The Rag Blog

With Brent Wilkes speeding towards indictment, the AP churns up more details about his close friend Dusty Foggo, the former Executive Director of the CIA, helped him land a multimillion deal in Iraq.

The contract, previously reported to be worth between $2 million and $3 million, was a no-bid, unneeded deal to distribute water in Iraq. In other words, it was right up Wilkes’ alley, since he specialized in selling unneeded and drastically overpriced equipment and services to the government via acquaintances like the now-incarcerated Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA).

The problem for Dusty Foggo, who left his senior post at the CIA shortly before federal agents raided his house, is that CIA officials, according to the AP, are saying that the recommendation to hire Wilkes’ company — which was headed by his young nephew and had existed for only a few months — came from Foggo. The AP reported last week that prosecutors are planning to file honest services fraud and conspiracy charges against Foggo and Wilkes.

Just last week, in a typical air strike of the Iraq War, two missiles were fired at targets somewhere in the city of Ramadi, capital of al-Anbar province in the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, in the course of a battle with American forces stationed there. According to newspaper accounts, “18 insurgents” were killed.

Air power has, since World War II, been the American way of war. The invasion of Iraq began, after all, with a dominating show of air power that was meant to “shock and awe” -– that is, cow — not just Saddam Hussein’s regime, but the whole “axis of evil” and other countries the Bush administration had in its mental gun sights. Among the largest of America’s “permanent” megabases in Iraq is Balad Air Base with the sorts of daily air-traffic pile-ups that you would normally see over Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. And yet, as Tomdispatch.com has written numerous times over these last years, reporters in Iraq almost determinedly refuse to look up or report on the regular, if intermittent, application of American air power especially to heavily populated neighborhoods in Iraq’s cities.

Now, the Bush “surge” is officially beginning. Little about it is strikingly new or untried — except possibly the unspoken urge to ratchet up the use of air power in Iraq, the only thing a Pentagon with desperately overstretched ground forces really has to throw into the escalation breach (as in recent months it has drastically escalated the use of air power in Afghanistan). Pepe Escobar, the superb globe-trotting correspondent for Asia Times, has recently warned that the new Bush administration “plan” signals “the dire prospect… of a devastating air war over Baghdad” in which “Iraqification-cum-surge” will prove “a disaster mostly for every Baghdadi caught in the crossfire.”

Just last week, Julian E. Barnes of the Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. Air Force has the Iraqi itch and is getting ready to scratch it. Air Force commanders are preparing for a “heightened role in the volatile region.” They are, he reported, already “gearing up for just such a role in Iraq as part of Bush’s planned troop increase” — an expansion of air power that “could include aggressive new tactics designed to deter Iranian assistance to Iraqi militants… [and] more forceful patrols by Air Force and Navy fighter planes along the Iran-Iraq border to counter the smuggling of bomb supplies from Iran.”

Until now, U.S. air power in Iraq has been a non-story — if you weren’t an Iraqi. In the coming months, however, it may force its way onto the front pages of our papers and onto the nightly TV news — but not if the Pentagon has anything to say about it. Doing some journalistic sleuthing, Nick Turse has discovered just how secretive the Pentagon has been about offering any significant information on the size, scope, and damage involved in its air operations over Iraq. The story of this secret American air war is now told for the first time — and at this website. Tom

Bombs over Baghdad: The Pentagon’s Secret Air War in Iraq
By Nick Turse

A secret air war is being waged in Iraq — often in and around that country’s population centers — about which we can find out little. The U.S. military keeps information on the munitions expended in its air efforts under tight wraps, refusing to offer details on the scale of use and so minimizing the importance of air power in Iraq. But expert opinion holds that the forms of aerial assault being employed in that country, though hardly covered in our media, may account for most of the U.S. and coalition-attributed Iraqi civilian deaths there since the 2003 invasion.

We are going to witness within the few coming days and weeks the unfolding of a play authored by President Bush’s Administration about the immediate future of the Middle-East.

02/06/07 “ICHBlog” — — Is President Bush a nice man who wants to protect USA and to introduce democracy to Iraq or has he got Grand Plans for you?

President Bush was born in an upper-class military family. He was raised. therefore, within a culture that favors military solutions in problems solving. It appears that he is enjoying his role as a commander in chief and itching for a chance to exercise the powers of this authority. He often proclaims that, a commander in chief does not waver, a characteristic that might explain his insistence to “Stay the Course”. He doesn’t accept failure and talks mostly about victory, ignoring the catastrophic calamities inflicted upon the Iraqi people and the demise of more than 3000 US soldiers. He is still quite adamant that the military solution in Iraq is the only one to treat the myriad of deep rooted racial and religious problems that his military assault has brought to the surface in the first place.

It is clear that President Bush, irrespective of the daily carnages, does not want to admit failure in Iraq. As a Commander in Chief who does not waver, he affirmed his intention to “Stay the Course” by appointing a team of theoreticians and executives, who would support him in applying a militaristic approach to the problems of the Middle-East. As expected and instead of de-escalation, the new hawkish team came out with a new surge plan, as the last chance, to achieve the elusive victory that all the other plans have failed to achieve.

The surge plan has introduced a new strategy that consists of three steps.

1 – To Clear. Troops to clear suburbs off militarists. Militarists who stand in the way of reconciliation and the unity of Iraq, Sunni Insurgency or Shia Militia/Death Squads. However, this Clearing is exclusively used against the Sunni Insurgency and within Sunni suburbs.

2 – To Hold. Troops to stay after clearing to deny militarists the chance of coming back. A surge of 21,500 soldiers would not be enough to clear and hold all the hot spots in all of Iraq.

Here is good news for unhappy homos and homo-hating Christians alike. Rev. Ted Haggard has completed his therapy and apparently has forsworn consorting with male prostitutes forever. After only three weeks of therapy, he has been judged to be “completely heterosexual” now:

“He is completely heterosexual,” [said Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur, Colorado, one of four ministers who oversaw Haggard’s re-education therapy.] “That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn’t a constant thing.”

Ralph said the board spoke with people close to Haggard while investigating his claim that his only extramarital sexual contact happened with Mike Jones. The board found no evidence to the contrary.

“If we’re going to be proved wrong, somebody else is going to come forward, and that usually happens really quickly,” he said. “We’re into this thing over 90 days and it hasn’t happened.”

Science, of course, says that sexual identity is engrained and immutable, and that no amount of guilt, recrimination or praying away the gay can change it. Of course, Evangelicals like Rev. Haggard believe science has a liberal bias, as Stephen Colbert put it.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An outspoken supporter of the Iraq war on Tuesday called for a new tax to pay for its astronomical cost as Congress opened a debate on President George W. Bush’s $2.9 trillion budget plan for next year.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut proposed a “war on terrorism tax” at a Senate hearing during which he said the Pentagon’s $622 billion defense budget proposal for fiscal 2008 threatened to crowd out funds for domestic programs.

The lawmaker, a former Democrat turned independent, favors a U.S. troop buildup in Iraq.

Bush traveled to Manassas, Virginia, to deliver the opposite message about the budget he submitted to the Democrat-controlled Congress on Monday.

“This budget can work if Congress resists the temptation to raise your taxes,” the Republican president told employees of Micron Technology Inc., a semiconductor manufacturer.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on and their costs could hit $662 billion by the end of next year, Congress is becoming increasingly worried about cutting domestic programs to keep wartime budget deficits down.

Unless released from ‘coercive confinement’ by the end of the day, Josh Wolf will become the longest incarcerated journalist for contempt in United States history. Wolf is in prison for refusing to provide testimony and unpublished video footage to a federal grand jury investigating incidents that may have occurred at a 2005 political protest at which he was filming. Just why a federal grand jury was convened to investigate a broken taillight on an SFPD cruiser has never been fully illuminated. Many have characterized the investigation as a fishing expedition by an Administration determined to identify and threaten voices of dissent. What is evident is that despite protections supposedly afforded in the United States and California constitutions, protections designed to safeguard individual and journalistic rights, Josh Wolf finds himself the victim of an intrusive federal investigation.

The 24-year-old independent journalist has shown no signs of wavering in his refusal to comply with the federal grand jury that subpoenaed him one year ago. Wolf has refused on journalistic principle to comply and for his brave stand Americans owe Josh Wolf a great debt of gratitude. But he is only doing what any other self-respecting journalist would do and ultimately his case is not only about individual rights or the rights of journalists, but about the right and need of the public in a free society to be informed.

Investigative journalism and the free flow of information are no less important to the functioning of a healthy democracy than fair elections or the separation of powers. If journalists are unable to protect their sources of information, there can simply be no guarantee of press freedom. Who would share sensitive information with a journalist if that journalist could at anytime unwillingly become a tool of a law enforcement investigation and be forced to divulge confidential communications?

Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Alsalam Alykum Warahmatu Allah Wa Berakatuh,

The aim of this paper is to render homage to Iraqi people, whose resistance and sacrifices accelerated the decline of the Uni-polar World Order. The Peace Movements around the world are urged to express solidarity with Iraqi resistance. the victory of Iraqi resistance is a victory for the International community in its struggle to defeat war mongers and create a New World Order based on respect of International Law and the right of peoples to live in peace.

1- With the end of the cold war, the US emerged as the only super power dominating the world with no geopolitical or ideological contenders. Many in the world hoped that the American leadership will promote liberal Ideals of democracy, economic openness, human rights and the rule of law.

2 – The first serious test of the American leadership came with the Iraq-Kuwait dispute (Summer 1990). From the beginning , the US proved its inability to lead the world in a civilized and legal manner. The US used Iraq-Kuwait dispute to advance its short sighted national interest putting the following goals for its intervention;

*Topple the Iraqi legitimate Government and establish a poppet regime in Baghdad.

* Control the oil and plunder the wealth of Gulf States. * Strengthen its military presence in the region , in particular in the Arab Gulf.

* Provide better protection for Israel and its war of aggression.

It is clear that non of these goals has to do with US main responsibility as Permanent Member of Security Council, IE; Preserving International Peace and Security and resolving international crisis by peaceful means.

3 – Following is a short reminder of main actions taken by the US against Iraq that disclose the extent of US war crimes, genocide, and crimes against Humanity.

* The US dismissed all International and Regional initiatives to resolve Iraq- Kuwait dispute peacefully.

* US Imposed , through the UN Security Council , a comprehensive regime of sanctions against Iraq . These sanctions continued for 13 years costing the life of two million Iraqi civilians and the suffering of the rest of Iraqi population.

It is worth to mention here that sanctions were imposed on Iraq only four days after its invasion of Kuwait ( Res. 661 of 6 Aug. 1990). That means that the US jumped to the provisions of Chapter Seven of the UN Charter dismissing Chapter Six provisions on peaceful measures to resolve disputes. It is also worth to mention that after nine days of US invasion to Iraq, the only reaction of the UNSC was Resolution 1472 of 28th Mar 2003, which (Requests concerned parties to strictly abide to there obligations under International Law).

February 1966

David Lawrence, editor of US News & World Report, wrote: “What the United States is doing in Vietnam is the most significant example of philanthropy extended by one people to another that we have witnessed in our times.” When challenged with stories of American atrocities in Vietnam, Lawrence explained, “Primitive peoples with savagery in their hearts have to be helped to understand the true basis of a civilized existence.”

February 1968

An unnamed U.S. major, quoted by Associated Press on February 8, 1968, was asked about the American assault on the Vietnamese town of Bentre. The major explained: “It became necessary to destroy the town in order to save it.”

February 1991

High above a swamp, over 60 miles of coastal Highway 8 from Kuwait to Iraq, a division of the Iraq’s Republican Guard withdrew on February 26-27,1991. Baghdad radio had just announced Iraq’s acceptance of a cease-fire proposal and, in compliance with UN Resolution 660, Iraqi troops were ordered to withdraw to positions held before August 2, 1990. President George H.W. Bush derisively called the announcement “an outrage” and “a cruel hoax.”

“U.S. planes trapped the long convoys by disabling vehicles in the front, and at the rear, and then pounded the resulting traffic jams for hours,” says Joyce Chediac, a Lebanese-American journalist. “It was like shooting fish in a barrel,” one U.S. pilot said. “Many of those massacred fleeing Kuwait were not Iraqi soldiers at all,” says Ramsey Clark, “but Palestinians, Sudanese, Egyptians, and other foreign workers.”

Randall Richard of the Providence Journal filed this dispatch from he deck of the U.S.S. Ranger: “Air strikes against Iraqi troops retreating from Kuwait were being launched so feverishly from this carrier today that pilots said they took whatever bombs happened to be closest to the flight deck. The crews, working to the strains of the Lone Ranger theme, often passed up the projectile of choice… because it took too long to load.”

“Every vehicle was strafed or bombed, every windshield is shattered, every tank is burned, every truck is riddled with shell fragments,” Chediac reported after visiting the scene. “No survivors are known or likely. The cabs of trucks were bombed so much that they were pushed into the ground, and it’s impossible to see if they contain drivers or not. Windshields were melted away, and huge tanks were reduced to shrapnel.”

“At one spot,” Bob Drogin reported in the Los Angeles Times, “snarling wild dogs (had) reduced two corpses to bare ribs. Giant carrion birds pick(ed) at another; only a bootclad foot and eyeless skull are recognizable.”

Major Bob Nugent, an Army intelligence officer, said: “Even in Vietnam I didn’t see anything like this. It’s pathetic.”

The Baghdad municipality is finding it hard to recruit workers to clean the city and collect mounting garbage dumps from its streets.

The unwillingness to work, despite rampant unemployment, is due to the upsurge of violence in the city, which, according to the Mayor Saber al-Isawi, has claimed the lives of more than 600 municipal workers.

“This more than the number of U.S troops killed in the same period,” says Isawi.

He said it has become almost impossible to persuade part-time workers, the bulk of the municipality’s workforce, to take up jobs in the city particularly in very restive areas.

As a result, most Baghdad streets are littered with garbage and garbage mounds pile up in open spaces and squares.

Um Ala from the Suleikh district says garbage has been left uncollected in her area for more than a year.

Ahmad Jabbar from Mansoor, which used to be one of Bagdad’s smartest districts, said waste dumps in the area were increasing in volume in the absence of garbage trucks.

He said no waste collection vehicles have visited the area in the past four months.