Support Bradley, not the network

"Sexism, Misogyny, Jews, Egypt, NPR, Muslims, 'Bitches' - IWD 2011" (Hillary Is 44):

Today, the NPR board dumped their President and CEO Vivian Schiller. The NPR board sees federal funds falling from their grasp. Also today, Ron Schiller was dumped by the Aspen Institute even as yesterday he was forced to resign immediately from NPR.

The double Schiller meltdown at NPR came to a head due to the firing of Juan Williams months ago and a video released yesterday in which Ron Schiller made some very ugly statements. Most of the commentary about the Ron Schiller firing focused on his comment that NPR would be better off without federal funding (which horrified the NPR board which wants federal money) and his regurgitation of Barack Obama’s “bitter” “clinging” hatred of small town America as represented by Tea Party activists.

Ron Schiller attacked the Tea Party with all the gusto of Barack Obama at a private rich man’s fundraiser. That’s because Ron Schiller thought he was at a fundraiser with two Muslim Brotherhood types prepared to donate millions to NPR. As Ron Schiller now knows those “Muslims” were part of a sting operation conducted by renown ACORN killer James O’Keefe (who promises more controversial NPR videos to come).

The James O’Keefe video is disturbing in that it reveals the biases by those who receive tax payer money which comes from Americans – Republicans/conservatives and Tea Party members included.

“The video truly is amazing. There is so much in here. From the “bitter clinger” type of language about uneducated middle class whites who love their guns, to the silence and nodding agreement when the supposed donors bash Israel and Jewish control of the media.

Truly amazing. The left colluding with the Islamists, on film. But that’s just a wild conspiracy theory, right?”

The O’Keefe NPR video was chock full of hate and as Juan Williams said “These people are so rude and condescending… these people are destroying NPR.” The Anti-Defamation League denounced the hatred betrayed on the videotape.

And they should denounce it. Ruth talked about that in "NPR 'forgets' the anti-semitic remarks in their 'report'" last night.

And while I'm noting others, I need to say thank you to Elaine for her "On Damon and Betty" from Friday (she's too sweet) and for her "Kevin Zeese and his Tiny Penis."

Kevin Zeese felt the need to write a bad article about Bradley Manning. And to screech about Bradley being imprisoned by . . .

Hillary.

Must be Hillary. She's the one he's calling out.

Kevin Zeese is a piece of S**T. He will always be that. The little bastard whined to Kat in the summer of 2008 about how he hated Barack Obama but he couldn't criticize Barack Obama cause no one would publish him. Wah-wah-wah.

Kevin Zeese go f**k yourself. And then kiss my Black ass.

Kat was calling the Idiot out for his attacks on Hillary (even after the race was over) and his refusal to criticize Barack. And little Zeesey clutched his tiny little penis and said wah-wah-wah all the way home.

That was three years ago and the coward still can't call out Barack.

By the way, I support Bradley.

Why don't I link to the Support Network?

I don't support it. I don't support any organization that has Kevin Zeese involved. His a cheap little liar.

And if the Bradley Manning Support Network were really about Bradley, it would demand that everyone associated with them make Bradley their priority. They can't be -- as Kevy Pooh does -- rushing off to do this for Julian Assange or write that for Julian Assange.

They either make Bradley the focus or they get out of the group.

I won't link to the Bradley Manning Support Network and I won't give it a penny until the day comes when they stop letting Bradley come in second to celebrity Jules.


"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Wednesday, March 9, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, protests continue, the US House and Senate VA Committee leaders call on President Barack Obama to stop the VA from short changing veterans and their caregivers, Nouri plans to announce nominees for his leader-less ministries tomorrow, and more. For most of us in the United States, imaging a loved one injured in the Iraq or Afghanistan Wars (or any future wars) is a mental exercise detached from reality. How fortunate for us if we (that includes me) do not have to picture someone in their immediate family who could be wounded, return home and require that we become the primary caregiver. Again, for most of us, we're very lucky -- most, but not all. And addressing the realities of what a caregiver caring for a wounded veteran and what the veteran has to face is something that the Congress has spent several years working on. The House and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee have held hearings, taken testimony, worked up proposals And after all of those many hearings and many meetings with the effected populations, both houses of Congress agreed upon the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (May 5, 2010) which was to go into effect January 30, 2011. This bill had support from both political parties -- and support from independent Senator Joe Lieberman, Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders. In the Senate it passed by 98 votes (all present voted for it). In the House, it passed by 419 votes with all present voting in favor of it. President Barack Obama signed it into law May 5, 2010. It shouldn't have caused any problems because of the huge Congressional support it had -- universal support -- and because the Congress took so much care in investigating the issues, in taking testimonies from stakeholders, in evaluating and re-evaluating before they wrote the bill. But as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee made clear March 2nd, there were huge differences between what the Congress passed and what the VA was planning to do with the law. This afternoon the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee released the following statement: Leaders of the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees call on President Obama to stop the VA from severely limiting a benefit for those who are forced to leave careers, health care behind to care for their loved ones (Washington, D.C.) – Leaders of the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committee sent a bi-partisan, bi-cameral letter to President Barack Obama yesterday calling on him to ensure that eligibility for a law Congress passed to support veterans caregivers is not limited and that the law is implemented in a timely manner. In the letter, the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Congressional Committees that oversee the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expressed their frustration over VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delays in moving forward with caregivers support, and with additional criteria that will severely limit the ability for some family caregivers to access the benefit. Specifically, the Congressional leaders asked the President to direct OMB to "ensure that the regulations or other elements of the program's implementation comply with the specific eligibility criteria that are set out in the law." "It's simply unacceptable that the VA would limit a program Congress designed to support family members of veterans who have left behind careers, lives, and responsibilities to see that their loved one can recover at home," said Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Patty Murray. "We are calling on the President to make sure that the will of Congress and the needs of these veterans are not being ignored. Caring for our veterans is part of the cost of war. This program is part of the cost of war." "When he signed the Caregiver Law, President Obama stood with wounded veterans and caregivers in promising that they'd be getting the help they needed," said House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller. "We're now calling on him to fulfill that pledge and direct his administration to hear the will of Congress, veterans, and caregivers to get this program right." "This legislation was originally designed to provide a path forward for caregivers who are already sacrificing their own aspirations in order to make the lives of severely wounded veterans easier to bear," said Senator Richard Burr, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "I urge the President to work with VA to get this bill right so that caregivers in dire need of assistance can receive the benefits promised to them," "VA's continued delay in the implementation of such a vital program is inexcusable. Many of these caregivers have wiped out their savings, have had to forego their own health care coverage and have given up their careers in order to care for their loved one," said Rep. Bob Filner Ranking Member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. "Last year, Congress saw fit to extend critical benefits to the Caregivers of our nation's veterans and we will not stand idly by as VA prolongs the process. Too much time has passed already." We'll note the letter in full at the end of the snapshot. But I'm having to juggle things to make this the opening -- and it's important enough that it should be the opening. Today Christopher Caskey (Auburn Citizen) reports on a send-off ceremony in Auburn (upstate New York) yesterday for 15 members of the Auburn National Guard Armory who are part of 115 soldiers with the 105th Military Police Company of the New York Army National Guard deploying to Iraq. Before deploying to Iraq, the soldiers will receive additional training at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. The Iraq War hasn't ended. And, as noted in yesterday's snapshot, on Tuesday's Talk of the Nation (NPR), Ted Koppel explained why the Iraq War continues (and continues and continues and . . .): Ted Koppel: We're there because of U.S. interests, and those U.S. interests can be summarized quite simply in one or two words: oil and natural gas. The stability of the Persian Gulf is of enormous national interest to the United State. No politician wants to send young men and women to die for oil. But the fact of the matter is that it is one of the politically most - no pun intended - inflammable issues. When the price of gasoline goes up, as it is going up right now, to $4 a gallon, if we were to leave before there is genuine stability in Iraq, if that area no longer had the oversight of American military, I think you could very easily see the price of oil go up to seven, eight, nine dollars a gallon. And the fact of the matter is then you would have all kinds of political yelling and screaming on Capitol Hill, all kinds of pressure being raised by the American public, which would not want to see that happen to its economy. Today Jane Arraf reports from Baghdad for Al Jazeera (link is video): Jane Arraf: This is what's left of the Rasheed family's alcohol store, one of the few that was still open in Baghdad. It was bombed, along with seven others recently just after Aid Rasheed closed up for the day. Aid is a Yazidi -- an ancient religion here. Yazidis and Christians have always owned liquor stores in Iraq. But as the government embraces a stricter interpretation of Islam, Aid says there's no room for them anymore Aid Rasheed: Especially the Christians and the Yazidis, we don't know how we will live. In the north if we open a restaurant, no one will come to it. In the south, we have these shops they attack us and steal from us and kill us. Jane Arraf: It's not just drinking that's under threat. The cultural heart of Baghdad, al-Mutanabbi Street, has been rebuilt since it was bombed in 2007. But many of the cities writers, artists and intellectuals have left the country Baghdad has always been known for its diversity, for its cultural tolerance. It's a part of the national identity but many people fear it's being crushed. Hadi al-Mahdi is an out spoken radio host but his criticism of the government has cost him dearly. He was one of dozens of media people arrested and beaten after a recent protest. Iraq is at a crossroads he said between freedom and dictatorship. Zena Hatab is a television presenter. She felt free enough to enter and win a local beauty pagent. That could be harder if a new warning seen in the al-Kadhimiya district is heeded. The display warns women of the dangers that await them if their bodies aren't covered head-to-toe. Abass Ali Hussein: This shows this life and behind it is the after life. Being tortured by fire for those who are unveiled or wear too much make up. The Koran says we have to cover the chest and the arms. Only the face and the hands should show. Jane Arraf: Many Iraqi Muslims dispute that reading of the Koran but it's a sign of changing time that few in this neighborhood will openly say so. Jane Arraf, Al Jazeera, Baghdad. Religious minorities have been among the targeted groups in Iraq since the start of the illegal war. "Among" -- there is a long, long list of targeted groups in Iraq. Aswat al-Iraq reports that the country's Journalistic Freedoms Observatory released a statement today: "A total of 160 attacks took place against journalists throughout the country, including 60 in Kurdistan region. Security authorities waged a big campaign on media institutions in Baghdad and other provinces, and arrested journalists and ceased al-Diyar satellite channel." Sunday, Nouri al-Maliki sent police and military forces to throw the Communist Party out of their headquarters. The Party also produced their newspaper at the headquarters and were most likely targeted because they've been strong supporters and organizers of the protests. Al Mada reports that Hamid Majid Moussa held a press conference today in Baghdad, not far from where the Party's Newspaper By The People was produced, and declared that the government cannot justify the eviction of the Communist Party because the Party is not terrorists but they are instead being punished for their politics in violation of their Constitutional guarantees so the government must immediately return the Party's property. Patrick Martin (WSWS via Global Research) provides an overview of some of the recent attacks on the press, "Journalists covering an anti-government protest March 4 in Basra, in southern Iraq, were seized and beaten by police. Gunman in military uniforms raided an independent radio station in the Kurdish town of Kalar. The station's director, Azad Othman, told the Associated Press the volunteer station had been reporting extensively on demonstrations in Sulaimaniyah against the two ruling parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. These attacks follow nationwide raids the previous Sunday, in which Iraqi police detained 300 people, mainly journalists, artists, lawyers and other intellectuals [. . .]" The National Newspaper's editorial board observes, "Iraq's democratic exuberance is in tatters. A year ago this week, the US president Barack Obama praised elections as an 'important milestone in Iraqi history'. Today, diplomats cross their fingers that the country's mounting protests don't spiral out of control. More than anything, though, Iraq's popular uprisings underscore that an unhappy public is no longer content idly watching a kleptocracy emerge. Iraq's leader should take heed." Al Mada reports that the US government expects protests to continue but that the US government -- citing Michael Corbin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq -- does not feel the protests will call for the overthrow of the (puppet) government in Iraq. Alsumaria TV quotes Corbin declaring, "People are protesting not for regime change, but for services, against corruption, for better government response to their needs." Along with the press, protesters have also faced the crackdown and Aswat al-Iraq reports that the protesters in Ninewah who have been demonstrating demanding the release of 'detainees' saw 12 protesters released from police custody. Al Jazeera reports that today in Baghdad, "hundreds of Iraqi workers rallied in central Baghdad, calling for improved salaries and better economic conditions. The demonstration came after thousands of Iraqis had taken to the streets in recent days to protest against corruption, unemployment and the lack of public services." Meanwhile Aswat al-Iraq reports that Barham Saleh, Prime Minister in the KRG, has declared if the Kurdistan Parliament asks him to resign, he will do so and quotes him stating, "Acts of violence that accompanied the protests should not be repeated again." Protests have been taking place in the Kurdistan Region as well; however, Kirkuk is not (or not yet) part of the KRG. Sean Kane's "Iraqi protests and the need for a political strategy on Kirkuk" (Foreign Policy): Somewhat lost in the wave of protests sweeping through the Middle East, which are now washing up on Iraq's shores, has been the recent deployment of two brigades of Kurdish peshmerga troops in the disputed province of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. There has been a peshmerga presence in Kirkuk since 2003, but stationed north of the provincial capital of Kirkuk city. However, following Iraq's own "Day of Rage" on Feb. 25, peshmerga forces moved to take up positions along a line south of the city. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials have stated that the deployment is needed to protect Kurdish populations in the disputed areas from the threat posed by what they claim are terrorist-infiltrated demonstrations. The Iraqi government's response to the move has so far been muted, but local Arab leaders in Kirkuk and some of their Turkoman counterparts are expressing alarm that the move will fuel intercommunal tension and requesting intervention by the national government. Underscoring the potential seriousness of the situation, on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey and U.S. Forces Commanding General Lloyd Austin met with KRG President Massoud Barzani to discuss security arrangements in Kirkuk. The status of Kirkuk and other disputed territories in northern Iraq is perhaps the major unresolved potential political driver of conflict in Iraq as American troops prepare to withdraw later this year, and at various points since 2008 the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish peshmerga have come close to an armed confrontation. The current situation in Kirkuk is likely to be defused without further escalation, but it raises important questions about the consolidation of U.S.-backed conflict-prevention mechanisms aimed at forestalling the use of military units to resolve territorial disputes as well as the lack of a viable Iraqi political process to begin to resolve the core elements underlying the territorial conflict. Without any political road map or vision existing for addressing the fate of the disputed territories, there is the risk that parties are tempted to take matters into their own hands and that moments of social unrest, such as the current demonstrations around poor services and unemployment, quickly degenerate into ethnic tension. Meanwhile Aswat al-Iraq reports that Talabani spoke Monday in Sulaimaniya and declared Kurkuk to be "Kurdistan's sanctity." The problem with interpreting that comment is that (a) Talabani was before a crowd and (b) he always goes back on his statments -- especially when it comes to Kirkuk. That hasn't prevented many from attempting to decipher where Talabani is leading. The Brookings Institution's Michael E. O'Hanlon has a new column where he (as usual) advocates for the US to stay in Iraq and notes: But the most vivid way to understand the continued desirability of a calming U.S. military presence is to focus on the contested city of Kirkuk and its environs in the north of the country, just below the autonomous region of Kurdistan proper. This is the oil-rich and history-laden city where Kurds, Turkomen and Arabs come into contact - and compete for claims to the land and its resources. According to the Iraqi constitution, written with American help and passed in 2005, there is supposed to be a referendum on Kirkuk's future. In fact, it was supposed to have happened by 2007, but disputes over who should be allowed to vote and what options should be presented to voters have continued to delay the resolution of the matter. Turning to some of today's reported violence, Aswat al-Iraq reports a Baghdad bombing claimed 1 life -- Brig Taha Mohammed who was "director of the Iraqi air force training department director," another Baghdad bombing injured one person, another Baghdad roadside bombing targeted a US convoy (no reports of any wounded), a Mosul bombing injured police Col Abad Etweiba and a bodyguard was wounded as well, a Falluja assault on a home left 1 man dead and his wife wounded, and 3 Baghdad IEDs left three Iraqi soldiers injured, one police officer and one civilian wounded and a police officer. Reuters notes a Taji truck bombing claimed the life of the driver and, dropping back to Tuesday for the rest, 1 man was killed in Baghdad's Ghadir district and 1 man was killed in Baghdad's Mashtal district (silencers on guns in both incidents) and a Kirkuk rocket attack resulted in 1 pesh merga being injured. Hisham Rikabi (Al Mada) reports that Nouri al-Maliki will, according to whispers, offer up some names to fill empty Cabinet posts when he joins Parliament tomorrow. There are rumors on top of the rumors including that the names he proposes have no consensus behind them and that Nouri will be pushing his job off onto the Parliament (which will allow him an out, now won't it?). Among the names being whispered as nominees are Ahmed Chalabi, Lt Gen Abboud Qanbar and Turaihi Aqeel who, supposedly, will be competing for the post of Minister of the Interior. Citing Kurdish press reports, Rikabi notes rumors that Nouri intends to toss out ten names for the posts of Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior and Minister of National Security (and Intelligence). Dar Addustour adds that an unnamed person with the State Of Law political slate (Nouri's slate) has stated ISCI, Iraqiya and Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters will not be voting on the names due to the lack of political consenus. If that's true, who will be voting? That's a huge chunk of the MPs. Iraqiya won the most seats. The other two hold a significant number of seats and came together to back Nouri as prime minister-designate last year. If the rumor is true about withholding votes being planned for Thursday, that would explain why Moqtada al-Sadr was all over Iraq yesterday -- Sadr City in Baghdad as well as Kadhimiyah). Kadhim Ajrash and Nayla Razzouk (Bloomberg News) report State Of Law's Ali Shlah has gone on record and told them that Nouri "will present his candidates for the defense, interior and national security ministries to parliament" on Thursday. In other news of Parliament, the National Alliance held a press conference today. Al Mada reports that they are threatening to walk -- all 80 of them -- if Parliament doesn't stop 'reading speeches and statements and failing to legislate.' The report also notes that although Parliament was to go into recess April 14th, they've extended the session to run through May 14th. Yesterday's snapshot included this: "Aswat al-Iraq reports that a member of the Iraqiya slate is stating over '200 draft laws are defunct inside the Iraqi parliment'." This is the inaction that the National Alliance is objecting to. Aswat al-Iraq notes that the President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, made congratulatory statements yesterday towards Iraqi women in observance of International Women's Day. Sally Jawdat (Al Mada) reports from Irbil on the day and notes that Massoud Barzani, President of the KRG, congratulated women (all women) and then moved on to note women in the Kurdistan region and spoke of the role that they have played in the liberation of Kurdistan. He declared that the KRG is always a defender of women's rights. Meanwhile, Al Rafidayn reports that there has been an increase in the number of suicides among Karbala women who are the victims of assault. Dr. Amer Haidar is quoted stating that al-Hussein Hospital is receiving at least two women a week who have attempted suicide and that the women display fractures, burns and other signs of abuse. Dr. Sana Abdul speculates that some women may see suicide as the only way to be free of physically abusive husbands. Suha Alsaikli (Al Mada) reports on Iraqi women who gathered in Baghdad yesterday to mark International Women's Day including women with the Iraqi Communist Party, the Association of Iraqi Women and Peace and Solidarity Organization. Passing out sweets, the women drew attention to the status of women in Iraq, particularly widows and divorcees. Umm Ammar, with the Communist Party, decried Nouri's orders to seize the Party's headquarters on Sunday and noted that other parties were not targeted. Larisa Epatko (PBS' NewsHour) writes this introduction to a photo essay at the website, "Women came together on March 8 to express a message of soldiarity on International Women's Day by dancing in Iraq, protesting in Ivory Coast and dressing as men in Lebanon. This year marked the 100th anniversary of the designated day, bringing with it a theme of 'decent work for women.' Events are planned throughout the month." One of the women of Iraq is Haifa Zangana who was born in Baghdad, raised there, attended Baghdad University, received her diploma in 1974 and continued her political activism as a member of the Communist Party. Escaping imprisonment and execution, she left Iraq. Since the start of the Iraq War, she's returned to Iraq twice. She's also an author of many books and, March 19th, she speaks at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. She shares her memories with Tahira Yaqoob (The National Newspaper): At that time, everything was indicating that the Baath regime was a fascist party so I joined a faction of young people, who represented socialism with democracy, everything we thought we were missing. My mother did not say much but whatever I did, she would be in tears and one time, she begged me to give up. She said it was going to lead us into trouble and worried about the whole family being affected but I was a stubborn woman. [. . .] The Seventies were great. It was a time when we had the liberation movement, a time of hope and aspirations. You felt if you took part in this movement you were taking part in changing things. We were full of hopes. I was not unique. Most people were involved politically, it was part of daily life. You could not lie back and rest. [. . .] Dreaming of Baghdad is part of our collective memory. It was very important to document that part for the group of people involved and was very painful to write. When I had the time in the 1980s to look back at what happened in the early 1970s, even then it was really painful. I spent more than a decade trying to bury it. I wanted to come to terms and seek to forget. [. . .] I thought, this is an important part, not just of my life, but of the group of people I was involved with. It was an important experience as a woman. For a few years I was the only one. Some people suggested while I was writing the chapters that it was going to help me on a personal level as a kind of therapy. The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq's Yanar Mohammed and the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice's H. Patricia Hynes pen a piece for Truthout exploring the realities in Iraq today for women: Studies on the ground of the war's impact on women and girls come to vastly different conclusions. In October 2002, Saddam Hussein released criminals from Iraqi prisons. This and the soon-to-follow 2003 US-led assault on Baghdad, created conditions for bloodletting, for a sharp increase in organized crime trafficking in drugs, stolen cars, and women and girls; and for the ascendancy of armed Islamist conservatism. Saddam's tightly controlled violence and reign of terror were replaced by unpredictable, widespread violence against Iraqi women. The immediate consequences for women: hejabs worn by Muslim and Christian women alike (and abayas in some regions) to avoid being harassed and beaten in public; an epidemic of women killed in the city of Basra by fundamentalist men, who leave them in the street as a lesson to other women; increased rape, including of women in detention; abduction into prostitution; and a dramatic rise in "honor" killings, or the murder of women and girls by male family members to restore family honor. Muta'a - Sharia law-permitted exploitation of women by men in so-called temporary marriages, which serve as fronts for prostitution - rose after the war began, with men targeting desperate, penniless widows and the Shia militia targeting single girls. The real ruler in Iraq today, according to Iraqi Professor Maha Sabria, "is the rule of old traditions and tribal, backward law" with a US-brokered Constitution based in Islamic law, one which does not assure women basic rights or protections. The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), which investigated women's deaths in Basra by visiting city morgues, found that most of the women killed by fundamentalist "vice squads" in Basra were largely professionals, activists and PhDs. The lesson to other women: end any participation in the public, political and social spheres and stay home under male surveillance. By early 2008, only 20 percent of primary and secondary students countrywide were female; the rest were prisoners in their homes. Houzan Mahmoud, who has risked her life to organize a petition against the introduction of Islamic law in Kurdistan, summed up the impact of the war: "If before there were one dictator persecuting people, now almost everyone is persecuting women." Mary Jane Lavigne (Twin Cities Daily Planet) reports on attorney Suaad Allami whom the US State dept recognized in 2009 as an International Women of Courage and quotes her stating: I was living under the three wars, 1980, 1991 and 2003. I know what it means for the people. The worst impact of all the wars is on poor people. Since 2003, we had the Sectarian Violence -- how that has displaced people! They leave their homes, structures fall, corruption, violence, many diseases. Cancers are increasing because of the prohibited weapons they used during the war. I live in east Baghdad. Sadr City has 40 percent of the population, close to 2 million, mostly poor. Fifteen or twenty people, living in a small area, these are small houses, many members of an extended family living in one house. Manal Omar is the author of Barefoot in Baghdad: A Story of Identity -- My Own and What it Means to be a Woman in Chaos. She spoke with Fran Kelly (Breakfast, Australia's ABC, link is audio). Fran Kelly: Manal Omar is an activist and scholar working at the US Institute of Peace in America. She lived in Iraq from 2003 to 2005 and wrote a book about her experiences called Barefoot in Baghdad. Manal Omar is in Australia this week. Manal, welcome to ABC Radio National Breakfast. Manal Omar: Thank you, thank you for having me. Fran Kelly: And happy International Women's Day. Manal Omar: Thank you. Likewise. Fran Kelly: Talking about women in Iraq, Manal, has democracy in Iraq delivered better outcomes for women there? Manal Omar: Well the jury's still out on what the improvement for women will look like. Iraq has a very strong legacy of women's rights. If you look at the 40s and the 50s, it's something that Iraqi women are very proud of. In 2003, Iraqi women were talking about how they were going to leap forward and ways that they were going to reclaim that legacy of women's rights but unfortunately it has panned out quite like that. They're still struggling and unfortunately they're in a situation of just trying to maintain the status quo. And I'm cautiously optimistic that they'll be able to reclaim that legacy But it's been a very difficult path. Fran Kelly: And what about improvement in terms of -- clear improvement that you can measure -- women's representation in the Parliament or in the top echelons of that Parliament in Iraq? Manal Omar: That's a great question. You do have a quota so 25% of the Parliament are women and they are emerging over the last few government formations as being very strong, powerful women that are articulating not only the issues for women but for youth and other important issues that are important to the country as a whole. Fran Kelly: Well is it true to say that though, in the recent Ministry there were no women ministers? Manal Omar: That's right and -- Fran Kelly: That's a change isn't it? Manal Omar: It is a change. In the last Iraq government formation there were no women that were no women that were appointed. And you know, I think it had more to do with the fact that when you're negotiating and looking at the political process it's often that leaders of the political parties who are almost always men that come out an take the seats. And so it wasn't necessarily targeting women but it's a very typical situation where women and in my book, I call it the negotiating chip where they're negotiated away and become assets during these times. Fran Kelly: Tell me a little more about that. What do you mean the negotiating chip? Manal Omar: I mean most often a lot of the political parties might not just be against women's rights or anti-women, but they're thinking about their own political interests. And when you're negotiating whether it's with tribal leaders or with the heads of politcal parties and in the case of Iraq religious leaders, what tends to fall through the cracks are women because no one wants to have their position filled by a woman they're going to have the head of the tribe or the head of the political party come and take the seat. And unfortunately and consistently the people who pay the price are the women representatives. March 2nd, the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing to address the differences between the law the Congress passed to aid veterans and their caregivers and the meager and miserly way the VA intended to 'follow' it. The hearing was covered in that day's snapshot and Kat covered it in "Burr promises VA 'one hell of a fight'" and Ava covered it at Trina's site with "The VA still can't get it together." Leadership of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and the House Veterans Affairs Committee have written US President Barack Obama to ask him to prevent the VA from distorting the law Congress passed which would prevent many veterans and their caregivers from receiving the help Congress said they deserved. This is the letter the leadership of the Veterans Affairs Committee -- both houses -- sent Barack: March 8, 2011 The President The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We are writing regarding the family caregivers assistance program established in Public Law 111-163, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, which you signed into law on May 5, 2010. To date, implementation of this program is significantly behind the schedule mandated in law. The statutory deadline for the full implementation of this program was January 30, 2011. Our concerns were raised with you about this previously, and after conversations with members of your senior staff, we understand that you are directing your Administration to get this program back on track such that services should commence early this summer. We ask that you direct the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Management and Budget to implement the necessary interim-final regulations for this program within 60 days of the date of this letter. We also ask that you direct OMB to ensure that the regulations and other elements of the program's implementation comply with the specific eligibility criteria that are set out in the law. VA's reluctance to work with Congress and veterans advocates has led to a situation where caregivers remain unclear if they will receive the support Congress intended for them. Further delay of this program hurts veterans and caregivers in need of these critical benefits and services. Further, limiting eligibility to arbitrary and stringent criteria, contrary to the intent of the law, creates undue hardship for veterans and family caregivers meant to be helped by the new program. Instruction and training in the provision of care, respite, technical assistance, counseling, and a living stipend for those who are forced to leave their jobs or work fewer hours to provide care to their loved ones are all being withheld as some in VA attempt to stymie this program. VA and OMB need your leadership to implement this program. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL 1st), Chairman, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA 51st), Ranking Member, House Veterans' Affairs Committee iraq the auburn citizen christopher caskey npr talk of the nation ted koppel al mada hisham rikabi dar addustour new sabah suha alsaikli sean kane foreign policy

Hillary

"Hillary Clinton: Give women a voice" (Jennifer, Epstein,Politico):

Women must play a key role in transitions to democracy in the Middle East, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.

“In the coming months and years, the women in Egypt and Tunisia and other nations have just as much right as the men to remake their governments,” Clinton said in Washington at an awards ceremony marking International Women’s Day. Together, she said, men and women can make their formerly autocratic governments “responsive, accountable, transparent.”

Good for Hillary. Good to know someone in the administration gives a damn about women.

Now here's Hillary speaking yesterday:

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. I am so excited to see all of you and to have this opportunity to participate in the first-ever Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges. And for me personally, it’s very empowering to see all of you and to know a little bit about the stories behind each of you being here.

I'm also delighted that we have young students from the Kipp Academy and E.L. Haynes, who are representing the next generation of leaders. (Applause.) And we will be honoring tomorrow 10 women, eight of whom will be here who are receiving the International Women of Courage awards. There are two that could not come, but the eight who will be here – you will learn more about them and what they have done in their countries when we talk about the extraordinary steps each has taken in the face of tremendous struggle to stand up for women’s rights and human rights, democracy and opportunities.

And for you who are part of the 100 Women Initiative that we are launching today, I am so pleased to have this chance to welcome you formally to the United States and to the State Department. You’re here because people around you see you as a leader. Now, sometimes those of us who are put in that position wonder why. We say to ourselves, me? Oh, that’s hard to believe. But always remember that there are those who look to you for your courage, your conviction, your compassion. And they have told us that they see you as leaders.

This is especially important for me because I believe strongly that every person – man and woman, boy and girl – has a God-given right to participate and to go as far as his or her hard work and talents will take them.

So for me, investing in women and girls is smart. It pays off. It’s not only the right thing to do – and I see some heads nodding – because you’ve seen the differences in the lives around you, in your own life as to what it means for someone to believe in a girl or a woman and to give her the tools to make the most out of her own life. But it’s also true that this is important if you want to alleviate hunger – you teach women, who are most of the farmers in the world how to get more harvest out of their hard work. If you want to alleviate poverty, you give women access to credit and opportunities to actually start to generate income for themselves and their families. And you have been working in these and so many areas. You are established and emerging leaders from 92 countries. You are leaders from the academic world, from business, from civil society, from the media. You are pioneers and you are fearless supporters of those who need a champion.

Now, there are many stories that could be told about each and every one of you. Just a few that give our broader audience an idea of the work that you are doing. Raquel Fernandez from Paraguay – where’s Raquel –Raquel Fernandez from Paraguay connects with women and girls trapped in a life of servitude and brings them off the streets to break the cycle of prostitution and marginalization. (Applause.) In Sudan, Aisha Humad – where’s Aisha – Aisha is empowering women by teaching them to stand up for themselves and to stand up for their own rights, which is sometimes a difficult case to make. But Aisha, thank you for what you’re doing for the women and girls of Sudan. (Applause.) In Yemen, Ishraq Al-Subaee – where is Ishraq, there you are – (applause) –she is – she’s a busy women. She’s not only a doctor and a medical researcher, but she conducts clinics for young people on everything from vocational skills to the basic principles of human rights and democracy, and that is so important in your country. Thank you such much, Doctor. (Applause.)

Now, these stories are just a small sample. I could be up here all day talking about each and every one of you. And as we go through the days, there will be more opportunities to learn more about what you’re doing and what we all can do to help you.

Now, I would like to acknowledge two of the 100 women who could not be here. One of them is a leader in the Women’s Legal Community in Libya, and she could not get out of her country safely. (Applause.) Let us think of her and all of the brave men and women of Libya. (Applause.)

And then the other, from Egypt, couldn’t make it through the checkpoints and the road closures that are unfortunately still preventing easy travel, and she couldn’t get to the airport. Now, we hope both the woman from Libya and Egypt can join us in a future exchange.

Many of you have also traveled a long distance to be here, and in the next three weeks we are going to send you across the United States. We are going to have you meet business leaders who have confronted challenges and succeeded. We are going to have you meet government officials and those who are trying to make our government at the local, state, and federal level work better. We are going to have you talk with women entrepreneurs who have learned how to set their own businesses up and make them as successful as possible.

You will be going to cities such as Des Moines, Iowa; New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and others. And not only do we want you to meet Americans and talk with them about what they’re doing; we want you to talk about your own experiences, your own cultures, and what America and Americans can do to be better friends and partners to you in what you do at home.

We think Americans will learn a lot from you, and we hope that these next three weeks will be a valuable opportunity not only during the time you’re here, but as you go home we want to stay in touch with you through the internet, through every other means of communication. We want to be there for you if you have questions or you have other problems that maybe we can offer some suggestions about.

Now, this program represents just one of the ways that we at the State Department and in the Obama Administration are elevating the role of women and girls in our foreign policy. We are working with the private sector to provide grants to NGOs in many countries in order to help women and girls. We are encouraging your governments and your own business sector to invest more in women and bring women into the financial system. We think that’s a good return on investment for those banks and other financial entities.

We have something called the mWomen program, and that is to try to get more mobile technology – cell phones – into the hands of more poor women, because there’s such a gap. Even though there are now 2 billion cell phones in the world, there are at least 2 billion more poor people who could use those cell phones for all kinds of purposes.

We want to make sure that we hear from you about your experience and you give us your best ideas. We are going to be bringing even more women leaders to the United States. Every year, 5,200 entrepreneurs, politicians, civil servants, human rights activists, teachers, and others visit our country. When I travel around the world – and I’ve traveled hundreds of thousands of miles in the last two years. I think the last time I looked, it was over 450,000 miles, and I’m, like, perpetually jetlagged, to be honest with you. (Laughter.)

But when I travel to other countries, I always meet somebody who’s been on a visitor program to the United States. And that makes me feel good because I learn how it helps to shape their lives. And as I travel, I always take time out to meet with women, because I have a very strong belief that diplomacy, being the Secretary of State, is not just about governments meeting governments and government officials meeting government officials. Ultimately, I think it is people-to-people relationships that make a difference, that can really give you the strength to keep going through very difficult times.

And we know that many of the global challenges that we’re facing in the world today are going to require a lot of strength and a lot of energy to keep going forward. Each of you is really an ambassador – an ambassador for yourself, for your family, for your society, for your country, for your values and your ideals. And I want you to feel that way because you are a very valued and honored guest in the United States.

I’m going to be turning this over now to a panel of women who work with me, so that they can talk with you and you have a chance to ask them questions. Each and every one of them is a very special woman in her own right. And Ann, if I could, I’d like to introduce all of you as you maybe come up. Would that be all right?

And I think it’s Ann Stock, who some of you have seen already. Ann worked – (applause) – and it’s Cheryl and Melanne?

STAFF: I’m sorry?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Is Cheryl and Melanne next to the – great.

STAFF: Yes, Cheryl and Judith.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, great. Ann Stock worked for me the first time in the White House, when my husband was president. And so I’ve known Ann for many years now. She’s a good friend. She’s worked in the White House, she’s worked at the Kennedy Center – which some of you may have seen when you came into Washington – and now she’s here in the State Department, running our educational and cultural programs.

The next person I want to introduce is Cheryl Mills. Cheryl Mills has been – (applause) – a friend of mine for a long time. She was a lawyer in the White House, and a very famous one. If you ever Google her, you will see why. (Laughter.) She is fearless and she is one of the most highly organized people I’ve ever worked with. She is my chief of staff, she is my counselor, she basically runs the place. So she will be able to talk with you as well.

And finally, Judith McHale – is Judith here yet? She’s on her way? Well, I’m going to let Ann and Cheryl start. But Judith McHale, whom you will meet in a minute – you all can sit down – Judith McHale is the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy. But before that, she was one of the three original founders of the Discovery Channel. Have any of you ever heard of the Discovery Channel? Well, Judith was one of the people who started the Discovery Channel, which I think has programming in maybe 150-or-60 countries. And so she is a very successful businesswoman, a very successful investor and entrepreneur, who I enticed to come to work for me to try to do a better job of communicating on behalf of our country.

And I’ll be really honest with you. I need your help on this because I think that in the last several years, particularly a lot of young people in the world don’t really understand what the United States stands for and what we do and what we try to do to help people. So I need your advice as you go through your time here about how we can do a better job to communicate about who we are and why we want to help other people, because we want each and every one of you and every country you come from to have the same opportunities – to have a democracy where everybody is included; to have strong institutions; to end corruption; to create a level playing field where, no matter who you are or who your parents are, you have a chance to be a successful person if you’re willing to work hard. And that’s the message we try to give to our young students here about what it means to have a chance to get an education and to grow up here in the United States.

So I am thrilled you’re here. I’m going to turn it over to Ann and Cheryl, and they’ll be ready to answer your questions. And please give us your best advice, and we are not afraid of criticism. Somebody said to me once, “How does it feel when you’re criticized?” I said, “You know, I’ve been criticized for so many years, I hardly even know it happens anymore.” (Laughter.) It just kind of goes with the territory. If you’re going to be an outspoken woman and you’re going to stand up for yourself and you’re going to try to stand up for other people, guess what? You’re going to be criticized.

So this is Judith McHale, who I just bragged on and told all about being a Discovery founder. Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)

And you can stream the speech.



Again, thank goodness for Hillary. Still proud I voted for her in the primary.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Chaos and violence continue, Nouri's attacks on the press and protesters gets some attention, Ted Koppel declares the Iraq War was and is all about oil, Iraqi Christians remain under attack, and much more. Monday, Al Mada reports, was another day of protest in Liberation Square as Iraqis demanded reforms and basic services, jobs and an end to corruption. Dr. Sami Shati is quoted stating that they are an array of civil society organizations who, on the anniversary of the 2010 elections wanted to join with others in expressing regret. The Teachers Association, Iraqi Women's Association and the Organization of Women for Peace were among the other groups participating. New Sabah notes that the media was prevented from broadcasting live from Baghdad. David Ali (Al Mada) reports that security was again tight in Baghdad yesterday and that journalists decried the military's targeting of them. An Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers reports at Inside Iraq: After one year of her participation in the last parliamentary election in March 7th 2010, Hiyam Tawfiq is completely disappointed because she feels that she had been deceived by the promises of the Iraqi political party she voted for. Her frustration and disappointment led here to Tahrir square in downtown Baghdad to join few hundred Iraqis organized a demonstration in March 7 2011; one year after the election. They call their demonstration THE DAY OF REGRET referring to their regret for participating in the parliamentary election. The demonstrators were confined to certain area of the square designated by yellow police tape and surrounded by dozens of Iraqi security forces who were searching those who join the demonstration. "I feel a volcano inside me because of my anger that can damage the whole Green Zone if I release it", said Hiyam, a 34 years former employee in the high electoral commission that prepared for the election. As pressure builds, Roads to Iraq notes, "[Grand Ayatollah Ali al-]Sistani's representative Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbalai offered escape route to Maliki proposing a plan to save the government from its current crisis. Nothing new, the same words again, the plan is to improve services and the performance of the officials to meet the legitimate demands of the people." Meanwhile the US Embassy in Baghdad finally released a statement on the targeting of journalists. That was yesterday. Alsumaria TV reports on it today. Iraq Oil Report Tweeted: USEmbassyBaghdad issues statement, finally, about GOI abuse of journalists: pretty please stop doing it...if that's ok with you. 3:51 AM Mar 7th via web Kelly B. Vlahos (Antiwar.com) eviscerates the US government's 'response' to what has been taking place in Iraq: Because unlike Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other Arab states for which the United States has been blamed for giving dictators aid and comfort over the years, Washington is much more directly responsible for the conditions Iraqis are fighting against today. It helped now-embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki into office in 2006, and strengthened his hand by using superior American firepower to pacify his enemies during the 2007 Surge. It armed and trained Iraqi security forces to look just like American security forces. It turned a blind eye to the building corruption, prisoner abuse, sex trafficking, and blatant civil injustice over the last two years, and now that those same security forces are turning against protesters and journalists, Washington is again, silent. But the bi-partisan White House support for Nouri didn't end under George W. Bush. Joe Biden, under Barack Obama's direction, put together the deal that allowed Nouri to remain prime minister in November 2010. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) reported yesterday on Ayad Allawi explaining a number of things about the power sharing agreement "brokered by US Vice President Joe Biden and backed up by Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani" including Allawi revealing in this interview Allawi gave Alsumaria TV that Joe Biden personally asked him to step away from the "his claim to be prime minister" and to instead lead the National Security Council. Without the US government running interference for Nouri, not only would he never have become prime minister, he wouldn't be prime minister currently. Vlahos quotes Dr. Adil Shamoo on how hypocritical the US government is being and how if the protestered killed by Iraqi forces had been killed by Iranian ones, the US government would be rushing in with a statement. Dahr Jamail tells her, "The hypocrisy of the United States is astounding because they always claim that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was for liberation, and to bring civil rights and free speech to the Iraqi people, and then here they are fully backing the Maliki forces while they are killing protesters and beating and torturing journalists, while simultaneously backing revolutionaries, or at least claiming to back popular democratic uprisings, in all these other countries." Vlahos argues: The irony here is that the Iraqi people are, possibly for the first time, spontaneously exercising their rights en masse, across every ethnic and religious line -- Sunni, Shia and Kurd -- without the help of American operatives, military lock-downs or purple-finger press management. And the U.S. government's response is, for all obvious reasons, muted at best. On Antiwar Radio, Scott Horton spoke with Jason Ditz about the protests in Iraq, Nouri's response and the great big shrug from the US government. Scott Horton: At least in liberated Iraq where America has gone and done those people a real big favor and gotten rid of their dictatorship everything is going swimmingly, right? Jason Ditz: Yeah. Iraq's protests have been some of the most interesting because they haven't been particularly covered in the West. We see every once in a while, one of them will make a British newspaper or something, but in the US, the fact that there are protests in Iraq doesn't really seem to be reaching the media at all. Scott Horton: Well that's a little contrary to our narrative. We're on the side of the people of Libya and Bahrain, don't you know? Jason Ditz: Some of these have been pretty good sized protests in Iraq too and there have been some very violent crackdowns which were accompanied by the US embassy praising the Iraqi government for its restraint in the wake of the protests. Scott Horton: I can't find it anymore. I was looking for it and I can't find it from news from Antiwar.com where you can run down all the headlines, I couldn't find it anymore but I could have sworn it was one that you wrote that said the Iraqi government was cracking down on intellectuals, on the leadership, writers and, you know, Pol Pot style, looking for people with glasses, I guess. Like back when the CIA gave all the lists of the Socialists to Saddam Hussein to murder, that kind of thing. Is it -- Was that you that wrote about that? Jason Ditz: Uh -- Yeah, yeah. Scott Horton: So tell me more about that and if you remember the headline tell me that. Jason Ditz: I don't remember the headline unfortunately. I think that was the day before yesterday. They're arresting -- Well, of course, they've been arresting journalists right along. And when we say arresting that's not really a great term for it because what they're really doing is sending these guys out in, uh, turtle neck sweaters that are supposedly members of the Special Forces that just sort of drag the journalists off the street and put them in some sort of detention center and threaten to cut their heads off if they keep covering the protests. But we've also had reports that the leadership, some of the people that have been speaking at the protests, the intellectual types, are-are just being disappeared into these detention centers and never coming back out. So whether they're still being held, they're executed or what, we don't know but it seems like the attempt is pretty similar to what the Egyptian government tried early on and what the Libyan government tried early on and, really, what every government has tried early on -- which is get rid of the leadership of the protest and assume that everyone else will just go back to business as usual which, of course -- Scott Horton: Yeah, that was based on [former US Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld's strategy for the insurgency, right? Jason Ditz: Right. Which, of course, hasn't worked at all in any of these cases. It just riles people up when their leadership gets disappeared like that. Scott Horton: Well I'm sorry, audience, that I still can't find this one. It's not "At Least 21 Dead in Iraq Protest Crackdowns"? That's not the one, right? It had the "intellectuals" in the title, I thought. Right? Jason Ditz: No, I don't think it did. .Let me, let me find it here. Uh, Scott Horton: I've been flipping through news Antiwar.com and there's so much here, so much important news. But I guess while you're scanning Jason, I'll go ahead and remind people what you -- Jason Ditz: Yes, here it is. Scott Horton: -- wrote the other day about these protests in Iraq. "From Mosul" which I think is the northern most major city up there in Kurdistan "all the way down to Basra and every population center in between." Jason Ditz: Yeah. The title of it was "Report: Maliki Using Special Forces To Shut Down Protests." Scott Horton: Oh, okay. Jeez, isn't that on the front page of Antiwar.com today? Jason Ditz: I believe it is. Scott Horton: Okay. So, yeah, the point is that we had Human Rights Watch here on the show talking about Maliki's secret torture prisons that the Red Cross don't have -- doesn't have access to. Now we have these basically -- I'm so happy to see Iraqis rising up in peaceful protests. It's been awhile since we've seen those. against the government there. And I guess they've seen the same price inflation as everybody else in that region and the horrible effects of it. But you're right, I think, probably Jason, the most important part of this is just how it goes completely unmentioned in the media. You know, they can count on the fact that Americans really don't know that much about American backing for Hosni Mubarak or for Ben Ali in Tunisia or even for [Muammar] Gaddafi over the last eight years. They certainly don't know that about Libya. But, uh, it would really screw up their narrative if the people of Iraq feel like they live under an American backed tin pot dictator just like the rest of these people in the region and want to rise up and create some kind of more democratic system that serves their interests. That doesn't go along with the American empire narrative about what happens in Iraq at all so TV just blacks it out. 'Let's talk about Libya only and no Iraq at all.' On NPR's Talk of the Nation today, Neal Conan spoke with NPR's Mike Shuster "wisely the Iraqi troops held back" -- really? The five journalists that were assaulted by the Iraqi security forces in Basra is an example of 'holding back'? Rebecca Santana, Hamid Ahmed, Saad Abdul-Kadir and Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) report on the attacks on journalists and protesters, "The crackdown has raised doubts about how committed Iraq really is about protecting human rights and freedom of speech and what type of country U.S. troops will leave behind when they depart later this year." Today the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement condemning one of the latest attacks on journalists: Nearly a dozen gunmen stormed an independent radio station in Sulaimaniya's Kalar district on Sunday, vandalizing the office, breaking most of the equipment, and confiscating the rest. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the assault on Radio Dang and calls on the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan to thoroughly investigate the attack. It is the second armed assault on an independent radio station in Sulaimaniya in a less than a month, according to news reports. Radio Dang Executive Director Azad Osman said he believes the station's coverage of recent anti-government demonstrations in Sulaimaniya was the reason behind the attack. "We covered the demonstrations in a direct, professional way and I think that some did not like that, especially officials and the authorities," he said. There have been scattered protests in northern Iraq for the past three weeks; it has killed five and injured 158 so far, the head of the country's emergency health department, Dr. Nozad Ahmed, told CNN. Today in Sulaimaniya, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan regional government, according to international news reports. Alsumaria TV reports on Nouri al-Maliki's targeting of the Iraqi Communist Party and the Iraqi Nation Party and closing of their Baghdad headquarters, "Parliamentary parties criticized the decision of Prime Minister Maliki to evacuate headquarters of Iraqi Communist Party and the Nation Party of former MP Mithal Al Alussi. They deemed the decision as constitutional violation mainly that there are no charges against these parties involved in the political process, they argued." Al Mada quotes the Communist Party's Jassim Hilfi stating that this is an effort by Nouri al-Maliki to quash voice of democracy and liberalism, voices who decry corruption. He endorsed the efforts of the protesters (the Communist Party has been among the organizations helping to lead and get the word out on the demonstrations) and noted that the protests will continue, regardless of the Party's headquarters. He joined with the Iraqi people in rejecting tyranny and in pursuit of civil liberties. AFP reports Moqtada al-Sadr made "only his second visit to the Iraqi capital since the US-led invaion of 2003" as he wandered through the Sadr City section of Baghdad apparently on a Yes-I-am-here-at-least-for-now good will tour. Al Rafidayn adds that he met with officials in the Sadr bloc. Meanwhile Caroline Alexander and Kadhim Ajrash (Bloomberg News) speak to Ali al-Saffar of the Economist Intelligence Unit about the changing alliances in Iraq and he tells them it "would be devastating". Aswat al-Iraq reports that a member of the Iraqiya slate is stating over "200 draft laws are defunct inside the Iraqi parliment". Throughout the Iraq War minority populations have been targeted in the 'new' Iraq. The targeting comes in waves and the press attention in much smaller waves. For Iraqi Christians, the latest wave of targeting began October 31st with the attack on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad. That attack and the ones that followed forced many Iraqi Christians to flee Baghdad and Mosul for northern Iraq or for places outside of Iraq. Aidan Clay (Continental News) observes: The U.S. government had received numerous cries for help. In July 2010, Christian leaders from Iraq visited Capitol Hill to beg for the preservation of their communities. They came as representatives of a newly established council of churches. Putting aside denominational differences, the council was formed by the common belief that together they could best withstand persecution. At the time of the visit, some estimate that only 400,000 Christians remained in the country, a fraction of the 1.4 million who were there before the war. "We have no militia. We have no way to defend ourselves. We are sitting ducks. And when we are attacked, no one is prosecuted. How can we survive?" the head of the council told a congressman's office. However, pleas and policy recommendations fell on deaf ears and the Christian council grew void of hope. "Nothing is going to change," one council member told me. "Who is concerned about Christians whent he U.S. is trying to win a war?" If you're new to the issue, you may be interested in the recent timeline the article provides. Brooke Anderson (Catholic News Service) reports on some of the Christians who fled to the KRG in hopes of safety. Suhail Louis is one such person and now he wonders if he should attempt a life there or attempt to leave Iraq? Another is Rakan Warda who says, "I want to leave Iraq. I'm thinking about my daughter and her future. I'm no longer thinking about my own future." AFP reports that Austria has granted 30 Iraqi Christians asylum. But in Iraq, questions remain about the October 31st assault and fingers are pointing towards Nouri al-Maliki. Ken Timmerman (Assyrian International News Agency) reports: Four months later, Hana and her husband continue to mourn Ayoub in their home in Karakosh, where they fled from Mosul a year earlier after jihadi Muslims murdered her husband's brother. A portrait of the 27-year old Ayoub sits on a chair in their living room. He had just gone down to Baghdad to visit family. But the story of what happened to Ayoub Adnan Ayoub is much more than just a sad testimony to the persecution Iraqi Christians are enduring on a daily basis at the hands of jihadi Muslim groups. It is also prima facie evidence of criminal malfeasance on the part of the Iraqi government. "There was an outside door to the side chapel where those people were hiding," said Yohanna Josef, who made an unsuccessful campaign last year for the Iraqi parliament as an independent. "They could have gone in through that door and rescued many people," he told Newsmax in an interview at the Ayoub home in northern Iraq. "Instead, they burst in through the front doors and shot everyone in sight." Iraqi bloggers and even some politicians have openly accused the Iraqi government for its handling of the Oct. 31 attack. They point out that the terrorists brought explosives and weapons to the church in cars with dark-tinted windows and no license plates that are only available to officials with high-level security clearance. This allowed them to get waved through checkpoints without being stopped. They also point to the slow reaction of the security forces, and the botched handling of the rescue attempt itself. It still remains unclear how many of the victims were killed or wounded by the Iraqi rescue team, who opened fire wildly once they burst into the church. A senior officer in the Iraqi police, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject, said that for the 10 days prior to the attack that the Interior Ministry security forces gradually moved barriers closer to the church, until the terrorists could drive right up in front. Turning to some of today's violence. Aswat al-Iraq reports that US Special Forces did "an air drop operation on a village in al-Huweija district and raided some houses, killed a physician and arrested his brother" -- and if you're wondering, US Special Forces roam free in Iraq. Osama al-Nujefi, Speaker of Parliament, wants an investigation into US actions. In addition, Aswat al-Iraq notes a Mosul IED killed 1 Iraqi soldier, an 18-year-old man was shot dead in Falluja and a Mosul roadside bombing left two police officers injured. Mo Hong'e (Xinhua) reports 1 University of Mosul professor was shot dead outside his Mosul home, a Baghdad roadside bombing left two people injured a Diyala Province sticky bombing left three people injured in Baquba and Diayal Province was the focus of searches "during the past 14 hours and arrested 14 suspects and wanted individuals". Today is International Women's Day. Suha Alsaikli and Adham Youssef (Al Mada) report that women from such groups as the Association of Iraqi Women, Iraqi Council for Peace and Solidarity and the Iraqi Communist Party gathered in Baghdad today to address the new realities for women in 'new' Iraq where they face harsh social and economic conditions, many live in houses made of tin, widows and divorcess struggle. The Communist Party's Umm Ammar called for the Communist Party's building to be returned. Benoite Martin (Insight on Conflict) notes the 'new' Iraq included "a backlash against women's rights and feminist activists" and that, "Women's bodies and women's independence became the battleground of ethnic, religious and political strife." Religious groups launched pressure campaigns on women to avoid 'immoral' or 'un-Islamic' behaviour, forcing them to wear headscarves -- including Christian women in Baghdad. Unmarried women dressing improperly became the target of violent attacks in the streets of Basra. Women were increasingly used as a bargaining tool or gift among tribes, while forced marriages, kidnappings and honour-related crimes increased, in particular in the region of Kurdistan. The violent conflict in Iraq has resulted in the disappearance of women from the public sphere and has minimised their role in decision -- making processes. In order to ensure a sustainable post-conflict reconstruction process, and a sincere national reconciliation process, it is necessary to encourage an increased participation of women within the society and to seriously combat the occurrence of gender-based violence. Baghdad Women Association and the Women Leadership Institute are two organisations that have adopted an agenda to combat gender-based violence, and to build the leadership skills and capacities of women, so that women can play an active role in private and public spheres through increased participation in economic, social and political processes. In other news, and how appropriate that it come on International Women's Day, Pig Ritter is in the news cycle. Reuters reports the man busted at least twice before for attempting sexual encounters with underage females, arrested for a third time in late 2009, has a court date, April 12th. On the first season of Ellen (then called These Friends Of Mine), Ellen Degeneres' groundbreaking sitcom, she had lunch with "the most irritating, annoying, life endangering person on the face of the planet," Audrey Penney (Clea Lewis) in the episode "The Anchor" written by Neal Marlens, Carol Black and David Rosenthal. Ellen Morgan: So uhm did you see Nightline last night? Audrey Penney: Oh don't you hate Ted Koppel? He's so superior. It's like there's only one opinion in the world and Ted has to have it. Sounds like Audrey was listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation today, when Neal Conan spoke with Ted Koppel and NPR's Mike Shuster. Conan wondered what Iraqis think when they here US Defense Secretary Robert Gates say that the US is in talks with Iraq to extend the deadline of all US forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011? Neil Conan: Is there an Iraqi airforce? Mike Shuster: No, there's not an Iraqi airforce and that's in fact one of the key issues that the Americans here want to focus on. By "here," Shuster meant Baghdad (he was on satellite phone). Ted Koppel shared that US forces would stay one way or another. Either there would be an extension or the White House would (this is all public knowledge -- or should be) pull some US soldiers out from under the Defense Dept umbrella and put them under the State Dept umbrella. He noted, "You're going to have this bizarre situation where the State Dept is going to be, in effect, running the military situation." And though this has been trotted out before Congress repeatedly, he may be the most public fact to share, "Speaking quite frankly, I think it would be a disaster." He objected to "the State Dept running its own little army over there [Iraq] and running missions for which diplomats have not been trained" for many reasons including the issue of money. Since they wouldn't be able to maintain all US soldiers currently in Iraq, they'd have to use more contractors and he estimated a security contractor would make $100,000 a year. (A caller who had been a contractor stated he had made $150,000 a year in Iraq.) Ted Koppel is against the US leaving Iraq. He started yammering away about the blood and time and money invested. Never sit at the black jack table with Ted. Long after he's lost everything, he'll be attempting to bum a few chips fro you. And he rejected a caller who stated that the US would be smart to cut their losses as he rejected the idea that the US could not make things better for Iraqis. It would be "very unwise" to leave, he insistead and those who think the US is trying to help Iraq are looking at it wrong because "the prism that we're there for Iraq's interests? We're not. We're there because of US interests." That includes a staging platform for the region, according to Koppel, and, of course, the vast amount of oil Iraq has: Ted Koppel: We're there because of U.S. interests, and those U.S. interests can be summarized quite simply in one or two words: oil and natural gas. The stability of the Persian Gulf is of enormous national interest to the United State. No politician wants to send young men and women to die for oil. But the fact of the matter is that it is one of the politically most - no pun intended - inflammable issues. When the price of gasoline goes up, as it is going up right now, to $4 a gallon, if we were to leave before there is genuine stability in Iraq, if that area no longer had the oversight of American military, I think you could very easily see the price of oil go up to seven, eight, nine dollars a gallon. And the fact of the matter is then you would have all kinds of political yelling and screaming on Capitol Hill, all kinds of pressure being raised by the American public, which would not want to see that happen to its economy. His conclusion is, "In one form or another, we're still going to have thousands of people operating out of Iraq," it just depends on whether they'll be under the Defense Dept or the State Dept. He also took a swipe at the public, insisting, "As it is the US public pays little enough attention to US troops in Iraq." That's the second NPR program that's suggested that this week. Know what happens when you ride your high horse? You get knocked off. Ava and I will revisit this topic on Sunday at Third. Koppel's always been the voice of the beltway. "Good morning everybody," declared Senate Armed Services Committe Chair Carl Levin today as he began the Committee hearing. "I want to welcome Secretary [of the Navy Raymond] Mabus, Adm [Gary] Roughead and Gen [James] Amos to the Committee this morning to testify on the plans and programs of the Department of the Navy in our review of the fiscal year 2012 annual budget and overseas contingency operations request to the administration. We are pleased to welcome Gen Amos to his first posture hearing as Commandant and to welcome Adm Roughead for what will probably be his last posture hearing before the Committee as the Chief of Naval Operations." Ranking Member John McCain subscribes to the same belief of continued US forces in Iraq that Koppel does. We'll note this exchange. Senator John McCain: Gen Amos, in the withdrawal from Iraq, is it your personal opinion that Iraq will be able to take over logistics, intelligence and air sovereignty -- missions that the US has been carrying out? Gen John Amos: Senator, I've always believed that, uh, I can't speak to the degree of where they are today because the Marines are out of there and we're focused primarily in Afghanistan and other parts of the world but we were certainly on a glide slope to make that happen. Senator John McCain: Adm? Adm Gary Roughead: Uhm. I believe we are on that path, yes, sir. Senator John McCain: So you're not concerned about a complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq as far as logistics, intelligence, training of an air force, a navy? None of that is of concern? Adm Gary Roughead: As of my most recent visit there, Senator, where I focused primarily on the Navy, I see very good progress and, in addition to that, because that Navy will also offshore our Fifth Fleet that operates in the Arabian Gulf I believe it will be a very supportive relationship, addressing the needs of Iraq from the naval perspective. Senator John McCain: So they need no other assistance? Adm Gary Roughead: I-I believe that assistance will continue the way that we interact with all navys in the region with our Fifth Fleet headquarters and the ships that deploy there, the exercise programs that we have. And that will continue on with the Iraqi navy and not have to have people ashore. Ted Koppel won't be participating in a rally against the Iraq War this month. But many will be, A.N.S.W.E.R. and March Forward! and others will be taking part in this action: March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Iraq today remains occupied by 50,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries. The war in Afghanistan is raging. The U.S. is invading and bombing Pakistan. The U.S. is financing endless atrocities against the people of Palestine, relentlessly threatening Iran and bringing Korea to the brink of a new war. While the United States will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011, 30 million people in the United States remain unemployed or severely underemployed, and cuts in education, housing and healthcare are imposing a huge toll on the people. Actions of civil resistance are spreading. On Dec. 16, 2010, a veterans-led civil resistance at the White House played an important role in bringing the anti-war movement from protest to resistance. Enduring hours of heavy snow, 131 veterans and other anti-war activists lined the White House fence and were arrested. Some of those arrested will be going to trial, which will be scheduled soon in Washington, D.C. Saturday, March 19, 2011, the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, will be an international day of action against the war machine. Protest and resistance actions will take place in cities and towns across the United States. Scores of organizations are coming together. Demonstrations are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more. Click this link to endorse the March 19, 2011, Call to Action. iraq jane arraf kelley b. vlahos antiwar.com jason ditz antiwar radio scott horton bloomberg news kadhim ajrash caroline alexander npr talk of the nation neal conan mike shuster continental news aidan clay catholic news service brooke anderson afp assyrian international news agency ken timmerman