Free Iraq
The US's occupation of Iraq will see to it that the Lion of Babylon rises again .. سنـُبعـَث ُ من جَديد ، وإلى ضَـيـرِِهِـم
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| Unrevealed Milestones in the Iraqi National Nuclear Program: 1981-1991 | معالم وأحداث غير مكشوفة في البرنامج النووي الوطني العراقي 1981-1991 | 
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Sunday, August 14, 2005
The Bush black hole
"The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months, according to U.S. officials in Washington and Baghdad.
The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.
"What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground," said a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion. "We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning."Administration officials still emphasize how much they have achieved despite the chaos that followed the invasion and the escalating insurgency.
"Iraqis are taking control of their country, building a free nation that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself. And we're helping Iraqis succeed," President Bush said yesterday in his radio address. (emphasis added)
U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq August 14, 2005
As Bush was saying:
"Iraqi investigators have uncovered widespread fraud and waste in more than $1 billion worth of weapons deals arranged by middlemen who reneged or took huge kickbacks on contracts to arm Iraq's fledgling military, according to a confidential report and interviews with U.S. and Iraqi officials.
The Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit, in a report reviewed by Knight Ridder, describes transactions suggesting that senior U.S.-appointed Iraqi officials in the Defense Ministry used three intermediary companies to hide the kickbacks they received from contracts involving unnecessary, overpriced or outdated equipment.
Knight Ridder reported last month that $300 million in defense funds had been lost. But the report indicates that the audit board uncovered a much larger scandal, with losses likely to exceed $500 million, that's roiling the ministry as it struggles to build up its armed forces. The episode deprives Iraq's military of essential gear that could help prepare the way for U.S. forces to withdraw. It also raises questions about the new government's ability to provide an effective defense against an entrenched insurgency and win broad acceptance among Iraqis.
.... Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who oversees the U.S. military's training of Iraqi troops, conducts weekly briefings with the defense minister. Other Iraqi defense officials seldom are spotted without American civilian advisers nearby. The close relationship has raised questions as to how $500 million or more could vanish without U.S. intervention to stop the suspicious contracts that flowed for at least eight months.
"Ask them. I have the same question," al-Dulaimi said. "I blame those who posted them (the officials under investigation). And, by the way, the CPA posted them."
.... "Before me, there was another prime minister. His name was Bremer," Ayad Allawi, who served as interim premier when the corruption investigation began sometime last year, told Knight Ridder. "He ran this country, he had this ministry and a lot of the corruption started then. ... There was no auditing. Airplanes were flying in and the money was handed out in suitcases."
.... "The entire embassy was upside down over this," he said. "I swear to God the advisers didn't know everything going on over there. Where did they get their information? From the Iraqis. I can give you one budget that says this country is flourishing and another that tells you this country is going to s---. The Iraqis told us only what they wanted us to hear."
.... "This is not only the Defense Ministry's problem. It affects the image of the new Iraq," al-Dulaimi said. "If we really spent that money in the right way, maybe it would have given us more capabilities to face terrorists."
.... "It's chaos," al-Dulaimi said, visibly exasperated. "It's a result of all the chaos brought to Iraq."
Audit: Iraq fraud drained $1 billion August 11, 2005
Does the Bush Administration only apply sun tan lotion to Bush while he vacations?
Somebody should Talk to him about the first report above.
Way to go Cindy Sheehan ..... You have already snarled him.
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"George Bush: you work for me. I pay your salary. Come out and talk to me. Anyway, I have a feeling you are about to be fired!!!"
"The Bush black hole" (Cont'd)
Busy Bush to Cindy Sheehan: "I think it's important for me to go on with my life."
Busy Bush to Cindy Sheehan: "I think it's important for me to go on with my life."
Angered farmer fires shots near Iraq war protest at Bush ranch:
"I shot at a bird, and missed it a while ago," he said.
"Asked if the gunshots had another message, Mattlage told reporters: 'Figure it out for yourself.'"
"I shot at a bird, and missed it a while ago," he said.
"Asked if the gunshots had another message, Mattlage told reporters: 'Figure it out for yourself.'"
Mother's stand becomes a movement: "A crooked straw hat shielding her face from the relentless Texas sun, Cindy Sheehan stands on the grassy edge of a rural highway, greeting a line of cars that stretches as far as the eye can see.
"The 6-foot-tall Vacaville woman who has become a public relations challenge for President George W. Bush borrows a cell phone from a nearby well-wisher and dials a number.
"You would not believe it, there's a line of cars down a five-mile road and hundreds of them are going by," she says with a wide grin. "Ah, this is just crazy. ... It's like an outpouring of love. I can't believe it."
Nor can I. A big hug for you, Cindy Sheehan.
"The 6-foot-tall Vacaville woman who has become a public relations challenge for President George W. Bush borrows a cell phone from a nearby well-wisher and dials a number.
"You would not believe it, there's a line of cars down a five-mile road and hundreds of them are going by," she says with a wide grin. "Ah, this is just crazy. ... It's like an outpouring of love. I can't believe it."
Nor can I. A big hug for you, Cindy Sheehan.
"Someday, when the account of this sorry period in American history is recorded, Cindy Sheehan may be recalled in the same way we recall that lonely Chinese man who stood before a tank near Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989."
". . . Mrs. Sheehan appears to be in for a long, hot August, with little likelihood of achieving her goal. But then, as someone pointed out, Rosa Parks didn't know what she was setting in motion that day when she refused to give up her seat on the bus."
". . . Mrs. Sheehan appears to be in for a long, hot August, with little likelihood of achieving her goal. But then, as someone pointed out, Rosa Parks didn't know what she was setting in motion that day when she refused to give up her seat on the bus."
A True American Patriot - Cindy Sheehan: "As always, it takes a courageous truth-teller to lead the ignorant, frightened people."
Sunday 14 August 2005; 3:41 PM
"Maxine Waters is heading back to Washington after meeting with Cindy and the other military families.
"Cindy asked Representative Waters how she deals with the media. Representative Waters told her to stay strong, "the truth is on your side."
"The corporate media is digging up everything they can find to smear Cindy Sheehan. She needs everyone's support since Rove and his ilk are trying to destroy her reputation.
"The reports on gunshots at the camp are wrong. The rancher across the road fired his gun on his ranch. When asked about the gunshots Cindy said that he had a right to shoot as long as the bullets stay on his land."
"Maxine Waters is heading back to Washington after meeting with Cindy and the other military families.
"Cindy asked Representative Waters how she deals with the media. Representative Waters told her to stay strong, "the truth is on your side."
"The corporate media is digging up everything they can find to smear Cindy Sheehan. She needs everyone's support since Rove and his ilk are trying to destroy her reputation.
"The reports on gunshots at the camp are wrong. The rancher across the road fired his gun on his ranch. When asked about the gunshots Cindy said that he had a right to shoot as long as the bullets stay on his land."
Determined Iraq war protestor spoils Bush vacation: "Listen, I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. She feels strongly about her position. And she has every right in the world to say what she believes. . . I've heard her position from others, which is: 'Get out of Iraq now.' And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so."
Cindy's Victory
"The thing is, they've already won.
"The nearly 2,000 crosses, crescents and Stars of David that make up the Arlington West cemetery, erected by the demonstrators a few days ago to represent all the fallen American soldiers in Iraq, stretch almost a mile down the country road. Bush had to drive past that on Friday when he went to his fundraising shindig at the Broken Spoke Ranch. 54 crosses have been added to the cemetery since he first showed up for his vacation at the beginning of August. It takes a while to drive past them all. This man, who cannot abide hearing or seeing anything in the way of dissent or disagreement, saw those crosses whistle past his window. That is a victory.
"Over the weekend, as the camp prepared for the arrival of the counter-demonstrators, a huge diesel pickup truck rumbled into camp with its nose menacingly pointed towards the tents. It sat for a while, and everyone waited to see what would happen. Ann Wright, the main organizer of camp activities, finally approached the truck and met the driver. He was a father, Wright discovered, and his son had been killed in Iraq.
"He did not agree with this protest, he said, but wanted to know if his son's name was on one of the crosses in the Arlington West cemetery. Ann Wright invited the man to walk the rows of crosses and find his son's name. They found it. Ann and the man from the truck sat down in front of the cross, wrapped their arms around each other, and wept. Later, the man shared a beer with Cindy Sheehan and told her he loved her. That is a victory, one that surpasses any sort of mean politics."
"The thing is, they've already won.
"The nearly 2,000 crosses, crescents and Stars of David that make up the Arlington West cemetery, erected by the demonstrators a few days ago to represent all the fallen American soldiers in Iraq, stretch almost a mile down the country road. Bush had to drive past that on Friday when he went to his fundraising shindig at the Broken Spoke Ranch. 54 crosses have been added to the cemetery since he first showed up for his vacation at the beginning of August. It takes a while to drive past them all. This man, who cannot abide hearing or seeing anything in the way of dissent or disagreement, saw those crosses whistle past his window. That is a victory.
"Over the weekend, as the camp prepared for the arrival of the counter-demonstrators, a huge diesel pickup truck rumbled into camp with its nose menacingly pointed towards the tents. It sat for a while, and everyone waited to see what would happen. Ann Wright, the main organizer of camp activities, finally approached the truck and met the driver. He was a father, Wright discovered, and his son had been killed in Iraq.
"He did not agree with this protest, he said, but wanted to know if his son's name was on one of the crosses in the Arlington West cemetery. Ann Wright invited the man to walk the rows of crosses and find his son's name. They found it. Ann and the man from the truck sat down in front of the cross, wrapped their arms around each other, and wept. Later, the man shared a beer with Cindy Sheehan and told her he loved her. That is a victory, one that surpasses any sort of mean politics."
Federal Judge Uphold Fine Against U.S. Citizens Bringing Medicine to Iraq
Voices in the Wilderness, fined $20,000, responds:
“Voices will not pay a single penny of this fine. The economic sanctions regime was a policy of genocide against the Iraqi people. The U.S. government would not allow Iraq to rebuild its water treatment system after the U.S. military deliberately destroyed it in 1991.
“We pause to ponder the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who asked of himself and his collaborators in resistance to Hitler, whether they were yet of any use. We too live in times of unspeakable peril and violence. We too live in times when questioning and resisting our government is the one path remaining to act for justice.
"We too have struggled and seen untold numbers of innocent people die at our government’s hand. We too answer as Bonhoeffer did, that yes, indeed, our acts and fidelity to our brothers and sisters throughout the world are not only of use, but of absolute necessity. We invite all to join us in a conspiracy of life to end our country’s war against the Iraqi people.”
Voices in the Wilderness, fined $20,000, responds:
“Voices will not pay a single penny of this fine. The economic sanctions regime was a policy of genocide against the Iraqi people. The U.S. government would not allow Iraq to rebuild its water treatment system after the U.S. military deliberately destroyed it in 1991.
“We pause to ponder the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who asked of himself and his collaborators in resistance to Hitler, whether they were yet of any use. We too live in times of unspeakable peril and violence. We too live in times when questioning and resisting our government is the one path remaining to act for justice.
"We too have struggled and seen untold numbers of innocent people die at our government’s hand. We too answer as Bonhoeffer did, that yes, indeed, our acts and fidelity to our brothers and sisters throughout the world are not only of use, but of absolute necessity. We invite all to join us in a conspiracy of life to end our country’s war against the Iraqi people.”
Belonging and Becoming: ". . .[T]here can be no difference between how we treat those we love and those on the other side of the world who we will never know and never touch. If our lives and the lives of the ones we love have value -- if by virtue of being human we have a claim to life and dignity in living -- then everyone must have that same claim.
We know that the children we hold in our arms have exactly the same value as those children we will never see, held in the arms of those we will never know. If our lives in flesh are to make any sense, our spirit must move beyond the ones we touch, the ones we love.
This is our struggle, and it is hard, because when we lose a loved one, when someone we have touched and who has touched us suffers, we cannot help but feel it more deeply. Our flesh aches. That is what it is to be human.
And at the same time we have to push ourselves to think about the suffering of those we will never touch. Our spirit has to ache as deeply as our flesh. That, too, is what it is to be human.
Cindy Sheehan and all the others who have lost loved ones in the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq belong to our community, to our nation. It is easy to grieve for them and with them, and we should. That is what decent people do.
But as we mark our belonging by sharing her grief, we are called to a becoming, to become something more, to see that as we grieve there are thousands of Iraqis, tens of thousands, who have buried their children, buried their parents, buried their friends. Buried those who they have touched and who have touched them.
Somewhere in Iraq right now, there is a mother looking into the grave of her child. There is a friend weeping over his loss. There is a community that gathers, much like we gather here, to find meaning in a world of suffering. In Iraq right now, there are people grieving in exactly the same way that Cindy Sheehan grieves, that we all grieve.
We know that the children we hold in our arms have exactly the same value as those children we will never see, held in the arms of those we will never know. If our lives in flesh are to make any sense, our spirit must move beyond the ones we touch, the ones we love.
This is our struggle, and it is hard, because when we lose a loved one, when someone we have touched and who has touched us suffers, we cannot help but feel it more deeply. Our flesh aches. That is what it is to be human.
And at the same time we have to push ourselves to think about the suffering of those we will never touch. Our spirit has to ache as deeply as our flesh. That, too, is what it is to be human.
Cindy Sheehan and all the others who have lost loved ones in the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq belong to our community, to our nation. It is easy to grieve for them and with them, and we should. That is what decent people do.
But as we mark our belonging by sharing her grief, we are called to a becoming, to become something more, to see that as we grieve there are thousands of Iraqis, tens of thousands, who have buried their children, buried their parents, buried their friends. Buried those who they have touched and who have touched them.
Somewhere in Iraq right now, there is a mother looking into the grave of her child. There is a friend weeping over his loss. There is a community that gathers, much like we gather here, to find meaning in a world of suffering. In Iraq right now, there are people grieving in exactly the same way that Cindy Sheehan grieves, that we all grieve.
Cindy Sheehan Calls Bush a Terrorist Live on CNN!
("No trace of this on the CNN website, so independent confirmation would be appreciated. A lot of unconfirmed rumour buzzing around at the moment.")
("No trace of this on the CNN website, so independent confirmation would be appreciated. A lot of unconfirmed rumour buzzing around at the moment.")
Peace Vigil Near Bush Ranch Vandalized: Driver mows down white crosses planted along a road bearing the names of dead US soldiers.
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