Friday,
September 14, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, protests continue
against the US in the Middle East, rumors abound about Tareq al-Hashemi,
Senator Patty Murray weighs in on sequestration, and much more.
Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton: We are closely watching what is happening in
Yemen and elsewhere, and we certainly hope and expect that there will
be steps taken to avoid violence and prevent the escalation of protests
into violence.
I also want to take a moment
to address the video circulating on the Internet that has led to these
protests in a number of countries. Let me state very clearly -- and I
hope it is obvious -- that the United States Government had absolutely
nothing to do with this video. We absolutely reject its content and
message. America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the
very beginning of our nation. And as you know, we are home to people of
all religions, many of whom came to this country seeking the right to
exercise their own religion, including, of course, millions of Muslims.
And we have the greatest respect for people of faith.
To
us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It
appears to have a deeply cynical purpose: to denigrate a great religion
and to provoke rage. But as I said yesterday, there is no justification,
none at all, for responding to this video with violence. We condemn the
violence that has resulted in the strongest terms, and we greatly
appreciate that many Muslims in the United States and around the world
have spoken out on this issue.
Violence, we
believe, has no place in religion and is no way to honor religion.
Islam, like other religions, respects the fundamental dignity of human
beings, and it is a violation of that fundamental dignity to wage
attacks on innocents. As long as there are those who are willing to shed
blood and take innocent life in the name of religion, the name of God,
the world will never know a true and lasting peace. It is especially
wrong for violence to be directed against diplomatic missions. These are
places whose very purpose is peaceful: to promote better understanding
across countries and cultures. All governments have a responsibility to
protect those spaces and people, because to attack an embassy is to
attack the idea that we can work together to build understanding and a
better future.
Now, I know it is hard for
some people to understand why the United States cannot or does not just
prevent these kinds of reprehensible videos from ever seeing the light
of day. Now, I would note that in today's world with today's
technologies, that is impossible. But even if it were possible, our
country does have a long tradition of free expression which is enshrined
in our Constitution and our law, and we do not stop individual citizens
from expressing their views no matter how distasteful they may be.
There
are, of course, different views around the world about the outer limits
of free speech and free expression, but there should be no debate about
the simple proposition that violence in response to speech is not
acceptable. We all -- whether we are leaders in government, leaders in
civil society or religious leaders -- must draw the line at violence.
And any responsible leader should be standing up now and drawing that
line.
Protests have taken place around the region all week including today. Reem Abdellatif, Ned Parker, Laura King, Hashmat Baktash, Alex Rodriguez, Emily Alpert and staff in Beirut and Khartoum (Los Angeles Times) report,
"Infuriated protesters in Tunisia stormed the U.S. Embassy in the
capital, Tunis, and tore down the American flag, state media reported.
Security forces fired warning shots and tear gas to try to scatter the
crowd, the official Tunisian News Agency reported. Black smoke was seen
rising around the embassy compound amid reports that an American school
nearby had been set on fire. In Sudan, hundreds of riot police fired
tear gas and rubber bullets and used batons to prevent a wall of
hundreds of protesters reaching the U.S. Embassy in the capital,
Khartoum, but a grop managed to break through, breach the wall of the
embassy and raise a black Islamic flag."
Protests took place in Iraq today as well. All Iraq News reports
a protest was held today in Samarra following morning prayers and that
protests also took place today in Wasit, Najaf, Missan and Basra. All Iraq News notes
that the Najaf protest saw the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (Ammar
al-Hakim's political group) read out a statement denouncing the video
and insisting it did serious harm to Muhammed. AFP reports:
In
Karbala, Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalai, the representative in the city of top
Iraqi Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said during his
Friday sermon that "these repeated abuses could threaten peaceful life,
especially among (religiously) mixed peoples."
He
also condemned violence in response to the film, which portrays the
Prophet Mohammed and Islam in a negative light, and sparked deadly fury
in Libya, where four Americans including the ambassador were killed on
Tuesday in a mob attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.
In Sunni-majority Ramadi, west of Baghdad, hundreds of people demonstrated against the film.
Hamid
al-Fahdawi, one of the protest organisers, told AFP that demonstrators
want the Iraqi government to dismiss the US ambassador and cut economic
ties with the US.
When compiling a
list of demands, it's probably a good idea to leave unicorns and other
myths off the list. There is no US Ambassador to Iraq currently. The
most recent, James Jeffrey, left Iraq months ago.
Josh Rogin (Foreign Policy) quotes
Senator John Kerry, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
speaking about the possibility that Barack's latest nominee might be
placed on hold after his confirmation hearing:
Make
no mistake: Our embassy in Baghdad is one of our most important and
what happens there is key to our bilateral relationship and our work in
the Middle East. By all accounts, Steve Beecroft is a highly capable
career Foreign Service officer who has ambassadorial experience, and it
is in America's best interest to get him on the ground as quickly as
possible.
If the concern is over
the empty post of US Ambassador to Iraq, well the administration should
have done a better job vetting and never nominated Brett McGurk.
Married and sleeping with another married person in Iraq while working
for the US government in Iraq? It doesn't matter that he married Gina
Chon eventually (after both their divorces -- it does matter that she
allowed him to vet her copy, which is why her paper fired her), it
matters that he had a reputation for disrespecting marriage in Iraq
which meant that any Iraqi woman visiting the US embassy was going to be
suspect which really matters in a country that practices so-called
'honor' killings. They never should have nominated him. His prior
behavior in Iraq would have made his appointment an insult to the host
country.
There should be an ambassador to Iraq. But no one
forced the White House to nominate the insulting Brett McGurk and no one
forced the White House to wait so long to name a new nominee after
McGurk's name was withdrawn. I remember the Attorney General
nominations of 1993. That was rough and Republicans were determined to
defeat the nominees. Plural. Bill Clinton nominated Zoe Baird for the
post. Her nomination was derailed and she withdrew her name January 22,
1993. Clinton goes on to announce a new nominee: Kimba Wood. Kimba
Wood withdraws her name February 5, 1993. Clinton then nominated Janet
Reno who was confirmed March 11, 1993 on a 98 to zero vote in the
Senate. January 20, 1993, Bill Clinton was sworn in as President of the
United States. March 11th, Reno -- his third nominee -- was confirmed
as Attorney General. That's moving quickly.
By contrast? June 18th McGurk's name is withdrawn. Late
September 10th word leaks out that Beecroft is Barack's new nominee and
it's made official with an announcement September 11th. In less
than two months, President Bill Clinton names 3 different nominees for
Attorney General and gets one confirmed. Eight days shy of three months
after McGurk's name is withdrawn, President Barack Obama is finally
able to find someone to nominate for the post (Beecroft, the person
who's been doing the work all that time). If Senate Dems want to whine
that Paul's creating a delay on that nomination, Barack's the one who
created the delay and dragged his feet.
The average time between
confirmation hearings and a vote is said to be ten days. That would be
September 28th and that's awfully close to when senators facing
re-election battles have tor return home. That was also foot dragging
by the administration which should have planned it much better.
You'd
assume the demands would have been hammered out in advance since today
wasn't the first day of protests over the video or movie. Dropping back
to yesterday's snapshot:
Al Mada notes
that a group of Iraqi scientists led by Khalid al-Mulla stated that the
US needed to use all means necessary to stop the film and others like
it. The group lumps the US into abuse by "Zionists" globally -- while
wanting tolerance for their own religious beliefs. All Iraq News notes
the Iraqi Parliament is calling for the US Congress to stop the film.
Freedom of speech has obviously not been explained well. Alsumaria reports hundreds turned out in Kut today to protest the film. All Iraq News notes
Sadrists in Karbala launched a protest as well. For the record, there
were no protests reported objecting to the murders of four Americans.
For the record, the scientists and the Parliament was not reported to
have made any comments condemning the four deaths. AGI reports,
" Hundreds of people took to the streets in Baghdad, in the suburb
district of Sadr City, burning US flags. Protests jointly staged by
Sunni and Shia Muslims were also reported in Iraq's southern city of
Basra." You can briefly see the Baghdad protest in Danielle Nottingham's CBS report (link is video).
Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN -- link is text and video) reports on yesterday's Baghdad protest:
Angry
protesters in the Sadr City district of northeast Baghdad carried
banners, Iraqi flags and images of radical Shiite and anti-American
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as they railed against what they see as an insult
to their faith.
"America
is the enemy of the people," the demonstrators shouted Thursday
morning. They also yelled out, "Yes, yes to Islam. Yes, yes to Iraq.
Yes, yes to Quran" -- the latter referring to the Muslim holy book.
The
attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya on Tuesday claimed the
lives of four Americans. Yesterday, I spoke about two: Ambassador Chris
Stevens and Information Management Officer Sean Smith. Today, we also
recognize the two security personnel who died helping protect their
colleagues. Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty were both decorated
military veterans who served our country with honor and distinction. Our
thoughts, prayers, and deepest gratitude are with their families and
friends. Our embassies could not carry on our critical work around the
world without the service and sacrifice of brave people like Tyrone and
Glen.
Tyrone's friends and colleagues called him "Rone," and
they relied on his courage and skill, honed over two decades as a Navy
SEAL. In uniform, he served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since 2010, he protected American diplomatic personnel in dangerous
posts from Central America to the Middle East. He had the hands of a
healer as well as the arm of a warrior, earning distinction as a
registered nurse and certified paramedic. All our hearts go out to
Tyrone's wife Dorothy and his three sons, Tyrone Jr., Hunter, and Kai,
who was born just a few months ago.
We also grieve for Glen
Doherty, called Bub, and his family: his father Bernard, his mother
Barbara, his brother Gregory, and his sister Kathleen. Glen was also a
former Navy SEAL and an experienced paramedic. And he put his life on
the line many times, protecting Americans in Iraq, Afghanistan, and
other hotspots. In the end, he died the way he lived – with selfless
honor and unstinting valor.
We condemn the attack that took
the lives of these heroes in the strongest terms, and we are taking
additional steps to safeguard American embassies, consulates, and
citizens around the world. This violence should shock the conscience of
people of all faiths and traditions. We appreciate the statements of
support that have poured in from across the region and beyond. People of
conscience and goodwill everywhere must stand together in these
difficult days against violence, hate, and division.
I am
enormously proud of the men and women who risk their lives every day in
the service of our country and our values. They help make the United
States the greatest force for peace, progress, and human dignity that
the world has ever known. We honor the memory of our fallen colleagues
by continuing their work and carrying on the best traditions of a bold
and generous nation.
In addition, Seyhmus Cakan (Retuers) reports,
"Turkish armed forces have killed 75 Kurdish militants near the border
with Iran and Iraq over the past week, a provincial governor said on
Friday, as a major offensive involving air strikes and several thousand
ground troops intensifies." AFP adds,
"The operation has been concentrated in the Semdinli district and has
included nearly 5,000 ground troops backed by air power, according to
the army." The Jerusalem Post notes
rumors (treats it as fact) that the PKK has entered into a partnership
with President Bashar al-Assad's Syrian's government and " Whatever the precise truth regarding casualty
figures, the last period has been the bloodiest seen in this conflict
since PKK founder and terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured in
1999. Amidst the ongoing violence and the flurry of claims and counter
claims between the Turks and the PKK, a fascinating question remains:
why is the PKK choosing to escalate hostilities at the present time? For
the Turkish authorities, the reason is very clear: Ankara claims that
the Assad regime has in recent months re-kindled its long defunct
alliance with the organization. Ankara also alleges the existence of a
renewed agreement between the PKK and Iran, and claims that the Iranians
are actively aiding the Kurds in the latest round of attacks." The PKK is a Kurdish group that fights for a Kurdish homeland. Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) described the PKK in 2008,
"The PKK emerged in 1984 as a major force in response to Turkey's
oppression of its Kurdish population. Since the late 1970s, Turkey has
waged a relentless war of attrition that has killed tens of thousands of
Kurds and driven millions from their homes. The Kurds are the world's
largest stateless population -- whose main population concentration
straddles Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- and have been the victims of
imperialist wars and manipulation since the colonial period. While
Turkey has granted limited rights to the Kurds in recent years in order
to accommodate the European Union, which it seeks to join, even these
are now at risk."
Turkey is
where Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi has sought refuge after
Nouri al-Maliki ordered him arrested for 'terrorism' in what was seen as
an attack on Iraqiya (the political slate that bested Nouri's State of
Law in March 2010). Sunday, Ramadan al-Fatash (DPA) explained "that
a Baghdad court sentenced in absentia Iraq's vice president, Tareq
al-Hashemi, to death on terrorism charges. Al-Hashemi, Iraq's most
senior Sunni Muslim official, has called the charges a political ploy by
the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. " Lara Jakes (AP) reported, "The
Baghdad courtroom was silent Sunday as the presiding judge read out the
verdict convicting al-Hashemi and his son-in-law of organizing the
murders of a Shiite security official and a lawyer who had refused to
help the vice president's allies in terror cases. The court sentenced
both men in absentia to death by hanging. They have 30 days to appeal
the verdict. " Sam Dagher and Ali A. Nabhan (Wall Street Journal) observed,
"Many saw the verdict against Tariq al-Hashemi -- a prominent Sunni
politician who has professed his innocence and has been sheltered by the
Sunni Islamist-led government in Turkey since April -- coupled with
Sunday's attacks as emboldening those among Iraq's Sunni minority who
see violent confrontation rather than politics as the only way to regain
powers lost to the Shiite majority after the U.S.-led ouster of Saddam
Hussein's regime more than nine years ago." Omar al-Jawoshy and Michael Schwirtz (New York Times) quoted
Talabani stating on Monday, "It was regrettable to issue, at this
particular time, a judicial decision against him while he still
officially holds office." Today, Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi, Alsumaria notes,
has declared that the death sentence for Tareq al-Hashemi could
negatively effect any chances of resolving the political crisis. Kholoud Ramzi (Niqash) reports a new rumor circulating regarding Iraqya:
However,
pundits believe that something else every different is going on behind
the scenes. They believe that the Iraqiya party has actually long since
abandoned al-Hashimi.
Because
of the wide variety of backgrounds of the various constituent parties,
the Iraqiya bloc has been close to fracturing during its time in
opposition. And, seeing al-Hashimi as a lost cause, they have decided
instead to back Saleh al-Mutlaq, currently one of two Deputy Prime
Ministers of Iraq.
Rather
than having two of their members lose some of the most senior political
jobs in the country, they have decided to back al-Mutlaq.
Al-Mutlaq,
one of three deputy prime ministers, has been away from politics since
the beginning of the year when he criticized al-Maliki, calling him a
dictator. Al-Maliki sacked al-Mutlaq and he, in turn, boycotted
Parliament. But he recently returned to work after what was described as
a "historic meeting" between himself and al-Maliki.
And it is for this reason, that Iraqiya is supporting al-Hashimi with words rather than deeds.
According
to media news, an Iraqi court has issued a death sentence to Sunni
Iraqi Vice President Tariq Hashemi and his aides. Tariq Hashemi is in
Turkey these days and has said the court's decision was politically
motivated.
Now, the gulf is widening between the Malaki ruling party
and the Sunni national alliance, which is harming the country's
interests. The recent decision by the Iraqi court will further fuel
sectarian and ethnic violence in Iraq. After the departure of
international forces, Iraq is facing worse sectarian and ethnic
violence.
Talabani
said that he continues to hold direct talks in the hope of arranging a
comprehensive national meeting, which aims to resolve differences and to
reach mutually acceptable solutions to various problems, including the
issue of Al Hashemi.
Also, Masoud Barzani,
President of the Kurdistan region, feels that Al Hashemi's sentencing to
death in absentia will only exacerbate the crisis that has plagued
Iraq, possibly even create a bitter sectarian conflict. He called on all
parties to find a wise solution to the problem and avoid the temptation
of settling scores.
Today
we are at a point where the Baathist spirit is flowing freely. The
al-Maliki government, particularly in the past year, has employed the
most ordinary Baathist strategies. The proclivities of the current
regime to spread the use of pressure and violence are becoming more
apparent. The human rights organizations voice their dismay about the
scarcity of information relating to the identities and alleged crimes of
those executed by the al-Maliki government. Iraq's Ministry of Justice
has announced that in the first eight months of 2012, 96 people were
executed and that an additional 196 people will be executed before the
year ends. Many Iraqis claim that the numbers are actually much higher
than those given in the official statements.
Calling al-Maliki's
totalitarian regime sectarian names would be just as wrong as
al-Maliki's governing strategies. In fact, the Sunni
Arabs, the Shiites, Kurds and Turkmens are all equally voicing their
discontent with the al-Maliki government. The al-Maliki forces come
close to violently attacking Tariq al-Hashemi one day, and turn from the
edge of a violent clash with the Sadr groups the next day. We can infer
only one thing from all this: that the Baathist spirit is once again
flowing freely within the al-Maliki regime.
That's not widely off the mark from the opinion the editorial board of London's Guardian, shared earlier this week in "Iraq: back to the future:"
Is Nouri al-Maliki becoming Iraq's
next dictator and, if he is, does anyone in Washington care? The second
half of the question is easy to answer. The Pentagon wanted to keep
8,000 troops in Iraq after withdrawal. But Maliki made it clear there
would be no US troops after the agreement expired on 31 December 2011.
The state department also planned for an embassy up to 16,000 strong,
and a CIA station 700 strong, but the Iraqi strongman made short shrift
of a sizeable US civilian presence, by insisting that his office take
direct responsibility for approving every US diplomatic visa. Washington
could use the soft power of military supply contracts, but is unwilling
to do that. Maliki is allowing Iranian overflights to resupply Assad's
embattled regime in Syria. Washington still does not want to know.
In
the United States, it's a presidential election year. Candidates
include Barack Obama who is running for re-election as President of the
US on the Democratic Party ticket, Mitt Romney who is running on the GOP
ticket and Jill Stein who is running on the Green Party's presidential
ticket. A real election requires real debates and real debates require
inclusion. Jill Stein's campaign notes:
Spread
the word far and wide! This morning, dozens of community leaders,
artists, and academics -- including Tom Morello, Leah Bolger, Richard
Wolff and Medea Benjamin -- and thousands more joined together to launch
Occupy the CPD. Please join them at http://www.OccupytheCPD.org
The
presidential debates are the first opportunity for millions of voters
to see the presidential contenders themselves, not just their
advertising campaigns. These debates are organized by the Commission on
Presidential Debates (CPD) - a supposedly "nonpartisan" corporation
which is a puppet of the national Democratic and Republican parties, and
the big corporations that fund both of them. The CPD's criteria to be
included in these debates are designed to exclude independent contenders
who promote ideas that challenge those in power.
Barack
and Mitt Romney have been traveling and very busy -- raising billions
requires a lot of time. Jill Stein's been busy too but she's been busy
standing with the people. Most recently, she was in Chicago where
teachers are marching to their beliefs as they conduct the first strike
in 25 years. Jill's campaign noted yesterday:
Earlier
today, Jill Stein joined the picket lines at Amundsen and Lane Tech,
two Chicago high schools. On her way from Ohio, she cancelled her
morning appearances in Minnesota in order to visit Chicago teachers,
parents, and students who have been engaged in a citywide strike since
Monday.
The battle the teachers of the Chicago Public
Schools are fighting is not one of their choosing. It is one which has
been foisted on them by politicians who have been bankrolled by, and who
therefore represent the interests of, the 1%.
Rahm Emanuel's war against the Chicago Teachers Union is not about wages or benefits. It is about the future of quality public education in Chicago and
beyond. President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, with
their "Race to the Top" initiative, are seeking to destroy the influence
of the teachers unions, to reroute public dollars to corporate
interests, and to undermine the core fabric of public education in
America.
Green Party presidential candidate
Jill Stein is a staunch defender of public sector workers and for
quality public education from pre-school through college. "Obama and
Romney have made it clear that they think our kids don't need a quality
education," says Stein. "They expect middle class people to bear the
tax burden, and are not willing to make the wealthy pay a fair share, in
order to fund our schools. The situation in Chicago is about whether the superrich pay their share, or whether we have underfunded schools."
Stein,
a Harvard-trained physician who once ran against Mitt Romney for
Governor of Massachusetts, is proposing a Green New Deal for America - a
four part policy strategy for moving America quickly out of crisis into
a secure, sustainable future. Inspired by the New Deal programs that
helped the U.S. out of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Green New
Deal proposes to provide similar relief and create an economy that
makes communities sustainable, healthy and just.
Stein grew up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois.
Lastly,
Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs
Committee. Today her office released the following on sequestration
($1.2 billion in cuts that are supposed to kick in on the budget
automatically since the Congress has been unable to make the cuts thus
far -- veterans treatment and care is not supposed to be effected in
the cuts per Secretary of Defense Leon Panette and Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric Shinseki):
(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following
statement after the Office of Management and Budget released their
report on the impact of sequestration across both defense as well as
non-defense spending. Murray worked with Senator McCain and others to pass the legislation calling for this report.
"This report makes it even clearer that we need to replace sequestration in a balanced
way
that works for middle class families and includes both responsible
spending cuts and new revenue from the wealthiest Americans.
"These
bipartisan automatic cuts were put in place to give both sides a strong
incentive to make a deal, and they are not going to go away simply
because nobody wants them to be enacted. They are going to have to be
replaced, and that replacement is going to have to be balanced.
"What
Republicans aren't saying when they are yelling and screaming about
these cuts is that they helped pass them into law and that they can just
as easily help make them go away. But thus far they have been unwilling
to face up to the reality that it will take a balanced approach to make
that happen.
"I am pleased to see
that true to President Obama's commitment to our nation's heroes, this
report exempts veterans and military personnel accounts from cuts. After
all these
men and women and their
families have been asked to do for our safety and security, they should
be the last to be asked to make additional sacrifices.
"Democrats
are willing to compromise to get a bipartisan deal to avoid these cuts,
and if Republicans are serious about avoiding sequestration, then they
will stop fighting to protect the rich from paying a penny more in taxes
and work with us on a balanced and
fair replacement."
Matt McAlvanah
Communications Director
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
202-224-2834 - press office
202--224-0228 - direct
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2 comments:
She was born in 1924; doesn't that make her 88?
Happy birthday,
Betty.
Joe Heller introduced us over the phone back when nwe were kids.
George Mandel
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