YouTube Goodness: Cindy Sheehan and a wingnut July 14, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iraq, wingnuts.3 comments
A wingnut confronts Cindy Sheehan, claiming we need to stay in Iraq for the Iraqi people-you know, the ones who want us gone? The best part is near the end, when he claims he isn’t enlisting because the country needs him to make money. I’m sure that’s of great comfort to the troops he claims to support: “I could pick up a rifle and help you out, but instead I’ll lobby to keep you there while enjoying the comforts of my job.”
The politics of terror July 11, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in constiutional issues, Dubya, Iraq, Middle East, News and politics.3 comments
Dubya and his cronies are at it again, making vague assertions about an al Qaeda cell that might be on the way or in the US already (Oh Noes!!1!) while Chertoff has apparently confused bad take out with terrorism. The timing, of course, is no coincidence: Bush’s massively failed Iraq policy has collapsed to the point that he’s in real danger of having his own party join with the Democrats to force a withdraw, and so it’s time to divert attention with breathless threats. Jill over at Brilliant at Breakfast explains exactly what’s going on:
So as you hear Michael Chertoff over the next 48 hours opine that it’s such a nice day for a terrorist attack because terrorists like to attack during the summer months, watch Olbermann’s reports again. Think about the trouble Bush is in. Think of the trouble he was already in during the summer of 2001. Then remind yourself that there are many ways to be a terrorist. The Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of — or threatened use of — force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives.” That this Administration has already a) made up threats that don’t exist, and b) exaggerated threats that aren’t significant, well, 2 + 2 = 4.
There is no doubt that the U.S. has long been guilty of terrorism under this or any similar definition. We have interfered in other nations political process, threatened and attacked sovereign nations who were no threat to us, and had our political leaders–especially in this administration–use fear as a coercive technique on our own people. I’ll say outright what Jill has already highlighted: the Bush administration is a terrorist administration which uses fear and threats to hold power and manipulate the public will.
I’ve not yet commented much on Impeachment, but I will now: I’m not sure Impeachment is a political winner for the left, and I do not care. The simple truth is that Bush has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, and it’s time for Congress to take a stand against him. Whether we have the votes is irrelevant, as is political expediency. All that matters is that this man–and his puppet-master-in-chief, Dick Cheney–has done this country great harm, and done so in violation of the Constitution and the treaties which the Constitution demands he uphold. That same Constitution gives us one recourse, and it is time to use it. Impeach Bush and Cheney. Drag them into trial, and outline the dozens of abuses from the past six and a half years.
Iraq fails to meet any benchmarks July 9, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Dubya, Iraq, Middle East, News and politics.add a comment
Remember when Bush “agreed” to benchmarks on the condition he not be bound by them? Well, now we know why he wouldn’t agree to such a thing:
THE Iraqi Government is unlikely to meet any of the political and security goals the US President, George Bush, set for it in January, when he announced a major shift in US policy, Bush Administration officials say.
Any. The Iraqi government can’t meet a single objection we’ve set, which is a poor reflection on the leaders, and a far worse reflection on the work we have failed to do in stabilizing that country and giving it wise council.
There are rumors flying that Bush is going to have to change course now, since these benchmarks indicate such complete and obvious failure. But I don’t believe Bush will do any such thing. My prediction: Bush will make a speech with vague promises about “redeployment” of resources and the like, but the goal will remain what it has been for some time: refuse to admit defeat no matter what, “stay the course” and make the next President clean up after him.
He probably doesn’t see it that way, and no doubt thinks he’s building his legacy, but there can be no doubt that at this point he is simply stalling. I predict he will continue to do so until Congress finally listens to the electorate and forces his hand. This might be closer than we think, given the increasing Republican scramble from Bush, a scramble which would explain why Bush is likely to continue to stall by giving lip service to changing course.
Sera, you won’t want to miss this July 6, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, News and politics.add a comment
A timeline of the last sixty years if the rolls of the US and Iran were reversed.
It’s worth noting that the US bears a great deal of responsibility for the violence, fundamentalism and lack of stability in the Middle East. A few examples:
- We’ve supported dictatorships and corrupt rulers in Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
- We’ve supported the Israeli governments strategy of keeping Palestinians poor, isolated and desperate.
- We trained bin Laden and supported the Taliban as a means of involving Russia in a quagmire of insurgency.*
- We supplied the weapons to run multiple wars in the region, including in Israel, Iraq/Iran and Afghanistan.
Simply put, we have fostered an environment of desperation. When people have nothing to lose, they are more likely to lash out, and far more likely to support those who lash out. Terrorism isn’t going away, but we have created an environment that could not have been better designed to foster it.
I’m still waiting to see all this covered on the nightly news.
*You’d think someone in the Bush administration would at least have noted this.
The Iraqi parliament even wants us gone! May 9, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iraq, Middle East, News and politics.add a comment
We’ve known for a long time that the Iraqi people want us out of their country, and since the last elections we’ve known beyond any doubt the American people want the same. But surely those in power–the ones who are participating in the US-backed government and therefore have the most to loose should we leave–want us to stay! Well, not so much.
On Tuesday, without note in the U.S. media (my emphasis), more than half of the members of Iraq’s parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country. 144 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal, according to Nassar Al-Rubaie, a spokesman for the Al Sadr movement, the nationalist Shia group that sponsored the petition.
I will say it again: this is a vote from the legislative body that owes its existence to US Directives. We’ve fucked up the country so badly that even those who are in power only because we erected and defend the system that keeps them their want us gone.
Remember when we were going to “win the hearts and minds” of the Iraqi people?
NY Times: those damn Dems, using Iraq as a political tool May 3, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iraq, Middle East, News and politics.1 comment so far
That’s right. While giving Bush a near-complete free pass on Iraq policy for years, the NYT is now accusing Democrats of being the ones who are trying to use the war to score political points:
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed Thursday that Congress repeal the authority it gave President Bush in 2002 to invade Iraq, injecting presidential politics into the Congressional debate over financing the war.
Is Clinton trying to score political points here? Of course. She’s a politician; it’s what she does. But to claim that she is somehow making the war an issue of presidential politics when it had not been so before is incredibly disingenuous. Why doesn’t the NYT say the same thing when McCain calls for even more troops?
Put another way, why is trying to end a disastrous and deadly conflict “politics,” while trying to continue it anything else?
Regardless, it seems unlikely Clinton’s proposal will have much effect, largely because Bush is certain to say the previous authorization stands, and the issue will then go to the courts, which drags out the war and plays into Bush’s desperate hands.
How congress decides to respond to Dubya’s flaunting the will of the people remains to be seen. Each day that goes by demonstrates more clearly the American people want out of Iraq. Congress must continue to apply pressure to the President and–more importantly–continue to force his allies in the Republican party to go on record as supporting the war.
“I love women, Mandrake, but I do deny them my essence” February 19, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iraq, News and politics, wingnuts.6 comments
Amanda Marcotte explains what neocons see as the real danger in Iraq: pr0n!
It seems the always-reputable posters at Townhall now have turned their attention to the dangers of porn. Those dangers?
Many continue to cite abuses at the Abu Ghraib military prison in Iraq as an excuse to oppose the war. Certainly, the abuses at Abu Ghraib must not be repeated. But that requires a lot more than re-training guards and interrogators.
Much of what is depicted in the 279 photos and 19 videos taken at Abu Ghraib resembles behavior in hard-core pornography, which is readily available to our troops via the Internet, magazines and DVDs.
Her evidence? A Chaplain says military folks are addicted to porn, and Abraham Lincoln urged the troops not to fall into “vice an immorality.” Seriously.
The Department of Defense (DOD) cannot effectively protect our military from pornography and its copious adverse consequences by banning porn only in Muslim countries. The DOD needs to understand why the troops at home are ordering the “sexual purity kits” – they need homeland security from pornographers.
For starters, the DOD must strictly enforce the Military Decency and Enforcement Act of 1996 (Act) on U.S. military bases, which it hasn’t been doing. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Act in General Media Communications v. Cohen and the Supreme Court denied review.
That’s right, folks: to protect the troops we must ensure that if they’re getting off, it’s with only their imagination as an aide. Because that will certainly prevent abuse. I predict a porn crackdown will also do wonders for morale.
The Bush admin’s version of supporting our troops February 18, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iraq, News and politics.1 comment so far
The Republicans spent last week making two arguments against the Dem’s non-binding resolution: that it didn’t do anything and that it undermined the troops. Despite the obvious fallacy there, I don’t hear them being called on it. But Democrats need to wake up. The best way to support the troops is to tie any money to overseas actions to proper training and equipment, and to do everything in its power to get the troops home safely from Iraq as soon as possible.
But instead they let the Republicans claim the high ground on devotion to the troops, despite sending them to an illegal war, giving them insufficent protection, and forcing the wounded to use decrepit, disgusting hospital facilities.
And these are the people who control the discussion on how to support out troops.
Why does Dubya want to attack Iran? February 17, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News and politics.add a comment
…not because they are a danger, as the Sunnis have reportedly inflicted far more casualties on US Troops than have the Shites. Maybe it’s because they want a war despite the evidence, and aren’t about to attack the Saudis, even if they are far more dangerous to US policy than is Iran.
But that’s no surprise. The Saudis have been supporting terrorists for some time, and though they might be buddy-buddy with American money, they are in no way pro-democracy.
But Iraq wasn’t about protecting us, nor was it about removing a bad man from power. Iran won’t be about either of those things, and neither will Syria or any other war Bush tries to force us into. Because it’s always been about colonialism and money, and those twin goals mean we’ll continue to threaten Iran while treating the Saudi royals like allies.
How bad is it in Iraq? February 4, 2007
Posted by Evil Bender in Iraq, Middle East, News and politics.add a comment
Even the videos without people getting killed are horrifying. Jesus Christ.
Sadly, this is no surprise. Violence begets violence, fear begets fear. The Iraqis are in a civil war; they’re terrified of their fellow citizens and of us. That war puts American troops in danger, and that danger helps ensure that the troops, who are afraid to stop or even slow down, make no friends among the local population. Everyone is afraid, no one is safe.
We’ve traded a dictatorship for a civil war, and evil leader for a situation without law and basic civil services. What a colossal clusterfuck.
