Heads in the Sand

The so-called Sunni Awakening, in which American forces formed tactical alliances with local sheikhs, has been credited with dampening the insurgency in much of Iraq. But new evidence suggests that the Sunnis were offering the same deal as early as 2004—one that was eagerly embraced by commanders on the ground, but rejected out of hand at the highest levels of the Bush administration...................

Leading up to the Hype of the 'surge' {i.e. escalation} while our Soldiers, and Iraqi's, were being Killed and Maimed! The 'politics' of War 'propaganda' from the civilian leadership, as well as some in the military leadership, who's main job is Protecting Their Troops!!

This is a Must Read!!

The Sunni Awakening, when it did finally come, provided welcome relief, says Jerry Jones. But the cost of delay is quantifiable. “From July ’04 to mid-’07,” he points out, “you can directly attribute almost all those K.I.A. [killed in action] in the Sunni regions of Iraq to this fatal error, and if we hadn’t been fighting the Sunni, we’d have had a lot more resources for dealing with Shia militia leaders like Moqtada al-Sadr in places such as Baghdad. It didn’t have to happen. Those lives did not have to be lost.”

And many in this country didn't want nor still don't want Accountability???

Leila Fadel: McClatchy Newspapers on Iraq {UpDated}

Paul Jay, of the Real News Network, speaks to Leila Fadel, Baghdad bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers in a series of interviews covering a number of topics pertaining to Iraq. The interview, and her points, are very insightful, showing her understanding of the country and it's people.

This interview, and a few others, are what the American people should be seeing. Not reporting? being done by so called News Anchors and expert? analyst, most having never been In-Country, or only quick visits to, and having few reports directly out of the Country and even fewer about and with the people of, same for the other Theater of Occupation Afghanistan.

Iraqis suspicious of pullout deal

Leila Fadel says while new agreement seems a win for Iraq many doubt it will be implemented as written

They speak on Iraqi perception of the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The Arabic-version of the agreement is firm on the United States completely withdrawing all aspects of its occupation of Iraq by December 31, 2011. Fadel says that most Iraqis are suspicious of the Agreement and of their government's dedication to ending the US-led occupation firmly. Fadel also talks about Muqtada al- Sadr and his supporters' reaction to the Agreement as well as the fall in violence in Iraq in the past year.

The Iraqi view of the surge

Leila Fadel: The surge is not well understood in the US Pt.2

As surge nears its final years, many are struggling to understand what exactly it has achieved. According to exiting President George W. Bush and his successor the surge was a success. To better understand the situation on the ground, Paul Jay spoke to Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers' bureau chief in Baghdad. Fadel speaks on the history of violence in the region, from the Anbar province to Baghdad. She also speaks on the rising leaders and the Sons of Iraq program, the exiled former fighter Abu Abed, and the network known in the West as al- Qaeda. The drop in sectarian violence, according to Fadel, is the result of the ethnic cleansing of Sunni Muslims and the creation of segregation by US-built walls between Shia and Sunni neighborhoods, and the nature of the resistance to the forces.

Iraqi elites fight for position

Leila Fadel: The fight for Iraqi wealth and power will intensify Pt.3

Iraqi elections: Elites to fight for power and oil

Leila Fadel: Jan 31 provincial elections will not be a religious fight - but amongst the Shia elite Pt.4

According to Leila Fadel, Baghdad bureau cheif for McClatchy Newspapers, sectarian leaders elected in Iraq's 2005 general election did not significantly improve the lives of average Iraqis. In the upcoming January 2009 provincial elections, many hope for secular leaders focused on Iraq's national interests, but the real battle will be between the elites of the Shia for control of the oil rich south.

Iraqi gov't leaders fear Obama?

Fadel: Iraqi officials fear unconditional support from US Oval Office will end with Obama Pt5/5

As the Bush administration leaves office it is clear the Iraqi mission is not accomplished. The goals of US power in the region and control over Iraqi oil now seem unattainable. The question now rises over what the new Obama administration represents for the occupation of Iraq, and for the Iraqi government. Leila Fadel, Baghdad bureau chief of McClatchy Newspapers warns the blanket support George W. Bush offered the Nouri Al-Maliki government may run out with Barack Obama. US troops act like the most powerful militia in support of Maliki government, thus, these leaders fear what will happen when US troops leave.

Bio

Leila Fadel is the chief of the Baghdad bureau of McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered the war in Iraq for Knight Ridder and now McClatchy on and off since June 2005, as well as the 34-day war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. Prior to joining the McClatchy team she worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as a crime and higher education reporter.

Fadel graduated from Northeastern University in Boston in 2004 and has lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. She speaks conversational Arabic. She was named print journalist of the year by the Houston Press Club for her work in 2005 and won a Katie Award from the Dallas Press Club in 2006 for her portfolio of work.

Her Iraq reporting won her Print Journalist of the Year honors from the Houston Press Club citing her work from "Bedford (Texas) to Baghdad," and add her McClatchy Blog

Condi, Condi, Condi.......................

You gotta get your ducks all in a row there before tooting those horns:

At a press conference she and Zebari said the negotiators were close to signing the deal but cautioned it had not yet been clinched.

Everyone says how intelligent you are, and after all you're the Secretary of State with a whole department working for you, or are they being allowed to.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Thursday after a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Baghdad that the agreement was concluded and that it would be discussed Friday by the Political Council for National Security.

Really?

"I was surprised when I heard about the meeting of the council," said Hadi al-Ameri, lawmaker and a top Shiite leader from the powerful Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), a key party of the ruling Iraqi government.

Could the surprise trip and the horn blowing have anything to do with trying to sell how great the 'surge' worked or is working?


If so you had better go back, as well as the talking heads controlling the talking points, and study up on the reasons for the policy known as 'the surge', and how it all came about and was sold, and let the Iraqi Government in on the Policy.


Seems they have different idea's, like getting the occupiers the hell out, and continuing the ethnic cleansing we unleashed:


Iraq Takes Aim at Leaders of U.S.-Tied Sunni Groups

The Shiite-dominated government in Iraq is driving out many leaders of Sunni citizen patrols, the groups of former insurgents who joined the American payroll and have been a major pillar in the decline in violence around the nation.

It seems you've overlooked a few things of extreme importance in trying to make your boss look good, or more than boss.

While the crackdown appears to be focused on a relatively small number of leaders whom the Iraqi government considers the most dangerous, there are influential voices to dismantle the American backed movement entirely.

“The state cannot accept the Awakening,” said Sheik Jalaladeen al-Sagheer, a leading Shiite member of Parliament. “Their days are numbered.”

Looks like, while not being consulted on extremely important and highly touted meetings, the Iraqi Government leaders are forging ahead with their own agenda and it don't look promising for your plans.


Although could this

Visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday agreed, among other things, on the export of Iraqi crude oil to Lebanon during talks in Baghdad.

be the wanted, by the cabal and friends, long awaited oil pipeline to Israel as well?


I really don't think so, you see Israel has more than just egg on their faces,

However, the impression that Israel had helped bolster the Georgian military was one the Israeli Foreign Ministry was anxious to avoid. Last Saturday it reportedly recommended a freeze on the further supply of equipment and expertise to Georgia by Israeli defense contractors. (Israel doesn't supply foreign militaries directly, but its private contractors must get Defense Ministry approval for such deals.) The Israelis decided to refrain from authorizing new defense contracts, although those currently in effect will be fulfilled. Israel stressed that the contracts are to provide equipment for defensive purposes. But if the Israelis were looking to downplay the significance of military ties, they weren't helped by comments like Yakobashvili's — or by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's enthusing at a press conference earlier this week that "the Israeli weapons have been very effective."

and something tells me that Israel's neighbors are going to be searching out more sophisticated weapons for their National Security arsenals and guess where they'll be doing their shopping.


Though apparently Israel might have had a feeling for the near future

Israeli officials say that, in anticipation of a showdown between Georgia and Russia, Israel began to scale back the involvement of Israeli companies in Georgia as early as the end of 2007. Georgia's Yakobashvili charged this week that Israel, "at Russia's behest," had downgraded military ties with Georgia, a decision he branded a "disgrace.",

I don't think you're going to get what you think you are. What seems to be growing is the examples and proof of the extremely failed administration policies you've been a part of all along.


Iraq is still very unstable, Afghanistan is growing in danger, the border with Pakistan and Pakistan itself spiralling out of control.


The only thing you all are getting is the perpetual conflicts sought from the growth of the hatreds and the increased enemies, who not only despise the policies our representatives set forth but us as well.


Hell of a Strong National Defense you've all created, Worldwide!!

'Surging' McCain - Parts 1&2

McCain campaign hides secret of Iraq surge "success" (Pt 1)



Part 1 of this report examines McCain's position in relation to the Iraq war, his decision to hedge his bets regarding the success of the surge and his interpretation of the surge's "success." Analyst for The Real News, Pepe Escobar compares McCain's interpretation to the many overlapping political and military facts on the ground in Iraq before and during the surge.

"There will be other wars" Part 2

How the surge has energized McCain



Senator John McCain's presidential campaign runs on a single theme: the US surge in Iraq has succeeded. Part 2 of this report examines how the alleged success of the surge energized not only McCain but all proponents of the Iraq war, and asks whether McCain really understands the complex situation in Iraq.

The 'surge' Working?? Take 1,2,3...........

All that's needed is for something to happen to rile the 'mahdi' army and the ceasefire will end, as well as some Iraqi leader to demand "America tear down these Walls!" and the Real Purposes for the 'surge', i.e. Escalation, will be no more!


Political: The 'surge' Working?? Take 1

Iraqi army prepares assault in Diyala as election law vetoed

Some members of the Sunni Awakening, tribesmen paid by the United States to fight al Qaida Iraq, are fleeing. "They think the security plan will target them after the insurgents," Mulla Sh'hab Alsafi, leader of one local Awakening group, told McClatchy.

Iraqi Military: The 'surge Working?? Take 2

Iraqi forces aren't quite ready to take charge

There's a Video report at the top of this one.

And if this wasn't such a tragic mistake, the invasion and occupation, you might find this report amusing. It reads like a 'Keystone Cop' movie, great descriptive honest take after 6plus years and still going.



Security: The 'surge' Working?? Take 3

Ex-insurgents Want More Money, or Else

The Iraqi officer leading a U.S.-financed anti-jihadist group is in no mood for small talk -- either the military gives him more money or he will pack his bags and rejoin the ranks of al-Qaeda

4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images

BAGHDAD — The case of a freelance photographer in Iraq who was barred from covering the Marines after he posted photos on the Internet of several of them dead has underscored what some journalists say is a growing effort by the American military to control graphic images from the war.

Photo Slide Show

Iraq events moving out of US control



One wonders the why of the presidential candidate claiming so much success about the 'surge', i.e. escalation, isn't talking more about what he would do to finally bring bin Laden to justice!

Seems he to, like the present administration, doesn't think about binny much, is the al Qaeda leader contributing to the campaigns of his once buddies, or working with the rovian crowd on some smear campaigns against the opponent.

"Bring Them Home NOW, and Take Care Of Them When They Return"
***************************************************************************

Lets Look At The 'surge'

I wasn't planning on posting anything today, have to much to do and other thoughts on my mind.

But yesterday I watched, as many have seen by now, someone who should have a much better understanding, above that of it's citizens, what this countries policies are and their implementation.

McClatchy has a couple of reports that hit on a couple of the Points of the 'surge':

Political: The 'surge' Working, Take 1

Iraqi army prepares assault in Diyala as election law vetoed

Some members of the Sunni Awakening, tribesmen paid by the United States to fight al Qaida Iraq, are fleeing. "They think the security plan will target them after the insurgents," Mulla Sh'hab Alsafi, leader of one local Awakening group, told McClatchy.

Kurds on the streets of Kirkuk were adamant in their opposition to the election law. "Without the Kurdish people, we can't talk about any shiny future for Iraq," said 32-year old Fa'iq Mohammed Qadir. "What happened in the parliament is like a coup against Kurds," said Aso Raheem Sarawi. "It is not constitutional and illegal."

Iraqi Military: The 'surge Working, Take 2

Iraqi forces aren't quite ready to take charge

There's a Video report at the top of this one.

And if this wasn't such a tragic mistake, the invasion and occupation, you might find this report amusing. It reads like a 'Keystone Cop' movie, great descriptive honest take after 6plus years and still going.

Now I would add a quote or two from the above, but there's just too many that could be highlighted, and I did in sending it out, you really have to read the whole thing, and the Video touches on much of it also.

Earlier today I posted up a reply over at VetVoice to a thread about the McCain outlook on the 'surge' and 'counter insurgency', how he figured that combination was going to work still has me baffled.

I'm bringing that here and expanding abit:

CounterIsurgency = surge??

Watching last night's show I sat there scratching my head, than it dawned on me why the head scratching and the reason it seemed the present day Military Leadership, forget the idiots on the civilian side, didn't understand what they were going into in invading a country, what would quickly follow, and Especially CounterInsurgency, if McCain is even partially right in his confusing statement.

I hate to keep putting wartime pilots down, but except for Chopper Pilots, they haven't a clue as to the how to fight wars, nor the policies that are established to supposedly win them, such as CounterInsurgency, they aren't on the ground implimenting the policies, and they rarely see, up close and personal, the damage done by their required actions, bombing etc., except in pictures.

When I went through CI and SERE before 'Nam, CI was sold as the complete Opposite of this new McCain Doctrine, Nixon was Pulling Troops Out Of Country, we were turning over the fleets of River Boats to the S.Vietnamesse and placing one American onboard as an Adviser. We were told we would have a Counter Part when arriving In-Country, never met mine nor got one as others with me had same.

One of the main parts of CounterInsurgency was working with Less Soldiers and working not only with the countries military forces but the civilians, Winning Hearts and Minds, setting up programs to help them, rebuilding or overseeing that by giving security etc..

And we were all labeled as 'Advisers'.

CounterInsurgency had Absolutely Nothing to do with any Escalation In Forces and Heavy Engagements!!

And by the way:

In turning over the River Boats they were quickly breaking down, which they weren't prior to, my brothers on the rivers found out Nobody were PMing the boats, just running them, so the U.S. was stuck with fixing them or scrapping them.

I'm sure this wasn't a lone occurrence, and the other service branches were finding similar.

There were good military forces as well as lax forces in the S.Vietnamesse military, that we were training, that's life.

Let me expand abit on the above.

The United States Population seems to have this thing about Country and Patriotism that more than borders on the total arrogance and apathy that we live in. We somehow think that because we happened to be born here we are Superior beings as to those who were born elsewhere, Yet our forefathers and mothers came here from all over those other places and many still do. And our history shows our brutal treatment of those, we almost eliminated, who actually are native to this big patch of earth.

When one Invades and Occupies another's land and they fight back they are called Enemies, and in todays language they're known as Terrorists, forgetting the Fact they were born there, live there, raise families there, and are even more Patriotic towards their countries as their families heritage is well endowed in those lands, much longer than our own.

Some will take up arms and anything they can find or develope and fight the invaders/occupiers, and the more that is destroyed and their countries citizens killed the more they will fight and others will join them. They also get support from those not willing yet to fight.

Some will start working with the invaders/occupiers as their way of hoping by doing so they will leave quickly.

Than you have some who will either work both sides or use the invaders/occupiers to their advantage, like the politicians, business persons, etc..

Surge: Now most know how this 'surge' in Iraq was sold, and except for those who keep trying to change, revisionist history, that meaning and it's goals, most still know and understand. The two reports at the top show quite clearly it isn't working on more two a couple of it's stated goals.

Escalation An escalation of forces into an occupation is just what it says, bringing more forces into the theater of occupation for a long period of time for added security, and in a Guerilla/Insurgent conflict the only thing it does is put the people fighting the occupation into hiding or laying low, in clear view, untill. And that 'untill' is a weapon of an insurgent, Time.

Counter Insurgency How someone could tie those two words to 'surge' just baffles, especially anyone who was a part of any Counter Insurgency, It is what it says, and I explained in short above. It's a Counter to those who live in the country occupied saying to the people, look we want to help to reestablish what we destroyed and get the Hell Out. Looking to win the Hearts and Minds of the majority by helping them reestablish a government we toppled, their infrastructure we blew up, their homes and businesses we destroyed, their lives we put into total disarray, and more, and once again Get The Hell Out. It is working with as many people as possible not increasing the numbers of fighting forces.

Oh and now they also keep saying the 'surge' is over, sorry it ain't, the escalation is still in effect reportedly with some 15,000 military troops now there over what was before the 'surge'.

Surge and Counter Insurgency are Opposites of a conflict, not working together Policies!

From Bad, to Worse

Following what has been going on in Iraq and trying to follow Afghanistan, with the little, until recently, we get about that theater, I've had a growing uneasy feeling.

We all know that the bush doctrine has been a total failure and I need not go into the whole extreme mess these power hungry idiots have made. There is one thing I do see they succeeded in, creating an enemy and building that into a fear for Perpetual Conflict, replacing the Cold War Mentality to justify Huge Defense Contracts, Huge Profits, and the needed fear factor in the populace of not only the U.S. but the western world, the rest already have their problems from the wests continuing failed policies towards them, of which helped create this enemy.

It's has been rather hard to follow the news on Afghanistan, but it can be done if following overseas reporting.

Than this tragedy happened:

Sgt. Jacob Walker and Spc. Tyler Stafford talk about the attack

Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost


The insurgents found a weakness, not at the base as much as in backup for or distance to nearest backup, soldiers, air by U.S. or NATO or Afghan forces.

Lately, along with the Obama visit, the above and more is now being focused on what should have been over with long ago, with the ouster of the Taliban and we already should have accomplished the search for al Qaeda there as well as being deep into rebuilding and helping the Afghans use their natural resources to build their long lost economy.

The growing uneasiness is the expansion of both conflicts, laying low in Iraq, for the present, and recruiting around the region and possibly the world for a buildup by the insurgents as to Afghanistan with the unstable government there as well as in Pakistan.

Everyones been worried about an attack on Iran and that fear has been placed front and center for a long time by those controlling the talk, while virtually silent on Afghanistan and Pakistan, either not caring about the tensions there or just plain ignoring it. I choose the latter what with their track record to date.

I caught this the other day.

Along with the Taliban's ongoing progress in Afghanistan, al-Qaeda has strengthened its position in Pakistan's tribal areas, reinforced by a steady stream of new recruits from other countries and an expansion of its networks among local tribes.

The situation reached a point where the Pakistani security agencies, in connivance with the Saudi establishment, felt they had to act. They hatched a plot to establish a proxy network in a newly formed Taliban group that rivals the anti-state al-Qaeda franchise of Baitullah Mehsud's Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban.

It didn't work, as the report will tell you, but notice this in the above: "reinforced by a steady stream of new recruits from other countries", wasn't the intelligence watching this, if so why doesn't it seem that actions were taken especially as to beefing up firebases like the one that was attacked!

Today I find this:

al Qaeda calls for a new Afghan 'Jihad'

Afghanistan, and not Iraq -- is the main front of struggle

In the video Escobar states this: "If they win this battle with the infidals than they can go to the land of the two rivers, that's Iraq."

Al Qaeda is back with a vengeance. Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, interviewed by Pakistan’s Geo TV says “there is no difference between the American people and their government”. He goes on to attack the Pakistan government for suppressing the Islamist movement. He calls for Jihad in Afghanistan, on both sides of the Pakistan/Afghan border. As far as future US policy goes, Obama is on a learning curve while McCain seems geographically challenged.

Pepe Escobar has written this up as well over at the Asia Times not completely following what the video gives, but real close.

"At this stage this is our understanding - that there is no difference between the American people and the American government itself. If we see this through sharia [Islamic] law, American people and the government itself are infidels and are fighting against Islam. We have to rely on suicide attacks which are absolutely correct according to Islamic law. We have adopted this way of war because there is a huge difference between our material resources and our enemy's, and this is the only option to attack our enemy."

This isn't a religious confrontation, it is made so by the leading players on both sides and their supporters, which suites them fine, for the purposes of the fear factor they want to instill.

Al-Qaeda's strategy is to suck in the US military - this is classic Osama bin Laden ideology, according to which the US should be dragged to fight in Muslim lands. Al-Qaeda is reasoning that an attack on the tribal areas, in fact a real third front in the "war on terror" (so dreaded by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen) will have Pakistani public opinion so outraged that the Pakistani army would be powerless to follow the US track. And al-Qaeda, in the end, would be left with an even freer hand.

As to the use of this so called 'surge' that supposedly worked so well, if you listen to the rovian 'revisionist history' being spoken by McCain and those who support the bush doctrine, whatever the hell that is, one just needs to go back to the selling of this 'surge' by bush and those involved, these 'revisionist history' creaters get away with it because the ones that listen to them don't remember nor do they want to, as they debate themselves from both sides of their own argument.

The 'surge' worked great, security is tight, attacks are down, but as for any pulldown of troops, some 15,000 more still in theater than before the 'surge', well that depends on conditions on the ground.

If their 'surge' worked, as they are now defining it, than conditions on the ground are great, so thus troops not needed!

But lets see how well this 'surge' is working, as to the new definition:

Fallujah braces for another assault

In the face of US military claims of improved security, violence has been rising by the day this month. The city has now been placed under tight curfew while US and Iraqi military forces prepare for a new offensive,according to the local Azzaman daily.
Iraqi security forces have established new checkpoints around the city and are forbidding movement of people and traffic. Pick-up trucks are roaming the city warning residents that al-Qaeda has once again infiltrated Fallujah.

Seems the insurgents and whatever the U.S. wants to label al Qaeda of Iraq are still playing 'whack a mole' in country and laying low when they need to, hmmm sounds abit like 'Nam over those long years, or just like any guerilla war fought in an occupied country.


Than we have a few, there have been recent ones as well, reports about another part of the 'surge' the supporters don't discuss, the Government of Iraq, along with other reason for:


Kurds Object to Iraqi Provincial Election Law

“This vote has ruined the atmosphere of harmony which dominated Iraq in the recent period,” he said. “It paralyzed the elections. The chance of having an election during this year has been lost.”

Iraqis Take Flawed Step On Electoral Legislation

Losing political power in Kirkuk is likely to hinder the Kurds' long-standing goal of annexing the city into the Kurdistan Regional Government. Keegan said it's too early to tell how Kurds in Kirkuk will react to parliament's vote.

"The likelihood of a violent uprising is unlikely," he said. "A U.S. combat brigade sits up here."

"A U.S. combat brigade sits up here.", right like that's stopped anybody, like the Shiite's and the Sunni's, untill before the 'surge', these last 6 plus years!

It seems that a new 'mujahadeen' is forming or growing from an already established insurgent force along with al Qaeda and the Taliban, with the problems plaguing the Pakistan and Afghan governments, and they are now using the whole region in this game of 'whack a mole', and this spells deep trouble for the region as well as the forces of the U.S. and NATO!

Grilling Petraeus

Above title comes from MoJo, short for Mother Jones, for those not in the know.

It covers this:

Washington Dispatch: We asked a dozen national security experts what Congress should ask the top military commander in Iraq at this week's hearings. Here's what they came up with.

There's a short introduction, before the panel asks their questions. In the intro we are reminded of what Petraeus gave as an answer the last time:

But when Republican Senator John Warner asked Petraeus if the Iraq War "makes America safer," the general replied, "I don't know, actually. I have not sat down and sorted [it] out in my own mind."

Ought to be real interesting what answer he gives this time!

From the invasion, and building these five, now plus, years, I could tell him We Are Not Safer! Reason we have now created more Hatreds and Enemies out of Tens Of Thousands of Iraqi's, and probably as many in the region, that Didn't Exist Before!!

I would also point out that there seems to be a Nationalist group that is beating him at his expertise, Counter Insurgency, and we saw that Explode these last couple of weeks and continue, as the Iraq Government? and the U.S. are still trying to quell that Nationalism, with the Iraqi Government? threatening to not allow this group, never minding all the others, to participate in the coming elections, Hell Of A Democracy We Gave Them!

The dozen National Security Experts participating in giving the questions are:

Andrew Bacevich, professor of history and international relations at Boston University

Larry Johnson, former CIA and State Department intelligence official

Wayne White, head of the State Department's Iraq intelligence team 2003 to 2005 and an adviser to the Iraq Study Group

Juan Cole, professor of history at University of Michigan

Sam Gardiner, retired Air Force colonel and expert on military strategy

A research professor at a military institute who asked not to be named

David Isenberg, military affairs analyst and adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute

A former intelligence analyst who handled Middle Eastern issues for years and who asked not to be identified by name

Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell

Gordon Adams, professor of U.S. Foreign Policy at the School of International Service, American University

Retired Colonel W. Patrick Lang Jr., former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency's human intelligence service

A former Army colonel and planner who asked not to be identified

Take a trip over to MoJo to view the questions they asked and see if you think they are better than

The questions he received from the legislators were mostly softballs. (Neither senators Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama were impressive when questioning Petraeus.)

the Congressional Questions last time

This time is a Huge Question Mark coming from a Congress not following the Will Of The People!

Max and the Marginalized
Has the following MP3 in a Post over at Vet Voice

A song for the Petraeus briefing

Q & A
In the year and change since the upswing
With circumstances largely in the dark
The questioners are lining up with the clipboards
I'm sure you'll hit their softballs out of the park

So get some magic markers and draw a happy face
And cross out all your notes from the past few days
The counter hits 4,000 and it counts and counts away
If they had a chance to ask, what would they say?
In Q & A

You'll recommend against reductions
I'm afraid it's more than they can stand
Someone get a page to bring you water
To wash that blood off of your master's hands

A confident demeanor and the medals on your coat
Give googly eyes to the fourth estate
If someone happens to ask you if it's worth the price we've paid
When you answer think of those who've gone away
In Q & A

Max and the Marginalized are the only rock band in the progressive blogosphere, and therefore the best one! They write and record a song a week and post them on The Huffington Post.

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is," - George W. Bush, Texas Gov., 1999

" What does it matter to the dead, the orphan, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
- Mohandas K. Gandhi

" Wars, conflict, it's all business. One murder makes a villain. Millions a hero. Numbers sanctify."
-Charlie Chaplin

And so from the spectre of the summer soldier who shrinks from the hard truths and his country's crises, comes the Winter Soldier who will not look away.

Basra Breaking?

A few days ago we get this:

U.S. Wants British 'Surge' In S. Iraq: Paper

And why, because:

It quoted an unnamed senior U.S .military source saying: "Three big militias are currently engaged in a particularly bloody battle in southern Iraq.

And the U.S.

"If they do not have enough troops, then they will be offered U.S .Marines to help out.

"The feeling is that if southern Iraq is hugely unstable, it will affect the success of the surge in the north and destabilize the whole country."

Today we get this:

Heavy fighting in southern Iraqi oil hub

Heavy fighting erupted on Tuesday in the southern oil city of Basra where Iraqi security forces launched a major operation at dawn against powerful militias, military officials and witnesses said.

"There are clashes in the streets. Bullets are coming from everywhere and we can hear the sound of rocket explosions. This has been going on since dawn," resident Jamil told Reuters by telephone as he cowered in his home.

Who was it that said Iraq is Stable?

Two powerful factions of Iraq's Shi'ite majority, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and the Mehdi Army militia of Moqtada al-Sadr, are fighting for power in Basra along with a smaller Shi'ite party, Fadhila.

Basra is Iraq's second city and gateway to the Gulf. Its oil fields are the source of most government revenues.

Will these unstable questionable alliances be starting to break down?

And can the Iraq Governments?? forces gain control or stalemate or join the fighting factions?

Holloway said Iraqi troops had been sent from across Iraq to reinforce the 14th Iraqi Army division in Basra.

Where will this leave the rest of the country?

The Real Face of War

From The Real News Network

Reality of war and Winter Soldier testimonials not covered by US television news




80,000 Angry Men. Is the US Surge collapsing?

Iraqis employed by the US to take on al-Qaida are threatening to strike

An investigation carried out by GuardianFilms for Channel 4 uncovers how thousands of Iraqis employed at $10 a day by the US to take on al-Qaida are threatening to go on strike because they say they have been used by the 'Americans to do their dirty work' and haven't been paid.



Shiite Clashes Fray Truce

By ROBERT H. REID – 12 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security forces battled Shiite gunmen south of Baghdad on Friday, raising tensions among rival factions of the country's majority religious community and straining a seven-month cease-fire proclaimed by the biggest Shiite militia.

Also Friday, an American soldier was killed and four others were wounded in a rocket or mortar attack south of the capital, the military said. At least 3,993 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war five years ago, according to an Associated Press count. The statement did not provide more details about the location; the area has a volatile mix of Sunni and Shiite extremists.

The Myth

Remember this:

President Bush laid down the standard of success when he announced the surge more than a year ago: "If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home."

Than yesterday we get this:

The Pentagon is projecting that when the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq ends in July there will be about 8,000 more troops on the ground than when it began in January 2007, a senior general said Monday.

Rolling Stone has a great report, From Iraq, that's online now and out in next months mag.

The Myth of the Surge

Hoping to turn enemies into allies, U.S. forces are arming Iraqis who fought with the insurgents. But it's already starting to backfire. A report from the front lines of the new Iraq
NIR ROSEN Posted Mar 06, 2008

It's abit of a long read, but a truth to word and opening ones mind to imagine the reality as if there, opening:

It's a cold, gray day in December, and I'm walking down Sixtieth Street in the Dora district of Baghdad, one of the most violent and fearsome of the city's no-go zones. Devastated by five years of clashes between American forces, Shiite militias, Sunni resistance groups and Al Qaeda, much of Dora is now a ghost town. This is what "victory" looks like in a once upscale neighborhood of Iraq: Lakes of mud and sewage fill the streets. Mountains of trash stagnate in the pungent liquid. Most of the windows in the sand-colored homes are broken, and the wind blows through them, whistling eerily. House after house is deserted, bullet holes pockmarking their walls, their doors open and unguarded, many emptied of furniture. What few furnishings remain are covered by a thick layer of the fine dust that invades every space in Iraq. Looming over the homes are twelve-foot-high security walls built by the Americans to separate warring factions and confine people to their own neighborhood. Emptied and destroyed by civil war, walled off by President Bush's much-heralded "surge," Dora feels more like a desolate, post-apocalyptic maze of concrete tunnels than a living, inhabited neighborhood. Apart from our footsteps, there is complete silence.

We have created a Huge Refugee Crisis that may be ready to explode, creating more danger to them and the already unstable conditions of Iraq and the region.

A top U.N. refugee official warned on Tuesday of the possibility that Iraqi refugees might be expelled from their sanctuaries unless the United States, Iraq and other countries act quickly to help them.

One of the reasons for the curb in violence, besides the ceasefire by Sadr and paying former insurgent personal to not fight U.S. troops but the so called al Qaeda of Iraq, are the Blast Walls seperating the now mostly ethnically cleansed neighborhoods of Baghdad.

Baghdad security walls curb violence, at a cost
To some Iraqis they are the reason it is safe to shop. To others they are like big jails.

Not winning Hearts and Minds!!

And any Iraq refugees, returning, voluntarily or forced because of lack of money or forced out of safer neighboring countries, return to the ethnically cleansed neighborhoods, most with others now living in their homes, and all living behind Walls of Concrete seperating neighborhood from neighborhood!

The three trillion dollar war
The cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have grown to staggering proportions

Most Americans have yet to feel these costs. The price in blood has been paid by our voluntary military and by hired contractors. The price in treasure has, in a sense, been financed entirely by borrowing. Taxes have not been raised to pay for it - in fact, taxes on the rich have actually fallen. Deficit spending gives the illusion that the laws of economics can be repealed, that we can have both guns and butter. But of course the laws are not repealed. The costs of the war are real even if they have been deferred, possibly to another generation.

So far this Month some 29 U.S. Military Personal have been killed in Iraq, by Iraq Casulties.org.

“ Every war, when viewed from the undistorted perspective of life's sanctity, is a "civil war" waged by humanity against itself."
- Daisaku Ikeda

The Other Shoe Dropping in Iraq?

As bad as Iraq was and is, it soon could become worse than the very recent past nfew months and they haven't been a sunday afternoon picnic!

markthshark posted this Diary last night: Moqtada al-Sadr Ends Four Month Pact with Rival Shi'ite Council.

Amazingly this Extremely Important bit of Reality made it up to the recommend list disappointing, I'll bet, at least one diarist posting either a slam post against or a love thy one for the favorite candidate 'Who's Gonna Save The World'. Folks, just abit of another reality. Only You, together with many many many others can right the course of this Ship of State, but I degress.

Could the other shoe hit the floor in Iraq?

The purpose of 'The Surge' has not come to the reality wanted, a functioning Iraqi Government { and it won't as long as control is coming from Washington}. But with the Blastwalls in Baghdad, alliances and paying those who were formally fighting us, and Most Important, Ceasefire agreements with the main Insurgent Iraqi Groups has quieted, at least abit, the Violence, but still Innocent Iraqi's and Occupation Forces have been Killed and Maimed, and this month already seems to be heading back towards Escalation.

Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army is among the most powerful militias in Iraq. The crux of the message being sent by the organization was that al-Sadr followers would be free to resume their activities if no message was sent by the cleric on Feb. 23.

And so add to the diary link subject above, which is bad enough, and watch for any news on the date directly above for Al-Sadr threatens to lift cease-fire, and the robins may be starting to show up in the north, for spring time here, but the Violence in Iraq could be heading, once again, into the Abis of the Extreme for Our Troops and the Iraqi People, who's Lives and Country have already been Destroyed by Us!

According to al-Obeidi, this "has been conveyed to all Mahdi Army members nationwide."

Got that, all Mahdi Army members Nationwide.

The U.S. military has welcomed the cease-fire, saying it is a major factor in the estimated 60 percent decline in violence in the country in the second half of 2007.

What will the War Profitteers and War Mongers, in Washington, do. Offer Al-Sadr Billions to hold his supporters back, and what will they do, even small factions of?

As this Debacle continues!!

“ Every war, when viewed from the undistorted perspective of life's sanctity, is a "civil war" waged by humanity against itself."
- Daisaku Ikeda

Not Good News: Iraq! and 6 Month Ceasefire Slated to End This Month!

Deal between key Iraq Shiite figures collapses


NAJAF, Iraq, Feb 17, 2008 (AFP) - Radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement Sunday announced it was cancelling a pact it signed four months ago with its main Shiite rival aimed at reducing tension between the two groups.



The agreement between the Sadrists and the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim "has failed and is cancelled," Nassar al-Rubaie, spokesman for the Sadr bloc in parliament, told AFP.

The two groups, which have clashed repeatedly in the past as each sought control of Iraq's majority Shiite community, signed a pact last October 6 aimed at ending the violence between their two militias.

Their attempt at reconciliation was prompted by tensions in the town of Diwaniyah, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Baghdad, between the local authorities controlled by the SIIC and Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

Dozens of Sadrists had been rounded up in operations led by the Iraqi security forces supported by US troops following confrontations between the rival militiamen during the second half of 2007.

Part of the deal was that joint committees be set up with provincial branches to keep order between rival supporters, but according to Rubaie this has not been done.

"Committees should have been created to resolve security problems in all the provinces," he said. "But they have not been implemented and this agreement is just a facade. It has not been activated."

Competition between the two Shiite factions has often been violent, with a number of officials on either side assassinated.

At stake is control of local government in Iraq's mainly Shiite southern provinces which are rich in oil, and in particular in the large town of Basra, the main port for exporting hydrocarbons.

Rivalry between the two movements is likely to increase ahead of provincial elections scheduled for October 1.

The SIIC has close links with Iran, and its chief Abdel Aziz al-Hakim often visits Tehran.

He is also welcomed in Washington, where he is regarded as a key player on the Iraqi political scene.

The Sadrist movement touts itself as a defender of the Arab identity of Iraq's Shiite community, and its young chief was long regarded as a bete noir of US troops in Iraq.

However, he declared a six-month ceasefire last August and has since been frequently praised by US commanders for having helped to reduce the levels of violence across Iraq.



*********************************

“ Every war, when viewed from the undistorted perspective of life's sanctity, is a "civil war" waged by humanity against itself."

- Daisaku Ikeda

Some Powerful Articles like 'Pentagon Breaks with White House'

Greyhawk had this posted at ePluribus about the Military breaking ranks with the White House on the propaganda about the Successful Surge with only this one snippet

"Don't let the quiet fool you," a senior defense official says. "There's still a huge chasm between how the White House views Iraq and how we [in the Pentagon] view Iraq. The White House would like to have you believe the 'surge' has worked, that we somehow defeated the insurgency. That's just ludicrous. There's increasing quiet in Iraq, but that's happened because of our shift in strategy - the 'surge' had nothing to do with it."

And just a few sentences, so I followed the link. Here's abit more to hopefully get you to drop over to the Asia Times online and read the rest.

According to them this is Part 1

and we also find this

Moreover, these officers contend, the insurgency might not have put down roots in the country after the fall of Baghdad if it had not been for the White House and State Department - which undermined military efforts to strike deals with a number of Iraq's most disaffected tribal leaders. These officers point out that the first contact between high-level Pentagon officials and the nascent insurgency took place in Amman, Jordan, in August of 2003 - but senior Bush administration officials killed the talks.

A second round of meetings, this time with leaders of some of al-Anbar province's tribal chiefs, took place in November of 2004, but again senior administration officials refused to build on the contacts that were made. "We made the right contacts, we said the right things, we listened closely, we put a plan in place that would have saved a lot of time and trouble," a senior Pentagon official says. "And every time we were ready to go forward, the White House said 'no'."

I'll leave you with those, the rest you can find here

After you come back from the above report you might want to pay a visit to this Counter Punch editorial by By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS The Empire That Must Be Obeyed asking this question "What Gives the US the Right to Claim a Moral Monopoly Over the World?" and leading off with this:

"The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction."
Five Western military leaders.

I read the statement three times trying to figure out the typo. Then it hit me, the West has now out-Owellled Orwell: The West must nuke other countries in order to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction! In Westernspeak, the West nuking other countries does not qualify as the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Got ya wondering? Than trip on over and read, he's also got a link to the statement by these five western military leaders!

Then there's a great writeup on the upcoming Iraq Veterans To Testify at Their Own 'Winter Soldier'
Organizers Model Event After Vietnam Investigation


Vietnam veteran John Kerry testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971.

But while the investigation itself may have made little immediate impact, its disclosures would reverberate for decades. “We learned the meaning of free fire zones, shooting anything that moves, and we watched while America placed a cheapness on the lives of orientals,” a 27-year old Navy veteran, John Kerry, told the Senate about what Winter Soldier uncovered. The bitterness that testimony sowed in other Vietnam veterans, who felt betrayed by Winter Soldier, stayed alive through 2004, when the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth falsely maligned Kerry’s service record as payback. Now, with another intractable conflict proving to be another defining moment in American history, some veterans of the Iraq war intend to take up the Winter Soldier banner. On March 13, Iraq Veterans Against the War, an organization inspired by Vietnam Veterans Against the War, will convene at the National Labor College just outside of Washington to say, in so many words, that it’s all happening again.
“What’s happening now is no different than over the past five years,” said Geoff Millard, 27, the president of the group’s Washington chapter. “It’s the result of systematic problems in the way we fight an occupation. It’s not that we’re going to outline these huge atrocities. It’s how the systematic nature of occupation is oppression.” This time around, Winter Soldier will have what its predecessor didn’t: digital video to back up the charges.

Organizers estimate that perhaps 45 to 55 Iraq veterans, and some from Afghanistan, will testify to such “terrible things” at Winter Soldier. Liam Madden, 23, a Marine veteran of Iraq who’s now a student at Northeastern University, came up with the idea for a second Winter Soldier in late 2006 with his fellow IVAW members Aaron Hughes in Chicago and Fernando Braga in New York. “The people I’ve talked to who are testifying are going to talk about their experiences in Iraq, how they’re put in positions to harm the people of Iraq and harm the image of America because of the position they’re put in, and the complete injustice involved in that,” Madden said. “Other people will talk about how a run-of-the-mill day in Iraq is. It adds up to a checkpoint here, a house raid there, a house raid there, a house raid there, to a population of Iraqis who can’t tolerate you any longer.”
The project’s interview and verification committees are just getting started. But glimpses of the expected testimony are beginning to emerge. One of the early interviewees, a medic, told IVAW about treating a two-year old shot in the thigh by U.S. soldiers, and witnessing “the mutilation of the dead,” according to Jose Vasquez, 33, a former Army sergeant who heads Winter Soldier’s verification team. The public should expect to hear about “unnecessary killing of noncombatants on the battlefield,” said Vasquez, an anthropology graduate student at the City University of New York. (Vasquez himself filed as a conscientious objector after finding himself unable to participate in the Iraq war.) Indeed, a frequent theme among group members in interviews has been the intensity of manning checkpoints, where Iraqi civilians can die for simply not approaching a checkpoint slowly enough to reassure an apprehensive soldier who doesn’t speak their language.

Now the organizers have this to say:

Yet the organizers of Winter Soldier will consider the event a failure if it appears to blame soldiers and Marines for the war.

It's the Occupation not the Military Personel, except for the Extreme Few, as it was in 'Nam and any Conflict, many devestating incidents are Not Atrosities or War Crimes, but it really doesn't matter how We Define Anything after we invade and occupy, it's the Perception of those we Invaded and their lands we Occupy, just as it would be if it were us!

This report gives you an insight to both sides of thought about this upcoming event of Winter Soldier, you can also get more over at Vet Voice in a post by ArmySergeant, he's Active Duty and one of the organizers.

While you're over there you might want to read this one as well PTSD Is Brought On By Days Like These, it's of an incident that might just bring a shiver to your spine!

And don't miss this one at Vet Voice as well Homeless and Facing Prison: An American Tradition, as a matter of fact you should pay a daily visit for some Great insight from Active Military personal and Veterans, this sight is growing and many of the reads are well worth it.

Change?
Real Change
By William Rivers Pitt
I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed.
- George Carlin

Also if you have a Blog or Website you may want to add An Eternal Flame Widget to it:

Follow This Link
to the Eternal Flame that you can leave on your blogs or sites Until The Troops Are Home and All Are Taken Care Of.

It was made by "notlightnessofbeing" who posts at a few of these sites as well as maintaining a blog.

Visit link and Copy the Code to Paste into your sites, as I put it on mine and our VFP Chapter site, and that's where it'll sit, Till We Bring Them Home and Take Care Of Them!!

Still working on that 'Successful Surge'!

We all know the Why for the 'Surge', we all know the spin of the Success stories of that 'Surge', which seem to always overlook the 'Why'.

Well here's another example of why the 'Why' still hasn't been achieved, even with the many Walls built around Ethnically Cleansed Neighborhoods

A suicide bomber has killed eight Iraqis, including soldiers, in an attack on Army Day celebrations.

Army Day - a public holiday in Iraq - marks the anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi Army in 1921 with its first battalion, the Musa Al-Kadhem and involves high-ranking officers and government officials as well as Iraqi soldiers.

You can watch the BBC Video of the celebrations and bombing in another one of those 'Safe Neighborhoods' of Baghdad.

When will we start being Honest with Ourselves, as the World already knows, about What We Have Done?

When will those seeking the job of President not only be Honest to the American People, who hopefully will be doing the hiring, and not the Supremes, about the Depths of Hatreds created and Destruction of our Morality as a Nation, but also be Honest with themselves about what this Nation Now Faces?

When will We, as a Nation, start holding those Responsible, Accountable??

The Key....

involves high-ranking officers and government officials as well as Iraqi soldiers.

Yep the 'Surge' is doin wonders giving the 'Government of Iraq' the Space Needed to Govern and Protect!!

bush Drawdown

THE PEOPLE'S REPORT

From Veterans For Peace E-Bulletan and Produced and distributed by United for Peace and Justice

A response to the Petreaus Report on Capitol Hill

Written with the help of Phyllis Bennis, Erik Leaver, and Saif Rahman at the Institute for Policy Studies, United For Peace and Justice is publishing the People's Report. Feel free to print this report and share it with your Congressional Representatives.

"The so-called Petraeus Report-actually written within the White House-is supposed to evaluate "progress" in the U.S. war and surging occupation of Iraq based on a set of congressionally-determined benchmarks. Those evaluations will ostensibly provide an overview of how far along U.S.-occupied Iraq is in achieving "stability," "democracy," "equity between groups," and more."

"But however the White House drafters and General Petraeus and the spindoctors assess the benchmarks, what the report will almost certainly NOT do is provide a true glimpse of what the shattered lives of the 25 million Iraqis look like today."

Folded Pamphlet pdf file.

Four page version pdf file.


From inside the report:

But however the White House drafters and General Petraeus and the spindoctors assess the benchmarks,
what the report will almost certainly NOT do is provide a true glimpse of what the shattered lives of the 25
million Iraqis look like today.

And this country seems not to understand 'Why Others Hate Us!'.

Open it up, either the pamphlet or the four page version.

Many of us have already known the growing costs, but you might know someone who either doesn't or just doesn't care, they need to be educated!

Print it and pass it out!

The Sutras of Abu Ghraib

New book by Iraq veteran, objector Aidan Delgado

The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector

'The Sutras of Abu Ghraib' is the story of a soldier who refused to succumb to violence. In chronicling the struggles of military life and the dehumanizing effects of war, Aidan Delgado examines the attitudes that make prisoner abuse possible and explores his own developing Buddhist beliefs against a brutal backdrop. It is a tale of physical bravery, moral courage, and the cost of holding on to your identity while everyone around you is losing theirs.

"Aidan Delgado is a powerful, eloquent writer. His description of how he was transformed by the horrors of Iraq is unforgettable. He is a diamond in the rough, sandblasted in the desert of Iraq." — Amy Goodman, Democracy Now

In explaining why he wrote the book, Aidan Delgado explained, "Throughout my career as an activist, I have always wanted to talk to people in depth, away from the politics and the rhetoric. I hope this book will finally allow me to speak to people in the way I always intended: person to person."

From Publishers Weekly
Delgado, one of the few soldiers to gain conscientious objector status during the Iraq War, paints a grim picture of an army suffused with casual racism and capricious violence. After signing up to become an army reserve mechanic—he completed the paperwork on September 11, 2001, minutes before the first tower was hit—Delgado found himself drawn to Buddhism, and his faith ultimately clashed with the military service he faced in Iraq. Having lived in Egypt as a teenager, Delgado was alarmed by the ignorance of Islam and xenophobia among his fellow soldiers. He attributes those attitudes to the abuses at Abu Ghraib, where he was stationed for much of his tour of duty. Delgado's commander, who did not look favorably upon applications for CO status, took his body armor away and didn't return it, even when the unit was under continual mortar bombardment. This slim and readable volume is best when recounting the author's conversations, altercations and adventures in Iraq; his meditations on pacifism are sometimes repetitive and tendentious. In the end, he offers a welcome corrective to much of the aggressive rhetoric that has pervaded the debate over the war in Iraq.

Reviews
Publishers Weekly : "he offers a welcome corrective to much of the aggressive rhetoric that has pervaded the debate over the war in Iraq."

Booklist, ALA : "an absorbing and worthy story that offers one man's perspective on a conflict that continues to divide our nation."

Available from Courage to Resist for a $25 donation.

ACTION on "ESCALATION"

A call has gone out for Actions on the day of the call for Escalation or the following day, days!
I am using one of the groups involved letter as the opening in this post, information and coalition groups involved follows that!
Get Involved, in large groups, small groups, individually, for as before this Escalation in forces will Not Work and will only fan the already Blazing Fires, causing much more Destruction and Devestation!
The Iraqi people have Suffered Enough from our Imperialism and Arrogance!
What is needed is the engagement of the neighboring countries for it is their region, their cultures, their neighbors, and their shared religious ideologies. They must use their diplomacy to help bring down the sectarian violence.
We don't just walk away, for we have completely broken a country and it's people and We Must Pay for what we have done with Real Reconstruction of the infrastructure and the Iraqi peoples lives!


Howdy MMOB -- {Mainstreet Moms: Organize or Bust

I just got a call from Matt Holland at True Majority and he is very much hoping MMOBsters (known for action!) would be some of the first to join a national push to get out and say NO MORE TROOPS as soon as Bush makes his expected announcement of pointless escalation this week. (See America Says NO and below for details)
We're thinking we should harken back to MMOB's "Rush Hour Roadside VOTE Shows" with this, and get out on street corners with the "NO MORE TROOPS" posters True Majority has (or make your own!), tape posters in car windows for the commute, do some yard banners, t-shirts on our dogs of course, whatever inspires. There is an additional effort to get millions of signatures on a petition for NO MORE TROOPS that this True Majority/Coalition campaign will deliver to Congress on the 27th. Please post any other ideas on the MMOB list serv.
As you'll see below, the America Says NO suggestion is to have a gathering the night of the announcement, take a photo, and upload it to the campaign to show this "surge of protest." This sounds good, but so does getting out in public the next day! Either way, please consider joining in with your own brand of NO MORE TROOPS sentiment, large or small. If you scroll down, you'll see the big stack of organizations we're joining by doing this.
Finally, if you're going to do something on your own, please consider registering your rabblerousing as an event, but just mark it "private" and send in a picture if possible. This will help paint a truer picture of the 'surge protest' when the dust settles!
If you're game, but have questions, post them on the MMOB list serv.
Very best to everyone,

Megan & the MMOB

WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT:

Americans Say NO! A Nationwide 'Surge' of Protest Events

Americans DO NOT want more troops in Iraq!
You're one of our best activists. Can you host an event to make that point loud and clear?

President Bush is expected to give his "new direction in Iraq" speech around Wednesday, January 10th -- and you won't like what he's planning to say. He wants to increase the number of men and women sent to Iraq, even though we just elected a new Congress to help get us out of there. We have to make it clear that Americans do NOT want more troops in Iraq and we have to act fast! Which is why I'm writing to you on a Saturday.
Can you host an event in your community to say NO to the President's escalation plan?

America Says NO

This is just the beginning. On January 27th, we'll be delivering a petition signed by tens of thousands of Americans at the huge March on Washington in D.C. We know not everyone can board a bus to Washington to speak out, so these local events are a great way to get everyone in your community signed on.

Click below to get started:

America Says NO
Here's how it works:
The Americans Say No events are simple, and easy to host. We'll all converge on the evening after the President's speech with some ready-made signs and petitions carrying our message. You can read out the names of the service members from your state who have already died in Iraq, or simply hold a silent vigil. Then, pass the petition around and be sure to take a digital photo of your event to add to an online collection.

Volunteer to lead an event by visiting America Says NO. We've got lots of information to get you started, and more is on the way. Hosting these events is almost as simple as 1, 2, 3:

1) Pick a time and location for the event
.
2) Download an event kit full of tools and ideas to make your event easy and successful.

3) Let your friends and neighbors know about the event. Point them to the website True Majority-America Says NO so they can RSVP.
And be sure to contact True Majority Action with any questions or ideas about the event. It's folks like you that have lead the movement to end the war in Iraq, and together we're going to make it happen.

From Matt Holland
TrueMajorityACTION Online Director

Other groups in the surge, along with MMOB:
20/20 Vision
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities
Center for International Policy (CIP)
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Council for a Livable World
Families USA
Feminist Majority
Fourth Freedom Forum
Friends of the Earth
Global Exchange
Greenpeace
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
MMOB (Mainstreet Moms Organize or Bust)
MoveOn
NAACP
National Council of Churches
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Organization for Women (NOW)
NETWORK A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)
Psychologists for Social Responsibility
Rainbow/Push Coalition
Shalom Center
Sierra Club
Sojourners
Soulforce
The Tikkun Community
TrueMajority
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society
Us Foundation
USAction
War Resisters League
Veterans for Peace
Women's Action for New Directions (WAND)
Working Assets
Artists United to Win Without War
Musicians United to Win Without War

Bring Them Home, NOW!
The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades

Tin Soldiers.......'The Surge'

OR




The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!!