TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES.
Sorry.
I suffered through John Wayne on Saturday -- well, I just skipped TCM.
Last night was Elvis.
I can take an Elvis movie -- not a block of them in a row.
I also think they need to show more films that aren't available on DVD, BluRay or streaming.
There are so many wonderful films that they could be showing.
George Segal alone has THE BLACK BIRD and WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE that are not available.
Going out with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Thursday, August 7, 2017.
Words are easy.
You'd think most Americans would have grasped that by now.
The Iraq War, for example, continues.
This despite Barack Obama promising, as he ran for president in 2008, to end the Iraq War.
Many are aghast at what US President Donald Trump did or didn't say (the media has also done a lousy job on this -- but they're not doing their job and clearly don't intend to).
I really don't care what Donald Trump said. (I do not like Donald Trump. I have not liked him for years and that's based on my own encounters with him. Based on those encounters, he's a loud mouth and he's brash, he is not a racist.)
I do care what he can do.
Words are easy.
I don't need him to say this or that. I need him to do things.
If we could get over being manipulated -- and we are being manipulated -- maybe we could make demands?
I do favor reparations.
Some don't.
That's fine.
But there are many things that could be demanded right now.
I don't need Donald's words, I need some action.
Words are easy.
You once said that starving 500,000+ Iraqi kids to death was "worth it".
You don't have the moral high ground--on racism or anything else.
Mad Maddie killed Iraqi children.
But, hey, let's give her a hug because she said some pretty words.
Bully Boy Bush and his daddy hate hate.
They both occupied the Oval Office.
What did they do?
The Iraq War and Willie Horton ads?
I'm confused as to when either of these men offering pretty words today did a damn thing regarding racism when they had the power to make changes?
Because they didn't do a thing.
Not a thing to help.
But now they offer pretty words.
Words are easy.
They're often useless.
On Donald, since I'm weighing in, his lashing out (what I'm calling it) is understandable. He's got a bunker mentality. He's always had his ass kissed.
Bob Somerby keeps writing about how Donald is "deranged."
He's not.
If he were, Bob's not trained to make such a diagnosis.
Bob slams Maureen Dowd for this or that but Maureen can actually write.
What is Bob doing but quack work when he starts putting Trump on the couch?
Donald has lived his life surrounding himself with people who agree with him.
He's been protected in ways most never are.
The notion that you can disagree with someone and still get along with them is foreign to Donald.
The press has been at war against Donald since before he was sworn in.
He's not 'good enough' for them. This is about aesthetics, not policy. (Bill Clinton also was deemed not "good enough" by many in the DC press when he was president.)
This war is not helpful.
Donald's reactions reflect a bunker mentality.
That's not good for democracy.
At this point, the only hope is that he will learn from this and somehow adapt.
Is that likely to happen?
I doubt it but I always prepare for the worst.
In the meantime, instead of applauding the butchers like Mad Maddie and Bully Boy, let's grasp that words are real easy. If all you want is Donald Trump to look in the camera and says "sorry," I really don't think you understand institutional (and ingrained) racism at all.
If you've ever been an employer or in management, you know how easy words are. There are management programs that stress compliments -- why? Because they're cheaper than raises.
Again words are easy.
In Iraq, AFP reports, "Islamic State (IS) group’s suicide bombers killed seven members of Iraq’s security forces in an attack on an Iraqi police and Army base on Wednesday in Baiji, north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry and a local official said."
Yes, the war drags on.
Meanwhile, UNAMI feels the need to issue a statement regarding the referendum to be held next month in the KRG:
Baghdad, Iraq, 17 August 2017 - In reference to a misrepresentation by IRNA of the responses of Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Jan Kubiš, as regards the referendum declared by the authorities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that was reproduced by a number of Iraqi media, UNAMI hereby provides almost verbatim the responses of the SRSG as recorded by UNAMI to the questions of a representative of IRNA during a brief interview on 16 August 2017.
SRSG Kubiš:
“First of all, the message from the Security Council and the leadership of the Secretariat is to both Baghdad central government and the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to talk, to negotiate, and to find a solution or solutions that would address all the issues that they have of the agenda through negotiations, including how to deal with the issue of the referendum”. “We always say, because that is the way how we operate on any questions, that the point of departure must be to respect fully the Constitution of the country and the laws of country”.
For more information, please contact: Mr. Samir Ghattas, Director of Public Information/Spokesperson
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: ghattass@un.org
or the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org
And US Special Envoy Brett McGurk announces a new development:
Visited Iraq-Saudi border at Ar'Ar today. Closed since '90. ISIS attacked in '15. Today: secure, re-open, bustling w/1200 pilgrims per day.
Visited Iraq-Saudi border at Ar'Ar today. Closed since '90. ISIS attacked in '15. Today: secure, re-open, bustling w/1200 pilgrims per day.
ALJAZEERA explains:
Visited Iraq-Saudi border at Ar'Ar today. Closed since '90. ISIS attacked in '15. Today: secure, re-open, bustling w/1200 pilgrims per day.
ALJAZEERA notes:
The border was closed after Baghdad and Riyadh cut ties following former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.
The announcement follows a decision by the Saudi cabinet on Monday to establish a joint trade commission with Iraq.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are both currently wooing their northern neighbour in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of archrival Iran.
The Sunni-led Arab Gulf countries have hosted influential Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr for talks with their crown princes in recent weeks, rare visits after years of troubled relations.
They also note:
The motivation for Muqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, to meet the Saudi crown prince last month was an attempt to roll back Iranian influence in Iraq, seek a leadership role and tone down sectarianism between the two countries, analysts say.
Sadr, who is openly hostile to the US, was hosted on July 30 by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The reason behind the gathering in Jeddah centred on a shared interest in countering Iranian influence in Iraq, Baghdad-based analyst Ahmed Younis said.
"Sadr's visit to Saudi Arabia is a bold shift of his policy to deliver a message to regional, influential Sunni states that not all Shia groups carry the label 'Made in Iran'."
The following community sites updated:
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq Iraq
Words are easy.
You'd think most Americans would have grasped that by now.
The Iraq War, for example, continues.
This despite Barack Obama promising, as he ran for president in 2008, to end the Iraq War.
Many are aghast at what US President Donald Trump did or didn't say (the media has also done a lousy job on this -- but they're not doing their job and clearly don't intend to).
I really don't care what Donald Trump said. (I do not like Donald Trump. I have not liked him for years and that's based on my own encounters with him. Based on those encounters, he's a loud mouth and he's brash, he is not a racist.)
I do care what he can do.
Words are easy.
I don't need him to say this or that. I need him to do things.
If we could get over being manipulated -- and we are being manipulated -- maybe we could make demands?
I do favor reparations.
Some don't.
That's fine.
But there are many things that could be demanded right now.
I don't need Donald's words, I need some action.
Words are easy.
You once said that starving 500,000+ Iraqi kids to death was "worth it".
You don't have the moral high ground--on racism or anything else.
The men who annihilated Iraq, killed and displaced millions of human beings, are now paragons of "anti-hatred"? Unbelievable.
George W Bush, who hates "hate" killed ONE MILLION people in Iraq. Just think about that for a moment...#Charolettesville
Mad Maddie killed Iraqi children.
But, hey, let's give her a hug because she said some pretty words.
Bully Boy Bush and his daddy hate hate.
They both occupied the Oval Office.
What did they do?
The Iraq War and Willie Horton ads?
I'm confused as to when either of these men offering pretty words today did a damn thing regarding racism when they had the power to make changes?
Because they didn't do a thing.
Not a thing to help.
But now they offer pretty words.
Words are easy.
They're often useless.
On Donald, since I'm weighing in, his lashing out (what I'm calling it) is understandable. He's got a bunker mentality. He's always had his ass kissed.
Dear momma's boy I know you've had your butt licked by your mother
I know you've enjoyed all that attention from her
And every woman graced with your presence after
Dear narcissus boy I know you've never really apologized for anything
I know you've never really taken responsibility
I know you've never really listened to a woman
I know you've enjoyed all that attention from her
And every woman graced with your presence after
Dear narcissus boy I know you've never really apologized for anything
I know you've never really taken responsibility
I know you've never really listened to a woman
Dear me-show boy I know you're not really into conflict resolution
Or seeing both sides of every equation
Or having an uninterrupted conversation
Or seeing both sides of every equation
Or having an uninterrupted conversation
And any talk of healthiness
And any talk of connectedness
And any talk of resolving this
Leaves you running for the door
-- "Narcissus," written by Alanis Morissette, first appears on UNDER RUG SWEPT.And any talk of connectedness
And any talk of resolving this
Leaves you running for the door
Bob Somerby keeps writing about how Donald is "deranged."
He's not.
If he were, Bob's not trained to make such a diagnosis.
Bob slams Maureen Dowd for this or that but Maureen can actually write.
What is Bob doing but quack work when he starts putting Trump on the couch?
Donald has lived his life surrounding himself with people who agree with him.
He's been protected in ways most never are.
The notion that you can disagree with someone and still get along with them is foreign to Donald.
The press has been at war against Donald since before he was sworn in.
He's not 'good enough' for them. This is about aesthetics, not policy. (Bill Clinton also was deemed not "good enough" by many in the DC press when he was president.)
This war is not helpful.
Donald's reactions reflect a bunker mentality.
That's not good for democracy.
At this point, the only hope is that he will learn from this and somehow adapt.
Is that likely to happen?
I doubt it but I always prepare for the worst.
In the meantime, instead of applauding the butchers like Mad Maddie and Bully Boy, let's grasp that words are real easy. If all you want is Donald Trump to look in the camera and says "sorry," I really don't think you understand institutional (and ingrained) racism at all.
If you've ever been an employer or in management, you know how easy words are. There are management programs that stress compliments -- why? Because they're cheaper than raises.
Again words are easy.
In Iraq, AFP reports, "Islamic State (IS) group’s suicide bombers killed seven members of Iraq’s security forces in an attack on an Iraqi police and Army base on Wednesday in Baiji, north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry and a local official said."
Yes, the war drags on.
Meanwhile, UNAMI feels the need to issue a statement regarding the referendum to be held next month in the KRG:
Baghdad, Iraq, 17 August 2017 - In reference to a misrepresentation by IRNA of the responses of Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Jan Kubiš, as regards the referendum declared by the authorities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that was reproduced by a number of Iraqi media, UNAMI hereby provides almost verbatim the responses of the SRSG as recorded by UNAMI to the questions of a representative of IRNA during a brief interview on 16 August 2017.
SRSG Kubiš:
“First of all, the message from the Security Council and the leadership of the Secretariat is to both Baghdad central government and the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to talk, to negotiate, and to find a solution or solutions that would address all the issues that they have of the agenda through negotiations, including how to deal with the issue of the referendum”. “We always say, because that is the way how we operate on any questions, that the point of departure must be to respect fully the Constitution of the country and the laws of country”.
For more information, please contact: Mr. Samir Ghattas, Director of Public Information/Spokesperson
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: ghattass@un.org
or the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org
And US Special Envoy Brett McGurk announces a new development:
Visited Iraq-Saudi border at Ar'Ar today. Closed since '90. ISIS attacked in '15. Today: secure, re-open, bustling w/1200 pilgrims per day.
Visited Iraq-Saudi border at Ar'Ar today. Closed since '90. ISIS attacked in '15. Today: secure, re-open, bustling w/1200 pilgrims per day.
ALJAZEERA explains:
Visited Iraq-Saudi border at Ar'Ar today. Closed since '90. ISIS attacked in '15. Today: secure, re-open, bustling w/1200 pilgrims per day.
ALJAZEERA notes:
The border was closed after Baghdad and Riyadh cut ties following former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.
The announcement follows a decision by the Saudi cabinet on Monday to establish a joint trade commission with Iraq.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are both currently wooing their northern neighbour in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of archrival Iran.
The Sunni-led Arab Gulf countries have hosted influential Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr for talks with their crown princes in recent weeks, rare visits after years of troubled relations.
They also note:
The motivation for Muqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, to meet the Saudi crown prince last month was an attempt to roll back Iranian influence in Iraq, seek a leadership role and tone down sectarianism between the two countries, analysts say.
Sadr, who is openly hostile to the US, was hosted on July 30 by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The reason behind the gathering in Jeddah centred on a shared interest in countering Iranian influence in Iraq, Baghdad-based analyst Ahmed Younis said.
"Sadr's visit to Saudi Arabia is a bold shift of his policy to deliver a message to regional, influential Sunni states that not all Shia groups carry the label 'Made in Iran'."
The following community sites updated:
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq Iraq
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