I have a few things I want to talk about tonight but Jess mentioned a visitor wrote The Common Ills public account wondering if I thought my post last night was important? Yeah, buddy, I did. Music does matter. It matters in my life. If it doesn't matter in your life, that's your business. Start your own blog.
But I want to talk about two things tonight. The first is Abeer and The Common Ills covered her and her family in depth, providing details, providing media criticsm. Day after day. (While a lot of people went on an extended lunch.) So you can search there for more information and you can also read "Abeer" (The Third Estate Sunday Review) if you're new to the topic. Abeer was fourteen-years-old when she died. (She would have turned fifteen last Saturday.) She was murdered as were three members of her family: (father) Qassim Hamza Raheem and (mother) Fakhriya Taha Muhasen and her five-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza. In addition to being murdered, Abeer was also raped and then there was an attempt to burn her corpse to destroy the evidence. Charged with the crimes are US soldiers Paul Cortez, James Barker, Jesse Spielman and Bryan Howard (who just had an Article 32 hearing) and Steven D. Green (who will be tried in the federal courts in the United States because he'd already left the military when the reality of what happened came out). Another soldier currently serving, Anthony W. Yribe, is charged with dereliction of duty for failure to report the crime.
Robin Morgan wrote recently about Abeer in "Their Bodies as Weapons: Rapes in conflict zones result from the idea that violence is erotic, and it pervades the US military" so you can also read that. This is the occupation. As Rebecca wrote "abeer's story was the story of the illegal occupation."
Though our independent media dropped the ball throughout the Article 32 hearing (it wasn't covered at all -- not even CounterSpin bothered to do a report on how the New York Times refused to name Abeer in any of their reports -- a point C.I. made repeatedly throughout the coverage.) You might think a fourteen-year-old girl reportedly raped and murdered by the US forces that were supposed to be 'liberating' her country and protecting her (they were assigned to her neighborhood which is where they gawked at her enough to make her nervous and report it to her family who then made plans to find somewhere else for her to stay for her own safety) but that wasn't the case. CounterSpin, Democracy Now, go down the list they all slept on the job. It was very disappointing. This was the reality of the occupation. There is no liberation. There is no protection. And the longer we are over there, the more damage is done. Abu Ghraib was horrible. It should have never happened. But the excuse given (which I never bought) was that these people were arrested, they were in jail, they must be guilty of something.
What was a fourteen-year-old girl guilty of?
Who trained the five to think it was okay to gawk at a 14-year-old? Those were adult males raised in the United States who damn well knew what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't.
The fact that those lines don't exist in the illegal occupation tells you all you need to know about it. When we were speaking today, I made Abeer my topic and I started by asking for a show of hands. I was happy to see that about a third of students had heard of her story. I was surprised the number was that high considering how awful the coverage has been. But this was a young girl. She was accused of nothing. But she became the sick desire of some, some who should have known better. That they didn't should frighten us all and demonstrate how we will become the Bully Boy if we don't end the war. We will become cruel, calculated and hardened in mind and spirit. For all the supposed Christianity he has within him, Bully Boy's given no indication that the crime has touched him at all. Considering that what happened to Abeer happened because he sent troops over there, he's got no right to push it off on others.
And with all the article 32 hearings going on now, it's very hard for them to keep using the 'few bad apples' excuse. The rotting is the occupation itself and Abeer's only the latest victim. There will be more.
At the end, when we were leaving, this woman rushed over and wanted to say that it probably wasn't true and C.I. had mentioned the Iraqi investigation and how it had been going on since Thursday. The woman seized on that to prove that there was "disinformation" because she'd just heard about the investigation the day before, so that was "wrong." C.I. was nice about it (I would have told her to check her facts) but I found this published this morning. It's actually another story with the AP at the bottom, scroll down to the bottom to read the AP item and here are two paragraphs from it:
Iraq has launched its own investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl by American soldiers, even though they face a possible U.S. court-martial in the case.
[. . .]
The Iraqi investigation into the rape-slaying started Thursday and was expected to take one week, said chief prosecutor Adnan Mahmoud of the criminal court in Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad, where the March 12 assault took place.
Started Thursday.
The second thing I wanted to talk about was Guns and Butter which I taped today because I knew there was a chance I'd miss it otherwise (due to the times we were speaking). Sara Flounders was the woman's name (I left off the "s" at the end) but I got Keith Harmon Snow's name correct, at least. I won't try to get new names today. But the dialogue continued. The topic was Darfur and they didn't go with conventional wisdom. There was a discussion of the racism ('White Man's Burden' -- we must save them) and how that and good intentions were used to obscure reality. There were discussions of what the real motivations were and it's just a really important two part series you should check out. (If you missed it and didn't tape it, you can check it out at Guns and Butter.) You've got a perfect storm raging over Darfur and at some point the zealots are probably going to be able to push military intervention unless people are paying attention. A so-called independent movement, as Flounders pointed out in the first part of the series, doesn't usually get to meet with the Bully Boy nor does their meager protests on a Sunday in DC get more press attention than the massive rallies on immigration that followed it (on Monday) or the anti-war actions that preceeded it (on the Friday and Saturday).
There's a reason that the so-called Darfur movement gets coverage and we find all the usual suspects with the usual motives. Online you can read any number of bloggers 'bleeding' for Darfur. They'd do well to listen to the two-part series. This was really brave of Bonnie Faulkner to air. She could have taken a pass. I remember, for instance, the day after the mini, meager protest in DC for Darfur, it had to share time on Democracy Now with the massive end the war actions. People don't want to tackle the issue. Bonnie Faulkner did and CounterPunch has. Most have avoided tackling it.
So if you're tired of hearing the crap about "Bring the Troops Home and Send Them To Darfur!" Or you're tired of p.r. passing for a movement. Or maybe you're just naturally (and rightly) suspicious when the do-gooders on the right and left team up to scream for military action. Whatever it is, make a point to listen to Guns and Butter's two-part segment.
That's it for me tonight. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 chaos and violence continue in Iraq, Ehren Watada's father Bob continues traveling and speaking to raise awareness about his son's case, a new poll by the New York Times continues to demonstrate the trend of Americans turning against the war and another witness in the military inquiry into the death of Jake Kovco blasts the way the investigation was conducted.
Today Bob Watada spoke with Philip Maldari on KPFA's The Morning Show about his son Ehren Watada, the first known officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. Bob Watada spoke of the potential consequences that his son could face but noted that Ehren was aware of the consenquences, that there's " a real crisis in this country," and that even "knowing that he may got to jail" his son knew he had to take the stand he did an refuse to deploy. Bob Watada spoke of how his son's discovery of the lies that led a nation into an illegal war changed everything: "When he found out what was going on in Iraq, the president lying to the people, lying to Congress, lying to the military," he knew that he couldn't go to Iraq both for himself and for those who'd be serving under him.
Bob Watada spoke of the expectation that the US military will use Ehren Watada as an example in an effort clamp down on the dissent within the military. And, in answer to Maldari's question of what can be done, he spoke of the importance of public opinion in his son's case: "If the military sees that there is a large swell of public opinion on behalf of Lt. Ehren Watada, they're going to think twice about what they're doing."
The importance of public support/action was also demonstrated in the calls. One that stands out is caller Alden, WWII veteran, in The Underwater Demolition, spoke of being stationed in Hawaii and "about March of '46 the word came through that all the G.I.s were going to be sent back into China to start a war against the new Chinese government. Following this, a couple of days later, there was about 10,000 GIs in Honolulu protesting, saying 'We are going home' and about three days later another one, ten-to-twelve thousand G.I.s saying 'We are going home' and that stopped it. And that was what was going on back in those days and I'm just so supportive and feel completely what Watada is doing and the way he put it and the father and the way he puts it -- that is just outstanding."
Bob Watada is attempting to raise awareness of his son's case and upcoming events include:
Wed. 8/23
7-9:30pm Reception & Educational Event St. Paul's Church, 405 S. 10th St,
San Jose Contact: Rose Takamoto 408-725-2933
Thu. 8/24
noon-3pm World Can't WaitYouth & Students Conference San Francisco (site TBA) Contact: Jessalyn Gagui 415-286-3408
7pm Reception & Educational Event Newman Center, 5900 Newman Ct.,
Sacramento Contact: Sacramento-Yolo Peace Action 916-448-7157
Fri. 8/25
10-11:30am
No. Cal. Japanese Christian Theological Forum Berkeley Methodist United Church- chapel 1710 Carleton St/McGee in Berkeley Contact: Laura Takeuchi 510-848-3614
7-10pm
"Sir! No, Sir!"
Film Screening & Speakers Santa Cruz Veterans Building Contact: Sharon Kufeldt 650-799-1070
Sat. 8/26
7-9pm
Educational & Cultural Event Berkeley Friends Church; 1600 Sacramento St., Berkeley Contact: Betty Kano 510-684-0239
Sun. 8/27
4-6pm Speaking Event AFSC building, 65-Ninth St., SF Contact: Martha Hubert 415-647-1119
A complete list of the events Bob Watada will be taking part in can be found here.
We will again note: : Cedric (Cedric's Big Mix) is advising those calling Donald Rumsfeld (703-545-6700) or mailing him (1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000) to say: "Hands off Ehren Watada! Let him go." Billie advises that you can use public@defenselink.mil to e-mail the Pentagon. She suggests "Re: Ehren Watad" or "ATTN: DONALD RUMSFELD." Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org. will continue to offer resources, ideas and inspiration. Get the word out.
Of the various stops he's made so far to speak of his son, Bob Watada said, "It's been really postive here in the Bay Area. Just about everywhere we've gone, we've had packed crowds. . . The other day I had somebody who came up before the program started and said he was a veteran and he didn't really think he could support me or my son. . . . At the end of the evening he came up to me and said 'Whatever you need, whatever your son needs, I want to help you out.'"
In other peace news, Cindy Sheehan will rejoin Camp Casey III after "several days" reports the Associated Press. Sheehan is back in the Providence Health Center in Waco "recovering . . . after having a hysterctomy" on Tuesday. Next week, Sheehan is scheduled to be in Salt Lake City participating with the city's mayor Rocky Anderson and others in protesting Bully Boy's August 31st speech (during a trip on which Condi Rice is accompanying him).
That's how Sheehan plans to end the month, at the beginning of the month she went to Jordan with Ann Wright, Tom Hayden, Medea Benjamin, Geal Murphy, Jodie Evans, Diane Wilson and others to meet with Iraqi legislators. Eric Horsting (Washington Beachcomber) reports that also on the trip was filmmaker David Rothmiller who shot footage "to create campaign material for Jeeni Criscenzo, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from the 49th district in California."
As the November elections approach, many get edgy and itchy. A new poll by the New York Times and CBS News continues to note the shift in public opinion of the illegal war. Summarizing the poll, Carl Hulse and Marjorie Connelly (New York Times) note of those surveyed: 51 percent "saw no link between the war in Iraq and the broader antiterror effort"; 53% said the "war was a mistake"; 62% agreed that things in Iraq could be rated "somewhat or very badly"; 46 percent felt the Bully Boy "had concentrated too much on Iraq". Hulse and Connelly's article also features comments from three follow up interviews. Those views worthy of being noted? Two Republicans and a self-described independent.
In Iraq, the violence and the chaos, to no one's surprise, continues.
Bombings?
In the Baghdad, city of so-called crackdowns, a roadside bomb (possibly targeting Jawad al-Bolani, the Interior Minister) claimed the lives of two civilians and left others wounded according to the Associated Press. AFP notes that a roadside bomb killed two civilians "between Basra and Nasiriyah." KUNA reports that "[a] car exploded . . . near an army special ops check-point in Dorra" and "that the explosion resulted in several deaths and injuries among the special ops troops in the area." In Mosul, the AP reports, one woman was killed and ten people were wounded by a suicide bomber while, in Falljua, a roadside bomb claimed two lives and left twelve wounded.
Shootings?
The AP reports that "1st Lt. Hassanein Saadi al-Zerjawi . . . was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Amarah". Reuters notes that eight people were shot dead in Baquba and a police officer shot dead in al-Hay. AFP notes that, in Kut, "two civilians were shot dead" with a child and one other adult wounded.
Corpses?
AFP reports that six corpses were found beneath a bridge "between the two volatile cities of Mahmudiyah and Latifyah" and three were discovered in Baquba.
In Australia, the military inquiry into the April 21st death in Baghdad of Jake Kovco continues. The most recent developments revolve around Soldier 47's testimony. Australia's ABC reports that Soldier 47, "[a] military police investigator" went to Baghdad from Melbourne to investigate the death of Jake Kovco and that "he was informed on the day of Pte Kovco's death to deploy immediately to Baghdad." AAP notes that during Soldier 47 three hour, video-link testimony (from Baghdad), he "detailed a litany of miscommunication and army bungles surrounding the death of the Victorian soldier who was shot in his Baghdad barracks room on April 21." The Daily Telegraph reports of the testiomony that "he was also angerd and surprised that Pte Kovco's body had been flown from Baghdad to Kuwait agains the orgers of the military police's special investigations branch" and "frustrated that forensic evidence was lost when the body had been washed and treated while Pte Kovco's clothes had been destroyed." ABC New South Wales notes that Soldier 47 voiced his frustration over being "told he could not view notes made by Private Kovco's room-mates" and finding out that "the room-mates were in Kuwait, not Baghdad, so he could not immediately interview them." Tracy Ong (The Australian) reports that Soldier 47 gave up custody of Jake Kovco's body because a) he wanted to "get to the scene of the shooting" and because "certain integrites had already been compromised" (see "forensic evidence was lost" two sentences prior).
Soldier 47's testimony of frustration and anger over the investigation echoes Major Mark Willetts testimony yesterday where he complained about being refused access to the room Kovco died in (Willetts was "the officer in charge of the immediate investigation") and feeling that Jake Kovco's two roommates were being less than fully forthcoming.
In addition, ABC notes that Soldier 30 is asserting that "some of the claims made about his troops during the course of the inquiry are simply not true" specifically he refutes Soldier 21's claim that "quick draw" games were played with weapons. Two weeks ago, Soldier 30 (who spoke today as he spoke then -- via video-link from Baghdad) asserted that he had given orders that the death/crime scene not be preserved for morale issues Soldier 21, the section commander, is most famous for issuing a statement following the death of Jake Kovco that he heard a cry (in the barracks) of "Allah Akbar" which translates as "God is great." When Soldier 21 testified to the inquiry earlier this month, he renounced that assertion. Then, as
Sydney 2GB reported, "He told the inquiry it had become unclear whether he'd in fact heard the comment."
In other legal news, on April 26th, Hashim Ibrahim Awad died in Hamdania after being allegedly kidnapped by US troops. Charged with kidnapping and the killing were the "Pendelton Eight" -- Saul H. Lopezromo, Derek I. Lewis, Henry D. Lever, Lawrence G. Hutchins II, Trent D. Thomas, Tyler Jackson, Marshall Magincadla, and Jerry E. Schumate Jr. Thomas Watkins (AP) reports that four of the eight want to skip the Article 32 hearing and instead "proceed straight to trial." Reportedly, John Jodka III's attorney was the one who made the request first (and did so on Friday) which isn't in the AP report. Reportedly not all involved were informed of the request when it was first made. Jerry E. Shumate was the last to join the four in making the request. Watkins reports that the military has denied the request and the Article 32 hearing could start as early as August 28th. But Gidget Fuentes (Navy Times) reports the schedule for the hearings as: September 12th: Jerry E. Shumate Jr.; September 25th: Marshall L. Magincalda, Robert B. Pennington, John J. Jodka, Melson J. Bacos; and October 18th: Lawrence G. Hutchins, Trent D. Thomas and Tyler A. Jackson.
iraq
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cedrics big mix
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jake kovco
cindy sheehan
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kpfa
the morning show
bob watada
the new york times
carl hulse
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
My Home Tower (Records)
More than a little down this evening. I drug everyone to Tower today after we'd finished activism (before we even ate dinner). Music's really important to me and, although I'm not big on chains, I'm a big supporter of Tower Records. I have no idea what their policies are and they may be mining diamonds in Africa.
What I do know, and always did, was that the vinyl album, then the cassette tape, then the CD would always be there for me. When I was a little girl, I would save up my money. My allowance absolutely. But if someone I loved had something coming up (and I studied those upcoming releases the way some kids study sports stats), I wouldn't eat lunch at school. I'd save that lunch money on top of my allowance so that when that album came out, I was there, first in line, ready to get it.
Albums come out on Tuesday with few exceptions. (Neil Young's Living With War came out on a non-Tuesday. It may have been a Monday.) I can remember when Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night came out. There was excitement on that for Mac fans. My friend Liz who now lives in Hawaii called me and said, "We went to every concert, we are going to be first in line, right?" I told her absolutely. We were probably way too old but if she was willing to cut work, I was there with her. (I've always been free lance, made my own hours.) But Liz was convinced the album was coming out on a Monday. I told her no, but she wouldn't listen and I thought, "Well she must know something I don't." So we met up at eight a.m., went to breakfast, drove to Tower (listening to U2's The Joshua Tree the whole way) and nothing. It did come out on Tuesday. She had argued and argued and if we'd been in any other store, she probably would have continued to argue. But Tower knew music.
The store, the employees. Other stores wanted their clerks to look like they were about to rent you a car. Tower wanted people who knew music (or were willing to learn).
I never worked at Tower. I used to dream about that when I was really young. The way some people dream about working in a candy store.
But then, in ninth grade, summer after, Pam got nabbed for stealing jeans and it was a major thing. I remember thinking, I had gotten an application from Tower, "Are you going to be able to resist the urge?" I honestly couldn't say that I could. I love music. If I was closing up, could I guarantee a record or too (they were vinyl then) wouldn't make it out of the store with me -- liberated, not stolen? Nope.
And that little nothing boutique went to town on Pam. She was going to pay, her parents were going to pay but they pressed charges and everything.
In these days when everyone's just found Jesus and has the I-Will-Wait braclet to prove it, it may be shocking to some but shoplifting happened a lot when I was a kid. No, everyone didn't do it. I did it in seventh grade. There was this red top that was a flowing thing and I could just see myself wearing it and Bobby (the class stud -- back in the pre-celibate days a seventh grade could have a stud) would notice me and forget all about Faith and her drippy little smile. I got away with it but I was sweating like crazy. Then I guilted like crazy. Then I was just paranoid. Finally, I went back to the store, two weeks later, and handed the manager twenty bucks (which more than covered the top). I told him I'd found it on the floor. He wanted to take my name down in case no one claimed it. I think, after we went back and forth, he grasped that I hadn't found it but was trying to pay off some guilt.
But Tower? In the summer before I went into tenth grade? With all the vinyl? I just couldn't be sure I wouldn't steal. Which was a real bummer because Angie and I were both convinced we could lie about our age (if we wore our hair up, we thought we looked older) and Angie went ahead and applied anyway. Had the time of her life. (Angie denies to this day that she got a discount. If I ever find out that she did get a discount -- I'm pretty sure she did -- we will have a very loud discussion about that.)
Tower Records was just part of my childhood landscape, part of my teen landscape, part of my young adult landscape and part of my landscape today. Of any store, I've logged more hours in Tower.
And now they've declared bankruptcy again because, the story goes, they're trying to sell off before the big rush arrives (traditionally November and December are big months for music sales, now October starts it off). It's not like they have a sign up in the window saying "Closed." And maybe they'll hang around in some form.
I don't know. There was a music store I drove an hour to go to until 2002 when it closed. They hung a sign in the window saying, "Thanks Napster." Napster wasn't what closed them. Shitty service did the trick. The store had no supervision and the kids thought it was their playground. Now if that's kids into music, it could work (and I've seen it work many times). Instead, it was all bring your dates to work, eat pizza with them, talk on your cell phones and know nothing about music. Some Eagles album, probably Hell Freezes Over, I don't know, was what an older guy was asking about one day. Three different clerks told them they'd never heard of the Eagles. In California?
Now kids their age would put up with the crap. They'd get mad and you could tell they were mad. I remember one young woman griping loudly as she searched for Third Eye Blind (this was long after "Semi-Charmed Kind of Life"). But older people (and I fall in there) really don't put up with that crap. If they're asking for help, they expect to get it. Maybe you won't have what they're looking for, but you'll try to see if you do.
So shitty service killed that store. (They had an incredible used CD collection which was why I went. I swear, they must have had a dee jay close by who was selling off, bit by bit, everything he or she had ever bought. You never wanted to skip more than two weeks because, if you did, there was no telling what you'd missed -- what import, or what bootleg live album or you name it.)
So I spent the time since I learned the news thinking what was my Tower not doing? The thing I think they weren't doing? Or things?
I didn't care for the new categorization system that they'd implemented. But I think the real problem was the customers. The Wal-Mart crowd really doesn't belong. If you're trying to get the cheapest price, go to Wal-Mart. If you're bringing in your kids with you (and they don't give a damn about music) go to Wal-Mart. No one needs your kids running up and down the aisles.
Sumner got pissed one Saturday because he was trying to remember the name of a group he'd heard on the radio once and only once. He almost had it. (He had the first letter of their name.) And then these four kids (none older than eight) started playing tag and running through the aisles. We came back here and logged on to Amazon where he found the album in about two minutes and ordered it.
If Tower's not about music, if it's a kiddie playland like McDonald's, it's not a place for music lovers to go. I also felt like they had a sorry way of promoting music lately. Getting behind some new act and you turn around and there's another cardboard cut out. Meanwhile, despite their scan and listen stations, you kept coming across CDs that you couldn't scan and listen to. Either they didn't show up or they'd show up but there was no listening opition, just titles listed.
So maybe that was it? I don't know. In terms of the kids, I made a point to go first thing in the morning or the hour before they closed. That way I didn't feel like I was being pushed aside by a crowd of kiddies seeking the cage with the balls. (There was none but they really were allowed to treat the store like a McDonald's Playground.)
I also feel like there was too much 'new.' A music store needs to keep things in stock. If you're selling to the new crowd only, you're missing a lot of sales. There was a kid asking for Dark Side of the Sun last month and they didn't have a copy in the store. (That's Pink Floyd for anyone who doesn't know.) I sw the same thing happening in the Joni Mitchell section. Joni hasn't had a new album in some time. She's released some collections (which I bought) but I always check Joni when I go into Tower. Maybe they'll have an import or something I've never seen. What I noticed was more and more it was becoming Blue and only a few others. (Of course every damn thing Bob Dylan ever did was there with several copies but that's how it always for the boys.)
Even as a kid, the back catalogue mattered to me. I knew we could run to some five & dime and grab the newest thing. But I knew if I wanted to dig deep into the catalogue, I needed to go to Tower. I also noticed a refusal to special order.
It was a refusal. I would ask about something, ask them to special order, and I would be told, "Oh, you can go to Tower.com and order it." Okay, but I didn't want to go to Tower.com. If I wanted to order online, I'd go to Amazon. What I wanted was to do a special order and pick it up at Tower. Now maybe everyone they advised to go to Tower.com did (I doubt it, I'm sure most went to Amazon.com -- the Tower website isn't user friendly and it's actually an unattractive site). But the store lost business, lost sales, it could have had if the clerks had been willing to write a special order. (Maybe that was store policy, no special orders? I have no idea. I just know no one would take them.)
For me, the rush and joy comes from walking into the store and walking out with a sack full of music. Waiting around for the mail to be delivered doesn't do it for me. Add in that my postal carrier doesn't always knock on my door so I end up having to trudge down to the post office, wait in line for a half-hour, hand over my (ha ha) 'tried to deliver' slip and get my package, and mail order doesn't cut it for me.
But I will give the clerks plenty of praise for knowing music. They knew music. If it was a new person who'd gotten hired because a friend worked there, you could watch and see them become mini-experts over a few weeks time. Whether that was a company policy or just at my favorite store, I don't know but I'll give them credit for that.
So now, this is the depression, the store that I've always shopped at is probably going to close down the way so many other music stores have lately. I know I should adapt and get used to downloading and all of that. But for me, there was always this special thrill of walking out of Tower with my yellow sack full of music. Though I couldn't do this in the vinyl days, in the cassette and CD days, I'd be a few steps into the parking lot when I'd be reaching into the sack, ripping off the plastic of one and getting all exctied about the fact that, as soon as I was in the car, I'd be listening.
So that's my Tower lament. Put on Bruce Springsteen's "My Hometown" and read with tissue.
Tomorrow on KPFA's The Morning Show, after the 8:00 am news (second hour), Bob Watada will be the guest. That's Ehren Watada's father so make a point to listen. Oh, almost forgot.
Guns and Butter. I think tomorrow is the second part of the Darfur discussion. That was really great. C.I. told me the names of both of the guests I was impressed with but I've forgotten the guy's. (Keith something.) The woman was Sara Flounder. The guy was Keith Harmon Snow! I just remembered. So that's two things worth catching tomorrow.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" which is both more to the point and more important than my sobs over Tower:
Tuesday, August 22, 2005. A day after the Bully Boy's inner-dialogue in front of the world, chaos and violence continue in Iraq, British whispers say there may be a pull out, a witness says he didn't believe Jake Kovco's roommates told the truth about what happened when Kovco died April 21st, and Ehren Watada's father Bob continues traveling and speaking to raise awareness about his son's case.
Starting with the Bully Boy of the United States, Oliver Knox (AFP) reports on the "revolt" Bullly Boy's facing with some Republicans (Chris Shays) calling for a timeframe for withdrawal, some cheerleaders lagging and the general mood of the United States.
On the mood, CNN's latest polling (released Monday) found that only 35% of those surveyed "favor the war in Iraq" while 61% were opposed to it which is "the highest opposition noted in any CNN poll since the conflict began more than three years ago."
Though Bully Boy boasted yesterday that, as long as he was the leader, US troops would remain in Iraq, there is good news in the CNN poll for Bully Boy as well. He can break that promise without shocking many -- "Most Americans (54 percent) don't consider him honest, most (54 percent) don't think he shares their values and most (58 percent) say he does not inspire confidence."
On the topic of the cheerleaders . . . Did someone cry "War Cheerleader Down!"?
Or was that the sound of Thomas Friedman ripping another pair of tights/pantyhose? Robert Parry (Consortium News) examines the laughable Thomas Friedman's record of 'analysis' and concludes that it's past time that Friedman and his fellow War Cheerleaders, who got it all wrong from the start, "have the decency to admit their incompetence and resign." Parry digs into the writings/record of Friedman and notes that: "Friedman, despite botching the biggest foreign-policy story in the post-Cold War era, . . . retains his prized space on the New York Times Op-Ed page".
As the War Cheerleaders cheer a little lower and think a little slower (is that even possible?), the Guardian of London reports that "a senior military commander" (British) has stated that British forces in Iraq could drop from "7,000 to between 3,00 and 4,000 by the middle of next year". This as another British commander, "British Royal Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Fry," calls Iraq "a civil war in minature." Fry tells Robert Burns (Associated Press) that it's "important that the conflict not be described as 'civil war'" (this after doing just that) because, among other things, it "encourages . . . adventurous media reporting." Perish the thought.
As one British commander offers (carless?) whispers of a partial pull-out and another wants to play word games, Bloomberg reports that "U.K. voter support for Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party fell to its lowest in 19 years" and that "[t]he Liberal Democrats, who opposed the war in Iraq and have criticized Blair's relationship with U.S. President George W. Bush, gained more than the Conservatives in the past month." The BBC breaks down the poll's findings as follows: "Tories on 40% -- nine points ahead of Labour on 31%, with the Lib Dems on 22%." The Times of London, on the same poll, reports: "Nearly three-quarters of the public believe that Tony Blair's foreign policy has made Britain more of a target for terrorists". Support for Blair, like support for Bully Boy, has fallen.
In Iraq?
Bombings?
CBS and AP report a hidden bomb claimed the lives of two civilians in Baghdad. Reuters notes a mortar attack in Muqdadiya which has wounded at least fifteen and a roadside bomb "near Yusufiya" which has wounded two civilians and killed a third. AFP reports what we'll call a 'corpse bomb' in Muqdadiya which caused damages to a police vehicle.
Shootings?
AFP reports that eight "young Shiite men from Najaf . . . were pulled from buses by gunmen late Monday . . . and shot dead in the street." CBS and AP note that, in Baghdad, an engineer "was shot dead while . . . in his car" while "crossfire" claimed the lives of two civilians in Amarah. Reuters notes the following: Ramadi -- a body guard of the governor of the Anbar Province was killed in a drive-by; near Kirkuk -- two civilians shot dead; Baquba -- a police major was shot dead (his driver wounded); and in Mosul -- a civilian shot dead.
Corpses?
Reuters notes that Dawoud Salman (Shi'ite Endowment employee) was found dead in Baghdad while another corpse was found "near Hilla."
Turning to kidnapping news, the priest kidnapped last Tuesday (hit the wires on Friday, the Pope issued a plea for his return this weekend) in Baghdad is apparently alive. Reuters reports that a ransom note has been recived and that the Misna news agency has spoken to Father Saad Syrop Hanna.
Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer known to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Despite confusion in the e-mails, he has not been charged with anything today. (A program announced he had, they were covering Thursday's Article 32 hearing.) Lt. Col. Mark Keith is weighing the testimony and will issue a conclusion on whether or not action should be pursued. Tuesday The KPFA Evening News had a report on Watada and they spoke to his father Bob Watada who supports his son and is currently speaking in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bob Watada stated of the illegal war, "They're killing innocent men, women and children -- that's a violation of the Geenva convention which we agreed to. We're using depleted uranium, we're using cluster bombs, we're using phosphoric, we used to call it naplam, but they're phosphoric gases to burn the people. These are all war crimes. Talk about the torture that's going on in Abu Ghraib and other places. You know the rapes of the civilians and so forth. And Ehren would be forced to participate in this illegal war and would be forced to participate in these war crimes that are going on every day."
Bob Watada is attempting to raise awareness of his son's case and upcoming events include:
Tu. 8/22
1-3 pm brown bag lunch & educational event Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County 467 Sebastopol Ave.,
Santa Rosa Contact: Elizabeth 707-575-8902
6-9pm Buena Vista United Methodist Church- Reception & Event 2311 Buena Vista Ave.
Alameda Contact: Rev. Michael Yoshii 510/522-2688
Wed. 8/23
10:30-noon UC Berkeley gathering with students and campus organizers Heller Lounge, Student Union Building, UC Berkeley Contact: Nina Falleunbaum 510-812-8026
noon-1:30pm Event at UC Berkeley Sproul Plaza Contact: Wesley Ueunten 510-579-2711 7-9:30pm Reception & Educational Event St. Paul's Church, 405 S. 10th St,
San Jose Contact: Rose Takamoto 408-725-2933
Thu. 8/24
noon-3pm World Can't WaitYouth & Students Conference San Francisco (site TBA) Contact: Jessalyn Gagui 415-286-3408
7pm Reception & Educational Event Newman Center, 5900 Newman Ct.,
Sacramento Contact: Sacramento-Yolo Peace Action 916-448-7157
A complete list of the events Bob Watada will be taking part in can be found here.
"I'm trying to publicize my son's cause and publicize what's going on in Iraq," he tells
Judith Scherr (Berkeley Daily Planet). Scherr reports that Ehren Watada's civilian attorney, Eric Seitz, told her that, if there is a court-martial, "our intent" is to "put the Iraq War on trial". Meanwhile, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is preparing an editorial to run on Ehren Watada's case.
We will again note: : Cedric (Cedric's Big Mix) is advising those calling Donald Rumsfeld (703-545-6700) or mailing him (1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000) to say: "Hands off Ehren Watada! Let him go." Billie advises that you can use public@defenselink.mil to e-mail the Pentagon. She suggests "Re: Ehren Watad" or "ATTN: DONALD RUMSFELD." Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org. will continue to offer resources, ideas and inspiration. Get the word out.
In other resistance news, Jeff Paterson (Indybay IMC) reports on this past weekend's rally "outside Fort Lewis, Washington" in support of Suzanne Swift which calls for "an honorable discharge for the Iraq veteran and sexual assault victim who went AWOL instead of returning to Iraq." Among those taking part were Swift's mother Sara Rich and CODEPINK's Ann Wright (US army Col. retired). [And yesterday, Jeff Paterson, of Not In Our Name, was wrongly billed by me as "Jeff Patterson." My apologies.]
In Australia, the military inquiry into the April 21st Bagdad death of Jake Kovco continues and apparently the only one not allowed to traipse through the crime scene was the officer making the assessment. Tracy Ong (The Australian) reports that, in his testimony to the inquiry, Major Mark Willetts was "refused permission to enter the room at the Australian embassy compound in Baghdad but observed it from outside and saw photos." Australia's ABC notes that Willetts testified that while he wasn't allowed to enter "the room was occupied by military people, with no investigative skills". Paul Mulvey (Perth Now) reports that Willetts encounters with Kovco's roommates (Soldiers 17 & 19) weren't productive and that Willets "believed . . . they were witholding evidence" because "I find it difficult [to believe] that two men in the room would not have had more information in regards to what happened." For those who've fogotten, both roommates have stated they saw nothing (19 has stated he was getting a drink out of the room's mini-fridge, 17 states he was looking elsewhere ). The AAP quotes Willetts stating: "It's a small room; there were three people in there; it would have been very difficult not to have known what was going on in there." Tracey Ong notes Willetts' testimony regarding Soldier 21 who has now retracted his statement that he heard "Allah Akbar" yelled "10 seconds before the shooting" -- of Soldier 21, Willetts testified: "He was quite adament, in fact he was emphatic he heard Allah Akbar."
Finally, CBS and AP report this on Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi: "An Iraqi investigative panel has launched an independent probe into the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl allegedly by American soldiers currently in U.S. custody, who will be tried in absentia if necessary, an official said Tuesday." The probe actually began Thursday and is expected to last at least a week. Abeer's 15th birthday would have been last Saturday.
Robin Morgan reported the following (Guardian of London via Common Dreams): "The victim's name was Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi. Abeer means 'fragrance of flowers'. She was 14 years old. According to a statement by one of the accused, the soldiers first noticed her at a checkpoint. On March 12, after playing cards while slugging whisky, they changed into civvies and burst into Abeer's home. They killed her mother, father and five-year-old sister and 'took turns' raping Abeer. Finally, according to the statement, they murdered her, drenched the bodies with kerosene, and set them on fire. Then the GIs grilled chicken wings."
the common ills
iraq
ehren watada
cedrics big mix
jacob bruce kovco
jake kovco
robin morgan
robert parry
judith scherr
thomas friedman is a great man
the third estate sunday review
What I do know, and always did, was that the vinyl album, then the cassette tape, then the CD would always be there for me. When I was a little girl, I would save up my money. My allowance absolutely. But if someone I loved had something coming up (and I studied those upcoming releases the way some kids study sports stats), I wouldn't eat lunch at school. I'd save that lunch money on top of my allowance so that when that album came out, I was there, first in line, ready to get it.
Albums come out on Tuesday with few exceptions. (Neil Young's Living With War came out on a non-Tuesday. It may have been a Monday.) I can remember when Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night came out. There was excitement on that for Mac fans. My friend Liz who now lives in Hawaii called me and said, "We went to every concert, we are going to be first in line, right?" I told her absolutely. We were probably way too old but if she was willing to cut work, I was there with her. (I've always been free lance, made my own hours.) But Liz was convinced the album was coming out on a Monday. I told her no, but she wouldn't listen and I thought, "Well she must know something I don't." So we met up at eight a.m., went to breakfast, drove to Tower (listening to U2's The Joshua Tree the whole way) and nothing. It did come out on Tuesday. She had argued and argued and if we'd been in any other store, she probably would have continued to argue. But Tower knew music.
The store, the employees. Other stores wanted their clerks to look like they were about to rent you a car. Tower wanted people who knew music (or were willing to learn).
I never worked at Tower. I used to dream about that when I was really young. The way some people dream about working in a candy store.
But then, in ninth grade, summer after, Pam got nabbed for stealing jeans and it was a major thing. I remember thinking, I had gotten an application from Tower, "Are you going to be able to resist the urge?" I honestly couldn't say that I could. I love music. If I was closing up, could I guarantee a record or too (they were vinyl then) wouldn't make it out of the store with me -- liberated, not stolen? Nope.
And that little nothing boutique went to town on Pam. She was going to pay, her parents were going to pay but they pressed charges and everything.
In these days when everyone's just found Jesus and has the I-Will-Wait braclet to prove it, it may be shocking to some but shoplifting happened a lot when I was a kid. No, everyone didn't do it. I did it in seventh grade. There was this red top that was a flowing thing and I could just see myself wearing it and Bobby (the class stud -- back in the pre-celibate days a seventh grade could have a stud) would notice me and forget all about Faith and her drippy little smile. I got away with it but I was sweating like crazy. Then I guilted like crazy. Then I was just paranoid. Finally, I went back to the store, two weeks later, and handed the manager twenty bucks (which more than covered the top). I told him I'd found it on the floor. He wanted to take my name down in case no one claimed it. I think, after we went back and forth, he grasped that I hadn't found it but was trying to pay off some guilt.
But Tower? In the summer before I went into tenth grade? With all the vinyl? I just couldn't be sure I wouldn't steal. Which was a real bummer because Angie and I were both convinced we could lie about our age (if we wore our hair up, we thought we looked older) and Angie went ahead and applied anyway. Had the time of her life. (Angie denies to this day that she got a discount. If I ever find out that she did get a discount -- I'm pretty sure she did -- we will have a very loud discussion about that.)
Tower Records was just part of my childhood landscape, part of my teen landscape, part of my young adult landscape and part of my landscape today. Of any store, I've logged more hours in Tower.
And now they've declared bankruptcy again because, the story goes, they're trying to sell off before the big rush arrives (traditionally November and December are big months for music sales, now October starts it off). It's not like they have a sign up in the window saying "Closed." And maybe they'll hang around in some form.
I don't know. There was a music store I drove an hour to go to until 2002 when it closed. They hung a sign in the window saying, "Thanks Napster." Napster wasn't what closed them. Shitty service did the trick. The store had no supervision and the kids thought it was their playground. Now if that's kids into music, it could work (and I've seen it work many times). Instead, it was all bring your dates to work, eat pizza with them, talk on your cell phones and know nothing about music. Some Eagles album, probably Hell Freezes Over, I don't know, was what an older guy was asking about one day. Three different clerks told them they'd never heard of the Eagles. In California?
Now kids their age would put up with the crap. They'd get mad and you could tell they were mad. I remember one young woman griping loudly as she searched for Third Eye Blind (this was long after "Semi-Charmed Kind of Life"). But older people (and I fall in there) really don't put up with that crap. If they're asking for help, they expect to get it. Maybe you won't have what they're looking for, but you'll try to see if you do.
So shitty service killed that store. (They had an incredible used CD collection which was why I went. I swear, they must have had a dee jay close by who was selling off, bit by bit, everything he or she had ever bought. You never wanted to skip more than two weeks because, if you did, there was no telling what you'd missed -- what import, or what bootleg live album or you name it.)
So I spent the time since I learned the news thinking what was my Tower not doing? The thing I think they weren't doing? Or things?
I didn't care for the new categorization system that they'd implemented. But I think the real problem was the customers. The Wal-Mart crowd really doesn't belong. If you're trying to get the cheapest price, go to Wal-Mart. If you're bringing in your kids with you (and they don't give a damn about music) go to Wal-Mart. No one needs your kids running up and down the aisles.
Sumner got pissed one Saturday because he was trying to remember the name of a group he'd heard on the radio once and only once. He almost had it. (He had the first letter of their name.) And then these four kids (none older than eight) started playing tag and running through the aisles. We came back here and logged on to Amazon where he found the album in about two minutes and ordered it.
If Tower's not about music, if it's a kiddie playland like McDonald's, it's not a place for music lovers to go. I also felt like they had a sorry way of promoting music lately. Getting behind some new act and you turn around and there's another cardboard cut out. Meanwhile, despite their scan and listen stations, you kept coming across CDs that you couldn't scan and listen to. Either they didn't show up or they'd show up but there was no listening opition, just titles listed.
So maybe that was it? I don't know. In terms of the kids, I made a point to go first thing in the morning or the hour before they closed. That way I didn't feel like I was being pushed aside by a crowd of kiddies seeking the cage with the balls. (There was none but they really were allowed to treat the store like a McDonald's Playground.)
I also feel like there was too much 'new.' A music store needs to keep things in stock. If you're selling to the new crowd only, you're missing a lot of sales. There was a kid asking for Dark Side of the Sun last month and they didn't have a copy in the store. (That's Pink Floyd for anyone who doesn't know.) I sw the same thing happening in the Joni Mitchell section. Joni hasn't had a new album in some time. She's released some collections (which I bought) but I always check Joni when I go into Tower. Maybe they'll have an import or something I've never seen. What I noticed was more and more it was becoming Blue and only a few others. (Of course every damn thing Bob Dylan ever did was there with several copies but that's how it always for the boys.)
Even as a kid, the back catalogue mattered to me. I knew we could run to some five & dime and grab the newest thing. But I knew if I wanted to dig deep into the catalogue, I needed to go to Tower. I also noticed a refusal to special order.
It was a refusal. I would ask about something, ask them to special order, and I would be told, "Oh, you can go to Tower.com and order it." Okay, but I didn't want to go to Tower.com. If I wanted to order online, I'd go to Amazon. What I wanted was to do a special order and pick it up at Tower. Now maybe everyone they advised to go to Tower.com did (I doubt it, I'm sure most went to Amazon.com -- the Tower website isn't user friendly and it's actually an unattractive site). But the store lost business, lost sales, it could have had if the clerks had been willing to write a special order. (Maybe that was store policy, no special orders? I have no idea. I just know no one would take them.)
For me, the rush and joy comes from walking into the store and walking out with a sack full of music. Waiting around for the mail to be delivered doesn't do it for me. Add in that my postal carrier doesn't always knock on my door so I end up having to trudge down to the post office, wait in line for a half-hour, hand over my (ha ha) 'tried to deliver' slip and get my package, and mail order doesn't cut it for me.
But I will give the clerks plenty of praise for knowing music. They knew music. If it was a new person who'd gotten hired because a friend worked there, you could watch and see them become mini-experts over a few weeks time. Whether that was a company policy or just at my favorite store, I don't know but I'll give them credit for that.
So now, this is the depression, the store that I've always shopped at is probably going to close down the way so many other music stores have lately. I know I should adapt and get used to downloading and all of that. But for me, there was always this special thrill of walking out of Tower with my yellow sack full of music. Though I couldn't do this in the vinyl days, in the cassette and CD days, I'd be a few steps into the parking lot when I'd be reaching into the sack, ripping off the plastic of one and getting all exctied about the fact that, as soon as I was in the car, I'd be listening.
So that's my Tower lament. Put on Bruce Springsteen's "My Hometown" and read with tissue.
Tomorrow on KPFA's The Morning Show, after the 8:00 am news (second hour), Bob Watada will be the guest. That's Ehren Watada's father so make a point to listen. Oh, almost forgot.
Guns and Butter. I think tomorrow is the second part of the Darfur discussion. That was really great. C.I. told me the names of both of the guests I was impressed with but I've forgotten the guy's. (Keith something.) The woman was Sara Flounder. The guy was Keith Harmon Snow! I just remembered. So that's two things worth catching tomorrow.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" which is both more to the point and more important than my sobs over Tower:
Tuesday, August 22, 2005. A day after the Bully Boy's inner-dialogue in front of the world, chaos and violence continue in Iraq, British whispers say there may be a pull out, a witness says he didn't believe Jake Kovco's roommates told the truth about what happened when Kovco died April 21st, and Ehren Watada's father Bob continues traveling and speaking to raise awareness about his son's case.
Starting with the Bully Boy of the United States, Oliver Knox (AFP) reports on the "revolt" Bullly Boy's facing with some Republicans (Chris Shays) calling for a timeframe for withdrawal, some cheerleaders lagging and the general mood of the United States.
On the mood, CNN's latest polling (released Monday) found that only 35% of those surveyed "favor the war in Iraq" while 61% were opposed to it which is "the highest opposition noted in any CNN poll since the conflict began more than three years ago."
Though Bully Boy boasted yesterday that, as long as he was the leader, US troops would remain in Iraq, there is good news in the CNN poll for Bully Boy as well. He can break that promise without shocking many -- "Most Americans (54 percent) don't consider him honest, most (54 percent) don't think he shares their values and most (58 percent) say he does not inspire confidence."
On the topic of the cheerleaders . . . Did someone cry "War Cheerleader Down!"?
Or was that the sound of Thomas Friedman ripping another pair of tights/pantyhose? Robert Parry (Consortium News) examines the laughable Thomas Friedman's record of 'analysis' and concludes that it's past time that Friedman and his fellow War Cheerleaders, who got it all wrong from the start, "have the decency to admit their incompetence and resign." Parry digs into the writings/record of Friedman and notes that: "Friedman, despite botching the biggest foreign-policy story in the post-Cold War era, . . . retains his prized space on the New York Times Op-Ed page".
As the War Cheerleaders cheer a little lower and think a little slower (is that even possible?), the Guardian of London reports that "a senior military commander" (British) has stated that British forces in Iraq could drop from "7,000 to between 3,00 and 4,000 by the middle of next year". This as another British commander, "British Royal Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Fry," calls Iraq "a civil war in minature." Fry tells Robert Burns (Associated Press) that it's "important that the conflict not be described as 'civil war'" (this after doing just that) because, among other things, it "encourages . . . adventurous media reporting." Perish the thought.
As one British commander offers (carless?) whispers of a partial pull-out and another wants to play word games, Bloomberg reports that "U.K. voter support for Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party fell to its lowest in 19 years" and that "[t]he Liberal Democrats, who opposed the war in Iraq and have criticized Blair's relationship with U.S. President George W. Bush, gained more than the Conservatives in the past month." The BBC breaks down the poll's findings as follows: "Tories on 40% -- nine points ahead of Labour on 31%, with the Lib Dems on 22%." The Times of London, on the same poll, reports: "Nearly three-quarters of the public believe that Tony Blair's foreign policy has made Britain more of a target for terrorists". Support for Blair, like support for Bully Boy, has fallen.
In Iraq?
Bombings?
CBS and AP report a hidden bomb claimed the lives of two civilians in Baghdad. Reuters notes a mortar attack in Muqdadiya which has wounded at least fifteen and a roadside bomb "near Yusufiya" which has wounded two civilians and killed a third. AFP reports what we'll call a 'corpse bomb' in Muqdadiya which caused damages to a police vehicle.
Shootings?
AFP reports that eight "young Shiite men from Najaf . . . were pulled from buses by gunmen late Monday . . . and shot dead in the street." CBS and AP note that, in Baghdad, an engineer "was shot dead while . . . in his car" while "crossfire" claimed the lives of two civilians in Amarah. Reuters notes the following: Ramadi -- a body guard of the governor of the Anbar Province was killed in a drive-by; near Kirkuk -- two civilians shot dead; Baquba -- a police major was shot dead (his driver wounded); and in Mosul -- a civilian shot dead.
Corpses?
Reuters notes that Dawoud Salman (Shi'ite Endowment employee) was found dead in Baghdad while another corpse was found "near Hilla."
Turning to kidnapping news, the priest kidnapped last Tuesday (hit the wires on Friday, the Pope issued a plea for his return this weekend) in Baghdad is apparently alive. Reuters reports that a ransom note has been recived and that the Misna news agency has spoken to Father Saad Syrop Hanna.
Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer known to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Despite confusion in the e-mails, he has not been charged with anything today. (A program announced he had, they were covering Thursday's Article 32 hearing.) Lt. Col. Mark Keith is weighing the testimony and will issue a conclusion on whether or not action should be pursued. Tuesday The KPFA Evening News had a report on Watada and they spoke to his father Bob Watada who supports his son and is currently speaking in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bob Watada stated of the illegal war, "They're killing innocent men, women and children -- that's a violation of the Geenva convention which we agreed to. We're using depleted uranium, we're using cluster bombs, we're using phosphoric, we used to call it naplam, but they're phosphoric gases to burn the people. These are all war crimes. Talk about the torture that's going on in Abu Ghraib and other places. You know the rapes of the civilians and so forth. And Ehren would be forced to participate in this illegal war and would be forced to participate in these war crimes that are going on every day."
Bob Watada is attempting to raise awareness of his son's case and upcoming events include:
Tu. 8/22
1-3 pm brown bag lunch & educational event Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County 467 Sebastopol Ave.,
Santa Rosa Contact: Elizabeth 707-575-8902
6-9pm Buena Vista United Methodist Church- Reception & Event 2311 Buena Vista Ave.
Alameda Contact: Rev. Michael Yoshii 510/522-2688
Wed. 8/23
10:30-noon UC Berkeley gathering with students and campus organizers Heller Lounge, Student Union Building, UC Berkeley Contact: Nina Falleunbaum 510-812-8026
noon-1:30pm Event at UC Berkeley Sproul Plaza Contact: Wesley Ueunten 510-579-2711 7-9:30pm Reception & Educational Event St. Paul's Church, 405 S. 10th St,
San Jose Contact: Rose Takamoto 408-725-2933
Thu. 8/24
noon-3pm World Can't WaitYouth & Students Conference San Francisco (site TBA) Contact: Jessalyn Gagui 415-286-3408
7pm Reception & Educational Event Newman Center, 5900 Newman Ct.,
Sacramento Contact: Sacramento-Yolo Peace Action 916-448-7157
A complete list of the events Bob Watada will be taking part in can be found here.
"I'm trying to publicize my son's cause and publicize what's going on in Iraq," he tells
Judith Scherr (Berkeley Daily Planet). Scherr reports that Ehren Watada's civilian attorney, Eric Seitz, told her that, if there is a court-martial, "our intent" is to "put the Iraq War on trial". Meanwhile, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is preparing an editorial to run on Ehren Watada's case.
We will again note: : Cedric (Cedric's Big Mix) is advising those calling Donald Rumsfeld (703-545-6700) or mailing him (1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000) to say: "Hands off Ehren Watada! Let him go." Billie advises that you can use public@defenselink.mil to e-mail the Pentagon. She suggests "Re: Ehren Watad" or "ATTN: DONALD RUMSFELD." Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org. will continue to offer resources, ideas and inspiration. Get the word out.
In other resistance news, Jeff Paterson (Indybay IMC) reports on this past weekend's rally "outside Fort Lewis, Washington" in support of Suzanne Swift which calls for "an honorable discharge for the Iraq veteran and sexual assault victim who went AWOL instead of returning to Iraq." Among those taking part were Swift's mother Sara Rich and CODEPINK's Ann Wright (US army Col. retired). [And yesterday, Jeff Paterson, of Not In Our Name, was wrongly billed by me as "Jeff Patterson." My apologies.]
In Australia, the military inquiry into the April 21st Bagdad death of Jake Kovco continues and apparently the only one not allowed to traipse through the crime scene was the officer making the assessment. Tracy Ong (The Australian) reports that, in his testimony to the inquiry, Major Mark Willetts was "refused permission to enter the room at the Australian embassy compound in Baghdad but observed it from outside and saw photos." Australia's ABC notes that Willetts testified that while he wasn't allowed to enter "the room was occupied by military people, with no investigative skills". Paul Mulvey (Perth Now) reports that Willetts encounters with Kovco's roommates (Soldiers 17 & 19) weren't productive and that Willets "believed . . . they were witholding evidence" because "I find it difficult [to believe] that two men in the room would not have had more information in regards to what happened." For those who've fogotten, both roommates have stated they saw nothing (19 has stated he was getting a drink out of the room's mini-fridge, 17 states he was looking elsewhere ). The AAP quotes Willetts stating: "It's a small room; there were three people in there; it would have been very difficult not to have known what was going on in there." Tracey Ong notes Willetts' testimony regarding Soldier 21 who has now retracted his statement that he heard "Allah Akbar" yelled "10 seconds before the shooting" -- of Soldier 21, Willetts testified: "He was quite adament, in fact he was emphatic he heard Allah Akbar."
Finally, CBS and AP report this on Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi: "An Iraqi investigative panel has launched an independent probe into the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl allegedly by American soldiers currently in U.S. custody, who will be tried in absentia if necessary, an official said Tuesday." The probe actually began Thursday and is expected to last at least a week. Abeer's 15th birthday would have been last Saturday.
Robin Morgan reported the following (Guardian of London via Common Dreams): "The victim's name was Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi. Abeer means 'fragrance of flowers'. She was 14 years old. According to a statement by one of the accused, the soldiers first noticed her at a checkpoint. On March 12, after playing cards while slugging whisky, they changed into civvies and burst into Abeer's home. They killed her mother, father and five-year-old sister and 'took turns' raping Abeer. Finally, according to the statement, they murdered her, drenched the bodies with kerosene, and set them on fire. Then the GIs grilled chicken wings."
the common ills
iraq
ehren watada
cedrics big mix
jacob bruce kovco
jake kovco
robin morgan
robert parry
judith scherr
thomas friedman is a great man
the third estate sunday review
Monday, August 21, 2006
The Peace Movement's Secret Weapon
Let me start off by noting that Bob Watada was actually heard on The KPFA Evening News this evening. So that's the good news. Bob Watada is the father of Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer known to have refused to deploy to Iraq who faced an Article 32 hearing last Thursday (which you can read about in C.I.'s "Walking Through Watada (Ehren Watada's Article 32 hearing)"). By the way, after I post this, I'll do a note at the top (the way Elaine has) about getting Philip Maldari's name wrong in Friday's post. We actually took turns typing that, Elaine, Betty and I and I'm not sure which of us made the mistake but none of us caught it (C.I. did and it's noted in the "Blog Spotlight: Elaine, Betty and Kat dream up a program focusing on Iraq" from Sunday). Let me also steer you to "Iraq: This is what failure looks like" (The Third Estate Sunday Review) which I think turned out amazing. This is the editorial that's based on an idea C.I. had. An idea, let me add, that followed C.I. passing out Friday.
Why add? I don't know anyone who does as much each day on Iraq. I said today, "Okay, if it's in a 90-mile radius, count me in from now on." The gang from The Third Estate Sunday Review, Wally and I accompanied C.I. on an indepth speaking thing today -- and we all spoke. C.I. thinks (and says) the more voices the better and that was really evident today. What reaches some doesn't reach everyone and with the different approaches and different voices, I really think today's speaking gig went very well. If it's within a 90-mile radius, I'll go from now on. I really need to do more about the war and this is one more thing I can do.
Let me stay on Wally a second. He's staying for another week, I believe, and then returning to Florida. After we were done with the meetup, he mentioned he needed to get a haircut so C.I. took us all to a friend's place and Wally got a snazzy haircut that's amazing. We all got haircuts in fact, including C.I. who hadn't had time to have anything hair related done since before the Fourth of July. C.I. was working on the snapshot and using the cell phone and the laptop and turning down a shampoo because (quote) "I really don't have the time for that." That's when I turned to Jess and Ava and said, "Okay, count me in for future speaking" and added my 90-mile radius. There's an out of state thing coming up and I may be able to do that as well but I can surely do all the surrounding area things because it really does make a difference.
I hope KPFA had more on Bob Watada today but the only other program I heard was Against the Grain (which was a must listen, if you missed it). A must read is Trina's "Easy Fudge in the Kitchen" which is very easy. I usually make fudge with a family recipe, but Saturday evening, we were all trying this recipe and it really is easy. We doubled everything for each batch and made four batches to have enough for everyone and they were still all gone before we were done with the edition.
So what did I see today? A desire for the war to end, a desire for real conversations about the war. Bully Boy's announcement that we weren't leaving while he was in the oval office had a huge effect. He might have thought he'd say that and the conversation would stop, but it really enraged people. I think most of us knew he had no desire to end the war and he's certainly stated before that Iraq is something future presidents would have to do with; however, his announcement today that as long as he was in the oval office, US troops weren't leaving, really enraged people. You could hear it in their questions and comments.
I started thinking that, though not intended as such, his pompous statements might do more to fuel next month's demonstrations than anything else. So when I spoke, I joked about how Bully Boy was the peace movement's secret weapon. In fact, I think I'll call this post that, "The Peace Movement's Secret Weapon." If you'd heard the anger and determination I did, you'd understand why I made that call.
Now here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, August 21, 2006, violence and chaos continue in Iraq, Ehren Watada's father Bob travels to raise awareness of what his son is facing, Cindy Sheehan and others continue to up the ante, Soldier 14 testifies he was scared of a widow, and the Bully Boy holds an inner-dialogue with himself while the world watches.
Having long ago spent any perceived political capitol his illegal war of choice or the 2004 elections might have fronted him, Bully Boy struggles to justify why the United States should continue a war that, on Sunday, claimed the lives of three more American troops in the al Anbar Province. Daniela Deane (Washington Post) reports that the Bully Boy stated it would be a disaster to leave . . . the disaster that is Iraq (link contains video to the speech) -- sounding a bit like the guy who begs you to invest in his sure-thing investment and then, when it goes to hell, tells you that if you pull out, it will destroy him. That is what is now at stake. Not Iraq, not US trooops, Bully Boy's own historical role and don't think he hasn't grasped that. Deane quotes the Bully Boy stating: "We're not leaving so long as I'm president" apparently goading the growing impeachment movement, "That would be a huge mistake." "Huge mistake" would be a nice way of describing the illegal war the Bully Boy started with lies and inference.
If there's a grown up present in the White House, might they suggest to the "We're not leaving" Bully Boy that he listen to KPFA's Against the Grain from this afternoon, where Sasha Lilley interviewed Dan Berger on the topic of the Weather Underground and what denials/refusals led to the formation of that group? (Lilley, not C.S. Soong as I wrongly stated Saturday, conducted the interview.) As Deane (Washington Post) notes: "Bush made his comments as support for the Iraq war among the American public continues to plummet and Bush's approval numbers stay stuck in the 30s. More conservative commentators are raising questions, expressing doubts or even attacking the president outright on his foreign policy decisions, with the Iraq war figuring prominently." That's something he might want to consider, as well as
Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's decison in ACLU v. NSA ("There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution"), before he issues his next royal edict on what he says the nation will do. His only alternative is to out-Nixon Tricky Dick. (Something he already seems bound and determined to achieve before he completes his term or is removed from office.)
On the ground in Iraq, Baghdad's so-called crackdown (6.0) returns to 'normal' crackdown status (which never worked either) as the vehicle ban is lifted in Iraq's capital. And the reaction? CNN reports an armed attack in Adan Square resulting in at least one dead and at least five wounded, while in western Baghdad an Iraqi army patrol was attacked resulting in three deaths (Iraqi soldiers) and two wounded (ditto) and, just north of Baghdad, a US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb. As Reuters notes, the roadside bomb death brought to four the number of US troops killed in the last 24 hours. In addition to the three Iraqi soldiers killed in Baghdad, AFP reports a civilian was killed by a drive-by shooting.
Outside of Baghdad, things weren't 'calm' (though that's today's talking point -- look for it in print tomorrow and wonder about domestic outlets -- whether they cheer the war or not -- who use calm to described a 24 hour period that saw four US troops die).
Reuters notes violence in Basra -- Fadhil al-Magsusi was shot dead (he's "colonel in the Facility Protection Services") and that two members "of the Interior Ministry Intelligence Service" were shot dead on Sunday -- while in Iskandariya a roadside bomb claimed the lives of two Iraqi police officers. AFP reports a bomb injured a police officer in Baquba. CNN adds to the Baquba details noting two shot dead and another two wounded in Baquba from shootings and "In another incident, gunmen shot dead an Iraqi civilian in Khalis town about 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) north of Baquba. Two people, including a teacher, were killed by gunmen in Balad Ruz, about 31 miles (50 kilometers) east of Baquba Monday morning, an official with Baquba police said."
That makes eleven (includes the American soldier) and that passes for "calm" as surely as Bully Boy's failed war of choice passes for "success." In the reality based world, The Feminist Wire reports that 35 lawyers in Iraq have been killed since October of last year "many of whom were defending women's rights." While Andy Webb-Vidal (Financial Times of London) reports that things are getting nasty between US military outsourcer Blackwater and the mercenaries they contracted for security duties from Columbia (where else?) as the mercenaries claim that they are being paid only a quarter of what they were promised. (Apparently Blackwater pays a monthly salary and not by 'the kill.') The dispute could spell problems for many reporters in Baghdad since the thirty-five mercenaries are assigned to the Green Zone.
Last Thursday, in the United States, Ehren Watada's Article 32 hearing was held. Watada is the first known commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Currently, the presiding officer, Lt. Col. Mark Keith, is weighing whether or not the record/evidence demonstrates the need for futher action (which could include a court-martial). Washington's Spokesman Review quotes Watada stating: ""You don't join the military just to blindly follow whatever orders you're given. An order to go to an unlawful and immoral war based on false pretenses is no different than to kill innocent civilians." Following Thursday's hearing, Jeff Patterson (Indybay IMC) reports that Watada spoke to a group of supporters in Tacoma, Washington and restated "his willingness to go to jail for the truth if needed." Patterson (of Not In Our Name) reports that attorney Eric Seitz explained that the Watada's defense is based on "the duty of individual soldiers to look at the facts and fulfill their obligation to national and international law" and that it is the prosecution's efforts that put the war on trial.
Bob Watada, father of Ehren, is currently speaking at various events in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise awareness of his son's case. Upcoming events for today and tomorrow include:
6:00-8:30pm
Reception & Event in SF Japantown Japanese Community & Cultural Center of NC (JCCCNC) 1840 Sutter, San Francisco
Contact: Pete Yamamoto 415/921-5007
Tu.
8/22
1-3 pm
brown bag lunch & educational event Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
Contact: Elizabeth 707-575-8902
6-9pm
Buena Vista United Methodist Church- Reception & Event 2311 Buena Vista Ave. Alameda Contact: Rev. Michael Yoshii 510/522-2688
A full list of events can be found here. The Santa Cruz Sentinal notes one of Friday's events, a 7:00 pm benefit showing of Sir! No Sir! at the Veterans Memorial Hall -- 846 Front St., Santa Cruz -- co-sponsored by the Santa Cruz chapter of Veterans for Peace and the Resource Center for Nonviolence.
And we'll continue to note the following: Cedric (Cedric's Big Mix) is advising those calling Donald Rumsfeld (703-545-6700) or mailing him (1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000) to say: "Hands off Ehren Watada! Let him go." Billie advises that you can use public@defenselink.mil to e-mail the Pentagon. She suggests "Re: Ehren Watad" or "ATTN: DONALD RUMSFELD." Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org. will continue to offer resources, ideas and inspiration. Get the word out.
In other peace news, Saturday, Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright and over fifty others protested an Austin, TX appearance by Karl Rove with chants of "Try Rove For Treason" and cries of "Karl Rove, You Are A Criminal." The Associated Press places the number of participants at seventy. The Austin American-Statesman reports that "Tiffany Nicole Burns of Los Angeles has been charged with inciting a riot and criminal trespass because she 'responded with physical resistance' when an officer tried to apprehend her outside a ballroom at the Renaissance Austin Hotel." Burns is out on bail but, if convicted, could face a maxiumum of 180 days in jail and/or a maximum fine of $2000. Burns told Austin's CBS 42, "The police made it really clear to me that their objective was to get us out of the reception so we wouldn't bother Karl Rove while he was speaking. Rather than let us, find some peaceful resolution and leave after we said what we came to say." CODEPINK notes: "Who's that telling Karl Rove he should be indicted for war crimes? Or interrupting Dick Cheney at the RNC? Or walking 40 miles for peace? Or planting a peace garden in Crawford, Texas in 105 degree heat? It's CODEPINK'S beloved Tiffany Burns. Always pushing the envelope (and getting arrested!)" (link contains video of an interview with Burns).
Despite the protests, the questions remaining about his role in the outing of then CIA agent Valerie Plame, the predictors said to bode poorly for Republican election prospects in November, there were no reports that the portly Karl Rove's extremely healthy appetite was effected.
Whether the Bully Boy and Condi Rice will have such healthy appetites next week in Salt Lake City when they are greeted by protests led by the city's mayor Rocky Anderson and Cindy Sheehan remains unknown at present.
The Associated Press notes that Sheehan traveled "about 100 miles" from Camp Casey III to take part in the demonstrations in Austin. Actions at Camp Casey III continue through September 2nd then it moves to DC for Camp Democracy (opens September 5th). CODEPINK reports on the hard work put into a recent addition at Camp Casey III: the Visions for Peace garden (link contains photos).
The upcoming DC events in September to protest the illegal war are only a few weeks away. In a review of Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber's new book The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies, and the Mess In Iraq, David Swanson (Political Affairs) notes that Rampton will be at speaking at Camp Democracy in DC and that "[o]ther speakers at Camp Democracy will include: Cindy Sheehan, Antonia Juhasz, Gael Murphy, Raed Jarrar, Anne Feeney, Lennox Yearwood, Ann Wright, John Kim, Kevin Fagan, Ryan McAllister, Regina Miranda, Mike Gravel, Elizabeth Holtzman, John Nichols, Marcus Raskin, Elizabeth de la Vega, Michael Avery, Ray McGovern, Dave Lindorff, Barbara Olshansky, Jennifer Van Bergen, Geoff King, David Waldman, Dan DeWalt, Steve Cobble, Anthony Arnove, Howard Zinn, and many others."
Turning to Australia, the military inquiry into the April 21st death of Jake Kovco in Baghdad continues. Last week, DNA tests came back on Kovco's gun which is identified as the weapon that killed him. Some of the DNA on it not belonging to Kovco was identified as belonging to Soldier 14. (Some, not all could be conclusively identified.) After refusing to consent to a police interview last week, Soldier 14 again took the stand today and, as Australia's ABC reports, he continued to maintain that his DNA must "have been transferred by a megaphone, telephone or military radio they both handled on the day of Private Kovco's death." Soldier 14 also used his testimony to note Shelley Kovco, widow of Jake Kovco and the mother of their children Alana and Tyrie Kovco. Leonie Lamont (Sydney Morning Herald) reports that in reply to questioning from Shelley Kovco's attorney (Lieutenant-Colonel Tom Berkley) Soldier 14 stated he had wanted to speak to her but "felt that people were out to get me, they thought I was responsible, and I thought she was one of those people. The last thing I wanted to do was have to listen to someone accuse me when I knew I had nothing to hide." A strange statement since Soldier 14 is speaking of the time immediately after Jake Kovco's death and until Friday's DNA testing was revealed, no one was aware who, if any one, might have handled the gun that killed Jake Kovco. As Tracey Ong (NEWScom.org) notes, Soldier 14 continues to maintain that he never touched Jake Kovco's pistol and that, via video-link from Baghdad, Kovco's roommates (Soldiers 17 and 19) gave testimony regarding how often the soldiers showered and washed their hands -- seeming to address the issue of whether stray DNA could have landed on Kovco's gun without Soldier 14 ever touching it. As Belinda Tasker (The Daily Telegraph) notes, Soldier 14's avoidance of Shelley Kovco -- out of fear of being accused of something,apparently -- translates as Soldier 14 aoviding contact with her for "more than three months" and notes that Soldier 14 said "people were telling me" that Shelley Kovco was out to get him -- apparently no one asked Soldier 14 who these people were or why, since his DNA was only identified last Friday, anyone would think he was suspected of anything in the death of Kovco. No one has placed Soldier 14 as being present in the room when Jake Kovco died, however, Leonie Lamont reports that Soldier 14 testified he was in the room next to Kovco's and, although he maintains he did not leave his room, he stated to the inquiry that he did yell "about the keeping the noise down" [music] and went over to the room after he heard the gunshot. Tracey Ong reports: "Soldier 14 will return to the stand for a fourth time as early as the end of the week for further questioning by Frank Holles, counsel representing Pte Kovco's parents, Martin and Judy. Lieutenant Colonel Holles is away on another case this week" and notes that Soldier 14's lawyer voiced his objection to this stating that the stress was too much and Soldier 14 needed to return to the, apparently, more peaceful, less stressful locale of Baghdad. The roommates testimony (via video-link from Baghdad) rejected, ABC reports, the notion that Kovco's death resulted from "a prank" Kovco was playing and both Soldiers 17 and 19 continue to maintain that although they saw him dancing around (to the Cranberries), they did not see the gun go off.
iraq
ehren watada
cedrics big mix
jacob bruce kovco
jake kovco
cindy sheehan
gold star families for peace
codepink
against the grain
sasha lilley
kpfa
dan berger
Why add? I don't know anyone who does as much each day on Iraq. I said today, "Okay, if it's in a 90-mile radius, count me in from now on." The gang from The Third Estate Sunday Review, Wally and I accompanied C.I. on an indepth speaking thing today -- and we all spoke. C.I. thinks (and says) the more voices the better and that was really evident today. What reaches some doesn't reach everyone and with the different approaches and different voices, I really think today's speaking gig went very well. If it's within a 90-mile radius, I'll go from now on. I really need to do more about the war and this is one more thing I can do.
Let me stay on Wally a second. He's staying for another week, I believe, and then returning to Florida. After we were done with the meetup, he mentioned he needed to get a haircut so C.I. took us all to a friend's place and Wally got a snazzy haircut that's amazing. We all got haircuts in fact, including C.I. who hadn't had time to have anything hair related done since before the Fourth of July. C.I. was working on the snapshot and using the cell phone and the laptop and turning down a shampoo because (quote) "I really don't have the time for that." That's when I turned to Jess and Ava and said, "Okay, count me in for future speaking" and added my 90-mile radius. There's an out of state thing coming up and I may be able to do that as well but I can surely do all the surrounding area things because it really does make a difference.
I hope KPFA had more on Bob Watada today but the only other program I heard was Against the Grain (which was a must listen, if you missed it). A must read is Trina's "Easy Fudge in the Kitchen" which is very easy. I usually make fudge with a family recipe, but Saturday evening, we were all trying this recipe and it really is easy. We doubled everything for each batch and made four batches to have enough for everyone and they were still all gone before we were done with the edition.
So what did I see today? A desire for the war to end, a desire for real conversations about the war. Bully Boy's announcement that we weren't leaving while he was in the oval office had a huge effect. He might have thought he'd say that and the conversation would stop, but it really enraged people. I think most of us knew he had no desire to end the war and he's certainly stated before that Iraq is something future presidents would have to do with; however, his announcement today that as long as he was in the oval office, US troops weren't leaving, really enraged people. You could hear it in their questions and comments.
I started thinking that, though not intended as such, his pompous statements might do more to fuel next month's demonstrations than anything else. So when I spoke, I joked about how Bully Boy was the peace movement's secret weapon. In fact, I think I'll call this post that, "The Peace Movement's Secret Weapon." If you'd heard the anger and determination I did, you'd understand why I made that call.
Now here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, August 21, 2006, violence and chaos continue in Iraq, Ehren Watada's father Bob travels to raise awareness of what his son is facing, Cindy Sheehan and others continue to up the ante, Soldier 14 testifies he was scared of a widow, and the Bully Boy holds an inner-dialogue with himself while the world watches.
Having long ago spent any perceived political capitol his illegal war of choice or the 2004 elections might have fronted him, Bully Boy struggles to justify why the United States should continue a war that, on Sunday, claimed the lives of three more American troops in the al Anbar Province. Daniela Deane (Washington Post) reports that the Bully Boy stated it would be a disaster to leave . . . the disaster that is Iraq (link contains video to the speech) -- sounding a bit like the guy who begs you to invest in his sure-thing investment and then, when it goes to hell, tells you that if you pull out, it will destroy him. That is what is now at stake. Not Iraq, not US trooops, Bully Boy's own historical role and don't think he hasn't grasped that. Deane quotes the Bully Boy stating: "We're not leaving so long as I'm president" apparently goading the growing impeachment movement, "That would be a huge mistake." "Huge mistake" would be a nice way of describing the illegal war the Bully Boy started with lies and inference.
If there's a grown up present in the White House, might they suggest to the "We're not leaving" Bully Boy that he listen to KPFA's Against the Grain from this afternoon, where Sasha Lilley interviewed Dan Berger on the topic of the Weather Underground and what denials/refusals led to the formation of that group? (Lilley, not C.S. Soong as I wrongly stated Saturday, conducted the interview.) As Deane (Washington Post) notes: "Bush made his comments as support for the Iraq war among the American public continues to plummet and Bush's approval numbers stay stuck in the 30s. More conservative commentators are raising questions, expressing doubts or even attacking the president outright on his foreign policy decisions, with the Iraq war figuring prominently." That's something he might want to consider, as well as
Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's decison in ACLU v. NSA ("There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution"), before he issues his next royal edict on what he says the nation will do. His only alternative is to out-Nixon Tricky Dick. (Something he already seems bound and determined to achieve before he completes his term or is removed from office.)
On the ground in Iraq, Baghdad's so-called crackdown (6.0) returns to 'normal' crackdown status (which never worked either) as the vehicle ban is lifted in Iraq's capital. And the reaction? CNN reports an armed attack in Adan Square resulting in at least one dead and at least five wounded, while in western Baghdad an Iraqi army patrol was attacked resulting in three deaths (Iraqi soldiers) and two wounded (ditto) and, just north of Baghdad, a US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb. As Reuters notes, the roadside bomb death brought to four the number of US troops killed in the last 24 hours. In addition to the three Iraqi soldiers killed in Baghdad, AFP reports a civilian was killed by a drive-by shooting.
Outside of Baghdad, things weren't 'calm' (though that's today's talking point -- look for it in print tomorrow and wonder about domestic outlets -- whether they cheer the war or not -- who use calm to described a 24 hour period that saw four US troops die).
Reuters notes violence in Basra -- Fadhil al-Magsusi was shot dead (he's "colonel in the Facility Protection Services") and that two members "of the Interior Ministry Intelligence Service" were shot dead on Sunday -- while in Iskandariya a roadside bomb claimed the lives of two Iraqi police officers. AFP reports a bomb injured a police officer in Baquba. CNN adds to the Baquba details noting two shot dead and another two wounded in Baquba from shootings and "In another incident, gunmen shot dead an Iraqi civilian in Khalis town about 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) north of Baquba. Two people, including a teacher, were killed by gunmen in Balad Ruz, about 31 miles (50 kilometers) east of Baquba Monday morning, an official with Baquba police said."
That makes eleven (includes the American soldier) and that passes for "calm" as surely as Bully Boy's failed war of choice passes for "success." In the reality based world, The Feminist Wire reports that 35 lawyers in Iraq have been killed since October of last year "many of whom were defending women's rights." While Andy Webb-Vidal (Financial Times of London) reports that things are getting nasty between US military outsourcer Blackwater and the mercenaries they contracted for security duties from Columbia (where else?) as the mercenaries claim that they are being paid only a quarter of what they were promised. (Apparently Blackwater pays a monthly salary and not by 'the kill.') The dispute could spell problems for many reporters in Baghdad since the thirty-five mercenaries are assigned to the Green Zone.
Last Thursday, in the United States, Ehren Watada's Article 32 hearing was held. Watada is the first known commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Currently, the presiding officer, Lt. Col. Mark Keith, is weighing whether or not the record/evidence demonstrates the need for futher action (which could include a court-martial). Washington's Spokesman Review quotes Watada stating: ""You don't join the military just to blindly follow whatever orders you're given. An order to go to an unlawful and immoral war based on false pretenses is no different than to kill innocent civilians." Following Thursday's hearing, Jeff Patterson (Indybay IMC) reports that Watada spoke to a group of supporters in Tacoma, Washington and restated "his willingness to go to jail for the truth if needed." Patterson (of Not In Our Name) reports that attorney Eric Seitz explained that the Watada's defense is based on "the duty of individual soldiers to look at the facts and fulfill their obligation to national and international law" and that it is the prosecution's efforts that put the war on trial.
Bob Watada, father of Ehren, is currently speaking at various events in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise awareness of his son's case. Upcoming events for today and tomorrow include:
6:00-8:30pm
Reception & Event in SF Japantown Japanese Community & Cultural Center of NC (JCCCNC) 1840 Sutter, San Francisco
Contact: Pete Yamamoto 415/921-5007
Tu.
8/22
1-3 pm
brown bag lunch & educational event Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa
Contact: Elizabeth 707-575-8902
6-9pm
Buena Vista United Methodist Church- Reception & Event 2311 Buena Vista Ave. Alameda Contact: Rev. Michael Yoshii 510/522-2688
A full list of events can be found here. The Santa Cruz Sentinal notes one of Friday's events, a 7:00 pm benefit showing of Sir! No Sir! at the Veterans Memorial Hall -- 846 Front St., Santa Cruz -- co-sponsored by the Santa Cruz chapter of Veterans for Peace and the Resource Center for Nonviolence.
And we'll continue to note the following: Cedric (Cedric's Big Mix) is advising those calling Donald Rumsfeld (703-545-6700) or mailing him (1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000) to say: "Hands off Ehren Watada! Let him go." Billie advises that you can use public@defenselink.mil to e-mail the Pentagon. She suggests "Re: Ehren Watad" or "ATTN: DONALD RUMSFELD." Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org. will continue to offer resources, ideas and inspiration. Get the word out.
In other peace news, Saturday, Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright and over fifty others protested an Austin, TX appearance by Karl Rove with chants of "Try Rove For Treason" and cries of "Karl Rove, You Are A Criminal." The Associated Press places the number of participants at seventy. The Austin American-Statesman reports that "Tiffany Nicole Burns of Los Angeles has been charged with inciting a riot and criminal trespass because she 'responded with physical resistance' when an officer tried to apprehend her outside a ballroom at the Renaissance Austin Hotel." Burns is out on bail but, if convicted, could face a maxiumum of 180 days in jail and/or a maximum fine of $2000. Burns told Austin's CBS 42, "The police made it really clear to me that their objective was to get us out of the reception so we wouldn't bother Karl Rove while he was speaking. Rather than let us, find some peaceful resolution and leave after we said what we came to say." CODEPINK notes: "Who's that telling Karl Rove he should be indicted for war crimes? Or interrupting Dick Cheney at the RNC? Or walking 40 miles for peace? Or planting a peace garden in Crawford, Texas in 105 degree heat? It's CODEPINK'S beloved Tiffany Burns. Always pushing the envelope (and getting arrested!)" (link contains video of an interview with Burns).
Despite the protests, the questions remaining about his role in the outing of then CIA agent Valerie Plame, the predictors said to bode poorly for Republican election prospects in November, there were no reports that the portly Karl Rove's extremely healthy appetite was effected.
Whether the Bully Boy and Condi Rice will have such healthy appetites next week in Salt Lake City when they are greeted by protests led by the city's mayor Rocky Anderson and Cindy Sheehan remains unknown at present.
The Associated Press notes that Sheehan traveled "about 100 miles" from Camp Casey III to take part in the demonstrations in Austin. Actions at Camp Casey III continue through September 2nd then it moves to DC for Camp Democracy (opens September 5th). CODEPINK reports on the hard work put into a recent addition at Camp Casey III: the Visions for Peace garden (link contains photos).
The upcoming DC events in September to protest the illegal war are only a few weeks away. In a review of Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber's new book The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies, and the Mess In Iraq, David Swanson (Political Affairs) notes that Rampton will be at speaking at Camp Democracy in DC and that "[o]ther speakers at Camp Democracy will include: Cindy Sheehan, Antonia Juhasz, Gael Murphy, Raed Jarrar, Anne Feeney, Lennox Yearwood, Ann Wright, John Kim, Kevin Fagan, Ryan McAllister, Regina Miranda, Mike Gravel, Elizabeth Holtzman, John Nichols, Marcus Raskin, Elizabeth de la Vega, Michael Avery, Ray McGovern, Dave Lindorff, Barbara Olshansky, Jennifer Van Bergen, Geoff King, David Waldman, Dan DeWalt, Steve Cobble, Anthony Arnove, Howard Zinn, and many others."
Turning to Australia, the military inquiry into the April 21st death of Jake Kovco in Baghdad continues. Last week, DNA tests came back on Kovco's gun which is identified as the weapon that killed him. Some of the DNA on it not belonging to Kovco was identified as belonging to Soldier 14. (Some, not all could be conclusively identified.) After refusing to consent to a police interview last week, Soldier 14 again took the stand today and, as Australia's ABC reports, he continued to maintain that his DNA must "have been transferred by a megaphone, telephone or military radio they both handled on the day of Private Kovco's death." Soldier 14 also used his testimony to note Shelley Kovco, widow of Jake Kovco and the mother of their children Alana and Tyrie Kovco. Leonie Lamont (Sydney Morning Herald) reports that in reply to questioning from Shelley Kovco's attorney (Lieutenant-Colonel Tom Berkley) Soldier 14 stated he had wanted to speak to her but "felt that people were out to get me, they thought I was responsible, and I thought she was one of those people. The last thing I wanted to do was have to listen to someone accuse me when I knew I had nothing to hide." A strange statement since Soldier 14 is speaking of the time immediately after Jake Kovco's death and until Friday's DNA testing was revealed, no one was aware who, if any one, might have handled the gun that killed Jake Kovco. As Tracey Ong (NEWScom.org) notes, Soldier 14 continues to maintain that he never touched Jake Kovco's pistol and that, via video-link from Baghdad, Kovco's roommates (Soldiers 17 and 19) gave testimony regarding how often the soldiers showered and washed their hands -- seeming to address the issue of whether stray DNA could have landed on Kovco's gun without Soldier 14 ever touching it. As Belinda Tasker (The Daily Telegraph) notes, Soldier 14's avoidance of Shelley Kovco -- out of fear of being accused of something,apparently -- translates as Soldier 14 aoviding contact with her for "more than three months" and notes that Soldier 14 said "people were telling me" that Shelley Kovco was out to get him -- apparently no one asked Soldier 14 who these people were or why, since his DNA was only identified last Friday, anyone would think he was suspected of anything in the death of Kovco. No one has placed Soldier 14 as being present in the room when Jake Kovco died, however, Leonie Lamont reports that Soldier 14 testified he was in the room next to Kovco's and, although he maintains he did not leave his room, he stated to the inquiry that he did yell "about the keeping the noise down" [music] and went over to the room after he heard the gunshot. Tracey Ong reports: "Soldier 14 will return to the stand for a fourth time as early as the end of the week for further questioning by Frank Holles, counsel representing Pte Kovco's parents, Martin and Judy. Lieutenant Colonel Holles is away on another case this week" and notes that Soldier 14's lawyer voiced his objection to this stating that the stress was too much and Soldier 14 needed to return to the, apparently, more peaceful, less stressful locale of Baghdad. The roommates testimony (via video-link from Baghdad) rejected, ABC reports, the notion that Kovco's death resulted from "a prank" Kovco was playing and both Soldiers 17 and 19 continue to maintain that although they saw him dancing around (to the Cranberries), they did not see the gun go off.
iraq
ehren watada
cedrics big mix
jacob bruce kovco
jake kovco
cindy sheehan
gold star families for peace
codepink
against the grain
sasha lilley
kpfa
dan berger
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