Brief

See that man? He's Senator Roland Burris.

Patrick Fitzgerald, put up or shut up.

Bring charges, any at all, or stop smearing Burris off the record.

You're a tool who refused to go after Dick Cheney and George W. Bush for outing undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame.

You're a tool and a fool.

You proved you weren't a real prosecutor when the only one you locked up was Scooter Libby.

Now you need some more fawning and praise and you're using Senator Roland Burris to get it.



Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Wednesday, May 27, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, al-Maliki needs a law firm, Sahwa has some regrets and more.

Starting with Iraq Veterans Against the War which announces:

Winter Soldier Southwest was a great success. There were more than half a dozen camera crews shooting it for purposes ranging from independent media to anti-war documentaries. The panelists were quite moving and the audience was extremely supportive and full of positive energy. We want to thank everyone that helped put the event together, including all the panelists from VVAW, VFP, MFSO and Gold Star Families. Most profoundly moving was the testimony of the Gold Star Families panel. Quite a number of panelists testimonies have found their way onto the internet already, below is a short list of a few links to what's out there

Iraq Veterans Against the War held their Winter Soldier Investigation in the DC area in March of 2008. That was broadcast at War Comes Home, at KPFK, at the Pacifica Radio homepage and at KPFA, here for Friday, here for Saturday, here for Sunday with Aimee Allison (co-host of the station's The Morning Show and co-author with David Solnit of Army Of None) and Aaron Glantz anchoring Pacifica's live coverage. (It was also broadcast at the IVAW site.) This was a West Coast Winter Soldier and the videos are here, here, here, here and here. We'll note one today.

Ryan Endicott: I knew my time had come as I laughed, I ran. This was everything I had hoped for, my chance to kill. I didn't care how or who but someone was going to die today. [. . .] From that moment forward, our efforts became much more intense. We began getting "intelligence" -- quote unquote -- of suspected terrorists safe houses, weapons caches. We would gear up, blare our death metal and pump each other up comparing body counts, telling each other, "It's only a matter of time before we get another." We knew every way to walk right around the line of engagement. The rules of engagement? What a joke. To us grunts, rules of engagement were not rules at all but merely words on a piece of paper, somewhere printed, for the sole purpose of protecting officers if we grunts actually got caught.
Try to imagine yourself tonight as you sleep warm in your bed with your wife, your children in the next room. Two a.m. and your door is kicked in and men are screaming. As they kick open your bedroom door, they're screaming a language you don't understand. They're pointing machine guns at your face as they drag you by your hair from your bed, slamming your face down to the ground, putting their boots on the back of your neck and smashing your face further into the concrete floor. Your struggle to protect your family and your home is futile as you are blindfolded and handcuffed so tight you lose feeling in your hands within minutes. All you know is you can hear your screaming wife and children crying for help and you are too useless to protect them. You were not on a list of suspected terrorists. You were not on a list of known terrorists. In fact, you completely supported the US coming into your country and promising freedom, prosperity. You were simply a man in a house on a street that my platoon decided to search. When your blindfold is finally released, the men left your home, it's destroyed. Your wife and children are huddled in a corner defenseless and crying. Every drawer in your home is thrown. The contents broken, soiled. Your bed has been urinated on. Your wife's panties are glued to the wall. Maybe a family heirloom is missing or other objects stolen. The floor is wet with fresh chewing tobacco spit. And you vainly try to tell your family it will be okay and never happen again but, in your heart you know all the while, your chances are it probably will.
As time continued to pass, my ego grew stronger and my hate boiled within my veins. A scene like this was nothing more than a Tuesday to me. I laughed as I heard a story. One of the platoons had strapped dead bodies to the hoods of their Humvees and drove around the city for hours blasting death metal music as they terrorized the population. Just another Tuesday to me.
Back on post, there was a time when somehow, some way, an Iraqi had managed to get himself lost and ended up knocking on the door to my post which happened to be next to our sleeping area. As I answered the door and I saw the Iraqi standing there, I accepted my fate and I jumped on top of him. I accepted he was a suicide bomber and I had seen my last day as I began to punch him. Brutally I sat on top of him punching him as hard as I could. After a moment I got him under control and handcuffed him. He was simply a man who had just gotten lost. I was punished harshly not for my actions, not for harming an unarmed civilian, but for not killing him. I was told he should have been killed for being there and I would have been protected. I was forced to burn feces, stand hours at an additional post and physically punished. I was ostracized and called a "wuss" and a "girl" for not killing him. I had lost all the respect that I had gained and that I had killed for to earn. I was forced to stand six hours at post at a time directly behind an air conditioning unit with all the heat blasting out of the back side onto my face in the middle of the summer in one of the hottest places on the earth. I stood that post 12 hours a day, four days a week for over a month.
The man that arose from that month was someone I hoped to never meet again. The last bit of humanity and morality I had left was gone. I laughed as marines told me they'd just shot this guy in the head and saw his head explode. Just another Tuesday to me.
One Tuesday they brought a car that had just been shot up. The driver's fully intact brain was sitting in the back seat. And, to the looks of it, the passenger's brains were all over the car. I walked over to the body bag with the passenger in it -- the bag was still twitching. And we could hear his body still attempting to breathe. Even though his brains were clearly all over the car. We laughed as we stomped him. Just another Tuesday to me.
These are just some of the Tuesdays that fill a seven day calendar.
I was given a medium machine gun and unlimited ammo and told to spend a couple of hours per post down at a post that was usually unmanned. It had extended view and less observers that could see what I was doing while I was down there. It was expressed to me that I was now a shooter and was being placed down there to shoot. "Don't worry. We have your back. Make sure your combat reports are rock solid and we'll take care of you. You saw two guys with weapons and one ran off." Rules of engagement may change like the tides of the ocean or the winds of a hurricane but people don't come back from the dead. Sometimes, from one hour to the next, the rules of engagement would change. At ten a.m. someone with a shovel on a certain street would be killed and at ten-thirty he shouldn't be killed. You can change the rule but you can't bring that person back to life. And when you can't bring him back to life, you tell me that I just murdered him.
After returning from the war, I began drinking, not caring. I had an attitude that ruled my life where I didn't care if I lived, if I died, where I went or what I did. As the mental brainwashing and numbing that the Marine Corps had given me dissipated, the only way to substitute that numbing was through alcohol. I started to think back to the people I shot and the lives that I ruined through my hatred and violence and sometimes it was just too much for me to handle. This war has not only taken the lives of countless Iraqis -- men, women and children, but it has destroyed how many? Who knows? Countless American lives have been destroyed. American veterans. People who joined to serve their country and be American heroes. Many vets feel there's just no one out there who can help them and end up on the street homeless with nothing or sometimes worse. Veterans are attempting and committing suicide at an unprecedented rate. That's for a reason. What's worse? To die for no reason or to live a life of violence and destruction, internal structure and hatred every single day for no reason? To live every day knowing that everything that was instilled in me from the moment I was born as a free American boy, all the morals and everything that was taught to me, I gave away -- at the moment I pulled the trigger for acceptance, the moment that I beat another human being half to death simply to feel like the heroes that I held with such regard.
I know today that I cannot mend the things that I have broken. Or fix the lives that I have destroyed. But maybe with my testimony today, I can help one person, they might help two people who can eventually help four. And they'd be all of us together, standing united in preventing these atrocities from ever happening again.

Let's not pretend that Ryan Endicott or anyone like him is getting the help from the government they really need. The administration and the Congress is tossing out the bare minimum and wanting pats on the back and applause for that. Meanwhile, more Ryans and Ritas are created every day because the illegal war has not ended -- even if the interest in it faded. . AP reports "an invitation-only briefing to a dozen journalists and policy analysts from Washington-based think tanks" yesterday was where US Army General George Casey Jr. declared US troops might remain on the ground in Iraq for over a decade more: "Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction. They fundamentally will change how the Army works." Michael Winter (USA Today) notes the remarks here. Casey's remarks are not unique or out of the norm. Repeatedly remarks like his have been made and repeatedly they have been ignored. We're dropping back to yesterday's snapshot:Military spokespeople weren't the only ones making statements Sunday. The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also made statements publicly. The New York Times ignored it naturally. Noting it here led to five e-mails from CENTCOM trying to insist what it did and didn't mean. Sorry folks, I believe Mike Mullen is conversant in English. Sunday Adm Mike Mullen appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos (link has video option and the transcript is here).STEPHANOPOULOS: OK. Let me move to Iraq then. U.S. combat forces are scheduled to complete their pullout from Iraqi cities by June 30th. But in recent weeks, we've seen an uptick again in the violence. Does that rise in violence mean that the deadline for pulling American forces out of the cities might not be met? MULLEN: Oh, I think we're still very much on a track in terms of pulling the forces out of the cities, which is the end of next month. We're on track to decrease the number of troops down to 35,000 to 50,000 in August of 2010. We've had an uptick in violence, but the overall violence levels are at the 2003 levels. It's still fragile. There's an awful lot of political positioning and political debate that's going on right now, and I think that in great part becomes the essence of how Iraq moves forward. I'm actually positive about what the Iraqi security forces have done, their army and their police in terms of providing for their own security. They've improved dramatically. So the path, I think, is still the right path. These ticks, upticks in violence are going to occur. We said that going in, even into -- as we talked about coming down in force. So we just have to, we have to constantly keep an eye on that. Al Qaida is still active. They're not gone. They're very much... STEPHANOPOULOS: Al Qaida in Iraq. MULLEN: Al Qaida in Iraq is very much diminished, but they still have potential to create these kinds of incidents. STEPHANOPOULOS: And the president has said that his overall goal is to have all forces out of Iraq by 2011. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: Under the status of forces agreement with the Iraqi government, I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. (END VIDEO CLIP) STEPHANOPOULOS: That is pretty unequivocal. Yet I was reading the proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute. They had an interview with Tom Ricks, the U.S. military historian, where he says he worries that the president is being wildly over- optimistic. He says we may be only halfway through the war. And he talks about a conversation he had with the commanding general in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, who told him he'd like to see 35,000 troops in Iraq in 2015. Is that what you expect, as well? MULLEN: Well, certainly the direction from the president and the status of forces agreement that we have with Iraq right now is that we will have all troops out of there by the end of 2011. And that's what we're planning on right now. STEPHANOPOULOS: But can Iraq be safe with all U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2007 (sic)? MULLEN: Well, we're on a good path now. And we'll have to see. I mean, the next 12 to 18 months are really critical there in that regard, and I think that answering that question will be much clearer given that timeframe. The other thing is, we have -- this is a long-term relationship we want with Iraq, and Iraq has stated they want with the United States. And part of that is the possibility that forces could remain there longer. But that's up to the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government to initiate discussions along those lines, and that hasn't happened yet. STEPHANOPOULOS: It's up to the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government. It's up to the president, of course, as well. But from a military perspective, General Odierno says that he would like to see 35,000 troops in 2015. Is that what you all believe is necessary to secure Iraq from a military perspective? MULLEN: There's no definitive number right now beyond the end of 2011. STEPHANOPOULOS: But it's not zero? MULLEN: Well, I mean, when I'm engaged in other countries around the world, I have very small footprints of military personnel in that engagement. You know, and I would hope long-term, that we would have a great military-to-military relationship with Iraq. STEPHANOPOULOS: That could include U.S. troops there? MULLEN: Well, I mean, we've got small numbers of troops throughout the world that conduct training activities, exercises, and those kinds of things. So long-term in Iraq, I would look to be able to do something like that. "It's not zero," George asked. Basic question. Mullen is a 63-year-old man who's spoken English for at least 61 -- if not 62 -- of those years. Yes, CENTCOM, they speak English in Sherman Oaks. Edward DeMarco (Bloomberg News) caught it, "On Iraq, Mullen said he would like to have some U.S. forces available there for training and exercises with the Iraqi military beyond 2011, when all U.S. forces are set to leave. He didn't specify how many U.S. military personnel would be needed." And though I have to hold my nose to note, Manu Raju (Hedda Hopper Lives!) observed Mullen "left open the option of keeping residual forces there after that deadline passes." Holding my nose for that source (not the reporter, the outlet) but we gave credit where it was due. By the way, Whores For Centcom who lied about what was stated included Janet Adamy (Wall St. Journal), AFP and many, many more. Decide on your own whether it's worse to do as the New York Times did and ignore it or to 'report' on it and deliberately lie.Mullen was not the first person before Casey. There have been many others and Gen Ray Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, has repeatedly made similar statements.
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The above from yesterday's snapshot also now includes the links that were left out yesterday. Alex Spillius (Telegraph of London) reports on Casey's remarks and also notes that there are approximately 139,000 US troops in Iraq at present. Casey's remarks get a little more attention than did Mullen's remarks. Maybe the trick there is to speak them to an invited audience and not on the broadcast airwaves? Regardless, Casey is just another to say what so many have arleady stated. This is a lot like Time magazine deciding to piss on their correspondent in Vietnam because they didn't want the war to hurt JFK so an exec, who hadn't been there, wrote a cover story about how wonderful things were going in Vietnam. If the American people had really known the truth then, that illegal war wouldn't have gone on into the late sixties, let alone the seventies. But how many people wanted to know the truth? Even then? Even now we hear revisionist exclaim (while beating their chests) JFK wanted troops out of Vietnam! He would have done it! He was already saying so! Privately! The only US citizens JFK wanted out of Vietnam were American reporters. Less than thirty days before he was assassinated, he ws trying to get then-publisher of the New York Times Arthur Ochs Sulzberger to pull David Halberstam out of Vietnam because Halberstam was offering too much reality for JFK. (Kennedy stated Halberstam was "too involved" with the story.) The same fools who want to believe in St. John (who apparently violated The Mann Act to give Marion Beardsley Holy Communion in France) want to believe in St. Barack and how's that delusion working out for you?


Today the US military announced: "BAGHDAD -- A Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldier died of combat-related injuries after an improvised explosive device detonated near a patrol in western Baghdad May 27. The Soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The names of the service members are announced through the U.S. Department of Defense Official Website at [here]. The announcements are made on the Website no earlier than 24 hours after notification of the service member's primary next of kin." The announcement brings to 4302 the number of US service members killed in the illegal war and the number for the month of May so far to 20.

In other reported violence . . .

Bombings?
Sahar Issa and Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) report a Baghdad roadside bombing which left two people injured, an Abu Ghraib car bombing which left fifteen people wounded (this is the bombing that claimed the life of the US soldier), a Mosul roadside bombing which wounded one person and, dropping back to yesterday, two Mosul roadside bombings which wounded two police officers and claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier. Reuters notes 4 died from the Abu Ghraib bombing.

Shootings?

Sahar Issa and Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) report 1 grocer shot dead in Mosul and 1 person in a car shot dead in Mosul. Reuters notes a Mosul drive-by shooting which killed a man "near his house".

In Iraq, the trade minister's out and the oil minister may be next. Nada Bakri (Washington Post) examines the ouster in terms of Aya al-Samarrai, the Speaker of Parliament, and conflicts between Parliament and Nouri al-Maliki. MP Wael Abdel Latif states, "The government kept parliament weak for the past three years. But now, with Samarraie in power, it's becoming stronger, and it's assuming its rightful place." Last week, puppet of the occupation and despot with training wheels Nouri al-Maliki lashed out against representative democracy indicating that if he can ever kill every Sunni in Iraq, his next goal would be to abolish democratic guidelines in Iraq. When not arranging for the murders of Sunnis or attacking Constitutional government, Nouri likes to attack the press. In his continued efforts on that, he's now filed a lawsuit. Mayada Al Askari (Gulf News) reports he's filed suit seeking damages of one billion in dinars (Iraq's currentcy) over an article at the start of the year which "accused Al Maliki's chief of staff of using his position to get jobs for his relatives." While we ponder whether Nouri would even have standing (it would be the chief of staff who would have standing), he lives to be litigious and intimidating so it's only one of two lawsuits in the news. Martin Chulov (Guardian of Manchester) reports his paper is being sued by Nouri who claims defamation over a "story by award-winning correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, [which] was published in April, when the Iraqi leader was in London on an investment drive. It included interviews with three unnamed members of the Iraqi national intelligence services (INS), who said elements of Maliki's rule resembled a dictatorship." Nouri demanded the INS sue for damages. (Apparently he grasped standing in that instance.)

Maybe the Sahwa should sue him? They could sue for lack of payment and breach of contract. It would catch his attention and nothing else appears to. Paul Wiseman (USA Today) reports on Sahwa and quotes Sheik Ali Hatem stating, "The Americans made the Sahwa militias to fight al-Qaeda, then they abandoned them. The heads of Sahwa are beginning to feel it would have been better to stay with al-Qaeda."

Turning to the US where yesterday was David A. Schaefer Jr.'s funeral. The Belleville, Ilinois native died May 16th in Baghdad due from a bombing. Jennifer Bowen (Bellville News-Democrat) reports on his funeral, "People lined the sidewalks on South Illinois Street and around Belleville's fountain, some holding American flags, others with their hands over their hearts as the hearse was escorted by police vehicles and the Patriot Guard Riders to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Missouri. Flags around the city were flown at half staff, and American flags from Memorial Day flew from utility poles and hung from the front of the courthouse. . . . Schaefer leaves behind a wife, Shelly, and three children, Jason Phillips, 13, Logan Schaefer, 7, and Savanna Schaefer, 6. The family had planned to move to Germany as soon as Schaefer's second tour in Iraq ended in November. He joined the Army in 2006 after serving in the National Guard." The state's governor, Pat Quinn, is quoted declaring, "We lost a heor and a role model. Schaefer was a true hero, someone to look up to, and I hope his children know what a hero their father is." Meanwhile, Theresa Harrington (San Jose Mercury News) reports that Marie Coon took her own life as a result of her step-son's death two years ago. Walnut Creek, California's James J. Coon died in Balad from a bombing on April 4, 2007. Harrington explains, "On Mother's Day -- after struggling for more than two years to cope with the loss of the young man she loved as her son -- Marie committed suicide by locking herself in the cab of a pickup truck at Lake Arrowhead with portable lighted barbecues and a pail of burning coals. She left a note, saying she wanted to be with Jimmy. She was 48."

As noted in yesterday's snapshot, a bombing on Monday claimed the life of 1 US soldier, 1 unnamed Defense Dept employee and Terry Barnich who was a State Dept employee. At Thomas E. Roeser's "Terry Barnich, RIP. Valiant Defender of Peace" (Chicago Daily Observer), Mimi Jordan has shared:

Terry hired me as a paralegal in Governor Thompson\'s office and later discovered I was a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. I never had a better debating partner, and never learned so much from a conservative, perhaps because he was the only truly principled, intellectually consistent conservative I ever met. This is a heart-breaking loss for all of us.

Aamer Madhani (USA Today) reports, "When Terry Barnich took leave from his lucrative job at a Chicago telecommunications consulting firm in 2007 to assist the U.S. State Department's reconstruction efforts in Iraq, he planned on returning home in a year. A year turned into two and then a bit longer as Barnich, 56, saw progress being made, said his friend and former Baghdad colleague Philip O'Connor." Marc Santora (New York Times) adds, "The attack took place within a few miles of the bridge where four American contractors were killed in March 2004, their bodies burned and mutilated, and dragged through the streets. The jarring images of that attack were a major factor in the American military's decision to begin its first major offensive in Falluja, a center of the Sunni insurgency, months later."The US State Dept has done a lousy job noting the passing of one of their own while in a war zone. See Marica's "Terry Barnich died in Iraq" from last night and you can click here for this site this morning. The Defense Dept has identified their employee: "Cmdr. Duane G. Wolfe, 54, of Port Hueneme, Calif". Janene Scully (Santa Maria Times) reports he worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base for 24 years, that the base is planning a memorial and quotes two colonels speaking of Wolfe. Col David Buck states, "Each and every member of our team feels this tragedy, but we will pull together and help our own." Col Rick Wright states, "Duane's death will leave a hole in the Mission Support Group that can never be filled. He was a great team member and even greater friend. His 24 years of service at Vandenberg Air Force Base will be missed dearly." Jill James (KSBY) notes that their evening newscasts and nightly news will feature a report on Wolfe, that he is survived by a wife, a son and two daughters and includes the Vandenberg Air Force Base press release.

On Friday, contractor Jim Kitterman was stabbed to death in the Green Zone. Jennifer Radcliffe (Houston Chronicle) reports he was 60-years-old, that his survivors include "his mother, an uncle, two aunts, a brother, son and three grandchildren" and quotes his older brother Cliff Kitterman stating that the family grabs "comfort in knowing he was doing something he loved. . . . He developed a close relationship with many Iraqis and their families. He thought he could be a part of something big and good by helping rebuild the infrastructure of a nation."

Today Amy Goodman donned her White hood. In the old days of what she calls "the People's Republic of Brooklyn," her ass would have been kicked several times over for the little stunt she pulled with regards to Senator Roland Burris.

What does the wiretap say? I don't know. Nor does Goodman. There is a transcript that's been made availabe to the press. (Click here for the Chicago Tribune.) Roland Burris, according to the transcript, did not buy his Senate seat. Then-Governor Rod Blagojevich's brother Rob called him for a donation. Senator Burris does offer a check towards the governor's re-election campaign. Not a big one. Obviously.

Had there been a check, none was nailed down during the call, it would have been a small one. That's clear to anyone reading the transcript. (Apparently Goody was too busy fingering herself and gasping, "I love bi-racial Barack! I hate Black men!" over and over and didn't have time to read the transcript.) Burris states that business is "terrible" and that "we might lose Burris and Lebed because we've been trying to get contracts. We don't have any clients renweing for 09." He then adds, "We have no clients renewing for 09. Fred is dying on the vine because, I, you know, a lot of our clients have run out." Read the transcripts. Burris isn't playing high roller. He's talking about losing his business.

He had no money to buy the seat with. In the transcript, he offers no big payout. The press has repeatedly gone after him. Goody left out that Burris didn't object to the transcript being released. Why would he? It backs up what is on the record. (Goody pretends no affidavits were ever filed.) What you have is a lynching.

FIND THE CRIME. Read that damn transcript and find the damn crime. There is none. Goody and all the rest need to explain what the crime is or leave the man alone. This has gone on long enough and it's past time that anyone who is opposed to racism started calling it out. Every few months they claim they have something and every few months they're forced to back down because they have NOTHING.

This is the United States of America in the year 2009 and it's damn embarrassing the lengths some will go to in order to railroad the only sitting Black senator. Every few weeks Amy Goodman and these other racists show up insisting "PROOF!" and there's never any proof -- except of their hatred towards Black people. It's getting old and it's getting ugly.

As for Patrick Fitzgerald -- the 'prosecutor' who couldn't draw a link between Scooter Libby and Dick Cheney -- Libby's boss. Maybe it's time to stop chasing headlines and do the actual job? If he's got a case against Burris, he would have charged Burris. All this time later, he still hasn't. (Goody left that out as well.) Burris has NEVER been charged with a crime despite all this gossip and drama. There is still NO proof of a crime.

And here's another reality Fitzgerald better start thinking about: The jury. If Blagojevich was trying to sell the Senate seat, IF, it appears Fitzgerald's desire for headlines and press may have ruined the case because Burris couldn't buy it. Burris didn't have the money. And after Fitgerald harmed his own case by going public too soon, Blagojevich may have chosen to appoint Burris just because it was obvious Burris didn't have the money to buy the seat (which would look good for defendant Blagojevich if he feared standing before a jury).



iraq
iraq veterans against the war
abc newsthis week with george stephanopoulosthe associated pressmichael winterusa todayaamer madhanithomas e. roeser
the washington postnada bakrimayada al askarimartin chulovusa todaypaul wiseman

The Revisionary Kevin Zeese

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Future of the Court" and don't ever forget that our alleged left refused to call for Judge Anne Diggs Taylor to be on the Supreme Court despite the fact that she was the only judge who stood up to Bully Boy Bush.


Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Sunday featured my BFF Kevin Zeese. If you want to laugh and you want to laugh hard, make a point to listen.

Now Cindy ran against Nancy Pelosi (I voted for Cindy) so no one expects Cindy to ever have a nice thing to say about Pelosi or even to have a balanced thing to say about her.

But if you make a point to listen, pay attention to Kevin.

Listen closely and notice who gets nothing, no excuses, no minimizing, no rationalizations.

Is it Barack Obama?

No, of course not. Even now, Kevie Pooh can't call Barry O like a grown up. Even now, Kevie Pooh hedges and hems and acts like Barry O is pressured by mean people and we have to pressure Barry O because we have to be there for him.

What a load of s**t.

And let me be honest here, Cindy, I don't take you at all seriously when you go on and about Nancy. I voted for you. I like you. But I'm not going to listen to your show when you say you "know" something when, in fact, you don't know. It's embarrassing to listen to.

And they don't know what Nancy was told and what she wasn't told.

But what quickly emerges is that women are resposible for everything they do and they may do and that they don't do.

And men?

Women are responsible there as well.

Nancy FORCED John Conyers not to pursue impeachment.

No, John Conyers made that decision.

They want Nancy to take responsibility for her actions and everyone else's. They don't make Conyers or Barack or any man take responsiblity for their actions but they'll blame Nancy for everything.

Conyers could have started impeachement. And we all know it would have been so popular that no one in leadership could have touched him.

Conyers made the decision not to impeach. Conyers.


I'm just not in the mood for this nonsense. I had to put up with all this crap -- Cindy knows because she was part of the crap -- during the primaries. When any lie could be told against Hillary by the people who didn't like her. Cindy knows because she haunted the comments section at Common Dreams and left all these attacks on Hillary and -- pay attention -- flattery for Barack.

She'd already endorsed Cynthia McKinney and had no damn business praising Barry O.

It got so bad that, at Third, we did a feature making the point -- this was during the Democratic Party primaries -- that Barry's plans -- the expanison of the war in Afghanistan was always known -- meant US service members would die in that country and that we found it appalling that instead of calling out Barry O, Cindy Sheehan, the Peace Mom, was proving him cover.

So let me go one further than C.I. does in the snapshot, it was a LAUGH to hear both of them talk about those people fooled by Barack and how people weren't honest and now we've got Barack in the White House and wah-wah-wah.

Cindy wasn't honest and Kevin Zeese damn well wasn't honest.

It was really something to watch Cindy build up Barack -- the candidate of her opponent. It was really something to watch Cindy do Nancy's bidding for her without even grasping that was what she was doing.

And to hear Cindy and Kevin say this week that there was no difference between John McCain and Barack Obama after they'd both done their part for Barack was just appalling. Now Kevin did it more than Cindy. Cindy largely confined her embarrassments to the comments at Common Dreams. Whereas Kevin Zees penned one embarrassing column after another.

But people better start getting honest.

I'm not in the mood.

I'm not in the mood for these chicken s**ts who couldn't call out Barack in real time to show up and act like they did.

We always knew he would expand the war in Afghanistan. We also knew, based on his advisors, that he would attempt to get the bases in African (AFRICOM is currently set up in Europe because Bully Boy Bush couldn't get those bases) and attempt to spread the war there.

If you didn't know that, you weren't doing the work necessary.

Maybe because you were a stupid idiot who thought independent media would do the work necessary.

Maybe because you just didn't give a f**k.

I don't know and I don't care.

What I do care about is that you put a War Hawk in the White House and you're not going to now act like you didn't.

You're not going to pretend like you were speaking out all along.

And Cindy Sheehan? How stupid was that. How stupid was she to pimp for Barack?

Her son died in Iraq and she's pimping for the candidate promising to increase the killing in Afhgnistan.


And Kevin Zeese is never smart. He wrote those love letters to Barack with a moment or two of reality and pretended like that was no-holds barred criticism. He was a chicken s**t waste of time bulls**ter.

If you missed it, Kevio loves Sexist Pig Ed Schultz. Hilarious. What a failure on every damn level Kevin Zeese is. What a world class embarrassment.

"Votes for Peace" is the name of his organization because he's such a dumb f**king idiot. We're not voters, we're citizens, you candy ass liar.

And to call your organization "Voters for Peace" when you refused to use it to advocate for peace?

And remember Kevie's 'winning strategy' in 2006?


A great point someone else told me recently. Cardin does not deserve to be a senator, he has shown no leadership in 40 years. He will be a crappy Lieberman light type Democrat, and didn't you just knock that guy out. Why not let him lost this time have the Dem's run someone who does not suck (Mfume? VanHollen? Raskin?) in 6 years and kick Steele's ass out then, just don't run a pro-war, pro-patriot act, neo-con again and you wont have the Green menace to worry about from your "left" flank. If Steele win's he will be a one term senator because it shows the leadership that when a state is 30%+ Afro-American you need to show them some respect. If Cardin wins that ass will be in for 20 years. Thats all assuming the Democratic or Republican party does not collapse in 6 years. Then again there are like what 20 die hard Cardin supporters in the state.

That's Kevie's son Alex exmplaing that Michael Steele should be in the US Senate. Our friend of peace, Kevy Zeese.


Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, Sahwa threatens a return to open war, Iraq loses a Trade Minister, the 4300 mark was passed over the weekend, the US military announces deaths including a US State Dept employee, Mike Mullens doesn't think the US is leaving Iraq, Ralph Nader allegedly calls Barack Obama a "War Criminal," and more.

On Saturday the 4300 mark was passed. The US military announced: "CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- A Multi-National Corps - Iraq Soldier died in a non-combat related incident in Baghdad Province, May 22. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense. The incident is under investigation." With that death, the number of US service members killed in the illegal war reached 4300. Already the mark -- which really wasn't noted by the press -- has been passed. The US military announced today: "BAGHDAD -- Three people were killed and two were wounded May 25, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a visit of construction sites near Fallujah. The IED struck a vehicle traveling as part of a convoy that included Coalition Forces and U.S. Government civilians and contractors. The two wounded personnel were medically evacuated to a hospital for treatment. The names of the deceased and injured are being withheld pending next of kin notification." Liz Sly (Los Angeles Times) reports one of the dead is a US service member bringing the number killed in the Iraq War to 4301 and bringing the number killed in the month of May thus far to 19. That's the same number killed in April. Unless you're the Mainstream Media which damn well better not try to pull "It's the same number" if 19 sticks and they're doing their end of the month reports. They didn't say 19. One of the 19 who died in April was a service member who left Iraq for medical treatment and continued to receive that treatment (hospitalized the entire time) only to die. The media didn't count him. They didn't give a damn. Sgt Christopher D. Loza died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center April 10th. They acted as if he didn't exist and ran with 18 deaths. So they can't turn around now and claim, should it not go higher than 19, "It's the same number as last month." Not after they all but spat on Christopher D. Loza.

One person killed in yesterday's bombing has already been identified. Erika Slife (Chicago Tribune) reports that 56-year-old Terry Barnich was killed in a roadside bombing yesterday and that he "was serving as deputy director for the Iraq Transition Assistance Office for the State Department". Cara Siever reported on Barnich's work in Iraq in January 2008: "Terry has been in Baghdad since mid-January 2007 and lives in a 150-foot trailer in the Green Zone, a heavily guarded area of closed-off streets in central Baghdad where U.S. authorities live and work. Terry travels frequently through the Red Zone -- less safe areas of the city where the risk of a roadside bomb or kidnapping always is present. However, he says traveling with the State Department security makes him feel very safe. While attacks in the Green Zone have subsided since he arrived, Terry had one close call; he missed being hit by two rockets by 44 paces and about eight seconds." Barnich was in the 1971 graduating class from Washington High School in Chicago. He was legal counsel to Illinois Govenor James R. Thompson during the time when Gary Dotson was in the news (Cathy Webb falsely accused him of rape and Dotson was imprisoned for six years before Webb got honest and also tried to cash in with her book Forgive Me). Thomas F. Roser (Chicago Daily Observer) remembers Barnich here which also includes comments from others who remember him including David Karmol who worked with Barnich in Baghdad. Carol Wilson knew Barnich from when "he was still the chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission" and she explains, "I didn't realize Terry had spent the last two-and-a-half years in Iraq, not as an independent contractor, getting rich during wartime, but as a government employee, trying to help rebuild critical infrastructure that will enable Iraq to be economically stronger and more secure. But it doesn't surprise me now to learn what he was doing and to hear that, despite repeated plans to return to the U.S. for good, Barnich kept going back." The Illinois Commerce Commission issued the following statement today:The Illinois Commerce Commission extends its deepest sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of former ICC Chairman Terry Barnich, who died Monday, May 25 in Iraq, where he was working as a deputy director for the U.S. State Department's Iraq Transition Assistance office. A native of Chicago, he served as chairman of the ICC from 1989 to 1992. Funeral arrangments are pending.

CBS and AP note his "sister, Rochelle Barnich, described her brother as a person with a great sense of humor who had great pride in his country and had been interested in politics since they were children." In 1993, he and Craig Clausen co-founded NPRG. Liz Sly (Los Angeles Times) quotes from US Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill's written statement: "We and all who are working for a brighter future for Iraq condemn this terrible attack in the strongest possible terms. We remain committed as ever to helping Iraqis achieve the peace, stability and prosperity that will make such acts of terror a thing of the past."

US civilians died over the weekend as well with a corpse discovered Friday in the Green Zone which Ernesto Londono and Steve Fainaru (Washington Post) identified as Jim Kitterman who had been "president of Janus Construction" and they note, "Another American working for a contractor was killed Friday in a suspected rocket attack near the U.S. Embassy, U.S. officials said. It appeared to be the first fatal rocket attack in the Green Zone in more than a year." Iraqi civilians died over the weekend also. Sunday's violence contained a juxtaposition Rod Nordland (New York Times) caught, "On the same day that military spokesmen gave a rare briefing in Baghdad to announce a continued rop in overall violence, insurgents killed at least 22 people in eight attacks in Mosul and Falluja on Sunday, using roadside bombs, drive-by shootings, suicide bombers and execution-style killings, police officials said."

Military spokespeople weren't the only ones making statements Sunday. The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also made statements publicy. The New York Times ignored it naturally. Noting it here led to five e-mails from CENTCOM trying to insist what it did and didn't mean. Sorry folks, I believe Mike Mullen is conversant in English. Sunday Adm Mike Mullens appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos (link has video option and the transcript is here).STEPHANOPOULOS: OK. Let me move to Iraq then. U.S. combat forces are scheduled to complete their pullout from Iraqi cities by June 30th. But in recent weeks, we've seen an uptick again in the violence. Does that rise in violence mean that the deadline for pulling American forces out of the cities might not be met? MULLEN: Oh, I think we're still very much on a track in terms of pulling the forces out of the cities, which is the end of next month. We're on track to decrease the number of troops down to 35,000 to 50,000 in August of 2010. We've had an uptick in violence, but the overall violence levels are at the 2003 levels. It's still fragile. There's an awful lot of political positioning and political debate that's going on right now, and I think that in great part becomes the essence of how Iraq moves forward. I'm actually positive about what the Iraqi security forces have done, their army and their police in terms of providing for their own security. They've improved dramatically. So the path, I think, is still the right path. These ticks, upticks in violence are going to occur. We said that going in, even into -- as we talked about coming down in force. So we just have to, we have to constantly keep an eye on that. Al Qaida is still active. They're not gone. They're very much... STEPHANOPOULOS: Al Qaida in Iraq. MULLEN: Al Qaida in Iraq is very much diminished, but they still have potential to create these kinds of incidents. STEPHANOPOULOS: And the president has said that his overall goal is to have all forces out of Iraq by 2011. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: Under the status of forces agreement with the Iraqi government, I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. (END VIDEO CLIP) STEPHANOPOULOS: That is pretty unequivocal. Yet I was reading the proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute. They had an interview with Tom Ricks, the U.S. military historian, where he says he worries that the president is being wildly over- optimistic. He says we may be only halfway through the war. And he talks about a conversation he had with the commanding general in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, who told him he'd like to see 35,000 troops in Iraq in 2015. Is that what you expect, as well? MULLEN: Well, certainly the direction from the president and the status of forces agreement that we have with Iraq right now is that we will have all troops out of there by the end of 2011. And that's what we're planning on right now. STEPHANOPOULOS: But can Iraq be safe with all U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2007 (sic)? MULLEN: Well, we're on a good path now. And we'll have to see. I mean, the next 12 to 18 months are really critical there in that regard, and I think that answering that question will be much clearer given that timeframe. The other thing is, we have -- this is a long-term relationship we want with Iraq, and Iraq has stated they want with the United States. And part of that is the possibility that forces could remain there longer. But that's up to the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government to initiate discussions along those lines, and that hasn't happened yet. STEPHANOPOULOS: It's up to the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government. It's up to the president, of course, as well. But from a military perspective, General Odierno says that he would like to see 35,000 troops in 2015. Is that what you all believe is necessary to secure Iraq from a military perspective? MULLEN: There's no definitive number right now beyond the end of 2011. STEPHANOPOULOS: But it's not zero? MULLEN: Well, I mean, when I'm engaged in other countries around the world, I have very small footprints of military personnel in that engagement. You know, and I would hope long-term, that we would have a great military-to-military relationship with Iraq. STEPHANOPOULOS: That could include U.S. troops there? MULLEN: Well, I mean, we've got small numbers of troops throughout the world that conduct training activities, exercises, and those kinds of things. So long-term in Iraq, I would look to be able to do something like that. "It's not zero," George asked. Basic question. Mullen is a 63-year-old man who's spoken English for at least 61 -- if not 62 -- of those years. Yes, CENTCOM, they speak English in Sherman Oaks. Edward DeMarco (Bloomberg News) caught it, "On Iraq, Mullen said he would like to have some U.S. forces available there for training and exercises with the Iraqi military beyond 2011, when all U.S. forces are set to leave. He didn't specify how many U.S. military personnel would be needed." And though I have to hold my nose to note, Manu Raju (Hedda Hopper Lives!) observed Mullen "left open the option of keeping residual forces there after that deadline passes." Holding my nose for that source (not the reporter, the outlet) but we gave credit where it was due. By the way, Whores For Centcom who lied about what was stated included Janet Adamy (Wall St. Journal), AFP and many, many more. Decide on your own whether it's worse to do as the New York Times did and ignore it or to 'report' on it and deliberately lie.

Members of Sahwa ("Awakenings," "Sons Of Iraq") have long been under attack this year. Indpedent journalist Dahr Jamail (at ZNet) reviews some of his months many, many attacks on Sahwa and observes, "The Maliki government in Baghdad, which has perceived the Sahwa as a threat from the beginning of the group's formation, is systematically eliminating the perceived threat. Maliki has broken his promise to integrate the Sahwa into the government security apparatus, while continuing to forgo payment to Sahwa forces working in security positions around much of Baghdad." Over the weekend, Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) spoke with Sahwa Abu Fatma who stated, "All our arms are from old army caches underground; they will allow us to fight another 20 years. I've told the Americans, 'If you keep alienating the people, all the Iraqis will fight." Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) spoke with a Sahwa commander who preferred to remain nameless and he stated, "If we hear from the Americans they are not capable of supporting us . . . within six hours we are going to establish our groups to fight against the corrupt government. There will be a war in Baghdad." Meanwhile the US military rushes out a press release today explaining that "big gains in SoI pay reconciliation" is taking place. Thanks to al-Maliki's government! Really? Then why did the "U.S. Military forces oversaw another series of paydays in Multaka"? So in one village -- not even a major town or city -- where al-Maliki had not been paying 228 members of Sahwa, with US help, the number was just dropped to only 18 not being paid. For the record, the world was informed last fall that al-Maliki had taken over payments of ALL Sahwa. That was not true. Then we were told it had happened early this year. Then that it would take place April 1st.

Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Sahar Issa and Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) report a Baghdad mortar attack which injured eight people and a Baghdad car bombing which left three people injured and a Kirkuk roadside bombing which injured a driver and two "members of a military inspection committee from the Iraqi Ministry of Defence". Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing which left two police officers injured and an Iskandariya car bombing which left "two bankers" injured. Liz Sly (Los Angeles Times) reports, "Also on Tuesday, a suicide bomber targeted a U.S. convoy in the still-troubled northern city of Mosul, the second suicide attack against Americans operating there in as many days. The bomber missed the Americans but killed one Iraqi and wounded 45 others, the military said."

Shootings?

Sahar Issa and Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) report a Kirkuk home invasion which claimed the lives of Ali Ahmed Hussein and his sons Salah and Hussein. Reuters notes 1 taxi driver shot dead in Kirkuk.

Abed Falah al-Sudani is no longer Iraq's Trade Minister. Over the weekend, Jack Dolan and Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reported al-Sudani was expected to be out of office shortly and they noted, "All of Baghdad seemed to watch last weekend when Sudany appeared on state TV to answer questions about his two brothers allegedly skimming millions from a national food program as ordinary Iraqis went without staples such as rice, wheat and cooking oil. Sudany also struggled to answer charges that when government investigators arrived at the Trade Ministry, his guards had fired into the air, allowing his brothers to escape out a back door, and about why an inspector general was transferred to Beijing after he asked about shipments of spoiled food." Timothy Williams and Abeer Mohammed (New York Times) report Sudani has quit and note the rations shortages throughout "Sudani's tenure . . . arousing widespread anger." Nouri al-Maliki appointed al-Sudani, who is also a member of Nouri's political party. Yesterday Dolan and Hammoudi quoted Nouri mouthpiece Yaseen Majeed declaring, "It's over. They [Parliament] don't have to have a no confidence vote anymore." That's no doubt what Nouri wants. That's not necessarily where it stands.
Alsumaria reports, "As Parliamentarian and presidential elections are looming in Iraq Kurdistan, the IHEC announced that submitting candidacies for presidential elections has ended on Monday while current President Massoud Barazani and five other candidates are on the list." The elections are scheduled for July 25th. The KRG did not participate in the January 31st elections. Nor did Kirkuk. Massoud Barzani is the current president of the KRG and his political party is the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP). Jalal Talabani is the current president of Iraq and his political party is the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The elections will follow Kurdistan history and be a face off between the two parties.


Appearing Sunday on Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox, Kevin Zeese declared, "It's funny you say that, I was just -- before you called -- talking to Ralph Nader and Ralph says Obama's a War Criminal." Here's where the remarks pops up.


Cindy Sheehan: I've just crossed that third rail and said that Obama doing this and killing innocent Afghanis and Pakistanis and covering up torture and covering up the war crimes of the Bush administration, that makes him a War Criminal too.

Kevin Zeese: It's funny you say that, I was just -- before you called -- talking to Ralph Nader and Ralph says Obama's a War Criminal. For exactly the same reasons you just laid out: he's killing civilians, wedding party bombings, drones killing 70 civilians for every one fighter . And so I think more and more people are seeing that Obama is part of this.

That's what Kevin Zeese said. Did Ralph Nader say it? We don't know. Did Ralph Nader say it and expect it to be private? We don't know. It's Kevin Zeese. Factor that in. For your laughing pleasure, here's Kev-o blathering on:

It shows the left needs to get better organized and become more agressive and withhold their votes from people who promise more war. We can't just vote for someone who promises to, as he did during the campaign, expand Afghanistan, attack Pakistan, very slowly and incompletely withdraw from Iraq and hope that someone who says that's gonna actually support our cause when he says he doesn't. We have to use our vote to stop that.

The public e-mail address for this site (The Common Ills) can be used to contact Kat. That's fine. (It can also be used to contact Ruth and Isaiah who also write here.) The mirrorsite (here) has a contact forum. There's no reason to use that contact forum to e-mail Kat unless you're e-mailing her about her music articles. That's the only thing she writes that goes up at the mirror site. If you're writing about what's she's written at her own site, don't use the contact form on the mirror site because her writing from her own site DOES NOT APPEAR THERE and you are CLOGGING UP THE E-MAILS. I bring that up for a reason. Kevin Zeese used the mirror site to contact Kat and, goodness, did Kat and I laugh at his cowardly punk ass. Now Kevin wants people to use their votes? Now? He damn well didn't in 2008. Half the time you couldn't understand what he was saying in 2008 because he had his tongue so far up Barack's ass. Kevin Zeese is a damn liar and Kat didn't come out and call him that. But then little punk ass wouldn't stop e-mailing and she did. Kevin Zeese pimped and whored for Barack. And he shows up on the Soapbox to tell the world that people should withhold their votes? Where the hell was he when it mattered? Listen to him whine about mountain top removal ("it just pierces me through my body") and grasp that Barack was always promising that. And that Kevin was happy to cheerlead Barack. In July of 2008, Barack wasn't just a candidate, according to Kevy, Barack was the next president. We don't need Kevin Zeese now. He certainly couldn't be counted on back when it actually mattered.

He and his little punk ass that wants to whine today? He made sure Barack was installed. He offered weak-ass criticisms and wanted to whine that all he could do was that weak-ass criticism because otherwise people wouldn't listen. Oh, poor little baby. People might not listen. How sad. He needs to take accountability for what he did and stop trying to act big, bad and brave today. We're not in the mood for it. Kat's laughing as I'm dictating this, she may or may not write about the topic tonight. But there's no way in hell that either of us is going to hear that crap without laughing. This is the same Kevin Zeese who wanted to whine that his 90% praise of Barry O and 5% maybe and 5% criticism was all that could be managed. Go Dick Cheney yourself, Kevin Zeese. Ralph may have said it. He may not have. I hope he did say it but, if he did, he wasn't saying it for public consumption. If he meant for it to be passed around, he would have said it himself publicly or written about it.

Cindy Sheehan's speaking tour takes her to Corvallis, Oregon tomorrow (Unitarian Universality Fellowship of Corvallis at seven p.m.).

Phoenix: June 5th
Dallas: June 7th and 8th
Waco: June 9th
Austin: June 10th and 11th
Nashville: June 14-16
St. Petersburg, FL: June 17-18
Philadelphia: June 20-23
NYC: June 24-26
Cape Cod: June 27-29
New Hampshire: June 30 - July 1
San Francisco: July 3 - 5 (Socialist Conference)
Cleveland: July 8-9 (National Assembly to end the Iraq War)
Pittsburgh: July 11-12
Norfolk, VA: July 15-18
Vashon Island, Washington: July 25-26


Kevin Zeese, Willem Buiter's "Obushma-Biney in the Home of the Frightened" (Financial Times of London) demonstrates how a grown up calls out Barry O:The spinelessness and moral cowardice of the Obama administration know no bounds. The Bush-Cheney team ordered the torture and abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and assorted other locations abroad -- offshore detention without trial as well as torture by US officials or persons acting under their instructions being permitted by Article VIII of the United States Constitution, as confirmed in the XXVIIIth Amendment to the US Constitution. Candidate Obama declares he abhors torture and deplores what went on in Gitmo and in secret detention centres around the world, but President Obama decides that the Camp may have to remain open for another year, as he doesn't seem to know what to do with the prisoners. The right thing to do would have been to send a plane to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base on the day of his inauguration, to move all the prisoners to the US. President Obama then also decides not to prosecute those who committed the crimes of torture or abuse of prisoners or were responsible for these crimes. The president's excuse was was that he sought to turn the page on "a dark and painful chapter". It was a "time for reflection, not for retribution", he said.


iraqerika slifecara sievers
the washington posternesto londonosteve fainaru
the new york timesrod nordland
timothy williamsabeer mohammedmcclatchy newspapersleila fadel
laith hammoudi
jack dolan
abc newsthis week with george stephanopoulos
dahr jamail
liz sly
the los angeles timesned parker
cindy sheehan
cbs news
now on pbs
pbs
alsumariafinancial times of londonwillem buiter

Barack's detention policies

Civil liberties and human rights groups who criticized the Bush administration's detention policies are definitive in their opposition to Mr. Obama's plans.
"It's really crossing a constitutional Rubicon," said Jonathan Hafetz, American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represented Ali al Marri. Mr. al Marri recently pleaded guilty to being an al Qaeda sleeper agent after years being held without charge as an "enemy combatant."
Mr. Hafetz says that President Obama is "taking steps that are inconsistent with our legal traditions and values. At the same, he's closing Guantanamo but he's creating a new Guantanamo in another form."
In recent weeks, the Obama administration has won court backing for important elements of the policy. District court rulings have agreed with the administration that the congressional authorization for military force following the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, as well as the laws of war, give the government the right to detain indefinitely members of al Qaeda and affiliated groups at war with the U.S. Those cases will likely continue to be in litigation for months to come.

That's from Evan Perez' "Obama's Detention Plans Face Scrutiny" (Wall St. Journal) and we are in for some scary times if the Cult of St. Barack can't stop covering for their loverboy and excusing his actions.

America doesn't have a dictator. Americans don't bow to a leader. This Cult of St. Barack is more dangerous than any of those Republican freaks who got orgasms every time Bully Boy Bush spoke. We had a real left while Bush was in the White House. And we were willing to stand up to abuses. Of course, for a lot of them, it was just about ripping Bush apart.

It wasn't about ending the Iraq War or about freeing the prisoners at Guantanamo or anything else. Their objections were made just to advance Democratic prospects in each election cycle.

And that's why we're so screwed right now.

But people who have called it like it is will continue to do so. And, bit by bit, we will make a difference. We may never wake up the entire Cult of St. Barack (Bully Boy Bush could usually count on approximately 30% of the population even after most had caught on) but enough will awake and admit the truth. And that's how we bring democracy back to the country.

No doubt only to jump on another Cult of Personality next election go-round. We're not especially smart in the United States, are we?

Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, May 22, 2009. Chaos and violence continue, the 4300 mark hovers, Green gets life in prison and Iraqis aren't happy, and we look back at the Abeer coverage since the War Crimes were first exposed.


Yesterday the KPFA Evening News didn't air (or not at its usual hour if it did). KPFK did carry the KPFA Evening News. This being Pacifica, we should probably point out that it's fundraising before someone thinks there was another lock-out. On the KPFA Evening News aired on KPFK, KPFA's Andrea Lewis covered the War Crimes.

Andrea Lewis: An ex-soldier convicted of raping and killing an Iraqi teen and murdering her family was spared the death penalty today and will serve a life sentence after jurors could not agree unanimously on a punishment.

Evan Bright reports:

The jury deliberated for a total of ten hours and twenty minutes. While waiting for the jury, Jim Lesousky(P) was seen, hands clasped, as if in prayer. Scott Wendelsdorf(D) was pacing around the defense table, anxious and apprehensive. His hands were shaking as he took his seat. Green, appearing in the same maroon sweater vest as before, appeared surprisingly calm, his breathing steady; the exact same calm-cool-collected look could also be seen on Green's father John and uncle David, present in court. Pat Bouldin(D) twiddled his thumbs with his head down, knowing that this was the moment they'd spent the past two and a half years preparing for. The jury entered, looking quite stern. Two juror's lips were near quivering. The members of the defense team looked down, while the prosecution eyed the flock of jurors for the last time. After reviewing the verdict forms, Judge Russell announced that the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, giving Green life in prison without possibility of parole.


Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) broke it down thusly, "Green was given the life term after jurors couldn't come to unanimous agreement on sentencing him to death."
AFP explains, "Their failure to agree effectively handed Steven Dale Green life in prison without the possibility of parole for the rape and killing of Abeer al-Janabi, 14, and the murder of her mother, father and six-year-old sister." As James Dao (New York Times) notes, "At least four other soldiers have pleaded guilty or were convicted in military courts for their roles in the rape and murders. While most received long prison terms, none are facing the death penalty, and all will be eligble for parole in 10 years or less." UPI explains, "The trial was the first in which a civilian jury was asked whether to execute a former service member for a wartime crime." Alsumaria notes, "Green acknowledged the 17 charges addressed to him including rape, murder and judicial obstruction." Andrew Wolfson (Courier-Journal -- link has a video option as well) observes, "Green broke into a slight smile when the verdict was announced."

While Green was grinning, Iraqis were less than pleased. Marc Santora and Suadad al-Salhy (New York Times, for tomorrow's paper so it will not be considered in the next section of the snapshot) quote Sheik Fahil al-Janabi stating, "There is no comparison between the crimes and the sentence. That soldier entered an Iraqi house, raped their underage daughter and burned her with her family, so this sentence is not enough and it is insulting for Iraqi's honor." The reporters tell you that the case was news ("extensive coverage") on Iraqi TV -- well at least some media system cared -- and that Green has been dubbed "the killer of innocence." Sami al-Jumaili and Habaib al-Zubaidy (Reuters) quote Abeer's uncle Raad Yusuf stating, "It's a real shock. That court decision is a crime -- almost worse than the soldier's crime." Earlier, Habib al-Zubaidy (Reuters) noted a mechanic from Abeer's home time, Ahmed Samir stating, "What the American soldier did is a terrorist act and he deserves execution. The court has not delivered justice. If I killed an American girl, the American court would have executed me." CNN quotes Sahwa leader Mustafa Kamel Shabib al-Jaoburi stating, "He raped a girl and killed an entire family, and he got only life in prison. . . . This is an unjust trial. We demand a new trial."

And Green may get a new trial. It's always sad when anyone -- guilty or innocent -- who is poor is betrayed by a public defender. Maybe the defender falls asleep in court, maybe the defender just doesn't give a damn about the client? There are many wonderful public defenders in the US and they work very, very hard. They are heroes and heroines because they ensure that everyone gets a voice, that everyone has representation. But not every public defender is up to the job. Steven D. Green entered a plea of "not guilty." As reporters have repeatedly noted, his attorneys decided (they say) not to fight the guilt but to work on being sure Green didn't get the death penalty. If that is correct, Green's got solid grounds for an appeal because his attorneys disregarded his wishes. A public defender does not determine what the client will plead. Nor is a public defender allowed to say, "I'll just sit out the trial but, after they convict my client, I'll earn the tax payers dollars by fighting to prevent him/her from receiving the death penalty." Green does not appear to have been served by his attorneys who appear to have either thought they couldn't win or just didn't want to work for a win. This appears likely not only by their comments to the press but also by their behavior in the courtroom. April 28th the prosecution began calling their witnesses and they rested May 4th. That afternoon the defense began calling their witnesses and they rested . . . the following day. 1 day and a half of witnesses. May 7th the jury returned their verdict (guilty on all counts). Green was now guilty. It was time for sentencing. The defense called their first witness on May 11th. May 18th, the defense called their last witness. Throughout the case, the defense verbally argued the entire system failed Green. With their actions, the defense failed him. (Click here for more on that.) Comments made by Green's father and brother indicate it's likely Green may indeed appeal. He's due to be sentenced September 4th. This may or may not be over.


But let's look back to what should be the most known War Crimes of the Iraq War. The fact that they aren't go to a media failure. There are some who have earned praise. Many more have not. From July 2, 2006 snapshot: "Lupien also noted the arrest of Steven D. Green. Green, is 21 and was with the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army. Friday, in Asheville, North Carolina, he was arrested and charged with both the four deaths as well as the rape. According to the US government press release, if convicted on the charge of murder, 'the maximum statutory penalty . . . is death' while, if convicted on the charge of rape, 'the maxmium statutory penalty for the rape is life in prison'." Green's trial finally began April 27th. The first day, Andrew Wolfson (Courier-Journal) reported, "In an opening statement in a trial that is expected to last three to five weeks, Justice Department lawyer Brian Skaret said the government will present at least five witnesses who say Green bragged about the crimes, including one who says Green told his fellow soldiers that it was 'awesome'." Wolfson bid closest without going over: Four weeks. The trial lasted four weeks. In all that time, there was only one known editorial. The Washington Observer-Reporter made the trial the topic of an editorial and they concluded, "But there are no hardships, military or otherwise, that could excuse an atrocity like this and you can't blame it on a 'lack of leadership'." The New York Times? During the four weeks, they filed three reports on the story. Three. Campbell Robertson and Atheer Kakan filed "Ex-G.I. Guilty of Rape and Killings in Iraq" from Iraq and this is the first report the paper ever carried which mentioned Abeer by name. It was not their first story on the topic, or the second or third or . . . But it was the first time that Abeer's name was ever mentioned. The paper had repeatedly rendered her invisible for nearly three years. James Dao filed "Civilian Jury Considers Death Penalty for Ex-G.I." which moved Abeer's name back to paragraph 14 (paragraph thirteen was where Robertson and Kakan were able to get it in) and was a pretty sorry report with no saving graces. Today Dao filed "Ex-Soldier Gets Life Sentence for Iraq Murders" which is such a huge improvement, it's hard to believe that both articles were written by the same reporter. Praise for Dao.

That was the New York Times. The Los Angeles Times loves, loves to cover 'military justice.' They're always dispatching Tony Perry to . . . Well, as a friend at the San Diego Union-Tribune likes to put it, "Where ever Rick goes, they [LAT] send him." And if anyone ever doubted that Tony was anything other than a camp follower they had their proof over the last four weeks. Rick Rogers wasn't dispatched to Kentucky so . . . Tony didn't go. Some people call it "competition," some people call it "stalking." The Washington Post? Though Ellen Knickmeyer wrote the definitive newspaper account of the crimes in 2006, "Details Emerge in Alleged Army Rape, Killings" (July 3, 2006), the paper made do with Reuters and AP when 'covering' the Green trial. Wall St. Journal? Didn't Old Man Rupaul Murdoch promise no lay offs and that resources would be pooled so there would be even more coverage? Apparently the only thing that pooled was the blood from his lifeless head because the Wall St. Journal which should have been covering it wasn't covering it. Now everyone knows -- check any Marriott -- that the Wall St. Journal isn't really the paper with the largest circulation in the US (the bulk of the Wall St. Journals at Marriotts are never picked up -- many front desks 'store' them in the closet nearest to the front desk) but it claims to be and, as such, it certainly should have been able to manage one reporter covering the case. September 13, 2006, USA Today ran Gregg Zoroya's "Soldier describes anguish in revealing murder allegations" on the front page which not only offered a look at Justin Watt who heroically came foward, it also named the victims (Abeer, sister Hadeel, parents Fikhriya Taha and Qassim Hamza) and featured photos of her two brothers Ahmed (then nine) and Mohammed (then eleven). Justin Watt did a courageous thing in coming forward and Zoroya explained that he took the issue to a mental health counselor "because he wanted to bypass what he thought would be a skeptical command structure and get an audience with Army investigators". You might have thought they'd want to live up to their high water mark because, let's be honest, USA Today is not the paper most people read -- it's a glance-at. It's the paper which causes serious readers to groan at the airports when they realize it's the only one left. And yet despite having one of those few moments in their history that they could be proud of, they elected not to build it and appeared to think they'd show the world they were a real news outlet -- honest they were -- by blogging about what the AP wrote. Yesterday they teamed their Andrea Stone up with the Courier-Journal's Andrew Wolfson for "Ex-soldier gets life for Iraqi murders." It was a move they should have considered weeks ago but they still come out ahead of many, many other outlets.
And what about radio? A lot of McBurgers were sold to make NPR what it is so where's the beef? Never on air. Diane Rehm famously BANNED the topic from her show when the jury released their verdict of guilty (on all counts). After they were exposed (here) the show sent out a laughable e-mail to those who had e-mailed on the topic and those who had called Rehm out for banning the topic. We've got seven forwarded copies of that and I've confirmed it with a friend with the show so on a slow day this summer we may include it in the snapshot. (Click here for some of the e-mails sent into the show on the day Diane was banning the topic.) All those hours to fill every day and not a word about Abeer on the NPR programs. This afternoon Frank James blogs and includes some comments by NPR's JJ Sutherland. But actually getting it on air was too damn much work for NPR. Pacifica Radio? They didn't send anyone. They're begging for money right now and they're doing awful. KPFA, for example, is supposed to be ending their fund drive and they are $100,000 short of their target goal. KPFA has the best fundraising (because it has the richest base) of any Pacifica radio station. WBAI is teetering due to already being in debt. No one thought to send anyone to Kentucky and despite the fact that all the Pacifica stations have listeners in Kentucky, no one thought to ask one of them to file some sort of report or, for that matter, to interview Evan Bright. We'll come back to Evan. Lila Garrett talks a good game about caring about Iraqis, she talks a good game. But when it came to an Iraqi teenager who was gang-raped and murdered by US soldiers? Where were you, Lila? We know where Margret Prescond was -- on the corner whoring for Barack. Remember that when Maggie The Cat wants to tell you yet again how wonderful she is and how she interview Hugo Chavez and how she . . . Didn't do s**t.

I'm not overly fond of Amy Goodman. I'd love to right now be able to point to someone else but Amy's the only one who consistently was aware of Abeer. It was never more than headlines but when Goodman's getting ready to go to bed, she can tell herself, "I did cover it." And she did. Credit where it's due. Not as much but also deserving credit, Andrea Lewis on KPFA. Andrea covered it twice. Andrea does know what actual news is. Which puts her far ahead of her morning replacement, to be honest. When Andrea co-hosted The Morning Show and when Sandra Lupien did the news breaks? They broke the story. No other radio station in the country had run with the arrest of Steven D. Green. Sandra worked her ass off and she didn't -- as Aileen does -- just grab AP and read it out loud (which some call plagiarism when you don't say "AP reports . . ."). She found the government's announcement of the arrest and found it about ten minutes after it was released and worked furiously to include it in the news break she was about to do. KPFA was the first broadcast outlet to note Steven D. Green's death.

They're short now. And why is that? Why should we give money to KPFA? They didn't send anyone to cover Abeer's case. We had Aimee Allison making a fool herself every damn morning, being the equivalent of Phyllis George, and we're supposed to pay for that? We're supposed to pay to listen to them read Associated Press stories to us that they pass off as news? We're supposed to pay for all that Barack Whoring? It's not news. It's not free speech. It is propaganda and, no surprise, they're learning people aren't going to pay for it. (See Panhandle Media for how KPFA in particular ABUSED the airwaves and the audience to WHORE for Barack.) Andrea Lewis is a functioning adult. She may be one of the few left at KPFA. But despite all the calls and e-mails and all the blog comments they've had (you can leave comments at their archives) asking why they weren't covering the Green trial, the only KPFA employee who seemed to think "Maybe in a fundraising cycle it's really not good to piss off our audience?" was Andrea. When the layoffs come, they need to start way at the top. When the layoffs come they need to start with the execs who allowed this to go on and who have turned The Morning Show into two hours that no one can listen to because it's a daily sermonette (preached strongest by Brother Mitch Jeserich in that hideous "Washington Letter") on the Glory and Goodness of St. Barack. Instead of sending Mitch to DC to reach his hands down St. Barack's pants, maybe the money could have been spent reporting on the War Crimes trial coz, pay attention, in ten years when Pacifica really needs to beg for money, their happy time chatter about Barack won't be worth s**t but if they could say "We covered the War Crimes trial" they might have have impressed someone. That's especially true of Free Speech Radio News which appears to be utilizing all of their energies currently to demonstrate that they are not "free speech" nor are they news. Message received. May you share warm reminisces . . . on the unemployment line.


Turning to televison. I have friends with The NewsHour and I know they are re-tooling the show. That's no excuse for their silence on this story. That's no excuse for not covering it. For those wondering, PBS does have a member station in Paducah, Kentucky (where the trial was held), WKPD. There's no reason they couldn't have partnered with that station to cover it. There's no reason -- other than it wouldn't let her be the airhead she loves to be -- that Washington Week couldn't have covered the trial in their gas bag way. (For those not aware of it, even under Gwen, Washington Week has brought reporters on to do a report and not gas bag, they're usually reporting by remote from outside the studio.) PBS is broadcast television. The network news? Damn disgusting. And it's really sad that when we finally do have a woman anchor that the gang-rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager by US soldiers isn't seen as news. It's really sad.

MSNBC? They don't do news, kids. They think they do comedy and that actually is funny. CNN? CNN covered this story starting in 2006. They have always covered the story. While MSNBC and Fox 'News' served up pompous wind bags, CNN offered news. They deserve a lot of credit for the reports they did -- including the reports done by Dave Alsup and Deborah Feyerick on the Green trial. Yet again, CNN proved they are in the news business. They may be the only ones, but they are in it.

The weeklies? Newsweek couldn't be bothered. When can they be? TIME magazine offered a report by Jim Frederick who has long covered the story and who is writing a book on Green's unit. US News & World Reports? Stop, you're making us laugh. The Nation? Oh that is funny. You think any of those useless writers at The Nation gives a damn about Abeer. Ugly Girl Katha Pollitt who poses as a feminist? What has that useless woman ever done? Not real damn much. She's trashed the NAACP, true. That made her feel good, I guess. What a proud moment for White Katha, lecturing the NAACP on what she thinks they should focus on. How they were wasting their time complaining about the unfair portrayals on TV and the lack of them. But what does Katha do but kvetch and moan every two weeks about something in the media. Real problems? Katha doesn't have time for them. And she never had time for Abeer. It was almost one year after the War Crimes were known that, under tremendous pressure, Katha was forced to mention Abeer. Which she did . . . for a half-sentence. The self-styled den mother of the push-up bra set of 'feminists,' the 21st century's Charlotte Rae, Katha Pollitt, take your bow. Ruth Conniff? She makes Katha look like a deep thinker. The Progressive's a monthly but, no, it didn't cover Abeer. There was time for Matthew Rothschild to come out of the closet this week but no time for Abeer. Never time for Abeer. Well, hey, Matthew Rothschild, what he's really like, him telling us that, does qualify as news, right? News you can use? No, it's more naval gazing from the man who is far too intimate with his own pot belly and who, honestly, should have grasped long enough that, as a news topic, he's just not interesting.

Reuters, UPI, AFP and AP filed stories. AP was fortunate to have Brett Barrouquere who has covered the story for nearly three years and may know it better -- all the ins and outs -- than any other reporter who has followed the story. AP's not really fond of bylines. They're not really fond of reporters names. They prefer their 'product' be known and not individuals -- their 'product' is not the news reports, they mean "Associated Press." Well tough, because Brett Barrouquere deserves praise for the work he's long done on this story and, his own natural talents aside, he's also the strongest argument for keeping reporters on stories. Other outlets should learn something from that. In a reporter's universe, 'heaven' may be tenacity paying off. If so, Brett's earned his joy.

And then there's Evan Bright. The 18-year-old high school senior, one who's not even necessarily planning to be a reporter, one who wasn't even aware the case over six months ago. But he reported -- REPORTED -- on the case. He was in the court room every day. During the last four weeks we've been treated to a load of sanctimonous claims about the power of the newspapers and how important they are and how much they matter to democracy and how we need to give them a bail out and blah, blah, blah. No national newspaper put a reporter in a court room every day. Evan Bright put himself in that court room. When the US media system failed (excepting only Brett's work for AP), Evan Bright was there. Instead of bailing out newspapers, maybe Congress can fund Evan's college career? Evan's offered closing thoughts on the trial here.

Here is the US Justice Dept press release on yesterday's events:

WASHINGTON -- A federal jury that convicted Steven D. Green, a former Ft. Campbell, Ky., soldier of charges arising out of the rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murder of the girl and her family today said it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether the defendant should be sentenced to death. Because the jury did not unanimously reach a decision on the death penalty, U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell will sentence Green to life without parole, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Candace G. Hill of the Western District of Kentucky announced.
Judge Russell is scheduled to formally sentence Green on September 4, 2009.
Green, 24, was convicted by the federal jury on May 7, 2009, in Louisville, Ky., on all charged counts, including premeditated murder, aggravated sexual abuse, felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual abuse, use of firearms during the commission of violent crimes and obstruction of justice. Green was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 2, 2006.
Green was charged with the crimes following an incident that occurred on March 12, 2006, in and around Mahmoudiyah, Iraq. According to evidence presented at trial, while manning a military checkpoint, Green and other fellow soldiers discussed raping and killing Iraqis. Trial evidence showed that Green and others then took off their uniforms, put on black clothing, left their post and forced their way into the nearby home of the Al-Janabi family. Evidence presented at trial proved that Green then took the mother, father and six-year-old into a bedroom where he shot and killed them. In the living room, Green and the other soldiers raped the 14-year-old and then Green repeatedly shot her in the face and set her body on fire. Green then tried to blow up the house, according to trial evidence, after which the soldiers returned to their checkpoint. After committing the rape and murders, trial testimony revealed that Green bragged to others that the experience was "awesome."
Green was discharged from the U.S. Army in May 2006 and was prosecuted in U.S. District Court under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), a statute that gives U.S. courts jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed outside the United States by, among others, persons who served with the armed forces but who are no longer subject to military prosecution. Green's co-conspirators were prosecuted by military authorities under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Green, formerly stationed at Ft. Campbell and deployed to Iraq while serving with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, was arrested by the FBI on June 30, 2006, on federal charges of murder and rape based on MEJA.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Ford and Jim Lesousky of the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Brian Skaret of the Criminal Division's Domestic Security Section.

Yesterday's violence in Iraq resulted in 27 reported deaths and thirty-two reported wounded. The 27 includes the 3 US soldiers killed. This morning Reuters adds the following on Thursday's violence: a Mosul roadside bombing which claimed the life of 1 police officer and injured six more, another Mosul roadside bombing injured a woman, 2 corpses discovered in Mosul ("man with bullet wounds" and "woman with bullet wounds"). So there are 30 reported deaths from Thursday's violence (at least thirty) and thirty-nine reported wounded plus nine US soldiers wounded for a total of forty-eight wounded. And the violence follows Wednesday's Baghdad bombing which resulted in at least 40 dead. On yesterday's Baghdad bombing, Nada Bakri (Washington Post) notes eye witness Raed Nizar stating, "Blood was all over the ground. The wounded were pleading with motorists who happened to drive by to take them to the hospital." Timothy Williams and Abeer Mohammed (New York Times) describe the Baghdad bomber as "a beared man dressed in a woman's black floor-length cloak".

In some of today's reported violence . . .

Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad mortar attack on the Green Zone (missed), a Baghdad mortar attack which wounded two people, a Mosul roadside bombing which claimed the life of 1 police officer and left six people injured and a second Mosul roadside bombing which injured one person.

As the US heads into Memorial Day weekend, the number of US service members killed in the Iraq War stands at 4299 -- one away from the 4300 mark.

TV notes. NOW on PBS begins airing on many PBS stations tonight (check local listings):This week NOW on PBS partners with best-selling author and journalist Robert Lacey to investigate the surprising success of Saudi Arabia's approach to dealing with terrorists and extremists - without torture or water-boarding. Given extraordinary access to the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry and its practices, Lacey visits terrorist rehabilitation camps that use "soft policing" tactics to be nice to the bad guys.In the program we see the Saudis providing a private jumbo jet to bring inmates home from Guantanamo Bay, giving them a hero's welcome, then sending them to a converted holiday resort for re-education. Then, the men are set free.Is this rehab program working, and can we trust the Saudis to protect themselves - and us - against Islamic extremism in the future? Watch this NOW on PBS report for a perspective on terrorism you've never seen before.Washington Week also begins airing tonight and Catty Girl Gwen invites three boys over for her sleep over and tosses Karen Tumulty (TIME) in for giggles (NYT's David Sanger, Wall St. Journal's Naftali Bendavid and National Journal's John Maggs compete to be Gwen's Dream Date). Golly, you know if PBS had been okay with this sort of 'representation' of the American public, Gwen would never have been a host of any PBS show. Don't worry though, she's off singing "I got mine." Four guests, one is a woman. No that's not reflective of the population. Yes, it does speak to Gwen's own sexism and her own vanity. As a fix you can watch (and starts airing tonight on many PBS stations, check local listings) as Bonnie Erbe sits down withCari Dominguez, Karen Czarnecki, Patricia Sosa and Avis Jones-DeWeever to discuss this week's news on To The Contrary. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes offers:Buy AmericanThe economic stimulus package includes a "buy American" clause that the steel and other U.S. industries lobbied hard for. However, American businesses that export overseas now fear foreign governments will retaliate and keep U.S. products out of their market, hurting their business. Lesley Stahl reports. Watch Video
Sergeant BillWaving a badge he bought on the Internet and claiming to belong to the "Multi-jurisdictional Narcotics Task Force," Bill Jakob fooled a small town's officials into granting him the authority of a law enforcement officer. Katie Couric reports. Watch Video
Wine RxScientists have found a substance called resveratrol in red wine that slows down the aging process in mice. Will it someday lengthen the lives of humans, too? Morley Safer reports. Watch Video
60 Minutes, Sunday, May 24, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

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