Free Iraq

"The draft constitution for Iraq that has been published in the Western press has been widely reviewed and commented upon by many individuals. There have been ongoing revisions to the constitution. The most recent version was released internally on Sept. 13th. This version has not been disseminated to either Western or Iraqi press or to the Iraqi public. CPT Iraq was sent a copy by a contact in the government.

While much of the document is similar and most changes are more in terms of replacing a word or two, there are some significant differences. Perhaps the most dramatic change is the omission of a section of the "Transitional Provisions."

The published draft reads:
1. "It is forbidden for Iraq to be used as a base or corridor for foreign troops."
2. "It is forbidden to have foreign military bases in Iraq."
3. "The National Assembly can, when necessary, and with a majority of two-thirds of its members allow events stated in #1 and #2 to take place."
This provision is completely missing from the current unpublished version.

Perhaps a more subtle change is in the "Fundamental Principles" section.
In the published draft, Article 2 states: "No law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam."
In the unpublished current version, the article reads, "No law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established."
Now this may be splitting hairs but Iraqis have said that "undisputed" would imply Islamic law that is recognized by both Sunni and Shi'a. The word "established" would imply that law that exists in one branch but not the other would be considered the basis of national law.
This could create serious tensions if a Sunni or Shi'a were required to obey a national law that is outside of their particular faith tradition."
Leaked constitution sets scene for foreign bases, sectarian tensions September 27, 2005

"If the referendum on Iraq's draft constitution next month is conducted fairly, it now appears very likely that the document will be defeated by a two-thirds majority in the three Sunni-dominated provinces of Anbar, Salahadeen and Nineveh, plunging Iraq into a new political crisis.
However, one way such a defeat could be averted is by massive vote fraud in the key province of Nineveh. According to an account provided by the US liaison with the local election commission, supported by physical evidence collected by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI), Kurdish officials in Nineveh province tried to carry out just such a ballot-stuffing scheme in last January's election.
The Sunni Arab majority of about 1.7 million in Nineveh - including Sunni insurgent organizations - appears to be united behind a "no" vote on the constitution. Kurds number only about 200,000 and non-Kurdish, non-Arab minorities another 500,000 to 600,000. The non-Arab, non-Kurdish minorities - Assyrian Christians, Shabaks, Yezidis and Turkmen - which hold the balance in the province, are overwhelmingly opposed to the constitution.
Heavy-handed control by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of non-Kurdish towns, exercised through Kurdish militia and intelligence presence in non-Kurdish areas, has alienated all four groups. They fear the draft constitution would legitimize Kurdish plans to absorb into Kurdistan the areas of Nineveh where they are the majority, eliminating the limited recognition of status and rights as minorities they now have.
In the January election, the Kurds dealt with the problem of being a relatively small minority in the province by stuffing the ballot boxes, as recounted by Major Anthony Cruz, an US Army reserve civil affairs officer assigned to work with the province's electoral commission.
Cruz, now back in Los Angeles, provided a detailed account of the election in Nineveh to IPS in interviews.
The 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division ("Stryker Brigade") was responsible for getting ballot boxes and ballots to polling places on the Nineveh Plain in January's election. But it relied on battle-hardened Kurdish Pershmerga militiamen to maintain security in the towns and villages, and did not know its way around the area well enough to deliver ballot boxes there without Kurdish help, according to Cruz. So the brigade agreed to send a US convoy with the voting materials to meet a Kurdish delegation in the Kurdish town of Faida on the border of Kurdistan 50 miles north of Mosul, so that the convoy could be guided to the largely Christian and Shabak towns on the Plain of Nineveh. When the convoy arrived in Faida the day before the election, however, the promised Kurdish guides never came. Instead, said Cruz, the Kurdish mayor of the town came demanding the ballots for what he called Kurdish towns on the list. The convoy commander wanted to take all the ballots back because the mission had been aborted. A tense standoff followed, and the convoy commander called Cruz for a decision on what to do with the ballots. He advised the commander to give the mayor enough ballots for four towns, and the convoy returned to Mosul. On election day, Cruz recalled, the US military tried to find helicopters to carry the ballot materials out to the six remaining district towns on the list, but was able get ballots before the 5pm close of voting to only one town, Bashiqa, which is almost entirely Christian, Shabak and Yezidi. But according to Cruz, Kurdish militiamen stole the ballot boxes from the polling place, returning them later after obviously tampering with them and offering bribes to the election workers to accept them.
Meanwhile, a much more ambitious vote-fraud scheme was unfolding in Sinjar, a relatively small district town in the west known to be a predominantly Sunni Arab area. About 12,000 ballots had been sent to Sinjar, but on election day KDP officials in Sinjar requested a number of ballots far in excess of the estimated electorate in the town and surrounding villages, according to Cruz. He recalled that the request was supported by the office of the interim president of Iraq, Sunni Arab Ghazi al-Yawer.
Cruz remembers joking about the "500% voter-participation rate" in Sinjar.
Nevertheless, the Stryker Brigade Combat Team complied with the request for the ballots. Later, the province's Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) forwarded 38 ballot boxes, 174 plastic sacks and 14 cardboard cartons of ballots that had obviously been tampered with to the national IECI. In some boxes, reams of ballot papers that had not even been folded were visible. In others, boxes had been resealed with red and green duct tape. When Cruz asked the local IECI director how many of the fraudulent ballots had come from Sinjar, he was told, "all of them". (emphasis added)
Stuffing Iraq's ballot boxes September 30, 2005
.
.
"The manner in which the occupation authorities affected and intervened in Iraq’s constitutional process", Constitution-Making Under Occupation, by Zaid Al-Ali

Rebuilding Iraq with American glue

This is an appeal (in Arabic) from dignitaries and tribal elders in Ninawah province to 'international organizations' on the ethnic cleansing events taking place in Tala'afar and Mosul.

A grab from footage released on September 20, 2005 shows weapons which Iraqi police said were confiscated from two undercover British soldiers after their arrest in Basra, southern Iraq, September 19, 2005. (Reuters)


And speaking of 'aid', as in USAID (do take a look at this site)

"... amid pleas for aid after Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration has launched an unusual effort to raise charitable contributions for another cause: the government's attempt to rebuild Iraq.
Although more than $30 billion in taxpayer funds have been appropriated for Iraqi reconstruction, the administration earlier this month launched an Internet-based fundraising effort that it says is aimed at giving Americans "a further stake in building a free and prosperous Iraq."
Contributors have no way of knowing who's getting the money or precisely where it's headed because the government says it must keep the details secret for security reasons." (emphasis added)
New twist on aid for Iraq: U.S. seeks donations September 18, 2005

(An Update on the above:
"An extraordinary appeal to Americans from the Bush administration for money to help pay for the reconstruction of Iraq has raised only $600 (£337), The Observer has learnt. Yet since the appeal was launched earlier this month, donations to rebuild New Orleans have attracted hundreds of millions of dollars. "
Bush plea for cash to rebuild Iraq raises $600 September 25, 2005)

"must keep the details secret for security reasons"? .... Perhaps to 'aid' the British 'aid'?

See this site's previous post on this matter : Yet another instance of an American 'terrorist act' in Iraq ... من وضع القنبلة بين الطماطم في (بيك اب) الحاج حيدر؟

Updates:
- "The main thing about Covert Action is that it must be deniable. There is a term called “plausible deniability”. When a government authorizes a covert action operation, the operation must be done in such a way that the government can claim that it knows nothing about it; in other words, the operation must not be attributable to the government that authorized it.
Covert Action operations are often Disinformation Operations, which are conducted in such a way as to discredit the opposition or the enemy. This is done, for example, by doing a violent action, such as a bombing, but making it look like the forces of another country or group did it. Such operations are sometimes called False-Flag Operations, meaning that the operation is conducted to make it look like it was done by people serving under another flag, preferably the enemy’s flag. If the operation succeeds as designed, people will blame the action on the wrong party (the enemy). Thus, public opinion will be won over to the side that actually did the killing. Such false-flag, covert action operations are often referred to as Dirty Tricks.
.... So, who is behind many of the bombings against the Shi’ia and Sunni populations? It is quite possible, even probable, that many of them are being carried out by American, British, and even Israeli Covert Action operatives."
What is Covert Action? September 21, 2005

- Fostering civil strife: From Vietnam to Iraq (in Arabic).

“We have got reason to believe that al-Zarqawi has now been given tactical command in the city over groups that have had to merge under him for the sake of survival,” an American intelligence officer in Baghdad told The Times yesterday.
An intelligence summary, citing the conglomeration of insurgent groups under the al-Qaeda banner to be the result of rebel turf wars, money, weaponry and fear, concluded that of the estimated 16,000 Sunni Muslim insurgents, 6,700 were hardcore Islamic fundamentalists who were now supplemented by a possible further 4,000 members after an amalgamation with Jaysh Muhammad, previously an insurgent group loyal to the former Baathist regime."
Terrorists unite to plot Iraqi civil war September 15, 2005

"Following the declaration of the head of Al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musa'ab Al-Zarqawi, in waging an all out war on the Shi'ites as a response to the killings and annihilation of the Sunni civilians at the hands of the occupation forces and their supported Shi'ite Iraqi government, and as a response to the massacres being committed by the Shi'ite 'Iraqi' military and police, the Mufakirrat Al-Islam (Islam Memo) reporter in Anbar, western Iraq, has reported that various patriotic and religiously affiliated Iraqi Resistance groups, who are well known in the country, have publicly declared their refusal to follow Al-Zarqawi's call for the killing of the Shi'ites, whether they be civilians or non-civilians, and that they do not abide at all by that summons.

The reporter indicated that the Iraqi Resistance groups' declaration specifically stated that their main goal is the expulsion of the occupiers, and to set an example to the futility of any further attempts to occupy an Arabic or Islamic country.

The declaration, which was signed by 'Jaish Mohammad', 'The Islamic Army', 'Al-Qa'qa' Brigades', 'The Army of Iraqi Mujahiddin' and 'Al-Nasir Salah El-Din' specifically pointed out that the aim of the Iraqi Resistance and their military strikes will be directed at the occupiers and collaborators, and nobody else, and the call for attacking the Shi'ites in general is nothing but a fire that will burn all Iraqis, Sunnis and Shi'ites."
Iraqi Resistance groups refuse the incitation to attack Shi'ite civilians September 15, 2005 (my translation - in Arabic, Mufakirrat Al-Islam)

"A spokesman for the conservative Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars, often thought to have links to the Sunni insurgents, yesterday attacked al-Qaida's tactics.
"Zarqawi speaks from the position of revenge," Muhammed Bashar Faidi, a spokesman for the group, said on Al-Arabiya television. "This position by Zarqawi is aimed at provoking sectarian war [but] if he wants a war he should fight the occupation forces, and not innocents."
Conservative Sunni group criticises al-Qaida tactics September 16, 2005

"Al-Qaida's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead but Washington continues to use him as a bogeyman to justify a prolonged military occupation, an Iraqi Shia cleric says in an interview. Sheikh Jawad al-Kalesi, the imam of the al-Kazemiya mosque in Baghdad, told France's Le Monde newspaper on Friday: "I don't think that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi exists as such. He's simply an invention by the occupiers to divide the people."Al-Kalesi claimed that al-Zarqawi was killed in the Kurdish northern region of Iraq at the beginning of the US-led war on the country as he was meeting with members of the Ansar Al-Islam group affiliated to al-Qaida."His family in Jordan even held a ceremony after his death. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is therefore a ploy used by the Americans, an excuse to continue the occupation. It's a pretext so they don't leave Iraq."
Cleric says al-Zarqawi died long ago September 16, 2005

"[Iraqi/US/US and Iraqi] forces have [nabbed/captured/ arrested] [a/one/two] [senior/middle/] [figure(s)/operations chief(s)/terrorist operative(s)] of [Jordanian/al-Qaeda-linked/Iraq's most wanted] terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi."
The Zarqawi Phenomenon July 6, 2005

Updates:

- Security Situation in Baghdad Sinking like the Titanic Juan Cole, Septemebr 16, 2005

- "Almost every attack that takes place in Iraq is attributed to Al Zarqawi, and his so-called Al Qaeda military wing in Iraq. No car or roadside bomb attacks occur unless they're attributed to him by the U.S.
Indeed, Bush’s admin has made good use of Al Zarqawi’s ghost, and made an epic hero out of him, and many western news outlets helped sell this image. "
Al Zarqawi phenomenon Septemebr 18, 2005

- Al-Zarqawi Blamed for Spike in Iraq Deaths June 16, 2005 (From a previous posting on this site):
"By the way, wasn't he, according to authorities cited in the above article ("A U.S. general on Thursday blamed Iraq's recent spike in bloodshed on a terrorist leader condoning the killing of fellow Muslims"), supposed to be in Syria just a couple of weeks ago meeting his top lieutenants, then swooshing over to Iran, all with a bullet in his chest from the onslaught on Qaim, and after losing his laptop in the getaway car after US soldiers smashed the hospital (and beat the doctors) in Ramadi where he was just bleeding heavily, and now he is suddenly spread all over western and northern Iraq in the past few days?"

- (not recent news) Iraq militants claim al-Zarqawi is dead March 4, 2004

- Does Zarqawi have an infinite supply of lieutenants/deputies/aides/associates/second-in-commands/etc., or do we just arbitrarily declare that every 100th insurgent we capture or kill is "a top aide" to Zarqawi? Below is an almost comprehensive list (I'm sure I missed a few) of Zarqawi's "top lieutenants" we've captured, killed, or acknowledged over the last two and a half years. I count 33.
Kiss of Death September 27, 2005
.

"Developed by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1967, the Phoenix Program is considered the single-greatest American human-rights aberration of the Vietnam War.
Its purpose was to "neutralize" the Vietcong infrastructure. (emphasis added)
As Valentine underlines, due process was completely non-existent under the Phoenix Program and suspects, real or imagined, could be murdered, blackmailed, tortured or detained at will. At one point the program imposed monthly ""neutralization" quotas that led to further abuses in the field. The number of victims was never established but is estimated at between 40,000 and 60,000, of which many were innocent.
While recruitment for the Phoenix Program spread across all the branches of the US government, not all those approached accepted to serve. One Air Force officer who refused as a matter of conscience was Jacques Klein, who later rose to the rank of general and became one of the most respected UN troubleshooters in conflict areas. French-born, Klein reportedly commented that he would not join Phoenix because the means and methods used were "similar to those used by the Nazis in World War II".
Refugees awaken ghosts of Vietnam September 14, 2005

Thememoryhole.org describes the Phoenix Program in Vietnam as follows: "Created by the CIA in Saigon in 1967, Phoenix was a program aimed at 'neutralizing' - through assassination, kidnapping, and systematic torture - the civilian infrastructure that supported the Viet Cong insurgency in South Vietnam. It was a terrifying 'final solution' that violated the Geneva Conventions and traditional American ideas of human morality."

"The following article examines evidence that the 'Salvador Option' for Iraq has been ongoing for some time and attempts to say what such an option will mean.
It pays particular attention to the role of the Special Police Commandos, considering both the background of their US liaisons and their deployment in Iraq.
The article also looks at the evidence for death-squad style massacres in Iraq and draws attention to the almost complete absence of investigation. As such, the article represents an initial effort to compile and examine some of these mass killings and is intended to spur others into further looking at the evidence.
Finally, the article turns away from the notion that sectarianism is a sufficient explanation for the violence in Iraq, locating it structurally at the hands of the state as part of the ongoing economic subjugation of Iraq."
For Iraq, "The Salvador Option" Becomes Reality June 2, 2005

The above subject matter was dealt with previously on this site:
CIA terrorism in Iraq ... Who? US? June 1, 2005

"As an American citizen, I cannot understand why our military is behaving like Mongol terrorists in Iraq.
Why are they massacring civilians, terrorizing cities, pretending that ordinary citizens are "terrorists," bombing wedding parties and then justifying them by saying that they "appeared to be congregating and were a threat because of that," and "we shot him because he was taking dangerous pictures that could have been used against us," and when speaking of killing a Reuters cameraman, "he was in the way, taking pictures."
How has our country and our military sunk to such a low level of morality?
How have our military boys and girls been taught to be beasts? How have they been transformed from caring, Christian kids into brutes who kill and are happy they killed men, women and children? Who taught them that Iraqis were animals to be hunted and killed? Who taught them that it was o.k. to go in and terrorize a city like Fallujah, bombing mosques and killing men and boys because they protested the American brutality? Who taught them to go in and terrorize a city like Tel Afar and laugh about it and say it was because of "terrorists"--when it was ordinary citizens they were attacking and killing--often people who were huddled in their homes with fright?The only answers I have are GW Bush, the devil Dick Cheney, the brute Donald Rumsfeld and the evil pusher, Wolfowitz.
If you have any better answers, please let me know.
Dr. Sam Hamod, editor, www.todaysalternativenews.com 09/11/2005 (1)(2484)
How Did Americans Become Mongol Terrorists? September 11, 2005

"A masked teenager in an Iraqi army uniform walked slowly through a crowd of 400 detainees captured Monday, studying each face and rendering his verdict with a simple hand gesture, like a Roman emperor deciding the fate of gladiators.
A thumb pointed down meant the suspect was not thought to be an insurgent and would be released by U.S. soldiers. A thumb pointed up meant a man would be removed from the concertina wire-encased pen, handcuffed with tape or plastic ties and taken by truck to a military base to be interrogated.
"Another bad guy right here," an American interpreter shouted ...
... Many of the informants are residents of this city of more than 200,000 who now serve in the Iraqi army. Others had family members who were killed by the insurgents and said they wanted to help purge them from their neighborhoods. The U.S. soldiers who work with them acknowledge knowing little about their backgrounds and motives -- or even their names -- (emphasis added) and admit that their reliability varies widely. Some of those named by sources have in turn said their accusers were carrying out tribal or sectarian vendettas, a charge they also level at Iraqi security forces.
... As in the past several days, Iraqi soldiers drawn primarily from the Kurdish pesh merga militia led the operation, joined as always by U.S. Special Operations soldiers, distinctive with their unkempt hair and facial stubble.
... U.S. commanders have praised the performance of the Kurdish forces during the operation, while privately expressing concern that their tactics sometimes verge on being heavy-handed. The pesh merga supports Kurdish rebels fighting the government of neighboring Turkey, and for many years the militiamen were targets of the Sunni Arab-dominated Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The majority of Tall Afar's residents are Sunni Turkmens, ethnic relatives of the Turks.
Informants Decide Fate of Iraqi Detainees September 13, 2005

Note the Liberators' spreading of due process of law and civil war.

Training in Camp Ain Al-Assad, December 20, 2004, before the onslaught on Fallujah in January 2005

"After weeks of heavy bombardment and sporadic skirmishes, U.S. troops stormed Tal Affar early on Saturday.
... The attackers are mostly U.S. marines advancing into the Sarai, the old part of Tal Affar, which is a warren of old shops and houses.
... The onslaught is described as a “joint U.S. and Iraqi” operation, but Iraqi soldiers are too few to spot among the thousands of marines who say they are determined to retake the city.
... The fighting in terms of firepower is reminiscent of the U.S. bid to retake Falluja last year.
... The troops resort to heavy artillery shelling and air bombardment before moving into areas where they suspect the insurgent might be holding out.
... The old quarters house the Qala, or citadel, one of Iraq’s most treasured ancient structures.
... Iraqi ministries are still scrambling to raise enough cash to meet compensation claims from Najaf, Sadr City, Falluja, Ramadi, Haditha, Qaim, Samarra and many other towns and cities attacked and stormed by U.S. troops in the past two years.
... Dr. Qassem said: “We have detected 170 cases of people suffering from the impact of a curious poison which could be the result of inhaling gases.
... “We are aware of civilians being wounded of falling debris, the result of U.S. shelling and collapse of their houses.”
U.S. attacks Tal Affar plunging country into deeper crisis September 10, 2005

"While the government gave the go-ahead for an all-out assault on Tal Afar and threatened similar offensives against other towns, the mayor of the battered northern town branded the US-Iraqi onslaught as "a sectarian operation".
"The operation is targeting Sunni neighborhoods," Mohammad Rashid, who resigned his post protesting the offensive, was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.
... Defense Minister Saadun Al-Dulaimi said Saturday that the US-baked troops killed 141 "insurgents" and arrested 197 others in Tal Afar.
Five members of the Iraqi security forces were also killed and three others wounded, said the minister.
... "We tell our people in Ramadi, Samarra, Rawa and Qaem that we are coming," Dulaimi said.
... Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Friday, September 9, some American troops should remain in the country to scare off Iraq's neighbors."
Tal Afar Mayor Slams "Sectarian" Offensive September 10, 2005

But then

"Fighting eased Sunday, the second day of a U.S. and Iraqi sweep through the militant stronghold of Tal Afar near the Syrian border, as insurgents melted into the countryside, many escaping through a tunnel network dug under an ancient northern city.
"The terrorists had seen it coming (and prepared) tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said in Baghdad."
... "After the Tal Afar operation ends, we will move on Rabiyah (on the Syrian border) and Sinjar (a region north of nearby Mosul) and then go down to the Euphrates valley," al-Dulaimi said.
Many Insurgents Escape U.S.-Iraqi Sweep September 11, 2005

And

"... McMasters said the vast majority of fighters captured in that period were "Iraqis and not foreigners".According to a local Iraqi journalist interviewed by Aljazeera, there are very few foreign combatants in the area. "Every time the US army and the Iraqi government want to destroy a specific city, they claim it hosts Arab fighters and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," Nasir Ali said. When asked about the presence of Iraqi fighters in Tal Afar, Ali said local fighters were confronting the US army.
However, al-Qaida in Iraq accused the US forces of using the most destructive of weapons and the most poisonous of gasses in their offensive in Tal Afar.
Iraqi troops sweep through Tal Afar September 11, 2005

So, then, who are the 141 'insurgents' killed and 197 arrested (while only 5 'Iraqi security' soldiers dead) if not the result of a relentless aerial bombardment on civilians?

In the meantime,

"Many factions of the Iraqi Resistance have issued a warning with a Monday (September 12, 2005) morning deadline for the American occupiers and their 'Iraqi' forces to withdraw from Tala'afar or face a series of devastating unexpected attacks on their military bases, including a chemical attack similar to what has been used in Tala'afar a few days ago."
Threatening unexpected strikes, the Iraqi Resistance has issued a 24 hours ultimatum to the occupiers to halt its aggression against Tala'afar September 11, 2005 (in Arabic, my translation, Mufakirrat Al-Islam).

An Update:
"An Al-Qaeda linked Sunni group in Iraq said it used chemical weapons to attack targets in Baghdad today, according to their statement released on an Islamist website.
Jaish al-Taefa al-Mansura (Army of the Victorious Community) said its fighters fired shells filled with chemical agents at the interior ministry, foreign ministry, the 'green zone' and Baghdad's security academy. In Baghdad, the interior ministry said five rounds of mortar fire exploded, including two in the heavily fortified green zone which houses the Iraqi government as well as the US and British embassies."
Al-Qaeda-linked group says it fired chemical arms in Baghdad Septemebr 13, 2005
.

"Former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a television interview that his United Nations speech making the case for the US-led war on Iraq was "a blot" on his record.
.. In the February 2003 presentation to the UN Security Council, Mr Powell forcefully made the case for war on the regime of Saddam Hussein, offering "proof" that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The presentation included satellite photos of trucks that Mr Powell identified as mobile bio-weapons laboratories. But after the invasion, US weapons inspectors reported finding no Iraqi nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.
"It's a blot" on my record, Mr Powell said in an interview with ABC News.
"I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and (it) will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now."
He spent five days at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters ahead of the speech studying intelligence reports, many of which turned out to be false. He said he felt "terrible" at being misinformed."
Powell's Iraq pain September 10, 2005

Immediately after his 'Security Council' speech on February 2003, I had written an article, "The nuclear bomb hoax", refuting Powell's flimsy so-called 'evidences'. That article ended with:

"Powell said: "Let me now turn to nuclear weapons. We have no indication that Saddam Hussein has ever abandoned his nuclear weapons program." This verges on being humorous. But as the Arabic proverb goes: The worst kind of misfortune is that which causes you to laugh."

A week later, on February 14, 2003, Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), submitted, in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1441, his second report to the Security Council on Iraq's nuclear non-capability. I also followed that immediately by another article, "The demise of the nuclear bomb hoax". That article ended with the following:

"At the end of his report, ElBaradei unequivocally stated that the Iraqi nuclear weapon program was "neutralized" and that there is "no evidence" of its rejuvenation. Being part of the U.N. system, he felt the need to add a few politically correct question marks concerning "speed," "assurance" and "patterns" of intentions and actions.
Certain European countries are rightly asking how long Bush and Powell can blow into a balloon full of holes. One might also reasonably ask about Bush and Powell's "speed," "assurances" and "patterns" in the misinformation game.

Powell is certainly not new to it.

From The Scourging of Iraq, by Geoff Simons: "Washington lied persistently and comprehensively to gain the required international support [for the Gulf war]. For example, the U.S. claimed to have satellite pictures showing a massive Iraqi military build-up on the Saudi/ Iraqi border. When sample photographs were later obtained from Soyuz Karta by an enterprising journalist, no such evidence was discernible."

Simons makes reference to an article by Maggie O'Kane, published in the Guardian Weekend, 16 December 1995, which revealed that the enterprising journalist was Jean Heller of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida.

Eventually, the U.S. commander -- none other than Colin Powell himself -- admitted that there had been no massing of Iraqi troops. But by then, the so-called evidence had served its purpose.
Yet with a tongue in his own cheek, Powell claimed on February 14, 2003 in the Toronto Star, while still blistering under Blix's and ElBaradei's reports, that "force should always be a last resort -- I have preached this for most of my professional life as a soldier and as a diplomat."

Perhaps this time history should not be allowed to repeat itself."

Alas, history did repeat itself, and zilch for accountability, except for a 'blot' and a 'terrible feeling'. By any sense of 'international justice', Powell's lies did aid and assist a war crime.

How clearer should it be that words and truth seem to little dent the armor of 'the juggernauting American war machine' and their Humvees, with impunity from accountability, slight wrist slaps for their torturers, none for their mercenaries and free zone killing for their scared to death soldiers?

Shaped charges do seem to work. Now, that is one painful accountability. A lot of body bags is another, while, in the meantime, Powell will survive his painful "blots"; for in July 2005, he joined Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byers, a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, as a 'strategic limited partner.' He is reportedly also being considered to become the twelfth president of Cornell University, one of the Ivy League institutions. (Updated as per first comment below).

The following is from an interview with Saad Naji Jawad who is a professor of political science at the University of Baghdad. He is a member of the Iraqi National Foundation Congress.

"Iraqi National Resistance
Whenever there is occupation there is resistance. All nations have experienced this. Resistance to occupation is legal, legitimate and acceptable.
On top of this are some people who hate the US and found Iraq a suitable place to fight their war. They came to the country after the occupation, and the Americans are now paying the price.
Al Qaida and Musab al-Zarqawi are separate from the rest of the resistance. There is no coordination between the resistance and these groups, whom we consider to be terrorists.
There are also groups dedicated to political and peaceful resistance, civilians who try to resist in a positive way. Demonstrations, writing, objecting and criticising are also part of the resistance.
Inside the armed resistance there are different groups and trends. You have Baathists, Islamists, Sunnis, Shias, sometimes you also have Kurds. The main characteristic is Arab nationalist.
Even from the beginning you had many people inside the resistance who were happy to see the end of Saddam Hussein because they felt he had driven the country to disaster. Some had some faith in US promises, and felt that the Americans were going to make Iraq an example of democracy in the region, but then became disillusioned.
The Iraqi National Foundation Congress was founded in May 2004. It was originally established by two different bodies — the Arab nationalists, who are a mix of Sunnis and Shias, and the al?Khalisi school, headed by Sheikh Jawad Khalisi from the Shia Khadamiya mosque in Baghdad.
Then other organisations joined, including the Association of Muslim Scholars, some personalities, smaller parties and groups. There are differences on certain issues — some are Islamists others are secular — but all agree on national liberation and the need for real democracy.
The Congress has support among a wide layer of people, but because we boycotted the elections we are unable to measure exactly the depth of this support. We called for a boycott of last January’s US sponsored elections, and more than half of Iraq joined the boycott. Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia leader, also called for boycott.
We said we would participate in the elections on the following conditions — an end to military attacks, all people must have a vote (the election body could strike your name from the register) and an international body must supervise the elections.
Our demands were rejected, so we called for a boycott.
Liberation
The Iraqi National Congress is similar to organisations such as the African National Congress and the PLO. It is an alliance of forces united around one main demand — national liberation.
In our opinion Iraq’s draft constitution does not solve any problems. The political situation is so complicated that the only way forward is through dialogue, a lot of forgiveness and openness.
The new constitution could lead to the division of the country. We do not necessarily object to federalism, but what sort of federalism is on offer? If we listen to the main Kurdish parties we find they are talking about independence, not federalism.
Similarly there are those who would like a federal state in the south, who claim the south suffered more than the rest of the country, that the south creates most of the wealth through oil.
We reject the draft because it deepens sectarianism and does not reflect the Arab nature of the Iraq. The Arabs are more than 80 percent of the population.
The US would rather have one state that they control, rather than a divided Iraq. But colonialism always keeps its options open. The Americans use the threat of federalism. They say, “If you do not support us and follow our policies, you could end up destroying your country”.
Iraq will have to spend many years repairing the damage done by the Americans. We have to clear out the corrupt exile politicians who have grown rich from the occupation. We have to build a national army — and above all we have to convince people that without unity we have no future."
Resistance and federalism in Iraq September 10, 2005

While rightly noted by Antonia:
"... there's something just a teeny tiny bit suspicious here, don't you think?

The US government agency leading the rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina said on
Tuesday it does not want the news media to take photographs of the dead as they are
recovered from the flooded New Orleans area.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, heavily criticized for its slow response to the
devastation caused by the hurricane, rejected requests from journalists to accompany rescue
boats as they went out to search for storm victims.

Recall that this administration forbids any photography of the flag-draped coffins coming back from Iraq.
Coincidence?
What do you think?"
Here we go again September 7, 2005

No US corporate media channel will ever show you this:

"August 10th, 2005 Mosul, Iraq
A pregnant, 40 years old Iraqi woman was shot by US military on August 10th, 2005 in the city of Mosul, northern Iraq, while in front of her house.
The woman, who was in her 32nd week of pregnancy, was hit in her abdomen and collapsed immediately.
As usual, US troops looked carelessly and walked away, not offering any help or medical care.
Bystanders then took the woman to the ER at the Republican Hospital in Mosul.
The ER medical team performed a C-section in an attempt to save the fetus, but he was dead as the bullet had penetrated his chest and exited from his back."
US Troops "ROOTOUT" Another Iraqi Terrorist September 8, 2007

See?

"Last night at 8 p.m. they shot a kid of just 16. He was just crossing the street. They ran him over, the --- ------ ------ did, and then they got out of the car and shot him in the head," said 48-year-old ---- -------.
The young man's body lay in the street on Saturday morning, covered in a black blanket. Nearby his family sat in shock.
"THIS IS WRONG"
"They have us living here like animals," said ------ -------, who was at the ------- centre with five children. "We have only had two meals, we have no medicine and now there are thousands of people defecating in the streets. This is wrong. This is the U----- S----- of A-----."
The misery and destruction combined with widespread looting presented jarring images of death and despair in the world's ------- and most ------- country.
... ------ ------, director of the ------ ------- ------, said rescue teams were collecting bodies and sending them to morgues, but he refused to discuss a body count.
... Now that civil order has been restored ... we are going to bring these guys to justice," he said.
New Orleans gets more troops amid mass evacuations September 3, 2005

"---- was sitting down to breakfast last Wednesday when loudspeakers from his ----- said ------ needed help at the ------- bridge, where ----'s deadliest disaster since the ---- ----- was unfolding.
"While hundreds were crushed to death on the bridge, hundreds more jumped or fell into the river. Witnesses said that the teenager, a strong swimmer and wrestler who trained at a gym, repeatedly dived in and saved between three and seven people.
However he was exhausted when he tried to save a large woman, and she reportedly pulled him under.
"----'s government and media called ----- a ----- of national unity whose heroic sacrifice should reconcile ----- and -----, rival ------ sects which have edged towards ---- ---."
"He showed that we are all brothers,'" said the ---- Prime Minister, ----- ----, while visiting the family.
-----'s father, ---, said that his studious son had passed the supreme test of humanity, setting an example for the country.
"'He turned his soul into a bridge to save others.'"
Sunni teenager who died saving Shias hailed as hero September 5, 2005

"Asked to say a few words from the pulpit, ----, a preacher's daughter, said: "The Lord Jesus Christ is going to come on time."
She added: "If we just wait."
Rice says race had nothing to do with Katrina aid September 4, 2005

An Update (filled out blanks):
VIDEO: Survivors From New Orleans Speak Out About A Week of Horror September 5, 2005
Thank you, Evelyn, who states (from a comment in the previous posting at 10:38pm, last comment):
"In my own words . . .
- The American led wars against Afghanistan and Iraq are, by any civilized standard, unjustified & barbaric.
- The American leadership is corrupt and have committed far greater crimes against humanity than Saddam Hussein ever contemplated.
- Justice demands that the "Coalition" forces depart the countries they have occupied.
- It is impossible to repay our debt to humanity. That, however, does not mean we should not be held accountable. That does not mean the terms of accountability are for this country to decide.
- We have transgressed against the citizens of our own country, failing by every conceivable measure to properly care for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
- As a country we have no claim to a morality or way of life that should be emulated by (or forced upon) others.
- Indeed, with the greatest of humility, we have much to learn from the peoples of the world.
- My hope is that somehow the great cauldron of evil will be lifted, allowing the vast majority of decent people in this world to live together in a common brother- sisterhood."

While there is no electricity or clean water in most of Iraq, Iraqis must be immensely gratified at the achievements of USAID reconstruction programs - particularly the last one in the list below. This is clearly going to put a dent in the 60% + unemployment in the country!

USAID Highlights:
- Several water projects in Fallujah have been completed despite the difficulties of working in a conflict area.
- Public education on the Constitutional Process enters the next stage.
- In coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MOH), USAID implementing partners, including UNICEF, launched an emergency polio immunization campaign to prevent the resurgence of the disease.
- USAID trained 183 Iraqis in beekeeping basics (emphasis added) in an effort to help vulnerable groups gain a sustainable income. The relatively inexpensive costs of maintaining an apiary and the sustainable income produced from its products makes beekeeping an ideal income generator for populations with few options.
Iraq Reconstruction Update #41 has been posted to the USAID web site August 11, 2005

This is a news item that is currently being 'independently' verified in Baghdad:

"Reports are emanating from Iraqis who are working with the Americans, (both at the Baghdad International airport and in the Green Zone), of a mutiny that had occurred among the American soldiers against their officers. (emphasis added)
Three days ago, one American soldier went into hysterics upon hearing of the death of the three members of his family in New Orleans.
Corporal Nick Lancer shouted:"This is the curse of Iraq. My family paid for my crimes in Iraq. Send us back to help our families. God damn you Bush and Rumsfeld".
Matters escalated when an officer tried, by force, to calm Lancer down. Lancer was then joined by other soldiers who started to beat the officer. The fighting escalated when other officers tried to intervene in the melee and the soldiers began attacking and hitting them with their riffle butts. This included the beating of Iraqi senior army officers who attempted to help the American officers.
The soldiers were shouting:"You scoundrels. We will throw you out to the Resistance to kill you. It is because of you that we are getting killed here".
At one point, one of the soldiers radioed other fellow soldiers, who were out on patrols, to stop their mission and to return quickly to join them."
Mutiny among occupation soldiers September 2, 2005 (in Arabic). The specific location of the disturbance was not specified. Awaiting further confirmation.
.
.
An Update:
"Wayne Marsden report WMR has learned that the US embassy in Baghdad is checking into reports that U.S. troops in Iraq, including National Guardsmen, Army and Marine Corps Reserves, and regular military troops from Louisiana and Mississippi, have mutinied against their officers and are demanding to be immediately sent back home to help their families. It is not known whether the reported mutinies involve physical violence. The reports of rebellions among U.S. troops are filtering out of the Green Zone and at Baghdad International Airport from Iraqis who are working alongside their American counterparts at both locations."
Embassy in Baghdad inquires into reports that American troops in Iraq have mutinied against their officers. September 4, 2005

From the Iraqi blogger site http://iraq4ever.blogspot.com September 4, 2005
"I received an email from an Arab friend of mine residing in the US indicating that a friend of his, who is working for the American army in Iraq, have told him that a message from the Pentagon have been sent to all branches of the military in Iraq to arrange for the immediate return of all private and corporal soldiers who are from the states hit by hurricane Katrina or affected by it. He said: "A large number have already submitted their names which are being verified by their respective units as more than 10,000 have already registered for the promised return. The information that was submitted is being closely scrutinized by their superiors as some of them have apparently sent themselves emails, or have asked their friends to send them emails, indicating that they have lost a family member or a parent in the aftermath of Katrina".
.