She's a freak

Oh, Michelle. Even with you temporarily weave, you still look like a freak.


"Iraq snapsho" (The Common Illt

Wednesday, June 8, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, another US soldier dies in Iraq, four activists are released in Iraq, released after Nouri's attempt to frame them fails, Friday appears likely to be a big day for protests in Iraq, Senator Patty Murrray advocates for veterans and explains her Murray's Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, and more. US House Rep Ron Paul is running for the GOP presidential nomination. Scott Horton spoke with him earlier this month for Antiwar Radio. Excerpt: US House Rep Ron Paul: Yeah and I don't have much faith in that [promise of an Afghanistan drawdown]. It's sort of like, you know, it's all over in Iraq and you're just about to come home and all the sudden you hear more people are being killed and what's happening to the Christians and why it's a haven now for al Qaeda when it wasn't under Saddam Husein. And they wouldn't build those embassies and those bases if they actually wanted to go home or planned to go home. They're planning to stay, there's just no doubt about it. They might try to fool the people for awhile. But in this age of communication that we have, even from over there, that the information gets out and they won't be able to get away with it. Scott Horton: Well and they've actually been pretty public about trying to get Nouri al-Maliki to socalled invite us to stay too. US House Rep Scott Horton: Yeah. Scott Horton: They haven't made much of a secret about it. 'Please, please invite us.' US House Rep Scott Horton: And if you don't, we'll take all of your money away from you. Tom Engelhardt (Middle Easton Online) observes, "Iraq? Where's that? Most Americans no longer seem to know and evidently could care less, but don't tell that to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, various key military figures and Washington officials, or some of the neocons, warrior-pundits, and liberal war-fighters circling them. They continue to relentlessly promote Iraq as a mission-never-accomplished-but-never-to-be-ended experience. Somehow, two decades after our Iraq wars began, they still can't get enough of them. Learning curve? Don't even think about it. It's as if they're trapped in that old Thomas Wolfe novel, You Can't Go Home Again." "Where's that?" Engelhardt asks. It wasn't on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. Monday saw the worst assault on US soldiers in Iraq -- judging by the death toll -- in two years. David Zurawik (Baltimore Sun) observes of Scott Pelley's debut as anchor of the CBS Evening News Monday that they didn't launch immediately into the texting story, "But they waited almost 12 minutes before getting to those stories, because they wanted to first explore the news of five soldiers dying in Iraq. Good for Pelley and CBS News and their sense of what's important." As we noted, The NewsHour (PBS) reduced that to a very tiny headline, just three brief sentences, not even the main headline (click here for Stan's take on The NewsHour's 'coverage') while World News with Diane Sawyer completely ignored the five deaths (NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams was ranked second by me with their coverage and CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley first. Both Williams and Pelley noted the deaths and brought on an analyst to provide context). Equally distrubing what was Ruth wrote about last night: Free Speech Radio News -- a 30 minute, commercial free broadcast with headlines and news segments -- completely ignored the 5 deaths. Speaking to the parents of two soldiers deployed to Iraq, WTKR (link is text and video) reports on the parents' reactions to the news of the 5 deaths and notes, a solider from the same brigade as the one attacked posted to the station's Facebook page, "My unit just lost another 5 soldiers, and over 15 soldiers are wounded.This is all from one incident. We have 3 months until we come home and we have lost 8 soldiers so far." Were "over 15" injured in the attack? I have no idea. As of this evening, DoD still hasn't released the names of the five who died. There were reports that at least five more were injured in the attack. The Pentagon and the White House have been very lucky that reporters aren't really interested in Iraq. Otherwise, it would be pointed out that on Monday an attack took place and on Wednesday there was still no information. Ignoring DoD, the Union-Leader turns up some information, discovering the name of one of the fallen: On Tuesday, the Air Force listed PFC. Michael B. Cook Jr. as one of several soldiers whose bodies was to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Michael B. Cook lived in Salem and was stationed in Iraq, according to the March obituary of his grandfather, Benjamin Cook. His wife, Samantha, is in Ft. Riley, Kansas; they have two children, Hailee and Michael B. Cook III. WMUR (link has text and video) notes of Michael Cook, "Monday would have been his 27th birthday." (If that's not clear, he died on his birthday. It was this week, not next Monday.) They also note that his high school, Salem High, has a flag in the gym honoring those who have died in the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War with a plaque listing their names next to the flag: "Cook is now the fifth member of the school and third member of his class of 2003 to die in those wars. Principal Maura Palmer said the plan is to remember Cook's sacrifice in November." She states, "At our Veteran's Day program in the fall, we would also add his name to the plaque. We would also honor him and have his family here, as well." Jose Luis Magana (AP) has a photo of the dignified transfer of Michael B. Cook's remains to Dover Air Force Base today. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen's office issued the following today: (Washington, D.C.) -- U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen released the following statement in response to reports of the death of Pfc. Michael Cook, formerly of Salem, N.H.: "My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Pfc. Michael Cook. Like many brave sons and daughters of New Hampshire, he sought to serve his country and protect his fellow Americans, and he did so with honor and courage. "My thoughts and prayers are with Michael's family at this difficult time." The Eagle Tribune speaks to the superintendent of Salem's school system, Michael Delahanty who was principal of Salem High School when Michael Cook attended.and he tells the paper, "There are some kids who stand out and Michael was one of those kids." Meanwhile CNN notes another US soldier was killed in Iraq today ("southern Iraq"). Gulf Times includes the military's one-sentence statement on the incident, "A US service member was killed Wednesday while conducting operations in southern Iraq." DoD's count of the US military deaths in Iraq currently stands at 4457; however, that does not include today's deaht or the 5 from Monday. They are not included in the DoD count until after DoD releases a statement on their deaths. (DoD does not make death announcements -- USF in Iraq is supposed to do that to the press. After loved ones have been notified, DoD issues a statement identifying the fallen by name. After it does that, it adds the fallen to their count.) . Turning to the other reported violence of today, Reuters notes a Falluja sticky bombing which claimed 1 life and left another person wounded, a Baghdad roadside bombing which left four people injured, 1 police officer shot dead in Mosul, the corpse of 1 Yazidi was discovered in Mosul (he had been kidnapped earlier), a Baghdad second roadside bombing left four people injured, a Rashad roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 Sahwa member and an assassination attempt on the general manager of the health department in Diayala Province, Ali Hussein, resulted in four by-standers being injured but no reported injuries to Ali Hussein. A marker has come and gone and Nouri's 100 Days ended Tuesday. 100 Days was Nouri's desperate attempt to distract citizens from the problems they face and to buy time. Al Sabaah notes that Nouri is now asking for patience and claiming that "the concept of partnership is a beautiful one," however, it might not be practical. Fakhri Karim (Al Mada) dubs "100 Days of humiliation" and notes Nouri wanted the "reset" and now refuses to admit any failure. Reset? Alsumaria TV reports, "Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki said he is set to implement a new plan during the next 100 day deadline in order to improve the government's performance and endorse the previous deadline, a source told Alsumaria." If true, Nouri seems to think he can just declare "100 More Days!" at any time. Iraqi Revolution compares Nouri and his 100 Days to Scheherazade and her One Thousand and One Nights. It's both a humorous comparison and an accurate one. Scheherazade launched into her one thousand and one nights of story telling in order to save her life and the 100 Days were all about Nouri trying to save his political career and remain as prime minister. Scheherazade, I'm oversimplifying the story, lived in a Persian Empire which King Shahryar ruled. Due to infedility in a previous marriage, the king had decided to marry only virgins and that, after one night with them, they would be killed. Scheherazade outsmarted him by arranging her sister to visit on the wedding night and, as they said their farewells (for Scheherazade was to die), her sister would ask her to tell a story. Scheherazde launched into a captivating story and then noted that the morning dawn was breaking so she had to stop her story. The king was caught up in the story and had to know what happened next. So her life was spared and this pattern repeated with her finishing the story from the night before and starting a new one that she would finish the next night. She knew exactly 1001 stories. When she had run out of stories, but by that time they had children and he'd fallen in love with her so her life was no longer in jeopardy. Nouri may be hoping something similar will happen with him; however, he should remember that he became prime minister in 2006 and yet, in all the years leading up to the March 2010 elections, the Iraqi people didn't fall in love with him enough to make his political slate the winner in those elections. Alsumaria also reports, "Iraqiya leader Iyad Allawi noted that the failure of national partnership in Iraq requires holding early elections. Holding early elections is well accepted by Iraqis, Allawi said." At the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Marina Ottaway and Danial Anas Kaysi examine the current political tensions: It does not appear at this point that any party or faction has actually reached a firm decision that it wants the government to fail -- thus reopening a painful negotiation process that took nine months to complete, or even leading to early elections. But it is abundantly clear that all are playing a game of brinkmanship, trying to push their advantage to the utmost and testing the limits of what they can achieve. A misjudgment by one of the major players could easily create a crisis with unforeseeable consequences. There are three major levels of tensions threatening the survival of the government and the stability of Iraq more broadly: rising divisions among the governing coalition's parties, tension between the parliament and the executive branch, and competition between the central and regional governments. They then immediately go to the Erbil Agreement. That was the agreement that the Kurds, Iraqiya, the National Alliance, State of Law and the US hammered out which allowed Nouri to stay on as prime minister and was supposed to guarantee Iraqiya (which won the March 2010 election, garnering more seats in the Parliament than any other slate) certain items. Nouri got what he wanted and quickly trashed the agreement. That's when tensions especially simmer. Meanwhile, The Great Iraqi Revolution informs, "SWAT troops under Maliki's direct command at a checkpoint in Baghdad I(Al Mansour, Dawoodi) armed with M4 rifles fitted with silencers, bearing in mind that a few days ago officials stated that silence rs were being manufactgured locally and that there are no imported silencers whatsoever! So belive it when it is said that policemen and thieves wore similar clothing!" The Great Iraqi Revolution notes, "Help us encourage people for next Friday's Demonstration by sending at least 10 SMS messages per person saying the following: "YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR PEOPLE NEED YOU. PARTICIPATE IN OUR REVOLUTION IN TAHRIR SQUARE NEXT FRIDAY." They are gearing up for protests this Friday -- protests which will take place despite Nouri's attempt to stop the Baghdad protests. The Great Iraqi Revolution offers a poem by Issra Abd which includes: Why are you silent for this is our Iraq and these are our sons and those are our mothers and those are our children and our brothers ..... and you are remaining silent, Why? Don't you see, Don't you hear, or have your eyes become blind and your ears deaf Look at them Youth who have been detained and women who have been widowed, children orphaned and mothers traumatized by the death of their sons and houses destroyed and You are still silent; Why all this awful silence from those you fear.... what are you frightened of.... Are you frightened of speaking Speak Up and Don't be Silent As God Is Your Witness What are you doing Come Along Speak Up And Don't Be Silent It is time you spoke up Come on Rise Up Altogether with a loud voice No to Corruption.... No to Occupation..... No to the Plunder of the People...... No to Tyrany ..... No to Dictatorship In preparation for the end of 100 Days, Nouri upped the crackdown on protesters. This included, on May 27th, arresting four activists on trumped up charges. The Great Iraqi Revolution noted the four arrested: "THE 4 YOUNG ACTIVISTS WHO WERE ARRESTED TODAY BY QASSIM ATTA AND TAKEN TO A PLACE UNKNOWN - 27.5.2011 - THEIR NAMES ARE: JIHAD JALEEL, ALI ABDUL KHALIQ, MOUAYED AL TAYEB AND AHMED AL BAGHDADI. We pray God to have them released very soon." New Sabah reports the 4 were finally released yesterday. Nouri's officials had claimed the 4 were arrested for false IDs. New Sabah reports that when the four appeared before the judge, the government supplied four fake IDs as evidence. The IDs were indeed of the four men. The photos clearly showed their faces. It was the four men. And it was even easier to tell it was them by their clothes. They were wearing prison uniforms issued by the government. In case you're waking up slowly this morning, the government presented FAKE evidence. The fake IDs were clearly made after the four men were arrested and Nouri and his goons weren't even smart enough to pull off a frame up. David Ali (Al Mada) reminds the four were abudcted while taking part in a participation. He reports how he repeatedly attempted to interview the four after the arrest but the government denied him access. A spokesperson for the four states they were tortured. They also state they were repeatedly told ("told" is probably too mild a word) to sign a document claiming they had been treated fairly but that they refused to sign it. Their torture while imprisoned is said to have included beatings, electrical shocks and more. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) quotes Mouyed Faisal stating, "When I left al-Tahrir Square [Friday, May 27th], a group of Iraqi security forces surrounded me. Meanwhile an ambulance parked next to me and I was being carried into it after they beat me." Tawfeeq notes the four plan to continue their protests and quotes Ahmed al-Baghdadi stating, "We are not afraid and we will continue to protest in Tahrir Square every Friday." In other Iraq news, Al Rafidayn is reporting that 34 people were arrested yesterday in Baghdad on charges of terrorism ("including 22 girls and a child"). The charges include trading in human organs and drugs. Al Sabaah adds that Iraqi officials are stating that the 'terrorist gang' is comprised of "the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq" -- apparently including the 18-year-old women who were hired to watch over the young children. New Sabah reports that Iraq's Sunni vice president, Tareq al-Hashemi, has been in Jordan attempting to negotiate the release of 15 Iraqis imprisoned in Jordan. "Today," declared Senator Patty Murray this morning as she brought the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to order, "we have a very ambitious agenda which really reflects the hard work of members on both sides of the aisle. We have numerous challenges to meet for our nation's veterans and I am pleased that this Committee has worked -- and will continue to work -- to develop legislation that substantially improves the lives -- their lives and the lives of their families, especially during this time of war." This was a hearing on proposed legislation. Ranking Member Richard Burr will be covered, as usual, by Kat at her site tonight. The Committee was joined by Senator Olympia Snowe, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse who do not serve on the Committee but had bills they wanted to discuss. Snowe, for example, has a bill regarding the military funerals, specifically the protests by one church group that makes homophobic remarks and other remarks on signs and in shouting and chanting. Senator Snowe stated her bill did not attempt to curtail speech, did not impose any rules on what can be stated, but that it would increase the area of protection for the mourners -- instead of protesters needing to remain at least 100 feet away, her bill would change that to 300 feet. (I am not endorsing or opposing this bill. I'm just noting it. Many would argue -- and they have a point -- that if speech is outside an area where it can be heard, it's really not free speech.) The Committee also heard from two panels. The first was government officials: VA's John McWilliam and VA's Robert Jesse. The second was VFW's Raymond Kelley, the American Legion's Jeff Steele, the AFL-CIO's J. David Cox and Disabled American Veterans' Joseph Violante. Before we go further Rob Hotakainen has an article that is or will be appearing in all the McClatchy Newspapers (link goes to Kansas City Star) where he looks at Iraq War veteran Eric Smith, 26-years-old, repeatedly searching for work -- full time, but willing to take part-time in an attempt to make ends meet (and, no, part-time's never going to make it work). How bad has the employment scene been for him? He even took part in a medical drug trial study to earn $1,200. Hotakainen notes, "In late March, he and 27 other veterans participated in IAVA's 'Storm the Hill' lobbying campaign. They went to 117 offices on Capitol Hill and met with 57 members of Congress, asking them to commission a study on military vocational skills and certifications. Smith and other veterans complain that the skills they learn in the military aren't enough to get them civilian certifications in their fields when they return home." Eric Smith supports the bill Chair Muarry is proposing (and he took part in the press conference for the bill last month). Committee Chair Patty Murray: There is much on the agenda that is important but I want to speak briefly about one item -- the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011. Ensuring that our veterans can find employment when they come home is an area where we must do more. For too long, we have been investing billions of dollars training our young men and women to protect our nation, only to ignore them when they come home. For too long, we have patted them on the back and pushed them into the civilian job market with no support. This is simply unacceptable and does not meet the promise we made to our men and women in uniform. Our hands-off approach has left us with an unemployment rate in February of over 27 percent among young veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. That is over one in four of our nation's heroes who can't find a job to support their family. Over one in four of our service men and women lack the stability that is so critical to their transition home. That's why last month I introduced the bipartisan Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 which now has 19 co-sponsors. This legislation will help us rething the way we support our service members as they return home and search for living-wage jobs. I introduced this critical legislation because I've heard first-hand from the veterans for whom we've failed to provide better job support. I've had veterans tell me that they no longer write that they're a veteran on their resume because they fear the stigma they believe employers attach to the invisible wounds of war. I've heard from medics who return home from treating battlefield wounds who can't get certifications to be an EMT or to drive an ambulance. These stories are as heartbreaking as they are frustratng. But more than anything, they're a reminder that we have to act now. The Hiring Heroes Act would allow our men and women in uniform to capitalize on their services while also ensuring that the American people capitalize on the investment we have made in them. For the first time, it would require every service member transitioning from active duty to partipate in the Transition Assistance Program [TAP]. This program supports our veterans by providing them with broad job skills training before they separate from service. This bill would also allow service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation. It would also require the Department of Labor to take a hard look at what military skills and training should be translatable to the civilian sector. This is a much needed step toward making it simpler for veterans to obtain much needed licenses and certifications. And, finally, my legislation would allow for innovative partnerships between VA, DoD and organizations that provide mentorship and training programs designed to lead to job placements for veterans. All of these are real, substantial steps to put our veterans to work and they come at a pivotal time for our economic recovery and our service members. At Third Estate Sunday Review, we endorsed Committee Chair Patty Murray's Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 including the mandatory aspect but: "There are a lot of programs the military offers. There's a real problem getting the word out. In some instances, such as PTSD, it's hard to draw any conclusion either than the military wants to keep the numbers down. Making the program mandatory means it falls back on superiors if veterans aren't getting access to these programs." We stand by that but there's a development since then. Earlier this month, the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held a hearing. We'll again note this exchange. Subcommittee Chair Marlin Stutzman: I do have a couple of questions for both of you. You mentioned the figure of 45% of service members attend TAP. Is that for all branches? Am I wrong in that the Marines do require, it is mandatory for their service members to attend TAP before they are discharged? And do we know if their percentages are any higher than the other branches? Christina Roof: When I spoke with Marine Corps officials last week, I was told it is mandatory that their Marines complete the TAP program. I was also told there were some exceptions, of course, you know, like critical injuries involved and so on. But I was told last week that it is mandatory that all their Marines complete TAP before their service discharge. Subcommittee Chair: Marlin Stutzman: So that's with no exceptions? Every Marine coming out does -- has completed TAP or . . . Christina Roof: Again, I can only go on what they told me which was, it is mandatory which I think is a great idea that should be across the board. I can't speak, again, to each individual case but it seems like they are enforcing it. Subcommittee Chair Marlin Stutzman: So would the 45% number have Marines in that percentage? Or do we not know more of -- the demographics or -- Christina Roof: I'll let my colleague, I think that was his number. Marco Reininger: Sir, if I may, I'm not 100% sure whether or not this number includes the Marine Corps but I believe that making it mandatory DoD wide would be the right solution here. That same survey indicated that many veterans didn't attend the TAP program where TAP courses were offered because it had a reputation of being redundant, not really useful for making a successful transition. And, in some cases even, commanding officers wouldn't let them go. This is what they say, again, this is what the survey indicated. So mandating it DoD wide for all service branches would be the right answer here, sir. And, of course, along with that comes having to overhaul the program so that it actually works and makes sense for people to actually attend. [. . .] Ranking Member Bruce Braley: Let me ask you this basic question. Isn't it true that the Department of Defense could make these programs mandatory, across the board right now without any further action by Congress if they wanted to? [They nod their heads.] That was a "yes" from both of you. Marco Reininger: Yes, sir, absolutely, the executive branch could order this to be mandatory and that would most likely be the end of it as far as I understand the process. So Committee Chair Murray's bill would not impose something new with regards to TAP, it would bring the other branches up to the same standard that the Marines already are compelled to meet. That's all the more reason to support it because to address problems that are spread out across the various branches, there needs to be standardization among the branches in terms of requirements. In terms of certifications and licenses, what Chair Murray is speaking of hearing from veterans is something most members of Congress have heard. In a hearing of the full House Veterans Affairs Committee this month, US House Rep Bob Filner also addressed this issue. Ranking Member Bob Filner: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I thank you all for your testimony and your efforts. This is obviously a Congressional hearing and we have oversight of the VA. I haven't heard any suggestions on what we ought to be doing or what the VA ought to be doing. Looks like the only guy who's doing anything in government is Mr. Jefferson over here -- I mean, from the testimony -- I know you're false modest. But what are we all doing here? I mean this ought to be a top priority for everybody. And I can imagine -- you guys are the experts -- but if I just thought about it for a few seconds I could think of what the VA could be doing. I mean, why isn't every regional office, for example, putting out a list of veterans and their specialties and what they're seeking jobs as? You guys all said we have trouble linking up with who the veterans are. Well the VA knows every veteran. Let's just put out a list of everybody who's looking for a job. I mean, it just doesn't seem difficult. We hear about the transition of skills in the military being hard to translate. We could deem anybody who's in electronics or a medic or a truck driver -- I mean, we can give them a certificate that says "For the purposes of hiring, this serves as" you know "what ever entry level." And people can be trained further. But they have incredible skills. We've been working on this civilian certification for, I don't know, decades. Nobody can seem to solve it. We've got guys truck driving all over Iraq or Afghanistan, they come home and they find out they have to take a six month course to get a commercial driving license. They say, "Hey, what do I need that for?" And they get discouraged. They're truck drivers. They know how to do it and they do it under the most difficult conditions you can imagine. Let them have a certificate that starts with a job. Or electronics people or medics. I mean, I've watched these medics. They have incredible -- they do things that no civilian would ever think of doing and yet they've got to go through some other certification, masters and go to this college and that college. Come on. They have the training. And we could just do it. I'd like you to give us some suggestions in either law, regulation, just executive order that we can help you do the kind of things you're doing every day. You are out there. We ought to be helping you in every way we can and the VA's job is to do that. iraq antiwar radio scott horton the great iraqi revolution new sabah al mada david ali al sabaah fakhri karim cnn mohammed tawfeeq wtkr al rafidayn al sabaah the union-leader

Play it by ear

"The Bump In The Road - With Riots" (Hillary Is 44):

Today Kessler commits truth with language frequently employed here to describe the flim flam man from Chicago. Kessler is using the appropriate English words in an appropriate manner:

“President Obama’s phony accounting on the auto industry bailout

With some of the economic indicators looking a bit dicey, President Obama traveled to Ohio last week to tout what the administration considers a good-news story: the rescue of the domestic automobile industry. In fact, he also made it the subject of his weekly radio address.

We take no view on whether the administration’s efforts on behalf of the automobile industry were a good or bad thing; that’s a matter for the editorial pages and eventually the historians. But we are interested in the facts the president cited to make his case.

What we found is one of the most misleading collections of assertions we have seen in a short presidential speech. Virtually every claim by the president regarding the auto industry needs an asterisk, just like the fine print in that too-good-to-be-true car loan. [snip]

This is chicanery.”

What a precise word Kessler employs. Chicanery – “the use of clever but tricky talk or action to deceive, evade, etc.” Kessler also states that Obama employs “misleading” figures and “straw man” arguments. Kessler ends by saying “If the auto industry bailout is really a success, there should be no need to resort to trumped-up rhetoric and phony accounting to make your case.”

A reader who's been reading for some time -- and e-mailing since 2006 -- e-mailed today because she wanted some reassuring words.

She doesn't need advice.

She just learned her marriage was over and she's got two kids and facing a lot.

But I'd shared some of my story with her in e-mails over the years and she had a few questions in her latest and I answered it but I'll throw it up here too in case it helps anyone.

The big issue is what do you tell the kids?

My oldest knows. We had troubles -- my ex-husband and I -- and he knew another kid would make it better. So we had a second child and no things didn't get better.

And then, while not trying to have a third, I ended up pregnant.

My oldest is old enough to remember the little, few good times with his father and all the bad times that followed.

He knows and with him I speak freely. He remembers things and there's no point in lying.

With the middle child (my other son), I didn't know what to say and played it by ear.

He figured it out on his own when his father never showed up for birthdays or Christmas -- but did shoe up one year after Christmas trying to drive off in my car, insisting he needed a car.

My daughter?

She has no idea who he is. After she was a baby? She's seen him twice her whole life and he's never tried to speak to her those two times or since.

So she's got no interest in him. And that's the thing, you reject kids, even if you change your mind later, they remember.

So the point is, I don't talk about the problems we had -- my ex and I -- to the kids. My oldest son I didn't shield him from any issue he wanted to talk about other than his father and my relationship. And he's shared a little with his brother over the years.

Kids figure it out.

And you don't want to be the one to tell 'em. You don't want to make them feel they have to hate their father. And you know if that happens, there's always the chance that later on you'll be blamed for it.

So you just play it by ear.


"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Tuesday, June 7, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, the Commission on Wartime Contracting is surprised by the State Dept's decision to use contractors who already have problems with record keeping, the 100 Days end, and more. Nathan Hodge (Wall St. Journal) reports, "The State Department is preparing to spend close to $3 billion to hire a security force to protect diplomats in Iraq after the U.S. pulls its last troops out of the country by year's end." Hodge is referring to what it emerged in the Commission for Wartime Contracting hearing yesterday. The hearing was entitled "State Department contracting, response to CWC recommendations, and transition effort in Iraq and Afghanistan." If video of the hearing goes up, it will be there. (Currently there's no video and the page merely has a link to prepared remarks.) The Commission is comprised of co-chairs Christopher Shays and Michael Thibault and Commissioners Clark Kent Ervin, Grant Green, Robert Henke, Katherine Schinasi, Charles Tiefer and Dov S. Zakheim. The Commission heard from one witnesse, the State Dept's Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy. From Kennedy's opening remarks: All US personnel and contractors in Iraq will be under Chief of Mission authority and secruity arrangements have been worked out between State and DoD. [In written statement but not read outloud: "However, security will be a shared responsibility, with the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) responsible for all State Department sites and DoD responsible for the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq (OSC-I) personnel. As such, DoD will be staffing and funding its security operations. At those locations where OSC-I is collocated with State, DS and DoD security will closely coordinate movement security, but DS will have sole responsibility for facilities security."] On September 29, 2010, State announced the award of a base contract for Worldwide Protective Services to eight companies. Task order are being competed among base contract awardees and awarded on a best value basis thanks to the assistance of this Commission. Awarding to multiple companies allows for increased competition for each task order, thereby controlling costs and providing for increased capacity to perform crucial security services in contingency environments. It also gives the US Government timely options in the event of a company failing to perform. Kennedy went on to note that DoD would be "loaning" Biometirc Input Equipment (BATS) to State by DoD and this would be used to "vet prospective employees." And to verify current ones but is this all that it will be used for? The US Army's Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems has a page on DoD's Biometrics which does note: "Biometric Identification System for Access (BISA) is a Force Protection initiative that collects multi-modal (fingerprint, facial and iris) biometric and biographical information to produce a smartcard or PIN badge to control local and third-country nationals, coalition forces, and a limited number of US Persons accessing US controlled facilities in Iraq." And, in his written statement (not out loud), he noted they would use the BISA database. But he said BATS and BATS is in the written testimony. This is what the US Army's PEOE notes of BATS: BAT: Biometrics Automated Toolset (BAT) is a tactical, multi-modal biometric system that collects and fuses biometric (fingerprints, iris images, and facial photographs) and biographical information on persons of DOD interest. BAT is used globally to support a wide range of tactical, operational, and strategic military operations, such as interrogations, combatant/detainee enrollment and management, local hire screening, population management, checkpoint maintenance, and base access control. This capability provides U.S. forces with an unprecedented capability to positively identify, track, and further exploit terrorists, recidivist combatants, detainees, criminals, locally employed persons, and other persons of interest. If there is no extension of the SOFA or a new SOFA-type agreement, the White House's plan is to shift the US military under the State Dept umbrella (and having it legally allowed, therefore, under the terms of the Strategic Framework Agreement). The US military that remains will be doing the same tasks they are doing currently. And if BATS is being used, it needs to be noted that the US military has compiled a ton of biometric data on Iraqis. All Iraqis who have been imprisoned by the US military and all the residents of Falluja, for example, have biometrics that the US military has kept on file. Will the State Dept be using or accessing that already compiled information and, if so, for what purpose? That question wasn't answered and Kennedy was a hostile witness who probably wouldn't have answered it straight forward if he'd been asked. How hostile? "Can I finish my answer to your question, sir," he snapped at Commissioner Charles Tiefer as he (Kennedy) droned on about Indonesia (even though Tiefer hadn't asked about it and pointed out, "I didn't ask about Indonesia"). Kennedy repeatedly attempted to eat up time and play beat the clock with the commissioners in their eight-minute rounds. Co-Chair Thibault had to repeatedly stop him in the first series of questioning alone and even had to declare, "You're chewing up my time.") During Co-Chair Shays second line of questioning, Kennedy let out a loud, exasperated sigh while Shays was speaking (and disagreeing with Kennedy). Nathan Hodge has a strong report so I'm really not going to focus on what he's covered, read it for what he's covering. But what stood out to me at the hearing yesterday isn't in his report. It may be due to the fact that he's familiar with LOGCAP, for example. In 2006, when we started attending and reporting on these hearings, I had to learn what all those acronyms were and what they actually did. LOGCAP is the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program. And it popped up in many hearings. Usually, as with Rick Lamberth's November 6, 2009 testimony before the Democratic Policy Committee, it wasn't good. Lamberth was a LOGCAP Operations Manager and he noted, "When I tried to report violations, I was told by the head of KBR's Health Safety and Environment division to shut up and keep it to myself. At one point, KBR management threatened to sue me for slander if I spoke out about these violations." March 29, 2010, the Commission on Wartime Contracting held a hearing and the Commissioners were noting, especially Henke and Schinasi, that $193 million was wasted because of a LOGCAP program manager failing to follow up on auditing suggestions and what was the company? KBR. Schinasi was very clear that all the government had done was to write KBR, they didn't penalize KBR, they didn't enforce the contract or anything. As she noted, "You're not being pro-active enough, you're not taking the initiative" and that they weren't being penalized. In fact, let's note that aspect of the exchange from a year ago. Commissioner Robert Henke: I-I-I appreciate that entirely but you're telling me that AMC has a comprehensive plan to drawdown contracts and contractos and the single biggest contractor in theater is KBR with 15,000 direct hires and 30,000 other peopl. I would think if an auditor would tell you, "There's a chance to save $193 million" that someone in the system would feel compelled to respond. I'm disappointed that the Army has not. We had the LOGCAP program manager up here before the Commission in December, asked him his response -- the report was just out -- so this is not new material. In fact, the point of the audit is that the savings are going, going gone. If the army had acted the savings could have been achieved but since the Army or the DoD hasn't responded, the savings are effectively gone. So my question to you, sir, is who is responsible for cost efficiency, for cost awarenss of expensive contracts in theater. Lt Gen James Pillsbury: The Army Material Command leadership is as you well know. The contract oversight, we depend on our partners at DCMA and DCAA. [. . . . ] Commissioner Katherine Schinasi: And have you withheld award fee for that purpose? Because they have not done that? James Loehr: Uhm. Yes. I think if you go back and look at the award fee evaluation, you'll find that K -- KBR, I don't think, has ever -- very rarely -- gets 100% in that category. Commissioner Katherine Schinasi: Close to 100%? James Loehr: Uhm. I think -- I'd have to get back to you for that specifically but they are generally in that-that high-very good, though, excellent range that category. There are many, many other examples we could provide. But, as a result, when today, someone in the State Dept is praising LOGCAP and KBR, it sticks out for me. Now let's note this exchange from today's hearing. Co-Chair Michael Thibault: My point that I'm trying to make here is-is, are you aware that DCAA, the last year -- You know, all of the costs that are going to flow through you now and do flow through you are audited by DCAA and it's critical on two things. Do they get an adequate submission and do they do the audits timely? And are you aware that in the case of DynCorp -- and I picked three because . . . I picked three, the last year that DCAA completed in an audit was 2004. Are you aware that at KBR, LOGCAP, the last year that they completed an audit was 2003? Are you aware that Triple Canopy, that they have yet -- to use their words -- complete a year of incurred costs? Now, yes or no? Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy: We -- I am certainly aware that DCAA has-has not uh executed -- Co-Chair Michael Thibault: Okay, okay. Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy: -- every request on a timely basis. Co-Chair Michael Thibault: Okay. I know you're working with them, you said that. But then I would say, are you aware that picking those same three contractors, I picked DynCorps first, that DynCorps has submitted -- so they've done their part according to DCAA -- adequate submissions that have been accepted by DCAA for those years that are open? You know we're talking '05, '06, '07, '08' '09, 10. A lot of open years with billions and billions of dollars that historically there have been audit results. But I would say then, are you aware that KBR recently -- They had their certifcations on hand, and they were on paper or on DCAA's view, adequate submissions but they've withdrawn 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 because in their words they want to relook at billed expenses and cost accounting practices. But in their quote, the company's quote to DCAA, they need to amend previous expense, allowability and allocability assumptions. Now those are a lot of words but to an auditor they mean that they have unallocable and unallowable within their claims, they've pulled them back because the certification is by a senior executive in the company and they don't want to be responsible for it. Now we can explore that some more, but my concern is that -- and in the case with Triple Canopy, a similar case exists where they didn't submit adequate submissions and they're feverishly working on it. The entire point on that is that it's of the highest risk possible and in my second round I'll be exploring some more of that. At a time when the White House continually lectures about the need to cut money here and there and accountability, why in the world would companies who are known to have problems filing basic documents related to monies be used again? And are these cost-plus contracts? (I'm sure they are but I didn't hear that mentioned.) After the DPC established all the problems that the US government had with KBR's cost-plus contracts, it's appalling that it's still being used. And maybe Congress needs to hold a hearing on this and, if so, call former US Senator Byron Dorgan to offer testimony because he was Chair of the DPC and is very familiar with these issues. Commissioner Schinasi questioned the model the State Dept was using -- noting there was nothing like Iraq in terms of the State Dept's current consulates. She noted that the State Dept was saying they would need $3 billion for diplomatic and consular programs in Iraq next year, that there would be 4,500 to 5,000 security contractors added and that the State Dept's Iraq mission is "going from 8 to 17,000 civilians in a couple of years." The estimates of how much the State Dept needs is not clear under the best of circumstances but the reality is they are guess-timating with very little basis in reality and, honestly, the plan is to ask for X, hopefully get X and when the costs go over X, come back to Congress and whine about unforseeables with the realization (or guess, if you prefer) that Congress won't pull the plug and will instead toss out more money. This is insanity at the best of financial times. In the current economy, the United States cannot afford it. Whether or not Congress will stand up to them, I have no idea. Henke noted that Kennedy had approximately 250 supervisory positions but that Kennedy only had two of those postions in acquisitions. The idea that oversight is in place or exists within the State Dept on this issue is laughable. This was probably the most important hearing of the Commission on Wartime Contracting because they Commission wasn't coming in after X took place to explore how it happened. Instead, they were looking at prospective issues before anything started. The questions raised by the Commission need to be paid attention to. Hodge reports Co-Chair Chris Shays questioned assertions, by Kennedy on behalf of the State Dept, that a State Dept employee in Iraq being injured and under fire needing to be given medical treatment and taken to the embassy, that these tasks would not be "an inherently governmental function"? And Kennedy insisted that it wasn't and that "we rely on contingency contracting, but we believe we have instituted a sound foundation to carry us forward." Again, Hodge's report stands on its own but a question needs to be asked in terms of contracting. Maybe Congress will ask it. Are contractors being used to meet quotas -- meaning is the State Dept limited to X number of US service members and, as a result of that limitation, are they taking on contractors for that reason and not because it's cost-effective as Kennedy and others have repeatedly insisted? If that's the reason for the contracting, my guess is that Senator Lindsey Graham's objections to the State Dept taking over the Iraqi mission are going to get a whole lot louder. (Especially since, as Shays pointed out, it would be breaking the law -- "not a criminal law".) Moving over to Congress, tomorrow a US senator will receive an award: (Washington, D.C.) -- Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 8th, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will receive the 2011 "Outstanding Legislator Award" from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). The AUSA is honoring Senator Murray with this award for her work on veterans' employment issues and her continuing support for service members and their families. WHO: U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) WHAT: Association of the United States Army Outstanding Legislator Award reception WHEN: Tomorrow -- Wednesday, June 8, 2011 Presentation at 12:00 PM ET WHERE: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G11 ### Evan Miller Specialty Media Director U.S. Senator Patty Murray 202-224-2834 The award ceremony will be part of a busy day for Senator Patt Murray. In addition, there's a Veterans Affairs Committee hearing: (Washington, D.C.) -- Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 8th, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, will hold a hearing on pending legislation. During the hearing, Chairman Murray will discuss the next steps for her Hiring Heroes Act, and will hear from the Administration and veterans service organizations regarding their views on this critical veterans employment legislation. WHO: U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Michael Cardarelli, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Robert L. Jesse, MD, PhD, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Jeff Steele, Assistant Legislative Director, The American Legion Joseph A. Violante, National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans Raymond Kelley, Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars Jerry Ensminger, MSgt USMC (Ret.) J. David Cox, RN, National Secretary-Treasurer, American Federation of Government Employees WHAT: Steps forward for the Hiring Heroes Act and other pending legislation. WHEN: TOMORROW - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 9:30 AM ET WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building Room 418 Washington, D.C. ### Evan Miller Specialty Media Director U.S. Senator Patty Murray 202-224-2834 Let's move to the White House. In yesterday's snapshot, I quoted Press Secretary Jay Carney. We were (Kat and I -- she shared her impressions of the press briefing here) at the White House and we briefly poked our heads into the press conference. I didn't take notes. We were there to visit a friend. This morning one of my first calls was a complaint from a friend at the White House (not the one we'd gone to visit though we did also say "hi" to him yesterday) that I'd distorted Jay Carney's "nervousness" (his word, not mine) and doubled the amount of "uh"s Carney uttered. I said I would check into that. I have. The White House doesn't post the video. Click here for CSpan page with yesterday's press conference. Did I double it? No. I've taken out two "uh"s and added one to it. So I had one extra "uh" overall. In what follows "# and uh#" is one addition, "[$2 uhs removes$]" notes two "uh"s were removed. In addition, "*uh*" indicates that I have moved the "*uh" one word over. In other words "to their uh families" was actually "to their families uh". (There are two of those where I've moved an "uh" one word over after streaming the video today.) That happens twice. The quote did not double the amount of "uh"s Jay Carney uttered. We had one extra "uh." Here's what he said. Jay Carney: I have nothing new for you on that. First of all, I would like to say that we are obviously aware of the fact that we lost US servicemen today and uh and uh #and uh# and we express condolences to their families *uh* once notifications have been made and-and [$2 uhs removed$] it's a stark reminder that those who serve in *uh* Iraq do so uh-uh in a way that continues to place them at risk despite the enormous progress that has been made there uh and uh [then] on your question, I have nothing new to announce. The process, as you know, is simply that #uh# we are abiding by the Status Of Forces Agreement that will have us withdrawing the remainder of our troops by the end of this year. I and others have said that we'll entertain requests by the Iraqi government if uh [we will] entertain in terms of discuss possible requests for uh-uh some sort of new Status Of Forces Agreement that would be obviously uh-uh quite different from the one we have now. But as of now we fully intend to fulfill our obligation under that SOFA and withdraw all our remaining forces. I will not be checking "uh"s again. Again, I wasn't writing down the statement while it was being said and waited until we were in an office to make notes. I could have very well have made a mistake -- wouldn't be the first time -- but I did not double the "uh"s and the quote's actually fine. And stands. On the issue of an extension to the SOFA, Kevin Baron (Stars & Stripes) speaks with Gen David Petraeus' former executive officer in Iraq, Peter Mansoor about what the basics are: "I think if there is going to be a deal, it's going to be a very last-minute thing," he said. The U.S. needs about two months to complete a total withdrawal of bases and equipment, Mansoor estimated. By the end of October, if no request has come, he said, "then I think we're into the final stages of the termination of the mission." Convincing Iraqis to let Americans stay, he said, may require the U.S. to complete the pullout, then wait for Iraqis to realize they need additional security assistance, before asking Americans to return in limited roles. Michael S. Schmidt (New York Times) reports a return of the fork-over-your-lunch-money-to-the-bully-in-the-playground that Gen David Petraeus and then-US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker endorsed and praised repeatedly to Congress in April 2008: So commaners have fashioned an exit strategy which borrows a key element from the Awakening Movement, a successful tactical program carried out in 2006, just as the violence was peaking. The American exit strategy calls for the military to give cash payments of $10,000 a month to 10 tribal leaders. Officially, the money is paid to have Iraqis clean the crucial roadway of debris, an apparent pretense because an Iraqi-American agreement bars outright payments for security. The sheiks keep some of the cash and use the rest to hire 35 workers each who clear the road of trash. The work does make it harder for militants to hide bombs. 5 US troops were killed in Baghdad yesterday. As noted in "The Garbage, The Stink, The Network News" this morning, the coverage of it yesterday evening was pretty sad. ABC World News managed to do many things but failed to inform viewers about the 5 deaths. They made time for a lot of nonsense. But 5 US soldiers dying in the Iraq War they just couldn't squeeze in there. Just as awful was The NewsHour (PBS) three brief sentences in their headlines -- and not even the lead headline (the lead was on Syria). As Stan pointed out last night, "PBS is becoming a cesspool." That's because they had time for a 'sex' scandal. A whole segment on that. But 5 US soldiers die in a war? Headline for PBS (for their HOUR long news show) and not even mentioned on World News Tonight. NBC Nightly News did address the issue and did so seriously. Six minutes in, Brian Williams declared, "We turn to overseas in Iraq today. We haven't had news like this for awhile, 5 Americans were killed in a rocket attack in Baghdad. It's the deadliest day for the US there since '09 and today, of course, 5 American families got the worst possible news." And then he discussed it (and Afghanistan) with NBC correspondent Richard Engel. Brian Williams: Of course this news from Iraq today, as I said, the kind of news we're not used to hearing and so many Americans in so many positions of potential harm. Richard Engel: Well there's till 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and about 50,000 -- just under 50,000 -- in Iraq and those troops are effectively waiting to go home and it's a terrible situation, they were on their basis in Eastern Baghdad today, rocket attacks came in and, according to the US military, these 5 American troops were killed and it's Shi'ite militias that are in Iraq that want to give the impression that they are winning this war. They want the last American soldier to leave Iraq to be a dead soldier so that they can say that they drove American forces out. And it's going to be -- there's going to be a power vacuum as American troops leave these Shi'ite militias that are asserting themselves once again, trying to show that they're strong, are going to probably continue to try and demonstrate their power. They did a strong job as did the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley.The deaths were noted in the teaser over the theme music and Pelley opened with, "Good evening. We start tonight with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This has been a day of US casualties in Iraq and it is also a day [. . .]" Like Williams and Engel, CBS mixed discussions of the two wars together. There were reports from Afghanistan and Lara Logan providing an analysis of Afghanistan. Scott Pelley: In the war in Iraq, this was the worst day for US troops in two years. 5 American soldiers were killed when their base in Baghdad was hit by rocket fire. This year, 29 Americans have been killed in Iraq. In Afghanistan, at least 159 US service members have been killed. What's next for both countries? Now to David Martin at the Pentagon, David, the five US soldiers that were killed in Iraq today, what happened there. David Martin: Scott, this was a rocket attack on a compound in Baghdad where US forces were training Iraqi police. The insurgents got lucky and scored a direct hit on the area where the Americans lived but this is part of a trend of increasing attacks against US forces which Pentagon officials believe is the work of Shi'ite militias who want to see all US troops out of Iraq by the end of this year. Scott Pelley: Remind us how many US forces remain in Iraq and what's the plan for them? David Martin: Well there are currently 48,000 US troops in Iraq. Under an agreement signed at the end of the Bush administration, they all have to be out by December 31st unless the Iraqi government asks them to stay. Defense Secretary Gates have offered to keep some troops there to help with things lik intelligence and logistics but so far the Iraqi government has not accepted the offer and time is running out because the drawdown will begin in earnest at the end of July. On MSNBC yesterday afternoon, Andrea Mitchell addressed the news with Stephen Hadley on Andrea Mitchell Reports (1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST). Andrea Mitchell: We begin today with the wars overseas, the president and his national security team now meeting to discuss the way out of Afghanistan while the US suffers its deadliest day in Iraq in two years. Stephen Hadley served as President Bush's National Security Advisor and is now a senior advisor with the US Institute of Peace. Thank you so much. First to Iraq, just more tragedy there. This -- While there is a behind the scenes conversation with the US and Iraq about whether we should stay longer as military trainers and advisors, this does make the point that perhaps Iraq is not ready to defend itself. Stephen Hadley: Well that is, uh -- Some people are concerned that that is actually the motivations behind these attacks: To show that the Iraqi security forces can't do it. Our military is quite pleased with what the Iraqi security forces have been -- have accomplished, but this kind of thing, this kind of indirect fire attack, which it appears to be, does continue to go on. And the Iraqi authorities are going to have to decide whether they are willing -- really ready to have all US forces go at the end of this year or whether they want some kind of small five to ten thousand man train and equip mission to stay to help the Iraqi security forces really get to the point where they can handle what is still a dramatically reduced al Qaeda presence and insurgency. Andrea Mitchell: But it does create a real political problem for the Maliki government to be in the position of asking. And they have to ask the US to stay beyond December. They've said repeatedly that they want all the troops out but, as you point out, there's a Sunni concern that they are not really strong enough to defend themselves. Stephen Hadley: It's a problem for Maliki. The Sadrists, which are part of the government, clearly want the troops to go by the end of the year. That's been a hard element of their position. And overwhelmingly, I think, Iraqi opinion does as well. So it's a difficult issue for Maliki. The problem is for them to stay past December 31, there needs to be additional protections -- legal protections -- for our troops. That requires some approval from the Parliament. And that's the-the difficult challenge for Maliki. Could he get Parliament to, uh, approve something that would allow a train-and-equip mission to stay past December. Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 person wants US troops out right now: Ahmed Chalabi. Chalabi who helped start the Iraq War wants the US out. Chalabi who wouldn't go into Iraq until the US forces were present wants the US out. Hammoudi reminds, "To date, only the followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al Sadr had come out publicly opposed to extending the American stay, with most Iraqi politicians remaining mum on the topic. Whether Chalibi's formal opposition will matter is unclear. Although he's a member of Iraq's parliament from the largest political bloc, he doesn't lead that bloc." The 100 Days is over. Al Rafidayn reports Nouri's press conference yesterday in Baghdad found Nouri expressing his hope that "the citizens will treat us kindly in the measuring our accomplishments and that they will be objective." He announced that meetings would take place today on evaluations. New Sabah quotes State Of Law's Khaled al-Asadi stating that Nouri will make assessments through tonight and that the 100 Days was in order to evaluate the performances and that "no sane person would assume a government only four years old could accomplish improvement in one hundred days." Oh,how they try to lower the expectations now. The 100 Days? Al Jazeera gets it right, "Maliki gave his cabinet a 100-day deadline to improve basic services after a string of anti-government protests across Iraq in February. He promised to assess their progress at the end of that period, and warned that 'changes will be made' at failing ministries. That deadline expired on Tuesday -- and Maliki largely retreated from his threat, instead asking for patience and more time to solve problems." Fakhri Karim (Al Mada) observes that the 100 Days has done little to instill strength in the belief that Nouri has the "ability to manage the Cabinet" and the duties of the office of prime minister. Karim notes that Nouri's inability to govern, his failure at it, led to the protests and that they were for the basic services which are "the most basic necessities" of our time. Alsumaria TV notes, "Starting today, meetings will be held in front of the people. Discussions will cover all fields one by one. We will go over three headlines or three ministers. We must realize the framework upon which we will carry on with the second 100 day deadline, Maliki said." Ali Issa (Indypendent) explains: June 7 has been called 'The Day of Retribution' by Iraqi grassroots organizers. Nation-wide protests and sit-ins are planed against the US occupation as well as Nouri al-Maliki's regime, coinciding with the Prime Minister's own deadline, set exactly 100 days ago, to address Iraq's protest movement's demands. "Changes will be made in light of the evaluation results," Maliki said in a statement in late February, referring to his cabinet members and their performance. In response, a recently released call to action by the grassroots organization 'Popular Movement to Save Iraq' expresses a broadly held sentiment among Iraqis: the government's promises are not to be trusted. "We admit that we weren't really waiting, and didn't hold out during this time. We were organizing actions with other organizations before and during the countdown to June 7th." Seeing the date as a marker to draw more dissatisfied Iraqis into the protest movement, the statement continues: "But the end of the 100 day period, [with the government] having achieved nothing whatsoever, was the fuse we were waiting for, for those that were giving al-Maliki a chance, and were waiting for reforms from him, his government and corrupt parliament, to come out and demonstrate with us." Reuters notes a Baghdad sticky bombing which injured three people, a Baghdad home invasion which left the Ministry of the Interior's Col Mussab Kamil and his wife injured and claimed the life of their son, a Ramadi sticky bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer, 2 police officers were shot dead in Baghdad, 1 corpse was discovered in Hilla and a Mosul roadside bombing claimed 3 lives. Saturday, Adam Kokesh's Thomas Jefferson Memorial Dance Party was held. People came to DC from various states -- including California and South Carolina -- to dance for liberty and there were no arrests or incidents of police violence. The Dance Party was in response to what took place Memorial Day weekend when five people were arrested -- including Adam who was lifted into the air and then hurled onto the marble floor by a police officer with the officer than placing Adam in a choke hold -- for the 'crime' of dancing. On last night's Adam vs. The Man (RT, 7:00 to 8:00 pm EST), Adam addressed the party. Adam Kokesh: This past weekend, I returned to the Jefferson Memorial to stare down the police state once again. The police apparently accepted my challenge to a dance off and were out in force. But, thanks to you, all of you who made phone calls to the Park Police to get me released last week, and all of you who reminded the men in blue costumes with guns to keep things nonviolent, and to all of our wonderful backup dancers, we were victorious. Whether this means or not that you effectively have control of your own body on government property is yet to be seen but -- Wait. What am I talking about? The government still thinks it owns you. It also still thinks it can crap on the Jefferson Memorial. Literally. Check this out. Adam, outside the Memorial, on Saturday: I want to point out the police officers showed up. We had the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, two here, two over there [gestures to police on horseback]. And one of the excuses given for body slamming and choking and kneeing me in the ribs last week was that the Park Police really need to maintain a calm and tranquil, respectful environment at the Jefferson Memorial. As you can see behind me, there is a giant pile of horse crap. So the government who wants to body slam and arrest people for dancing as a disturbance at the Jefferson Memorial feel that it is okay to crap on the Memorial. But you can't dance on it. Adam Kokesh: Yeah, there you have it. And yet I continue to be astounded by the amount of credibility the American people give our government -- full of hacks and liars -- every day. Anyway, last week, we did a segment on all the Dance Parties around the nation and the world in support of our civil disobedience here. But our list was grossly incomplete. Now we didn't miss too many of the American Dance Parties as you can see here [map with people standing on various states] but our international list was very incomplete. And while we threw down hard at TJ's place here in DC -- no body slamming puns intended -- and around the country, the appeal of liberty remains global and dance parties were also reported in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Vietnam and there were over a dozen reported to have taken place in America's favorite hat, Canada. So if any of you rebels out there have footage of your own dance parties from last weekend post them to our Facebook page or e-mail them to me adam@adamvstheman.com and we'll make sure the revolution will be televised, perhaps even that television will be revolutionized. To the US Park Police and, more importantly, to Judge Bates, I'd like to remind you of Thomas Jefferson's thoughts that might be relevant the next time you have the urge to surpress someone's First Amendment rights for the sake of convenience, "The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object." But the police on Saturday were still up to their regular anti-freedom shenanigans, closing the memorial just before we got started, keeping hundreds of would-be dancers from joining us. Their excuse? A suspicious package. I hope they weren't referring to . . . [Adam looks down at his crotch.] Anyway. There was a drug sniffing dog sent out just for the occasion and lots of motorcyle cops and horse crap. They were even actively curtailing the freedom of the press, kicking out journalists and citizen journalists alike as the dance wound down. So we still have a lot of work to do. And I hope you are inspired to engage in your own acts of resistance in peaceful civil disobedience. However. Adam Kokesh on Saturday, outside the Memorial with a bullhorn: And as for this whole life thing? Well if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right. [Cheers and applause.] So let's dance! iraq stars and stripes kevin baron the new york times michael s. schmidt diane sawyer world news tonight abc news pbs the newshour nbc nightly news brian williams richard engel cbs evening news scott pelley david martin the wall st. journal nathan hodge al rafidayn new sabah al mada fakhri karim