Inside Media Reform Conference, Day Two

The conference is available for viewing on the FREE PRESS website. I have heard that they were on C-Span already, and the local paper has a front page story.

Saturday’s Opening Session: Senator Bernie Sanders

Hooray for Senator Sanders! I just love this guy.

Senator Sanders spoke about the importance of the media and how corporate control of media is influencing all aspects of life and politics. He said that all issues are controlled (to some extent) and related to the media. He predicts the end of corporate control of media. Some of the many points he made follow. In the issue of the Iraq war, media acted as a megaphone for the Bush administration, so they are also quite responsible for the violence, death and chaos in Iraq today. One issue that Sanders claims the media is not covering today is the collapse of the middle class in the USA. This reality of many working people’s lives is ignored. How they are struggling is not covered. So, when those Americans who are slipping out of the middle class turn to corporate media, they see the facts of their reality ignored and instead, the responsibility for the challenges they face is put back on themselves. They are being told it is a failure of “self-responsibility” that is the root cause of their problems. What is NOT covered by the corporate media is how politics in this country are impacting on the problems the slipping middle class are facing. Instead, they are presented with the reality that it is entirely all their own fault.

(Personally, I know that some people are struggling, and I realize that your ‘safety net’ can be non-existent in some situations, the most pressing one being a serious decline in one’s health. But I also see many people being greedy and living way beyond their means, and many more people who are clearly making bad choices for their lives. But clearly, Sanders is making some good points here – politics in this country is pushing more and more people out of the middle class, and concentrating wealth in fewer and fewer hands. That needs to be addressed. That needs to stop. )

Some other issues that Sanders noted is not on corporate media is: 1) single payer health care; 2) how the US has the most unfair distribution of wealth in the world; 3) virtually NO coverage of anti-war voices prior to the war; 4) coverage of Martin Luther King Jr. as an anti-Vietnam-war voice this coming Monday; and 5) no coverage of MLK Jr as a voice for social economic justice for all people.

Senator Sanders then went on to proclaim that now is the time to address whether corporate media is meeting it’s responsibilities and now is the time to bring back the fairness doctrine. He feels we need to stop media deregulation, and this is a serious, serious issues. He said that we will not have the kind of democracy that we want to have without major changes in the media and the way it works.

Citizen Journalism: Making an Impact in the New Media Landscape

Ellen Miller was the moderator, and she is from the Sunlight Foundation. This foundation tries to get government data and forms in the public domain and open for scrutiny. She made the comment that corporate media ‘misunderestimates’ the internet world and its contribution. Jay Rosen spoke about how media has changed in various ways over the centuries and how the media platform and direction is changing still today into an interaction instead of a one-way direction of information.

Christopher Rabb is the founder of Afro-Netizen. He talked about who he started with emailing friends with news aggregates and then moved on to blogging. He was invited to blog at the Democratic Party Convention. He talked about how reading other’s work on the internet gives an insider view to what that group may be thinking and feeling, but it may only be a sub-state of a certain group. He said that the power of citizen journalism is only as strong as our values, and we need to have the intentionality to bring everyone into the mix, so we don’t have that ‘elite’ subgroups.

Chris Nolan, works with Spot-On.com, and she asks that we not yell at the media, and that a blog is not a by-line. She claims that having a by-line somehow contributes to accuracy! Well, I don’t agree with her on that. Dan Gillmor started out saying he was a ‘recovering journalist’. He is with Center for Citizen Media. He said the beauty of the new media is the ability for all people to interact. He does hope that journalism does include some principles like accuracy and he comments that transparency is new in corporate media, but feels it is essential for citizen journalism – that we need to know where the citizen journalist is coming from. He expressed concerns about AT&T and what they might do to net neutrality.

Afterwards, I went to talk to Chris Nolan of SpotOn.com, and I found her to be somewhat dismissive of my addressed concerns. She had noted that a local press person had said “what do they want?” in response to a media reform conference in her town. I told her that I want press that does not quote DC pundits and DC idiot politicians and repeat that Iran will have usable nukes in a few years, without noting that they have been making this claim since 1991. Chris said that the press has deadlines, they take the wire print outs and use that – which basically to me says the corporate press are lazy and stupid. She commented to me that I was probably a well-informed person, and that’s apparently the reason why I am critical of this type of work by the press. So, does that mean that useless stupid information that will inspire the “dumb masses” out there to support war is okay, provided that there are no intelligent readers out there who know what is going on? Am I somehow special because I can do google searches and expect the corporate media to do so also? Well, let me say that I work as a pediatric audiologist, and have been working since 1983. I have MIS-diagnosed exactly one child in all that time, and he had a fluctuating hearing loss. I diagnosed him as being ‘normal hearing’ which I have no doubt he did on the first occasion I tested him. I expect the same standards in other people in whatever field they are working in. Somehow, in the corporate media, screwing up in your chosen profession is acceptable. I wish they would hold the same standards that I hold for myself in my chosen professional work. Or, in simple words, if you screw up routinely, you go find another line of work.

Capitol Hill Update: A New Congress

Representative Hinchey and Cohen were the only ones present for this debate, due to the fact that other contributors had travel delays or concerns. Rep Cohen commented on how PBS/NPR is on the “left” of the dial. I feel PBS/NPR is often inaccurate, and I really don’t care where it falls on the political spectrum. I had a friend who abandoned NPR after it discussed the stain on the blue dress for ten minutes. She felt that she had better things to do with her life. I have often heard things about the war in Iraq that are clearly wrong on NPR over the last few years. Rep. Cohen also said that he supports the Fairness Doctrine.

Rep. Hinchey congratulated Rep. Cohen for helping turn the US House of Representatives into a Democratic majority. The crowd here clapped and many stood up for that one. Personally, I will only clap for those who have proven that they hold and promote ethical values in the US Congress – like Senator Sanders. I do not stand up for someone just because they won an election.

Rep. Hinchey said the war on Iraq was totally misguided and illegal. He said he wonders how the congress of the US could have voted to give the President this authority and how the public could have been persuaded to support this illegal war. One of the ways this happened was though the coverage in the American media. He called the right wing of our country “neo-facists”. He called some of the reporting a “con job”. Rep. Hinchey expressed his concerns that this will happen again in the US – and may, in fact, end this democratic republic. He felt that many of the people involved in this deception have the real goal of ending our democratic republic. He pins a lot of the problems that we faced with the media in the build up to the war on MEDIA CONSOLIDATION, which started in the 1980’s. And then he commented that none of us knows everything, none of us know all the truth, which is why we need to hear from a vast variety of voices. We need the input, not the suppression of various voices of dissent. He commented that this was attacked and voices suppressed by the FCC under Reagan, which is where this all started. (I agree with all that he is saying, but he is only reviewing part of how we got where we are today. This may be new information to some people, but it is known history for me.) Rep. Hinchey says that Reagan administration pushed this agenda because they purposefully wanted to suppress voices on the left, because they knew that the only way they could win was to keep other voices out of the debate.

Rep. Hinchey commented on the recent actions by the Bush administration to maintain the CULTURE OF FEAR. He set up “The Future of American Media” caucus in congress. He is working on stopping media consolidation, and introducing a bill in the US House of Representatives on this. Senator Sanders will also introduce a bill in the Senate. He claims that with these bills, right wing nut radio and TV stations will have to present alternate views. (I think that is very optimistic! It should stop the ‘echo chamber’ however if we can bust up media consolidation.) He claims that it will take public pressure on congress to get this type of media reform passed. Rep. Hinchey says that all of us need to be involved, and we need to ask our elected legislators involved in backing these bills by Hinchey and Sanders. At the end, I stood up and clapped for Rep. Hinchey. And he’s right – it will take citizen action and citizen pressure to get congress to act, and then more pressure to enforce whatever bills they pass.

Inside Media Reform Conference, Day One

At the opening reception, the Mayor of Memphis specifically invited the local media to attend some of the sessions at this conference. He clearly saw that they would benefit from going to this conference. There are over 3000 people from nearly every state in the union here.

The opening speech was from Bill Moyers. He spoke about the redistribution of wealth to the wealthy and the redistribution of power to the powerful. He said that media consolidation is going up, and the few remaining voices were under great economic and political pressure. He said that the pursuit of personal gain and power turns lies into truth and truth into lies. Moyers said all media matters but some matter more than others, and print media (newspaper) are the overwhelmingly most important at this time, for covering and uncovering important stories. He also commented that the nation’s newspapers are purposefully are dumbing down.

Moyers is producing a documentary called “Buying the War” to be released later this year. He commented again on how major media in our country contributed to ignorance leading up to the war. He said that people have to see how money and politics works to understand. An example of this NOT happening is pundits on TV discussing bill, some for and some against, without anyone discussing whose financial interests are being advanced with the passage or defeat of a bill in Congress.

Moyers said that others have been writing our story – and we had better take the pen from their hands. He spoke about how powers are working to control the internet for the ‘plantation’. He also commented on the “swhooshing” sound in DC- as someone shows up to serve the public and then move on to serving the interests of the powerful instead.

Under what to do – continue to petition congress to stop media consolidation, which has shown success so far. He feels we need to have equal access provision for the internet and feel that we (the public) changed the nature and direction of the debate. He also felt that we should all petition our local Public TV to carry Democracy Now! That way people can get access by TV on real news and real information, not spin, on what is going on.

Finally, Moyers said we have to get alternative content out there or our country will die from too many lies. He advised that we not depend on the hope of good results, but concentrate instead on the truth of what you are doing.

I guess that last one means we have to try, no matter if we have good prospects of achieving success. More later on the Media Reform Conference.

UPDATE: Jessie Jackson’s speech

He said Bush needs a rope, instead he has a shovel and is digging the hole deeper. (Presumably the rope is to get out of the hole, not to do a Saddam execution tape imitation. Seven children around the world have died from watching Saddam’s execution on TV and then imitating it.) Mr. Jackson spoke about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his stand against humans killing one another…. King said he would not be quiet and he would be heard. King was confronted by his colleagues to continue to work on civil rights instead of stopping the war. King did not follow their advice.

Jessie Jackson will be in DC for the January 27, 2007 MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

Jackson has been to many countries in the Middle East, and has met Saddam Hussein. He raises the question of why he is asked about the Duke Lacrosse team incidents, but not what he thinks about the war or the Middle East.

Jackson said that what we see on TV is “all day, all night, all white”. He said Iraq was like a ‘cross-eyed archery’ since we went after Saddam instead of bin Laden. Jackson’ says his analysis was right, Kissinger was wrong, but they still go to Kissinger. (I have a theory that pundits have to be wrong for a decade or two before they are offered a position. I cannot explain why anyone would still listen to Kissinger.)

Jackson said that Bush makes a women or black president much more plausible. If Bush can be president twice, anyone can be president once. He also said we need bold leadership, not baby steps. He said at the end to REINVEST IN AMERICA.

INSIDE CORPORATE MEDIA: CAN IT TELL THE TRUTH?

This panel consisted of Jeff Cohen (FAIR), Phil Donahue, Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now!) and Laura Washington (In These Times).

Jeff Cohen commented that a lack of accuracy, a lack of truthfulness, is not a barrier to get on the air – it may actually help you! Jeff Cohen mentioned that some of the more egregious errors – and said the more pundits are off (with the data) – the more they are ON (TV, that is). FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) looks at various groups are represented on TV – which is a study that right wing groups would never do. News Hour had five “stay the course” pundits for every “get out now” pundit. Donahue had to have two “pro-war” pundits to every “anti-war” pundit. Here are the three things he says we need to do:

1. challenge mainstream media – go for balance and diversity
2. promote independent and non-profit media
3. reform of media structure is important – net neutrality, and bust up media control.

Laura Washington talked about her background and how she worked inside and outside the media. She does a lot of freelancing and has an impact that way, even if she is not getting paid well. She said that corporate media is in TERROR, especially newspapers, because they are losing people and because they have been wrong so much. She commented that CONTENT is king. She commented on how in the early 1990’s African American communities were not discussing AIDS, but she came out with a story the day after Magic Johnson said he had HIV and that story got a lot of attention, because people want information.

Juan Gonzalez was introduced as someone who is a pain in the ass to corporate and media elite in our country. Juan said that mass media is a component of modern industrial society. He said it is essential for a democratic society, because all are equal on voting day – so mass media needs to get information out and control that information and control the sentiments to keep the benefit to the elites. Our nation, when new, needed newspapers to get organized and to get information to people. As people moved west, they started up their own newspapers in the new areas. He said that our press was part and parcel of the elites in this country, and later working people started up their own media. Development of media chains came from the development of the elite media. He then spoke on press and the war. Poor coverage of the war in nothing new in the press. It is very rare that commercial press will go against governments. He said in every war, governments sought to justify war - and in all cases, at least one side was wrong. Sometimes, all sides are wrong. During war is the toughest time to stand up to your government. It is the job of the press to try to get the “subjected” peoples stories told, but they fail in doing that. Today, technology is able to outstrip ability to provide CONTENT and we have an opportunity to use this as inroads to confront governments and corporate elites.

Juan Gonzalez’s comments reflect my own belief: All wars start with lies. And generally, the one starting the war is the one doing the lying. I stopped Juan as I was writing this up, and told him thank-you for all the good work he does and then told him my belief about wars and how they start. I wish all children could be taught this simple fact while in school, that all wars start with lies – maybe we could get more people to oppose their governments when they start wars.

Bible Quote

America:

You have plowed iniquity,
you have reaped injustice,
you have eaten the fruit of lies.


Because you have trusted in your chariots
and in the multitude of your warriors,
therefore the tumault of war shall arise among your people
and all your fortresses shall be destroyed.

Media Issues!

I am leaving early, early tomorrow for the Media Reform conference in Memphis TN. I just wanted to pass on this message from Common Cause, which is about our media here in the USA – and censorship. I hope to blog from the Media Reform conference!

FROM COMMON CAUSE:

MySpace has censored our ad about the dangers of media consolidation.

Common Cause members have already sent tens of thousands of messages to the FCC - but in this final week before the deadline, we wanted to advertise on high-traffic websites to recruit new activists. Outrageously, MySpace told us that they "won't allow that to be shown." (The ad we submitted is below.)

Maybe MySpace doesn't want the word getting out about proposed changes to the ownership rules because they themselves are owned by a media conglomerate. In 2005, MySpace was gobbled up by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which also owns Fox.

Their refusal proves our point: Big Media has too much control over what the public hears, sees and watches -- and we need to let the FCC know it.

While MySpace's decision is disappointing, there is still time to tell the FCC 'no more media consolidation' . But we need to move fast, and we need your input.

1. Go to CommonBlog and vote for the sites where you think we should place our ad. Time is short; we need to get this together in the next 24 hours.

2. If you are a MySpace user, put our ad up on your own Myspace page, or on any other website or blog you are active with.

3. Make a financial contribution. The more money we raise, the more outreach we can conduct. We need to show the FCC how important this issue is to the public.

Thank you for everything you do.

Sincerely,

The Common Cause Media Reform Team
Lauren Coletta, Dawn Iype, Jon Bartholomew and Celia Wexler

Comments on Edwards

In recent posts on Daily Kos, there has been talk about John Edwards running for US president (again). I live in North Carolina, and happily voted for Edwards for Senator in 1998. I reluctantly voted for Kerry/Edwards in 2004 because the alternative was so unbelievably horrible. But I am no longer a supporter of Edwards for any federal office. I just don't think he is up to the task, that he has the judgment and foresight necessary to do the job. Here is what I wrote in the comments on a Daily Kos blog:

I fought this war of aggression on Iraq 100% non-stop. Still am.

And one of the things I did was write letters to my Senator John Edwards. I told him there were no nuclear WMDs in Iraq, and that chemical or biological WMDs, if there, could not hurt us. I told him that Iraq was not attacking or threatening anyone at this time.... I told him the neighboring countries did not see Iraq as a threat. I told him war should be THE LAST RESORT.... not the first or second. And when war started I sent him a tear-soaked letter saying:

I HOPE YOU FIND THOSE WMDS IN IRAQ!!!!

I knew, of course, that they would not. It was not hard to figure out that the Bush regime was LYING.

NOW, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE DEAD.

THIS IS NO SMALL THING. IT IS A HUGE, EVIL CRIME.

The US started a war of aggression that violated the Nuremberg Principles. Just like Saddam. Just like Hitler. Oh, and by the way, violating the Nuremberg Principles also means we violated the US Constitution. Edwards voted against that too, with the damn Patriot Act.

From the original blog posting: "Is there some test one has to pass in order to have a credible plan?"

YES.

One must have the ability to think, reason, listen and find out the truth. In regards to Iraq, Edwards has no plan, except admit it was a mistake (when the political winds shifted and it was safe to do that) and say 'drawdown troops'.

I have yet to hear him utter a word about all the hundreds of thousand of DEAD INNOCENT PEOPLE AND HOW HE MIGHT HELP THEM.

And I can tell you one more thing: we are going to look back one day and wish we only had a war in Iraq, and not a war across the entire Middle East. Think Edwards can handle that? I do not.

Turning the Golden Rule on it's head

US Rep John Boehner turns the Golden Rule ON IT’S HEAD with this comment:

"What we really expect out of the Democrats is for them to treat us as they would liked to have been treated."

Got that? He does not believe that you should treat others as you wish to be treated – he thinks you should treat HIM the way you would wish to be treated….. and overlook his own recent behavior and how he has treated others.

This was reported by Mark Shields on NewsHour a few days back.

Mark Shields had this to say:

Now, that's a new moral standard. I mean, it's not, "Do as I do." "Do as I want you to do that you should have done and would have done if you had been there instead of me." I mean, it's convoluted.

David Brooks followed up with this:

It's going to take me 10 minutes to figure out what you just said.

Well, the poor dear. What can be done to help him understand that the REVERSE Golden Rule is how Boehner wants to be treated? How hard it that to understand? Let no one accuse our American Punditry of being quick to catch on to reality. They obviously have to completely wrong for a decade or two before they are offered a job.

Now, we have often complained that the Democrats have no spine. In order for them to get a spine back, we need to watch their backs, and give lots of polite grief to anyone who says something as outrageous as Boehner’s new Golden Rule. Please call and tell him to “Go Cheney Yourself” in regards to his new standards of behavior.

Phone numbers for Rep. Boehner:

Butler County Office
7969 Cincinnati-Dayton Road
Suite B
West Chester, OH 45069
(513) 779-5400
(513) 779-5315 fax
Miami County Office
12 South Plum Street
Troy, OH 45373
(937) 339-1524
(937) 339-1878 fax
Washington, D.C. Office
1011 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6205
(202) 225-0704 fax

Lots of Blood for Oil

The latest development of how Iraqi Oil will be distributed has been researched by The Independent, a newspaper in Britain. Clips of the two stories are below. It does now look very certain that those carrying signs saying "No Blood for Oil" at anti-war rallies in 2003 were the ones who clearly got what all this evil fighting and occupation were really for. Read it and weep.

Future of Iraq: The spOILs of war: How the West will make a killing on Iraqi oil riches

Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days. The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972. The huge potential prizes for Western firms will give ammunition to critics who say the Iraq war was fought for oil.

……… Oil industry executives and analysts say the law, which would permit Western companies to pocket up to three-quarters of profits in the early years, is the only way to get Iraq's oil industry back on its feet after years of sanctions, war and loss of expertise. But it will operate through "production-sharing agreements" (or PSAs) which are highly unusual in the Middle East, where the oil industry in Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world's two largest producers, is state controlled.

Blood and Oil

So was this what the Iraq war was fought for, after all? As the number of US soldiers killed since the invasion rises past the 3,000 mark, and President George Bush gambles on sending in up to 30,000 more troops, The Independent on Sunday has learnt that the Iraqi government is about to push through a law giving Western oil companies the right to exploit the country's massive oil reserves. And Iraq's oil reserves, the third largest in the world, with an estimated 115 billion barrels waiting to be extracted, are a prize worth having. As Vice-President Dick Cheney noted in 1999, when he was still running Halliburton, an oil services company, the Middle East is the key to preventing the world running out of oil. Now, unnoticed by most amid the furore over civil war in Iraq and the hanging of Saddam Hussein, the new oil law has quietly been going through several drafts, and is now on the point of being presented to the cabinet and then the parliament in Baghdad. Its provisions are a radical departure from the norm for developing countries: under a system known as "production-sharing agreements", or PSAs, oil majors such as BP and Shell in Britain, and Exxon and Chevron in the US, would be able to sign deals of up to 30 years to extract Iraq's oil. PSAs allow a country to retain legal ownership of its oil, but gives a share of profits to the international companies that invest in infrastructure and operation of the wells, pipelines and refineries. Their introduction would be a first for a major Middle Eastern oil producer. Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world's number one and two oil exporters, both tightly control their industries through state-owned companies with no appreciable foreign collaboration, as do most members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. Critics fear that given Iraq's weak bargaining position, it could get locked in now to deals on bad terms for decades to come. "Iraq would end up with the worst possible outcome," said Greg Muttitt of Platform, a human rights and environmental group that monitors the oil industry. He said the new legislation was drafted with the assistance of Bearing Point, an American consultancy firm hired by the US government, which had a representative working in the American embassy in Baghdad for several months.

…. The Independent on Sunday has obtained a copy of an early draft which was circulated to oil companies in July. It is understood there have been no significant changes made in the final draft. The terms outlined to govern future PSAs are generous: according to the draft, they could be fixed for at least 30 years. The revelation will raise Iraqi fears that oil companies will be able to exploit its weak state by securing favourable terms that cannot be changed in future. Iraq's sovereign right to manage its own natural resources could also be threatened by the provision in the draft that any disputes with a foreign company must ultimately be settled by international, rather than Iraqi, arbitration.

Bonus quote from Cheney in 1999:

"By 2010 we will need [a further] 50 million barrels a day. The Middle East, with two-thirds of the oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize lies"

Responding to an idiot

In response to the idiot Eason Jordan’s article “All Sullied” I wrote the emails below. Jordan claims that the AP was also “sullied” in the idiot Malkin’s claims that Jamil Hussein did not exist. To see a deconstruction of what happened and how this happens, see A Tiny Revolution.

Jordan: Why did it take all parties so long to provide proof of Captain Hussein's existence?

Dancewater: UMM, HERE'S A GUESS: THERE'S A WAR GOING ON???

Jordan: Is Captain Hussein a reliable news source?

Dancewater: MORE SO THAN YOU.

Jordan: While we now know he's genuine, he was not an authorized spokesman. His critics, including his Iraqi government bosses and the U.S. military, have challenged the veracity of many of AP reports attributed to him.

Dancewater: OH, DO A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH. YOU KNOW - PRETEND LIKE YOU ARE A JOURNALIST.

Jordan: Many violent incidents reported by Captain Hussein via the AP were not reported by other western news organizations, raising suspicions about whether all those incidents occurred. The controversy likely will linger in this area, with third party reporting being done to determine the accuracy of Captain Hussein's statements to the AP.

Dancewater: GOLLY, YOU MEAN TO SAY THAT EVERYBODY IN IRAQ DOES NOT KNOW EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

Jordan: Will all involved learn from their mistakes?

Dancewater: NOT YOU OBVIOUSLY.

Jordan: Another mistake: the AP took too long to provide irrefutable evidence of Captain Hussein's existence.

Dancewater: OF COURSE, THAT HAD *NOTHING* TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT HUSSEIN MIGHT END UP BEING THE TARGET OF AN ASSASSINATION SQUAD. NO WAY THAT WOULD HAPPEN, RIGHT? NO DANGER IN DISCLOSING WHO HE IS AND WHERE HE LIVES. NO SIR, NO DANGER ELEMENT IN BAGHDAD. Dear god, what an idiot you are.

And it turns out that Jamil Hussein’s life is now in danger, and he is in danger of being imprisoned for talking to journalists.

Carroll pointed out that critics should be more concerned with the fact that Hussein could face imprisonment for being a source to journalists than how AP handled the situation. "A man who is a legitimate police official who has talked to journalists is threatened with arrest for doing so," she said. "Doesn't that bother anybody other than me? Officials being threatened with arrest for talking to reporters ought to be of concern."

By the way, it was reported today that an AP cameraman Ahmed Hadi Naji was found murdered today. He was shot in the back of his head. Deepest sympathies to his family, friends and co-workers.

Blessed are the peacemakers

INDEED.


This photo was taken at Pack Square by Vance Monument in downtown Asheville. There is construction going on in this area, as you can see by the 'sidewalk closed ahead' sign. This is where the Vets for Peace and Women in Black have their vigils.

Vigil for 3000 US troops killed in this stupid war

These pictures are of the “Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar” vigil that was held this week in Asheville NC. I have to admit, I hate seeing pictures of Bush at any rally for peace or against war. He is just such a horrible being that I hate having his picture around. Obviously, not everyone feels that way.

Last weekend, American Friends Service Committee asked people around the country to hold a vigil to mark the death of 3,000 US troops in Iraq. The call came out (via email) on Sunday. I decided to honor this request and set up the vigil to coincide with the weekly Veterans for Peace (Chapter 099) vigil on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 PM. I sent out email announcements to the WNC Peace Coalition listserve and to Asheville Friends listserve. I sent out Media Advisories (provided by AFSC) to all the local press outlets on Monday, which was New Years Day. I did get one call from the media – Leslie Boyd of Asheville Citizen Times called to confirm and to say that she has a lighted candle in her window since the start of the war – to remember.

Here’s the Media Advisory:

Asheville holds a vigil at Pack Square at 5 to 6 PM to show support for bringing the troops home from Iraq.

What: “Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar” Vigil for Peace in Iraq

When: 5 p.m.-6 p.m. on January 2, 2006

Where: Vance Monument, Pack Square, Asheville

Who: Veterans for Peace, Chapter 99 and WNC Peace Coalition and coordinated nationally by the American Friends Service Committee

“Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar” events in more than 200 communities nationwide will commemorate those lost in Iraq – both military and civilian – on the day following the sad announcement that the 3,000th U.S. serviceperson has died. Coordinated nationally by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker peace and social justice organization and co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the war memorial events will mourn the human cost of war, call for the troops to come home, and support funding an Iraqi-led reconstruction of the war-torn country.

So far, more U.S. lives have been lost in Iraq than in the first four years of the Vietnam War. In addition, more than 20,000 U.S. service persons have been seriously injured in Iraq. Estimates of Iraqi casualties vary widely, but a recent Johns Hopkins study published in The Lancet put the figure as high as 900,000 Iraqis killed.

This event is a testament to our commitment to change course in Iraq. We believe not one more Iraqi or U.S. soldier should be killed; not one more U.S. dollar should be spent sustaining war and occupation. Instead of adding more troops to Iraq, the U.S. should focus on diplomatic efforts and Iraqi-led reconstruction of their country.

I was not able to attend the vigil since I work during those hours. I did make sure that there were flyers at the vigil for the upcoming bus trip to DC and flyers for how to contact our Democratic Senators and Representatives who are serving on committees connected to the military or foreign affairs. I asked Anne to take some photos, and she sent me these photos. She said there were about 60 people at the vigil at one point, but it was starting to get dark then. Also, Fox news did an interview of one of our local Veterans for Peace.

I want to thank American Friends Service Committee for all the work they do to make the world a better place. This is just one example of organizing that they do, and they sure make it easier to plan and organize and hold events like this. I very much appreciate their efforts.

Jan 27 March on DC

United for Peace and Justice is organizing a march in DC on January 27, 2007. The next day they will hold training sessions and on Monday January 29, 2007 they will all go lobby the US Congress.

As can easily be seen by how our new Democratic majority is acting lately, they DO NEED SOME HELP. THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM ALL OF US.

Here is info from those CONFERENCE CALLS.

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 Call

Jan 27th March has been endorsed by over 200 organizations.

Contact Susan by phone (212-868-5545) or email susan@unitedforpeace.org with any questions you have specifically about being a local coordinator.

TECHNICAL DETAILS ABOUT BEING A LOCAL COORDINATOR

* If registered on UFPJ, must log into the system to find out if anyone has emailed you – they request that you email them back. They will not send you an email to let you know that someone signed on. There will be an email about how to update and edit.

* If signed on as a host, and someone clicks ‘email host’ that will go to you directly.

* How important is it to RSVP on website – it is really just a way to connect with the event organizer, so someone already in touch, no need to register on the website.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LOCAL COORDINATOR

- means getting info to people who contact via website, respond to rsvp

- beyond that, it is up to you

- list transportation information on the website

- housing board and directory of affordable accommodations

- local media work – will send out sample press release – contact them for specific questions

SUNDAY will be training all day at a high school outside the district. It will be close to Metro and have lots of parking. The afternoon will be focused on lobby day. They want every state to have a coordinator for the whole state for lobby day.

STATE COORDINATOR: North Carolina:
Jon Paul McClellan, contact: jmcclellan@nc.rr.com

IDEA: Have everyone on the bus write a letter. In DC, give it to the person who will be doing representatives and senators. They can make copies to go around.

IDEA: Make representations from the state of North Carolina of the cost of the war – like a representation of those who were killed, or the costs of war to the state.

IDEA: Roll of butcher paper with names and messages from anti-war protestors in the region. But, please make sure your legislature knows about this – may be hard to get past security at the congressional office buildings.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL FOR MEMBER GROUPS TO DISCUSS ORGANIZING FOR JAN. 27 - 29

Thursday, January 4, 2007 Call

This call will be an opportunity for member groups to ask questions and

discuss organizing for January 27-29. We will open with a brief update on

plans, logistics, etc. then go into Q & A.

Move-on.org will (reportedly) join in calling people to DC, and over 26 states are represented already. Bay Area is organizing another event also.

Faith based groups are also working on an event for that Saturday.

UFPJ will be sending out media advisories and tips.

UFPJ is negotiating about route of parade. Buses will be directed to a designated metro stop to unload, and then people will use Metro to come into DC for the parade. Housing board and ride board are up on the web. Housing is tight, however.

Sunday will be a full day of organizing and training at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. It is convenient to metro and has parking. Various groups will run organizing meetings on this date. Afternoon will be for state groups to get to together to organize and strategize for legislatives meetings. For Monday, please schedule meetings with Representatives in the morning, and Senators in the afternoon. Please register on UFPJ website if you plan on lobbying and be sure to come on Sunday afternoon for training. UFPJ is not sure right now exactly what bills or legislature they will be working on, that is subject to what happens between now and then.

March – assembly at 11 AM and start march at noon (probably). They are still in negotiations with DC authorities. UFPJ does not have money for a rally at this time.

PERSONAL LETTERS FROM CONSTITUENTS BEST – for visitors to give to the legislators they visit.

MEDIA – include information on local groups, how many, any unusual information and send to press@unitedforpeace.org

To the local North Carolina folks who are going:

I will be here in Asheville while you are in DC, but if you could call and give me updates while you are in DC, maybe we could get that on WPVM or I could send it out as Media Advisories. I will be going to work on getting Asheville Friends Meeting to write letters (and Peace Coalition) so you can take them. I have listed above the name of the person who is the coordinator for NC (and his email) and if they think that the number of people visiting Burr and Dole is getting too large (Dole’s office has 19 visitors in September 2005) and you don’t go on the “official” visit – I do hope you go and stop in anyway.

When I went to DC, I walked into EVERY US Senator’s office and gave them a piece of paper (that had a picture of an Iraqi victim glued to it) put in a sheet protector (I can easily get you 100 or 200 or 300 of them for free) and handed to the person in the office and told them what I thought (which depended somewhat on who the Senator of that office was). It takes a few hours, but it really is something to do that, and I think if a few million did it, they might wake up. As a matter of fact, I would be willing to make up 100 of them again from me, if you will be going to the offices and handing off your own letters. Maybe you could all do letters (making 100 copies is not hard) and then each of you visit 25 offices and hand them all of our letters. I am thinking of ‘generic’ letters, not letter addressed to each Senator. Beyond Burr and Dole, I think that would get massively confusing.

Anyway, let me know. Dancewater

Who is doing this?

The wreckage of a vehicle used in a car bomb attack lies on a road in Baghdad, January 3, 2007. A car bomb near an intersection wounded one person in Mansour district in west-central Baghdad, police said. REUTERS/Ali Jasim (IRAQ)

And how come they never solve any of these crimes? It seems we could at least get some information on where the cars came from and who owned them (at some point) and what type of explosives were used. The only ones who have said that they did these crimes were people who looked like they were tortured, which makes me highly doubt the truth of their confessions. I would confess to anything if I was tortured.

Iraq Again

A Dream Deferred Breeds Mistrust of US

Casting a shadow over discussions with Shiites such as Lefta is a despairing sense, inspired by centuries of oppression and suspicion of outsiders, that their community is handcuffed, effectively prevented from shaping its future. Lefta's friend Wisam al-Taieb, 27, a gaunt Oil Ministry worker with dark, intense eyes, stood next to him at the mosque. "What future?" Taieb demanded. "Now the Shia are suffering from a campaign of genocide. The Americans are in total control of our security forces. Our elected government does not have the power to move a single military unit. How do you expect me not to be pessimistic?" ……"Who are the secularists?" demanded Adeeb, the Shiite lawmaker, his eyes tightening. "The secularists are the Baath Party." "It means the base of their thinking is not stable," he continued, referring to the Americans. "They are going to lose the Shiites. And they won't win the Sunnis back, because they attacked them at the beginning. So now both sides will lose confidence in the United States."

My comments on the WaPo website:

It was never a dream deferred -- it was all a lie. And someone should tell Mr. Adeeb that the plan all along was to get the Shias and Sunnis to fight one another, and to make both groups weak to better control them. Amazing how the corporate US media stays on target with the Saddam oppressed the Shias and Kurds line without noticing that Saddam also oppressed Sunnis and Saddam also had Shias in his cabinet. Saddam also had a Christian in his cabinet. Forty percent of the deck of cards idiocy was Shias. But the part about the US objected to Saddams killing this past weekend is funny. We are supposed to believe this is actually true and that US forces were forced to escort Saddam and his corpse from place to place by helicopter against their own wishes. Really. Any intelligent person can figure out that the US was totally behind this hanging and it would never have happened when it did without US approval. But the corporate media continues to spin such a yarn. This would all be very funny if real people were not dying and suffering. Pretty convenient that Saddam is killed before the trials for the genocide of the Kurds. Now we will probably never find out who was giving him the chemicals he needed nor will we ever hear of how the CIA aided Saddam during his rise to power and during his war with Iran and most likely while he was gassing the Kurds. Pretty convenient for someone.

With Iraq War Come Layer Of Loss

This is a story about US troops suffering and how Americans are mostly ignoring that fact.

I posted this comment on WaPo site:

What most Americans really don’t understand is what is happening to the Iraqi people. They are truly, truly blind to that reality. Of course, our media has pretty much ignored them from day one -- and I suppose will continue to do so, just like they ignore the Vietnamese that were harmed and killed in that war. It is estimated that 200+ Iraqis have died for every American death, and that is in a country with less than 10% of our population. I imagine the entire population of Iraq has PTSD at this point, and since it is happening in their homes and country, the PTSD they do have - is far worse than anything our troops are left with. I think it is the height of IMMORALITY to ignore the suffering that the US-taxpayer-funded bullets and bombs have inflicted on Iraq.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"The essence of tragedy is not the doing of evil by evil men but the doing of evil by good men, out of weakness, indecision, sloth, inability to act in accordance with what they know to be right." - I. F. Stone

American Letter to Iraqis

Dear People of Iraq,

I am an American, and as and American, I often find it very difficult to take responsibility for my actions. This letter is my effort to take responsibility for some of the things I have done to harm you. I speak for no other American but myself.

I am responsible for the many decades of suffering and hardship you have faced (and may well likely continue to face). I helped bring Saddam Hussein to power in order to control your natural resources and to use you as a state agent against Iran. I furnished Saddam with political support, money and deadly weaponry, much of which was used against you with my silent blessings. I protected him and allowed him create a world of misery for you in return for his loyalty to me.

Eventually, for political reasons, I found it useful to make him a bogey man. To his credit, this was a roll he played very well.

However, when I punished him with sanctions, you were the ones who starved. When I punished him with bombs, you were the ones who died. When I removed him from power without a workable transition strategy, you were the ones who were thrust into lawless chaos.

When Saddam was of no more use to me, I had him killed.

I know this letter means next to nothing to you, as you struggle to survive day to day, but I think it is important for at least one single American to acknowledge his silent responsibility in your suffering.

Sincerely,
An American

I copied this letter from a post on Daily Kos website, with the author's permission.

Iraqi bloggers at the end of 2006

What are Iraqi bloggers are saying at the end of the year 2006? Mostly, they are talking about the execution of Saddam. I posted this at Daily Kos, thought I should put it here too.

Aunt Najma, a teenager in Mosul, titled her piece Eid Mubarak. She blogs about the effects of the execution of Saddam.

At about 6 AM, I got an SMS from the US telling me that "Saddam has just been executed", I was very sleepy, could barely think, read it once, then twice, then WHAT!!?

Why now? Why first day of Eid? Why so early? Why no notice? I rushed downstairs, mom was praying the Morning prayer, the electricity was off, there was no way to confirm the news (except the radio, but no one thought of that). We were so angry, not for the fact that he was executed, but for how and when he was executed. I managed to sleep for few hours before waking up again for breakfast, I logged online to the BBC and Al Jazeera and knew the details. You see when asked why the execution was done on the first day of Eid, a member of the court said that Eid starts on Sunday in Iraq as I read on Al-Jazeera. This made me even angrier. Thanks to the new freedom, Eid starts on Saturday for Sunnis, and on Sunday for some of the Shiites, Monday for the others. Sunnis are Iraqis, and Eid DOES start on Saturday in Iraq.

Ishtar wrote his last piece before Saddam’s execution. He claims that the USA can restore some of it’s credibility by stopping the execution. Well, sorry Ishtar, they did not take your advice. At the top of his blog there is this quote: “Standing on the debirs of his house in Ramadi bombed by US forces a man was shouting on T.V.: “ Is this US democracy, I do not want democracy, I want to live, leave me alone.”

But, I think now, there is a golden chance in the hand of the US administration and forces In Iraq to improve its position among the Iraqis and the Arab world and prevent a disaster to take place which is to allow the execution of Saddam Hussein after this farce trail. If the Americans can behave in a wise way this time, they will gain alot among the Iraqi and Arab street but if they listen again to the same people who begged America to come and save them from Saddam regime and how they drag the US army to inbalanced battle, every month no less than 100 US soldier killed while these Iraqi officials either hiding in the green zone or in London or New York, the US will never recover from this fatal mistake. All the Iraqis now are expecting something very bad with the execution of Saddam Hussein even shiite because they know that this issue would kill the last hope they have in reconciliation and living together peacefully again.

Iraqi Konfused Kid is an Iraqi blogger that now lives in Amman, Jordon. He had mixed emotions from the execution of Saddam, and in a post yesterday he did a year review of his life. He is 21 years old and left Iraq because of the violence. Here’s the first post.

I woke up at 9, mumbled Happy-eids to parents, then headed straight to the TV...and I recieved the images...the first thing that struck me was how unbelievable this was...Saddam was a part of my everyday patterns as a human being, I woke up, ate, drank, shat, slept, and Saddam is the undefeatable tyrant that never dies. It was hard, hard, hard to know that Saddam is no more, he was arrested, humilitaed and sentenced to death and I didn't feel much - but to know that he is gone is very strange - He was a given fact of life! and now he's dead...This doesn't happen in the world that I normally inhibit...

I also must say that from all the people that ruled Iraq at any given time, I do not hate any of them as much as I hate Saddam Hussein - through his stubborn Great Leader complex he has made us suffer so much, and pretty much a lot of the blame for the distingeration of Iraq as a fabric can be laid squarely on his shoulders, but while I was seeing these images, I had to keep reminding myself how much I hated Saddam Hussein, because they were flat-out disgusting. The problem of our politicians is that they always have to ruin the good stuff with the bad stuff, Mowafaq al-Rubay'ie, the national security advisor, said that Saddam looked very weak and pathetic while he was taking his final steps, but in the images I watched he looked just as brave, magnificent and charismatic as ever, despite his great evils, I must say that Saddam Hussein is the bravest guy that ever ruled Iraq. The problem is that Saddam is an extremely charismatic figure, he can drive many people to inspiration and is simply the most bravest man of all his opponents, Muwafaq, al-Maliki, al-Jaafari and al-Hakim wouldn't stand for two seconds alone with this guy, they all ran weeping to Americans...It's just, unfair, that they should be sing-songing like this while not only are they as cruel as he, but they are nowhere as brave or influential as him.

And here is part of the post where he reviews the last year of his life, which included graduation and the tragic loss of four friends to violence.

This year contains the best day of my life: The Graduation Day, I have never felt such an exaltness and looseness in my entire life, I danced like crazy until i got too tired to stand up - maybe it's also because i felt very cool that day - Our costume was a Mexican Mariaachi, I was the only one with the long hair wig and the fake big moustaches, I was the talk of the town! I also wrote a song for the march and had the guys sing it, I felt very happy that day.
That day was June 5, 2006, six days later was the worst day of my entire life, my four friends were killed - for most people, graduation is a big thing, for me it didn't register much, because its joy was swiftly encompassed by the great sorrow that swallowed it - this event has changed my incredibly - I became very pessimistic towards Iraq's future and have now entirely different thoughts about my identity, before this year I used to think of myself as an:

1. Iraqi first, and most importantly
2. Arab second.
3. Muslim thirdly, not as important as the first two.

But today, I am:

1. Muslim first.
2. Arab second.
and I don't want to be an Iraqi, I didn't ask for being one in the first place.

…(snip) ……Let me detach myself and look at what I just wrote, you see how I have changed upside down, this is a moderate, kinda rational kid becoming more observant of his religion because of the violence, imagine what it does to those who have no education and mostly follow their emotions, and there are many channels by which extremism abounds....

Iraqi Konfused Kid did an outstanding video tribute to his four friends who were killed in a car bombing in Iraq. It is a look back on their lives and shows their youth, their exuberance, their creativity, their joy at graduation, and outright silliness. It is the kind of video that makes this middle-aged women say “aaahhh, youth!” and then be overwhelmed that their young lives were snuffed out so senselessly. It is heartbreaking. His four friends included Sunni, Shi’a and a Christian. It is totally a lie to say that the “Shi’a and Sunni have been fighting forever in Iraq” as I just heard on C-Span from John Edwards. He doesn’t know what he is talking about. In the urban areas, the various sects are very intermixed and intermarried. Furthermore, about 40% of Saddam’s former cabinet was Shi’a, and he had one Christian in a prominent ministry. This inter-sectarian fighting and violence is something that came about since the US/UK occupation of the country.

Truth-about-Iraqis also spoke of the execution and the possible aftereffects. He is decidedly anti-American and anti-occupation on his blog. He also feels that Sadr’s group and Hakim’s group are targeting all Sunnis, seculars and non-Muslims.

Saddam is dead. And Iraq is likely to die with him. He said Iraq is nothing without him and proving him right are all the sectarians routinely killing the country for the sake of foreign powers. In any case, Zeyad (Healing Iraq) gives us a picture of the future of Iraq even though he may not have intended to be a soothsayer:

>>"It utterly disgusts me that Sadr's supporters have infiltrated every level of the state, and that the witnesses, including Iraqi government officials, have made this look like a sectarian issue. They were doomed to repeat Iraqi history by hanging their former oppressor and labeling it as justice. In a perfect situation, Saddam's execution would have united Iraqis, but thanks to the actions of the new Iraqi rulers, it will only serve to divide further. I doubt any of them will prevail as much as Saddam did, though."

Like I said yesterday, this is the new Iraq? It is far, far worse than during Saddam's time. And this is just the beginning, I cannot stress that enough. It will simply get worse. Saddam's execution will be a footnote in the history of Iraq which has executed itself.

Zappy lives in Baghdad and he titled his blog entry “Zatti? Or the Idiots Guide of how not to execute a tyrant”. The word “Zatti” came from the BBC calling him Zatti instead of Zappy.

The best way to destroy a nation is per (divide and conquer) or in this case (divide and lets watch how many people kill each other, hehehehe).

No reasonable Iraqi could argue that Mr. Saddam was other than a complete Self centered Butcher, he represented no other than himself and who ruined Iraq with the help of the Hippocrates and henchmen. Now lets talk about ourselves, we Iraqi’s, are we innocent? I don’t assume that any Iraqi would say he wasn’t a victim, including the current democratic Iraqi government. Now, lets think a bit, shouldn’t we be better than our henchman? Did we learn anything from this very clear picture of History in the making?

Now lets look at the whole picture: He was executed on dawn of “Eid” that’s 30th of December 2006, all Muslims celebrated Eid with the EXCEPTION of the Iraqi government they celebrated NEXT DAY! So the First day of Eid Officially in Iraq was today. Clearly announcing that the government of Iraq does not represent Iraqi’s but only Shia Iraqi’s and I tell you Shia’s Iraqis are not represented by these butchers. Why was that? Simply because our democratic government was clarifying how biased they are, how sectarian they are, and finally how clearly they want to divide this country. This biased country has done what Saddam used to do. What they also want to do is simply stick Saddam to Sunnisim. This you hear by the BBC correspondent in Baghdad today on “have your say”. The Rope around Saddam is going to go around the Hippocrates, you’ll see. one by one. Oh and by the way they created a Martyr out of him.

Treasure of Baghdad has also left Iraq and now is in the USA studying. He titles his latest blog entry “Guilt” because of his feelings of guilt for being in a place where he can enjoy life and do normal activities – while his friends in Iraq are facing grave danger.

“What happened?”

“There were clashes in my neighborhood since the morning,” she said.

There was nothing new about this, but I why she said that. My heart pounded like a drum. I just didn’t want to hear that someone was hurt.

“No one was hurt. I am scared,” she said. “Armed men and interior ministry commandoes fought each other in our neighborhood all day. You can’t imagine how it was. It was hell.”

“Get the hell out of there,” I said.

“I am supposed to go to Jordan tomorrow but the roads are still closed. I don’t know if I am going to be able to get out of the house tomorrow,” she said.

I was speechless again, heartbroken, and unable to think. Here I am! I was having fun with my other friends here in Washington DC when she called me. Is it fair? No, it’s not! I hated myself at that moment. How could I do that while people I love are suffering? Isn’t this selfish? Yes it is.

My friend Ahmed called me few days ago. He was on the roof of the house trying to find a cell phone signal. The cell phones are ones of things that are deteriorating in Iraq although they arrived shortly after the invasion. He could not call me through the internet because he uses the dial-up service which is rarely functioning as most of the landlines are not working. There is no enough fuel anymore for the generators to run the operators and towers. Ahmed took the risk and called me at night as I could here the sound of shootings in the background. I told him I would call him the next day. I didn’t want him to die. He insisted. He was laughing hysterically. “Ahmed! I am not joking. Please go down stairs now. I can call you tomorrow,” I begged him to prevent any stray bullet reach him. “C’mon! It’s not the first time. Don’t you remember these things?!,” he said.

I didn’t say a word! Yes, I remember. Yes, I recall every hard time I went through with him. Is it just now that I feel it is dangerous? Yes, I remember being caught in crossfire. Yes, I remember how I survived car bombs and rockets explosion. His words triggered the past that is still seizing a huge part of my mind and heart. “How is everything,” I asked him then thought what a stupid question I asked. “Thank God! I am still alive,” he said stressing on how staying alive is the only thing people want these days. No other things or aspects of life are needed anymore. They just need to stay alive even if it is with suffering.

Chikitita, a women who blogs from Baghdad, took a different track. She is very much missing her two older siblings this EID. Since she has cut herself off from the world, she may not know about Saddam’s execution.

Some people are born to certain privileges others do not have. Mine were the most precious of the lot. I opened my eyes on two little bodyguards, who were brought to this world few years before me. Mum never recalled any incident of them treating me like an unwanted new comer; on the contrary, their priority was how to provide enough protection for me lest they'd be berated for not keeping their eyes peeled. I was so lucky for having them around, but I'm not sure I was appreciative of their presence; I used to mumble about silly things like why doesn't brother pour the tea himself and I hated sister for asking me to do the dusting. But, by and large, I have been so grateful to God for giving me those two considerate people, who would never have a piece of candy unless the three of us share it.

Yesterday marked the fifth Eid in a row without my brother and second without my sister. My plans for this holiday were clear and simple: turn off the mobile phone, disconnect the landline, not open any e-cards and if I was caught online I'd say it point blank once and for all, "No Eid wishes for me please!" My siblings were the reason behind the festive spirit, now that they're gone, why should I bother. Instead, I keep humming with a song I once heard on a minibus radio:

"Start counting and I will count with you,
who has been through more pain.

Since the age of seven, my heart has been aching.
O they're gone; my loved ones are gone,
They're gone and won't be back."

But I want them both back.

“I Miss Iraq” is a young Iraqi doctor who left Iraq recently, and writes a post in Arabic about Saddam. I cannot translate, so I have copied a comment from his blog:

I feel the same. This new government is insisting on insulting and hurting its people whether they were suni or shai by making a killer look like a Martyr. They just twisted history with their stupidity and made us feel this way. The way they handled the whole thing is so ugly that I don’t want to think of what's coming.

Raghda is a young teenager who has moved out of Iraq with her family because of the violence. Until recently, she lived in Baghdad. She has this to say about the execution of Saddam:

Today is the first day of Eid, the day which used to be the happiest to me for years till the war started and there were almost no Eids any more, but this Eid was the saddest, I waked up at 9 am and was shocked when I knew that Saddam Hussein has been executed at 6 am on the first day of Eid, what is this? Couldn’t they wait for a few days till the Eid ends, I know that Saddam has done some bad things and I even don’t like him that much but he was the president of Iraq for 35 years, the man who could make life in Iraq possible and he shouldn't be treated like this. I left Iraq to keep my self form getting hurt but it seems that it is not working because I am still hurting deep in side... Sorry for the sad post but I had to say some thing about Saddam's execution, but even so I wont forget to say HAPPY EID.

Khalid, an Iraqi blogging living in Amman now, is from a (very common) mixed family of Sunni and Shi’a. He has written about how Saddam needed to be tried for his many other crimes that were clearly not sectarian crimes.

Saddam was a dictator that would kill whoever opposes him, and would award whoever is loyal to him, he killed both husbands of his two daughters who also happen to be his cousins [two sunnies, his own blood] when they turned against him, and at the same time, you can take a quick look at the 56 cards of the most wanted Iraqi officials that the occupation distributed couple of years ago [remember it?] and you will notice that many of them were Shea! It's only fair that Saddam is questioned about all his crimes against all Iraqis, all Iraqis. Executing him after the Dijel trial only is nothing but a political statement, just so the Media can say: Saddam was punished for killing 148 SHEA, just another cheap shot to confirm the first story of "liberating poor Shea from the oppression of Saddam and Sunna".

Saddam, have killed thousands and thousands of Kurds and of Sonna, of Christians and all other groups living in Iraq, and It's only fair that he is questioned about all those, all the crimes he made against Iraqis.

Back in the nineties, must have been around 1995 or so if I recall right, Saddam executed a number of Baghdad's wealthiest merchants and took over all their possessions because he accused them of being a reason behind some of the economic suffering of Iraqis [by doing certain trade tricks to increase prices maybe? By monopolizing food and goods? Something like that] and left them hanging in the streets of Baghdad. Now I bet you haven't heard of that have you? Why? Because they don't have a label! They are not "poor Shea" or "poor Kurds" they are just Iraqis, and being Iraqi isn't good for the occupation's propaganda, you need to be Shea or Kurdish so that you fit in their propaganda stories of going to Iraq to liberate a certain oppressed sect of Iraqi people.

Raed is Khalid’s brother and he now lives in the United States. His last blog post of the year also covered Saddam’s exectution.

Saddam was given the chance to look like the calm and brave leader who didn’t fear death, and who claimed to love and defend Iraq and the Islamic nation until the last second. At the same time, his executers, hiding their faces, demonstrated themselves as vengeful thugs supported by the occupation and representing only their political party and sects.

It takes a lot of stupidity to lose moral authority to a former dictator with a noose around his neck. It takes a lot of stupidity to turn Saddam's execution to an event dividing Iraqis furthermore instead of uniting them. It takes a lot to turn Saddam from a former dictator to a symbol of resistance and pride.

Faiza is a middle aged women who lives in Amman now. She originally was from Baghdad. She is the mother of both Raed and Khalid, so nearly the whole family blogs. Her latest blog post is in Arabic, so I will present she next-to-last post. She is deeply concerned about the welfare of the Iraqi people, and she is working with NGOs to try and rebuild her country. She has taken classes in peace studies and reconciliation.

These days, the feast are drawing near, but my heart is sad… I am not the same person I was some years ago, my way of thinking changed a lot, and even my heart is not the same…

these days, my heart and mind are busy thinking about helping the Iraqi families which suffer a lot of disasters; there are families who lost their provider, or lost the sons, or lost the whole house and are living in a tent waiting to return home, families who have a wounded or a handicapped person without treatment, for there is no one to pay the costs of treatment. There are families who have nothing to eat, who do not have the bread of their day… There are Iraqis still in prisons and detention centers; men and women, waiting for someone to take care of them, and help release them…

Nabil is recently graduated from a Baghdad high school and is now trying to immigrate to New Zealand. He wrote his latest blog post about the execution, and the one before that was about a car bomb going off on the street where they live. He has pictures of this bombing on his blog.

I think the Iraqi government has taken this day to carry out the vedrict to revenge to themselves and to attack sunni community in an indirect way, because today was only the sunni's Eid, not the shiite's Eid. They were eagred to execute him as soon as they can, to insure their wicked sick minds that the idea of Saddam coming back to power will be terminated, though they know that this won't happen even if he remained alive. Anyway, carrying out the verdict will not solve anything, and will not make the security situation any better, it will only make it worse, and by this bad timing they attacked an important sect of the Iraqi people, and I don't think that this sect will remain harmless to what they've did.

Just how bad is it in Iraq? Well, a great number of Iraqis have taken to having their names and phone numbers tattooed on their bodies to help in identification if they should turn up dead. This is pretty significant because tattoos are against the teachings of the Islamic religion. This is not from an Iraqi blogger, but a report from Voices of Iraq news service:

"There was no word about them and we could not even find their bodies," he said, adding "all male members of the family reacted by having their arms tattooed with their personal data, which was the least we could do." Osama Khalil, a day laborer, said there were bodies that were not decapitated but had their faces disfigured with nitric acid. "The fear conquering our hearts made us think of tattoos to use as a means of identification," said Khalil.

BONUS: Iraqi folk music performed by two Iraqi bloggers. (Sorry, I cannot translate. Great music though! It is done by Iraqi Konfused Kid and Nabil.)

Happy New Years Everyone! Let's hope it is a better year than the last six have been.