Thursday, March 06, 2014

The Bully Hillary Clinton

In her effort to ensure that she will again lose the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton took it upon herself to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin as being the same as Hitler.

Amber Phillips (San Jose Mercury News) reports on it noting:

“I was surprised that she did that,” said professor Geoffrey Skelley, an associate editor for a political newsletter based at the University of Virginia. “She not only wanted to make a statement about what's going on in Ukraine, but she also wanted to make a very bold one that kind of asserted herself.”
The words were something of a return to form for Clinton, who was more hawkish on foreign policy as a senator than she was heading the State Department for President Obama.

Hillary is just disgusting me these days. And her crap with the Hitler reference?

We get it, you're the baddest bitch in the whole damn town.

Shut up already.

I just can't stand her.

I've had it with her.

She's a loud mouth bully.

I wouldn't like that behavior in a man and I don't like it in a woman.

She never knows when to shut the f**k up.

She thinks we need her opinions when they're always "War! Kill! Blood!"?

Just f**k the hell off, Hillary Clinton.

I will not be supporting her if she's stupid enough to run in the primaries.

She won't win the primaries because she's such a bully.

America's seen enough of her.

As people declare their intentions to run, you'll see her supposed lead drop.

It will not be close like in 2008.

She has worn out her welcome.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Chaos and violence continue, Nouri's assault on Anbar continues, Nouri lashes out at another Sunni politician (Osama al-Nujaifi), in the US Hillary Clinton foams at the mouth and embarrasses herself again while, in Ireland, her husband again proves who was fit to be president, and much more.

And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough

Fronting Big Brother & the Holding Company, Janis Joplin took "Piece of My Heart" to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 November 9, 1968. And women can be tough and they can be tender and they can be everything under the sun. Before Janis' hit, in 1965, Nancy Sinatra had offered "These Boots Are Made For Walking." Many would come after Janis. Carly Simon would deliver "You're So Vain," Tina Turner would explain "Better Be Good To Me," Alanis Morissette would offer "You Oughta Know" and Erykah Badu would take on "Tyrone."

There are many other examples but Janis had a career and all the other women have a career because they offered varieties of strength and other things.

But then there is the one note Hillary Clinton.

We get it, you're the baddest bitch in the whole damn town.

But are you anything else? Because for the last five or so years, you've been like the worst Hillary Clinton impersonator.

Leadership is not snarling and bellowing.

Leadership is not taking an already heated topic and making it worse.

Vladimir Putin is not Adolf Hitler and its deeply insulting to the world -- let alone the Jewish community -- for Hillary to froth at the mouth and make these ridiculous claims. Who's Hitler? People may start calling her "Hillary Hitler." Glen Ford (Black Agenda Report) points out, "With the U.S. and NATO now poised at Russia’s door, as was Germany in 1941, Hillary Clinton attempts to flip the clear historical parallel by ranting that it is President Putin who seeks a 'Greater Russia.' The Kremlin has every reason to believe the barbarians are at the gate."

Her latest raving was noted by Jake Tapper (CNN) and, as he points out, Karen Robes Meek has the audio at Los Angeles Daily News. And what does Hillary do when called on it?

Refuse to own her mistake. That's not leadership either. Nor is crawling up Barack's ass thinking she can hide there. But she's not even content with that. She also thinks she can tell Americans what to do, "And it is important for us in this country to recognize the complexity of the situation as it evolves and to support the very careful diplomacy that the president and secretary Kerry and others are undertaking."

People are waving at Hillary right now across America and it's not a hello, it's a middle finger gesture that says stop trying to tell Americans what do so.

You're in trouble because you can't shut your big mouth and you then try to fix that by telling Americans what to do?

And check out the hypocrisy and sense of entitlement there. Hillary works the crowd by bringing up Hitler and then has the gall to tell Americans they have "to recognize the complexity of the situation as it evolves and to support the very careful diplomacy that the president and secretary Kerry and others are undertaking." As Barry Grey and David North (WSWS) observe, "The US-backed coup in Ukraine has triggered the most dangerous international crisis since the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962. American and European officials are denouncing Russia for sending troops into Crimea in response to the installation of an anti-Russian regime in Ukraine that has seized power through a coup d’état staged by fascist militia." And in that crowded theater of blood, Hillary wants to scream "Hitler!"?

She doesn't have what it takes to be president. Each year she devolves more and more and scares off those who support her husband who has a natural ability to communicate. We'll be talking about Bill later in the snapshot, I planned to. I didn't plan to talk about Hillary but she's one psycho meltdown after another these days.

This week's. Black Agenda Radio, hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey (first airs each Monday at 4:00 pm EST on the Progressive Radio Network), features coverage of the Urkaine. Excerpt.

Glen Ford: The United States and western Europe have succeeded in toppling the elected government of the Ukraine -- a nation on the border with Russia. Neo-Nazi thugs led the opposition forces which have for decades enjoyed financial and political support from Washington. The US has also been seeking regime change in Venezuela since at least 2002 when it backed an attempted coup against the late president Hugo Chavez. Sara Flounders of the International Action Center in New York says the United States is engaged in a general offensive of subversion and disruption across the globe.

Sara Flounders: What's happening is that with enormous US support and mobilization of the 1% in Venezuela and the upper class and the middle class and those who feel threatened, their social position is threatened by very progressive changes made in Venezuela. Venezuela is key to a whole bunch of countries in Latin America who have broken free of US domination and who were under the thumb of the US since the Monroe Doctrine, one military dictatorship after another. They've broken free and they've passed quite a bit of progressive legislation [. . .] And we could look at what is happening in the Ukraine where, again, mobilized groups are aided and funded by the US, where they give them political support and enormous media coverage for their actions. It's not to provide any solutions for the society, it's just to see what can be done to destabilize the country as a whole.

Glen Ford: And in these targeted countries NGO has become a curse word, a very bad name because of how the United States has funded NGOs to spread dissension and destabilize those countries.

Sara Flounders: Very much so. The NGOs have become a vehicle, also called civil society. Now the US bragged that before the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine ten years ago, they had established 40,000 -- that's an incredible number -- 40,000 NGOs in the Ukraine. Both US funded, they're also German, Swiss, and French and Scandinavian and all sorts of private foundations. An incredible number, a network of NGOs which at the time was actually employing 10 percent of the population. These were people who were sent to the West for training and in every way cultivated to be a dissenting force within society and one that was completely oriented to the West and an effort, also, like a brain drain, attract the most interested, young, political people to say, 'Your society has no solutions, look to the West, attend this conference in Geneva, this meeting in New York. We'll give you a scholarship, you're going to Chicago.'

For more from Sara Flounders, you can refer to her latest column at Workers World:

When Kiev’s City Hall was seized with guns and Molotov cocktails, one of the first acts of the Euromaidan street fighters was to unfurl a number of flags and insignia. Prominent among the flags were swastikas, Iron Crosses, Nazi SS lightning bolts, the Celtic cross used by the Ku Klux Klan, and the Confederate “stars and bars” flag of slaveholders in the United States. (tinyurl.com/ltfu4vq)
This is no accident. The flag of the U.S. Southern slaveholders and the Klan cross are symbols understood around the world. They stand for racism, reaction, lynchings and mass terror, for keeping oppressive institutions intact and for beating down people of color and all those who struggle for a better world.

The Voice of Russia's John Robles interviews (link is audio and text) Francis A. Boyle is an attorney and a professor of international law. He's also the author of many books including, most recently, United Ireland, Human Rights and International Law. Excerpt.

Boyle: It doesn't look good at all, John. Instead of the Obama Administration trying to sit down with president Putin and negotiate a way out of this in good faith, all the signs are that the Obama Administration is going to try to quote “cement” unquote, as Nuland put it, their neo-nazi gang of thugs in Kiev into power.

Today already rumors has it that the OSCE (The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), they seem to be on board with this project. NATO just came out with a statement, they seem to be on board with this project, the EU under Barroso came out with an appalling statement supporting this saying, that Nuland's neoNazi thugs in Kiev 'reflect European values'.

It is simply astounding.

You saw Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday on Meeting the Press completely out of control, he does not sound to be rational at all.

He is flying over there to Kiev to cement these neo-nazi thugs in power. UK Foreign Secretary Hague was over there this weekend for the same purpose.

Obviously if people were serious about solving this problem, they would be flying over the Moscow and meeting with president Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov. Instead they are telling president Putin that he should be negotiating with their gang of neo-nazi thugs in Kiev.

So this notion you are seeing –they are trying to find an off-ramp for Putin, it is absurd that is propaganda.

Again, they are trying to consolidate into power this gang of neo-nazi thugs who launched a coup d'état against the democratically elected government in Ukraine.

By the way, we're not linking to Ron Jacobs' nonsense. Barack's the US president. When little Ron learns to call him out, we might give a damn what the coward says. Please note, I've called out John Kerry this week and I know and like John. I've again called out Hillary above. And I've never been a little weasel who was too scared to call out a sitting president of either party. Ron Jacobs needs to grow up. We will note Renee Parsons (CounterPunch):

Listening to the US media, even the most diligent news junkie would find it difficult to know that the U.S. State Department played not only a vital role in the violence and chaos underway in Ukraine but was also complicit in creating the coup that ousted democratically elected President Viktor Yanuyovch.    Given the Russian Parliament’s approval of Putin’s request for military troops to be moved into Crimea, Americans uninformed about the history of that region might also be persuaded that Russia is the aggressor and the sole perpetrator of the violence.
Let’s be clear about what is at stake here:     NATO missiles on the adjacent Ukraine border aimed directly at Russia would make that country extremely vulnerable to Western goals and destabilization efforts while threatening Russia’s only water access to its naval fleet in Crimean peninsula, the Balkans, the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East – and not the least of which would allow world economic dominance by the US, the European Union, the IMF, World Bank and international financiers all of whom had already brought staggering suffering to millions around the globe.

Also noting spin from the media passed off as 'reporting' is Russ Baker (Who What Why) who observes:

The problem is, you can only believe that the West truly cares about the people of Ukraine and their democracy if you have zero historical memory. Or if your analysis of all of these events comes from news organizations that don’t ever really, fully do their jobs.
The US corporate media never changes its spots. After being tricked and lied to on Vietnam, the first Gulf War, the Iraq invasion, Libya, Syria, and just about everything else, it once again takes the US foreign policy establishment at its word that it only wishes to do the right thing. The right thing. It bears repeating.
We’re told that the U.S. and its allies are just thrilled about people going into the streets to overthrow corruption and excesses by financial elites.
Yet, when people tried that in….the U.S.…the police were there in force to shut them down. Occupy looked a bit like the Ukrainian uprising, except that the US establishment was desperate to crush it. (For the ultimate in this, see our exclusive report on a suppressed FBI investigation into plans to use high-powered snipers to kill Occupy leaders….no, this is not a joke.)

Or you can look to Iraq where protests have been ongoing for a year and two months and counting. Did the US government back the peaceful protesters?

Nope.

Did they at least condemn Nouri when he called them "terrorists" or had his forces attack them?

Nope.

And the White House still has nothing to say about the April 23rd massacre of a sit-in in Hawija resulted from Nouri's federal forces storming in. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault.   AFP reported the death toll eventually (as some wounded died) rose to 53 dead.   UNICEF noted that the dead included 8 children (twelve more were injured).

"The Iraqi problem is that they don't have an inclusive government either and if they did, if they followed your lead, they would've been in better shape." That's a US official speaking.

John Kerry? Barack Obama?

No.

It's former US President Bill Clinton. Sky News notes he made that statement to a group he was speaking to in Northern Ireland today.

Let's hear from Bill Clinton one more time, "The Iraqi problem is that they don't have an inclusive government either and if they did, if they followed your lead, they would've been in better shape."

And that's true.

Thank goodness one American official can speak some sort of truth on Iraq today.

Yesterday saw a suicide attack in Samarra. The US Embassy in Baghdad issued the following:

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Condemns the March 4 attack on the Local Council of Samarra

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad condemns in the strongest possible terms the March 4 terrorist attack on the Samarra Local Council. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and hope for a rapid recovery for those who were injured.

The attack bears the hallmarks of the heinous suicide and vehicle bomb attacks that have murdered so many innocent Iraqis. The United States stands with the Iraqi people in the fight against terrorism, and will continue to work closely with the Government of Iraq to confront the threat posed by terrorist groups.

World Bulletin notes that Baghdad was slammed with multiple bombings today. NINA notes a Shula car bombing, 2 Sadr City car bombings and one Bayaa roadside bombing left 3 people dead and thirty-five injured. Citing police sources, World Bulletin counts 21 dead and sixty-seven injured in Baghdad bombings. AFP also reports 21 dead from Baghdad bombings.

Prensa Latina observes, "The crisis deepened in al-Anbar in December 2013 after authorities dismantled the main Sunni anti-government protest camp in the country, on the outskirts of Ramadi."

And the assault on Anbar continues.

NINA reports the military's bombing of Falluja left 4 civilians ("including a child") dead and seven more injured. And the military's airstrike in Ramadi left a man and a woman dead and three more in their "civilian car" injured.

At what point does the US government get honest that Nouri is terrorizing the Iraqi people, not hunting down terrorists?

Today someone did get honest. We'll note it in the snapshot. Sadly, it wasn't anyone in the current administration -- an administration which appears determined to set new records for lying.

In other violence?

Bombings?

National Iraqi News Agency reports a Jurfi-ssakhar roadside bombing left two people injured, and a Ramadi suicide car bomber took his own life and the lives of 3 security forces with three more injured.

Shootings?

National Iraqi News Agency reports a Hermat battle left two Iraqi soldiers injured, a Miqdadiya attack left 1 Indian tourist dead and four more injured, Joint Operations Command states they killed 2 suspects in Mosul,

Corpses?

National Iraqi News Agency reports 1 corpse was discovered "dumped near a water stream" in al-Muqdadiyah. All Iraq News notes Babel police discovered 5 corpses dumped in the Euphrates River.

Xinhua observes, "Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and police personnel, were killed in 2013, the highest annual death toll in years."

All that violence and he thinks he deserves a third term?

Aswat al-Iraq reports that Ayad Allawi, leader of Iraqiya issued a statement this week regarding the assault on Anbar, calling it a failure in terms of its announced goals and declaring, "It is unreasonable leading our youths towards death for political and electoral gains, amid lack of training and armaments." If there's somehow time or space tomorrow, we'll back up Allawi's call with Congressional testimony from February 11th.

All he's done is create even more violence by refusing to listen to peaceful protesters, by verbally attacking them, by physically attacking them, by tearing down their protest sites.

For over nine weeks, he's attempted to 'solve' issues with violence.

It has not and is not working.

Only an idiot continues down this path.

But Nouri al-Maliki is a real idiot -- which is why Bully Boy Bush made him prime minister to begin with and why Barack Obama insisted he get a second term even though he lost the 2010 elections.

From yesterday's snapshot:

Parliament wants to address the ongoing assault on Anbar in a Thursday session. Groups are announcing they will be present. Iraqiya says they will be attending. The Kurdish Alliance says they will be attending. Yesterday, Al Mada reported on the refusal by Nouri's State of Law to attend and quoted them insisting that such a hearing would be nothing but insults. And today? NINA reports:

MP, of the State of Law Coalition, Sadiq al-Labban said that his coalition is boycotting the meetings of the Council of Representatives, and will not attend the meeting of the Council to discuss Anbar crisis, on Thursday . "
He told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: "The issue of the Anbar is a military issue , not a political , therefore it cannot be discussed in the House of Representatives , on the grounds that the armed forces are fighting the terrorists of ISIS , backed by Anbar tribes ."

Not only is there no military solution, Nouri's assault on ANBAR has only revealed how weak he truly is as one city or town after another has been lost to him.

All Iraq News reports today:

MP Hassan Showerid, of the Iraqiya Alliance, called the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to attend the Parliament session to discuss the current security and political situation in Iraq.Showerid reported in a statement received by AIN ''The Parliament should be the supreme authority in Iraq in terms of issuing the resolutions and the Premier should attend the Parliament session since the Iraqi people have the right to get acquainted with the situation in Iraq.''

NINA reports MP Sadiq Labban (with Nouri's State of Law) insists that State of Law will continue to refuse to attend sessions of Parliament. While Nouri's State of Law boycotts Parliament, NINA notes that Nouri has stated Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi is "disrupting the work of the Council" of Ministers.

Nouri's gone after many Sunnis and Iraqiya members -- usually they're both. Iraqiya was the slate that beat Nouri in the 2010 parliamentary elections. He's held a kangaroo court against Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, for example. He's often trashed Nineveh Province Governor Atheel al-Nujaifi, brother of the Speaker of Parliament.

But he's largely stayed clear of Osama al-Nujaifi.

Now he's going after him.

And he's not just accusing al-Nujaifi of harming his pretty little Council. NINA notes Nouri's also blaming the failure of the 2014 budget on Osama. And All Iraq News reports:

The Premier, Nouri al-Maliki, accused the parliament Speaker, Osama al-Nijaifi, of hindering the nomination of the security ministers.

In his weekly speech on Wednesday, Maliki said "Nijaifi and those who target the political process always state that the security ministers are not nominated, but they refuse to ratify the names of the nominees for the Interior and Defense Ministers posts."

How crazy is Nouri?

He was supposed to make those nominations no later than December 2010. He never did. And now, as his second term draws to an end, now he wants to pretend it's Osama's fault?

Let's pretend for a moment it was and that, for years now, Osama's blocked him.

That would only go to how weak and pathetic Nouri is that he waited until a month before his term winds down to announce he was blocked on the security ministries.

What a lying piece of filth Nouri al-Maliki is.

iraq
jake tapper

black agenda radio
glen ford
nellie bailey

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Ukraine

I think we need to stay out of the Ukraine. I think the US has destabilized it intentionally. I think this was a planned effort (see the snapshot later in this post).

But if it's not a made up US government scheme, what Hillary Is 44 notes in "NO, America Is Not A Helpless Giant In The #Ukraine Crisis" is even worse:

If we had an American president with belief in American values and willing to fight for those values, instead of a president only concerned with his stinking “brand”, the Ukraine crisis could be easily turned into a Churchillian moment in Western history. The occupant of the White House is at best a man-child naïf or, as we increasingly believe, a malevolent subversive whose every action is designed to weaken the west and destroy American leadership. This vulgar instrument of destruction is protected by a Big Media establishment and deluded “liberal” elites that seek to rationalize as wise every stupidity or malevolent act inflicted by Barack Obama.
As we noted in our previous article, as the danger escalated in Ukraine Barack Obama golfed for three days then followed that bit of insouciance with an announcement that the American army was to be squeezed back to pre-World War II size. Over the weekend Barack Obama sent the signal to Putin of his real level of concern by skipping a national security briefing on Ukraine. This week Barack Obama is focused on screaming more threats in his meeting today with Prime Minister Netanyahu against the only democracy in the middle east, Israel.
When American allies are in trouble Barack Obama will scream and shout for their removal such as in Egypt with Mubarak. Barack Obama deposed of American ally Mubarak in order to birth the Muslim Brotherhood control of Egypt. When the Muslim Brotherhood proved to be worse than Mubarak Obama remained silent and protected the Morsi Muslim Brotherhood. In Venezuela, the people rise up against an American enemy – Barack Obama remains silent. In Ukraine the Evil Empire blueprints for return are put into action and from Obama the usual usual.

Barack is so inept.

Again, Putin can do what he wants right now. I don't see him doing anything outrageous at present. I see the people the US has installed as disgusting.

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Chaos and violence continue, Nouri's assault on Anbar continues, his State of Law prepares to boycott Parliament on Thursday, is Nouri waiting to serve warrants on his political rivals, and so much more.

Alsumaria reports that Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee announced that a private plane was charted to bring Iraqi college students studying in the Ukraine back to Iraq.

Ukraine? We've been noting events outside of the snapshots for the most part. We're bringing it into the snapshot today.

We're going to start with who Glenn Greenwald got into bed with this time, a billionaire who bought Glenn's ass and mouth. When he broke the Ed Snowden story, we gave him credit for that. And it would have been great to offer praise over and over. But he's Glenn Greenwald and his circle jerk has always been pretty nasty. Now it's apparently involved in attempting to overthrow governments.

Chris Floyd (CounterPunch) reports, "The Western intervention in Ukraine has now led the region to the brink of war. Political opposition to government of President Viktor Yanukovych — a corrupt and thuggish regime, but as with so many corrupt and thuggish regimes one sees these days, a democratically elected one — was funded in substantial part by organizations of or affiliated with the U.S. government, such as the National Endowment for Democracy (a longtime vehicle for Washington-friendly coups), and USAID. It also received substantial financial backing from Western oligarchs, such as billionaire Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay and sole bankroller of the new venue for “adversarial” journalism, First Look, as Pandodaily reports." Marcy Wheeler of Empty Wheel fame and now part of Omidyar's First Look was speculating on who in the US might have been involved in the attempt to destabilize the Ukraine and Mark Ames (PandoDaily) pursued that angle:

Wheeler is partly correct. Pando has confirmed that the American government – in the form of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – played a major role in funding opposition groups prior to the revolution. Moreover, a large percentage of the rest of the funding to those same groups came from a US billionaire who has previously worked closely with US government agencies to further his own business interests. This was by no means a US-backed “coup,” but clear evidence shows that US investment was a force multiplier for many of the groups involved in overthrowing Yanukovych.
But that’s not the shocking part.
What’s shocking is the name of the billionaire who co-invested with the US government (or as Wheeler put it: the “~~dark~~ deep force” acting on behalf of “Pax Americana”).
Step out of the shadows…. Wheeler’s boss, Pierre Omidyar.

Yes, in the annals of independent media, this might be the strangest twist ever: According to financial disclosures and reports seen by Pando, the founder and publisher of Glenn Greenwald’s government-bashing blog,“The Intercept,” co-invested with the US government to help fund regime change in Ukraine.

What's going on in the Ukraine? Left Voices explores that with attorney, human rights expert and international law professor Francis A. Boyle. (Click here for SoundCloud.)

Excerpt.

Andrea Sears: This is Left Voices for Monday, March 3, 2014. I'm Andrea Sears. Tonight [. . .] is the crisis in the Ukraine a popular uprising or an orchestrated coup d'etat? Russian forces have virtually occupied the Crimean peninsula without firing a shot and pro-Russian demonstrators have taken over the regional government building in the city of Donetsk in the eastern Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry is threatening to cast Russia out of the G8 and the newly installed government of Kiev is calling on NATO for assistance. From the protests in Kiev to the ouster of former Prime Minister Yanukovych to the military stand-off, the press is buzzing with depictions of corruption overthrown, massing troops and reported threats. In the US, Russia is being condemned on all sides. Without acknowledging any irony, [US Secretary of State] John Kerry, who voted for the invasion of Iraq, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "invading another country on a completely trumped-up pretext," calling it an incredible act of aggression. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has called the Obama administration weak and indecisive and urged the President to do more than deliver empty threats to thugs and dictators. And Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is calling Russia an enemy of the United States. At the height of the civil unrest in Kiev there were scattered reports that far right elements were playing a major role in the protests but there's been little follow up. Francis Boyles is a professor of law at the University of Illinois College of Law and author of several books including Foundations of World Order. Boyles says an audio tape that has appeared on YouTube -- allegedly a recording of a conversation between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt, the US Ambassador to the Ukraine tells part of the story that's been missing.

Francis A. Boyle: It's clear what happened was that the United States government orchestrated a neo-Nazi coup d'etat in Kiev. And the people in power there now are fascists, neo-nazis, anti-Semites. You have at least four people from Svoboda in the government including one in charge of the security policies and another from right sector that's basically neo-Nazi skinheads. So we launched a coup d'etat, put these people in power in Kiev and now it appears that Secretary of State Kerry is going over there to consolidate them in power and demonstrate the support of the US. UK Foreign Minister [William] Hague was just there. It looks like we've mobilized NATO to their defense at least in terms of statements -- so far not troops, but we'll have to see what happens, how those further developments -- I don't know. But one could certainly understand why Russia is concerned about us putting neo-Nazis in power in Ukraine and overthrowing a democratically elected government which we did do.

Andrea Sears: How much of this is the power play over the tension between Russia and the European Union and the United States over the eastern expansion of NATO into former Soviet states. Has this been a major part of the conflict?

Francis A. Boyle: Yes, of course, that's what this is really all about. As you know, Soviet President Gorbachev agreed with President Bush Sr. that, if he went along with the reunification of Germany that NATO borders would not move to the east. Unfortunately, he was so naive as to note get that written in a treaty and only accepted oral assurances. So the moment Clinton came to power, NATO was moved to the east right up to the borders of Russia and there two prizes left were Georgia and Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine under the previous administration before Yanukovych signed a partnership for peace agreement with NATO and NATO membership was -- is the next step. The European Union, this so-called association agreement, had security provisions in there which would have required cooperation with NATO. And I regret to say today the European Union pretty much functions as a stalking horse and catch-all for NATO. So this is all about extending NATO into Ukraine itself.

Fatimah (Carbonated TV) observes this is taking place on the anniversary of the start of the illegal war on Iraq (March, 2003):

It is therefore rather ironic that the US, which led the attack in Iraq, is warning Russia that it is considering economic and diplomatic options that will isolate Russia for “being on the wrong side of history.”
Around 112,017 - 122,438 civilian deaths were recorded by Iraq Body Count (IBC) between 20 March 2003 and 14 March 2013 during the Iraq War. Although the conflict came to an end in 2011, the number of deaths is constantly increasing due to the ongoing insurgency the invasion wrought.
What’s worse, the grave mistake was never acknowledged by the then or current governments of the Western countries involved in the false cause.
So, is it not an act of sheer hypocrisy when such unapologetic invaders accuse another country of “violating international law” for committing the same mistake after a decade?
When Russia decided to attack Ukraine on Saturday, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would consider the aforementioned action against Russia.
Secretary of State John Kerry also condemned Russia’s “act of aggression over phony pretexts” in Ukraine.

The irony and hypocrisy of both of these statements is just unmistakable, especially when the White House – despite several appeals from the United Nations – has failed to halt its illegal drone program in Afghanistan, Yemen and several parts of Pakistan.

Singer-songwriter and musician Liz Phair (Exile in Guyville being her major classic) Tweeted:

Chris Marsden (WSWS) offers:

Kerry and Obama have spent the past days consolidating a strategic alliance of imperialist and regional powers against Moscow—insisting above all that the European powers, led by Germany, take a hard line on Ukraine and on economic sanctions. In addition, Washington has repeatedly met with the leaders of Georgia and Moldova, encouraging both to make a high profile stand against Russia to encourage others to do the same.
On February 26, Kerry spoke to the US-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission, announcing additional US assistance “to help support Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic vision,” while denouncing Russia’s continued military presence in the breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Dave Lindorff (CounterPunch) weighs in noting:

Of course there’s also the matter of the US role — overt and covert — in helping to fund and organize the mobs who ousted the elected government of Ukraine. That too was a violation of international law. For years now, the US has, through its National Endowment for Democracy, US AID, and other government and quasi-government bodies, been funneling money to anti-government groups in Ukraine (as it did also in Egypt and Russia itself, and as it is doing now in Venezuela and other countries whose leaders it opposes). The leaked tape of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and the US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt discussing how to staff the new government of Ukraine after the anticipated collapse of the elected government shows how deeply the US was involved in the undermining of the government of Ukraine. Again, this interference in another country’s political system is a horrendous violation of international law.

,
Nouri al-Maliki's assault on Anbar continues. NINA notes Nouri's military bombed Ramadi today leaving 10 family members dead. While in Falluja? Nouri's bombing of a residential neighborhood left 2 women dead and two children injured. Felicity Arbuthnot (CounterPunch) reports on one day of Nouri's attacks on civilians in Falluja:

On Thursday 30th January a source with contacts in Fallujah gave the names behind the statistics of just a few of the injured arriving at Fallujah General Hospital:

Iman Mohammed Abdul Razzaq – 40 years old (female)
Isaac Saleh Mohammed – 4 years (Male)
Abeer Mohammed Saleh – 18 years old (female)
Shorooq Borhan Ali – 7 years (female)
Ashoaq Mohammed Jassim – 25 years old (female)
Sarah Mohammed Odeh – 13 years old (female)
Fatima Mohammed Odeh – 15 years old (female)
Saleh Mohammed Abdul Razzaq – 45 years old (male)

The hospital has been repeatedly shelled, the latest attack on the night of 9th - 10th February. Al-Maliki’s militia have been filmed dragging the body of a young man behind a car and setting bodies alight.

Nobel Peace Laureate Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron’s regimes are as culpable for their continuing support and facilitating of al-Maliki’s crimes against humanity as were Bush and Blair in the lies that delivered Iraq’s ongoing death and destruction.

Proving that stupid reporters are all over north America and not just in the US, Philippe Labrecque offers a pool of stupidity at The Huffington Post Canada which opens:

The oppressive treatment reserved to the Sunni minority by the Shia majority government under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has opened the door to al-Qaeda's ex- affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to gain influence and entrench itself to the point that the black flag of al Qaeda has been raised over Fallujah, a city for which the U.S. Marines fought hard and shed much blood in 2004.

Poor Philippe, scared of his own shadwo, convinced al Qaeda's overrunning Iraq and thug Nouri is fighting a righteous battle. Worship of government lies is a dangerous religious mind-set all its own.

Poor stupid Philippe. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Marina Ottaway (Foreign Policy) has a better grasp on the issues:

Of the 18 provinces in Iraq, 12 are in open conflict with Baghdad, including the three Kurdish ones. All are -- or hope to be soon -- oil or gas producers. With 93 percent of Iraq's revenue derived from hydrocarbon sales, the country could pay a high price if relations deteriorate further.
Fraught relations between Baghdad and its provinces is, at least in part, a result of the U.S. occupation -- and of Washington's inability to decide whether to support a decentralized federal state or try to rebuild a strong center so that Iraq would not disintegrate. U.S. advisers favored the impossible: federalism, decentralization, Kurdish autonomy, but also a strong central government. Instead, the Kurds in 2005 forced through a constitution that gave their region considerable autonomy and severely restricted Baghdad's authority. The Kurds were elated, but American fears of a break-up of the country increased. As a result, the United States welcomed Maliki's growing assertiveness, backed him again after the 2010 elections, and ignored his growing authoritarianism. Iraqi provincial officials, on the other hand, grew resentful of Baghdad's heavy-handedness and increasingly envious of Kurdish autonomy.

If you're not getting how right she is and how wrong Philippe is, NINA reports:

The Rapporteur of the House of Representatives, Mohammed al-Khalidi said: "The presidency of the parliament has received a formal letter from the Basra Governorate Council, calling to transfer of the governorate to province."
He told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / "The Council has received a letter addressed to the council and the Council of Ministers and signed by a number of members of the provincial council in Basra, demanding to transfer Basra to a province ."

Alsumaria notes that Ayad Allawi's coalition issued a statement today declaring that the indiscriminate shelling on the people of Anbar needed to cease immediately and that the government needed to enter into negotiations with the peaceful protesters.

Ayad Allawi headed the coalition that beat Nouri al-Maliki in the 2010 elections. Allawi should be prime minister. But the White House disrespected the Iraqi voters and democracy and schemed to subvert the will of the people in order for thug Nouri to get a second term as prime minister.

The demands of the protesters.

The protests are going on right now. They started December 21st 2012.

In February, the last time the non-Iraqi press paid serious attention to the protests, the press whored for Nouri and pretended he was responding to the demands. He got his headlines, AFP, AP and everyone else refused to cover the protests and Nouri never met one damn demand of the protesters.

Layla Anwar (An Arab Woman Blues) has summed up the primary issues of the protesters as follows:

- End of Sectarian Shia rule
- the re-writing of the Iraqi constitution (drafted by the Americans and Iranians)
- the end to arbitrary killings and detention, rape and torture of all detainees on basis of sect alone and their release
- the end of discriminatory policies in employment, education, etc based on sect
- the provision of government services to all
- the end of corruption
- no division between Shias and Sunnis, a one Islam for all Iraqi Muslims and a one Iraq for all Iraqis.

Nouri lied and pretended he would meet the demands of the protesters. He lies so very often. NINA reports:

al-Anbar Provincial Council accused on Sunday 2 March the military forces of not being serious in resolving the current crisis and end the military operations in the province.
Vice Chairman of the Council Faleh al-Issawi said in a statement to the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / that the army is not serious in ending the crisis and resolving the situation and ending the military operations in spite of the initiatives launched by the provincial council and the elders and notables.
Al-Issawi said that there are many initiatives launched by the local government of the council and the governor and tribal leaders and elders of Anbar, which included the withdrawal of military units and end the armed manifestations in addition to stop the random shelling , but the government does not listen to the initiatives and it is not serious in ending the crisis of the province.

If you're late to the realities the Council is speaking of, from Saturday's "Nouri's cease-fire (just another lie):"

A cease-fire?
This a simplistic term.
So if Nouri's saying he's extending a cease-fire for Falluja the meaning does not require extreme analysis to comprehend its meaning. Cease fire.
Fighting stops.
But Nouri is the biggest liar on the world stage and would still hold the title even if Kim Jong Il were still alive.
If 6 'terrorists' were shot dead today in Falluja, for example, there is no cease-fire.
If the military's shelling of western Falluja (Nassaf Village) today left three civilians injured, there is no cease-fire.
If another Falluja shelling leaves 1 child dead and nine people injured, there's no cease-fire.
So Thursday's hoseannas repeated by Sabah Karhot, Chair of the Anbar Provincial Council, to All Iraq News that Nouri's extended a 'cease-fire,' "'The duration granted by the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki to suspend the military operations in Fallujah city, was extended for a week''?
It's garbage.

Nouri al-Maliki's word is always garbage.

Parliament wants to address the ongoing assault on Anbar in a Thursday session. Groups are announcing they will be present. Iraqiya says they will be attending. The Kurdish Alliance says they will be attending. Yesterday, Al Mada reported on the refusal by Nouri's State of Law to attend and quoted them insisting that such a hearing would be nothing but insults. And today? NINA reports:

MP, of the State of Law Coalition, Sadiq al-Labban said that his coalition is boycotting the meetings of the Council of Representatives, and will not attend the meeting of the Council to discuss Anbar crisis, on Thursday . "
He told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: "The issue of the Anbar is a military issue , not a political , therefore it cannot be discussed in the House of Representatives , on the grounds that the armed forces are fighting the terrorists of ISIS , backed by Anbar tribes ."

Not only is there no military solution, Nouri's assault on ANBAR has only revealed how weak he truly is as one city or town after another has been lost to him.

Today, Democracy Now! and Amy Goodman finally and briefly found Falluja:

AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to Iraq. A new report by Truthout has revealed doctors, residents and NGO workers in the city of Fallujah are accusing the Iraqi government of war crimes and crimes against humanity in its ongoing attack against the city. According to one account, at least 109 civilians have been killed and 632 wounded since January, when Iraqi government forces began shelling Fallujah in its fight against militants.
For more on this, we’re joined by Dahr Jamail, staff reporter at Truthout. He’s joining us from Doha, Qatar.
Dahr, tell us what you found.

DAHR JAMAIL: By phoning in to several doctors in Fallujah—well, one of them, in fact, who is—had to flee because her home was being shelled, so she had to take her family and leave—but after speaking with all three of them, I found, you know, the really shocking numbers that you just discussed as far as the total numbers of dead and wounded. But in addition to that, they’re all claiming, from different parts of the city, that it’s really indiscriminate firing, that the military, the Iraqi military, that they all are referring to as Maliki—as in Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki’s military—that Maliki’s army has been shelling the city indiscriminately, that they aren’t—they aren’t seeing any official targets or anything military for them to target, that the main hospital, Fallujah General Hospital, has been shelled, that we have a situation where apparently several mosques have been shelled, and unknown numbers of civilian homes have also been shelled. And in addition to the numbers that you just spoke of, we—according to Dr. Ahmed Shami, the head of—the chief of resident doctors at Fallujah General Hospital, there’s been at least 10 children killed, 40 wounded, and in addition to that, five women killed and at least 35 wounded. And those statistics are now a few days out of date, and the shelling has continued since I wrote this report.

Let's go back to the topic of violence and start with the attack everyone was covering.

Yang Yi (Xinhua) reports, "Iraqi security forces freed many hostages held by suicide bombers who stormed the city council of Samarra city in Iraq's Salahudin province earlier on Tuesday, leaving five people killed and 48 wounded, a provincial police source said." Ghazwan Hassan, Ahmed Rasheed, Ned Parker and Angus MacSwan (Reuters) note the rebels held the council and court house "for four hours," that 4 police officers were killed as well as 3 civilians -- shot by Nouri's forces who "opened fire to retake the site." Mahmud Saleh (AFP) adds that "Two bombers dressed in police uniforms shot dead a policeman and took control of the council headquarters with employees inside, a police lieutenant colonel said." Alsumaria counts 6 suicide bombers.

That wasn't the only violence in Iraq.

Bombings?

National Iraqi News Agency reports a Mosul suicide bomber and a car bombing attacked police headquarters leaving the suicide bomber dead and 1 member of the police dead with four more injured, a south Baghdad (Latifiya area) sticky bombing killed 1 person, a battle in Kraw Village left 1 Sahwa dead and another injured, an Eraibi roadside bombing left 2 police members dead and one person injured, a Hit roadside bombing left 1 police member dead and three more injured, and an al-Muqdadiya sticky bombing left one person injured.

Shootings?

National Iraqi News Agency reports a battle in Kraw Village left 1 Sahwa dead and another injured, 1 police member was shot dead "and an intelligence officer injured" in Qayyarah (the intelligence officer has been identified as Captain Maher Jassim), security forces announced they killed 5 suspects in Ramadi, 1 police member was shot dead in Imam Wayis, the Interior Ministry announced 1 suspect was killed in Um Tasah, border guards shot dead 1 person attempting to enter Iraq from Syria, 2 people were shot dead "walking in al-Karabilah area" in Anbar, a battle in Ramadi left 4 rebels dead, and an armed battle in Alsjer left 2 Iraqi soldiers dead and four injured, All Iraq News adds a battle in western Baghdad left 3 rebels dead. Alsumaria notes security forces state they killed 9 suspects in Nineveh Province. and the Ministry of the Interior states they killed 3 suspects west of Baghdad.

Iraq was briefly noted in today's US State Dept press briefing moderated by Jen Psaki:

QUESTION: Okay. Tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad have escalated over the past week, ever since the Baghdad government formally suspended the budget, the 2014 budget of the Kurdistan region.

MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: What’s your position on the suspension of the KRG’s budget?

MS. PSAKI: Well, we urge Iraq’s Council of Ministers, the Iraqi parliament, and Iraq’s regional, sub-regional governments to address the outstanding issues that remain as quickly as possible so that the national budget can move forward to a vote. While this is essentially an internal Iraqi matter, U.S. officials are engaged as appropriate with senior Iraqi leaders to support efforts to resolve differences through direct dialogue and the political process, consistent with the Iraqi constitution. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Brett McGurk arrived in Iraq on Monday, and he will meet with officials in Baghdad and Erbil to address ongoing issues and urge all sides to reach a swift resolution.

QUESTION: You don’t have anything specific about the suspension of the budget? Because Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region, has called that a declaration of war against our people.

MS. PSAKI: I think I just conveyed to you what our position is. Obviously, Deputy Assistant Secretary Brett McGurk is on the ground. We of course believe that these issues should be addressed as quickly as possible.

The worthless State Dept ignores the human rights abuses but whores for oil. We have little room here but Alsumaria is reporting that another arrest warrant has been issued against Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi -- this one calling him an enemy of the state. We're bringing it up because it's thought that this is a series of warrants and that one not yet issued, but which may be issued, is for Moqtada al-Sadr, cleric and movement leader.

I'm not accusing Moqtada al-Sadr of any crimes. I don't believe Tareq is guilty of any. But an Iraqi MP e-mailed about this story and the rumors in Parliament that Moqtada fled to Iran because he was tipped off that the Nouri had ordered the criminal court to prepare a warrant for him.

Cleric and movement Moqtada al-Sadr announced his political retirement February 15th. February 18th, he delivered a speech -- CounterPunch posted the speech in full -- emphasizing his decision. February 26th, NINA noted the rumors that Moqtada left Iraq today, "The sources noted in a press statement that Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr left today's afternoon the city of Najaf heading to the Islamic Republic of Iran in order to complete his religious studies and stay away from the political scene as he officially announced for all Iraqis."

Again, I'm not accusing Moqtada of crimes. I do accuse Nouri of using the courts to go after his political rivals. And I'm noting this due to an e-mail from an Iraqi MP who believes that the warrant against Tareq (who's already been illegally convicted in Iraq and sentenced to the death penalty four or five times now) is part of a series of warrants Nouri has had the Iraqi courts prepare against his rivals.

iraq
left voices
andrea sears
francis a. boyle
dirk adriaensens
brussells tribunal
xinhua
yang yi
truthout
dahr jamail
ghazwan hassan
reuters
ahmed rasheed
ned parker
afp
mahmud saleh

national iraqi news agency

alsumaria
all iraq news

felicity arbuthnot

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Does Jane Fonda have a typo or homophobia?

I was going to note Jane Fonda's new book but, unless she has a typo at her site, she's kind of made a homophobic assumption. If it's a typo -- and it may be -- she needs to fix it immediately. I'm not joking.

I don't take homophobia lightly.

And if it's not a typo, I am deeply bothered by what she's written.

Teenagers (the topic of her book) have enough problems without some adult denying them their identity and who they are.

This is the problem in her post:

Never send a nude or partly nude photo or video of yourself or any sexual text to anyone! You may think it will remain between you and a current friend but someone who you think is your girl friend or boyfriend may get mad at you or want to brag about you, and send it to others and it can go viral.
If it's a typo, she needs to make it "girlfriend."

If it's not a typo, she's telling teenage girls -- in a book supposedly for teenage girls and boys -- that it's normal for them to have female friends and romantic relationships with boys.

Again, teenagers don't need that crap.

This really pisses me off, I'm not joking.

If my older brother were fourteen or so, he'd be buying this book. He's a Jane Fonda fan (I am as well). But then, he'd read it and realize that Jane recognizes hetero relationships but not same-sex ones. And my brother is gay. So Jane would have taken his money and disrespected him.

I'm sorry, it's 2014.

If you're writing a book to speak to teens, you damn well should know that it's not just boy-girl romantic relationships.

I've stated it may be a typo.

I hope it is.

Jane Fonda was at the forefront of LGBT rights. That includes in the 70s.

She's certainly done her share.

I applaud her for that.

If it's not a typo and she'd said it in an interview, I might just tsk-tsk privately.

But she's written a book for teens and she's promoting it and the way it appears right now it's a book for only some teens. While attempting to address serious issues, it may actually endorse bigoted standards that we all need to move past.

Again, I hope it's a typo.

I also reject her notion that a photo destroys you forever.

Vanessa Williams lived down nude photos.

One of my sisters was snapped (by a girl who hated her) changing into her cheerleader costume -- as she was about to put on her sports bra, so she's topless. That thing ended up all over the school for two years.

My mother didn't tell her, "Your life is over."

She told her, "You've got great breasts and they're jealous. Your body's nothing to be ashamed of."

I hope it's a typo.

I like Jane. We just picked her, at Third, as having given the best film performance in the 20th century:

It's Best Actress, the one where we pick Jane.

I am a fan.

But fan or not, if that's not a typo, that's homophobia and I don't play on that topic.

On the topic of the Oscars, here are our theme posts from last week:

"Bruce Dern is my pick," "Alfonso Cuaron for Best Director," "I hope Catherine Martin wins Sunday night," "Best Documentary," "i'm rooting for julia roberts ...," "Best Actress: Judi Dench," "The Missing Picture," "Bradley Cooper," "Oscar food in the Kitchen," "Leonardo" and "Matthew McConaughey"

"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):

Monday, March 3, 2014. Chaos and violence continue, Nouri's assault on Anbar continues, Nouri's war on the Kurdistan Regional Government continues, a new development is that not everyone will be allowed to vote in the scheduled April 30th elections, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his bellowing at Russia draw attention and should draw attention to the fact that he and the State Dept are doing damn little on Iraq, and much more.

The votes are in and US Secretary of State John Kerry has won the Hypocrisy Award.

Timothy McGrath (Global Post) points out:

Maybe US Secretary of State John Kerry has forgotten about the Iraq War.
How else could he appear on "Face the Nation" and, with a straight face, slam Russia for "invading another country on completely trumped-up pretext"?

International law expert Francis A. Boyle elaborates, "John Kerry is claiming to stand for international law and invokes the 1994 Budapest Agreement. Of course the U.S. has repeatedly violated international law, with the Iraq invasion (which Kerry voted for) and numerous other instances. But even in this case, if you examine the Victoria Nuland [assistant secretary of state] tape, it's clear that the U.S. was plotting a coup in the Ukraine and a coup is what happened. So Russia is only the second country guilty of violating Ukrainian sovereignty and the Budapest Agreement in response to the previous violations by the Obama administration."

Of course, the real comment here should be that Kerry needs to close his mouth and sit his ass down because, yet again, he's forgotten he's over Iraq for the US government.

Yet again, he's sticking his nose everywhere except where it should be going.

What did he do during February on Iraq?

Because Americans should be outraged by the billions the State Dept is given to carry out some secretive mission (they won't explain it to Congress and we'll only offer generalities) in Iraq.

What is that money accomplishing?

It doesn't appear to accomplish anything and Kerry doesn't appear to be engaged in Iraq at all. With the State Dept being over Iraq and it being their biggest money item after Afghanistan, the State Dept should be issuing statements on Iraq weekly and it should be a regular part of the daily press briefing.

But it's not.

And anytime Kerry speaking these days, it's as though he thinks he's president or vice president and not Secretary of State.

I voted for Kerry in 2004, I campaigned for him, I supported him in the primary.

But I can admit that didn't work out and he did not become president. It's time he learned to admit that as well because while he barks and bellows at Russia, we're left with the ongoing crises in Iraq -- plural.

Let's start with the violence.

Friday was the end of the month. As we noted at Third Sunday, "Iraq Body Count sees 930 violent deaths for February, UNAMI counts 703, Margaret Griffis and Antiwar.com count 1,705." AFP's Prashant Rao Tweeted on the death toll:

Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth Tweeted:

Kenneth Roth ‏@KenRoth 11h

With 703 killed in February, #Iraq is still feeling the deadly effects of PM Maliki's sectarian crackdown. http://trib.al/JU1cxGK
Expand

Exactly.

And what is the US government doing about Nouri's assault on the Sunnis?

Not a damn thing.

Wait, they keep congratulating him. They're doing that.

They're congratulating him.

They're joining in the pretense that the assault on Anbar (which no one wants to point out has crept into Salahuddin, Nineveh and Diyala provinces) is about 'terrorism.' Dahr Jamail (Truthout) explains:

Doctors, residents and NGO workers in Fallujah are accusing the Iraqi government of "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" that have occurred as a result of its ongoing attack on the city.
Dr. Ahmed Shami, the chief of resident doctors at Fallujah General Hospital, told Truthout that since Iraqi government forces began shelling Fallujah in early January 2014, at least 109 civilians have been killed and 632 wounded.

Felicity Arbuthnot (BRussells Tribunal) notes who's backing and arming the tyrant:

However, the US and UK are seemingly remarkably selective when it comes to tyrants who "kill their own people".
Not only have they failed to censure their tyrannical Iraqi puppet, Nuri al-Maliki, but they are also arming him to the teeth with the same weapons which are linked to the horrific birth defects, and cancers throughout the country, which he is now using on "his own people".
Moreover, if allegations from very well informed sources that he holds an Iranian passport are correct, to say that US-UK's despot of choice appears in a whole new political light would be to massively understate.
To facilitate Al-Maliki's assault on Iraq's citizens, the US "rushed" 75 Hellfire missiles to Baghdad in December. On 23^rd January Iraq requested a further 500 Hellfires, costing $82 million - small change compared to the $14 billion in weapons provided by America since 2005.
The AGM-114R Hellfire II, nauseatingly named 'Romeo', clocked in at: $94,000 each - in 2012. A shopping spree on weaponry in a country where electricity, clean water, education and health services have all but collapsed since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The re-invasion of Iraq
Two weeks ago an "American cargo jet loaded with weapons" including 2,400 rockets to arm Iraqi attack helicopters also arrived in Baghdad.
Subsequently a contract was agreed to sell a further 24 AH-64E attack helicopters to Iraq "along with spare parts and maintenance, in a massive $6.2 Billion deal."
With them comes the reinvasion of Iraq, with: "hundreds of Americans" to be shipped out "to oversee the training and fielding of equipment". Some are "US government employees" - read 'military' - plus a plethora of "contractors" - read mercenaries.
According to Jane's Defence Weekly, on 15th November 2013 Iraq also took delivery of "its first shipment of highly advanced Mi-35 attack helicopters as part of a $4.3 Billion arms purchase from Russia", out of an order of "about 40 Mi-35 and 40 Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopters".

The all to "attack his own people" in the guise of defeating 'Al Qaida' in Anbar province and elsewhere where the people have been peacefully protesting a near one man regime of torture, sectarianism, kangaroo courts which sentence victims who have also had confessions extracted under torture.

While US politicians apparently crapped on their courage and had to send it out to be cleaned, more and more Iraqi politicians are speaking their minds. Hamza Mustafa (Asharq al-Awsat) reports:

The leader of Iraq’s National Dialogue Front (NDF) and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Al-Mutlaq has called for an end to the government siege of cities in Anbar province on humanitarian grounds.

A statement issued by Mutlaq’s office said: “Many besieged families who could not leave are still threatened by the bombardment and lack of food and medical supplies, and they suffer difficult conditions.”
The statement added: “Army field commanders must face up to their responsibilities towards the besieged people and coordinate with humanitarian aid teams and open routes to allow food and medical supplies to reach the families, who include women and children.”

al-Mutlaq told All Iraq News, "There are many families who could not get out of the areas that suffer the danger of armed operations and they suffer the lack of food and medical supplies in Fallujah and Habaniya areas." National Iraqi News Agency notes he expressed concern for the "women and children and the elderly."

Nouri's pursuit of 'terrorists' in Falluja? Yesterday, NINA reported, Nouri's military shelled Falluja Sunday evening leaving eight civilians injured. Saturday, NINA reported the military's shelling of western Falluja (Nassaf Village) left three civilians injured and another Falluja shelling leaves 1 child dead and nine people injured. How many people is Nouri allowed to kill, how many children is he allowed to kill before the White House starts to ponder that maybe arming Nouri wasn't such a bright idea? Today, Anadolu Agency reports:

Four Iraqis have been killed in an airstrike that targeted a passenger vehicle in the western city of Fallujah, a tribal source said Monday.
"The aircraft shelled a vehicle carrying ten people in the city," the source told Anadolu Agency."
And in another incident today, NINA notes Nouri's shelling of residential areas in Falluja left ten people injured -- including three children.

For those thinking, "Wait, Thursday it was announced Nouri had agreed to a cease-fire on Falluja to last a week"? Yeah, we covered that Saturday in "Nouri's cease-fire (just another lie)" -- Nouri's not to be trusted, he never keeps his word. In the summer of 2006, while he was out of the country, barriers were put up angering Iraqis -- put up by the US -- and Nouri swore they would come down immediately, just as soon as he returned to Iraq. They didn't come down he returned. They didn't come down a week later or a month later or a year later . . . That was his first public promise and he broke it.

There have been so many more since 2006, there was his public promise in the fall of 2010 to finally implement Article 140 of the Constitution and hold a census and referendum in Kirkuk. There was his promise, in February 2010, to end corruption in 100 days (if the protesters stopped demonstrating -- and they believed him but he never ended corruption). There was his legal and contractual promise (The Erbil Agreement) to form a power-sharing government in November 2010. We could list his many broken promises all day. How about February 2010 when he promised AFP he wouldn't run for a third term?

And Nouri's assault isn't just killing and wounding people, it's also displacing them. As Mustafa Habib (Niqash) reported last month:

According to the most recent official figures about half a million people live in Fallujah. It’s thought that as much as 60 percent of the population has left the city now though, in order to escape the potential fighting. The United Nations refugee agency has said that as many as 300,000 people have left Anbar province, where both Fallujah and Ramadi are, to escape the violence.

That is why in Fallujah one will see many doors that have pages of the Koran attached to them – the residents have fled and they hope that the holy book will prevent thieves or militias from occupying their houses and stealing their belongings.

The displaced have to go somewhere and the provinces they're going to are having to address these additional needs with no money from Nouri al-Maliki's central government out of Baghdad. NINA notes that leaders of Kirkuk Province met today with UN officials at the UNAMI office to ask for "Help in building a camp for displaced people from Anbar's cities, Tuz" and Sulaiman Beck.

All Iraq News notes independent MP Kamel al-Dulaimi declared at a press conference today, "The crisis in Anbar is political and it needs real stances from everyone in order to solve it, since the politicians in the province, in particular, disappeared from the scene and have forgotten the victims of the military forces and civilians during the clashes." Sunday, Nickolay Mladenov, the Special Representative in Iraq for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, declared, "Only by working together can Iraqis address the causes of violence and build a democratic society in which rule of law is observed and human rights are protected."

Yet Nouri continues this assault. It hasn't ended violence, it hasn't even reduced it.

And yet the US government embarrasses itself daily by backing Nouri's genocide and pretending it's about 'terrorism.'

Today's violence? National Iraqi News Agency reports 1 police member was shot dead and a civilian left injured in western Baghdad (Abu Ghraib), a Muqdadiyah home bombing left 1 person dead, attorney Imad al-Najmawi was shot dead in Mosul, a Mosul roadside bombing left 2 Iraqi soldiers dead and a third, an armed battle in Ramadi near the stadium and 60th Street left 2 rebels dead and three Iraqi soldiers injured, Majo General Riadh al-Khikany states they killed 1 suspect to the north of Hilla, Baghdad Operations Command notes they killed 1 suspect in Baghdad, a Kirkuk car bombing left twenty people injured, the Ministry of Interior announced they killed 15 suspects in Anbar, Kirkuk attacks left 4 people dead and six more people injured, police member Almosul Aljadeedah was shot dead in Mosul, 1 corpse was discovered in Mosul, and 1 corpse was found dumped in the streets of Baghdad ("handcuffed and with gunshot wounds in the head"). All Iraq News adds 1 doctor's assistant was shot dead in Anbar.

Nouri's assault started at the end of December and was going to be a quick operation.

Weeks later, it continues.

And Iraq's supposed to hold elections next month.

People have been expressing the need for the parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 30th, to take place. Mohammad Sabah (Al Mada) reports Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has declared the elections must take place and that they must take place across Iraq including in Anbar Province. NINA adds that he called for all to vote but stated he would not be endorsing any candidate or slate. All Iraq News reports:

The head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, Ammar al-Hakim, warned from postponing the elections.In the conference of Handicapped persons in Baghdad, he said "All sides should participate in the elections widely."

And there was already going to be a big adjustment in this election. Instead of using the ration cards as identification -- as done in Iraq's previous elections -- new electronic cards are being issued -- are being issued slowly many complain on social media. Samira Kamal (Kirkuk Now) reports:

Electronic election cards are currently being introduced by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to help provide a transparent and clean election process. “We are trying to prevent any candidate or political party from rigging future elections,” Safa Al-mosawy, the IHEC spokesman announced.

Mr. Mosawy stated during an interview that the commission has issued very stringent instructions to help prevent any forgery or misuse of the electronic cards.

If elections are held in April 30th, it's already been announced that everyone's not voting. Iraq's voting rounds -- whether provincial or parliamentary -- include setting up voting stations in other countries -- chief among them the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, where so many Iraqis have fled to. All Iraq News reports today:

The Independent High Electoral Commission IHEC decided not to conduct the parliamentary elections for Iraqi community in Syria due to deterioration in security situation there.The Iraqi Ambassador to Egypt, Thea'a al-Din al-Dabas, reported in a press statement ''The IHEC held a meeting with several Iraqi Ambassadors in Turkey on last week in which they discussed the arrangements required to conduct the ballots avoiding any mistakes.''

It's never just one thing with Nouri. We've noted the crisis he's created with Anbar, the continuing security crisis, let's go to his war on the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in the north of Iraq. The Kurdish Globe reports on the continued tensions between Baghdad and Erbil:

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's dispute with Iraq's Kurds over its independent oil exports has escalated with the central government blocking Kurdistan's share of the state budget and banning two airlines from operating between Europe and Kurdistan.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's dispute with Iraq's Kurds over its independent oil exports has escalated with the central government blocking Kurdistan's share of the state budget and banning two airlines from operating between Europe and Kurdistan.
Kurdistan's president, Massoud Barzani, warned Maliki that his actions are "a declaration of war against the people of Kurdistan."

But, of course, Nouri doesn't see it that way. Rudaw notes:

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a television interview that a budget and oil dispute with the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the north has been “exaggerated,” and that the central government felt a sense of responsibility toward the Kurds.
“I don’t know why the problems have been so exaggerated,” Maliki said in an interview with the semi-official Al-Iraqiya TV. “We feel responsible for Kurdistan and its people, even if the Kurdish government doesn’t feel that way,” he added.

Thousands of government workers in the KRG have been without payment because Nouri's blocked the KRG from receiving their part of the national budget. It's so bad, in fact, that KRG officials have been calling for assistance from the United Nations to address this issue. Hiwa Barznjy (Niqash) explains:

Negotiators from the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan have visited Baghdad three times already this year. They went there to discuss many of the seemingly-intractable conflicts that the partially-independent region populated mainly by Iraqis of Kurdish ethnicity is having with the rest of the country, as governed from Baghdad.

The list of these conflicts is similar to those of past years: The disputed areas of Iraq which the Iraqi Kurdish say should belong to their region but which Baghdad says belong to Iraq proper. The oil and gas law - Iraqi Kurdistan has one and Baghdad does not. Who pays for the services of the Iraqi Kurdish military, the Peshmerga. Iraqi Kurdistan’s share of national income, based on oil earnings.

These issues have been sources of antipathy year on year – occasionally they send the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan to teeter on the brink of a political abyss. And recently one of the most contentious issues – the oil and gas impasse – has been doing just that.

“The Iraqi budget is IQD163 trillion,” the Iraqi Kurdish Deputy Finance Minister, Fazil Nabi, explained the country's draft budget for 2014 last week. “The share of Kurdistan Region from the budget is IQD19.7 trillion. Also, Kurdistan Region is entitled to IQD2.14 trillion dinars from the sovereign budget. In total, the share of Kurdistan Region from the budget is around IQD22 trillion dinars.”

The draft budget also says that, in return, the Iraqi Kurdish must export around 400,000 barrels of oil per day and that the revenues from that must go to Baghdad, from where it will be distributed.

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