Saturday, July 22, 2006

Thom Yorke & The Eraser (Mike guesting for Kat)

Mike here. Nina and Elaine took my younger sister to the bookstore. My folks got off to the airport first thing this morning. So I'm just kicking back and relaxing. There's a cloud blocking the sun right now at this minute and if it could do that all day, I'd be jumping for you. It is just too hot.

Check this out from Reuters:

Temperatures will average above normal in most of the United States in August, extending what has been the warmest year on record so far, the U.S. National Weather Service said on Thursday.

That is wack, as my sister would say. :D

So how can you beat the temperature?

How about Thom Yorke's The Eraser? To me, that CD just sounds like rain. Even if you're not a Radiohead fan, I'll bet you'll like. If you love Radiohead, you'll love it. My bicep is in tremors. :D
I wanted to get the attic cleaned out while my folks were on their vacation and after they were off on their flight, that's the first thing I tackled. Don't worry, Dad and me had been talking about what was staying and what was going. But some of that stuff was heavier than it looked. If I'm typing, no problem. But if I stop and bend my elbow, to scratch my nose or anything, my bicep starts shaking. Been a long time since I've been effected like that. (I'm big on working out with weights.)

So The Eraser. Booklet is a drawing (no lyrics included) and I'm trying to figure it out. A man's either, looks to me, trying to use his hand to make a board on a wave with a dog or a scorpion come to him or go away from him. There are storm clouds and the waves are surrounding buildings. One of the buildings may be Big Ben. The back of the fold out drawing is pretty similar except there are two boats with one person in each. Dude, when I hold the drawing with both hands, my right bicep is just going crazy and my whole arm on down starts shaking. That is too weird! :D

I think "Black Swan" and "Atoms For Peace" are my favorite songs right now. I like the notes in "Atoms for Peace." Here's what I think are some of the lyrics:

No more going to the dark side
For your flying saucer ride
No more falling down a worm hole
That I have to pull you out.

That was a gift from Elaine by the way. She's staying this weekend since we're the only ones on the East Coast participating in the latest edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review. She wanted to bring food but I told her we didn't any. She checked with the folks to be sure and they told her we were stocked. So she said it was her way of not showing up "empty handed." But I think it was just her way of being nice because she knew I wanted this CD.

Thom Yorke's voice goes so high. Especially on "Atoms for Peace." "And yea-aaa-lll be okay" or something like that he sings. It's a really cool CD.

So I'm fresh from the shower, with one bicep going crazy, got Thom Yorke on the speakers, drinking a Dr. Pepper and eating some kettle cooked potato chips that are sea salt and cracked pepper. Tony brought those yesterday for the group that gets together to talk about the war but we had so many chips we didn't open them all. The folks gave them back to people but Tony said he was going to be catting around last night (LOL, yeah trying anyway!) and didn't feel like cruising around with a bag of chips. They're pretty good. I'll eat one and think, "I hate this" when I bite in and then I'll chew it and the taste will grow on me. They're kind of sharp tasting.


I just put in what I was going to close with and I was thinking about what I'd put between but my arm is just shaking now -- bent or straight. I'm going to stop and doing some stretches. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq Snapshot" from Friday:

Chaos and violence continue. Or else just think of the decision of the extended curfew in Baghdad as the capital beginning to note ozone days. The BBC reports that the Friday daytime ban "now covers most of the day" and that it ends "just two hours before the daily night-time curfew begins." 'Liberation' by unofficial house arrest.
If the 'crackdown' is to cut off all attempts at daily life in Baghdad, how's that hearts & minds strategy going?
AFP reports that in Baquba hearts and minds scatter to the wind when six people were killed and 23 wounded. Killed how? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Among the five dead were an infant and two women. The two adult males are being dubbed 'insurgents' by the US military. The women and the infant? AP trumpets one sentence into a condolence card: "The Americans expressed regret for the civilian deaths." Reuters, using sources other than the military's press release, reports that six, not five (as the AP reports -- the AFP was at the hospital and counted six corpses), were killed and that it came from an air raid bombing of three houses. (AP's iffy on what happened, AFP also calls it an air strike). Though the US dubs the two dead males 'insurgents,' reports indicate that the troops were seen as the 'insurgents.' AFP has an eye witness, Mohammed Omar, who states that the men on rooftop were guards (not an uncommon occurence in Iraq) and they fired at approaching troops believing they were 'insurgents'.
What happened? Probably no one involved, American or Iraqi, can tell you in full. For the military, that's what happens when the people you are supposedly 'liberating' are seen as the 'enemy.' The press release (which the New York Times will probably build from tomorrow -- though we can always hope that isn't the case) outlines (at length) a version of events. Those events aren't reflected in reporting by Reuters or AFP which actually spoke to people involved. And just to repeat, it's a lengthy press release. The AP treats the one 'regret' sentence as though it's prominent or lengthy. It's an afternote. The twenty-three wounded? Women and children in that number as well.
Elsewhere in Iraq today?
Shootings?
The
AFP reports that, in Baghdad, clashes led to the shooting deaths of three Iraqi soldiers and three Iraqi police officers, as well as the shooting death of "a Christian government official". Reuters notes that "[t]wo Salvadoran[,] . . . four Polish soldiers and an Iraqi transloator were wounded when their convoy was attacked . . . not clear how the convoy was attacked." That was "near Numaniya." In addition, Reuters notes the shooting death of a police officer in Mosul. And, in an update, Reuters is noting that a police officer and a civilian were shot dead "in separate attacks in Muqdadiya."
Bombings?
AFP notes one in Baghdad, "outside a Sunni mosque" that killed one person. Reuters notes that another person died in a roadside bomb near a Sunni mosque in Khalis (two others were wounded).
Corpses?
Reuters reports that three corpses were found near Falluja ("gunshot wounds . . . signs of torture") and that they were wearing the uniforms of Iraqi soldiers while another corpse (headless) was discovered in Kirkuk. In addition to that corpse, KUNA notes that the corpse of a two-year-old child was also found in Kirkuk. AFP notes four corpses were discovered in Baghdad ("signs of torture"). And Reuters is now reporting the discovery, in Muqdadiya, of the corpses of five kidnapped victims.
The
US military announced that a US marine died Friday in the Anbar province. This as Kristin Roberts (Reuters) reports that "Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team operating primarily in the Mosul area" says that the target of the 'insurgency' is now Iraqi soldiers.
In Australia, the inquiry into the April 21st death of Jake Kovco continued as attorneys for Shelley Kovco (widow of Australian soldier Jake Kovco) and Judy & Martin Kovco (parents of Jake) sought to establish that
yesterday's 'key witness' had less than impressive qualifications. Conor Duffy reported on PM (Australia's ABC) that Wayne Hoffman faced questions on the 12-point document he'd prepared with it being noted that his document went beyond his area (ballistics) into a "largely speculative" area. (The reference is into Hoffman's statement that the death was a suicide -- which led Judy Kovco to leave the courtroom yesterday.) Duffy notes a number of things the 'expert' was confronted with such as the fact that, although he'd weighed in with expertise and great authority on the matter, "he was unaware there was another pistol in the room at the time of the shooting, and . . . he hadn't read the statements from Private Kovco's room mates." Dan Box (The Australian) reports that 'expert' Wayne Hoffman testified that he hadn't been able "to find any prints on the gun" -- not Jake Kovco's, not anyone's. Box notes: "NSW detectives will now travel to Baghdad to take DNA samples from those soldiers in Kovco's unit after unidentified DNA was found on the gun, including on its trigger." However, although that's been reported previously, it appears the journey to Baghdad is on hold. Conor Duffy (Australia's ABC) reports that although the expectation was for the testimony of soldiers in Baghdad to be heard Monday (via "videolink" as noted earlier this week), that's not the case: ". . . a spokeswoman for Defence Public Affairs says this has been delayed while a request to conduct DNA on more soldiers in Iraq is considered." So to recap, not only will soldiers not testify Monday via videolink (on hold) but the trip to Baghdad to take DNA samples (which had previously been stated to be a go) is now on hold. As Dan Box notes, the original investigation in Baghdad was made "without any foresensic equipment. In fact, no forensic tests were carried out by the military police." Speaking to Eleanor Hall on The World Today (Australia's ABC), Conor Duffy noted that Frank Holles [attorney for Judy and Martin Kovco] raised the issue that Hoffman appeared unaware that "Private Kovco was reportedly dancing around to a Cranberries song and communicating with his wife at the time of his death. 'Have you ever seen a suicide like that before?' he asked."
Also covering the inquiry,
Belinda Tasker (Perth Now) reports that Hoffman stated that his reasons for believing that Jake Kovco pulled the trigger "was the fact that the pistol was his own." Tasker also notes that his two former roomates reported that he was joking with them and "singing along to pop songs" but they claim they did not see anything when the gun went off. Finally, Tasker reports that Shelley Kovco "excused herself from hearing much of the cross-examination today."
In news from American courts,
Kay Stewart (Courier-Journal) reports that Steven D. Green, the former Army solider charged with raping and murdering 14 year-old Abeer Qassim Hamza and then murdering three members of her family, "won't be indicted until at least mid-October, under a motion granted yesterday in U.S. District Court in Louisville' at the request of federal prosecutors who would like it rescheduled to November 8th. The other five charged in the incident, Paul E. Cortez, Anthony W. Yribe, James P. Barker, Jesse V. Spielman, and Bryan L. Howard -- Yribe is only charged with dereliction of duty for failure to report the incident, "are scheduled for a miliary hearing in Iraq beginning Aug. 6" and the federal prosecutors argue that "[t]he same evidence and witnesses are necesaary components in both prosecutions."
In peace news,
Hannah Charry (Hartford Advocate) reports that John Woods passed on his 60th birthday to take part in CODEPINK's TROOPS HOME FAST! Woods is "striking one day a week" (Fridays) for two months and states that: "His anti-war stance is in part something that he attributes to the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder he developed upon returning from Vietnam where he served with U.S. forces as an interrogator in 1969." Charry notes that Kat West is following Woods example and "will be fasting five days a week."
And in Canada,
Ken Eisner (Vancouver's Straight) reports: "Fact: Jane Fonda's biggest fans in her antiwar tours were American GIs. Fact: returning soldiers were the vanguard of the out-of-Vietnam movement by the end of the 1960s. Fact: far more veterans of the military now serving in Congress are Democrats than are Republicans. Fact: U.S. soldiers are deserting at a rate greater than at any time since Vietnam." Though truth is always welcome, why is Eisner reporting that? Because the documentary Sir! No! Sir! is opening at the Ridge. Eisner speaks with the film's director, David Zeiger, who says of the film: "This story has been so thoroughly buried, I knew it would take a lot of digging to get it out there. I thought it would be emotionally draining too, and that's one of the things that scared me off. But what I found as the process went along is that it became much more celebratory. This gave a lot of people a chance to tell their stories within a context that would inspire others. The conversations certainly did conjure up painful memories, but overwhelmingly it was a positive experience for everyone involved."

Sir! No! Sir! is currently playing at:


PLAZA THEATRE

1133 KENSINGTON ROAD NW, CALGARY, ALBERTA, T2N 3P4283-2222
theplaza.ca

FIFTH AVENUE CINEMA

2110 BURRARD ST, VANCOUVER
(604) 734-7469
www.festivalcinemas.ca/

CIRCLE CINEMA

10 SOUTH LEWIS AVENUE, TULSA OK, 74104
(918) 585-3456
amaral1871@gmail.com
(benefit for Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace organized by the Queens Anti-War Commitee)


AUGUST 2 - CINECENTA

STUDENT UNION BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
www.cinecenta.com
(two nights only)

AUGUST 3 - THE PALACE THEATER

38 HAILI ST., HILO, HAWAII 96720
(808) 934-7777
www.hilopalace.com
(one night only, benefit for World Peace Society)

AUGUST 10 - REGINA PUBLIC LIBRARY

2311 - 12 AVE., REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, S4P 3Z5
(306) 777-6022
www.reginalibrary.ca
(minimum two days)

AUGUST 11 - NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

1515 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 267.5380
www.northwestfilmforum.org
(minimum one week)

AUGUST 13 - OJAI FILM FESTIVAL

OJAI, CA
www.filmsociety.ojai.net
(one night only)

AUGUST 18 -BROADWAY THEATRE

15 BROADWAY AVE., SASKATOON
(306) 652-6556
www.broadwaytheatre.ca
(minimum one week)


AUGUST 22 - HOPEDANCE PRESENTS: SEBASTOPOL, CA

TWO ACRE FOOD CO-HOUSING, 680 ROBINSON, SEBASTOPOL
(one night only)

SEPTEMBER 8 - GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE

900 East AvenueRochester, NY 14607
(585) 271-3361
www.eastmanhouse.org

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Ani DiFranco and fasting (C.I. guesting for Kat)

C.I. here doing my second post. Ideally, I'd like to do at least three while Kat's on vacation but there's "ideally" and there's "reality" -- rarely do the two meet. However, since I had time this morning, I thought I'd grab it.

I'm doing the CODEPINK action, TROOPS HOME FAST!, and there have been some questions on that. (Don't worry, we'll get musical in a moment.) If someone wants to take part in the fast (for one day or more), they can find out information using the links. I have been on it since the Fourth of July and didn't intend to be on it that long. We all (all who do sites in the community) took part on the Fourth for one day. I don't remember why I decided to extend it but at some point, there were three members who were still on it (two still are) and they'd e-mailed that if I'd stay on it, they would as well. Today's the twentieth and I decided to just finish out the month since I'd made it this far.

"It's not going to accomplish anything" has been a frequent comment in visitors' e-mails at The Common Ills. My reasons for taking part, and I believe this is true of everyone in the community who does a site but check with them, was to show support for CODEPINK which always find novel ways to take a stand and is always active. Then hearing that Diane Wilson had prepared a will before she started the fast and how long she intends to stay on it, it just seemed like I could do a little more in the face of all that she was doing. (And all that others were doing as well. But hearing that Wilson had prepared a will made my jaw drop. She's very serious about this.)

Diane Wilson thinks that the troops will be home. I'm less positive but, out of respect for her actions, I'll table my negativity. I will, however, offer some reasons for doing the fast if anyone's thinking about it.

As Mike has noted, the war is treated as an after thought. An illegal war is still being raged in Iraq. We still have around 130,000 troops over there. If the war was over, the troops would be home. It's not over. The illegal occupation continues, breeding hatred in those occupied (as would be true of any occupied people). We've all got (myself included) our, by comparison, comfortable lives. (Some more comfortable than others, which includes me.) And does the war register?

It is discussed, outside the media, it is discussed and the nation's turned against the war (and isn't going to be cheerleading it again -- the shift is too pronounced and the sentiment is too hard -- all the yackers going on about this poll or that poll seem to miss the point that one poll is meaningless, its only validity comes from whether or not you see a consistent trend emerging and that has been the case for some time now with regards to sentiment on the war). Ann Wright referred to the fast as a way of upping the ante and that is so needed.

If we're not raising the stakes, we're being complacent and allowing the illegal war to continue without protest, without objection.

So it's a way to protest. It does have an impact. Friends ask, "Why aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry?" They learn of the fast. Then it becomes a curious factor, "You're still on the fast?" It registers, even if in a small way. And when they hear of the continued cycle of violence and chaos in Iraq, it registers a little more.

Iraq is "far off" and the fast is one way to bring it closer, to bring it home.

If you've never fasted and are considering it, especially if you have a known health condition, you should check with a doctor first. Kayla, who is breast feeding, has done three one-day stints and she checked with her doctor first to make sure there would be no harm to her son (or her own system since she was nursing). If you're relatively healthy and you're interested in the fast, you should probably consider it doing it for a day.

E-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters to your Congressional reps are all well and good but this is a more direct action and you'll find that people who don't usually talk with you about Iraq will show more interest in the topic. "Okay, explain it to me, why are you fasting?" is a question I heard repeatedly on the second week. These aren't people who aren't concerned about the illegal war but, again, there is a "far off" factor.

If you're considering a long term fast (I don't recommend or urge that, if you're interested in it, you need to be interested in it, you don't need someone telling you to do it -- I will urge a one day fast for those who are able to participate) and are wondering about what it's like, the hunger pains in the stomach, for me, left after day eight. The big thing these days is headaches. Mainly in the morning. (I do take Excedrin Tension Headache for that.) I don't know that I'm more tired now, I'm pretty much tired period. Between the heat and everything that has to be done, tired's become a consistent. Other than that, I'm not really noticing much difficulty at this point. (Each day gets a little easier.)

You need to drink a lot of fluids. That's not been difficult for me because I drink a minimum of 72 ounces of water a day. (That's before the fast.) I do make a point to drink more than iced tea and grab some fruit jucies (V8 and tomato juice are my own personal favorites). I have a friend who's dong the long term fast and drinking sports drink in addition to water. That's probably much healthier for you to replace things lost in sweating in the summer heat (plus not getting them from eating) but I really don't like the taste of sports drinks so I've avoided them.

Because it's a long term fast, I'll have a slice of banana or a slice of avacado every four hours. That's my schedule, if you did a long term fast (or are on one), use your own judgement (or your doctor's). There are a number of other ways you could do a fast (one day or long term). You could do strictly liquids and that would allow for tomato soup or other soups (or smoothies). I went with this because it was the most basic and the easiest for me to follow. (I didn't have time to hunt down information. Others would be smarter to do so ahead of time. I never claimed "smarts.")

At night, I dream of chocolate. Always a weakness for me. I dream of chocolate chip cookies, candy, etc. Last night, I dreamed of drinking Hershey Chocolate Syrup which, confession, I have done before. When Rebecca, Elaine and I lived together in college, they knew not to leave chocolate anywhere I would find it. Rebecca had a can of chocolate syrup in the cabinet and I opened it with a can opener and drank the whole thing one stressful day. That's the most extreme moment of my chocolate addicition but it did happen once. But they knew that was my weakness and if they had some, they'd better hide it. (I could and still can go through an entire thing of M&Ms -- I mean the pound bag. I'm not someone who will eat a few and say, "Thank you." Never have been.) I don't keep chocolate in the house for that reason.

Chocolate cake or pie isn't as tempting and I can make one of those or someone can bring one over and it's not going anywhere. But bring candy bars and there's a problem. (And with any other sweet, I have no problem. Lemon sours are a wonderful candy and if someone offers, I'll have one if I'm in the mood. So it's a chocolate addiction, not a generic candy addiction.)

So those are the nights, dreaming of chocolate. During the day, I'm too busy to think about eating most of the time. (Chocolate or otherwise.)

If you're going to do a one day fast (or longer) and are lucky enough to have a friend, co-worker, family member, etc. who's doing it as well, it will be helpful. If you do the one day fast, I think you'll end it feeling that you did something worth doing. For one day, you protested the war in a way that effected you. It doesn't begin to compare with what's going on for Iraqis but, for one day, you left your comfort zone and took a stand.

I did have chest pains at the end of the first week but they faded. If you take part in the fast and have chest pains, you should listen to your body and get to a doctor. I did consult with my doctor when I had chest pains. She had a list of what should be done and we whittled that down to what I was comfortable with. That's when I started doing the slices of banana and avocado and increasing the amount of V8 and grape juice I drank each day. Prior to that, I was doing strictly water and nothing else -- except the first day of the fast which, and I don't recommend this, included alcohol. I had the Fourth party planned, and invitiations sent out, six months prior. No food and drinking (alcohol) would have resulted in a very down mood for the party.

The fast is going to continue for many and some will be moving it to Crawford, TX (to coincide with the Bully Boy's vacation). I'll be going off on August 1st (though I may pick it up again). When you go off, the temptation (especially for me) will be to grab junk food. (Chocolate in my case.) Immediately. You can't do that. You have to introduce food back into your system slowly. (Again, I'm not urging that anyone go on a long term fast. If you want to, that has to be your call. But in case someone is on one or is considering going on one, you don't go off with a heavy meal. You have to ease food back in slowly over a period of days.)

August first, I'll be eating tomatoes, avocados and oranges. (Tomatoes are a favorite of mine. Second only to chocolate.) I'll keep it basic for the first three days (fruits and vegetables -- with no sauces).

So that's that, let's turn to music. One of the things that I've noticed during the fast is a heightened awareness. "Both Hands" is a beautiful song by Ani DiFranco. Kat loves it, everyone I know who has ever heard it loves it. But on day six or so (it's all a blur), I was having an especially difficult time (with stomach pains) and grabbed some headphones, laid down and put in Ani DiFranco's CD Like I Said (Songs 1990-91) intending to take a nap. I couldn't due to the stomach pains, but I found new levels to a song I thought I knew fairly well. ("Both Hands" is on several albums, Living In Clip also has a wonderful live version of the song.) I ended up listening to it over and over for the hour and, each time, it was like hearing the song for the first time.

If you know the excitement you have when you hear a great song for the first time, you probably know that it later becomes more of a "I love that song," sing along type thing. And you may miss that moment of initial excitement. I rediscovered that on the fast (for that song and many others) so that's been one side effect I hadn't counted on but have enjoyed. Notes stood out that I'd never noticed and the lyrics often went to another place. ("Delusion has set in," snort the skeptics.) There is a heightened awareness.

There's not been a heightened sense of compassion towards others which probably stems from my own personality. But my friend who's doing the fast has all the love in the world for everyone in the world. I wish I was that kind of person but I'm old enough to grasp that's never going to happen. I don't think it will "change" you, taking part in the fast. I do think it will "expand" you and will raise your awareness of others and events around you (as well as your own self-awareness).

Just now, I had a stomach pain. It was dull pain and that was one wave and then vanished. Which has nothing to do with what I was writing but I don't want to give any false impressions about the fast. When a stomach pain comes now, it's much more rare and it tends to quickly pass. (Earlier in the fast, it seemed like they lasted hours.)

I am going off August first. I've said I was going off before and then stayed on it. I admire Diane Wilson, Medea Benjamin, Cindy Sheehan and others who intend to stay on it longterm. But I will be going off on the first of next month (and still admiring the dedication of those who stay on). I do think I will pick up a day or more in August and I kid myself that this is somehow helpful in the sense that it demonstrates that you can join the fast anytime. It does demonstrate that but let's be real, I'm going off on the first because that's about all the continued fasting I can take.

But you can join this fast at anytime. It's ongoing. If you want to do one day, pick a day. If you want to make Mondays or Saturdays you're thing and do it one day each week, you can. I am encouraging a one day fast for all that can participate. If you're thinking of a one day fast and trying to pick a day, I'd recommend a busy day. If you're around the house doing nothing (or less than you normally do), it's going to be harder. (Which might be a lesson in itself if you want to try it on one of those days.)

"Both Hands" is on now so I'll throw out a sample of the lyrics (lyrics and music written by Ani DiFranco):

I am watching your chest rise and fall
Like the tides of my life and the rest of it all
Your bones have been my bedframe
And your flesh has been my pillow
I've been waiting for the sleep
To offer up the deep
With both hands
In each other's shadow
We grew less and less tall
And eventually our theories
Couldn't explain it all
I'm recording our history
Now on the bedroom wall
And when we leave
The landlord will pave over it all
Both hands

By the way, Ani DiFranco has a new CD due out shortly, Kat has noted it here:

First things first. Ani DiFranco has a new studio album, Reprieve, ready and it will be released on August 8th. You can listen to "Hypnotized" here and you can see video for "Half-Assed" here.

That's it for my second guest-post. Again, I'll try to do a total of three (minimum).






Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Mamas and the Papas (C.I. guesting for Kat)

C.I. here. Aiding Mike and Cedric in filling in for Kat while she's in Ireland. Kat didn't want anyone to guest post but she said, "If you're going to do it, include the snapshot." So I'll do that in a moment.

But first . . .

It was very nice of Mike and Cedric to offer to post here. They're very busy. Back in January 2005, I prepared some entries ahead of time and only did one new entry each day (at The Common Ills). Kat posted like crazy to make sure there was enough new content up. (She did three entries at least.) So while it's nice on the part of Mike and Cedric, it's more than owed on my part. She's always willing to help out in any way she can and, I think we all agree on this, her musical coverage at The Common Ills has really aided the community.

So this isn't me being generous, this is more than owed to Kat. (And I'm happy to do it.)

Let me do the snapshot:

Iraq today? Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London) sums it up as follows: "A civil war between Sunni and Shia Muslims is spreading rapidly through central Iraq, with each community seeking revenge for the latest massacre." That pretty much describes life on the ground. There's also more news in the inquiry to the death of Jake Kovco as well as news on Medea Benjamin and Cindy Sheehan.

Bombings?

Outside Baghdad's Technology Institute, three bombs went off.
AFP notes that a "police patrol" had just passed by and that the interior ministry of Iraq is saying that police were the targets of the bombings. Reuters reports five dead and 22 wounded in the three bombs -- first came the car bomb, then two others went off "apparently targeting a crowd that gathered at the scene."

The other single event getting the most press attention at this time is the kidnapping of at least 19 people.
Al Jazeera explains that fourteen were kidnapped on Tuesday "by gunmen in civilian clothes" and that an additional five were traveling in a vehicle, forced off the road, and then kidnapped. The Associated Press reports that the twenty (they go with the figure of 20) were all employees of the Sunni Endowment and that the agency's response has been to announce they "would stop working effective immediately and that its chairman, Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samaraie, would give more details later." (Reuters also goes with the figure of 19 kidnapped and it taking place yesterday and today.)

Elsewhere,
Reuters reports that mortar rounds have claimed the life of a two-month-old child and left another child and one adult wounded and that a bombing in Kirkuk has left at least four dead and at least 16 wounded. CBS and the AP note a roadside bombing in Kirkuk that took the lives of two.


Shootings?

AFP reports that Major General Fakhr Abdel Hussein was killed in Baghdad ("in front of his home"). AFP notes that he was "[t]he head of the interior ministry's justice office". In Najaf, Reuters covers the death of the owner of "a women's hair salon" and notes that 3 are dead and 11 wounded after a market was stormed by assailants. AFP also notes: "Gunmen in the eastern suburb of Baghdad Jadida opened fir on a store selling vegetables, killing four people inside. They then planted explosives inside the store and blew it to pieces." Also in Balad, AFP reports, a home invasion has left a child dead and a woman wounded.

Corpses?

Reuters notes a corpse ("gunshot wounds") discovered in Mosul as well as 18 corpses discovered in Mahmudiya ("gunshot wounds . . . signs of torture"). Meanwhile the AFP reports that six corpses were discovered in Baghdad and one in Karbala.

Addressing
the UN report that found almost 6,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the months of May and June on The KPFA Evening News yesterday, Max Pringle noted that: "In the first six months of the year it said 14,338 people had been killed. The UN report also details the rise in kidnappings particularly of large groups of people. In addition women report that their rights have been rolled back by religious muslim groups both Shi and Sunni. They say that their social freedoms have decreased since the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and they are now barred from going to the market alone, wearing pants and driving cars."

Brian Edwards-Tiekert also addressed the report today on
KPFA's The Morning Show , noting that it indicates that "violence is claiming more lives in Iraq now than at any time since the US invasion of that country. The UN estimates 100 Iraqis are dying a day"

Speaking of the report yesterday, UN Secretary-General spokesperson
Farhan Haq noted that "the report raises alarm at the growing number of casualities among the civilian population killed or wounded" and that's a thought echoing in today's press with some noting occupation puppet Nouri al-Maliki's statement from last week that Iraq was getting it's "last chance" or Hoshiyar Zebari's assertion that "months" remain before "all-out civil war" breaks out.

Turning to Australia and the case of Jake Kovco who died in Iraq on April 21st, the inquiry into the events of his final moments continue.
Dan Box (The Australian) reports that: "HOMICIDE detectives will trave to Baghdad to take DNA samples from soldiers who served with Private Jake Kovco after tests revealed unidentified DNA samples on the trigger of the gun that killed him." Speaking on The World Today (Australia's ABC) with host Eleanor Hall, Conor Duffy reported that Detective Inspector Wayne Hayes found "what . . . [he] called a gross amount of someone else's DNA, and that DNA was on the trigger of the gun, the slide and on the grip." Australia's ABC reports that: "As many as 30 Australian soldiers in Baghdad could be DNA tested." Dan Box also reports that the two roommates of Jake Kovco will testify to the board next week "by videolink" from Baghdad. Judy and Martin Kovco, Jake's parents, have been fighting to have soldiers serving with their late son called to testify before the inquiry -- though the testimony will be by "videolink," the 'win' on this is due to their persistence.

And in peace news,
Matthew Cardinale (Atlanta Progressive News) reports on Cindy Sheehan and Medea Benjamin's visit to Atlanta to show their support for Cynthia McKinney in her primary bid (McKinney won the most vote but now faces Hank Johnson in a primary runoff). Medea Benjamin states: "The peace movement is aat a very critical juncture because on one hand, we have managed to capture public opinion. Most people think the Invasion of Iraq was a mistake and want the troops home at the end of the year. 72% of troops themselves say this. You can't continue to have politicians voting for the war. What's new on this is the Iraqi said, not just Iraqi people, but the [Iraqi] President, Vice President, and National Security Advisor".

Medea Benjamin and Cindy Sheehan continue their fast as part of the
Troops Home Fast protest. From CODEPINK:

TROOPS HOME FAST! On July 4, we launched an historic hunger strike called TROOPS HOME FAST in Washington, DC in front of the White House. While many Americans expressed their patriotism via barbeques and fireworks, we're fasting in memory of the dead and wounded, and calling for the troops to come home from Iraq. We're inviting people around the world to show their support for this open-ended fast by fasting for at least one day. Read an interview with Diane Wilson to learn more. Please sign here to to support us and encourage your friends to do the same. Click here to view photos, and read our blogs!

The fast is ongoing, anyone can join at any time, for a single day or more.

Finally, the
BBC reports that four more people kidnapped from the "meeting of the Iraqi Olympic Committee last week" have been released and that the number of those released is now nine.

Now, one of Kat's favorite CD boxed sets is the Mamas & the Papas' Complete Anthology. So I thought I'd write about that. Kat loves music and it's rare to visit her and not find her listening to some (or to speak to her on the phone and not here it in the background). She actually has everyone of the Mamas & the Papas albums on vinyl. (I think I'm missing the last one on vinyl, People Like Us.) She's also kept her cassette collection.

This collection is an import from England and was actually offered by PBS when they were airing their documentary on the Mamas and the Papas. (I'd love to offer a date on that but all my dates blur.) Like myself, Kat grabbed it at Tower.

So it's four CDs and it covers their career as a group by including every song from the four studio albums they recorded as well as the (I believe now out of print on CD) live album from the historic Monterey pop festival. In addition to that, you get a few solo tracks by each of the four members (Michelle & John Phillips, Cass Elliot and Denny Douherty). You also get two tracks they performed on TV: the Beatles' "Nowhere Man" and Rodgers & Hart's "Here In My Arms." What else? "Glad to Be Unhappy" (another Rodgers & Hart song that never appeared on a studio album).

This is a pricey collection (over seventy dollars) so if you're new to the group, you can probably find a cheaper introduction. What Complete Anthology does offer is "complete." It's all here, as well as outtakes, single versions (when they were different from the album tracks). So if you love their music (I do), this is a way to have all of it in one collection.

Who are the Mamas and the Papas? (In case anyone's asking.) They were a group that hit the charts in 1965. A folk-rock group, a vocal group. "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'" are among their huge hits.

"Dedicated to the One I Love" (which was a hit in 1967) found a new life when Michelle Phillips was guesting (guesting at that point) on Knots Landing in the eighties. (The song was used in the show when she attempts to seduce the married Mac.) They were four White people with a visual look ("hippie" is the shorthand for the look -- freedom, considering what came before, is another view) and with gender integration which was a big deal in those days of boys on one side, girls on the other. You had the "girl groups" and you had the "boy groups" (but the latter's never called that, they're just called "groups"). So you had two women, two men.

They're voices could blend amazingly on many songs. One of Kat's favorites is "Safe in My Garden" (disc two, from the album The Papas & The Mamas). For a similar reason, I enjoy the blend of Cass and Michelle's voices on "Got A Feeling" (first disc, from the album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears). With Cass' amazing (and powerful) contralto, no one else is going to get as much attention (Cass was very talented) but Denny could also cut loose (such as on "Monday, Monday") and Michelle's soprano (on it's own or as part of the mix) was also a strong part of the group sound.

The group stuck together for four albums (If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, The Mamas and the Papas, Deliver, and The Papas and the Mamas) during the sixties and then came back together (due to the jerks of ABC/Dunhill suing) for People Like Us which no one seems to like. "Shooting Star" was recently featured on a disc that came with a monthly British music magazine and I know a number of members in England were surprised by that (they enjoyed it). For me, the songs that make it from that album (People Like Us) are "Snow Queen of Texas" (which has some of the hallmarks of their vocal blending), "I Wanna Be A Star" (which has some nice bursts that the album often lacks -- vocal bursts, too often, for my tastes, it all blurs and just sort of lingers, the vocals and the melody of the song itself are crisp on this song), and Denny cuts loose on "Step Out."

I could be remembering wrong, but I believe Deliver is Jess' favorite album. (Singles from it were "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Creeque Alley.") ("Look Through My Window was a single before the album was released.) I also enjoy The Papas & The Mamas which isn't widely appreciated. It's more of a mood piece. (Singles were "Safe in My Garden" and "Dream A Little Dream Of Me.")

If you're a Cass fan, you get "Costume Ball" which is rare on collections. If you're a John Phillips fan, you'll probably enjoy one of the three tracks included. Denny's "To Claudia On Thursday" offers some fine vocal work by Denny and others. It's one of four tracks and all are strong. ("What You Gonna Do" isn't included on this collection.) You also get seven tracks where they're providing backup vocals for Barry McGuire.

All four of Michelle's tracks are wonderful (my opinion). They are also all on the recently released expanded version of Victim of Romance -- Michelle's only solo CD and just released in America on CD for the first time. Hip-O Select has that CD which you can also probably get from Amazon but if you order from Hip-O Select you also get a bookmark (photos taken for the album of Michelle). Hip-O Select has also released a two-disc Cass Elliot collection entitled The Complete Cass Elliot Solo Collection 1968-1971. (Kat reviewed it here.) If you're a Cass fan, this is the CD to get. You get thirty-eight tracks. Contrary to conventional wisdom (and an online encylopedia), Cass' solo "Dream a Little Dream of Me" is not the same track from the Mamas & the Papas album (The Papas and The Mamas) -- effects are added, there's a double tracked vocal, additional whistles, etc.. It also includes tracks recorded for albums that didn't make them (such as "Darling Be Home Soon" which is Sunny's favorite track on the compliation; and a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Sisotowbell Lane"). "Different" is from the soundtrack to the film Pufnstuf (which is now out on CD, the entire soundtrack, but this track appeared on CD for the first time via this collection). Cass' daughter Owen Elliot-Kugell writes movingly of her movie in the linear notes and Richard Barton Campbell does a wonderful job tracing both the career and the impact in his essay.

Before she left, I asked Kat which she preferred, the Mamas and the Papas four-disc set or Cass' two-disc set? She went with Cass. Why? She said she'd have to think about it. For me (I'd make the same pick) it's due to the fact that the tracks on Cass' two-disc set aren't readily available. As a result, unless you're a vinyl freak, you probably haven't heard them or haven't heard them in some time. They have a freshness and remind you of how talented Cass was. Her vocal power is often noted (and should be) but it's those moments where she caresses a note or line that demonstrate her gift. She could hit the notes, she had the breath to hold them, no question. But it was her ability to interpret songs, to give them life and meaning, that made her one of the greats. She earned her place in musical history (both as a solo act and as a member of the Mamas and the Papas).

Kat summed up Cass' gift far better than I could:

Listening to this collection, I have to wonder that as well. There really wasn't anyone like her. And no one's come along to replace her. You don't cringe at any vocals here. Cass always sang the song. She didn't oversing it. There were no Olympic leaps to show off. She could have strutted through every song if she'd wanted to. She can hold a note as long as your average diva. Listening to all thirty-eight tracks, you'll realize how many notes she could hit and how a decision was made not to show boat on a song.

The Cass collection is also available at Amazon.

I'm going to try to grab at least one more post while Kat's on vacation. (Mike and Cedric are each going to try to grab one post a week.) When Kat finally agreed to let me post here while she was gone, her first question was what I'd be writing about? I told her I'd write about the Mamas and the Papas in the first entry in case I didn't have time to write about anything else.
She loved that idea because so many in the community enjoy the Mamas and the Papas which, by the way, has been one of the biggest surprises -- a pleasant one, but a big one -- for me about the community. I wasn't surprised that members old enough to remember the group would be fans but I was surprised by how many younger members were fans (some as a result of picking up a CD because of Kat writing about the group). At The Third Estate Sunday Review, we always know that if we mention Cass or the group -- even just in passing -- there will be e-mails.
That the group had a hold on people was not surprising, that people still listen (including people just discovering the group) was wonderful (and deserving).

More information on Cass can be found at The Official Cass Elliot Web Site.





Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Bright what?

Kat's on vacation so you got Mike tonight. But not really! :D I'll blog for real on Thursday or Saturday. But there may be a post Wednesday here. It won't be by me and it won't be by Cedric who's also filling in.

It's up in the air but it will happen, if not Wednesday than before Kat gets back from her vacation. Kat was cool with just letting the site be silent for eleven days but we know she works hard and that she has a following. We'd hate for her to be one of those people that has nothing up for two months! :D

I'll talk music quick and then post the snapshot.

I'm listening to Dashboard Confessional's new CD a lot these days. But I'm really finding that there are some CDs that have a hold on me I didn't know. Like White Stripes, I always know I'll end up listening to them more a few months after I have them then I did when I got the CD.

So what's the CD that I'm spinning the most these days? It's really Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. I liked that when I got it but I just keep going back to that CD this week. "We Are Nowhere And It's Now" grabbed me the first time I heard it but I'm really getting deeper into "Land Locked Blues" and "First Day Of My Life." Really, the whole CD but especially those two songs.

Like I said, this was quick. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

More deaths in Iraq today, the UN issues a body count for Iraqi civilians, questions emerge in the inquiry into the death of Australian soldier Jake Kovco, and news on war resisters and peace demonstrators.
Reuters reports that 59 people died after a bomber drove "his minivan into a busy market on Tuesday, lured labourers onboard with the promise of jobs and then blew himself" and those gathered up. The attack took place in Kufa and police "were pelted with rocks by angry crowds, many of whom demanded that militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take over security". The Associated Press skips that but does note that the explosion took place "across the street from Kufa's gold-dome mosque". Reuters reports that some chants at the police included: "You are traitors!", "Your are not doing your job!" and "American agents!"
When even violence as the sort that took place in Kufa this morning can't get attention, one wonders how many are registering Katrina vanden Heuvel's "Don't Forget the Bloodletting in Iraq" (Editor's Cut, The Nation)? Will we grow used to that violence? Will only larger numbers register in the future? As Howard Zinn wrote (in Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal) "The only way we can stop the mass killing of civilians -- of women and children -- is to stop the war itself."
Along with news of Kufa, other news took place as well. The BBC notes that "at least four members of a Shia militia" were killed by British troops. CBS and the AP note that, "near Hawija," a bombing took the lives of seven Iraqi police officers and left two wounded. The AFP reports "a gruesome incident, one sheep seller was killed in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, when a bomb hidden under a girl's severed head exploded as he lifted it". Reuters notes the following: in Baghdad, Abu Ali al-Garawi ("head of Badr in Diwaniya) was shot to death; in Mosul four people died and two were wounded in a bombing; in Habaniya an Iraqi soldier was killed by mortar rounds; in Falluja a "police major" was shot to death; and, in Haditha, three translators working for the US military were shot to death.In addition to the severed head noted above, Reuters reports that 14 corpses were discovered in Mahmudiya ("blindfolded . . . shot at close range").
AFP reports that the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq places the Iraqi civilian death toll at 5,818 for May and June alone (with most of the victims losing their lives in Baghdad).
Speaking today with Andrea Lewis on KPFA's The Morning Show, Ruth Rosen discussed her recent article, "The Hidden War on Women in Iraq." Rosen explained what led her to focus on the violence targeting Iraqi women and, in one example, explained: "And I also wanted to find out the story behind Abu Ghraib. We never heard. We heard many men sexually humilitaed but if they were humilitated it stood to reason that women would have been at least as humilitated if not more". Rosen and Lewis discussed many topics including women who were held in Abu Ghraib and tortured. Rosen explained, "It does appear that women have been on other bases held as prisoners."
(More on this topic can be found in CODEPINK's "Iraqi Women Under Siege" -- pdf. format.)The war drags on. Some, wisely, leave the so-called coaliton. Others get called back in. While Japan has withdrawn troops, the BBC reports that Scotland's The Black Watch will be deploying for Iraq for the third time since the start of the illegal war.
Turning to Australia, there are more developments in the case of Jake Kovco who died on April 21st while serving in Iraq. Conor Duffy discussed with Eleanor Hall (Australia's ABC) the fact that "the military officer is Sergeant Stephen Hession. . . . And he's told the board of inquiry that the pistol that show Private Kovco was in a different postion to what it was just before the room was sealed." Dan Box (The Australian) notes the testimony of two military police officers which revealed: "The room where Jake Kovco died was cleaned, stripped of equipment and repeatedly traisped through by fellow soldiers before inverstigators could gather evidence that might have proved crucial in determing the cause of his death." Belindea Tasker (The Courier-Mail) notes that, in addition to the above, "his clothes [were] destroyed before forensic experts could carry out any tests". Reporting on the program PM (Australia's ABC) Conor Duffy reported more events from the inquiry including the fact that including the fact that a letter from Jake Kovco's wife Shelley and two short stories by Jake Kovco were read to the board for "a glimpse into Private Kovco's state of mind". As noted yesterday, Judy and Martin Kovco, Jake's parents, want soldiers serving with their late son to be called to testify before the inquiry.
On Monday's The KPFA Evening News, Wendell Harper reported on the peace movement. Demonstrators, CODEPINK activists, Daneil Ellsberg, labor activists and others came together in Oakland to make their voices heard, many taking part in the Troops Home Fast. What follows are some of the voices (selected by Zach, Marisa and myself) featured in Harper's report:
Protestor 1: "Ehren Watada needs support finacially, because of legal fees, and, of course, the rallies like we're having today."
Protestor 2: "If you're familiar with Suzanne Swift, she's the 21-year-old who just turned 22 on Saturday who was abused by her commanding officer in Iraq, came over here and then refused to go back when she found out she would have to go back to her old unit. She was arrested, put in the brig and is currently in the brig, and her mother is started a campaign to get an honorable discharge for her."
Labor activist: "Two-thirds of the American people say get the troops out now. 80% of the Iraqi people say get the troops out now. 72% of our troops in Iraq say they want to be home by the end of the year and 29% of those say: 'Out now.' What part of 'out now' doesn't this Congress understand."
"I'm Sara and I'm participating in a fast because I'm hoping that it will speak loud enough to people that it will stop this war and stop violence."
"I'm Jane Jackson and I'm hungry for peace."
"I'm Sam Joi and I'm with CODEPINK Women for Peace and we have to be determined that this war is going to end by the end of 2006 no matter what anybody says."
Kurdish-Iraqi woman: "I've been fasting in San Francisco actually for our homeless. These wars are causing refugess around the world. I personally know what it is to stay in refugee camp and not have a meal, to be infected with a meal, they give it to you. I have had that experience, my friends dying, because they gave them wrong food to eat."
Those were some of the voices featured in Wendell Harper's report. (Brian Edwards-Tiekert highlighted some of the voices on KPFA's The Morning Show second hour news break this morning.)
Troops Home Fast reports that "4,117 people are engaging in solidarity fasts around the nation and in 22 other countries" today.
Meanwhile, in Hawaii, KHNL reports a protest in support of Ehren Watada which drew "[a]bout two dozen people rallied in Honolulu" yesterday for 90 minutes on behalf of "a half dozen organizations and churches that believe the war in Iraq is illegal." Watada has refused to deploy to Iraq and engage in the illegal war. Watada has stated: "I felt that going into a war waged out of decption, the administration had lied by manipulating intelligence and deceiving the people, I thought there could be no greater crime."
Another Hawaiian, Maui's Chris Magaoay, is interviewed by Ana Radelat (Gannett News Service) who takes a look at war resistors who leave the armed service. Magaoay enlisted in 2004 and "[l]ess than two years later, Magaoay became on of thousands of military deserters who have chosen a lifetime of exile or possible court-martial rather than fight in Iraq or Afghanistan." Magaoay, who went to Candad this year, tells Radelat, "It wasn't something I did on the spur of the moment. It took me a long time to realize what was going on. The war is illegal."
Turning to Canada, we noted war reister Patrick Hart for the first time on March 9th when Lewis steered us to Peter Koch's "Brave Hart." Koch has provided an update noting that, the first week of this month, Patrick & Jill Hart (along with their son Rian) appeared before Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. There has been no verdict yet but, as Koch notes, "everyone who has received a decision has been denied."


Iraq snapshot
More deaths in Iraq today, the UN issues a body count for Iraqi civilians, questions emerge in the inquiry into the death of Australian soldier Jake Kovco, and news on war resisters and peace demonstrators.Reuters reports that 59 people died after a bomber drove "his minivan into a busy market on Tuesday, lured labourers onboard with the promise of jobs and then blew himself" and those gathered up. The attack took place in Kufa and police "were pelted with rocks by angry crowds, many of whom demanded that militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take over security". The Associated Press skips that but does note that the explosion took place "across the street from Kufa's gold-dome mosque". Reuters reports that some chants at the police included: "You are traitors!", "Your are not doing your job!" and "American agents!"When even violence as the sort that took place in Kufa this morning can't get attention, one wonders how many are registering Katrina vanden Heuvel's "Don't Forget the Bloodletting in Iraq" (Editor's Cut, The Nation)? Will we grow used to that violence? Will only larger numbers register in the future? As Howard Zinn wrote (in Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal) "The only way we can stop the mass killing of civilians -- of women and children -- is to stop the war itself."Along with news of Kufa, other news took place as well. The BBC notes that "at least four members of a Shia militia" were killed by British troops. CBS and the AP note that, "near Hawija," a bombing took the lives of seven Iraqi police officers and left two wounded. The AFP reports "a gruesome incident, one sheep seller was killed in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, when a bomb hidden under a girl's severed head exploded as he lifted it". Reuters notes the following: in Baghdad, Abu Ali al-Garawi ("head of Badr in Diwaniya) was shot to death; in Mosul four people died and two were wounded in a bombing; in Habaniya an Iraqi soldier was killed by mortar rounds; in Falluja a "police major" was shot to death; and, in Haditha, three translators working for the US military were shot to death.In addition to the severed head noted above, Reuters reports that 14 corpses were discovered in Mahmudiya ("blindfolded . . . shot at close range").AFP reports that the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq places the Iraqi civilian death toll at 5,818 for May and June alone (with most of the victims losing their lives in Baghdad).Speaking today with Andrea Lewis on KPFA's The Morning Show, Ruth Rosen discussed her recent article, "The Hidden War on Women in Iraq." Rosen explained what led her to focus on the violence targeting Iraqi women and, in one example, explained: "And I also wanted to find out the story behind Abu Ghraib. We never heard. We heard many men sexually humilitaed but if they were humilitated it stood to reason that women would have been at least as humilitated if not more". Rosen and Lewis discussed many topics including women who were held in Abu Ghraib and tortured. Rosen explained, "It does appear that women have been on other bases held as prisoners."(More on this topic can be found in CODEPINK's "Iraqi Women Under Siege" -- pdf. format.)The war drags on. Some, wisely, leave the so-called coaliton. Others get called back in. While Japan has withdrawn troops, the BBC reports that Scotland's The Black Watch will be deploying for Iraq for the third time since the start of the illegal war.Turning to Australia, there are more developments in the case of Jake Kovco who died on April 21st while serving in Iraq. Conor Duffy discussed with Eleanor Hall (Australia's ABC) the fact that "the military officer is Sergeant Stephen Hession. . . . And he's told the board of inquiry that the pistol that show Private Kovco was in a different postion to what it was just before the room was sealed." Dan Box (The Australian) notes the testimony of two military police officers which revealed: "The room where Jake Kovco died was cleaned, stripped of equipment and repeatedly traisped through by fellow soldiers before inverstigators could gather evidence that might have proved crucial in determing the cause of his death." Belindea Tasker (The Courier-Mail) notes that, in addition to the above, "his clothes [were] destroyed before forensic experts could carry out any tests". Reporting on the program PM (Australia's ABC) Conor Duffy reported more events from the inquiry including the fact that including the fact that a letter from Jake Kovco's wife Shelley and two short stories by Jake Kovco were read to the board for "a glimpse into Private Kovco's state of mind". As noted yesterday, Judy and Martin Kovco, Jake's parents, want soldiers serving with their late son to be called to testify before the inquiry.On Monday's The KPFA Evening News, Wendell Harper reported on the peace movement. Demonstrators, CODEPINK activists, Daneil Ellsberg, labor activists and others came together in Oakland to make their voices heard, many taking part in the Troops Home Fast. What follows are some of the voices (selected by Zach, Marisa and myself) featured in Harper's report:Protestor 1: "Ehren Watada needs support finacially, because of legal fees, and, of course, the rallies like we're having today."Protestor 2: "If you're familiar with Suzanne Swift, she's the 21-year-old who just turned 22 on Saturday who was abused by her commanding officer in Iraq, came over here and then refused to go back when she found out she would have to go back to her old unit. She was arrested, put in the brig and is currently in the brig, and her mother is started a campaign to get an honorable discharge for her."Labor activist: "Two-thirds of the American people say get the troops out now. 80% of the Iraqi people say get the troops out now. 72% of our troops in Iraq say they want to be home by the end of the year and 29% of those say: 'Out now.' What part of 'out now' doesn't this Congress understand.""I'm Sara and I'm participating in a fast because I'm hoping that it will speak loud enough to people that it will stop this war and stop violence.""I'm Jane Jackson and I'm hungry for peace.""I'm Sam Joi and I'm with CODEPINK Women for Peace and we have to be determined that this war is going to end by the end of 2006 no matter what anybody says."Kurdish-Iraqi woman: "I've been fasting in San Francisco actually for our homeless. These wars are causing refugess around the world. I personally know what it is to stay in refugee camp and not have a meal, to be infected with a meal, they give it to you. I have had that experience, my friends dying, because they gave them wrong food to eat."Those were some of the voices featured in Wendell Harper's report. (Brian Edwards-Tiekert highlighted some of the voices on KPFA's The Morning Show second hour news break this morning.)Troops Home Fast reports that "4,117 people are engaging in solidarity fasts around the nation and in 22 other countries" today.Meanwhile, in Hawaii, KHNL reports a protest in support of Ehren Watada which drew "[a]bout two dozen people rallied in Honolulu" yesterday for 90 minutes on behalf of "a half dozen organizations and churches that believe the war in Iraq is illegal." Watada has refused to deploy to Iraq and engage in the illegal war. Watada has stated: "I felt that going into a war waged out of decption, the administration had lied by manipulating intelligence and deceiving the people, I thought there could be no greater crime."Another Hawaian, Maui's Chris Magaoay, is interviewed by Ana Radelat (Gannett News Service) who takes a look at war resistors who leave the armed service. Magaoay enlisted in 2004 and "[l]ess than two years later, Magaoay became on of thousands of military deserters who have chosen a lifetime of exile or possible court-martial rather than fight in Iraq or Afghanistan." Magaoay, who went to Candad this year, tells Radelat, "It wasn't something I did on the spur of the moment. It took me a long time to realize what was going on. The war is illegal."Turning to Canada, we noted war reister Patrick Hart for the first time on March 9th when Lewis steered us to Peter Koch's "Brave Hart." Koch has provided an update noting that, the first week of this month, Patrick & Jill Hart (along with their son Rian) appeared before Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. There has been no verdict yet but, as Koch notes, "everyone who has received a decision has been denied."

Monday, July 17, 2006

Musical memory & C.I.'s Iraq snapshot

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills)
The US tries to firm up a commerce deal in Iraq, Jake Kovco's family learns more details and despite all the happy talk, chaos and violence continue with one single event that is being called the "bloodiest" by many.
A US soldier was "fatally wounded" in Baghdad today, the
AP notes pointing out that since Saturday four US soldiers have died "in the Baghdad area." Baghdad, location of the month-plus security 'crackdown.' Sunday, in Basra, a British soldier died and the BBC reports that he was John Johnston Cosby. Also on Sunday, Reuters reports that Laith al-Rawi ("local leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party") was killed in Haditha.
Today, the
AFP notes that six died in Baquba. The biggest attack (AFP calls it the "deadliest since the July 9 bloodbath") took place in southern Iraq. Reuters notes that, in Mahmudiya, "[g]unmen stormed a crowded market" and at least 56 are dead with at least 67 wounded according to "a local hospital" (Ministry of Defence says 42 dead). James Hider (Times of London) reports that along with attempting to downgrade the number of those killed "a Defence Ministry spokesman tried to convince reporters that the deaths had been the result of two car bombs, insisting that no gunmen had been involved. That statement was flatly contradicted by the testimony of survivors."
Alastair Macdonald (Reuters) explores the events and notes Muayyad Fadhil, mayor of Mahmudiya, stating: "There was a mortar attack. Then gunmen came from . . . the eastern side of town. They came into the market and opened fire at raondom on the people shopping." The AFP notes the attack was "a coordinated assualt of car bombs, mortar attacks and rampaging masked gunmen". One victim, Muzzaffar Jassem, tells AFP: "About six cars with at least 20 masked gunmen blocked the market road from two sides, got out of the car and opened fire randomly on women, children and elderly people in the market".
As the violence heats up, the so-called coalition gets smaller.
Reuters reports that Japan has pulled "[t]he last contingent" of their troops out of Iraq today.
In Australia, some feel answers are arriving as to the death of Jake Kovco; however, his family wants more answers. As
Bruce Scates (Sydney Morning Herald) notes: "It has been almost three months since Private Jake Kovco's body was finally returned to Australia." Australia's ABC reports that Dr. Johan Duflou, who performed the autoposy on Kovco, told an inquiry board that "his opinion was the death was the result of an accidental discharge of a weapon." Kovco's parents are requesting that "several soldiers" in Iraq give testimony to the board about the events of April 21st when Kovco became "the first Australian soldier" to die in the current Iraq war. Members will remember the Judy and Martin Kovco as well as the parents of Jake Kovco's widow Shelley (David and Lorraine Small) were bothered, not only by the fact that Kovco's body was lost when it should have been returning to Australia, but also angered by what they saw as an attempt to smear Kovco with baseless rumors.
(
Kovco died on April 21st but, due to mix ups on the part of the military, wasn't buried until May 2nd.)
Yesterday on
KPFA's Sunday Salon with Larry Bensky, Bensky and Aaron Glantz discussed Iraq and Glantz noted, "The Iraqi paliament is on the verge of putting together a referendum demanding a timetable for the US withdrawal from Iraq and when they put forward that proposal, I think it will become a little bit more difficult for the Bush adminstration to say that we are there to help the Iraqi people when the Iraqi people say very clearly that they want the US military out within a specific amount of time."
Despite Dexy Filkins' 'reporting' for the New York Times, the issue Glantz outlined was one of "the Bush administration [. . .] rounding up these supporters of this idea including some people who are very high ranking in many of the political parties and this is the latest thing that we've been covering, the political crackdown by the US military of the people who want a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. "
[
Saturday, we linked to a recent Glantz article on this topic.]
In other parliament news, as noted by Brian Edwards-Tiekert on
KPFA's The Morning Show today, Shi'ites stormed out today in protest over the Mahmudiya killings.
In commerce news, Australia and Iraq have reached an agreement over the June 21st death of Abdul Falah al-Sudany's bodyguard by Australian soldiers.
Reuters reports that compensation will be paid to al-Sudany (trade minister) and that al-Sudany has stated: "We don't have any vetoes on importing Australian wheat and we hope to go back to a normal relationship with Australia."
Also in commerce news from Iraq,
CBS and AP report that: "U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Guiterrez arrived in the Iraqi capital for meetings aimed at jump-starting the economy." Though the US press is seeing this as some sort of 'big win,' the AFP reports Abdel Falah-al Sudany (the same trade minister noted in the pervious item) is much more cautious and declared that privatization would not happen "for at least five to 10 years."
Possibly the excitement stems not from a lack of caution but a desire to turn the topic away from
William Lash III -- the topic Gutierrez was addressing this weekend: "Bill was a passionate, committed and hard working individual . . ." following the news that former assistant commerce secretary Lash had apparently killed himself after killing his 12-year-old autistic son.
In peace news,
Eric Seitz, attorney for Ehren Watada, states that there is a date scheduled "tentatively" for "Watada's Article 32 hearing . . . Aug. 17 or 18." Seits tells Gregg K. Kakesako (Honolulu Star-Bulletin) that this hearing would "determine whether sufficient grounds exist to warrant a court-martial" and that the maximum punishment for Watada's refusal to serve in the illegal war could be 7 and one-half years in prison.
Finally,
Tommy Witherspoon (Waco Tribune-Herald) reports that the county of McLennan (where Bully Boy's ranch-ette is) is attempting to move Cindy Sheehan's lawsuit against the county into the federal court. The issue is whether or not Camp Casey can return to the activities and protests that first took place last summer or whether the county can now "ban parking and camping along roads leading to" Bully Boy's ranch-ette.
ADDED:
The Legal Defense Network reports that Rhonda Davis participation in a June 3rd rally in support of sam-sex marriage has resulted in the US Navy bringing "discharge proceedings against a 10-year veteran." Davis states: "I am a proud, patriotic American who happens to be gay. My sexual orientation has never stood in the way of getting my job done, and I was looking forward to continuing my Navy career. Unfortunately, federal law places discrimination ahead of national security and gay service members are caught in the crossfire. It is past time for our leaders in Washington to repeal this senseless law and allow gay Americans who want to serve, like me, the opportunity to do just that."

Guess what? No Kat in the house. She's on a family vacation. Every year, her family goes to Ireland (where their ancestors are from) and this year, they're going during the summer. She'll be gone for at least ten days. (I'm not sure I understood when she's getting back.) It's just the women in her family this year and her father.

So Cedric here. She was going to just let the site go dead for the ten (I think) days but Mike and I told her we could take turns filling in. She said okay, provided we're not doing it more than twice a week. I blog at Cedric's Big Mix and Mike blogs at Mikey Likes It!

So I told her I would pop over Monday and write something about music. She said, "Don't go to the trouble of doing a CD review just to fill in for me." I told her what I planned to write and she said that would probably be better than a CD review.

A lot of times you have a song that brings back a memory. I have a lot of songs that bring back different memories. Some people have a song that makes them think of the first time they made love. For me it's an album. (Which sounds boastful, but it's not. Hold on for the memory.)

I was under 18 and I'll leave it at that. There was a big party for a guy who'd gotten a promotion who was a friend of my mother's. That should have been good news but it also meant that he and his family would be moving and I was sweet on his second oldest daughter. We were in the same class at school and I did the carry her books to class, read her long notes and write back a short one, and all that stuff. We'd kissed a few times.

But this was her father's party for the new job and to wish them well as they left to relocate. Everybody knew each other and the adults were all talking about the old days and when they went to school together.

They had their vinyl albums playing on the record player.

And she asked me to help her get something down from her closet. So we went into her room and we were talking for about an hour when we realized no one had even noticed that we were gone. It was like a disco in the living room and you'd have thought the music was on in her bedroom because we could hear it.

The record playing goes off and we're just kind of staring at each other. She says she's going to miss me and I say the same thing back and just then "It Seems To Hang On" comes on. That's an Ashford & Simpson song. We started kissing, just quick pecks like we'd usually done by the water fountain at school or in the park and then we started kissing some more. By then the second song was on, "Is It Still Good To Ya" and we were running all the bases.

Before the song was over, we were doing it and then I really don't remember any music until "You Always Could" was playing and we were just staring at each other.
It was my first time but it wasn't her first time which was good because otherwise I probably wouldn't have known what to do.

At the end of the nineties, I saw Ashford & Simpson's Is It Still Good To Ya on CD. I was surprised because it was an old album. (Something my parents listened to.) And a lot of times, African-American artists don't have their older albums on CD. (Motown should be ashamed of itself because there's no reason why they can't keep the stuff by the Temptations, the Supremes and the Four Tops issued. They should keep it issued just for the historical place those artists hold and the historical place the label holds.) So I snapped up the CD and it brought back a lot of memories. So that's my music memory for tonight. Next time this week, you get Mike who will do a great job.