Friday, October 13, 2006

The Queen Bee Gets Stung

















My husband Thomas Friedman, gone but not gone far enough away.

He's found a new woman to dress up like, k.d. lang. I happen to love "Constant Craving" and her work with Tony Bennett. Doesn't mean I'd want to be married to someone who dresses like her.

But Thomas Friedman's decided to 'butch up' and I learned that not from him, who fortunately I haven't seen since last week, but from Gail Collins.

Poor Gail, she never saw it coming. Maybe the bushy brows, really "bushy brow," obscured her view.

She phoned all week.

Monday, she was so sure "Davy" could "no longer ignore the call of his loins."

He'd come up to her that day and, noting the love of large farm animals she'd once told him of, wondered if she'd ever thought of living on a farm?

"Betinna," Gail gushed, "I know he's planning his future and seeing me in it!"

Poor, clueless Gail. Once again not grasping that the "I like farm animals" line I fed her was my little joke on her. Her brain was like a mocking bird, beating fast, hovering but never really landing.

I got off the phone quickly with the excuse that I had an exam the following day.

Tuesday, she was at my door.

"Betinna, he brought up the farm again!" she chirped as she fluttered around my living room. "He even asked me if I knew JC Watts from the film 'Baby Boom.' You know what that means, right? He wants us to move to the farm!"

I tried to correct her that, in 'Baby Boom,' Diane Keaton's character doesn't move to a farm in Vermont with a man in tow. I also attempted to point out that Keaton's move comes only after she loses her job, her power job. Might David Brooks be attempting to tell her something?

"Oh, you're confusing movies," Gail insisted. "You're thinking of the one she got the Oscar for."

'Looking for Mr. Goodbar'?

No. In that one Keaton dies at the end, never sets foot on a farm. She does have sex a number of times and a jock strap clad, young Richard Gere might make the ending less harsh but there's no farm in the film.

"Well, it's one of the Woody Allen movies," Gail said dismissively.

She wanted to talk, instead, about the worry line that "Davy" was developing between his brows. She said it made him look "more intense" and reminded her of Mr. Darcy and then she was off in Jane Austen land and I tuned out thinking she would never get a life.

Forty minutes later, I must have forgotten to say "uh-huh" because she hissed that I wasn't listening.

I told her I was tired. She told me she'd seen my husband Thomas Friedman and explained how he was dressing like a female Elvis. Right away, I knew he'd dropped his Patty Hearst phase and switched to k.d.

She was bothered that I wasn't interested in hearing more.

Wednesday brought an excited call.

Davy had told her that, quote, "Sometimes people have a lot more to offer than they recognize and I think that's probably true of you."

"He gets me!" Gail squealed. "He really, really gets me! He gets my deepness. He gets my complexity. He gets the woman, he gets the girl!"

I was getting that my original suspicion that he was clueing her into a change coming down the pike was correct.

I thought of explaining to her that just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean that people aren't out to get you but she was already mad at me for asking how safe her job was?

"I am the most powerful woman in the newspaper business!" she snapped. "I edit the editorial page of the nation's paper!"

Yeah, and she writes weak ass editorials, takes orders from the editorial board (she got really mad when I reminded her of the time she was taken to the woodshed for getting a sandwich wrong -- mustard on pastrami) and really does nothing with her position.

She hasn't increased the output of women on the op-ed pages.

She hung up on me. No great loss.

But she called back to insist that "just being a woman and doing this job is feminism!"

No, sounds to me like it's Gail Collin-ism.

I pointed out that, most weeks, she ran two pieces by regular columnist Maureen Dowd and two pieces by women doing guest columns.

"Sounds pretty good to me," she pouted.

Monday through Saturday alone, there are at least four op-eds each day. Two are regular columnists, two are guests. Forgetting Sunday, that meant twelve guest columns ran each week. Two of those were usually women. Did she think that was a good record?

"Yes, I do, Betinna. Yes, I do. It's feminism! It's feminism because I'm picking the ten men whose guest columns I run each week. This is called 'progress.' Get it?"

No, I honestly didn't. And I reminded her that long before she ever started at the "New York Times," before Anna Quindlen was a contributer even, the paper had provided one token woman.

"We still have that!" she insisted.

I know they do. It's Maureen Dowd these days, it was Maureen Dowd before Gail got put in charge.

But, for instance, what if she had brought a woman columnist on board as a regular? She could have, when William Safire retired, she could have. She insisted that she had to replace him with a conservative, John Tierney.

I pointed out that when Bill Keller became executive-editor of the paper, he was replaced with David Brooks, a conservative. Was she calling the middle-of-the-road Keller a "conservative"?

No, she wasn't.

"All I know is that you introduced two new regular columnist. As the editor, you had a say in who got hired and who didn't. And both times, you went with White male, and both of them were conservative."

"Are you trying to play the race card, Betinna? Why do your people always do that? Is this your way of getting back at me for never noting Coretta Scott King's passing in an editorial or commissioning an op-ed about her passing?"

"Actually, Gail, I'm playing the woman card, not the race card," I said getting angry as I remembered how she could find time to write about the death of a friend at the same time she was ignoring Coretta Scott King's passing. "And if you want to know what I really think, I think you're a fraud. I think you're a phoney. I think a lot of women hoped you'd make a difference, hoped you used your power. But you weren't interested in anything but being the Queen Bee, the exception, as though you were so damn threatened that if another woman stood out, you wouldn't be noticed. I think you're disgusting. I think when you had two positions to fill and you went with White males both times, I think you proved you were disgusting and sexist."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Gail snapped at me. "I wrote a book on women who lived in the early part of this nation's history."

"Yeah, dead and gone. The way you like your women, so that they can't outshine you."

"Feminism owes me big! I am a breakthrough lady!"

"You're a queen bee who didn't do anything except push your own agenda. You didn't raise one woman up from the ranks. You're a joke."

"Well your husband doesn't think so! I know for a fact that he's been talking to Keller and higher up about me and the fact that 2008 will be an election year. He's reminding them how important that will be for the paper."

"Thomas Friedman hates you. If he's talking about you, that just means that the paper's firing you."

"You sure do know a lot for a colored woman from New Jersey!" Gail huffed.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, the term is 'African-American.' Well you already called me racist for ignoring the death of Coretta."

"Gail, you are a racist and you're a sexist and you're a queen bee. But what's this about New Jersey?"

Gail gasped and hung up the phone.

What was that New Jersey remark?

Did Gail know something about my life? Or was it a put down? Yeah, she's from Drew Carey's home state but she loves to picture herself as Carrie Bradshaw and the ultimate New Yorker. Was it a put down or did Gail know something?

She wouldn't return my calls. Thursday morning, I saw Davey Brooks "2008: The Prequel" and knew it was all over for Gail. The paper was making a big push for the 2008 election, which was two years away, and that was obvious by the fact that their economist continued to make electoral predicitions.

I figured I'd go confront her on the New Jersey remark and find out what she meant by that.

I arrived as she was packing her office. The word had come down.

"I wasn't fired," she hissed glaring at me, "I was demoted. There's a difference."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"There's a difference!"

She threw a leatherbound copy of "Emma" at me. If Gail was hurling Jane Austen, you knew it was serious. She didn't even bother to pick it up off the floor.

"I made a difference," she spat out apparently at me but she seemed to be attempting to convince herself with some inner dialogue vocalized out loud. "I proved that a woman can do it. She can do it. I made a difference and I shook things up. I left an impression."

I was pissed, both because of the New Jersey remark and because that book had come dangerously close to hitting my head.

"You leave nothing. You broke down no barriers for women on the op-ed pages. When you started the paper had one regular female columnist, Maureen Dowd, and you leave with the paper still having only one female columnist. All you did was bank a check and let the paper hide their sexism behind your name. You were just a name on the masthead."

Gail looked at me strangely. She was pissed. She had her head slightly down and her nostrils were flaring. She looked like a horse. She looked like Bo Derek trying to act. Obviously, Gail had been watching MyTV's "Fashion House."

Picking up her box, she walked up to me, looked me up and down, and then snarled, "Betinna, dear, go fornicate yourself."

Cackling, she strode out of what had been her office for five years -- already it was being repainted. There would be no trace of her left behind.

The official story was that she needed time to finish a sequel to her book -- that no one bought or read. She was supposedly stepping down and, no surprise, her replacement was a man.

I thought about how when, she became editor of the editorial pages, six men were regular columnists and only one woman was. I thought about how, when she started, broadcast television had three evening news shows and three male anchors. As she leaves, while the ratio at the paper is still one woman to six men, Katie Couric finally breaks through to become the first woman to be the sole anchor. More progress was made in broadcast TV than at the paper of record while Gail Collins was in charge. If there's any justice, that will be remembered when her badly written sequel comes out and some women feel the need to offer something nice just because she was 'a break through.' She never did anything with her position. Two columnist spots had to be replaced while she was in charge, both went to men.

Friday, I turned to the op-eds and there was my husband Thomas Friedman's "The Energy Mandate" confirming that he had been behind the ouster in his attempt to 'butch up.' His man date was with James Carville and Stan Greenburg and with the three of them (and not a woman even mentioned) hopefully someone got to second base.

She won't take my calls so I have no idea what New Jersey meant. As for the Queen Bee herself, she got stung. I put on Tori Amos' "The Bee Keeper" and danced around the apartment.

Is it sweet sweet
Sweet the sting
Is it real your infusion
Can it heal where others before have failed?
If so could somebody
Shake shake shake me sane
'cause I am inching ever closer to the tip of this scorpion's tail

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills)
Friday, October 13, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq; a coroner finds US forces guilty in the death of a reporter; war resister Ricky Clousing was court-martialed and sentenced yesterday; a British general grabs the headlines with his thoughts on Iraq; southern states in the US are polled on the war; Iraqi police continue to be an issue; and is that friendly person marching in the protest 'cool' or military intelligence?

Starting with Ricky Clousing who faced a court-martial yesterday and was charged with desertion but pleaded to AWOL. As the AP noted last night, Clousing will be confined for three months and "receive a reduction in rank before getting a bad conduct discharge." April Johnston (Fayetteville Observer) notes that the location Clousing will be defined has yet to be determined and charts the awakening of Clousing faced with realities in Iraq and his own spiritual beliefs which led him to self-check out "for nearly 14 months" before he turned himself in. Laurie Goodstein (New York Times) covers the awakening as well and notes that the military took the case seriously: "Yet the military prosecutors made it clear on Thursday that the stakes were high. Although they did not challenge his motives, they said if one young soldier disilluioned by the reality of war could give up the uniform punishment, what of others?"

Of course the military saw that the stakes were high. Clousing is part of a movement of war resistance within the military that only continues to grow. The US military grasps that. Does independent media?

Goodstein interviews Chuck Fager of the Quaker House who took Clousing's call: "This call was unusual. . . . I don't have these kinds of probing discussions about moral and religious issues very often. . . . I said to him, you're not crazy or a heretic for having difficulty reconciling Jesus' teachings with what's going on in Iraq."

Last Friday, war resister Darrell Anderson was released by the US military and informed that he would face a dishonorable discharge. Mark Wilkerson, Agustin Aguayo and Ehren Watada are war resisters currently awaiting word from the US military.Courage to Resist covers all public war resisters. Jeremy Hinzman, Brandon Hughey, Patrick Hart, Kyle Snyder and Corey Glass are among the war resisters who are attempting to be granted asylum by the Canadian government.

War resistance and other efforts to end the war come at a time when the American public has turned against the war and polls have tracked this trend for too long and it's too firm for for it to be shaken. CounterPunch News Services reports on a new poll from the Institute for Southern Studies and the School of Public and International Affairs at North Carolina which finds: "56% of Southerners believe the U.S. 'should have stayed out of Iraq'"; "Southerners are skeptical about the goals of the Iraq mission"; and "62% of respondents in the South said they were 'very sad' about the course of the war". CounterPunch reports: "The results signal a shift in Southern attitudes towards Iraq. As recently as July 2005, a Pew Center poll found 53% of Southerners believed using military force against Iraq was 'the right decision,' the highest level of support in the country."

Next week, October 19th, Vietnam war resister Dave Dellinger will speak about "Resistance to War in a Volunteer Army" at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South in Manhattan from seven pm to nine pm.

As the resistance grows, more voices speak out from all places and all areas. Richard Norton-Taylor and Tania Branigan (Guardian of London) report on the surprising statements of British General Richard Dannatt who "dropped a political bombshell last night by saying that Britain must withdraw from Iraq 'soon' or risk serious consequences for Iraqi and British society. In a blistering attack on Tony Blair's foreign policy, Gen Dannatt said the continuing military presence in Iraq was jeopardising British security and interests around the world." The BBC reports: "Tony Blair has said he agrees with "every word" the new head of the British Army said on the Iraq war. But the agreement depends upon a watered-down interpretation of the remarks. Regardless of how the remarks are interpreted, Australia's ABC reports that Chatty Cathy Brendan Nelson, who holds the title of Defence Minister in Australia, doesn't care: "So long as I remain Minister, we are there to see the job through." Of course, should the military inquiry into the April 21st Baghdad death of Jake Kovco do its job and apportion accountability (don't hold your breath), Nelson might not "remain Minister" for very long.


Last Friday, Nicholas Walshe testified at an inquest in London that he'd seen ITN reporter Terry Lloyd "shot in the head by US troops as he was driven away from a gunfight." Lloyd was killed March 22, 2003 as was Huseein Osman who was acting as interpreter. Fred Nerac, the camera operator, has never been found. CNN reports that Andrew Alker, the coroner, has ruled: "Terry Lloyd died following a gunshot wound to the head. The evidence this bullet was fired by the Americans is overwhelming."
Lynn Lloyd, wife of the late Terry Lloyd, is quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald stating that the US military "allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger happy cowboys in an area in which there were civilians travelling." The Pentagon denies any wrongdoing took place. CNN reports that Chelsey Lloyd wants justice in the death of her father and has stated of the US military: "They did not come to this inquist to explain their actions. Let them now do so in our criminal courts where they are guaranteed to get a fair trial." The BBC reports that the killing has been called a war crime by the National Union of Journalists and notes a statement by David Mannion ("editor in chief" ITN): "I have no doubt it was the fact that the vehicle stopped to pick up survivors that prompted the Americans to fire on that vehicle. I would also like to say something that I know Terry would have wished me to say. Independent, unilateral reporting, free from official strictures, is crucial; not simply to us as journalists but to the role we play in a free and democratic society."

Terry Lloyd died in March 2003 -- one of the early fatalities. And the chaos and violence continues.

Bombings?

Reuters reports that a bombing of police station in Hilla resulted in six deaths and 12 wounded. A later Reuters story reports the number wounded dropped to ten -- because two more moved over to the death column for a total of eight dead. CBS and AP note that the bomb was placed "under his [police commander] desk or chair, apparently by someone who evaded security". And the US military announced today that soldier died in Iraq on Thursday from "an improvised explosive device." [The death brought the US military fatality count to 46 for the month and 2759 since the start of the illegal war.]

Shootings?

Christopher Bodeen (AP) reports that two girls and six women were shot dead in Suwayrah (while two more were kidnapped), "a father and his two sons" were shot dead by in Baquba while another two people were shot dead elsewhere in Baquba.


Corpses?

CNN reports that, in Dhuluiya, the corpses of 14 people kidnapped on Thursday were discovered "dumped in an orchard". Reuters notes that seven corpses ("riddled with bullets") were discovered in Balad and another two were discovered "near Garma, near Falluja".

As the violence and chaos continue in Iraq, James Gordon Meek (New York Daily News) reports: "The Bush administration plans to shut down a highly successful Iraqi police academy in Jordan even as security in Iraq worsens, the Daily News has learned. The Jordan International Police Training Center near Amman will stop training Iraqi police recruits this year, having already graduated 40,000 cops from its eight-week course since 2004, U.S. officials confirmed." Meek notes that the Baghdad Police College "has to be rebuilt because of bungled construction." Confused? This follows Griff Witte's September reporting (Washington Post) on the issue of Parsons' "botched construction of a $75 million police academy in Baghdad so badly that human waste dripped from the ceilings" and, therefore, "posed a health risk".

This also follows the news from last week that the Eighth Brigade of the Second Division of the Iraqi National Police was the primary suspect in a mass kidnapping leading even the Giddiest Gabor in the Green Zone, Willie Caldwell IV, to declare:
"There was clear evidence that there was some complicity in allowing death squad elements to move freely, when in fact they were supposed to be impeding their movment. It was realized that removing them from Baghdad would, in fact, enhance security." The 'answer' then was 'retraining.' Retraining where may be the question to ask today. Of course, as James Hider (Times of London) noted last week, "US forces have been re-training the Iraqi police, but the programme has had little impact". Most recently, reporting on the mass slaying of the employees of the Baghdad TV station, both Kirk Semple and Qais Mizher (New York Times) and Ellen Knickmeyer and Naseer Nouri (Washington Post) noted that witnesses described the assailants as being clad in police uniforms and driving vehicles bearing the markings of the Iraqi police.

But not to worry. Gerald Burke (the American "National Security Adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior") tells AFP that the ministry he advises/controls 'budgets' for deaths of police officers and, currently, they're 'budgeting' for the death of 25 Iraqis each day. Sounds like just the thing to stress at the next Jobs Fair.


In peace news, the ACLU has released some documents. Are you now or have you ever been a peace activist? Chances are you've been spied upon during the illegal war in Iraq. The ACLU finds: "The documents show that the Pentagon was keeping tabs on non-violent protesters by collecting information and storing it in a military anti-terrorism database" and quotes attorney Ben Wizner stating: "When information about non-violent protest activity is included in a military anti-terrorism database, all Americans should be concerned about the unchecked authority this administration has seized in the name of fighting terrorism." Those with longer memories will recall the days of spying on peace activists, feminists, civil rights workers and basically anyone else 'guilty' of 'thought crimes.' (If your memory is short, click here.)

Meanwhile, Bob Watada, father of Ehren Watada, is nearing the end of the second speaking tour to raise awareness about his son -- Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. The upcoming dates include:


Sat 10/14 morning Press Conference San Diego
Contact: Reiko Obata 858-483-6018 email: watada@san.rr.com for San Diego events.

Sat 10/14 6:00 pm Lt. Watada Dinner/Fundraiser San Diego (suggested donation: $15)
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito, 1036 Solano Drive, Solano Beach

Mon. 10/16 4:30-5:30 pm National Lawyers Guild of San Diego
Room 300, Thomas Jefferson Law School, 2120 San Diego Ave, San Diego

To see the schedule in full, PDF, click here. More information on Ehren Watada can be found at Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org.



















Posted by at

Thursday, October 12, 2006

An award and news on Ricky Clousing found in the paper

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIX MIX & MIKEY LIKES IT & THOMAS FRIEDMAN IS A GREAT MAN & THE THIRD ESTATE SUNDAY REVIEW -- DC.

THIS JUST IN!

IDIOT OF THE WEEK, NON-GOVERNMENTAL DIVISION!

And the idiot of the week? Missy Kurzweil!

Writing in The Cornell Daily Sun, Kurzweil, a senior, demonstrated that Cornell has serious problems and there's something stinky in the "College of Agriculture and Life Sciences" as well as with the school paper itself. For instance:

a) Tom Cruise is not "someone who has played Maverick". Tom Cruise wasn't even in the film "Maverick". Mel Gibson played that role.

b) Kurzweil writes: "If Streisand absolutely must rally for the Democrats or deface President Bush, she should follow the example of Bono, lead singer of U2, who helped organize the Live 8 concert in July of 2005 with the specific (and publicized) purpose of making a political stand." Since Bono refuses to criticize Bully Boy publicly, how can Streisand "follow the example" Bono set and criticize him? And since when is "criticize" and "deface" the same term? Bono's a good little monkey for his organ grinder. Streisand showed some bravery.

c) When you're writing for a newspaper, you should get your words correct. This isn't a blog, it's a school newspaper. But Kurzweil writes for a paper and writes: "ardent democrat". That's Big-D, Missy, Big-D: "Democrat." Don't they teach politics in the college of Ag?

d) The idiot writes: "I dislike Bush as much as the next gal, maybe more. But my political views are totally irrelevant, as were Streisand’s on Monday night." Sounds like all of the idiot's "views" are irrelevant. Streisand isn't handing out an order of fries. She's an artist. Art comments on the world around it. We will agree with the idiot; however, when she writes "my own political views are totally irrelevant" -- and so is she.

e) The idiot also writes: "Kanye West’s infamous outburst at the televised Hurricane Katrina relief concert -- 'George Bush doesn't care about black people!' -- was no different. Sure, Kanye has a right to free speech and he certainly exercised it that day. He also got viewers to laugh mockingly at him for months to follow." Little Whitey and her friends apparently mocked and laughed at West. Well it's a White-White World for Missy. But maybe the laughter she's hearing is that she's again gotten her facts wrong. She can't even quote West correctly. "Doesn't like," Missy, "doesn't like." Not, "doesn't care." She really tired herself out writing this one.

Missy Kurzweil: Idiot of the Week -- and not afraid to show it to the world.But, good news for the Miss-ter, she can count on a career as a 'liberal pundit' for the mainstream rags -- she's proven she has no respect for facts, no respect for research and, note, she slams the ones who speak out against Bully Boy but never the Bully Boy or those who favor him. Missy Kurzweil, A Pundit Whore in waiting.

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

So Ricky Clousing had a court-martial today and did you even hear about it or read about in the media? Did your day start with a heads up to it and a note that there would be a rally today, that he would speak to the press? Where was independent media?

Clousing? He was on his own. He was at the mercy of the big media which has not demonstrated a great deal of interest in the subject.

The AP was there. From the AP's "Paratrooper gets three months confinement for going AWOL:"

A Fort Bragg paratrooper who says he left his military base because he disagreed with the U.S. mission in Iraq was sentenced to three months of confinement after pleading guilty Thursday to going absent without leave.
Sgt. Ricky Clousing, 24, of Sumner, Wash., also will receive a reduction in rank before getting a bad conduct discharge. His plea allowed him to avoid a more severe sentence for desertion.

Where was independent media?

David Miner, Clousing's attorney, is quoted as saying that Ricky Clousing doesn't regret his decision (by the AP). Good for him. He shouldn't. He should be proud of himself, he's demonstrated true bravery. But any war resister who wants to complain about the lack of coverage has every right to do so. Bob Watada is on his second speaking tour and who's interviewing him and who isn't?

Mark Wilkerson is in a state of limbo, awaiting to hear what charges will be brought against him. He was a one day news cycle and, if he's charged, after his hearing he might get another one-day cycle. It doesn't cut it.

Recommended: "Iraq Snapshot"
"Ricky Clousing stands trial today (and will the media cover it?)"
"Iraq moves further closer to dividing into three separate regions"
"Q&A (C.I.)"
"Call on Me"
"Is the media going to cover Ricky Clousing or not?"
"Bully Boy adds it up"
'THIS JUST IN! BULLY BOY SAYS: "THEY DON'T MATTS!"'
"Kat & Blogging (Betty)"
"Thomas Friedman's Bad Ideas & Blurry Boundaries"
"Ruth's Report"
"Wayne Madsen and Dr. William Pepper (Ruth)"
"Brownies and school party tips in the Kitchen"
"Editorial: Going to where big media is and ignoring war resisters"
"TV Review: Men in Trees, Water Cooler Critics swinging from them"
"Thoughts on Mark Foley"
"Mutha Cokie and the Blind"
"Are You On CounterSpin's Guest List?"
Posted by at

Friday, October 06, 2006

Thomas Friedman's Bad Ideas & Blurry Boundaries







Friday came way too soon. I knew Mrs. K would be banging at the door shortly after I returned from class and I spent most of the week dreading Friday.

To try to figure out what I'd be dealing with, I made a point to read Thomas Friedman's "Big Ideas and No Boundaries." It was like a communique from the sixties -- only from the radical right, not the radical left. My husband Thomas Friedman even declared himself a radical in it. Part manifesto, part bill of service, it might as well have opened with "Death to the middle and lower classes that prey upon the wealthy!" and closed with "From now on I'm Trish Rothschild Friedman!"

After I finished laughing as his declaration that he was a "radica free trader," I got to work with my highlighter searching for clues. I paid attention to the section where he wrote: " I was in Nebraska where I met Doug Palmer. He and his partner, Pat Boeshart, make . . ."

I'd cracked the code and was wondering whether getting Mrs. K off my back was worth confronting Thomas Friedman or not?

It had been so peaceful, so fun, with him on the lam.

But there was the KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK at the door, followed by POUND-POUND-POUND-POUND as I approached it and I knew before I opened it that Mrs. K would be red eyed, runny nosed and, in a word, pathetic. Just like last week.

Seeing my predictions confirmed, I grabbed my purse, told her to follow me, hailed a cab and we were off.

"Where?" she asked.

I explained the clues. Pat Boeshare and Nebraska were a reference to the Tyco Plastec East trade show from 2005. 655 West 34th Street, which could mean only one thing, they were holed up at the Chelsea Star Hotel.

"I don't believe I know that hotel," Mrs. K replied.

I started to explain how Thomas Friedman and I had visited it when bringing chicken soup to an ailing Willie Safire but didn't have the heart or, at least, courage.

We pulled up a block from it and walked toward its.

"It certainly is colorful," Mrs. K said, sounding, to me, a lot like like Miss Dorothy in "Thorougly Modern Millie."

I was tempted to reply, "Sister, you don't know the half of it."

Instead, I just nodded.

I was talking to the clerk at the front desk when Mrs. K wondered off. Since she wasn't wearing a hazmat suit, I immediately grew worried. I finally found her in the "communal baths."

"Well, I guess it conserves water," she muttered as I led her away.

"They're not checked in under their own names," I explained.

"Oh, Betinna, oh, Betinna!" she fretted. "How will we find them?"

"They're here, trust me," I counseld and explained we needed to visit a little known lounge where I was sure we'd find an interesting act.

"Oh, Betinna, I haven't the time to soak up cabaret."

I guided her to it anyway.

And what greeted us? There, in a faux leather jacket that extended to the calf, wearing a brassy red wig with hair to the shoulders, was Thomas Friedman in mid-song as he sashayed around the room singing:

Just leave everything to me.
If you want your ego bolstered, muscles toned, or chair
upholstered:
Just leave everything to me.
Charming social introductions, expert mandolin instructions:
Just leave everything to me.
If you want your culture rounded, French improved, or torso
pounded:
With a ten year guarantee.
If you want a birth recorded, collies bred, or kittens
ported:
I'll proceed to plan the whole procedure
Just leave everything to me.

He was working up to a dramatic climax when he spotted us.

Throwing his hand mike to floor, he cursed and then headed for the bar.

"Over there," I said, pointing to the piano, "is Nicky."

Nicky K was dolled up in bad Nolan Miller and his eyes were so wide he looked like Ivana after a face lift.

Blinded by love, Mrs. K rushed to him in tears while I mosied up to Thomas Friedman who was attempting to score a drink from a closeted looking Wall St. type.

"Come on, Day Trader, buy a radical free trader a drink," Thomas Friedman barked in a voice that sounded 'top dwawer.'

"Well Patty Hearst, as I live in breathe," I said.

He didn't even bother to turn and look at me.

"Trish," he corrected. "I'm Trish now."

Attempting to make small talk, I began, "Well, you certainly look . . ."

But my voice trailed off.

"Damn good!" barked Thomas/Trish Friedman cutting his eyes towards me. "I've lost forty pounds!"

"You have? Well look down, over your shoulder, and I think you'll find them."

Hopping off the bar stool, Thomas/Trish Friedman attempted to stare me down.

"I'm not coming back, Betinna. I have been given a choice of, returning, or joining the forces of the Billionaires for Tax Justice and I have chosen to stay and fight. I want to tell the people the truth. Tell them how if they have no money, no one gives a damn about them. I want to make them aware that this country belongs to the rich and only to the rich. I'm tired of you and your kind with your common ways. The corporate state must be willing to relocate, by which I mean eliminate, all of society's droppings. How long will it take before even the George Soroses of this country understand that whatever happens to Dennis Kozlowski sooner or later happens to them? How long will it be before we all understand that we must fight to endenture the rest of you?"

Pretty big words for someone who sorely needed to run a comb through their wig.

I thought of explaining to Thomas Friedman that I had no interest in taking him back, explaining how I'd finally grasped that we didn't sleep in a tiny single bed once his fat ass was out of it, explaining how wonderful each day began without hearing his irritating whine or the joy in reaching for a pair of pantyhose and finding that they hadn't been stretched out by his wide hips.

But why bother? I doubted he would understand.

Instead, I walked over to the piano where Mrs. K was attempting to help a dazed looking Nicky K off the stool.

"Where am I? What is happening?" he asked.

I nodded to Mrs. K and and we each grabbed an arm and began dragging him towards the entrance.

"What day is it?"

"Oh, Nicky," Mrs. K cried. "Everything will be fine."

"Is the war over?" he wondered as we got him to the street and into a cab.

No, the war wasn't over, but who had the heart to tell him?

We rode in silence to their home and then I headed back to my apartment wondering what he would remember, if anything, of the weeks after Thomas Friedman tossed him over a shoulder and whisked him away?

And then I started to wonder why he had kept repeating my name when he had been in his fugue state?




"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Friday, October 6, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, war resister Darrell Anderson is headed home (he returned to the United States, turned himself in at Fort Knox on Tuesday, now he's headed home), World Can't Wait staged protests across the United States on Thursday, the Danish military suffers a fatality in Iraq, the US military notes a death toll on Iraqi police officers but continues to look the other way with regards to violence toward Iraqi women, and Bob Watada, father of war resisterer Ehren Watada, continues his second speaking tour to raise awareness on his son.

Starting with war resister Darrell Anderson. In April of 2004, Anderson was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq and awarded a Purple Heart. Returning to the US and learning he would be redeployed to Iraq, Anderson elected to self-check out of the military in January 2005 and move to Canada. Anderson spoke out publicly against the war while in Canada, attempted to win refugee status (something the Canadian government has refused all war resisters), met Gail Greer, married her in February 2006 but decided to return to the United States. On Saturday, he crossed the Peace Bridge back into the US and, on Tuesday, he turned himself in at Fort Knox. Jim Warren (Lexington Herald-Leader) reports that Jim Fennerty, Anderson's attorney, states Darrell Anderson "was released from Fort Knox this morning and is on his way home". AP reports that Anderson "is expected to be discharged without a court-martial".

While some resist war, US Secretary of State Condi Rice incites it. Rice was in Baghdad on Thursday where -- as Robin Wright (Washington Post), Philp Shenon (New York Times) and CBS and AP reported -- her plane had to circle the airport for approximately forty minutes due to mortar and rocket attacks. Not aimed at her, mind you, such is the state of Baghdad that Rice's unnannounced visit didn't effect what's become life as usual. From there, on Friday, Condi headed to the Kurdish region, which is oil rich, and, as AFP reports, made noises about sharing the wealth with Massud Barzani (regional president). She was so busy that the meeting in London among "world powers" had to be delayed two hours, Thomas Wagner (AP) reports which left "leaders little time to reach a consensus and making it unlikely." If the decision on sanctions has been delayed, a detour's been created in Bully Boy's march to war on Iran meaning, possibly, citizens around the world should pray that Condi has many more unexpected layovers. (Update on this by Sophie Walker of Reuters.)

As Wright (Washington Post) noted, Rice's visit began as the Kurdish parliamentarian Mohammed Ridah Sinkawi was assassinated. As Shenon (New York Times) noted, the visit with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani took place "in the dark" after "the lights went out . . . It was a reminder of the city's erratic -- and sometimes nonexistant -- electrical service." Along with electrical problems, Rice visit occurred as Xinhua reported that: "Toxic water in the Tigris river killed thousands of fish and birds in Iraq's Salahudin province . . . The provincial water directorate, which produces drinking water for people in this area, ordered all its projects to suspend working and wait for the tests' results". Three years after the illegal war began and they can't even keep the lights on the fortified Green Zone of Baghdad, nor can they address the issue of the Tigris which provides "drinking water supplies for millions of Iraqis."



Today, CNN reports Joseph Paterson ("commander in charge of police training in Iraq") announced that "Since September 2004 . . . about 4,000 [police] officers have been killed and 8,000 injured". And of course, as AFP reported earlier, between 800 and 1,200 police officers are being retrained after they were thought to be complicit in the mass kindappings from earlier this week. What the US military refuses to talk about is women in Iraq. Nabeel Ziriqi (Al Jazeera) reported earlier this week: "A recent spike in attacks on women has forced many in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul to retreat into their homes or resort to armed escort by relatives and tribal guards. In recent weeks, Mosul residents have witnessed an unprecedented rise in the number of female corpses found throughout the city. Alaa al-Badrani said her friend, a school principal, was kidnapped from her home in the Bakr district of the city by an armed gang."



Bombings?

Bahrain News Agency reports that a roadside bomb targeted "a US military patrol . . . passing by in Husaiba to the est of the Iraqi city of Ramadhi." No word on any casualities or fatalities. AFP reports mortar rounds wounded seven in Baghdad. Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) reports a "double bombing" that first "set the generator ablaze, then when firefighters and others rushed in, the second went off" resulting in one death and four injured.

Shootings?

KUNA reports that Denmark's 500 troops serving in Iraq are now 499 as a soldier, injured in an "armed confrontation" in southern Iraq, died as he was being transported to a hospital.


Corpses?

Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) reports seven corpses discovered "floating in the area of Suwayrah". AFP reports that Baghdad police discovered 35 corpses in the capital in the last 24 hours.

This comes as the puppet of the occupation, Nouri al-Malki's little examined 4-part 'peace' plan continues to be hailed by an unquestioning press. One not hailing it is Firas Al-Atraqchi (Al-Ahram Weekly) who notes of the first plank -- 'security committees': "The committees would monitor whether police and the Iraqi army effectively pursue militia fighters after an attack. But the plan falls far short of any significant effort to curb violence because it does not address the disarming of militias, which Maliki had promised in late May, and focuses entirely on Baghdad. The rest of the country, it seems, can go to hell."

Meanwhile IRIN reports a slight improvement for the life of prisoners in Iraqi prisons just as AP reports that: "Guards at Guantanamo Bay bragged about beating detainees and described it as common practice, a U.S. Marine sergeant said in a sworn statement". (If you're confused as to the connection between Guantanamo and Iraq, on today's KPFA's Living Room, Kris Welch presented some recorded footage of Janis Karpinski explaining the efforts to "Gitmo-ize" Abu Ghraib.)

In legal news, AP reports that the trial of Pendleton Eight, accused of shooting an unarmed Iraqi dead after dragging from his Hamdaniya home, included testimony today from one of the eight, Melson J. Bacos, who testified "he saw two Marines fire at least 10 rounds into 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad". AP reports that Bacos, a medic, "pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy charges" in the death of Awad.
Reuters reports that Bacos tetified Lawrence Hutchins III had devised a plan for another Iraqi (one who had been in and out of Abu Ghraib) but, when unable to locate that man, they went after Hashim Ibrahim Awad who happened to live next door to the Iraqi Hutchins had intended they kidnap and kill.

Meanwhile, in London, AFP reports that an inquest into the death of ITN reporter Terry Lloyd heard testimony from Nicholas Walshe who stated Lloyd "was shot in the head by US troops as he was driven away from a gunfight". As the BBC noted, March 23, 2003, Terry Lloyd "has not been seen since he and three colleagues came under fire as [they] were on the road to the city of Basra." The Guardian of London reports that, in addition, a British solider testified "he saw a US tank open fire on the ITN team's vehicles" and that this was "the first public acknowledgement that British forces witnessed the events of March 22, 2003, in which Mr. Lloyd and his interpreter Huseein Osman died and his French cameraman Fred Nerac went missing near Basra in southern Iraq."

Frederic Nerac remains missing and Reporters Without Borders notes that "British defence ministry opened an investigation in June 2003 into their [Nerac and Hussein Osman] disappearance at the insistence of Nerac's wife Fabienne and press freedom organisations including Reporters Without Borders."

Will Dunham (Reuters) reports that "signs of wear and tear on the U.S. military" has resulted from Iraq and Afghanistan and that "Many troops are facing second and third long combat tours and less time between overseas deployments." Or none at all. A point Laurie Loving makes very clear on page 2 of The Nation's October 16, 2006 issue. Loving, a member of Military Families Speak Out, opens her letter with the following: "My son is in the 172nd Stryker Brigade (Army). It recently had its one-year deployment to Iraq extended while in the midst of deploying back to the United States. He is one of the 400 soldiers who had made it back to Fairbanks, Alaska. A few days later he was informed that he was going to be sent back to Iraq. His brigade has been sent to Baghdad to save the occupation."

In US congressional news, John Nolen (CBS) covers Republican Senator John Warner's reaction to this week's visit to Iraq: "In two or three months, if this thing hasn't come to fruition and if this level of violence is not under control . . . I think it's the responsibility of our government, internally to determine: Is there a change in course that we should take? And I wouldn't take off the table any option at this time." This as AFP reports on Republican Senator Chuck Hagel's trip to Vietnam which found him drawing some comparisons to Iraq and Vietnam and declaring "War should always be a last resort." Reporting on the other side of the aisle, Gregg K. Kakesako (Honolulu Star-Bulletin) notes that Democratic "U.S. House Reps. Neil Abercrombie and John Murtha say President Bush will have to mobilize all members of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve -- including 3,000 Hawaii citizen soldiers -- for an indefinite period. There are not enough active-duty military to handle the current level of violence in Iraq, the two Democrats said yesterday. That would affect Army National Guard units like Hawaii's 29th Brigade Combat Team, which currently is not supposed to be mobilized for six years since returning from Iraq this year."

In peace news, across the United States people participated in demonstrations, rallies and marches as part of the World Can't Wait actions. Whethere the turnout was ten people or in the hundreds, all demonstrations made a difference, had an impact and was made up of people willing to stand up. We're going to note some of the events, not all. Over 200 locations took part and what follows is a sample of some events reported by the press.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that an estimated 40 people turned out in Reno, carrying signs that read "Vote for change," "I believe in our Constitution, why doesn't Bush?," "Where is the plan?" and U.S. Out of Iraq." Adam Leech (Portsmouth Herald) reports that at least fifty turned out in Portsmouth, Maine and he quotes Vietnam vet Brian Vawter saying, "I think we're all pretty fed up with what's going on iwth the decline of our rights and the direction this country is going. People have a need to express themselves directly because their view isn't being expressed by either partly in Washington right now." Sam Shawver (Marietta Times) reports that ten people turned out in Marietta, Ohio and quotes two: James Gawthrop stating, "I just learned about worldcantwait.net a few days ago, but my hands were shaking over the 'torture bill' Congress passed last Thursday. Now the Bush administration can detain anybody suspected of being a terrorist indefinitely. They can use secret evidence to hold you. They can even use torture"; and Janie Poe who wore a CODEPINK t-shirt to the demonstration stating, "I've been talking with many young people, and I'm impressed. Listen to young people. They're very concerned about their future, and they're very informed." [Poe urged people to support Amnesty USA and speak out against torture.] In the previous, that's a hundred people who stood up (more if press estimates are off).

In Florida, John Simpson (Bradenton Herald) reports that 150 people turned out in Sarasota to demonstrate and quotes Naomi Nye: "People are fed up. The tide is definitely turning." Simpson also notes 82-year-old Sara Dick who stated, "We're in even more danger (now). In some areas, there are more rights, but we're always slipping and sliding backwards." Christian Hill (The Olympian) reports that an estimated 300 people gathered in Olympia, Washington and quotes college student Brandon Franz stating, "The people of America are supposed to have the voice in what's done, not the ruling elite" and Kirsten Anderson who states, "I'm doing this for my grandchildren. I'm a little old to have it be for me, and it's the ones comping up that I care about. It's their country, too, especially now." Summer Banks (Yale Daily News) reports that an estimated 60 people participated near campus and notes one was "[l]ocal resident and self-proclaimed Republican housewife Monica McGovern" who stated, "I am calling for Bush to step down or for Congress to impeach him. I would like to see him indicted for war crimes." Beth Freed (Dallas Morning News) reports that an estimated forty people participated in Lewisville, Texas resulting in "slowed southbound traffic on Interstate 35E . . . . Many commuters honked in support of the peace demonstrators outside the office of U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, while others slowed to express their disagreement" and quotes Nikki Henderson stating, "We as Americans should not tolerate decisions like last week's legislation. It allows Bush to interpret the Geneva Conventions on his own."

Big or small turnouts, people stood up. They stopped their normal day to speak out.
Louis Medina (The Bakersfield California) reports an estimated seventy-five activists were particiapting by the end of the events and quotes college student Araceli Aguilar stating, "I came here to protest the Bush administration. I don't agree with what they're doing. I don't agree with the war, which they said is over, yet we still have our troops there and they're dying." Melissa Nix (The Free Lance Star) reports that, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, an estimated two dozen students of the University of Mary Washington participated and quotes college student Jason Walsh who held 268 pages listing the names of American troops who had died in Iraq, "That's a small book. It's a waste, because no one's going to read it. No one cares about these soldiers except their families." OregonLive reports that a little less than 400 people participated in Portland's march. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Lubna Takruri (AP) reports that "dozens" turned out and the mayor, David Coss, spoke to the group.

A mayor, students, retired people, those who work in the home, those who work outside it (and those working outside frequently also work inside), a wide range of people took part. Patrick Flanigan (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) reports that an estimated "150 people gathered in downtown Rochester [New York] on Thursday to protest President Bush's handling of the war on terror and the mounting death toll in Iraq" and quotes Donna Mummery: "Our country is about to embark on a very dangerous course. By taking to the streets on a work day, you are saying enough is enough." Also in New York, Alice Hunt (Poughkeepsie Journal) reports that activists gathered in New Paltz and quotes Josh Schulman stating, "Our first step is to initiate that dialogue and permeat the mass media with the message Bush does not speak for many Americans." While in NYC, Chelsea Cooley (Washington Square News) reports: "Hundreds of protesters packed the streets yesterday, marching 33 blocks from the United Nations building at First Avenue and 47th Street to Union Square, chanting their message: 'Drive out the Bush regime!'"

In one of the largest reported turnouts, Emma Graves Fitzsimmons, Brendan McCarthy and Rudy Bush (Chicago Tribune) report that an estimated 1,500 people turned out in Chicago and quotes college student Rebecca Miller on skipping class to attend, "It's just one class. I can always make up the homework. This is more important." and Thyandrea Adams who shut down her business to be present, "I told them not to come into work today. This is a day that's important. It was worth it to show support from our community." In Seattle, Mike Barber (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) reports "several hundreds" turned out and Barber quotes Patricia Thompson who brought "her 82-year-old father" because, "He is horrified at the mess they made of Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction was a snow job. We never finished in Afghanistan. It's an absolute shambles of incompetency and profiteering."

In San Francisco, Dennis Bernstein and Nora Barrows Friedman covered the event for
KPFA's Flashpoints on Thursday (broadcast archived -- if you can listen online, you can hear it for free), Charles Slay (San Francisco Indybay Media) has created a photo essay, and John Koopman, Patrick Hoge and Marisa Lagos (San Francisco Chronicle) report on the "hundres" (it was well over a thousand) and notes 17-year-old Jessica Cussins, among the many who left campuses to attend, stating, "I felt that this was more useful. I wanted to be part of it. I think what we're doing (in Iraq) is wrong." Alice Walker is quoted stating: "I just want the children to know that some of the elders are with them, and that we're very happy they are speaking out and saving their own lives by resisting the Bush regime." [You can also check out Mike's "Blue Angels buzzing rally and power cut (San Francisco)" which relays Jess reporting via cellphone.]

Ehren Watada was not in Salem, Oregon yesterday but he was remembered. Tim King (Salem-News) reports that among those participating in their local World Can't Wait demonstrations ("between 75 and 100") was Reed Elder who urged that everyone check out Ehren Watada's website and that other "soldiers who also don't agree withe the direction of the nation" should be speaking out.

Bob Watada, Ehren's father, is now on his second speaking tour to raise awareness of his son who is the first US officer to publicly refuse to serve in the illegal war. Some of the upcoming events include:


Sat 10/7 2:00-4:00 pm Welcome Reception for Bob Watada
JACCC Garden Room, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles
Contact: NCRR 213-680-3484, email: ncrrla@yahoo.com.

Sun 10/8 2:00-5:00 pm Forum with Bob Watada
Nat'l Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles.
Contact Ellen Endo 213-629-2231 or Mo 323-371-4502

Sun 10/8 6:00-8:00 pm An Evening of Discussion and Learning hosted by Rev. Phyllis Tyler
11326 CherryLee Dr., El Monte (Rev. Tyler is Senior Pastor of Sage Granada Park United Methodist Church in Alhambra) Co-sponsored by NCRR and the National Japanese American United Methodist Church Caucus
Contact: NCRR 213-680-3484 email: ncrrla@yahoo.com

Mon 10/9 7:00pm Veterans for Peace (Chapter 112) and Citizens for Peaceful Resolution
E.P. Foster Library, Topping Rm. 651, E. Main St., Ventura
Contact: Michael Cervantes 805-486-2884 email: mcervant@mindspring.com

Wed 10/100 7:00-9:45 pm CSULB Asian American and Chicano & Latino Studies Classes
Dr. John Tsuchida and Dr. Juan Benitez
1250 Bellflower Bl, Long Beach

Thurs 10/12 6:00 pm Whittier Area Coalition for Peace & Justice, Mark Twain Club Potluck
($3 donations) Bob speaks at 7:00 pm. First Friends Church of Whittier, 12305 E. Philadelphia St., Whittier
Contact: Robin McLaren 562-943-4051 email: mclaren@charter.net


A full schedule, in PDF form, can be found here. More information on Ehren Watada can be found at ThankYouLt.org. and information on all known war resisters can be found at Courage to Resist.



The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.













Posted by at

Friday, September 29, 2006

Islam and the Dope (Thomas Friedman)









Oh, how wonderful the days are now. I show up to sign for Thomas Friedman's check, cash it and that's pretty much the only time I have to think about him.

Except for Fridays.

Fridays, Mrs. K comes over breathless and full of ideas about how we can find our husbands.

During the week, I can usually put her off. She'll call and want to brainstorm and I'll lie and say I have another call, or tell the bathtub's overflowing, or say I have something on the stove, or, one time, in a pinch, when she was insistent upon coming over on Tuesday, I told her, "Great! Gail Collins is here and we're going to work on her eyebrows while I give her a binkini wax! I can use two extra hands!"

So I offer an excuse and Mrs. K falls for it and that's that.

Except Fridays.

I don't know what it is about Fridays.

Maybe that was "their night"?

Nicky K always looked the once-a-week type.

Or maybe it's just that Friday denotes the end of the week and she panics.

I know people like that. They're out of work. They lie around all week, sometimes looking at the wants ads but mainly watching talk shows on TV, then on Fridays, usually at 3:30 pm, they panic, hop in the shower, get dressed and, in those last minutes before five o'clock, make a mad dash to apply for something, anything.

Whatever it is, Fridays are the day Mrs. K won't be sent away.

I'd just gotten home from classes ten minutes prior. Just kicked off my shoes. I was trying to decide if I'd take a long, relaxing bath tonight or maybe go to a movie?

Elaine's been talking about her Iraq discussion group and with so much going on, I thought I'd order a pizza, take a shorter bath, get dressed and catch that. War resister Darrell Anderson returns to the United States Saturday and there's so much more going on.

But that was dependent upon Mrs. K not dropping by. I was really thinking this might be the week that she grasps the benefits to having Nicky K's check but not having to put up with having Nicky K.

But I was wrong.

She was banging on the door. Waving around the week's "New York Times." Talking about Nicky's colum or columns, I was still trying to figure out if I wanted pineapples with the Canadian bacon or not and not listening too closely, and talking about my husband Thomas Friedman's columns.

She was going on about the two of them being gone "weeks" and I was about to respond, with relief "Yeah, isn't it great?" when I remembered she didn't think so.

So I tried to look concerned. I tried to look worried. I only succeeded in making her think I has "a sour stomach."

After I assured her that I hadn't eaten any fresh spinach, I went to the kitchen to brew some coffee.

She's an attractive woman, you'd think she'd be making the most of it. When your husband walks out, it's not really cheating, right?

I know I'd been eyeing the guy in my class on The Morality of War and Nonviolence or, as everyone on campus has redubbed it, "How To Keep Your Mouth Shut" in honor of New School president Bob Kerrey and his late-life recall of the events from February 25, 1969.

I figured if it's still cheating when your husband walks out on you after a few weeks, surely, after a month, it can't be considered cheating.

That's when Mrs. K walked in.

I told her, "We're getting the checks, their columns are going into print -- obviously they're still both alive."

But as usual, she wasn't letting me off that easy. She sat down at the table and started reading the columns to me and I felt as though my kitchen had been invaded by a Jehovah's Witness. You know they mean well, you know they're trying to help, but you just don't want to hear that kind of talk from a stranger.

She gets to Thomas Friedman's Friday column, "Islam and the Pope," and my first though is, "Oh, he found a new way to attack Muslims."

Guess that whole expulsion during the Inquistion didn't matter so much if it meant he got to get a in a few slams at Muslims. For the record, that 'enlightened' quote that Thomas Friedman saw as just a way to kick-start a rap session, it predates the Inquistion by almost a hundred years. Maybe if Pope Benedict XVI quotes Ferrant Martinez next, Thomas Friedman will decide that's something to be outraged about? Or maybe he's just angling for the post of astronmer to the court?

Listening to his foaming over "elites" caused me to chuckle. He's a columnist for the "New York Times," it's not like he's a contributor to "Anarchist Digest".

If he'd been in the kitchen, I'd have asked him exactly when he thought we'd had a "meaningful dialogue" about "Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo or Palestine" in this country. How ironic that his column runs the day after both houses of Congress decide to trash habeas corpus.

But Mrs. K was working herself into a frenzy so I told her to drop back to that lie about "As someone who has . . . enjoyed the friendship of many Muslims there and seen . . ."

"He's had falafels," I explained. "He's talking about the guy in the park he buys the falafels from. That's the only Muslim Thomas Friedman engages with and, then, only because he can brag about 'ordering' a Muslim around. 'Falafel, pronto! And don't be stingy on the toppings!'"

"You really --"

"It's the falafel guy," I snapped thinking it would get rid of her.

Instead, she drags me to Central Park and we went off in search of the vendor. He confirmed that Thomas Friedman and Nicky K had been coming by.

"Usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays and your husband," he said pointing at me, "wears a black beret and leather waist coat."

Mrs. K looked to me for an explanation.

"He's obviously in Patty Hearst mode," I explained. "He thinks he's gone underground."

To myself, I thought, "Once a drag queen, always a drag queen."

Mrs. K wanted us to stake out the area and I had to explain to her, in not so delicate terms, that I had no intention of staying in Central Park until Tuesday.

She was more than a little sad but she'll get over it.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Friday, September 29, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, the British military officers say out-of-Iraq, Medea Benjamin asks are you willing to "Give Peace a Vote"?,
is the US military writing off Al-Anbar Province, and tomorrow war resister Darrell Anderson is set to return to the United States.

Canada's CBC reports that, after eighteen months in Canada, war resister Darrell Anderson is readying for his journey home with his wife, Gail Greer, stating, "He needs to be home. This is not his home." [Note: CBC continues to list his wife as "Gail Green." US news outlets, other Candian outlets and her film credits list her as "Gail Greer." If Gail Greer is not the correct name, we'll note that in a future snapshot.] Darrell Anderson was wounded by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq. Facing a second deployment to Iraq, Anderson elected to self-check out of the US military and, as Jeremy Hinzman, Brandon Hughey, Patrick Hart, Kyle Snyder and others during this illegal war, head to Canada. Once there, he applied for legal status but, as with other war resisters, the government did not grant asylum. (This in marked contrast to Canada's actions during the Vietnam era.) Anita Anderson, his mother, tells CBC "there is no front line" in Iraq and that soldiers "are not supposed to be fighting this fight of war." If not arrested Saturday when he returns, Darrell Anderson intends to drive to Fort Knox where he will turn himself in. Information on Darrell Anderson and other war resisters can be found at Courage to Resist.

Meanwhile, in England, Richard Norton-Taylor (Guardian of London) reports: "Senior military officers have been pressing the government to withdraw British troops from Iraq and concentrate on what they now regard as a more worthwhile and winnable battleground in Afghanistan. They believe there is a limit to wath British soldiers can achieve in southern Iraq and that it is time the Iraqis took responsiblity for their own security, defence sources say." The report comes as Bonnie Malkin (Guardian of London) notes that "former foreign secretary Jack Straw has described the situation in Iraq as 'dire,' blaming mistakes made by the US for the escalating crisis." Straw has words of praise for former US Secreatry of State Colin Powell which is only a surprise to those who never noticed their mutual admiration society until today. The report that military officials want British troops out of Iraq (and into Afghanistan) has already led to a denial from Defence Secretary Des Browne who, AFP reports, denied the report on BBC radio.

While the truth battles spin, Mark Malloch Brown, deputy secretary general of the United Nations makes a call of his own. Paul Vallely (Independent of London) reports
Malloch Brown has stated that it was Tony Blair's Iraq policy that "fatally undermined his position as Prime Minister and forced him to step down" and Vallely also quotes an unnamed "UN source" who declares of Blair, "But Iraq has finished him. Mr. Blair seems not to appreciate just how disliked and distrusted he is in other nations."

In the United States, Reuters reports: "The U.S. Congress on Friday moved to block the Bush adminstration from building permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq or controlling the country's oil sector, as it approved $70 billion for funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." As Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) noted Wednesday when reporting on recent polling of Iraqis, ". . . the Program on Itnerantional Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, found . . . 77 percent of those polled saying the United States intends to keep permanent military bases in the country." Noting the polling, Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post) notes: "The writing is on the wall -- and on page after page of report after report. All leading to the same inescapable conclusion. Iraq has made us less safe; it's time to bring our troops home." What will it take for that? Not buying into the fear mania, which is a topic Huffington addressed with Andrea Lewis today on KPFA, The Morning Show[and is also the topic of On Becoming Fearless, Huffington's new book]. [Remember that KPFA broadcasts are archived and you can listen to them, free of charge, 24/7.]

The US Congress' decision comes as Robert Burns (AP) reports Army Col. Sean B. Macfarland ("commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division" in Iraq) stated that the resistance in Al-Anbar Province will not be defeated by American forces and will "probably" continue "until after U.S. troops leave the country". Most recent actions in Al-Anbar have revolved around Ramadi which is being carved up into a series of Green Zones (to little effect). [Currently at Alive in Baghdad, there is a video report on a man who was "Falsely Arrested and Abused In Ramadi.]


In the most noted violence in Iraq today, Kadhim Abdel has been shot dead. CNN reports that "the brother-in-law of Judge Mohammad Orabi Majeed Al-Khalefa, was driving in Ghazaliya on Friday with his son aged 10 and another 10-year-old boy when their car was attacked. Both boys were wounded." The Australian combines AP and Reuters to note: "It was not immediately clear whether they were targeted because they were related to judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa, who took over the Saddam trial last week, or if it was another of the sectarian attacks that have been plaguing Baghdad." (That statement is actually all AP.)


Bombings?

AP reports that a police officer died ("and two civilians injured") from a bombing in downtown Baghdad; while two Iraqi soldiers lost their lives in Anah from a roadside bomb (with two more wounded).

Shootings?

AFP reports that two police officers were shot dead in Dura. CNN reports that four people were shot dead in Balad.

Corpses?

AP reports that eight corpses were discovered in Iraq, three were discovered in Baquba and that two corpses "were pulled from the Tigris River in Suwayrah". AFP reports that two corpses were discovered in Kut. (The Times of London ups the Baghdad corpse count to ten.)

In peace news, BuzzFlash declares the Dixie Chicks this weeks Wings of Justice winners for using their voices to speak truth to power. In 2003, the Chicks were savaged by some (and Diane Sawyer attempted a public shaming). They didn't back down and, to quote a song off their new, best selling CD, they're "not ready to make nice." [Click here for Kat's review of the CD.] The Dixie Chicks stood strong and a lot of people stood with them. There's a lesson in that.


CODEPINK is celebrating it's fourth anniversary on Sunday and Andrea Lewis spoke with Medea Benjamin about that today on KPFA's The Morning Show today. Addressing the organization's latest action -- Give Peace a Vote! -- Benjamin noted that: "We have November elections coming up and then we have presidential elections coming up and unfortunately If we don't translate the silent majority voice that's against this war into a voter bloc, we're going to be faced with another opportunity to vote for two major parties giving us war candidates. So Give Peace a Vote!is a way to say, 'I will not vote for anybody that does not call for an end to this war and no more wars of aggression.'"


Speaking with Kris Welch today on KPFA's Living Room, Daniel Ellsberg noted the upcoming World Can't Wait protest (October 5th -- day of mass resistance), his being named as the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award and the importance of speaking out.


As noted by James Glanz (New York Times) and Gritte Witte (Washington Post) this morning, American contractor Parsons has a 1/14 success rate for their construction projects in Iraq --- actually less than 1 in 14 because, as Witte notes, ""The one project reviewed by auditors that was being constructed correctly, a prison, was taken away from Parsons before its completion because of escalating costs." With that in mind, pay attention to Janis Karpinski (writing for The Huffington Post): "Our silence will beget more of the same and worse. We must find courage. We must stand up. One of the ways to do this is by screening and sharing a new documentary I appeared in called Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers -- which calls for a stop to the shameful war profiteering this administration has allowed to occur. We must speak up. We must because we are Americans and we know better than this. We can move beyond the shame only when we stop this from getting worse and participate in making it better."

Finally, next week, Bob Watada, father of Ehren Watada, hits the road again to raise awareness on his son -- the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. After an Article 32 hearing in August, Ehren Watada awaits word on what the chain of command will do with the findings (court-martial, discharge him, ignore the findings . . .). Here are Bob Watada's speaking engagements for Monday through Friday of next week:

Mon. 10/2 8:30 am KPFK Sonali Kolhatkur
3729 Cahuenga Bl. West, No. Hollywood
Contact: KPFK 818-985-2711 email: uprising@kpfk.org
Tues 10/3 7:00pm ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
1800 Argyle Ave. #400, Los Angeles
Contact: Carlos Alvarez, 323-464-1636, email: answerla@answerla.org
Wed. 10/4 12:00-2:30 pm Angela Oh's Korean American Experience Class
Life Sciences Bldg., RM 4127, UCLA Westwood Campus
Contact: aeola@earthlink.net
Wed. 10/4 Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
6120 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles
Contact: So Cal Library 323-759-6063
Thurs 10/5 5:00 pm World Can't Wait March & Rally
(March starts at noon at pershing S1/
Bob speaks in front of Federal Bldg 300 N. Los Angeles St. at 5:00 pm.
Contact: Nicole Lee 323-462-4771 email: la@worldcantwait.org
Fri. 10/6 7:00 am Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP)
Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Bl., Los Angeles
Contact: Thalia 626-683-9004 email: incuip@pacbell.net
Fri 10/6 12:30 San Fernando Valley Japanese Community Center
SFV Japanese American Community Center, 12953 Branford St., Pacoima 91331
Contact: Phil Shigkuni 818-893-1851, cell: 818-357-7488, email pshig2000@yahoo.com.



On a non-Iraq note, Lynda pointed out that a link was wrong this morning (and yesterday) so I'll note it here (it's corrected on the main site, but not on the mirror site)from Ms.: "Before the new Ms. comes out on October 10, we're doing a last push to get signatures on our "We Had Abortions" petition. With our right to choose in danger, we at Ms. think it's important for us to take a stand now for abortion rights. We'd love to have your help!"























Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)