Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Why I'm a Green


Nancy Pelosi just said at her town hall that the Democratic Party doesn't get a lot of money from Wall Street. That's demonstrably false.



That.

Right there.

That kind of lying about the whoring.

I was raised a Green. 

Both of my parents are Greens.

But I could have broke with the pattern -- and I did marry a Democrat.

I don't break with the pattern.

And it's not just because the Democratic leadership is demonstrably whorish.

It's also because they then lie about it like we're too stupid to know the truth.



This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Wednesday, February 1, 2017.  Chaos and violence continue as does selective outrage.


A problem so many elected Democrats (as well as figure heads) are having in resisting or 'resisting' Donald Trump is that the only thing worse than the smell of fear is the smell of rank hypocrisy.








Dad died due to US-backed Saudi siege, mom lives in house broken by Saudi airstrike. Pelosi: "your family is suffering cos Trump's reckless"












Nancy Pelosi should have been dumped as House Minority Leader the minute she became that.

Another reason she should have been dumped?  She's a hypocrite whose public statements are embarrassing.

But most importantly, she has betrayed the voters repeatedly.

Who took impeachment off the table?

Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table.

In 2006, who said give us control of one house and we'll end the Iraq War?

Nancy Pelosi -- and America gave the Democrats control of both houses of Congress in that 2006 mid-term election.

They have no ethics.

Many sold out their ethics in the last 8 years to avoid calling out then-President Barack Obama.

Some, of course, never had ethics.





Destroying Yugoslavia and starving 500,000 Iraqi kids to death with sanctions though, that keeps America perfectly safe, doesn't it Maddie?













Madeline Albright is the Democrat's Henry Kissinger.

No, I don't mean she slept with Gloria Steinem.  (At least, not as far as I know, but good for them if they shared a moment.)

Just as Henry Kissinger is vilified by those of us on the left (except Gloria Steinem -- but, hey, she slept with Mort too, remember?), Maddie is vilified as well.

You have to wonder how she fails to grasp that reality?

She is hated around the world.

If she truly wanted to help the Democrats, she would shut up because she would know that anything she says only hurts whatever cause she's supposedly trying to help.

You can't kill children -- half a million -- and pompously say -- on TV -- that the cost was worth it and expect to be seen as a humanitarian.

I seriously have to wonder if those little voices in Mad Maddie's head whispering to her "Speak up!  Weigh in!" aren't actually the ghosts of Lee Atwater and Murray Chotiner?


An Iraqi woman has died.



Elderly green card-holder who'd lived in US since 1995 dies in Iraq after being refused reentry to US







We're noting Garance because she's not a drama queen -- this incident has resulted in many drama queens grabbing their tiaras and crawling out of the woodwork.

So a 75-year-old woman died.

That is sad.

It's not unheard of.

From the video report, which is not a medical report, it appears she would have gone at any second.


The son says, "I really believe this in my heart, if they would have let us in, my mom, she would have made it and she would have been sitting right here next to me.  She's gone because of him.”

These are the heartaches that happen every day with immigration.

I'm really happy for so many of you that this is novel and new.

How fortunate you are to have never been exposed to the heartaches that so many Americans experienced when they became Americans.

Heart ripping stories -- much worse than the 75-year-old woman's -- are a reality.

But good for you that you've been so sheltered and protected -- and, yes, uncaring -- that this is your first encounter with a hardship.

A woman dies of natural causes and you're horrified.

Is it because there's a video?

Is it just because Donald Trump is president?

I don't know.

I just know you weren't horrified or marching for the Ashraf residents.  Their deaths weren't by natural causes.  And their deaths were due to the US government.


A quick recap. Approximately 3,400 people were at Camp Ashraf when the US invaded Iraq in 2003.  They were Iranian dissidents who were given asylum by Saddam Hussein decades ago.  The US government authorized the US military to negotiate with the residents.  The US military was able to get the residents to agree to disarm and they became protected persons under Geneva and under international law.  When Bully Boy Bush was in office, they were protected and remained at Camp Ashraf.  That all changed when Barack Obama was sworn in as US President in January 2009.


After Barack became president, it was one attack on the residents after another.   July 28, 2009 Nouri launched an attack (while then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was on the ground in Iraq). In a report released this summer entitled "Iraqi government must respect and protect rights of Camp Ashraf residents," Amnesty International described this assault, "Barely a month later, on 28-29 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed into the camp; at least nine residents were killed and many more were injured. Thirty-six residents who were detained were allegedly tortured and beaten. They were eventually released on 7 October 2009; by then they were in poor health after going on hunger strike." April 8, 2011, Nouri again ordered an assault on Camp Ashraf (then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was again on the ground in Iraq when the assault took place). Amnesty International described the assault this way, "Earlier this year, on 8 April, Iraqi troops took up positions within the camp using excessive, including lethal, force against residents who tried to resist them. Troops used live ammunition and by the end of the operation some 36 residents, including eight women, were dead and more than 300 others had been wounded. Following international and other protests, the Iraqi government announced that it had appointed a committee to investigate the attack and the killings; however, as on other occasions when the government has announced investigations into allegations of serious human rights violations by its forces, the authorities have yet to disclose the outcome, prompting questions whether any investigation was, in fact, carried out."  Then they were moved to Camp Liberty which hasn't offered any additional protection.   There, the attacks continued, starting with an attack on February 9, 2013.  TREND NEWS AGENCY noted 10 dead and over one hundred injured.  PRENSA LATINA reported, " A rain of self-propelled Katyusha missiles hit a provisional camp of Iraqi opposition Mujahedin-e Khalk, an organization Tehran calls terrorists, causing seven fatalities plus 50 wounded, according to an Iraqi official release." More attacks followed including June 15, 2013 -- ALSUMARIA reported a mortar attack on Camp Liberty which left 4 of the former Camp Ashraf refugees dead and twenty-two people injured (16 were Iranaian and Ashraf refugees, 6 were Iraqi).



These deaths were the fault of the US government.

There was an obligation to protect the residents under the Geneva Conventions. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed that "since 2004, the United States has considered the residents of Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva Conventions."


But throughout Barack's first term nothing was done to protect them.

And nothing was done to relocate them.

I love those clutching the pearls over Donald being in violation of a court order.

In 2010, a federal court ordered Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to assess the status of the residents of Camp Ashraf (her husband's administration had put them on a terrorist watch list in the 90s).


She defied that order.

Congress then told her that she must make a determination in 180 days.  Those days came and went with Hillary still in defiance.


June 1st, 2012, Jamie Crawford (CNN) reports:

A federal appeals court has ordered Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to make a prompt decision on whether to remove an Iranian dissident group from the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia gave Clinton four months from Friday to deny or grant Mujahedeen-e-Khalq's request for removal from the list, or the court would issue a so-called writ of mandamus and remove the group itself.

"We have been given no sufficient reason why the secretary, in the last 600 days, has not been able to make a decision which the Congress gave her only 180 days to make," the court said in its ruling. "If she fails to take action within that (four month) period, the petition for a writ of mandamus setting aside the (foreign terrorist organization) designation will be granted."



Grasp that during this, the residents were being attacked by Iraqi forces.


Grasp that people were kidnapped from the camp.

Grasp that relocation was impossible while these residents were on a US terrorist list.

But Hillary resisted and defied.

And all the people protesting in January were no where to be seen.

To speak out in defense of the group was to be suspect.  Not just insulted but suspect.

Ed Rendell was persecuted for his defense of the residents.  I was 'unofficially' asked by the Justice Dept what my role was?  Patrick Kennedy was smeared.

All because the administration wanted to make the issue disappear.


It took courage to defend the residents.

And there family members and friends of the community in the US -- many in California -- who showed great bravery by protesting.  They'd show up for Congressional Committee hearings dressed in yellow.  California members of the House of Representatives stood with the Ashraf community.

Finally, with mere days left to comply with the latest court order, Hillary did something:






Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 28, 2012

The Secretary of State has decided, consistent with the law, to revoke the designation of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and its aliases as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and to delist the MEK as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. These actions are effective today. Property and interests in property in the United States or within the possession or control of U.S. persons will no longer be blocked, and U.S. entities may engage in transactions with the MEK without obtaining a license. These actions will be published in the Federal Register.
With today's actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK's past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on U.S. soil in 1992. The Department also has serious concerns about the MEK as an organization, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse committed against its own members.
The Secretary's decision today took into account the MEK's public renunciation of violence, the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MEK for more than a decade, and their cooperation in the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf, their historic paramilitary base.
The United States has consistently maintained a humanitarian interest in seeking the safe, secure, and humane resolution of the situation at Camp Ashraf, as well as in supporting the United Nations-led efforts to relocate eligible former Ashraf residents outside of Iraq.



Even then, re-settling dragged on.

And the US government wasn't rushing to welcome these residents.


You didn't know?  You didn't know or you didn't want to know?

As early as 2009, Democrats and Republicans in the House were talking about the need to protect the residents.


How can you not be aware of that?

How can you not be aware that the Iraq War continues.




  • Press Release: A total of 403 Iraqis killed and another 924 injured in acts of terrorism, violence & armed conflict in in January 2017

     




    : UN casualty figures Jan 2017: 403 Iraqis killed; 924 injured in acts of terrorism, violence & armed conflict




    Just out:  UN casualties figures for for the month of January 2017.
    Press Release here: 




    : 403 Iraqis killed and another 924 injured in acts of terrorism, violence & armed conflict in January 2017  -







    The following community sites -- plus THE NEWSHOUR, PACIFICA EVENING NEWS and Jody Watley updated:
























  • iraq




    Tuesday, January 31, 2017

    The whole media has lost its mind

    I feel sorry for Josh Rogin.

    I've seen him on TV a few times.

    He's completely seeing the world different than I do.

    That's fine.

    He seems like a nice guy.

    So I feel sorry that his scoops keep exploding.


    1. How many stories can Rogin get wildly wrong in the space of just one week? We shall see. He has to be approaching a new world record.
    2. Yesterday: the inimitable spreads rumors of an impending Executive Order by Trump to restrict LGBT rights. Today: oops, nevermind
       




    He can take comfort in the fact that it's not just him.

    Read "Media Collapse (Ava and C.I.)" because Ava and C.I. are just documenting one week of fake news.  And they're not claiming it's all the fake news.

    But read that and realize just how much lying and fake news the media's been spitting out.

    It's ridiculous.

    So Josh Rogin should know it's not just him.

    This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


    Tuesday, January 31, 2017.  The daily outrage is necessary to fill so many empty lives, as we shall see below.


    Let's talk about what's happened.

    And let's call a group The Debra Messings because that instantly conveys insanity.

    So you move into a neighborhood.  You paint your house, you move all your belongings in.

    Then The Debra Messings see your things.

    Well, they tell themselves, you seem okay there but you'd be much better there with a few changes.

    So they break into your home and put things the way they'd have them.

    And in the process, they destroy your home.

    Although it's crumbling now and falling apart, suddenly they notice someone has moved in next to you and they're off to 'renovate' that home as well.

    That's America.

    That's what we've done.

    We never dealt with the Iraq War.

    It was a war based on lies and none of the liars faced charges -- let alone a Congressional investigation.

    After the November 2008 election, we allowed the US media to 'retreat' or 'surrender.'

    They began decamping from Iraq.

    Before Dick Clark's Rocking New Years Eve of 2008 aired, ABC NEWS had already announced that they'd be rebroadcasting BBC NEWS clips to cover any developments in Iraq.

    And the American people were okay with that.

    Denial was the hallmark of Barack Obama's two terms as president.


    And for all the talk on the left (my side) about accountability, there was none.

    Not just no accountability for the leaders who were misleaders by voting for the illegal war or lying about it or any host of crimes.

    But there was no accountability for what we, as a country, did to Iraq.

    Every now and then Iraq Veterans Against the War would offer the crackpot idea that we should give money to the Iraqi government.

    The government that persecutes the Iraqi people?  The government of exiles that came to power because of the illegal war?


    That passed for 'paying attention' to Iraq.

    And busybodies, The Debra Messings, can't feel good about themselves.

    They're useless and their lives are meaningless.

    Which is how you get the non-stop cry for war on Syria.

    It's as though a new project will keep them busy.

    In Iraq, the US fights the Islamic State and al Qaeda and in Syria?

    It arms them.

    But no one's supposed to be logical.

    When this two-faced position leads to charges from the Arab world that we're funding and/or creating the terrorist menace, we tend to recoil with a how-dare-they look.

    But what else should they assume?


    We destroyed Iraq and then ignored it.

    While still feeling we were the ones to save Syria.

    President Donald Trump has put immigration on hold for seven countries while the regulations are re-examined.  Two of the countries are Syria and Iraq.

    And this has resulted in a lot of crazy being let loose.



    Interviewer: In 2011 President Obama banned people from Iraq—did that not concern you?

    Protester: No because I loved President Obama.










    Well how sweet for you.

    The Cult of St. Barack drank the Kool-Aid but Jim Jones didn't dose it so they're still with us.

    Passing themselves off as concerned and informed -- though, like most cult members, what they're concerned with and what they're informed about is highly questionable.






    Yesterday I sat down with Jake Tapper to discuss my trip to Syria. View the full interview here:










    We should not ban refugees from our country.  But we must address the root cause that is making people flee their homes— regime-change wars.








    The people fleeing don’t want to live in a refugee camp - they would rather be in their homes, in their own country.







    This is why we must end the counterproductive regime-change war in Syria that is causing tremendous suffering & death.






    And we'll note this:

    Veterans For Peace, a 140 chapter global organization that works to educate the causes and enormous costs and consequences of wars, this week endorsed the bipartisan Stop Arming Terrorists Act (U.S. House Resolution 608) that was recently introduced by U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2).
    If passed in Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, the act would making it illegal for federal government funds to be used to provide certain types of assistance to groups identified as terrorists or those identified as working with terrorists, including other nations. The act defines assistance as weapons, munitions, weapons platforms, intelligence, logistics, training and cash.

    “As veterans we took an oath to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States,” said Barry Ladendorf, president of Veterans For Peace. “The threat to the Constitution comes not from Russia, China or ISIL but from within the walls of Washington D.C. where the Congress and the Executive branch have enmeshed the country in ongoing unnecessary, illegal and unconstitutional wars.”
    Gabbard, who is a major in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard, also served in Iraq as a military police officer. She currently serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees in Congress.

    “Those who have seen and experienced war firsthand share a unique appreciation for the need for peace,” Gabbard said. “From Iraq to Libya and now in Syria, the U.S. has and continues to wage wars of regime change, each resulting in unimaginable suffering, devastating loss of life, and the strengthening of terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. I am grateful to have the support of Veterans for Peace for the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, and for their work to prevent the United States from continuing to pursue counterproductive, interventionist wars.”


    Tulsi Gabbard's Stop Arming Terrorists Act is an important bill.

    Maybe we could see some rallies for it?

    As for what's going on right now, I wonder what people thought immigration was before this month?

    They apparently have never heard the horror stories of the hoops that must be jumped through over and over just to go through the process as it already existed.


    Donald is now president.  He has paused immigration from seven countries for a review period of the existing guidelines.

    But it's being treated as though immigration is no more.

    People need to calm the hell down.



    “Now our family in the U.S. can’t even come to visit us, nor can we visit them"







    90 days is the review period.

    I think you can go 90 days without seeing family that are oceans apart.

    I believe many Americans have had to go much longer.

    If it bothers you that much, you can always go back to Iraq permanently.

    And maybe you should do so if a temporary pause is going to cause you so much grief.

    It is not as though you're in West Berlin and you're relatives have been relegated to East Berlin before the fall of the wall.

    Calm down.





    Iraqi Parliament Bans American Citizens’ Entry for 90 Days








    It is so very good to know that the Iraqi Parliament can still pass something.

    Took them forever to pass yearly budgets, for example, but it's good to know that they can come together -- in the face of a common enemy -- and do something.

    America, of course, being the common enemy.

    Even though it's the only thing that's kept the puppet governments in place in Iraq for the last years.


    Bethan McKernan (INDEPENDENT) warns that this ban means that Lukman Faily is banned.

    Now that's a loss.

    Without him Tweeting insults at Sunnis from the Iraqi embassy in DC, who will fill the void?

    Faily's actions -- not just his Tweets -- went against the Iraqi Constitution repeatedly.

    However, we're the only ones who covered Faily regularly.

    Now THE INDEPENDENT is interested in what he says.

    How sweet.

    In other obsessions passed off as news . . .




    Donald Trump has had a fixation on Iraq’s oil—and America’s right to seize it—for at least six years.








    But Donald Trump can't seize it.

    A point no one seems to get.

    It's already been taken by the corporations that want it and Iraq will be held in check (enslaved) forever thanks to the deals with the IMF and the World Bank.

    Deals that Antonia Useless ignored but deals Grand Ayatolloah Ali al-Sistani warned against.









    iraq