Ruth's Report

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Realities from Ted Rall

Ted Rall (COUNTERPUNCH) offers:

Far too many lefties still can’t believe that the Orange One won the election, or that as president he’s so stupid and mean and right-wing.
Know the cliché, “if you’re not angry you’re not paying attention”? If you didn’t see Trump’s victory coming, you weren’t paying attention to the anger of your fellow citizens — and neither was the Democratic Party. NAFTA cost a million Americans their jobs. Since the 1970s automation has put 7 million people out of work. Democrats marketed themselves as the party of Joe and Jane Sixpack, but Bill Clinton pushed for and signed NAFTA, a Republican idea. Neither Clinton nor Obama lifted a finger to save the Rust Belt; as a candidate Hillary Clinton didn’t care either.
For those who opened their eyes to see, every aspect of Trump’s “surprise” win was visible in plain sight.
2016’s Rust Belt Trumpers were yesteryear’s Reagan Democrats and the “angry white males” of the 1990s.
Democratic disunity was another big factor. But the schism between Hillary Clinton corporate Democrats and Bernie Sanders progressives directly paralleled the 1980 split between Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy.

It is an interesting article.

Give it a read, you will probably find something to agree with.

Like this:

Stupid progressive thing #2: viewing Trump’s politics as significantly more dangerous or extreme than, say, Obama’s.
Worried that Trump will pull a Greg Stillson (“the missiles are flying”) on North Korea? Me too. But please get real. Trump’s needlessly bellicose rhetoric and gleeful overuse of the war machine hardly represent a radical shift in foreign policy from his predecessors. Obama gleefully ordered a political assassination (Osama bin Laden), financed civil wars that destroyed Libya and Syria, slaughtered thousands of civilians with drones and joked about it. All Trump did was alter the tone of U.S. propaganda from fake they-made-me-do-it to his more honest I-like-it.

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

Wednesday, August 30, 2017.

XINHUA reports, "Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday rejected the relocation of around 700 Islamic State (IS) militants and their families to the Syrian eastern city of Bukamal near the border with Iraq." ALJAZEERA adds:

Haider al-Abadi, Iraq's prime minister, said on that Tuesday the deal was "unacceptable" and an "insult to the Iraqi people".
He said Iraq was battling the fighters, not sending them to Syria.

If the point was to drive the Islamic State out of Iraq, Hayder's whining that some are being bussed is rather strange.

Before the operation to 'liberate' Tal Afar began, Hayder issued his usual cry of leave now or we will kill you. (By the way, ALJAZEERA notes, "Abadi has said Iraqi forces expected to announce victory in the city of Tal Afar within days.")

Leave or we kill you.

Now he's upset that they're leaving?

Also weighing in?

US Special Envoy Brett McGurk.

‏Verified account @brett_mcgurk

Our @coalition will help ensure that these terrorists can never enter #Iraq or escape from what remains of their dwindling "caliphate." 2/2

22 replies74 retweets103 likes

‏Verified account @brett_mcgurk

Irreconcilable #ISIS terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across #Syria to the Iraqi border without #Iraq's consent 1/2

55 replies134 retweets160 likes

Oh, Brett, pretty fades.

What will you do when it's gone?

How exactly, Brett, do you determine the "irreconilable" terrorists. As opposed to, what I presume, would be the contrasting "dabbling" terrorists?

More to the point, the US government has repeatedly killed "terrorists" who turn out to be innocent civilians. So maybe guilt is better left to a court of law, Brett?

As for the US "ensur[ing] that terrorists can never enter #Iraq"?

I think Brett might need to try selling that to the American people because right now, they're not buying.

Right now, they're damn tired of 14 years of war in the latest wave of war on Iraq.

Right now, they damn sick of the fact that a trillion has been spent on this action and the cost is still increasing.

Right now, they're confused by their own government's refusal to provide Medicare for all when the US government did that for the Iraqi people when they wrote the 2005 constitution for Iraq.

Right now, as US cities crumble and there is no money to fix roads and highways and there is no money to increase the budgets for schools or libraries.

Why is it on the US to (pretend) to protect Iraq's borders?

That should be on Iraq.

I know they can't.

The Islamic States ascendancy proved that.

But a puppet government will never have mass support from the people.

So apparently, to keep the puppet government in place, the US will have to remain in Iraq for years to come.

And that is what Brett's Tweet is really saying.

Yes, indeed, Brett's really saying something.

And the American people should know what he's committing them to.

His Tweets should be front page, top of the hour news.

I seriously doubt, however, that what passes for media in this country will take the time to inform We The People.

Back to the parenthetical on Tal Afar, NRT and REUTERS note that Hayder held a press conference on Tuesday where he announced that they would soon declare victory in Tal Afar.

However, FRANCE 24 has an interview (link is video and text) with spokesperson and cheerleader for the US-led coalition Ryan Dillon where he dubs the operation "decisive" and refers to it in past tense.

Who is right -- Hayder or head cheerleader Ryan?

‏Verified account @BBCWorld

Iraqi troops face fierce IS resistance near Tal Afar 

28 replies44 retweets78 likes

Maybe Ryan should have just stuck to doing the splits?

In other news, Kirkuk's joining the KRG in the planned September 25 referendum.

ADDED: The following community sites -- plus Jody Watley, PACIFICA EVENING NEWS, BLACK AGENDA REPORT -- updated:

Black Agenda Report

Trump Reverses Ban on Some Transfers of Military Equipment

5 hours ago

The Pacifica Evening News

Senator Feinstein Blasts Arpaio Pardon

10 hours ago

15 hours ago

15 hours ago

Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)

Up The Creek

15 hours ago

Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude

silence

15 hours ago

Ruth's Report

Naomi Klein embarrasses herself

15 hours ago

Oh Boy It Never Ends

The summer's lousy box office

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Mikey Likes It!

On Trump's pardon

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Thomas Friedman is a Great Man

Cynthia McKinney and Tori Amos

17 hours ago

Like Maria Said Paz

Stevie Nicks "Juliet"

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Ann's Mega Dub

Margaret and Chris

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The Official Jody Watley Website

Jody Watley ‘Larger Than Life’ Ranks Among Top 50 Greatest New Jack Swing Albums on Boombox

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Naomi Klein embarrasses herself

HAVE ONE ON ME is the Joanna Newsom album "Baby Birch" is from.

It is one of my favorite songs and I love a lot of her songs.

Poor Naomi Klein.

She is attempting to carve out some space for herself but keeps making mistakes.

Shirtless Pundit Retweeted

Alan Smithee‏ @ActualFlatticus 9 hours ago

Smethport, Pennsylvania saw 34.3 inches in 12 hours in July of 1942. This is just bad history posing as science.

Naomi KleinVerified account @NaomiAKlein

"Harvey is already the worst rainstorm in U.S. history, and it’s still raining" http://grist.org/article/harvey-is-already-the-worst-rainstorm-in-u-s-history-and-its-still-raining/ … via @grist

1 reply13 retweets27 likes
Shirtless Pundit Retweeted

Alan Smithee‏ @ActualFlatticus 9 hours ago

Tropical Storm Claudette dropped 43 inches of rainfall on Alvin, Texas in 24 hours. This doesn't come close.

Naomi KleinVerified account @NaomiAKlein

"Harvey is already the worst rainstorm in U.S. history, and it’s still raining" http://grist.org/article/harvey-is-already-the-worst-rainstorm-in-u-s-history-and-its-still-raining/ … via @grist

9 retweets22 likes
Shirtless Pundit Retweeted

Alan Smithee‏ @ActualFlatticus 9 hours ago

There's a lot in this article that's just plain wrong. Record rainfall for a month was 101 inches in March 1942 at Puu Kukui, for one.

Naomi KleinVerified account @NaomiAKlein

"Harvey is already the worst rainstorm in U.S. history, and it’s still raining" http://grist.org/article/harvey-is-already-the-worst-rainstorm-in-u-s-history-and-its-still-raining/ … via @grist

4 replies8 retweets18 likes

Poor Ms. Klein.

I guess you can take the mall rat out of the mall but you cannot take the mall out of the mall rat.

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

Tuesday, August 29, 2017.

USA TODAY trumpets the end of the Tal Afar operation:

Defeat of ISIS in northern Iraq town marks milestone in campaign to eliminate groupIslamic State militants driven from one of last terror strongholds in northern Iraq

USA TODAY

Aug 28, 2017

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued the following:

Situation overview:
The military operation to retake Telafar city and district from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) began on 20 August, and unfolded more rapidly than initially anticipated. On Saturday 26 August, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) entered Telafar city and raised the Iraqi flag in the city centre. ISF took full control of the city and the eastern parts of the district. Current media reports indicate ISF is in the final stages of the military operation in northern Telafar district. It is anticipated the entire district will be under ISF control within the coming days.
Displacement:
At the onset of the operation, an estimated 10,000 to 40,0001 people remained inside Telafar. However, midway through the week-long operation, reports indicated that at most only a few thousand remained in the entire district. Without access to the area, verification was impossible and it is now thought that most residents left by the end of June. The current number of civilians who remain in Telafar city is believed to be low.
According to figures released by authorities, 22,000 people left the area from the end of April to 13 August. Partners on the ground reported an additional 20,204 people fled via two mustering points of Buweyr and Musaid between 14 and 22 August.
Since April the number of documented IDPs who left Telafar thus stands at approximately 42,000. It is widely understood that thousands more may have fled since April; their numbers undocumented.
After the city centre was retaken on Saturday 26 August, there were reports that a further 1,500 people were displaced. Among these, about 1,000 attempted to cross to safety at the Bshar check point. Whilst waiting for access, nearby mortar fire started from ISIL-held areas and they turned back. The next day, all 1,500 reached ISF controlled Ayadiya sub-district and were transported to Hammam Al Alil. On 28 August 1,500 IDPs were permitted to cross at Bshar check point, where they received food, WASH and medical assistance. Health partners reported 90 people received medical assistance. The most serious cases were transferred to a nearby hospital. The Joint Crisis and Coordination Centre (JCC) transferred 1,040 to Hammam Al Alil that day. An additional 460 IDPs await transfer to Hammam Al Alil.
Camp Capacity:
On Saturday, 360 families were transferred from the screening site of Hammam Al Alil to the new 3,600 plot capacity camp in Al Salamiyah Nimrod. A further 347 families transferred on Sunday. UNHCR reported an additional 1,500 families (approximately 9,000 people) sheltering at the transit point of Hammam Al Alil will move to Al Salamyiah Nimrod camp.
Protection partners are an integral part of the camp registration process for IDPs, and work to identify and refer the most vulnerable cases to specialized services in a timely manner. Although unconfirmed, initial reports suggest the government intends to accelerate the return of civilians to Telafar where possible.

If the point is to reduce historic cities and towns to rubble and send Iraqis off to displacement camps (and tents for the harsh winter), call Hayder al-Abadi's 'liberation' operations a success.

Meanwhile, the US government looks for something -- anything -- to applaud.

They find this.

‏ @Iron6_1AD

#Marksmanship #Training at Camp #AlAsad. This training is critical to enabling local security forces to liberate their homeland from #ISIS.

15 retweets27 likes

‏Verified account @DeptofDefense

Locked & loaded! An #Iraqi #soldier aims down the sights of his weapon during a combined training activity in #Iraq. #InherentResolve

22 replies91 retweets299 likes

More training.

Yes, the Iraqi forces have been trained and re-trained over and over. The only exception a brief period in 2012 when they didn't want help from the US State Dept -- at which point, later that year, a DoD Memorandum of Understanding was signed to allow DoD to take over training again.

Dropping back to the April 30, 2013 Iraq snapshot:

December 6, 2012, the Memorandum of Understanding For Defense Cooperation Between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Iraq and the Department Defense of the United States of America was signed. We covered it in the December 10th and December 11th snapshots -- lots of luck finding coverage elsewhere including in media outlets -- apparently there was some unstated agreement that everyone would look the other way. It was similar to the silence that greeted Tim Arango's September 25th New York Times report which noted, "Iraq and the United States are negotiating an agreement that could result in the return of small units of American soldiers to Iraq on training missions. At the request of the Iraqi government, according to [US] General [Robert L.] Caslen, a unit of Army Special Operations soldiers was recently deployed to Iraq to advise on counterterrorism and help with intelligence."

The training never ends.

Why is that?

Or after over a decade of training, is that question still too touchy to be asked?

Maybe Iraq can't keep fighters because they don't have a real government?

Maybe the US can't impose a government and its own hand picked leaders upon another country and expect the citizens of that country to fight for the US-installed government.

Maybe hostilities between the various sects isn't the real problem -- maybe it's that Iraqis aren't buying in on a government created by the US, a government that still doesn't represent them or their interests?

Puppet governments rarely inspire a strong following.

Fourteen years and the puppet government still hasn't taken.

That must scare a number of people in the US government.

It would appear the Iraqi people plan to wait this out.

And, historically, when that happens, the native people win.

Fourteen years, countless lives, trillions of dollars and the puppet government can still not command respect or loyalty.

The puppet government's been about as convincing as the Turkish government. Turkey's maintained that they just want to help -- even when told to get their military out of Iraq. 'No, no, we'll stay and help!' That help has translated as over a decade of bombings -- mainly farms and villages.

They insist they're bombing 'terrorists.'

But hasn't the Turkish government's reaction to the KRG holding a referendum on independence (planned for next month) made clear that they pretty much see all Kurds as terrorists?

In related news, Amerin Zaman (AL-MONITOR) reports:

A Kurdish militant group claimed today that it has captured Turkish

intelligence officers.

Diyar Xerib, a Kurdish leader linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK),

said the PKK had “arrested” two Turkish nationals working for Turkey’s national spy

agency MIT, but had refrained from publicizing the incident so as not to create

problems for the local government.

“No doubt the PKK can publish news about the arrests of the MIT officials

who wanted to make the area a place to carry out their dirty operations, the

biggest of which was to assassinate a prominent PKK official,” Xerib told

the pro-PKK Roj news outlet.

News that the PKK had captured Turkish intelligence officials first surfaced

last week. Accounts vary but according to several Iraqi Kurdish news