Month: June 2005

“Alia Amer defends her calling as a service to the Iraqi people – and asks herself every day if the sacrifices they are being asked to make are worth it” in a compelling article for Open Democracy. Is she correct in her criticism of media coverage?

And: “Iraqi Blogger Criticizes Western Media For Excluding Iraqi Voice”: “In the States I met staff for the Senators, different staff. And I talk with them about Iraq and what is happening in Iraq these two years, and I discovered that they knew nothing about Iraq.”

   – From an interview with Faiza Jarrar on Democracy Now!‘s June 29 show. Jarrar’s blog is afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com. Her son Raed’s blog is RaedInTheMiddle. More below:

Interview with Faiza Jarrar on June 29, 2005, Democracy Now!.

Baghdad was the pride and joy of nearly every neo-con, conservative, right-winger and Joe 6-pack in America after the decisive victory over Saddam Hussein back in ’03.  

so how is it going now, Mr. Mayor of Baghdad?
It is “Crumbling“

•   Baghdad produces about 544 million gallons of water per day, nearly 370 million gallons short of its required amount. About 55 percent of the water reportedly is lost through leakage in the pipes.
•   Before the invasion, Baghdad residents had about 20 hours of electricity a day. Today, they get about 10, usually broken into two-hour chunks.
•   Iraq is not able to refine enough oil, so gasoline must be imported.
•   the municipality had requested $1.5 billion for the 2005 fiscal year but only received $85 million.

Not to mention very high unemployment, an foreign occupation, militant, 8k dead in 6 months heat and sand.

The

Mayor has threatened to quit.

Over the Froggy Bottom Cafe. . .

All the Night Froggies Come Out to Play!

Robert Parry broke the Iran-Contra Affair in early 1986. Only the rest of the Washington Press was using Ollie North as a major anonymous source, and they just couldn’t give him up. They asked him if Parry’s story was true, and North said, “no,” and that was good enough for them. (Sound familiar?)

So Parry remained alone until a Middle East paper picked up the trail a good 6 months later. Nonetheless, it was Parry who broke the story of the decade.

Now he has a new piece up on his website, Consortiumnews.com, titled, “War or Impeachment”.

[Gory details on the flip]
This was published on Tuesday, before Bush’s speech, and two full days before Zogby put up the numbers, earlier today, that

So, Parry was not responding creatively to Zogby’s numbers. He was writing out of something deeper. (Call it the memory of how Ronald Reagan was never held accountable for his crimes, and how we continue to suffer because of that unto this very day.) Zogby simply confirms that Parry is really onto something that is alreayd resonating with American people, even as the Beltway Dems–and even much of the blogosphere–are not yet even up to peeing in their pants at the thought.

Parry begins by saying we’re in for a bout of “leveling” with the American people about Iraq, but that “leveling” is just the latest spin. In contrast, there are two hard truths:

Then comes the heart of this killer piece:

I don’t know about you. But that’s the sanest thing I’ve read all week. Maybe all month. Maybe all year.  Robert Parry, American Hero, strikes again.

Cross posted at dKos.

As Booman pointed out today:

In other words, his enemies are those who speak truths he doesn’t want heard or who declare their doubts about his policies. And as they’ve been showing by staying away from recruiting offices in droves, the conservative youth of America are apparently down with this.

However, in the descriptions of the recent College Republican love-in, I’ve been bothered by something beyond the obvious chickenhawkery, the low-rent machismo and dilettante debutantage, and the dewy-eyed smugness of most of the participants. These are mostly teenagers. Who told them that this was how you act during a war? What model are they looking to?

More below…

Markos often notes how the various phalanxes of right-wing noisemakers not only refuse to enlist themselves, but refuse to tell their eager minions to enlist. From what these conservakids are saying though, I think it may go a step beyond that.

They are being told that the fight against liberals here at home is just as important – if not moreso – than the actual frontline fighting in Iraq. Dear Leader’s war will not succeed or fail based on how well the armies of the U.S. and its allies do in Iraq at rooting out insurgents and terrorists, but rather on how well the Army of the GOP succeeds in fending off attacks on Dear Leader’s image. As Campus Progress’ “Conventioneer” noted:

You can be a true American hero by staying home and fighting the people who say the war is not worth fighting. The time you spend finding ways to silence dissent here at home is just as worthy a sacrifice as the life of the soldier who falls on the frontlines.

At the Republican Convention last year, the Republican leaders of tomorrow had this to say:

While there have always been rich kids (like Bush) who duck out when military service is called for, I can’t think of any other war where teenagers would be staying stuff like this. In the past, in time of war, young people would sign up to serve and go where the military told them. If the service really thinks you’ll be more useful carrying a pen than a rifle, they’ll make you a journalist.

There’s something going on here beyond cowardice or hypocrisy on the part of young right-wingers. The easy answer would be to declare it, well, not a conspiracy exactly, since it’s pretty much out in the open, but a considered tactic of the GOP establishment and their surrogates to enlist young conservatives in an ideological army parallel to the usual military. However, there could be other contributing factors.

Could this be the current version of the anti-war movement from Vietnam? The Republicans have in some sense given themselves the aura of a counter-culture with their constant complaints that a dominant liberal culture (which, ironically, is also somehow a minority) is discriminating against conservatives, Christians, entrepreneurs, or whoever feels like whining in a particular week. And there is also a sense in which, despite recent jingoism, the tragic view of war has acquired more resonance in American culture than visions of military glory. Perhaps protesting in the name of aggression feels like rebellion.

Could this be the Republican cult of individualism turning round to bite them? After all, America is about freedom. So we ought to be free to choose how to serve our country in time of war, no? Thus they congratulate themselves on their individualism while the military hollows like a dried gourd. The rock on which their patriotism is built sacrificed to a culture of “do what feels right”.

The oddest idea I’ve had about this is that it might be a result of shifting gender roles. Historically, men “go for a soldier” while women “keep the home fires burning”. So now that these roles have lost their former rigidity, both young men and young women feel they have choice as to which role to take. And since the choice is now perhaps seen as being between two honorable roles rather than between service and cowardice, youth are deciding to go with the choice that doesn’t involve their ass getting blown off, cf. market forces, rational self-interest.

Young Republicans seem to have decided that the real enemy is liberals, not terrorists. The question is, why?

Time again for a look at our furry, finned and feathered friends.

Has anyone seen my purple t-shirt?

“Incoming massage for you Captain Quirk, it’s the Gannon ambassador…”

“Thank you Lieutenant Coiffura, beam him aboard and I’ll take him in my quarters…”

“Are you sure that’s wise, Captain, without any protection… I’d be glad to accompany you…”

“No, that won’t be necessary, we’ll be able to ménage without you… carry on.”

(Oh, yes, there’s much more ; )

“What is it that you have there, Coiffura?”

“Oh, hi, Jerkoff… I’m not really sure, I just got this one from the Gannon ambassador, he brought a couple for the Captain… I think he called them Troubles.  I think they’re kind of disgusting… they’re all warm and fuzzy, and all they do is make this sound like a dove or something… and they don’t even have any teeth! What good are they?”

“Well, would you mind if I had that one, Coiffura…”

“Sure, I guess it would be OK, Jerkoff… Oh, and um… by the way, that’s your leg that your hand is resting on…”

“Gonzo, I need some answers and I need them fast… these Troubles are taking over our enterprise…”

“Dammit, Dub!  I’m a lawyer, not a doctor! Restraining orders just don’t work with these things… these Troubles multiply like rabbits! As near as I can tell these things are like the perfect Republicans… they’re born ready to have sex and reproduce. I hate to say it, Dub, but I even looked into re-examining our stance on abortion…”

“Oh, no… Gonzo, no… surely there’s got to be another way… keep trying!”

“Mr. Spook, you’re my Pseudo-Science officer, I need some answers, Mr.!   Have these Troubles compromised our mission to Afghanistan 2?  The RedderNation is depending on us.”

“The Neo-logical answer, Captain, is that it is too early to tell, and you know about the futility of time-tables. However, I calculate that by diverting all funding from the shields, the enterprise might be just able to complete the mission to Afghanistan 2…”

“No shields, Spook?  Are you certain?”

“Yes, Captain, that would be the Neo-logical thing to do… the needs of the many should never outweigh the wealth of the few…”

“Gentlemen, I take a sip of what I was expecting to be my Double Mocha, Double Cappuccino, Latte with whipped cream and a twist, and I get a mouthful of this! I think that we can safely say that the Troubles are out of control now.  Mr. Spook says that the enterprise is now down to operating at 42% efficiency.  Get me Scottie! You have your orders… dismissed!  Oh… and can someone please find out what the f…. I drank…?”

“Captain, it’s worse than I thought!  The Troubles are into everything!  I’ve spun the whole enterprise 360 degrees from top to bottom, and we just can’t loose ’em.  Just when ya think ya got em all accounted for, they crop right back up, almost from out of nowhere…. I can’t put ma finger on what they’re living off of… I’ve increased the mercury in alla the food stores, and that shoulda got rid of em…”

“Oh my God!  Scottie… please tell me that you checked the smugglers holds… the POPPY SEEDS!  The poppy seeds for Afghanistan 2…”

“My God! Spook, Spook… is it all gone? “

“I calculate 99.99% of the seeds have been consumed by Troubles.  That would be enough for…”

“My God… 500 billion plants… gone… the economy of Afghanistan 2 is ruined…”

“But, but Dub…”

“What is it,  Gonzo…”

“My readings indicated that all of the Troubles are still alive!  They should all be either dead and overdosed, or just stoned out of their minds… but they’re not, they’re just full… and resting…”

“Which means…”

“Yes, Dub… The poppy seeds were not biologically active…

“What kind of a sick f… would sell the RedderNation inactivated poppy seeds?”

“Yeah, I used to have a pretty sweet gig as the Gannon ambassador, and I was a consultant for the enterprise. Now I hear they’ve hired a new consultant. I don’t know squat about plants… how was I to know that there are different kinds of poppies… yeah, well… f… em!  How about another round of that Indian Firewater, Mr. Frist… You know, have you ever thought about running for elected office… I could make it work for you… you’ve got the face, the looks… all you need are a few Troubles… have you heard of Troubles? Troubles build character and make you look good in the public eye…

Captain’s blog, start date 01/01/00: These are the pillages of the ship-of-state enterprise… it’s eight year mission, to beat the life out of old and new civilizations, to boldly crow that no man could not want more…

As best as I can tell, I saw the Grateful Dead perform the song Peggy-O six times.  Listen to a great 1976 version here:
04-06-87    Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, N.J.

03-26-88    Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Va.

09-11-88    The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa.

09-20-88    Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

03-31-89    Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.

04-28-89    Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, Ca.

Here are the lyrics:

I always pictured myself as the commanding officer of an outfit of Yanks, descending on a plantation like Tara.  Even though I had earned the respect of my troops, my poverty could not impress the mother of the beautiful Peggy-O, and so my love goes unrequitted.  And I die shortly thereafter, with a broken heart.  But there is a longer history  to this song.

Now that President Bush has arrogantly ruled out a timetable exit strategy for America’s War in Iraq, and Secretary Rumsfeld is predicting a 12-year-minimum insurgency, I thought it was high-time that I contrasted, in detail, my differences with pro-war Pennsylvania Senate candidates Bob Casey, Jr. (D) and Rick Santorum (R).  

Since both of my 2006 Senate campaign opponents embrace the president’s quagmire, “fight ’til we win” approach, and since Casey has refused to say, to this day, whether he supported or opposed the unjustified Iraq War begun two years ago, such clarification is in order.

Before spelling out an Iraq exit strategy, however, it is important to remind ourselves why an American military pullout is vital to our national security.  

As a diplomatic historian, national security studies professor, and student of the Vietnam War, I can clearly see that the Iraq War has created long-term diplomatic, cultural, economic, political, and military damage for ourselves among our traditional allies, non-aligned yet cooperative nations, rival states, and heretofore neutral nations.  This damage in international relations means that our global war against al Qaeda and related offspring, based in over 60 nations (according to the CIA), continues to backslide badly.  In other words, continuation of the Iraq War–with attending human rights debacles at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo–dramatically fuels the recruitment process of radical, anti-American, Islamic warriors around the globe, while undermining our intelligence gathering efforts against al Qaeda and its clones.

The Iraq War also underscores the fact that our nation is weaker at home, and more vulnerable to attack, than it was on 9-11-01.  Why?  Because federal-level budget cuts have meant first responder support is diminished at the local level; because homeland security dollars are now part of the up-for-grabs pork barrel politicking that defines our undisciplined federal spending–and, as such, unthreatened mid-American towns and cities are, effectively, robbing vulnerable coastal cities, ports, waterways, and nuclear and chemical plants of needed support; because military recruitment has fallen prey to our overstretched, under-armed, poorly-compensated soldier, national guard, and veteran populations.  Rather than address the above problems, the Bush Administration has chosen to drive Americans into opposing camps through the politics of fear (still, shamelessly invoking the mythical September 11-Saddam link), disingenuous rhetoric (“support our troops”), and false argument (better that “we fight ‘them’ over there than here”).

Now that the rationale for military withdrawal is firmly established, how does America extract its military occupation in an orderly and expeditious manner without causing further damage to ourselves, the Iraqis, the Middle East peace process (i.e., Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution), oil production, and the cause of democracy?

First, the United States needs to promote an international peace-keeping force made up of soldiers from neutral and Islamic nations. The United States and NATO should actively court the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to lead-organize and staff this global force. Once the international peace-keeping force is ready for deployment in Iraq, the U.S. should quickly transition out our 150,000 troops and 20,000 civilian contractors and close our 14 permanent or long-term military bases.

Second, we need to support Iraqi self-rule and free and fair elections both now and after America’s military occupation has ended.  Free and fair elections under international supervision will promote democratic institutions, allow Iraq to develop legitimate self-government, advance its economic growth, and facilitate domestic security and peace-keeping. The divide between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds will make consensus-building difficult, but not impossible, as was the case when all parties came together in the 1950s.

Third, since the U.S. broke much of Iraq’s infrastructure during the early phase of the war, it is on us to provide humanitarian aid to allow Iraq to rebuild for its future.  For without economic promise there can be no hope for democracy. The current war and occupation have devastated the country and led to an unemployment rate estimated to be between 50% and 75%. In addition, control over Iraqi oil and other assets should be exercised by Iraqis, not American corporations.

While my preferred Iraq exit timetable would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-to-12 weeks, the actual calendar, of course, depends on the political will of a congress that controls the purse strings, and the political survival instinct of a Republican Party that increasingly whispers “quagmire” and “Vietnam” among its most loyal members.  Having said that, public opinion–especially that expressed at the grassroots and netroots levels may, in the end, be the deciding push.

As I repeat at each and every one of my Senate campaign events, “out of crisis comes opportunity.”  We must not miss this opening for a just and lasting peace in Iraq, the non-violent extension of democracy and self-determinatin across the Middle East, and a revival of America’s moral suasion as a means to combat al Qaeda-led terrorism and to advance international goodwill.  

Chuck Pennacchio

Charles Pennacchio, Ph.D.
2006 U.S. Senate candidate, Pennsylvania
http://www.chuck2006.com

Now that President Bush has arrogantly ruled out a timetable exit strategy for America’s War in Iraq, and Secretary Rumsfeld is predicting a 12-year-minmum insurgency, I thought it was high-time that I contrasted, in detail, my differences with pro-war Pennsylvania Senate candidates Bob Casey, Jr. (D) and Rick Santorum (R).  

Since both of my 2006 Senate campaign opponents embrace the president’s quagmire, “fight ’til we win” approach, and since Casey has refused to say, to this day, whether he supported or opposed the unjustified Iraq War begun two years ago, such clarification is in order.

Before spelling out an Iraq exit strategy, however, it is important to remind ourselves why an American military pullout is vital to our national security.  

As a diplomatic historian, national security studies professor, and student of the Vietnam War, I can clearly see that the Iraq War has created long-term diplomatic, cultural, economic, political, and military damage for ourselves among our traditional allies, non-aligned yet cooperative nations, rival states, and heretofore neutral nations.  This damage in international relations means that our global war against al Qaeda and related offspring, based in over 60 nations (according to the CIA), continues to backslide badly.  In other words, continuation of the Iraq War–with attending human rights debacles at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo–dramatically fuels the recruitment process of radical, anti-American, Islamic warriors around the globe, while undermining our intelligence gathering efforts against al Qaeda and its clones.

The Iraq War also underscores the fact that our nation is weaker at home, and more vulnerable to attack, than it was on 9-11-01.  Why?  Because federal-level budget cuts have meant first responder support is diminished at the local level; because homeland security dollars are now part of the up-for-grabs pork barrel politicking that defines our undisciplined federal spending–and, as such, unthreatened mid-American towns and cities are, effectively, robbing vulnerable coastal cities, ports, waterways, and nuclear and chemical plants of needed support; because military recruitment has fallen prey to our overstretched, under-armed, poorly-compensated soldier, national guard, and veteran populations.  Rather than address the above problems, the Bush Administration has chosen to drive Americans into opposing camps through the politics of fear (still, shamelessly invoking the mythical September 11-Saddam link), disingenuous rhetoric (“support our troops”), and false argument (better that “we fight ‘them’ over there than here”).

Now that the rationale for military withdrawal is firmly established, how does America extract its military occupation in an orderly and expeditious manner without causing further damage to ourselves, the Iraqis, the Middle East peace process (i.e., Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution), oil production, and the cause of democracy?

First, the United States needs to promote an international peace-keeping force made up of soldiers from neutral and Islamic nations. The United States and NATO should actively court the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to lead-organize and staff this global force. Once the international peace-keeping force is ready for deployment in Iraq, the U.S. should quickly transition out our 150,000 troops and 20,000 civilian contractors and close our 14 permanent or long-term military bases.

Second, we need to support Iraqi self-rule and free and fair elections both now and after America’s military occupation has ended.  Free and fair elections under international supervision will promote democratic institutions, allow Iraq to develop legitimate self-government, advance its economic growth, and facilitate domestic security and peace-keeping. The divide between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds will make consensus-building difficult, but not impossible, as was the case when all parties came together in the 1950s.

Third, since the U.S. broke much of Iraq’s infrastructure during the early phase of the war, it is on us to provide humanitarian aid to allow Iraq to rebuild for its future.  For without economic promise there can be no hope for democracy. The current war and occupation have devastated the country and led to an unemployment rate estimated to be between 50% and 75%. In addition, control over Iraqi oil and other assets should be exercised by Iraqis, not American corporations.

While my preferred Iraq exit timetable would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-to-12 weeks, the actual calendar, of course, depends on the political will of a congress that controls the purse strings, and the political survival instinct of a Republican Party that increasingly whispers “quagmire” and “Vietnam” among its most loyal members.  Having said that, public opinion–especially that expressed at the grassroots and netroots levels may, in the end, be the deciding push.

As I repeat at each and every one of my Senate campaign events, “out of crisis comes opportunity.”  We must not miss this opening for a just and lasting peace in Iraq, the non-violent extension of democracy and self-determinatin across the Middle East, and a revival of America’s moral suasion as a means to combat al Qaeda-led terrorism and to advance international goodwill.  

Chuck Pennacchio

Charles Pennacchio, Ph.D.
2006 U.S. Senate candidate, Pennsylvania
http://www.chuck2006.com