ties with extremist groups, prosecutors did tell the judge that they had reason to believe Mr. Aref might be connected with a terrorist group known as Ansar al-Islam.
Prosecutors said they were given information from the Defense Department that a notebook with Mr. Aref's name and address had been found in what they said was a terrorist training camp in the western Iraqi desert near the Syrian border. They also said that a word in the notebook, written in Arabic, had referred to Mr. Aref as "commander."
As it turns out, the word is Kurdish, albeit written using the Arabic alphabet, and the translation may be incorrect. "Commander" could be translated as "brother," according to federal prosecutors.
Nijyar Shemdin, the United States representative for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Washington, reviewed a copy of the page at the request of The New York Times and said he did not see how a translation would have come up with the word "commander."
Mr. Shemdin said that Mr. Aref is referred to with the common honorific, "kak," which could mean brother or mister, depending on the level of formality...
Terence L. Kindlon, Mr. Aref's lawyer, said the mistake was emblematic of what he called deeper problems with the government's case.
"It looks to me to be a two-bit frame-up," Mr. Kindlon said. "In 30 years of practicing law, I have come to expect high standards from government prosecutors. This thing is just shabby. I suspect that there is something political driving this."
And from the Post, our man on the spot vows to forge on: "U.S. Attorney Glenn Suddaby said that authorities are unsure which translation is correct but that it does not change the case."
'Atta boy, Glenn.
Will anyone contend that humanities research and skills are not relevant to national security? Is there a single skill set deficiency in the entire Intelligence Community greater than that in language comprehension? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying understanding documents at the intersection of Urdu, Turkish and Arabic is easy. But without it, we get stories like the following. And we look stupid. And it costs us.
NYTimes:
Federal prosecutors acknowledged possible flaws yesterday in a major piece of evidence used in their case against two leaders of an Albany mosque on charges that they supported terrorism.
The two men, Yassin M. Aref, 34, and Mohammed M. Hossain, 49, were arrested after a yearlong sting operation in which they were led to believe that a government informer was really a terrorist who wanted them to launder money from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile that would be used in an attack on a Pakistani diplomat in New York City.
While the government presented no evidence during a bail hearing in Albany last week that Mr. Hossain had any ties with extremist groups, prosecutors did tell the judge that they had reason to believe Mr. Aref might be connected with a terrorist group known as Ansar al-Islam.
Prosecutors said they were given information from the Defense Department that a notebook with Mr. Aref's name and address had been found in what they said was a terrorist training camp in the western Iraqi desert near the Syrian border. They also said that a word in the notebook, written in Arabic, had referred to Mr. Aref as "commander."
As it turns out, the word is Kurdish, albeit written using the Arabic alphabet, and the translation may be incorrect. "Commander" could be translated as "brother," according to federal prosecutors.
Nijyar Shemdin, the United States representative for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Washington, reviewed a copy of the page at the request of The New York Times and said he did not see how a translation would have come up with the word "commander."
Mr. Shemdin said that Mr. Aref is referred to with the common honorific, "kak," which could mean brother or mister, depending on the level of formality...
Terence L. Kindlon, Mr. Aref's lawyer, said the mistake was emblematic of what he called deeper problems with the government's case.
"It looks to me to be a two-bit frame-up," Mr. Kindlon said. "In 30 years of practicing law, I have come to expect high standards from government prosecutors. This thing is just shabby. I suspect that there is something political driving this."
And from the Post, our man on the spot vows to forge on: "U.S. Attorney Glenn Suddaby said that authorities are unsure which translation is correct but that it does not change the case."
'Atta boy, Glenn.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
A little of that old-time nuclear fright as 4 workers were boiled to death under a bursting pipe at Mihama No. 3 nuclear reactor in Japan. Story by CNN Int'l This reactor is 3rd of 22 built from the same design, part of the 52 total reactors in the country.
I think Japan has more right than anybody to be afraid of nuclear catastrophe, and apparently ample opportunity, since the government revealed they had been warned that is was a safety threat last year, but had not inspected since 1996. All your base are belong to radiation sickness.
I think Japan has more right than anybody to be afraid of nuclear catastrophe, and apparently ample opportunity, since the government revealed they had been warned that is was a safety threat last year, but had not inspected since 1996. All your base are belong to radiation sickness.
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Brave New Water?
UK's Minister of Parliament (and shadow Environment Secretary) Norman Baker reports finding traces of Prozac and several other drugs in the country's drinking water. I suppose the incredibly widespread use of Prozac and its relatively "persistent" chemical makeup combine to determine these results.
the Scotsman: Environmentalists have labelled the situation “hidden mass medication of the unsuspecting public”
UK's Minister of Parliament (and shadow Environment Secretary) Norman Baker reports finding traces of Prozac and several other drugs in the country's drinking water. I suppose the incredibly widespread use of Prozac and its relatively "persistent" chemical makeup combine to determine these results.
the Scotsman: Environmentalists have labelled the situation “hidden mass medication of the unsuspecting public”
Extended quote from the SF Chronicle story on Allawi shutting down Al Jazeera in Iraq:
Senior Iraqi police officials arrived at the station's central Baghdad office Saturday evening and, in an extraordinary scene broadcast live on the network, sat at a table drinking soft drinks with senior staff as they calmly explained the order.
Al-Mullah said the closure decision was unclear and objected to its phrasing. The police said they had to execute the order anyway, asking al-Mullah to take his complaints to the Interior Ministry.
The police refused to leave the office before locking the newsroom and ordering employees to go home. Crossing his wrists as if handcuffed, a police officer warned al-Mullah against violating the decision.
``It is a regrettable decision, but Al-Jazeera will endeavor to cover the situation in Iraq as best as we can within the constraints,'' Jihad Ballout, the network's spokesman, said.
Senior Iraqi police officials arrived at the station's central Baghdad office Saturday evening and, in an extraordinary scene broadcast live on the network, sat at a table drinking soft drinks with senior staff as they calmly explained the order.
Al-Mullah said the closure decision was unclear and objected to its phrasing. The police said they had to execute the order anyway, asking al-Mullah to take his complaints to the Interior Ministry.
The police refused to leave the office before locking the newsroom and ordering employees to go home. Crossing his wrists as if handcuffed, a police officer warned al-Mullah against violating the decision.
``It is a regrettable decision, but Al-Jazeera will endeavor to cover the situation in Iraq as best as we can within the constraints,'' Jihad Ballout, the network's spokesman, said.
So after immediately reinstituting the legality of capital punishment and reconvening the secret police, what is left for Ayad Allawi to do? Today we got to watch as the
Iraqi Government Shuts Al-Jazeera.
Iraqi Government Shuts Al-Jazeera.
Friday, August 06, 2004
Reality continues to creep into view in the Abu Ghraib case2. Not just one prisoner (or officially, "detainee" wtf?) was held and moved in secret to prevent the International Committee of the Red Cross from discovering them, but eight, during inspections in last December alone. There is no reason to believe that the practice was not more widespread.
In court proceedings "Spec. Israel Rivera, a military intelligence soldier who witnessed some of the abuse, disclosed... [that] MPs smuggled in a local resident named Ali, who set up a restaurant and cafe... illegally sold liquor and ran a prostitution ring." Read for yourself at the Washington Post.
Also, a US helicopter was downed yesterday. Since then US troops killed 300 "militants". At least three US military were also killed. Najaf General Hospital cites 13 civilians dead and 58 wounded during the fighting. Is an us:innocents:them death ratio of 1:10:100 acceptable? Is this victory? And if that's just two days, imagine what we can do with another few years! Love that Freedom! Fight that Terror! Stay that Course!
Oh, and in case you are completely unaware, the guy we put in charge of Iraq is even worse than the guy we put in Afghanistan. Take a moment to acquaint yourself with Dr. Iyad Allawi, leader of the 1996 failed coup in Iraq, a spy and a "thug" with "blood on his hands", even by CIA accounts. What does that mean? Here's the account from the Sydney Morning Herald (click "register later"), in an editorial titled Allegations that cannot be ignored: "at Baghdad's Al-Amariyah prison about the third weekend of June... before the amazed eyes of a dozen Iraqi policeman and four American guards" independent and corroborated eyewitnesses say "Dr Allawi drew a gun and shot seven prisoners," killing 6.
Just a little celebratory summary execution to get you in the mood to bring democracy to millions. Even American press are acknowledging the story now... after what, 10 days? WTG US journalism. Well, that notwithstanding, there were always some poeple who could tell you what was up...
In court proceedings "Spec. Israel Rivera, a military intelligence soldier who witnessed some of the abuse, disclosed... [that] MPs smuggled in a local resident named Ali, who set up a restaurant and cafe... illegally sold liquor and ran a prostitution ring." Read for yourself at the Washington Post.
Also, a US helicopter was downed yesterday. Since then US troops killed 300 "militants". At least three US military were also killed. Najaf General Hospital cites 13 civilians dead and 58 wounded during the fighting. Is an us:innocents:them death ratio of 1:10:100 acceptable? Is this victory? And if that's just two days, imagine what we can do with another few years! Love that Freedom! Fight that Terror! Stay that Course!
Oh, and in case you are completely unaware, the guy we put in charge of Iraq is even worse than the guy we put in Afghanistan. Take a moment to acquaint yourself with Dr. Iyad Allawi, leader of the 1996 failed coup in Iraq, a spy and a "thug" with "blood on his hands", even by CIA accounts. What does that mean? Here's the account from the Sydney Morning Herald (click "register later"), in an editorial titled Allegations that cannot be ignored: "at Baghdad's Al-Amariyah prison about the third weekend of June... before the amazed eyes of a dozen Iraqi policeman and four American guards" independent and corroborated eyewitnesses say "Dr Allawi drew a gun and shot seven prisoners," killing 6.
Just a little celebratory summary execution to get you in the mood to bring democracy to millions. Even American press are acknowledging the story now... after what, 10 days? WTG US journalism. Well, that notwithstanding, there were always some poeple who could tell you what was up...
