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Monday,
January 7, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, US President Barack
Obama nomintes Chuck Hagel and John Brennan for posts, protests continue
in Iraq, the Iraqi military attacks Mosul protesters, both State of Law
and Iraqiya walk away from talk of dissolving Parliament, and more.
Today
US President Barack Obama nominated former Senator Chuck Hagel to be
the next Secretary of Defense. Right-winger Andrew Sullivan is frothing
at the mouth in joy. Of course he would, Andrew Sullivan was an Iraq
War cheerleader. He believes in rewriting history just like Hagel. So
he portrays Hagel as some sort of brave leader. David Corn (Mother Jones) notes reality and does so by dropping back to a 2006 piece he wrote about Hagel where Corn noted:
Of
all the senators eyeing the White House in 2008, this Nebraskan
[Hagel] was the only one to express deep reservations about the
resolution -- while still voting for it. "America -- including the
Congress -- and the world, must speak with one voice about Iraqi
disarmament, as it must continue to do so in the war on terrorism,"
Hagel said in explaining his vote. But he was prescient: "If disarmament
in Iraq requires the use of force, we need to consider carefully the
implications and consequences of our actions. The future of Iraq after
Saddam Hussein is also an open question. Some of my colleagues and some
American analysts now speak authoritatively of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds
in Iraq, and how Iraq can be a test case for democracy in the Arab
world. How many of us really know and understand much about Iraq, the
country, the history, the people, the role in the Arab world? I approach
the issue of post-Saddam Iraq and the future of democracy and
stability in the Middle East with more caution, realism and a bit more
humility." He added, "Imposing democracy through force in Iraq is a roll
of the dice. A democratic effort cannot be maintained without building
durable Iraqi political institutions and developing a regional and
international commitment to Iraq's reconstruction. No small task."
Hagel
was disappointed in the discourse within the Senate: "We should spend
more time debating the cost and extent of this commitment, the risks we
may face in military engagement with Iraq, the implications of the
precedent of United States military action for regime change and the
likely character and challenges of a post-Saddam Iraq. We have heard
precious little from the President, his team, as well as from this
Congress, with a few notable exceptions, about these most difficult and
critical questions." And he cautioned humility: "I share the hope of a
better world without Saddam Hussein, but we do not really know if our
intervention in Iraq will lead to democracy in either Iraq or elsewhere
in the Arab world." Bottom line: Hagel feared the resolution would lead
to a war that would go badly but didn't have the guts to say no to the
leader of his party.
Nebraska's
senators voted opposite each other, even though both are co-sponsors of
the proposed Senate resolution that "disagrees" with Bush's troop
buildup.
GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel voted with his party to filibuster his
own resolution disapproving of the president's plan, even though he has
been the most outspoken Republican in Congress opposing Bush's troop
escalation.
At a recent Senate hearing, for example, Hagel wagged
his finger and chided senators hesitant about debating the war. "If you
wanted a safe job, go sell shoes," he said then. Hagel's spokesman, Mike
Buttry, said Hagel voted for the filibuster Monday to preserve the
minority party's rights.
So Hagel
gets a ton of press attention for being against the 'surge' and proposes
co-proposes a resolution against the 'surge' to get even more attention
but when it's time to vote, he votes against the resolution he
co-sponsored -- meaning he got all the press for a popular position
among the public but he didn't actually take that position on the record
February 7, 2007. It's a cute little con game. Sort of like an
insincere 'apology' offered to circumvent valid criticism. Wayne
Anderson offers " 2013: The Year of the Anti-Gay Non-Apology" ( Huffington Post) which includes Hagel's nonsense on the list:
And
last but certainly not least, we have President Obama's apparently
favored choice for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, offering up one of
the most, if not the most, blatantly unbelievable non-apologies when he decided, after 14 years
of silence, to finally apologize for his repulsive anti-gay remarks
about the first openly gay American ambassador, James Hormel, but only
after President Obama started floating his name as a potential Secretary
of Defense. And even then Hagel couldn't actually admit that his
comments were wrong, saying that he just feels that they were
"insensitive."
Hagel apologists like to excuse away the attack on Hormel as oh-so-long-ago. But it's not that simple. Michelangelo Signorile (Huffington Post) explains,
"Hagel scored a zero on the Human Rights Campaign's Senate scorecard
between 2001 and 2006 (which is not that long ago), voting against
pro-gay initiatives and for anti-gay ones, and was on record as opposing
allowing gays to serve openly in the military (calling it a 'social
experiment'), let alone representing this country as ambassadors."
October 3rd, the Defense Dept announced
that three US soldiers had died October 1st in Afghanistan following a
suicide bombing. The dead were Wilmington, North Carolina's Sgt Thomas
J. Butler IV, Maysville, North Carolina's Sgt Jeremy F. Hardison and
Raeford, North Caroline's Sgt Donna R. Johnson. All three were under
the age of 30, all three were married. Sgt Donna R. Johnson was an
Iraq War veteran having also served in Iraq from 2007 to 2008. Michael Futch (Fayetteville Observer) reported on her October funeral service:
A
U.S. flag draped Sgt. Johnson's casket, and a framed photograph of the
soldier wearing an Army duty uniform was nearby, along with a table
displaying a number of her military medals.
Throughout the service, Sgt. Johnson's spouse, Tracy Joe Dice, sat with her head bowed.
"I can say when God took Donna, he took one of the best," Jessica Rivera, a lifelong friend, said during the service.
Dee Charles, another close friend, called Sgt. Johnson a confidante and someone she trusted.
"Most importantly," Charles said, "she loved all of us."
Like her father, Philas, a great basketball player, Donna Johnson was athletic.
Like her mother, Sandra, a teacher for 35 years, she excelled in the classroom. Donna Johnson had been an honors student.
Donna
Johnson's spouse was not treated in the same fashion the other two
spouses were because Johnson was in a same-sex marriage. Her spouse was
Staff Sgt Tracy Dice. Colin Kelly (Military Times) produced a video of an interview with widow Staff Sgt Racy Die and Donna's mother Sandra. Transcript:
Staff
Sgt Tracy Dice: I told her I didn't want her to go. I was honest with
her. But I knew that, had I asked her not to go, it probably would
have been one of those things that surfaced later on. It seemed like we
had finally gotten to the point in our relationship that we had
perfected it. It was just going so well. It was going so perfect.
You know, whether you're deployed or you're waiting on someone to come
home, it's very easy to just bury yourself into a pillow and sleep the
day away because it makes things go by so much quicker. So I was home
that day. And I thought, "You know, I'm going to sleep in because I
don't have to get up and go to work." And I was just going to wait for
her to call and -- uh -- after the time -- which was like the latest
time that I thought she would be calling, I -- uh -- I got up and I -- I
started to panic. Her sister called me back and told me that the
military was at her house and that I needed to come there. There
Casualty Assistance Officer, CAO, yeah, he's got to work within the
confines of the law and stuff like that and he did everything that he
possibly could for me. I mean it's a sad statement that three soldiers
lost their lives and all three of them were married. But one of the
soldier's spouses wasn't treated -- She was treated as if she was
single. If someone else had another gay spouse is to through this and
they don't have any of that -- if they don't have family support and
they are not in the military, it's too easy for them to get shut out and
not have any rights whatsoever. The military can't do anything with
DOMA [Defense Of Marriage Act] being changed. That's just the bottom
line.
Sandra
Johnson: They gave their life for their country. They served their
country. Man, woman, it doesn't matter. They served their country.
Staff
Sgt Tracy Dice: It's a sad state of affairs that America would let one
of their soldiers fall and not take care of the soldier's spouse.
Regardless of who that spouse is. And that is a sad statement. We gay
soldiers have been here the entire time. And we're not going to go
away. Everybody just knows about us now.
Tracy
Dice is thought to be the first widow from a same-sex marriage since
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was lifted. Who's going to implement policies in
favor of Dice and others in similar situations? Who's going to advocate
for them? They are part of today's military and they serve with
honor. Will a homophobe like Chuck Hagel be able to honor their
service? It's a valid question. As Mark Thompson (Time magazine) observed
last month, "With the end of 'Don't ask, don't tell' and the growing
legalization of same-sex marriages come the challenges of adopting
military life to new mores." And Hagel can provide leadership on that
issue?
Who will they look to
In whose hands will their future lie
Who's going to tell them, "Stand up again.
Why not, why not give it one more try?"
One of the two biggest issues facing the military right now is the rate of rape and assault in the ranks. Laura Bassett (Huffington Post) notes
that Hagel's "past opposition to abortion rights for rape victims in
the military does not seem to be a sticking point for progressives."
It's cute the way the media ignores left criticism of the choice of
Hagel. I thought Daily Kos was supposed to be the home of 21st century
progressivism? As FloraLine pointed out at Daily Kos: He
voted six times for banning servicewomen from being able to get an
abortion in military medical facilities WITH THEIR OWN MONEY even if
they are stationed in countries where abortion is forbidden for
civilians (and he succeeded). In twelve years' time. He also thinks
pregnancies caused by rape are "irrelevant" when talking about his
no-exceptions-anti-choice position because they don't happen a lot
- while fully knowing that a servicewoman is twice as likely to be
raped by a fellow American than a civilian is, even, and that the
majority of abortions in the military are performed because the subject
was raped. Hagel's past has had more than serious consequences for
hundreds, if not thousands, of valuable people in the military. Many
people got fired for returning home to be able to get an abortion, while
many others' careers were terminated because (surprise!) literally
forcing unwanted pregnancies to continue creates single moms.
I
need feminist media. Please let me know when one emerges. Seeing that
Ms. is silent as Chuck Hagel is named the Secretary of Defense nominee
indicates we can't count on Ms. Too bad for our sisters in the military
considering Hagel's record. But don't worry, the junior Senator from New
Hampshire just knows everything's going to work out fine and Hagel's a
blessing.
Point of fact, he's anti-choice don't tell me that won't
impact the way resources are allotted, the way the command responds to
rape and so much more.
I long for Ms. to stop being the kid sister of the Democratic Party and start being the voice of feminism.
Every year Martha and Shirley do the community book review, the most recent being " 2012 In Books." Meanwhile
the whoring never ends as those who should stand up stay silent or go
along. There is no strength or honesty in our political 'leaders.'
Tune them out and listen to One Direction's " Kiss You"
(written by Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha, Shellback, Kristian
Lundin, Albin Nedle and Kristoffer Fogelmark) which has more passion,
strength and guts then anything you'll find in Congress and might
actually help you through the day -- something our Congress no longer
cares about doing. If that seems harsh, I'm not expecting them to
lead on Barack's other nominee today, John Brennan to be CIA Director.
Drone Warrior Brennan should be behind bars. For more on Drone Warrior
Brennan, read Howard LaFranchi's piece for the Christian Science Monitor. This is from Jon Swaine (Telegraph of London):
A
career spy who served as CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia, Mr Brennan
was also accused of being complicit in the agency's torture of terror
suspects under former president George W. Bush.
Controversy
over his involvement in the so-called "enhanced interrogation
techniques" is believed to have prevented Mr Obama from nominating Mr
Brennan to lead the CIA after his 2008 election win.
He promised to ensure the work of the CIA "always reflects the liberties, the freedoms, and the values that we all hold dear".
Alice Ollstein: Yet many legal rights and human rights experts including the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International
are critical of Brennan's involvement in and support for the Bush era
torture program, the NSA's wiretapping and ongoing drone strikes
overseas. Some of these concerns stymied Brennan's nomination for the
same job in Obama's first term. Brennan was the first Obama
administration official to speak openly about the targeted drone killing
program. Yet he and that agency refused to disclose to Congress or the
public who was on the so-called 'kill list' and why as well as the
legal justification for signature strikes that target anyone in a
certain area with certain characteristics. Because of this, Zeke
Johnson with Amnesty International questioned Obama's praise of
Brennan's transparency values.
Zeke
Johnson: So much is still shrouded in secrecy that the government --
sorry, the public still doesn't have enough information to even fully
know what's happening in our names.
At
the US State Dept today, Victoria Nuland briefed the press on the day's
nonsense. She avoided Iraq and the declawed tabbys that pass for the
press allowed it. It's strange that Icky Vicky, poster girl for the
neocons and Dick Cheney's former Deputy National Security Advisor, finds
time to falsely attack Iraqi protesters and accuse them of violence but when the Iraqi military attacks protesters, she has nothing to say.
Sunday, students demonstrated in Anbar Province, Al Mada reports, and planned for the Ramadi sit-in to cotninue today on the 92nd anniversary of the establishment of the Iraqi army. December 20th, Nouri ordered the arrest of 150 workers (including bodyguards) of Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi. Daniel R. DePetris (CNN) explains:
Late
last month, apparently with no notice from Iraq's security ministries
or the prime minister's office, Iraqi police scrambled into the Finance
Ministry building and detained roughly 150 bodyguards
who worked for Rafa al-Issawi, al-Maliki's chief minister for financial
affairs. Dozens of those guards were later released upon further
questioning, but police kept nine and charged them with
terrorist-related offenses.
Issawi is not
only a member of a staunch anti-al-Maliki party, Iraqiya, led by former
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, but also happens to be one of the
government's top Sunni officials. Predictably, Issawi reacted to the
arrests with complete shock and some understandable anger, arguing that
he was not even consulted about the sweep.
But
Issawi was not the only one angry over the operation. After news broke
that the Shia-led government was once again targeting the staff of a
top Sunni politician, tens of thousands of Iraqis
from the country's Sunni heartland flocked to the streets in protest.
The protests were so large that the major highway connecting Baghdad to
Jordan and Syria was blocked, sending a symbolic message to al-Maliki
that his support among the Sunni community, particularly in Anbar
Province, has hit new lows.
The next day, December 21st, the protests start -- from that day's snapshot:
After morning prayers, Kitabat reports,
protesters gathered in Falluja to protest the arrests and Nouri
al-Maliki. They chanted down with Nouri's brutality and, in a move that
won't change their minds, found themselves descended upon by Nouri's
forces who violently ended the protest. Before that, Al Mada reports, they were chanting that terrorism and Nouri are two sides of the same coin. Kitabat also reports
that demonstrations also took place in Tikrit, Samarra, Ramdia and just
outside Falluja with persons from various tribes choosing to block
the road connecting Anbar Province (Falluja is the capitol of Anbar)
with Baghdad. Across Iraq, there were calls for Nouri to release the
bodyguards of Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi. Alsumaria notes demonstrators in Samarra accused Nouri of attempting to start a sectarian war.Alsumaria notes
that along with the arrests of al-Issawi's staff, the protests are
fueled by the cry for the release of innocent detainees and prisoners
and the treatment of women in prisons and detetion centers plus those
who have tortured and raped women have not been punished. All Iraq News notes
Iraqiya MP Shaalan Karim called out the treatment of women in prisons
and detention centers yesterday and that he decried the lack of
accountability for the crimes and the refusal to punish security
forces who have raped.
The weeks of protest have not resulted in good press for Nouri. The National notes
Shamlan Al Essa's Al Ittiahd column which includes, "Iraqi analysts say
stability and harmony are highly unlikely in Iraq, and so is economic
welfare. Some opine that the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al Maliki, will
not succeed in introducing reform, facing corruption and establishing
the rule of law, amid an environment fraught with mistrust and
bickering." Abdullah Al Shayji (Gulf News) states,
"Iraq has descended by the end of 2012 and early 2013 into a
dysfunctional, sectarian, divided society with a real fear of civil war
rearing its ugly head again. " The editorial board of Gulf News weighs in with:
The
current government has been unable to bring about much-needed stability
in Iraq. In addition, it has failed dramatically in bringing all the
various groups together, thereby creating a national unity platform that
envisions a stable future for the country.
The
voices of protests against the Al Maliki government have been steadily
getting louder as was witnessed recently and many parties have come
together to highlight their dismay at the manner in which the country's
affairs are being run.
More negative assessments are easy to find. The Middle East North Africa Financial Network notes:
Al-Maliki's
main concern is only to stay in power, but he faces several obstacles,
primarily that this is his second and last term as prime minister.
Although he has sought to amend the constitution to allow himself a
third term, he has not yet succeeded. Al-Maliki may not complete his
current term and thus now seeks alternative measures such as the
dissolution of Parliament before it votes against him, and holding early
elections.
Recent protests may mark the beginning of the first
battle. Al-Maliki, who failed to collect enough votes in the elections,
was appointed through a coalition and was given votes by the Shiite
and Sunni Kurd parties.
However, this coalition's alliance equation
has changed. As such, now he is open to an alliance with his opponents,
whether it is the Shiite Sadrists or Sunni Arabs that are grouping
against him through demonstrations and statements that surfaced in the
last few days following the pursuit of another Sunni leader, Finance
Minister Rafa Al-Essawi. Al-Maliki removed almost all the Sunni leaders
and got involved in a confrontation with the Kurds in northern Iraq for
reasons that seem to be linked to Iran's desire to make way for Syria to
save the beleaguered Assad regime.
Al-Maliki marginalized Shiite
leaders such as Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, who had more right to the
premiership, and sensible politicians such as Adel Abdul Mahdi. He is
getting closer to Iran, and willing to do anything it demands to stay in
power.Dar Addustour notes
that Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi is meeting with the heads
of various blocks -- including the Kurds, Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc,
Iraqiya, the Yazidis -- to discuss calling Nouri before Parliament for
questioning. Among the topics supposedly being discussed are a vote to
withdraw confidence in Nouri. Sunday, Prashant Rao (AFP) reported
on the continued call for early elections (parlimentary, not the
provincial ones that are set for April). Nouri's used that as a threat
throughout 2012. When Ayad Allawi called him on it last week, Nouri
was caught off balance. All Iraq News notes
that State of Law is now saying that dissolving the government is
something they will resort to only after exhuasting all other options. Nouri's apparently not the only one with hesitation. Wael Grace and Ayad al-Tamimi (Al Mada) report that dissolving the Parliament will increase Nouri's power. Al Sharquiya reports
that Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi is stating if Parliament were to be
dissolved, this would destroy Iraq because it is the only body that
represents the people.
For the record, I'm not a 'progressive.' I'm a liberal and I'm a feminist.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2013
Media Contact: Heather Cronk, heather@getequal.org, (202) 505-5217
LGBT Civil Rights Organization Calls on President Obama to Abandon Hagel as Nominee for Secretary of Defense
WASHINGTON,
DC — Below is a statement from GetEQUAL — a national civil rights
organization working for the full federal equality of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender Americans — about the possible nomination of
Chuck Hagel to the position of Secretary of Defense. The statement
should be attributed to Tanya Domi, chair of GetEQUAL's board and a
former Army officer who served honorably for 15 years:
GetEQUAL
strongly opposes the potential nomination of Chuck Hagel to become the
next Secretary of Defense. Hagel has, time and time again, taken every
opportunity to lambast and denigrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) Americans, and the Cabinet is no place for this kind
of disrespect.
Hagel's recent apology for
his insulting comments about the nomination of James Hormel as U.S.
Ambassador to Luxemborg was hollow, politically expedient, and nakedly
gratuitous. The Defense Department has made important strides toward
creating an inclusive Armed Forces, but has miles left to go —
nominating Hagel to lead the Defense Department would be a staggering
step backward for the LGBT community and an upheaval of President
Obama's past support for the LGBT community.
During
his years in Congress, Hagel consistently opposed the advancement of
civil rights for LGBT Americans. A Hagel nomination would throw
President Obama's support for LGBT civil rights into deep suspicion.
Following yesterday's signing of an NDAA that includes a new "conscience
clause" designed to permit discrimination in the military by chaplains,
the LGBT community is looking for leadership at the Defense Department
that will remove discriminatory practices from the Armed Forces -- not
cement those practices.
GetEQUAL
strongly recommends that President Obama nominate a new leader at the
Pentagon who will fully and fairly implement the Military Readiness
Enhancement Act and who will provide leadership to create
anti-discrimination policies that will extend respect and dignity for
LGBT service members and their families, extend benefits to same-sex
partners of service members, and provide a pathway for transgender
service members to finally serve their country openly and honestly.
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