Global
On his way to confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Iraq, the
current U.N. envoy John Negroponte was busily twisting language like a
pretzel at a Senate hearing the other day. The new Baghdad regime, to
be installed on June 30, will have sovereignty. Well, sort of.
Negroponte explained: “That is why I use the term ‘exercise of
sovereignty.’ I think in the case of military activity, their forces
will come under the unified command of the multinational force. That
is the plan.”
In other words, the Baghdad government will be praised as the embodiment of Iraqi sovereignty while the U.S. military continues to do whatever Washington wants it to do in Iraq -- including order the Iraqi military around. Negroponte talked about “real dialogue between our military commanders, the new Iraqi government and, I think, the United States mission as well.” But ultimately, he said, the American military “is going to have the freedom to act in their self-defense, and they’re going to be free to operate in Iraq as they best see fit.”
In other words, the Baghdad government will be praised as the embodiment of Iraqi sovereignty while the U.S. military continues to do whatever Washington wants it to do in Iraq -- including order the Iraqi military around. Negroponte talked about “real dialogue between our military commanders, the new Iraqi government and, I think, the United States mission as well.” But ultimately, he said, the American military “is going to have the freedom to act in their self-defense, and they’re going to be free to operate in Iraq as they best see fit.”
The stark fact that significant portions of our planet are under the supervision of quite exceptionally stupid and ill-informed people is provoking unwonted expressions of anger and alarm. It is hard to think of people more demure in rhetorical comportment than senior envoys of the United Nations or of the British foreign office. Yet here we have Lakhdar Brahimi, a U.N. undersecretary general and special adviser to Kofi Annan erupting in Baghdad like a soapbox orator.
"There is no doubt," Brahimi told French Inter Radio last week, "that the great poison in the region is this Israeli policy of domination and the suffering imposed on the Palestinians, as well as the perception of all of the population in the region and beyond of the injustice of this policy and the equally unjust support ... of the United States for this policy . There are quite a few other people on this planet, and the Americans should also make an effort to learn how to live with them."
"There is no doubt," Brahimi told French Inter Radio last week, "that the great poison in the region is this Israeli policy of domination and the suffering imposed on the Palestinians, as well as the perception of all of the population in the region and beyond of the injustice of this policy and the equally unjust support ... of the United States for this policy . There are quite a few other people on this planet, and the Americans should also make an effort to learn how to live with them."
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- And a grand time was had by feminists from all over the nation Sunday, out exercising our right to peaceably assemble and to petition our government for redress of grievances. While we still can.
The women who organized the march came up with a scheme to count our numbers and announced that there were more than a million of us there and it was the largest demo in the history of the nation. ABC had us down to "tens of thousands." Other networks admitted to "several hundred thousands." I didn't see FOX News, but I assume we were down a few thousand on that channel, and almost all the news outlets gave either some or equal time to the few hundred anti-choice groups that turned out. The National Park Service has quit trying to guess the numbers on big marches, so it was up for grabs.
The women who organized the march came up with a scheme to count our numbers and announced that there were more than a million of us there and it was the largest demo in the history of the nation. ABC had us down to "tens of thousands." Other networks admitted to "several hundred thousands." I didn't see FOX News, but I assume we were down a few thousand on that channel, and almost all the news outlets gave either some or equal time to the few hundred anti-choice groups that turned out. The National Park Service has quit trying to guess the numbers on big marches, so it was up for grabs.
4/27/08--UPDATE: FINAL VOTE ON S.150 IN A MATER OF DAYS.
FLOOR DEBATE BEGAN MONDAY, APRIL 26th.
Visit the ACM Legislative Action Center (www.alliancecm.org/ for More Information.
Email, Fax and Call your Senate Offices Today to Oppose S.150 and Support S.2084 as a Substitute Bill.
Despite the appearance that S.150 is simply an extension of the current moratorium, it contains new, vague language that could threaten franchise fees and PEG access. The language of S. 150 could deprive municipalities of billions of dollars in tax and fee revenue. According to the National League of Cities, S.150 is as a preemption of local taxing authority and as an unfunded mandate (as determined by the Congressional Budget Office).
Visit the ACM Legislative Action Center (www.alliancecm.org/ for More Information.
Email, Fax and Call your Senate Offices Today to Oppose S.150 and Support S.2084 as a Substitute Bill.
Despite the appearance that S.150 is simply an extension of the current moratorium, it contains new, vague language that could threaten franchise fees and PEG access. The language of S. 150 could deprive municipalities of billions of dollars in tax and fee revenue. According to the National League of Cities, S.150 is as a preemption of local taxing authority and as an unfunded mandate (as determined by the Congressional Budget Office).
Ms. Rice, a scholar in the former USSR, had supplied our president with the famous Stalin's slogan: "Those who are not with us are against us". The phrase wrapped the state's policy against any internal and external dissent during Purges of the 30-s. Millions died on an order of the grand ignoramus of all times.
People who supported Nazis did it in an innocent manner of pragmatic observers.
How much is the Republic in danger?
People who supported Nazis did it in an innocent manner of pragmatic observers.
How much is the Republic in danger?
Mr. Martin, [Canadian Parliament]
Bob Fitrakis is a poli-sci prof at Columbus State and a widely published commentator. In the pasted on op-ed he looks at three recent books by Washington insiders - not authors from the liberal left as he points out - and concludes that given the evidence of Iraq war planning going back to at least late 2001 George Bush should be tried as a war criminal.
Harsh unreality? Politically unbalanced or naive? Read his arguments.
Mr. Martin, I have sent you 20 plus almost weekly 'Silence is appeasement' messages containing the best op-eds and scholarly papers documenting the evidence about illegal war in Iraq. Cumulatively they provide quite a case, including or maybe highlighted by:
John Dean on what Bush and co actually said about Saddam, WMDs and connections with Al-Qeada as arguments for war; Jay Bookman on the neocon agenda in their manifestos and a decade of premeditation of war for self-interest, geostrategic ends; Lisa Martin and the authors of WAR WITH IRAQ concerning the hollowing out and poisoning of multilateral relations by Bush Admin unilateralism; John LeCarre trying to tell the real story about Iraq:
Sir,I read your article in Tehran Times.I thought we
beat you people long ago in the civil war.My God, a
Greek commie,a Saddamite.Pathetic.
Regards,MLK
Regards,MLK
More Fitrakis lies, they never stop. George W. Bush is not a war criminal.
He will not be tried for war crimes, and you know it. He's the best
president we have had in years. And he will be re-elected.
Today while blocked from the Independent newspaper of London came across
Free Press and read all the articles for this month.
Your article 'IS THERE A THIRD OPTION ?' immediately caught my attention as I have advocated the following on the Independent 'have your say ' column for months past :-
1. America should involve more Moslem countries in the 'Peace' keeping forcesi Pakistan being part of the British Commonwealth with it's officers trained at Sandhurst has a good rapport with the British army. That country could send a contingent of troops, I suggest Sikhs to patrol alongside the British who over a period of time are withdrawn to be replaced by other non-aligned UN troops.
Your article 'IS THERE A THIRD OPTION ?' immediately caught my attention as I have advocated the following on the Independent 'have your say ' column for months past :-
1. America should involve more Moslem countries in the 'Peace' keeping forcesi Pakistan being part of the British Commonwealth with it's officers trained at Sandhurst has a good rapport with the British army. That country could send a contingent of troops, I suggest Sikhs to patrol alongside the British who over a period of time are withdrawn to be replaced by other non-aligned UN troops.