Focused Rambling

Iraqi Military and Security Forces... Not Ready?

The New York Times led with a story detailing the recent failures of Iraqi security and military forces . Sunni insurgents appear to be announcing a new round of violence, possibly just waiting until the US leaves...

The Cheney Assassination Squad, and the guy that broke Sy Hersh's secret bubble...

This is a fascinating story, both for what the story is about, and who is involved in breaking some of this huge story. It all begins with a speech by Seymour Hersh, the New Yorker's investigative journalist, who is famous for stories about the My Lai Massacre , Project Jennifer , Abu Ghraib and U.S. plans for war with Iran. Hersh was at the University of Minnesota when he decided to describe an assassination squad that reported directly to Dick Cheney . Hersh claims there is a list of targets that a special operations unit hunts and kills. The claims themselves are pretty harsh, but there is another interesting side. The story broke with the article linked above, by a former writer from the Star Tribune, Eric Black. And Black has continued to be a sought-after person. I am sure that Black knew, on the morning following Hersh's speech, that he would be hearing from people after the article he wrote. And he did, including an e-mail and phone call with CIA spokester George Little , who categorically denied Hersh's claims, while basically confirming that the list of people to kill is there but that it's not carried out in the manner being specified (or something like that). Regardless, I can't wait for Seymour Hersh's article/book, and I will remember to check out Eric Black from time to time...

The Insurgency is Networking... new recruits in "safe" areas

From the New York Times, the insurgency is recruiting again in Iraq...

Israeli Human Rights Offenses during Gaza invasion

Reuters reports that a UN report accuses Israel of human rights violations during the Gaza invasion, including targeting civilians and using a child as a human shield . Actually, two reports were presented to the UN Human Rights Council ... one by UN investigators, and one by Richard Falk (the article says Robert Falk, but it should be Richard Falk), the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights. Falk was a little more direct, saying that Israel had used "an inhuman form of warfare that kills, maims and inflicts mental harm." Here is what Falk said about the conflict in late December of 2008.

Irish peace in jeopardy?

Another outbreak of violence in Northern Ireland has left the peace process shaky at best. It's not about the smart or best thing to do at this moment, it just appears to be a bubble of anger. Hopefully everyone can take a step back and reengage in the hard work of peace...

Liberating Iraqi's (of their money, or our money, or anybody's money)...

Everyone loves to discuss the rampant corruption within the Iraqi government, before and after the invasion... but the stories of American military officers receiving pizza boxes full of money are just starting to get some play. This article is just the tip of an iceberg, there are stories that will break in the coming years that will make us look like mafia overlords. How's that rebuilding of our image coming, eh?

Destruction from the War in Gaza...

Now that a cease fire has been reached in Gaza , the Gazans are coming to grips with the destruction that has occurred. The New York Times on Monday described the Gazans uncovering of dead bodies , and the smell of rotting flesh that they're encountering. Particularly disturbing is that 1/3 of the 1300 dead in Gaza are children . Washington Post reported that 1/2 of those 1300 dead are civilians... and also that amidst all of this, Hamas still launched 15 rockets into Israel on Sunday . So although the overall aggression of the Israeli incursion has been extreme, there still remain some in Hamas that continue to lend justification to Israel's need for security. However, one particular act from the 22 days of fighting has been roundly criticized. The bombing of UN schools on January 6th was reported to be due to gunfire originating from the schools, although that has been disputed by UN officials, and the bombings were condemned by the likes of Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Martin , and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon , who called the bombings "an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack against the United Nations". Watch the Secretary General's strong and emotional words.

Gaza death toll climbs, Lebanese bombs fall...

The death toll in Gaza has reached 1000 , and Israel could be forced into a second front in this current war (close enough), as bombs continue to fall from Lebanon. All of the calls for cease fire go unheeded by all sides, although there is hope that the US can play a role in negotiating an agreement... but news reports of Israeli use of chemical weapons and a possible chemical response by Hamas against Israel have raised the stakes. There is plenty of blame to go around, but there's nothing quite like seeing the actual living conditions of Palestinians to understand how average people could be recruited and trained to kill. The video below is from a 2007 documentary, Occupation 101...

Joe the Plumber to "report" on Israel

Joe the Plumber as a reporter for the current conflict in Gaza. I guess it makes about as much sense as anything else the guy has done. I feel certain that he's there to give a completely unbiased view of the entire thing, because he's never tried to use the security of Israel as a political chip . How transparent can one person be... I've already posted on Joe's hypocrisy and exploitation of those that want to believe he's just a good-hearted simple guy trying to help out. After creating an intentionally manufactured confrontation during the election, Joe toured with the big wigs, talked about starting a career in politics, announced a book deal, and now this. What better way to kick off a political career than by showing your guts, unabashed love for Israel (no matter what), and claiming to understand foreign policy better after it's all over. Again, Palin/Plumber 2012, it's really going to be a ticket... seriously. Here's the story on Joe's newest position/grail.

Israeli ground troops have entered Gaza...

After 8 days of aerial bombings that included the flattening of a mosque purported to be a haven for Hamas weapons, Israeli ground troops have entered Gaza . The UN has called for emergency intervention in an effort to persuade Israel to end the ground assault. Of course, there have been rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel that have served as Israel's justification for their actions, but some feel the real purpose of the assault is to end Hamas's governance of Gaza . That would be an interesting precedent to set, as Hamas was brought to power democratically . But I guess that's just a nuisance argument. Not surprisingly, President Bush has placed full blame for the conflict on Hamas , including offering up some advice to the group on the need for bridges and infrastructure over war. That is, of course, an interesting argument that could be made here as well. Chris Kelly is a little more pointed in his criticism of Bush's comments ... This issue has so many sides that I'm not prepared to do a thorough post yet, but I'm putting something together for mid-week... Here's video of Israel's army entering...