She is the investigative reporter who was working for CBS when the U.S. government was spying on her. She had a new column at THE HILL this week and this is from it:
Many in the media are diving deeply into minutiae in order to discredit any notion that President Trump might have been onto something in March when he fired off a series of tweets claiming President Obama had “tapped” “wires” in Trump Tower just before the election.
According to media reports this week, the FBI did indeed “wiretap” the former head of Trump’s campaign, Paul Manafort, both before and after Trump was elected. If Trump officials — or Trump himself — communicated with Manafort during the wiretaps, they would have been recorded, too.
But we’re missing the bigger story.
If these reports are accurate, it means U.S. intelligence agencies secretly surveilled at least a half dozen Trump associates. And those are just the ones we know about.I am glad Ms. Attkisson still is pursuing her own lawsuit against the government over their spying on her.
I also think that it is past time that people get a real look at former President Barack Obama.
People saying he was the best ever not only do not know history, they also do not know what he actually did.
In fact, some of them insist he ended the Iraq War -- when that war continues.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:
Friday, September 22, 2017.
In three days, the KRG and Kirkuk are scheduled to hold a referendum on whether or not they should remain a part of the Baghdad-based government.
As the vote looms, panic ensues among those opposed to the vote.
Denouncing the move are the foreign ministers of Iraq, Turkey and Iran. The three elected to meet up in New York. Tuvan Gumrukcu and Tulay Karadeniz (INDEPENDENT) type:
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the three countries voiced concerns that the referendum would endanger the gains Iraq has made against Islamic State, and reiterated their fears over the potential for new conflicts in the region.
How would a vote "endanger the gains Iraq has made against Islamic State"?
They repeat that fear over and over and no one ever asks them to define it.
The KRG and the Baghdad-based government do not get along and have not for years.
Has that prevented them working together in Mosul?
Why would this be any different?
It wouldn't.
But fear and the trash that peddles it always runs wild.
Let's play their game for just a second. The Baghdad-based government manages to shut down the vote at the last minute, how does that help the struggle against ISIS?
Link to headline article
The pressure has been going on for weeks now. So far, the KRG has refused to buckle.
Martin Chulov and Paul Johnson (GUARDIAN) quote KRG President Massoud Barzanin stating:
From world war one until now, we are not a part of Iraq. It's a theocratic, sectarian state. We have our geography, land and culture. We have our own language. We refuse to be subordinates. The parliament in Baghdad is not a federal parliament. It's a chauvinistic, sectarian parliament. Trust is below zero with Baghdad.
And the Baghdad-based government is in violation of the Constitution and has been for years.
There are three days until the vote is scheduled to take place.
During that time, something could happen.
At present, meaningless words have not helped change any minds.
But anything could happen over the weekend and this remains a huge global issue -- as the western media ignores it.
Kurds from around the world watch closely to see what will happen. As Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) observed in 2008, "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."
RUDAW notes:
The referendum will be held as scheduled as no acceptable alternative has been offered, the High Referendum Council announced following a meeting on Thursday.
The High Referendum Council, headed by President Masoud Barzani, met on Thursday. In a statement released after the meeting, the Council reiterated that as time is running out and no alternative has been offered to replace the referendum and guarantee independence, the vote will be held on time.
The always useless UNAMI bowed yet again before the prime minister of Iraq and issued the following:
The members of the Security Council expressed concern over the potentially destabilizing impact of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s plans to unilaterally hold a referendum next week.
Council members note that the planned referendum is scheduled to be held while counter-ISIL (Da’esh) operations – in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role – are ongoing, and could detract from efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary return of over three million refugees and internally displaced persons.
Council members expressed their continuing respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of Iraq and urged all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to be resolved, in accordance with the provisions of the Iraqi constitution, through structured dialogue and compromise supported by the international community. Council members expressed full support for UN efforts to facilitate dialogue between Iraqi stakeholders.
The Kurds will have independence one day.
When that day comes -- this year, whenever -- history is not going to look kindly upon all that stood in the way.
The US government claims to be about self-determination.
But it will have a very hard time explaining all the efforts to prevent the Kurds from independence.
For this segment of the timeline only, it will have a hard time explaining how threats from the Turkish government were ignored. There will be violence -- thunders the Turkish government. Sounds like a threat. The Turkish government has no say in internal, Kurdish matters.
ANADOLU AGENCY notes, "The [Turkish] parliament will hold an extraordinary session on Saturday to debate the extension of Turkish military’s operation in northern Iraq and Syria, according to ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group deputy chairman."
Interesting timing.
YENI SAFAK offers:
The U.S. while releasing statements that it is against the non-binding independence referendum the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to hold on Sept. 25, has deployed 1,700 troops to occupy Kirkuk, Iraq. The specially trained soldiers deployed in Erbil will work against the prevention of the referendum in Kirkuk. There are still 14,000 Peshmerga troops working for KRG President Masoud Barzani and former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Iraq’s oil center, Kirkuk. The United States’ occupation of Kirkuk is interpreted as preparing the region for an independent state which will be declared after the referendum.
Nearly a decade ago, the RAND corporation noted Kirkuk and the need for its status to be decided. The longer this is postponed, the worse the situation gets.
And the price for the never-ending wars just keeps increasing.
In three days, the KRG and Kirkuk are scheduled to hold a referendum on whether or not they should remain a part of the Baghdad-based government.
As the vote looms, panic ensues among those opposed to the vote.
Denouncing the move are the foreign ministers of Iraq, Turkey and Iran. The three elected to meet up in New York. Tuvan Gumrukcu and Tulay Karadeniz (INDEPENDENT) type:
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the three countries voiced concerns that the referendum would endanger the gains Iraq has made against Islamic State, and reiterated their fears over the potential for new conflicts in the region.
How would a vote "endanger the gains Iraq has made against Islamic State"?
They repeat that fear over and over and no one ever asks them to define it.
The KRG and the Baghdad-based government do not get along and have not for years.
Has that prevented them working together in Mosul?
Why would this be any different?
It wouldn't.
But fear and the trash that peddles it always runs wild.
Let's play their game for just a second. The Baghdad-based government manages to shut down the vote at the last minute, how does that help the struggle against ISIS?
Link to headline article
The pressure has been going on for weeks now. So far, the KRG has refused to buckle.
Martin Chulov and Paul Johnson (GUARDIAN) quote KRG President Massoud Barzanin stating:
From world war one until now, we are not a part of Iraq. It's a theocratic, sectarian state. We have our geography, land and culture. We have our own language. We refuse to be subordinates. The parliament in Baghdad is not a federal parliament. It's a chauvinistic, sectarian parliament. Trust is below zero with Baghdad.
And the Baghdad-based government is in violation of the Constitution and has been for years.
There are three days until the vote is scheduled to take place.
During that time, something could happen.
At present, meaningless words have not helped change any minds.
But anything could happen over the weekend and this remains a huge global issue -- as the western media ignores it.
Kurds from around the world watch closely to see what will happen. As Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) observed in 2008, "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."
RUDAW notes:
The referendum will be held as scheduled as no acceptable alternative has been offered, the High Referendum Council announced following a meeting on Thursday.
The High Referendum Council, headed by President Masoud Barzani, met on Thursday. In a statement released after the meeting, the Council reiterated that as time is running out and no alternative has been offered to replace the referendum and guarantee independence, the vote will be held on time.
The always useless UNAMI bowed yet again before the prime minister of Iraq and issued the following:
The members of the Security Council expressed concern over the potentially destabilizing impact of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s plans to unilaterally hold a referendum next week.
Council members note that the planned referendum is scheduled to be held while counter-ISIL (Da’esh) operations – in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role – are ongoing, and could detract from efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary return of over three million refugees and internally displaced persons.
Council members expressed their continuing respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of Iraq and urged all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to be resolved, in accordance with the provisions of the Iraqi constitution, through structured dialogue and compromise supported by the international community. Council members expressed full support for UN efforts to facilitate dialogue between Iraqi stakeholders.
The Kurds will have independence one day.
When that day comes -- this year, whenever -- history is not going to look kindly upon all that stood in the way.
The US government claims to be about self-determination.
But it will have a very hard time explaining all the efforts to prevent the Kurds from independence.
For this segment of the timeline only, it will have a hard time explaining how threats from the Turkish government were ignored. There will be violence -- thunders the Turkish government. Sounds like a threat. The Turkish government has no say in internal, Kurdish matters.
ANADOLU AGENCY notes, "The [Turkish] parliament will hold an extraordinary session on Saturday to debate the extension of Turkish military’s operation in northern Iraq and Syria, according to ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group deputy chairman."
Interesting timing.
YENI SAFAK offers:
The U.S. while releasing statements that it is against the non-binding independence referendum the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to hold on Sept. 25, has deployed 1,700 troops to occupy Kirkuk, Iraq. The specially trained soldiers deployed in Erbil will work against the prevention of the referendum in Kirkuk. There are still 14,000 Peshmerga troops working for KRG President Masoud Barzani and former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Iraq’s oil center, Kirkuk. The United States’ occupation of Kirkuk is interpreted as preparing the region for an independent state which will be declared after the referendum.
Nearly a decade ago, the RAND corporation noted Kirkuk and the need for its status to be decided. The longer this is postponed, the worse the situation gets.
And the price for the never-ending wars just keeps increasing.
While most working people live paycheck to paycheck, Iraq & Afghanistan wars have cost average US household $100K.
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