Ruth's Report

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Eyewitnesses to the JFK Assassination on the Grassy Knoll: The Newman Family

 In Bill Newman's voluntary statement to the Sheriff's Department, signed and notarized on November 22, 1963, he wrote that the gunshot "had come from the garden directly behind me, that was on an elevation from where I was as I was right on the curb. I do not recall looking toward the Texas School Book Depository. I looked back in the vacinity [sic] of the garden."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F.... Several days before President Kennedy made his November flight to Texas, Clint Grant had been assigned to cover the state's delegation in Washington, D.C., then fly back with the White House press corps;[17] he was the only photographer to make the trip.[3] At Dallas Love Field, Grant made the only published photograph from that visit of the president and Jacqueline Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, and Texas Governor John Connally and Nellie Connally, all in the same image.[18] Another of Grant's photos, from San Antonio's Aerospace Medicine Center, was published on the front page of the Dallas Morning News on November 22; a copy was signed that morning by President Kennedy—across the photo, to Jan White—and is believed to be the last item he signed before he climbed aboard the presidential limousine for his intended trip to the Dallas Trade Mart. Grant tried to find a seat in the third camera car in the motorcade—the one reserved for local photographers—but it was full; he was then given a spot in the second camera car. Too far back to capture the shooting in Dealey Plaza, Grant's car had just turned onto Houston Street from Main Street "when we heard one shot—pause—two shots in rapid succession." Thinking someone was playing a prank, he gave it no further thought until he saw bystanders on the ground along Elm Street, where he made a photograph from the moving camera car of Bill and Gayle Newman lying atop their children on the grass. Afterward, Grant suggested to his colleagues that they should catch up with the presidential limousine. Since he was the only Dallas-based member of the press in camera car two, Grant directed his driver to the Trade Mart, where they saw no activity. A worker across the street said he saw a limousine speed past, accompanied by motorcycles with their sirens blaring; Grant knew immediately that they were headed to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Once at Parkland, Grant started snapping pictures of anything he could, including Vice President Johnson's car, and a man and a police officer delivering what Grant believed was blood plasma. Grant later covered the trial of Jack Ruby. On the day the verdict was read, he believed his assignment was to photograph the jurors, but they were shielded from his view. Twenty-five years after the assassination, Grant wrote that the events did not really sink in until after he had finished his work that day. "Then I was stunned, disappointed and embarrassed that it had happened—especially in my home town. I felt like crawling under a log. Although I wasn't a great admirer, he was my President and I have great respect for whoever holds the office." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_G... Charles F. Brehm (January 14, 1925 – August 11, 1996) was a very close witness to the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Charles F. Brehm and his 5-year-old son, Joe, were standing in the Dealey Plaza north infield grass, a few feet south of the south curb of Elm Street. They were across the street from Abraham Zapruder and the Dealey Plaza grassy knoll. Both Brehm and Joe can be clearly seen in the Zapruder film.[1] When the presidential limousine turned from Main Street onto Houston Street, Brehm and his son watched from the northwest side of the intersection. After watching the turn, Brehm and his son quickly ran northwestward across the "north infield grass" towards the south curb of Elm Street. They hoped to catch another glimpse of the President. They were standing close to the south curb, directly across the street from Bill and Gayle Newman and their two boys. The location was about 20 feet northeast from close assassination witnesses Jean Hill, and Mary Moorman, as the limousine rounded the 120-degree slow turn from Houston Street onto Elm Street. The movie-filming "babushka lady" was standing nearby to Brehm's right backside. Brehm said President Kennedy was approaching him, and was only 30 feet away, when his son began to wave to President Kennedy. President Kennedy started to wave back, then Brehm heard the first shot he remembered hearing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...



This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


 Tuesday, May 31, 2022.  No accountability from the press, no vision from the politicians.


Azhar Al-Rubaie (ALJAZEERA) reports:

raqis are still waiting for the country’s politicians to form a government, almost eight months since parliamentary elections took place in the country, with political elites unable to find an agreement.

Popular Shia religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Sadrist Movement emerged as the biggest party in the October elections with 73 out of 329 seats, has been working to try to put together a coalition, but is still unable to do so.

In al-Sadr’s way is a rival Iranian-backed bloc, the Coordination Framework Alliance (CFA), which is the political umbrella for the largely Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces militia.

The CFA has boycotted parliamentary votes for a new president a number of times, on the basis that an agreement with the Sadrists that ensures the CFA will have a say in who is nominated for the presidency was needed first.


To be clear, it's not just that group standing in Moqtada's way.  The Shi;ite cleri has managed to pull together only 180 MPs.  He needs 220 to form a government.


That clause was included in Iraq's Constitution because it was thought that if you weren't able to  pull together enough MPs to form a government, if you weren't able to cajole, horse trade, swap, make deals, etc, how would you ever be able to govern if your slate claimed the post of prime minister.


October 10th elections were held.  The western press quickly rushed to hail Moqtada as a "king maker" when he was no such thing, when nothing in his past indicated he could be any such thing and when all events have demonstrated that he's not any such thing.


Some day the western press might admit they were wrong.  More likely not.  Accountability is a feature of a functioning press and we don't have that.


THE DAILY BEAST, for example, has apologized to a store owner.  They said they made a mistake.


No, they didn't make a mistake.  They lied.  In October and November of 2020, we repeatedly pointed out ("Harped on" -- one or two e-mails claimed), that Hunter Biden's laptop was not stolen.


We repeatedly went over how a repair shop was not a storage business.  How if you did not pick up your item -- let alone pay for it -- it became the property of the store.  We cited case law and we went over this repeatedly.


Didn't appear that anyone else wanted to touch it.  Not even Glann Greenwald who cvered the laptop repeatedly wanted to cover it.  I have no idea why.


Yes, I do, Glenn's not trained in journalism.


That's his excuse.  


Anyone who knew journalism knew how important this detail was.


The laptop needed to be covered.


If it was stolen property -- it wasn't -- then outlets would refrain from covering it.  They can't cover it.  


THE DAILY BEAST underrstood that point.  So they intentionally lied and did so repeatedly to confuse the issue and to keep the laptop from being covered.


There was never anything in case law that made the laptop stolen.  I don't believe THE DAILY BEAST respects the law but I do know they understand it.


It was not a mistake, it was a lie.


And now that they're being sued, they want to, all this time later, amend a two-year-old report to claim that they were mistaken.


No.


They lied.


They made unfounded charges against the repair shop owner and they should be punished in a court of law.  They have attorneys on retainer and they knew what they were doing.


Another attack took place yesterday on a base in Iraq with US troops.


US President Joe Biden knows it took place and he knows what he is doing -- putting the lives of US troops in danger by keeping them on the ground in Iraq while pretending the Iraq War is over.


How much is the country willing to pay to keep Joe in office?  At present, it appears he's leading the nation into a recession with some economic experts fearing it might be the equivalent of the Great Depression.  


Are we willing to go along with that?


He was never fit for the presidency.  Even if you ignored (or more likely wrongly slimed) Tara Reade, he was never fit.  And now his mental dceline is taking the entire country down with him.


Maybe Nancy Pelosi can help us?  Oh wait, she's busy with her drunkard husband who was so stupid that he thought he could still drive at 82 and that he could drive drunk.


As Iraqi politicians dither about forming a government, that country suffers.  The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has been showing up in Iraq for weeks now -- in southern Iraq and the Kurdistan.  NDTV notes:


This year Iraq has recorded 19 deaths among 111 CCHF cases in humans, according to the Word Health Organization.

The virus has no vaccine and onset can be swift, causing severe bleeding both internally and externally and especially from the nose. It causes death in as many as two-fifths of cases, according to medics.

"The number of cases recorded is unprecedented," said Haidar Hantouche, a health official in Dhi Qar province.

A poor farming region in southern Iraq, the province accounts for nearly half of Iraq's cases.

In previous years, cases could be counted "on the fingers of one hand", he added.

Transmitted by ticks, hosts of the virus include both wild and farmed animals such as buffalo, cattle, goats and sheep, all of which are common in Dhi Qar.


WION adds, "According to medics, the virus causes severe bleeding both internally and externally and especially from the nose. As many as two-fifths of the cases die."  Gillian Duncan (THE NATIONAL) notes the virus first spread to Iraq in 1979 and "There is currently no approved vaccine for this disease."  Jay Hilotin (GULF NEWS) notes that the World Health Organizations has identified the most likely people to get infected as "farmers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians — people mainly get infected via ticks on livestock" and quotes WHO stating, "Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons."   AFP states that death will be the outcome in two-fifth of all cases.  RUDAW notes that the Iraqi government allocated 1 billion Iraqi dinars on Saturday to address the virus -- that's approximately $683,000 in US dollars.  No, that's not a lot of money.  Regarding northern Iraq, RUDAW reports, "Health committees were formed in three Kurdish cities to combat the Congo fever, officials from the areas told Rudaw on Sunday amid an outbreak of the virus in Iraq’s southern provinces.  Formed in Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja, the committees are advised to quarantine suspects of the virus and to send their blood samples to Baghdad to confirm their infection."


Congo Fever is not the only problem facing Iraq. NEWS.AM reports:


At a time when global wheat prices have risen sharply because of the conflict in Ukraine, Iraqi farmers say they are paying the price for the government's decision to cut irrigation of farmland by 50 percent, AP reported.

The government took this step amid severe water shortages caused by high temperatures and drought, as well as continued water withdrawals by neighboring countries from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. All of these factors have resulted in severe water shortages for wheat production.


The roblems come as desertification is a major problem in Iraq.  Dler S. Mohammed (KURDISTAN 24) reports:

 Iraq is losing a staggering 100,000 donums (about 10,000 hectares) of agricultural land per year, the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced on Saturday. 

The Director-General of Forests and Desertification Directorate of the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture Rawiya Al-Azawi announced on Saturday that Iraq has been losing approximately 100,000 donums of agricultural lands per year to desertification for the past decade.

She warned that this phenomenon would hugely impact the ministry's agricultural plan and revealed that the ministry has proposed establishing a special fund for combating desertification. 

Al-Azawi pointed out that increased desertification is due to global warming and climate change, which has reduced rainfall. She added that Iraq's geography makes it more vulnerable to global warming.




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Posted by Ruth at 8:23 PM

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Bo Hopkins

Actor Bo Hopkins has passed away.  


Let me drop back to the start of the 80s when he was seen in his biggest role.  DALLAS was a prime time hit and a lot of men and women watched.  J.R. Ewing bored me.  If I watched it was for Pam's struggles with the family she married into.


Other than Victoria Principal's Pam, the women were weak and, yes, that included Miss Ellie.  Sue Ellen was a drunk always being exploited.  Lucy was a teenager forever being manipulated (when not sleeping with her biological uncle Ray).  


DYNASTY started airing on ABC and, even before Joan Collins showed up at the start of season two, the show featured strong women.  Linda Evans played Krystal and Pamela Sue Martin played Fallon.  Krystal married Black Carrington.  Her former boyfriend was in love with her but he was married.  That was Matthew Blaisedale and Bo Hopkins played him.  


Matthew was married to crazy Claudia and they had a daughter named Lindsay. 


Blake loathed Matthew and tried to destroy him due to the fact that Krystal still cared for him.  Not only did Mathew stand up to Blake over Krystal, he stood up to him over Steven.


Steven was Blake's son and Blake loathed him because he was gay.  He would eventually kill Steven's ex-lover Ted when he thought they were getting back together.  


Blake was trying to destroy Steven to force him to act straight and deny who he was.


With no money and not a lot of skills, he went to Matthew who hired him and was a friend and mentor to him.  Steven was a major character in TV's LGBTQ portrayals but so was Matthew.  Matthew was straight but it was a big deal for TV at the time that Matthew was not just accepting of Steven but also became his friend.


ABC was as uncomfortable with a gay character as Blake was so Steven had to go straight and end up with Claudia.  This would lead to Matthew leaving town with Lindsay.  He would returns many seasons later and hold the family hostage to try to force Krystal to come back to him (Steven would be the one to end the hostage crisis by killing Matthew).  


In his long carer, Mr. Hopkins worked with pretty much everyone -- he was in George Lucas' AMERICAN GRAFFITI (and the sequel MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI), he acted with Donald Sutherland and Karen Black in THE DAY OF THE LOCUST, with Jean Seberg and David Janssen in MACHO CALLAHAN, with Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in THE GETAWAY, with Lee Marvin in MONTE WALSH, with Burt Reynolds in THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING, with Jon Voight and Jennifer Lopez in Oliver Stone's U-TURN, with Rose McGowan, Ben Affleck and Nicky Katt in PHANTOMS, with Matthew McConaughey in Richard Linklater's THE NEWTON BOYS, with Stuart Townsend, Thandiwe Newton, Jamie Foxx and Melanie Griffith in SHADE, with Glenn Close and Amy Adams in HILLBILLY ELEGY, and with Brad Davis in Alan Parker's MIDNIGHT EXPRESS.

 

On TV, he was a guest on many shows including: THE MOD SQUAD, THE PHYLLIS DILLER SHOW, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, GUNSMOKE, IRONSIDE, THE ROOKIES, SUPERTRAIN, FANTASY ISLAND, HOTEL, MURDER SHE WROTE, MATLOCK, SCARECROW AND MRS. KING, THE FALL GUY, THE A-TEAM, MATT HOUSTON, THE RAT PATROL, FINDER OF LOST LOVES, BONANZA, the original HAWAII FIVE-O, BARNABY JONES, and THE ROCKFORD FILES.

 

Mr. Hopkins was 80-years-old.  DEADLINE notes, "Hopkins is survived by his wife Sian and son Matthew."  DEADLINE is incorrect when they say he appeared on the first season of DYNASTY.  He did appear on the first season.  He also came back for three episodes in 1987 and we will not just go by memory, here is IMDB for the episodes of DYNASTY that he appeared in:


- The Siege: Part 2 (1987) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Siege: Part 1 (1987) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Shadow Play (1987) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Testimony (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Blake Goes to Jail (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Separation (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Birthday Party (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Beating (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Necklace (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Krystle's Lie (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Bordello (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Chauffeur Tells a Secret (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Fallon's Wedding (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Dinner Party (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- The Honeymoon (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Oil: Part 3 (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Oil: Part 2 (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel
- Oil: Part 1 (1981) ... Matthew Blaisdel

  

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, May 27, 2022. The UN makes clear how little it cares about Iraq, Katrina vanden Heuverl just realized your birthday was last month, Margaret Kimberley pictures a better world and Amber Heard is not a poster for feminism.


The Security Council of the United Nations pretended to 'address' Iraq yesterday.  They did not address Iraq.  It was another going-through-the-motions meeting where they pretended to explore Iraq so they could renew the one year mandate over Iraq.  


They issued a lengthy, 366 word press release on the matter that might fool some idiots but the reality is there in the last sentence, "The meeting began at 10:10 a.m. and ended at 10:14 a.m."


Four minutes.  


Four minutes is how long they spent in a meeting about the security in Iraq.  Four minutes.  And that allowed them -- that incredible overview -- to put themselves in charge of Iraq for another  year.  And people think Britney Spears was railroaded?


Four minutes.


It was so unimportant to the UN that they didn't even post the 'meeting' or 'hearing' to their UN YOUTUBE page.


The increasingly laughable UNAMI did post the prepared remarks of the United Nations' Secretary General's Special Representative (Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert):



Thank you, Mr. President,
Distinguished members of the Security Council,

My briefing today will hit many all-too-familiar notes, as notorious aspects of Iraqi political life are repeating themselves in a seemingly incessant loop of zero-sum politics. But before delving into that, I would like to share some impressions on the recent and ongoing waves of massive dust- and sandstorms hitting Iraq.

Now, while a dust- or sandstorm as such is not a new phenomenon for the country, the current wave far exceeds Iraq’s experiences in recent years. Briefing this Council last February, I spoke about the dangers of climate change and its effects, with desertification as a central concern. Ever since, Iraq has been battered by intense dust- and sandstorms that obscure the sky, send people running for shelter, even resulting in sickness and death.

Now, these storms are only expected to become more frequent. In other words: continued inaction, also here, comes at enormous costs. Having said this, Mr. President, these storms are not the only concern for the people in Iraq.

Iraqis continue to wait for a political class that, instead of being content with stale power battles, they are waiting for a political class that will roll up its sleeves to make headway on Iraq’s long list of outstanding domestic priorities. As you know, national elections took place well over seven months ago, and multiple deadlines for the formation of a government have been missed. 

Now, it is true, Iraq is not the only country facing a protracted government formation process. But Iraq’s political leaders would do well not to hide behind that argument. It distracts from what is at stake.

It excuses a political deadlock while non-state armed groups fire rockets with apparent freedom and impunity. It excuses a political stalemate while ordinary people suffer. It excuses a political impasse while simmering anger – public anger can boil over at any moments.

So, my question is: what will it take to realize that this situation is completely untenable?

To date, political leaders subscribe to the notion of dialogue, or another round of negotiations. But the necessary willingness to compromise? It is painfully absent. Visit any market and Iraqis will tell you: the national interest is, yet again, taking a backseat to short-sighted considerations of control over resources and power play.

It is therefore high time (and yes, I repeat myself), but it is high time to return the spotlight where it must be: on the people of Iraq, and a programme of action that provides:

  • Adequate service delivery to all citizens.
  • An end to pervasive corruption, factionalism and the pillaging of state institutions.
  • The implementation of desperately needed reforms.
  • The diversification of the economy.
  • Predictable governance instead of constant crisis management.
  • An end to impunity, with accountability as a key feature of the State, and (of course) …
  • Reining in non-state armed actors while asserting the State’s authority.

 

Over the past three years, you have heard me make these points numerous times. And one thing remains clear: the neglect of the population’s most basic needs has gone on for far too long.

Again, Iraqi political inaction comes at a huge price. Not (in the short term) for those in power, but for those desperately trying to make ends meet on a daily basis.

Mr. President,

A few more specific observations, beginning with relations between Baghdad and Erbil. The sorry pattern of ad-hoc negotiations continues to prevail instead of what is critically needed: an institutionalized, predictable mechanism for the comprehensive, holistic and durable resolutions of all outstanding issues.

While this is evidently necessary, such a mechanism continues to be plainly missing, and this deficiency is sadly coupled with internal rivalries on both sides as well.

As I said last time: a spirit of partnership and cooperation can and must guide all stakeholders, including with regards to the recent Federal Supreme Court ruling on the KRG Oil and Gas Law. Having engaged with both sides on this matter, I am convinced that there is a way out.

However, and there is no denying it: events in the past have gravely eroded mutual trust. Hence, it will prove essential to build confidence, including by pledging to refrain from politically motivated, unilateral actions in the future.

Now, Mr. President, zooming in on the political situation within the Kurdistan Region: last year, in May, I participated in an event at the University of Kurdistan. It is a promising event with all Kurdistan Region political parties present.

In my remarks, I outlined the toxicity of political infighting and factionalism. I emphasized the importance of unity, not to be confused with uniformity. I spoke candidly about the need to move away from the yellow & green divide, about the responsibility of leaders to guide outreach and to bring together opposing interests, to focus on solutions that represent the interests of all peoples living in the Kurdistan Region - be it Erbil, Dohuk or Sulaymaniyah.

However, one year later, this promising event seems to have gained zero traction. On the contrary, divisions have deepened - with adverse effects on the peoples of the Kurdistan Region.

Now, and without repeating my remarks of a year ago, but it must be clear: the Kurdistan Region has a choice. And with the Kurdistan Region elections scheduled for the 1st of October later this year, it is of utmost importance to level the electoral playing field - with all political actors, big or small, enjoying equal opportunities. Promoting a conducive electoral environment, that is.

Additionally, I can only underline that geography does not always play in the Kurdistan Region’s advantage. In other words: its unique geopolitical circumstances alone, should be enough to give its leaders pause.

And, of course, that goes for the whole of Iraq as well. As I have said on countless occasions: whether we like it or not, a weak domestic home front only creates a welcoming environment for continued external interference.

Now, on a related note, let me also comment on incoming missiles and rockets: Disturbing, disruptive and dangerous.

With the IRGC claiming responsibility for up to 12 short-range ballistic missiles launched in the early hours of Sunday March 13, another worrisome chapter was opened. And while the IRGC described the targeted location in Erbil as “the strategic centre for conspiracy and evil acts of the Zionists”, no evidence for such claims was found. The targeted site is known as a civilian area, a private compound.

Although both sides – Iraq, Iran – although they are currently engaged in dialogue and do not wish to escalate the issue, Iraq rightfully rejects the notion that it can be treated as the region’s backyard, with routine violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Now, another case in point are the ongoing Turkish and Iranian shelling activities in the North. So, what are we looking at? Cross-border shelling and missiles as the new normal for Iraq? This is a very risky way to advance interests, and one which further weakens the State of Iraq.

Needless to say: any country or actor seeking to settle a dispute has established diplomatic instruments, including our good offices, at their disposal.

Now, moving to Iraq’s very own armed actors operating outside state control: the reckless firing of rockets, including at an oil refinery in Erbil some two weeks ago, remains alarming and unjustifiable. These attacks seek to undermine Iraq’s security and stability within an already extremely volatile, politically charged post-electoral environment.

Fact is: “messaging by rockets”, “missile diplomacy” – these are reckless acts, with potentially devastating consequences. Also, and let me emphasize, Iraq does not need self-proclaimed armed arbiters. And I again underline the great importance of asserting the State’s authority. If the perpetrators are known, call them out. This is essential to uphold the Rule of Law.

Ladies and gentlemen, turning to the ever-pressing question of Sinjar:

As we know all too well, Sinjar’s recent history has witnessed horrific ordeals, culminating in the heinous crimes committed by Da’esh. Today, while locals urgently need to rebuild their lives, they continue to face unconscionable obstacles. Obstacles due to discord on security arrangements, public service provisions and a unified administration.

The Sinjar agreement, signed by Baghdad and Erbil in October 2020, was seen (by many) as a glimmer of hope: a very first but important step in the right direction.

At the time, I expressed hope that the agreement would lead to a new chapter for Sinjar, one in which the needs of the Sinjari people would come first, that it would help displaced people return to their homes, that it would accelerate reconstruction and improve public service delivery.

But for that to happen, stable governance and security structures are - of course - pre-requisites. Now, ever since the agreement was signed, I have called for a speedy implementation. Well clearly, the opposite is true. To date, there is no agreement on the selection of a new independent mayor, and funds for a new local security force remain blocked, possibly due to interference into unclear recruitment procedures.

Now, on these recruitment procedures: I again emphasize the importance of pragmatism and realism. Not all people who joined “other forces” in the past can simply be painted with the same brush. It must be understood that some of them, absent the authority of the State, simply opted for a safety net, an identity and an income to provide for their families.

We also called on both Baghdad and Erbil to reach out to the people of Sinjar, to open their arms to all Sinjaris. Meanwhile, critics of the Sinjar agreement kept on emphasizing the lack of consultations with local communities.

Now, while no one dismisses good advice, and certainly not UNAMI, I have to say: local consultations did take place and continue to take place. At the same time, it is true that both Baghdad and Erbil could and should step up their outreach at the grassroots level. The implementation of any agreement, winning hearts and minds, is hard work. And this one in particular.

A piece of paper alone will not do the job. One needs to be on top of it, 24/7, own it, constantly and proactively engage with the communities on the ground, provide explanations, clarify why a decision has been taken and why it benefits the Sinjaris in the medium to long term. Having said this: significant divides and the fragmentation of local communities are a fact of life in Sinjar, making things even more challenging.

And within this context, it is also important to note that Sinjar has increasingly turned into an arena for external and domestic spoilers.

Now, while some of this can be traced back to 2014 as Da’esh kicked off its atrocities, eight years later it is time to acknowledge that yes, mistakes have been made in the past, but Sinjar is part of the State of Iraq.

By giving room to external and domestic spoilers, the situation will not get any better. And by now, all stakeholders would do well to acknowledge this fact - notwithstanding their gratitude for the help and assistance received in the past. You know, nobody said that the establishment of stable security and governance structures would be an easy ride.

But there is no denying it: the lack of clear-cut coordination and implementation mechanism, the dominance of partisan interests and the ongoing presence of spoilers significantly hamper meaningful progress. I have to say – international observers have been deployed for less.

Clashes have again erupted in recent weeks. And this sadly made Sinjari families again pack their belongings and find their way back to the Kurdistan Region to seek shelter.

So, let me reiterate:

  • Sinjaris’ safety and security should be front and centre at all times.
  • They deserve peace under the authority of the State.
  • Domestic and external spoilers have no place in Sinjar.
  • Baghdad and Erbil must assume their responsibility, and urgently work together with only one objective: to improve the lives of people on the ground and promote the voluntary, dignified return of displaced persons to their homes.

Mr. President,

A few words on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing Kuwaiti property, including the national archives.

In recent months, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence has stepped up efforts to reach new witnesses through broadcasts, the media, as well as consular and diplomatic channels worldwide. As a result, at least two potential new witnesses have come forward during this period, confirming that broadcasts with a wide geographic reach can be helpful in eliciting information.

This demonstrated that investing efforts in obtaining new witness information, and insisting on acquiring satellite imagery analysis from relevant member States, are essential steps to bring this crucial and sensitive file to a close.

Now, Mr. President,

I will conclude my remarks by underlining (once more) the importance of overcoming the political stalemate. Significant domestic vulnerabilities are being compounded by the ongoing effects of the pandemic and global geopolitical tensions.

A sincere, collective and urgent will to resolve political differences must now prevail – it must prevail for the country to move forward and to meet the needs of its citizens.

Thank you, Mr. President.


Once upon a time, we attended these meetings and reported on them here.  But then they became a non-deniable farce.  Those present on the council didn't even pretend to be interested, stopped any questions -- even softballs -- and the UNAMI rep would read their statements.  Then it got worse as they'd summarize their prepared remarks instead of even reading them in full.


Now the UN has extended its mandate over Iraq for a year and they did so in a 'meeting' that lasted four minutes  I think most of us spend more time than that considering what we for dinner.  


The UN made clear that it doesn't care about Iraq -- it only cares about controlling the country.

We are weeks away from the eight month mark -- eight months since the October 10th elections and the Iraqi government has still not announced a president or prime minister.


But that's apparently not worthy of discussion.


Climate change is impacting Iraq harshly and nothing's being done but the UN doesn't want to discuss that.


The vastly unpopular holdover prime minister attended the funeral of an Iraqi poet days ago and was booed and pelted with objects forcing him to leave but that's not anything the UN wants to address or explore.


They should be ashamed of themselves.


Continuing the ridiculous, at SCHEER POST, Katrina vanden Heuvel offers:


It’s time to challenge the orthodox view on the war in Ukraine.

As Russia’s illegal and brutal assault enters its fourth month, the impact on Europe, the Global South and the world is already profound. We are witnessing the emergence of a new political/military world order. Climate action is being sidelined as reliance on fossil fuels increases; food scarcity and other resource demands are pushing prices upward and causing widespread global hunger; and the worldwide refugee crisis — with more international refugees and internally displaced people than at any time since the end of World War II — poses a massive challenge.

Furthermore, the more protracted the war in Ukraine, the greater the risk of a nuclear accident or incident. And with the Biden administration’s strategy to “weaken” Russia with the scale of weapons shipments, including anti-ship missiles, and revelations of U.S. intelligence assistance to Ukraine, it is clear that the United States and NATO are in a proxy war with Russia.

Shouldn’t the ramifications, perils and multifaceted costs of this proxy war be a central topic of media coverage — as well as informed analysis, discussion and debate? Yet what we have in the media and political establishment is, for the most part, a one-sided, even nonexistent, public discussion and debate. It’s as if we live with what journalist Matt Taibbi has dubbed an “intellectual no-fly zone.”

Those who have departed from the orthodox line on Ukraine are regularly excluded from or marginalized — certainly rarely seen — on big corporate media. The result is that alternative and countervailing views and voices seem nonexistent. Wouldn’t it be healthy to have more diversity of views, history and context rather than “confirmation bias”?

Those who speak of history and offer context about the West’s precipitating role in the Ukraine tragedy are not excusing Russia’s criminal attack. It is a measure of such thinking, and the rhetorical or intellectual no-fly zone, that prominent figures such as Noam Chomsky, University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and former U.S. ambassador Chas Freeman, among others, have been demonized or slurred for raising cogent arguments and providing much-needed context and history to explain the background of this war.


Now it's time.


Now.



All these months later.


Is Katrina a 911 operator out of Buffalo, New York?


There's a saying, better late than never.


It's a saying.


It's not accurate.  But people do say it.


People aslo see that the US government is indifferent to the lives of American babies as evidenced by the baby formula shortage.  Margaret Kimberley (BLACK AGENDA REPORT) offers:


“Socialism doesn’t work” is repeated like a mantra. We’re told endlessly that capitalism provides jobs, housing, food, and health care in this country when it does a very bad job of doing all these things. The United States is said to be “the richest country in the world,” a strange statement which implies that the people are prosperous even though they aren’t.

Gig work, housing insecurity, medical debt, and student loan debt are all common experiences for people in the U.S. Now, to add insult to injury, the system said to be so superior can’t even keep little babies fed.

There is an historic shortage of baby formula. There are parts of the country where food for infants simply can’t be found at any price. This headline is the most honest about the situation. “America is running out of baby formula because 3 companies control the market and babies aren’t that profitable .” There are only three baby formula manufacturers and one of them, Abbott, had to shut down its plant after a whistleblower revealed their product was contaminated. Two infant deaths may be related to the contamination, which went undiscovered despite Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority.

The Biden administration has invoked the Defense Production Act to increase the supply and now allows formula from foreign countries to be imported. They are making quite a show of their late in the day response to a situation that should have been addressed sooner. But the stop gaps to resolve a temporary crisis should not allow a bigger problem to go unmentioned. Capitalism is the problem. Transportation Secretary and onetime presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg admitted as much even as he tried to defend the failed state. “But let's be very clear. This is a capitalist country. The government does not make baby formula, nor should it. Companies make formula.”

In a better society, a socialist society, baby formula wouldn’t be sold by private interests. It would be provided free of charge to every family and yes, the government would make it. The “market forces” which we are told solve every problem actually create very serious ones. In this country even the effort to provide infant formula to all, regardless of income, is yet another means of supporting monopoly capital.


Disclosure, I have known and been friends with Johnny Depp for years.  Yes, we're going back to the trial.


For those stupid enough to fall for Amber Heard's play acting yesterday, thank goodness you aren't casting directors, the film industry would be shut down.

Only the deeply stupid could have bought her act.

People want to kill her.

Yes, Amber, when a woman speaks out, she's going to get threats.  We've all seen it happen.  Here's the thing though, life does go on.  And if you're getting a threat you slide it over to the authorities -- see the side of this website.  I am not picking on Mike but I am using him as an example.  He could call out Joe Biden tomorrow in the same language I did or worse and he would get a certain type of response.  I would get a different one -- mine would be more personal, mine would be more threatening and more violent.  That's because we live in a society that does condone violence against women and don't kid yourself that it doesn't.  

That's reality.  

It needs to change.

But I am not right because I receive a threat.  Nor, Amber, are you.  

People are upset with you and they are right to be upset.

You took 7 million -- 'for charity' -- laughing all the way -- and then you turned around and wrote that awful column.  It wasn't written in a vacuum.  Despite agreeing not to disparage him (and he agreed to the same with regard to her) as part of the divorce settlement, Amber began a whisper campaign to lay the groundwork against Johnny.  Emboldened by the lack of pushback, she then went with her 2018 WASHINGTON POST column which was calling him a domestic abuser.  

Sorry, Amber, people are going to be mad at you and they should be.

Let's pretend you're telling the truth: Well greedy trash, you shouldn't have taken 7 million dollars.  You should have prosecuted.  But, if you're telling the truth, your greed was more important than justice or in protecting other women.

So climb off the cross because no one's buying your act.

You ended a brief marriage that was a huge mistake.  And you got 7 million dollars out of it -- that you were never going to give to charity.  

You should have gone on with your life.

Instead, you wanted to hype yourself and turn yourself into a star so you timed the column to debut as someone else's big film that featured you in a small role came out.  You were going to use this column for publicity and the whole country was going to be blown away and obsessed with Amber.

Didn't happen. 

Because as I wrote in real time, you were a cold fish on screen.  You had no heat.  Julia Ormond didn't either and Julia's was a nice person.  I love Debra Winger but to stand next to her, you'd just think she was a nice person.  Put her in front of a camera and something happens.  That's how someone becomes a star.  Meryl Streep's famous and she's a leading lady (who doesn't really sell tickets) but she's never been a star and she never will be.  She lacks that certain something.  I did not know Elizabeth Taylor in her prime, I knew her much, much later.  But you could still see the spark even at the end.  You either have it or you don't.  There's a writer who I loathe because she lies and in one of her books she went off on Elliott Gould.  If she'd said Elliott was never a star, okay, you can make that argument.  But to say he's not sexy?  He was very sexy back in the day.  But the spark that makes a star is not just about sexy -- it's something much more.  Amber didn't have it. 

I can usually look at someone -- on film -- and tell you whether they've got it or not.  I told Sydney not to cast Julia in SABRINA.  He was convinced she was star material and she wasn't and to put her into an Audrey Hepburn remake?  That would have been too much for any female -- even Demi at the height of her fame.  Julia might have pulled it off -- might have because SABRINA's really not a film that the world needs remakes of because it's not fun and it's not dramatic and it really adds up to nothing.  Audrey gave it magic that the property really didn't have.  

Demi Moore was a star.  She captured the public's fascination, she sold tickets.  Greg Kinnear was not.  A star sells tickets and a star has a following.  

Famous does not make you a star.  

Amber's a bad actress who does not connect onscreen with the audience -- there is no dynamic, there is no pull.

But many times, it's difficult for people to see themselves honestly.  She's thought for years she was going to be a star -- any day!!!! That day never arrived and it's not arriving.  But the plan was that AQUAMAN would make her a star -- a big budget film!  With her in it!!! And timing the column to amplify attention, she just knew this was the thing to do.

You know what the thing to do is?  Get John Waters to write a screenplay  about this.  It's his next SERIAL MOM.  Let Helen Hunt or some older actress play the role since Amber looks so haggard these days.  (That chin was always gong to defeat any chance she had of aging well.)  



14 years and 34 films after she started appearing in motion pictures, she just knew this was her big break.  Appearing in films with  Demi Moore, Kevin Costner, Nicholas Cage, Channing Tatum, etc did not make her a star.  There is no stardom within her.  

But she hoped it would come via the one-two punch of AQUAMAN and her column.

It didn't.

I have no idea what the jury will think -- her smirking at them every time she took the stand wouldn't have done well had I been on the jury.  But she's lied repeatedly on the stand, been exposed repeatedly on the stand, called others liars and then, seconds later, insisted she didn't just call them a liar, she's shown 'devoted wife' in the elevators with two men during the marriage -- once when she's nude except for a blanket.  That kind of weakens her claim that he beat her but she stayed because of love.  

She's a liar and both genders can lie.

Those trying to make Amber the poster girl of feminism are deluded.  If more were known of her abuse of her female lovers, they'd probably shut their uninformed mouths.

Unlike those idiots -- male and female -- I actually known Johnny and, sadly, I actually know Amber.   Which is why I can say: Amber is lying.


The following sites updated:


  • Latino USA
    The Battle of 187
    2 hours ago
  • Music
    Hace 40 años, la Guerra Malvinas-Falkland transformó el rock latino
    3 hours ago
  • KBLA - Tavis Smiley's talk radio
    Top Gun: Maverick’s age shouldn’t stop him as a test and fighter pilot, but his lifestyle might
    3 hours ago
  • Antiwar.com Original
    Perpetual Debt, Perpetual War
    8 hours ago
  • Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude
    amber is such a bitch
    8 hours ago
  • Like Maria Said Paz
    Chase Rice readying new album
    8 hours ago
  • SICKOFITRADLZ
    Bye, Ellen
    8 hours ago
  • Mikey Likes It!
    Rock Me On The Water
    9 hours ago
  • Ann's Mega Dub
    Ghislaine Jizzy Pants Maxwell
    9 hours ago
  • Oh Boy It Never Ends
    Jodie Foster has a new project
    9 hours ago
  • Thomas Friedman is a Great Man
    Science grab bag
    9 hours ago
  • Trina's Kitchen
    Zero Carb Crust Pizza in the Kitchen
    9 hours ago
  • Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)
    Andy Fletcher
    9 hours ago
  • Ruth's Report
    Ray Liotta
    11 hours ago
  • Dissident Voice
    And Then There Was No More Empire All of a Sudden
    15 hours ago
  • The Official Jody Watley Website
    JUST ANNOUNCED. Grammy Winning Artist Jody Watley Set To Headline Motor City Pride Detroit
    17 hours ago 





 

 

Posted by Ruth at 8:15 PM
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