Saturday, January 12, 2008

A Closer Look and That New De-bathification Law

It would be more accurate, I suppose, to say Re-bathification. Anyway, the wingnuts are chortling about the new law passed today that will supposedly allow for more re-conciliation between Sunni's And Shia' . While it looks good at a distance, when you get up close, not so good.


Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Saturday , 12 /01 /2008 Time 8:44:10



Baghdad, Jan 12, (VOI) – The Iraqi parliament approved on Saturday the accountability & justice draft law by overwhelming majority amidst rejection by four blocs.




"The draft law was approved with the new amendments introduced to it by overwhelming majority of members of parliament," Rashid al-Azzawi, a legislator from the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF), told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) after Saturday's session.
Azzawi did not mention the number of deputies who voted in favor of the law, noting 140 MPs attended the session.
The Iraqi National List (INL), the National Dialogue Front (NDF), the Independent Arab Bloc, the National Dialogue Council and IAF independent members expressed rejection against the law and refused to vote over it, terming it as "hard to apply."
The INL, headed by former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, has 22 out of a total 275 seats in the Iraqi parliament, the Sunni NDF, led by Saleh al-Motlak, has 11 seats while the Independent Arab Bloc has only three seats.
Mustafa al-Hiti of the NDF, during a press conference held by representatives of the opposing blocs, said law was void of the human aspect for it provides for "denying any rights to whoever proved involved in crimes against the Iraqi people or accumulation of wealth at the expense of public funds."
"The law is unrealistic and inapplicable. It contains a paragraph denying the return of the Baath Party (outlawed since 2003), whether in ideology, policy or practice, to authority or public activities under any name," Hiti said.
He pointed out that the law contained loose phrases that could have more than one explanation and might be misused.
The draft is an alternative for the debaathification law, enacted by former U.S. civil administrator Paul Bremer, who ruled Iraq after the fall of the former regime in April 2003.
Since it was first announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in June 2007, the draft has been facing fierce opposition and several reservations, mostly by the Sadrists, who occupy 30 out of a total 275 seats in parliament.
Once the law is passed, about 30,000 Baathists, or members of the former ruling Baath Party, would be allowed to return to their original jobs and receive their retirement rights.

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This report speaks for itself. The hard truth is, after gaining power, the Shia will never return it to Sunni's, who brutally persecuted them for 30 year under Saddam. Why would they as a matter of basic common sense and why is this so hard to understand for wingnut war supporters.

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Other Voices of Surge Success

The right wing blogosphere is spinning itself into an orgasmic tizzy over the wonderful and brilliant "surge" of US troops in Iraq. We hear the cacophony of wingnuts shouting "shame on you" collectively at war opponents and specifically at liberals for their treasonous lack of faith in the great Bush and even greater General Petraeus. Indeed, the headlines from Iraq show a marked decrease in casualties for Iraqi's and American GI's.

What pro war folks gloss over is the fact that the violence has simply returned to the level before sectarian warfare became so extreme in 2006 and early 2007. They also gloss over the 4 million Iraq's who have left their homes for another country or a safer place inside Iraq-- not to mention the segregated "ethnic and sectarian cleansing" in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq.. The city of Baghdad is a walled off maze of Sunni and Shiite civilians huddled together in self-protective enclaves. Here is an article from the Inter-Press Service written from the perspective of residents of the Middle East.
IRAQ: Less Violent But Not Less Hellish
By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*

FALLUJAH, Jan 11 (IPS) - U.S. and Iraqi officials claim that security is improving across al-Anbar province and much of Iraq. Security during the last half of 2007 was indeed better than in the period between February 2006 and mid-2007. But this has brought little solace to many Iraqis, because violence is still worse than in 2005 and early 2006


Violence levels are down, but attacks have not ceased. "Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in 24 hours, U.S. B-1 and F-16 bombers dropped over 40,000 pounds of special munitions on the Arab Juboor villages just south of Baghdad, and Awakening (militia paid for by the U.S.) leaders and senior police officers are being assassinated all over Iraq, yet U.S. army leaders and top officials say Iraq is safe and sound," lawyer and human rights activist Mahmood al-Dulaimy told IPS.

Dulaimy said U.S. President George W. Bush has succeeded in convincing many people in the United States that everything in Iraq is all right. "It is you media people who fool the world by transmitting false news about the situation in Iraq," Dulaimy said. "Look around you and tell me what is good here."

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If you believe like I do, that the Iraq invasion was a big con by Bush and his neocon cohorts to run a kind of mad experiment to spread democracy in the Middle East, then Mr. Dulaimy viewpoint is no surprise. The only thing that has really changed is shifting politics in an area that has been in violent turmoil for the past 1400 years since the Shia split from the original base of Islam. The only periods of relative peace has been from iron fisted dictators like Saddam. No foreign power has ever been able to govern with cohesion the peoples of Mesopotamia. I would guess that even the most starry eyed wingnut idealist for American hegemony has had this cold truth penetrate their thick skulls. This is where it comes full circle within our own democracy. The American people have figured out what a huge error was made and want it corrected. By all indications they are set to do that come next November. The ugliness we see are from the neocons and Bush's 30% supporters that must keep the illusion of victory in Iraq alive for their own political survival.
******************************************************Some more of the article
"Is it good that we still cannot go to Baghdad to sell our crops and buy seeds and other necessary things for our farms," said young Jassim from Fallujah. "Is it good that we only plant ten percent of our land because there is not enough electricity and fuel to run our pumps?"

Many people in Fallujah say they simply want the U.S. forces to leave. "If the U.S. generals mean they will hand over security to Iraqis and leave the province, then I will salute them all," retired Iraqi army colonel Salman Ahmed told IPS in Fallujah. "But I know it is just another comedy like that played elsewhere in Iraq, where Iraqis (officials) are just ropes for American dirty laundry. We want our country back for real, not just on paper.

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"We want our country back for real, not just on paper". Indeed, Mr. Ahmed, we here in America can only imagine the horrors the Iraqi people have been through. First, from a brutal dictator, then from American idiots sated with delusions of grandeur and utter incompetence. We here in America, want our country back also, Mr Ahmed.

full article

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Saturday Iraq Report

Updated at 5:10 p.m. EST, Jan. 12, 2008 Anti-War.com

U.S. forces announced the removal of troops in Anbar province with the hope that the province will be completely in Iraqi hands by March. The news coincided with a light day of violence in which at least 30 Iraqis were killed and another nine were wounded. Also, a Marine was killed in a non-combat event in Anbar yesterday.


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Friday Iraq Report


Updated at 6:25 p.m. EST, Jan. 11. 2008 Anti-war.com

For the first time in living memory, snow fell in Baghdad this morning. The unusual precipitation was a welcome break and taken by many residents as an omen of peace this prayer day. Unfortunately, 29 Iraqis were still killed and another 11 were wounded in light attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported.


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Updated at 1:15 a.m. EST, Jan. 12, 2008

For the first time in living memory, snow fell in Baghdad this morning. The unusual precipitation was a welcome break and taken by many residents as an omen of peace this prayer day. Unfortunately, 31 Iraqis were still killed and another 11 were wounded in light attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported.

In Baghdad, four people were killed and eight were wounded during a bombing outside a bakery in in al-Ghadeer. U.S. forces raided the Hurriya neighborhood but no casualties were reported. Also, three dumped bodies were recovered.