Black Agenda Report has been bringing you news, commentary and
analysis for all of eight years now. It's time for us to ask you, our
friends, readers and supporters for money.
Black Agenda Report was the first to blow the whistle on the Obama administration's participation in the bipartisan campaign to privatize public education, when in December 2008 we told our national audience who Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was and what he stood for. Black Agenda Report was the first, and among the only places to ask why the closing of 40 mostly black public schools at a time in Philadelphia was not national news.
Black Agenda Report has been nearly alone in pointing out first lady Michelle Obama's leveraging her image to boost Wal-Mart as the solution to urban food deserts. The Black Agenda Report crew was writing about mass incarceration back in 2005, a full five years before the debut of Michelle Alexander's book on the subject, and long before the black attorney general allowed the phrase to pass his lips. We were also the first to run a pre-publication interview with Michelle Alexander as well.
Black Agenda Report was the first to blow the whistle on the Obama administration's participation in the bipartisan campaign to privatize public education, when in December 2008 we told our national audience who Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was and what he stood for. Black Agenda Report was the first, and among the only places to ask why the closing of 40 mostly black public schools at a time in Philadelphia was not national news.
Black Agenda Report has been nearly alone in pointing out first lady Michelle Obama's leveraging her image to boost Wal-Mart as the solution to urban food deserts. The Black Agenda Report crew was writing about mass incarceration back in 2005, a full five years before the debut of Michelle Alexander's book on the subject, and long before the black attorney general allowed the phrase to pass his lips. We were also the first to run a pre-publication interview with Michelle Alexander as well.
Black Agenda Report has been nearly alone in pointing out first lady Michelle Obama's leveraging her imageback in 2005, a full five years before the debut of Michelle Alexander's book on the subject, and long before the black attorney general allowed the phrase to pass his lips. We were also the first to run a pre-publication interview with Michelle Alexander as well. to boost Wal-Mart as the solution to urban food deserts. The Black Agenda Report crew was writing about mass incarceration
Black Agenda Report also pointed out how the Congressional Black Caucus has leased itself out to banksters, telecommunications corporations, for-profit colleges and other interests.
Unlike many, who only reprint stuff published elsewhere, Black Agenda Report manages, on a minimal budget, to produce five to seven pieces of original written content each and every week, along with original radio commentaries and interview shows each week. Right now we are upgrading and migrating our site and its eight years of archives to servers under our own management, which will enable us to deliver our product in a much better package, and with new services and opportunities for engagement as well.
We're doing the work that few others are, and we think it's work that deserves your support.
Please, help us keep doing what we do with a one-time contribution. For that, click the "DONATE" button below. Or, better yet a recurring monthly contribution in any amount. To do that, click one of the "SUBSCRIBE" button.
I'm plugging them for a number of reasons.
1) They don't whore.
2) They sometimes piss me off.
Not weekly, but probably every six or so weeks.
And that's good.
I don't want MSNBC giving me comfort food.
3) In a hugely White web, they are a Black voice.
I run a little site here. And my first three years, this was a comic novel about how Nicholas Kristoff and Thomas Friedman 'helped' and 'rescued' a woman from another country (kidnapped an American woman working at a super store in New Jersey).
Then I set that aside and now this is about other things as well.
But I suffer no pretense that I'm some amazing blogger or some site that changes the world.
But I had the sweetest e-mail from a 14-year-old who told me she's going to start her blog when she's out of high school and she is glad that I and twelve other Black bloggers (she listed them) are out here because we show it can be done.
I may not do much else but, girl, I can represent.
Black Agenda Report does so much more than just represent but the represent is not to be overlooked.
We need Black voices.
The Root is too corporatist for me but I'm glad it's there and I try not to rip into it.
But BAR is the outlet that speaks to and for so many of us and that's important.
4) BAR also speaks for non-Blacks. They cover Latino issues and do so seriously. They cover environment and ecology issues. They cover prison issues.
They cover so many important issues and the issues really are universal ones.
5) They cover war.
Not like fake ass Amy Goodman, they cover real war.
They were among the very few loudly calling out Barack's attack on Libya.
6) I don't want to think of a web without an active and present Black Agenda Report.
On another note, yesterday, Kat's "Kat's Korner: Lenny chooses to strut" and "Kat's Korner: Prince, you wonder if you take him h..." went up covering Lenny Kravitz and Prince's new albums.
I love all three and will share my thoughts tomorrow.
"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
There's a lot of embarrassment to cover today so let's open with something strong. US Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following today:
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES CONTACT: Murray Press Office
Monday October 20, 2014 (202) 224-2834
JBLM: Murray to Deliver Remarks at Washington State Service Member for Life Transition Summit
Murray will commend JBLM for leading the charge in helping servicemembers transition successfully to civilian life
Will lay out steps to build on progress, ensure all veterans are connected with care, professional opportunity
(Washington, D.C.) –
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 21st, U.S.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will deliver remarks at the Washington State
Service Member for Life Transition Summit, a three-day conference
focused on connecting veterans, transitioning servicemembers,
and their families to meaningful professional opportunities.
In
her remarks, Murray will reflect on the progress made so far toward
helping servicemembers in Washington state and across the country
transition successfully to civilian
life, lay out specific steps to build on this progress going forward,
and call for continued commitment to uphold our responsibility to those
who have bravely served our nation.
WHO: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
WHAT: Senator Murray will deliver remarks at the Washington State Service
Member for Life Transition Summit.
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 21st
12:00 PM PST
WHERE: Joint Base Lewis-McChord
American Lakes Conference Center (Access directed once on base)
###
So that's tomorrow and that's the strong.
Let's turn now to the weak and embarrassing.
Andrew White.
We ignore the British creep.
We don't take known liar's seriously.
In 2006, the repugnant White testifed that there were no Jews present in Iraq. It was a lie and when he learned reporters had been present, he had a hissy fit.
Not that he lied under oath, no.
He had a hissy fit that reporters might report he lied under oath.
(Only one outlet did.)
White's the White Bwana of Baghdad. He presents himself as Lady Bountiful, ministering to the Iraqis. But he's also cooperated with the regime, passed on information, ratted out people.
All of which is why he's not wanted in Baghdad currently.
We usually ignore all of that and ignore him.
But Adam Ashton (McClatchy Newspapers) chose to report on White or 'report.'
White's in the US.
Campaigning, apparently, for Republicans in the 2014 mid-terms.
Doing so at US churches.
Oh, if only Lois Lerner were still around, no doubt she'd be on the phone to immigration seeing how to toss White out of the country.
From Ashton's report or 'report':
His blamed the latest plight of Iraqi Christians on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in December 2011.
“The reason we had this tragedy now is because you came in and you left us too soon. We weren’t ready to be left,” he said, in encouraging the Life Center congregation to vote for politicians who would not have left Iraq.
For those who don't know the fake ass, White cheered on the Iraq War. When it grew very unpopular, he tried to publicly pretend otherwise.
For a so-called man of the cloth, he sure lies frequently.
I wasn't aware that was now allowed and encouraged in the Anglican Church.
He supported the Iraq War, cheering it on. And now he's come to the United States to spread the 'good' word that Iraq needs more war and that Americans should vote for politicians who want more US troops in Iraq.
Is it really true that the fake ass couldn't pass an audit if his books were looked at? There have been lots of improvements to his British home in recent years that have neighbors scratching their heads in wonder over the ability of a 'simple man of the cloth' to repeatedly foot the bills for.
Moving from one fake ass to another, Susan Rice. In the October 15, 2014 snapshot, we were taking on her many lies uttered on NBC's Meet The Press. Let's zoom in:
Offical Benghazi Liar Dirty Rice: Our air campaign is off to a strong start and we've seen very
important successes in places like Mosul Dam, Sinjar Mountain, where we
were able to rescue many tens of thousands of civilians at risk. And
this is going to take time. So it can't be judged by merely what happens
in one particular town or in one particular region. This is going to
take time and the American people need to understand that our aim here
is long-term degradation and building the capacity of our partners.
The success of Mount Sinjar!
Kind of like the 'success' of Benghazi, eh, Susan?
Rice has a habit of spinning people left behind and forgotten as a mission accomplished.
Alsumaria reports today that Yezidi MP Haji Kndorjsmo is calling for the government to rescue 700 families who are still trapped on Mount Sinjar.
700 families?
If we pretend all are limited to three people, we've got 2100 Yazidis still trapped on Mount Sinjar all these months later and only one week after Dirty Rice went on national TV and lied.
Again.
Ahmed al-Hamadani (Al Arabiya) reports, "Local Sinjar Protection Forces holding back ISIS militants are quickly running out of supplies and ammunition and have sent out emergency appeals to U.S.-led coalition forces for help, the source said." The Washington Post's Loveday Morris Tweeted:
-
Yazidis desperate for air assistance as ISIS advances on Mount Sinjar in northern
#Iraq. Lost two villages today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/islamic-state-seizes-two-yazidi-villages-as-it-advances-on-mount-sinjar/2014/10/20/63cd2a22-9292-4c42-9ff5-41d430ec2819_story.html …
Loveday Morris
Last night, BBC News noted a suicide bomber detonated in a Baghdad mosque taking his own life and the lives of 18 other people. Xinhua added the toll rose to 22 dead (with twenty-five more injured). Sunday's violence also included 12 people killed in Falluja. Iraqi Spring MC reports that the Iraqi forces continue to shell residential neighborhoods in Falluja and these bombings killed 12 civilians with ten more left injured.
Violence continues in Iraq. And it's not just the hundreds the US and others kill via dropping bombs -- all of whom the US insists were 'terrorists.' Violence also includes other incidents. Such as, National Iraqi News Agency notes that Karbala has been slammed with car bombings repeatedly today. Al Jazeera counts five bombings in all with at least 15 people killed and their correspondent Imran Khan states, "The month of Muharram has seen a spike in violence, particularly sectarian violence in the past. But since ISIL took over huge swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, we are expecting this to be much more bloodier than we've seen in previous years." Alsumaria reports that two men were strangled and their bodies dumped in Kirkuk.
AFP notes that for the second day in a row a suicide bomber has targeted a Baghdad mosque and today's bombing left 11 dead (plus the bomber).
All Iraq News notes a Mosul suicide bomber who took his own life and the lives of 7 Peshmerga with twenty-six more Peshmerga injured. National Iraq News Agency notes a Mosul roadside bombing left 2 people dead. and an al-Jubouri home invasion left Nimrod Police Chief Mohammed Hassan al-Jubouri and his son dead.
In addition, they note that 1 person was shot dead in Baghdad and "A police source said that a suicide bomber, wearing an explosive belt, blew himself up inside the Kayrat Husseiniah in the Syed Sultan Ali area in central Baghdad, killing four and wounding 12 others."
Press Association reports:
Prime minister Haider Abadi, who took office last month, met on Monday with top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in the southern city of Najaf. He said after their talks that Mr Sistani welcomed the recent formation of the government that Mr Abadi now leads.
The spiritual leader wields considerable influence among Iraq's Shia majority, and the meeting carried symbolic significance because Mr Sistani has shunned politicians in recent years to protest at how they run the country.
All Iraq News quotes al-Abadi stating, "Ayatollah Sistani hailed the formation of the Iraqi government and agreed with it over rejecting the deployment of the international troops in Iraq."
al-Sistani was applauding Saturday's news: the Iraqi Parliament voted in a Minister of Defense and a Minister of Interior -- the first time since spring 2010 that the positions have been filled. Mohammed Ghaban is the new Minister of Interior (over the federal police and prisons) and Khaled al-Obeidi is the new Minister of Defense.
Saturday, in Boston, US Secretary of State John Kerry noted the accomplishment, "And on another note, I might just report we had a very positive step forward in Iraq today with the selection of a minister of the interior and a minister of defense. These were critical positions to be filled in order to assist with the organizing effort with respect to ISIL. So we’re very pleased. We congratulate Prime Minister Abadi and we look forward to working with them as we continue to grow the coalition and move forward." Vice President Joe Biden's office issued the following:
Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
Vice President Biden spoke this morning with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The Vice President congratulated Prime Minister Abadi on the selection and approval of seven new cabinet ministers, including new Ministers of Defense, Finance, and Interior. For the first time since 2010, Iraq now has a full slate of national security ministers approved by the Council of Representatives. The Prime Minister and Vice President discussed the work ahead, including steps to rebuild Iraq’s security forces and enlist all of Iraq’s communities in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement Saturday:
France
congratulates the Iraqi prime minister on the appointment of the
ministers of defense and interior, thereby completing the government
that was formed on September 8, and on the swearing in of the Kurdish
ministers. When he spoke to the press yesterday in Beijing, Mr. Laurent
Fabius welcomed the formation of this inclusive government, which will
guarantee unity and effectiveness in Iraq’s fight against Daesh.
The conditions are
now right for the government to start working toward resolving, in a
spirit of unity, the numerous challenges facing the country. The fight
against Daesh requires resolute action with respect to security. In
order to build trust, gestures must be made toward the various
components of Iraqi society.
In these difficult circumstances, France continues to stand alongside Iraq.
Also weighing in was cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr. National Iraqi News Agency reports:
The cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr said nomination the ministers of defense and interior is an important step towards improving the political and security situation and service, calling what he described as "jihadist forces" to hand liberated territories to the army and police.
He said in a statement that "the government's success in the inauguration of the security ministries is another important step towards improving the political and security situation and the service, after the failure of the previous government."
Of Khaled al-Obeidi, Al Jazeera notes, "Obeidi belongs to the party of Vice President Usama al-Nujaifi and is a confidant of his brother Atheel al-Nujaifi, the governor of Nineveh province that was overrun by Sunni ISIL forces." They quote their reporter Imran Khan declaring the two appointments "will be relieving to the international community, especially countries involved in the coalition fighting the ISIL."
On the topic of Mohammed Ghaban, Loveday Morris (Washington Post) offers:
Iraq’s parliament voted Saturday to put an affiliate of an Iranian-backed paramilitary group in charge of a key security ministry, a move that could strike a serious blow to efforts to unite Sunnis and Shiites to wrest back their country from Islamist extremists.
The new interior minister is Mohammed Ghabban, a little-known Shiite politician with the Badr Organization. But there is little doubt that Hadi al-Amiri, head of the party and its military wing, will wield the real power in the ministry.
At the US State Dept today, spokesperson Marie Harf failed yet again at her job. This was the first press briefing since last Friday. This is when she should have announced movement on the political front as evidenced by the completion of the Cabinet. Instead, she completely ignored the topic while noting two US officials were going to gallivant around the globe working (yet again) on the military aspect.
Did US President Barack Obama insist that the only solution for Iraq was a political solution or didn't he?
You'd never know by the constant screw ups of the State Dept but, yes, Barack did say that it required a political solution.
When they finally have something to trumpet, the State Dept yet again misses the point and confuses themselves with the Defense Dept.
Lelia Fadel has a strong report for All Things Considered (NPR -- link is audio and transcript) and we may note it tomorrow but we'll link to it tonight regardless. All Iraq News notes Parliament is in session today and only 205 MPs attended. Alsumaria adds that Parliament is supposed to receive a budget by Wednesday.
For those who missed it, the previous prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, never managed to present a 2014 budget.
Yesterday, UNAMI noted:
A report published Sunday by the UN
Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documents the alarming rise in
executions carried out by Iraq since the restoration of the death
penalty in 2005.
The report documents that the number of executions carried out in
Iraq rose substantially between 2005 and 2009. In 2009, 124 people were
executed. Despite a drop in the implementation rate in 2010, the number
of executions significantly increased between 2011 and 2013,
culminating in the hanging of 177 individuals in 2013. Between 1 January
and 30 September 2014 at least 60 people have been executed. Executions
are often carried out in batches in Iraq – on one occasion in 2013, up
to 34 individuals were executed in a single day.
As of August 2014, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Justice, some 1,724 prisoners are awaiting execution. This number includes those sentenced to death at first instance, those on appeal, and those awaiting implementation of their sentences.
“UNAMI and OHCHR have repeatedly voiced concerns about observed weaknesses of the Iraqi justice system,” the report states. “Criminal investigations and judicial proceedings in death penalty cases frequently fail to adhere to international and constitutional guarantees of due process and fair trial standards.”
In over half of the trials involving the death penalty monitored by UNAMI, judges systematically ignored claims by defendants that they were subjected to torture to induce confessions, and in the remainder of cases they took little or no action. In nearly all cases, judges proceeded to convict the defendants and sentence them to death based solely, or substantially, on the weight of disputed confession evidence or the testimony of secret informants. Most defendants appeared in court unrepresented, and where the court appointed an attorney, no time was granted to the defendant to prepare adequately a defence.
As of August 2014, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Justice, some 1,724 prisoners are awaiting execution. This number includes those sentenced to death at first instance, those on appeal, and those awaiting implementation of their sentences.
“UNAMI and OHCHR have repeatedly voiced concerns about observed weaknesses of the Iraqi justice system,” the report states. “Criminal investigations and judicial proceedings in death penalty cases frequently fail to adhere to international and constitutional guarantees of due process and fair trial standards.”
In over half of the trials involving the death penalty monitored by UNAMI, judges systematically ignored claims by defendants that they were subjected to torture to induce confessions, and in the remainder of cases they took little or no action. In nearly all cases, judges proceeded to convict the defendants and sentence them to death based solely, or substantially, on the weight of disputed confession evidence or the testimony of secret informants. Most defendants appeared in court unrepresented, and where the court appointed an attorney, no time was granted to the defendant to prepare adequately a defence.
Lastly, David Bacon's latest book is The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration (Beacon Press). We'll close with this from Bacon's "LETTER FROM MEXICO #2, A Hero of Tlatelolco" (NACLA Reports):
MEXICO CITY (10/10/14) -- Every year on October 2 thousands of Mexican students pour into the streets of Mexico City, marching from Tlatelolco (the Plaza of Three Cultures) through the historic city center downtown, to the main plaza, the Zocalo. They're remembering the hundreds of students who were gunned down by their own government in 1968, an event that shaped the lives of almost every politically aware young person in Mexico during that time.
This year, just days before the march, the municipal police in Iguala, Guerrero, shot students from the local teachers' training college at Ayotzinapa. More demonstrations and marches are taking place all over Mexico, demanding that the government find 43 students still missing. Many speculate that graves found in Iguala contain their bodies - murdered by the same police, acting as agents of the local drug cartel. Students marching on October 2 were in the streets for them as well, aware that the bloody events of 1968 were not so far away in some distant past.
iraq
the modesto bee
adam ashton
all iraq news
national iraq news agency
alsumaria
the washington post
loveday morris
leila fadel
npr
all things considered
david bacon
