Author: Nag

Civil War in Iraq State Sponsored?

In a June 10 Iraq Dispatch, Dahr Jamail reports that at a June 9 conference in Baghdad, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq , Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, announced not only gratitude to the Badr militia, but officially gave them a place in Iraqi security.

Up until now, this group has received quiet support from the Iraqi government; now that support is out in the open. Why is that problematical?

The Badr Organization (formerly known as the Badr Brigade) was formed by al-Hakim’s brother in the `80’s to fight Saddam Hussein. It has long since received funding and other “support” from Iran.

While civilians in Fallujah, Mosul, Ramadi, Baquba, Baghdad, Haditha and other cities in Iraq continue to complain of being beaten, looted and humiliated by the members of the Iraqi Army who are members of both the Badr Organization and Kurdish Peshmerga, these militias now have the overt backing of the interim Iraqi “government.”

It is also being reported that members of the Badr Organization, who are essentially running much of the “security” in southern Iraq at this point, have been instituting Sharia law. Thus, women are reporting being threatened with death or rape if they attend university, and more conservative clothing rules are being enforced.

Recently a Sunni cleric was assassinated in the south.

Harith al-Dhari, the head of the influential Sunni group the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), recently accused the Badr of killing members of the AMS, when he bluntly announced, “It is the Badr Brigades which is responsible for these killings.”

One of my Iraqi friends here in Amman recently told me that Sunni who live in the south are being pressured by members of the Badr Organization to relocate elsewhere. It should also be noted that the Badr came back to Iraq on the heels of the invaders.

I can see why the Iraqi government is searching for security in forces that are experienced… all the better to wiggle out from under the yoke of occupation. Yet desperation can make people and governments myopic and heartless.

Talabani, at the conference, declared the Badr Militia and their Kurdish counterparts as “the heroes of liberating Iraq”.

The American-backed government is now hitching their wagon to these bloody, ruthless Shia and Kurdish militias against the bloody, ruthless Sunni resistance. In the absence of reliable US/Coalition trained Iraqi troops, it seems like throwing a match into an open vat of gasoline.

Jamail goes on to describe the ongoing Iraqi violence almost as a litany:

Car bombs are a daily occurrence, yet now we have seen motorcycle bombs, push-cart bombs, donkey bombs, donkey-cart bombs, dog bombs, human bombs, bicycle bombs and recently two Iraqi policemen dying from eating poisoned watermelon.

He includes correspondence he has received from American servicemen indicating drooping morale. Dahr Jamail’s Iraq Dispatches are an excellent ongoing source for unvarnished information from Iraq and are highly recommended.

Crossposted at European Tribune

How do you spell Debt Relief? Privatization

The G7 has agreed to completely wipe out the debt of 18 of the poorest nations in the world. Ahh, how wonderful it is to see the most powerful nations in the world offer the hand of friendship and hope to those less fortunate countries. How generous and benevolent, right? RIGHT?

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven of the world’s leading industrialized nations — United States, Canada, Japan, Britain, France, Germany and Italy (the G8, minus Russia) — agreed to write off 100 percent of the debt of 18 of the poorest countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. That will amount to debt cancellation of about two billion dollars a year.

Campaigners focusing on debt relief welcomed the move. But the finance ministers’ agreement contains a provision on privatization that has the potential to deliver to them more money than they wrote off.

The ministers reaffirmed in a statement at the end of their two-day meeting Saturday that “in order to make progress on social and economic development, it is essential that developing countries put in place the policies for economic growth.” Among these, they must “boost private sector development, and attract investment,” and ensure “the elimination of impediments to private investment, both domestic and foreign.”

Umhmm… and who, pray tell will minister to these unfortunate nations to guide them on the path to privatization and “investment, both domestic and foreign”?

The World Bank has been made the monitor for these countries’ moves towards “good governance, accountability and transparency.” These declared aims are inevitably open to endless interpretation.

Thank heavens that Paul Wolfowitz and the World Bank will lend a loving, helpfing hand.

While the debt cancellation will no doubt provide immediate relief, there is enough in the stated package to raise some questions what these countries may have to do next.

The finance ministers agreed that they will use grant financing to “ensure that countries do not immediately re-accumulate unsustainable external debts, and are eased into new borrowing.”

On just how they proceed from here, the HIPCs may have no choice but to look to the World Bank and the IMF to show them the way.

 So if I have this right, the G7, with the help of the World Bank and the IMF will help these countries set up economies so private corporations can go in pillage freely. I guess that’s what “free market economy” means. No rules, no fouls. Neocons are trashing the US economy, the Bush family continues to make a killing with war and other profiteering, and Wolfowitz is now in charge at the world bank, and these poeple are going to help poor nations out of the goodness of their hearts?

What hearts?

Privatization Hangs Over Debt Relief via Common Dreams
Crossposted at European Tribune

Bush Crime Family: Poppy’s War Profiteering

In a 1992 Mother Jones piece entitled “Bush Family Value$”, Stephen Pizzo “connected the dots” of many dirty Bush deals and relationships and came to the conclusion:
 

“… that cashing in on influence has become a pattern of behavior extending through the first family.”

It is a wonder to me how the Bush’s have been allowed to continue to function in public life at all, never mind establish the royal Bush Dynasty under whose boot we now reside. Little of this information is found on major media outlets; they wouldn’t dare to risk the wrath of the crime family that makes John Gotti look like the proud owner of a string of lemonade stands.

Today, thirteen years and many dots later, I have found that examination of this family of influence peddlers and profiteers may yield some possible answers to questions that keep me awake at night.

Today I am focused on George H.W. Bush; the crass and devious father of George, Neil, Marvin and Jeb. Devious, you probably know or surmise. Crass? Last week on CNN’s afternoon program, they ran a video of Bush Sr. relating a story about protestors. He went on to say how an incredibly ugly woman ran up to his vehichle screaming “Stay out of my womb!” To which the elder Bush visibly shuddered with disgust and spat into the microphone “Don’t worry about that ever happening, Lady”. It appeared to be a recent video, and he was disgustingly crass about it. To top it off, he was at a microphone, so it was said publicly. Miles O’Brien was slack jawed and mumbled his way into the next story. To this day I don’t know why they showed it… and I haven’t seen it since.
The Carlyle Group, Poppy and Junior, and Baldfaced Conflicts of Interest

The following section is based mostly on an article by Evelyn Pringle entitled “Why Are We In Iraq — Bush Family $$$ Signs

I strongly advise you to go and read the original. There is much more there than I have recounted here. Excellent article, outstanding columnist.

Bush Sr. was already a member of The Carlyle group at the beginning of Junior’s first term.

In March of 2001 Judicial Watch raised a warning flag:

“Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government abuse and corruption, called on former President George Herbert Walker Bush to resign immediately from the Carlyle Group, a private investment firm, while his son President George W. Bush is in office. Today’s New York Times reported that the elder Bush is an “ambassador” for the $12 billion private investment firm and last year traveled to the Middle East on its behalf. The former president also helped the firm in South Korea.&

“The New York Times reported that as compensation, the elder Bush is allowed to buy a stake in the Carlyle Group’s investments, which include ownership in at least 164 companies throughout the world (thereby by giving the current president an indirect benefit). James Baker, the former Secretary of State who served as President George W. Bush’s point man in Florida’s election dispute, is a partner in the firm. The firm also gave George W. Bush help in the early 1990’s when it placed him on one of its subsidiary’s board of directors.

“This is simply inappropriate. Former President Bush should immediately resign from the Carlyle Group because it is an obvious conflict of interest. Any foreign government or foreign investor trying to curry favor with the current Bush Administration is sure to throw business to the Carlyle Group. And with the former President Bush promoting the firm’s investments abroad, foreign nationals could understandably confuse the Carlyle Group’s interests with the interests of the United States government,” stated Larry Klayman, Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel.

“Questions are now bound to be raised if the recent Bush Administration change in policy towards Iraq has the fingerprints of the Carlyle Group, which is trying to gain investments from other Arab countries who [sic] would presumably benefit from the new policy,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.”

(bold print mine)

These warnings apparently went unheeded; Bush Sr. not only did not resign, but became embroiled with the Bin Laden family through the Carlyle Group. The Wall Street Journal did an investigation and on September 28, 2001, reported on Poppy’s Bin Laden ties. He must be a good salesman; he convinced Shafiq bin Laden to invest $2 million with Carlyle. Shafiq is Osama’s brother and represented the Bin Laden Group. That money went into a larger investment fund which Carlyle then used after 9/11 to purchase aerospace companies.

The Bush family probably made a great deal of money from the aftermath of 9/11 from this one transaction alone. Story goes that Shafiq bin Laden stood in the offices of The Carlyle Group on 9/11 and watched on television as his brother’s minions blew up the World Trade Center.

Got shivers yet?

Oh, it doesn’t end there, not by a country mile. Post 9/11, once Junior had America shaking with fear, influence peddling flowed from the Oval office like ice cream from a Mr. Softee truck in July… and you thought Halliburton was the devil’s stock option.

Its been estimated that Carlyle has investments in over 300 companies, and the majority of them derive revenues from military and security contracts. In fact, Carlyle is the country’s 11th largest defense contractor. In 2002, it received $677 million in government contracts, and in 2003, it was awarded contracts worth another $2.1 billion.

Business has definitely improved for the firm since Jr took office. For example, one of its subsidiaries, Vought Aircraft, now holds over $1 billion in defense contracts. Prior to 2001, the company’s future was iffy at best. Right before 9/11, it had actually laid off 20% of its workforce. But low and behold, business picked right back up with the air strikes on Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.

Carlyle’s ties go directly into the Oval Office. In fact, a list of past employees has Jr’s name on it. He was actually employed by Carlyle at on point in his life. According to a story in Harper’s Magazine, Jr held a position as a corporate director on the board of the Carlyle subsidiary, Caterair. Until he was politely told to hit the road because he didn’t have anything to offer the company.

 

Well, he’s made up for that little lapse, hasn’t he? All this time, I thought that Junior was a tool of the Neocons. Seems as if it’s more of a mutual agreement… they use each other without reservation. Power, influence and money are the drugs of choice. So, are we in Iraq because of WMD? Nope. Freedom on the March? Hell no. Oil? War profiteering? Influence peddling? Yes, yes, and yes. Follow the money.

The Bush Crime Family is a subject too broad to cover in one diary. I hope to do a few more, highlighting how George H.W. Bush’s offspring prove the old addage “If you plant potatos, you get potatos.” In 2008, we must be ready to delete that footnote from the Bush Dynasty that says “to be continued”.

Crossposted at DKos.

Human Rights Rising: Hope Abounds

Perhaps there is nothing more telling about  the soul of a country than the way it treats its citizens. While we stand wringing our hands over our own country’s descent into brutal militarism, we are missing  a most hopeful sign:  human rights are being championed by an increasing number of  national institutions around the world.

What kind of changes are wafting on the global wind?

  • improved status of the Tsaatan minority in Mongolia
  • rescue of child soldiers in Uganda
  • The Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan, in January 2005, launched a ground breaking report with input from citizens on peace, security, and justice.
  • probe into decades-old cases of forced disappearances in Mexico
  • documents on the training of police in Northern Ireland

“Building strong human rights institutions at the country level is what in the long run will ensure that human rights are protected and advanced in a sustained manner,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed in a 2002 report. And that’s what – away from the media spotlight – appears to be happening.

Many of these national level institutions have been set up in conjunction with the UN, under the “Paris Principles”,“minimum standards concerning national human rights institutions”, adopted in 1993. Say what you want about the UN, when it comes to improving the human condition around the world, they very much hold the moral high ground.

Stay with me after the fold if you’re in the mood for a little uplifting of your own human spirit.
The Mechanisms

* The majority of existing national institutions can be grouped in two broad categories: “human rights commissions” and “ombudsmen.” Less common, but no less important, are the “specialized” national institutions which function to protect the rights of a particular vulnerable group.
* Such national institutions are not set up to replace the UN human rights organs or non-governmental organizations working in the same area. Their role is complementary, and a strengthening of such institutions can only enhance the effectiveness of both national and international human rights machinery.

There are institutions that encompass many nations and offer assistence to all. Such is The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR)which includes in its membership 12 other nations such as Nepal, China, Afghanistan and Guatemala. The DIHR offers help in such multidisciplinary areas as law, political science and economics.

There are also many national institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission in India. This institution deals with such issues as the right to food, eliminating bonded labor, hospitals for the mentally ill, sexual harrassment, child labor and human trafficking, to name a few.

The Stories

*The Tsaatan, national minority of Mongolia
There are only 200 Tsaatan, divided among 40 households. The reindeer is vital to their existence and way of life. The National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia issued a study of the Tsaatan, highlighting their right to preserve that way of life, along with their language, traditions and culture. They are also entitled to services such as food, clothing,education, medicines, and care for their reindeer.

*Disappearances in Mexico

“The official probe into the forced disappearance of 532 people in Mexico during the 70’s and early 80’s had limited results until the Mexican National Human Rights Commission intervened and was able to throw light on that tragic episode.”

*Conflict areas in Uganda: Child Soldiers
“Despite the challenges of working in conflict areas, the Ugandan Human Rights Commission has investigated reports of recruitment of child soldiers and made recommendations on their reintegration into society.” I could not find much on what exactly the Commission has done for child soldiers or others in the war torn areas of Uganda. The fact that all the abuses are now documented and recognized is a major step in itself. One of the major tasks in Uganda is education about human rights. They are currently implementing such programs from the gradeschool on up.
[Update]: For an in depth look at the world of the child soldiers of Uganda, please read Sirocco’s excellent diary from a few weeks ago. It will move you. Thanks to Ask for reminding me.

The bottom line is that with UN leadership globally, local visionaries have been able to do such wonderous things as push through human rights legislation and establish national human rights entities. They are doing the basic work of education, breaking cultural barriers, raising the local discussions and awareness… and they are helping people. These organizations have teeth, they are making a difference.

“Defending human rights has a new tool in its arsenal. More than 100 national institutions have emerged in recent years to protect the rights of vulnerable groups. They are increasingly active in a wide range of human rights causes, from the prevention of torture and discrimination to conflict resolution.”

The next time your stomach flips at another report of US torture or misdeeds, take heart. There are those in the world who are doing wonderful things… one person at a time.

UN Actors for Change

Human Rights Commission of Mongolia

Danish Institute for Human Rights

Uganda Human Rights Commission

UN Human Rights Entities

Santorum’s Da Vinci Code?

In the recent spurt of travel expense examinations of Congress, a juicy little tidbit surfaced about Little Ricky. He traveled to Rome in 2002 to give a speech at a University to pay tribute to the man who founded Opus Dei.

“The Rome university, which has trained hundreds of new priests, is the educational arm of Opus Dei. It traces its roots back to the Saint Josemaria Escriva, the Opus Dei founder whose life and subsequent canonization under Pope John Paul II has been shrouded in controversy. Indeed, Santorum’s 2002 trip — which got little attention in the post-9/11 haze — was to address of celebration of the 100th anniversary of Escriva’s birth. He was interviewed there by the National Catholic Reporter and said he was an admirer of Escriva — who is recorded as having whipped himself until the walls of a bathroom were splattered with blood and once wrote: “Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain…Glorified be pain!”

So, I guess Ricky likes a little pain with his politics… I think we should give it to him. Not one to pass up a microphone, he obviously blabbed quite a bit.

When in Rome, Santorum also disavowed John F. Kennedy’s famous 1960 speech on the separation of church and state — the speech that is credited with helping to elect JFK as the first, and still the last, Roman Catholic president: He told NCR that a distinction between private religious conviction and public responsibility, enshrined in John Kennedy’s famous speech in 1960 saying he would not take orders from the Catholic church if elected president, has caused “much harm in America.” “All of us have heard people say, `I privately am against abortion, homosexual marriage, stem cell research, cloning. But who am I to decide that it’s not right for somebody else?’ It sounds good,” Santourm said. “But it is the corruption of freedom of conscience.”

Ricky then declared Geroge W Bush as the “…first Catholic president of the United States” !!!??? Is Opus Dei a threat? A lot of folks think that it is.

Opus Dei is a political and political powerhouse within the Roman Catholic Church. Beyond that, there is little upon which the group’s critics and supporters agree.

The most extreme opponents accuse Opus Dei of functioning as a cult and have even formed an Opus Dei Awareness Network. Certainly, the self-inflicted corporal punishment has raised many eyebrows.

So is Little Ricky a minion of this controversial extremist wing of the Catholic Church? He says no, but the signs say otherwise:

There are other threads in Santorum’s biography that suggest his Opus Dei ties are close indeed. In addition to the 2002 trip, it was reported in 2001 that Santorum was one of several Washington luminaries who received written permission to attend St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls, Va., a parish closely associated with Opus Dei.

Its pastor told the Washington Times in 2001 “a good number of Opus Dei members in the area attend his church because it is more conservative and sticks closer to traditional Catholic teachings.” Others who have attended the church include Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, former FBI chief Louis Freeh, and TV talking head Kate O’Beirne, the National Review’s Washington editor.

Well, Opus Dei wants desperately to dissolve the wall between church and state, and we know where Little Ricky stands on that issue. I had read an interesting article by Sidney Blumenthal via Truthout about ties between Bush and the new Pope. The article hinted strongly that Ratzinger (sorry, he’ll always be Ratzinger to me) is a proponent of the marriage of church and state. I posted the link on Kos; Blumenthal’s take was refuted by others in the thread. Now I’m not so sure that Mr Blumenthal got it wrong . here is the link to Attytood, where you can read the entire Santorum article, and I strongly urge that you read it… fascinating at best, damn frightening at worst. Little Ricky’s got to go.

IRS to use Private Collection Agencies

I was doing a little research and accidentally came across this little stink bomb: the IRS is going to hire private collection agencies to squeeze errant taxpayers.

The Internal Revenue Service, which estimates that more than 1 million people cheated on their taxes last year, is about to do what private businesses have been doing for years: hire collection agencies to go after the nonpayers.

Well, you say, it’s not as if some guy named Vito is going to threaten to break your legs, right? Oh yeah… right

Especially worrisome to critics is a provision that calls for private contractors to receive up to 25 percent of the money they recover — something that could encourage aggressive tactics.

Isn’t that just special? Do Conservatives really think that this will make government smaller? Will it enhance our right to privacy? Isn’t funneling government money to private corporations just stealing? Maybe huge tax cuts and the resulting cuts in revenue have a teensie bit to do with this?

“In general, I support privatization, but in this case, I’m concerned about civil liberties,” said Chris Edwards, an expert on tax policy at the Cato Institute, a free-market Washington, D.C., think-tank.

“Taxation is something the government uniquely does. The government has coercive power over individuals to pay up. That should be a government function, not a private one.”

Given recent high-profile identity theft cases and security lapses at major companies, privacy advocates are concerned about releasing so much personal data to private contractors.

Under the plan, set to start by the end of the year, the government would transmit Social Security numbers and other information on tax evaders to one of as many as 12 companies that land the contracts.

Proponents point out that more than 40 states use private companies to recoup taxes.

Deputy IRS Commissioner Rich Morgante said that outside collectors will not steal government jobs, but rather build on the agency’s existing efforts.

“We have a backlog of cases and not enough people to do this work,” he said.

Morgante, who is leading the project, said the IRS would use outsiders on the easiest cases — ones in which, for example, a taxpayer has admitted owing money but hasn’t paid.

That would free federal employees to take on more complicated cases that require enforcement action, such as seizing property and filing liens.

And although the collection firm’s compensation will be tied to collections, the pay of individual employees will not, according to the plan, which is being completed.

“The company will get paid that way, but the workers won’t,” he said. “They are going to be held to the same standards as government employees.”

Since the late 1980s, the IRS has struggled to catch cheats and collect unpaid taxes as the volume of returns has risen and its staff has shrunk.

From 1988 to 2003, the number of individual returns grew by 26 percent, while the IRS’ permanent staff dropped 31 percent, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research group affiliated with Syracuse University.

Consequently, audit rates reached record lows.

During this period, the IRS tested a privatization program. Private companies earning flat fees were hired to contact about 125,000 tax evaders and remind them of their overdue bills but not arrange payment.

Congress canceled the project midway after discovering it was costing more than it was making. A treasury audit also found that contractors had called outside of allowed hours — either too early in the morning or too late at night — and failed to protect sensitive data.

But those who want to try again say technology has improved, and companies have more experience doing this kind of work for governments.

Morgante said 81 companies have shown interest in the federal work.

Using the Education Department’s student loan recovery program as a model, contractors could expect to pocket about 17 percent of what they collect, a debt recovery expert said. The rate could be higher initially to help lessen start-up costs.

But Colleen Kelley, the president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS workers, said that any plan that ties collections to profit will spur aggressive tactics and undo reforms Congress enacted in 1998 to curb abuses.

In 1997, the Senate held hearings, stretching over three days, on IRS “horror stories.” Leading segments on the evening news showed agency employees, hidden behind screens with their voices disguised, accusing management of targeting the poor.

Internal audits released the next year found that the IRS had improperly seized property from taxpayers in more than 25 percent of cases studied from 1997.

This is going to be a return to the old thug-like tactics of the IRS, this time perpatrated by private collection agencies with everything to gain. Read the whole article here This story is passing way under the radar at this point. The article also says that contracts will be awarded and the system in place by the end of this year. Another example of the horrors that are America Under Bush. Cross posted at dkos.