Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Reality...buried in the sand
Good morning all....Important information that Mickey has here today. I hope that everyone will click on the last link and look at all of the Fisk photos. Also check out the April Glaspie/ Saddam Hussein transcript of their meeting in which she tells Saddam that the US takes no position on Arab border disputes. That is why I call the war of 1991, “The Bait and Switch War”. Was Hill and Knowlton or anyone else ever prosecuted for lying to Congress and contributing to the start of an illegal war?
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/09 at 07:29 AMMorning RMJ and Mick, and the rest that will follow.
This has been a powerful few days for this blog, Mickey. I am glad you have focused in on Iraq.
Imagine if our troops were ordered to withdraw tomorrow. Would there be civil war? I believe the reaction would be of true shock and awe. The bombs would stop dropping. The DU would stop spreading. The tanks would stop shaking houses and running over innocents. Iraqi homes would be Iraqi’s homes again. No more snipers. No more house searches. No more mistaken identities ending up in prisons and tortured. No more slaughtered families at checkpoints.
Yes, I believe the shock of having all of that disappear would create enough awe to save Iraq.
We know that our government will not come to this obvious conclusion by themselves. Please excuse the violent image, but we have to shove it down their throats.
Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/09 at 08:04 AMMore on possible chemical weapons used in Fallujah:
Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/09 at 08:22 AMMorning, RMJ and JOS. I was watching a retired general on MSNBC glibly explain the use of chemical weapons. He said something like (and I’m paraphrasing): “It’s not a new kind of weapon, I used it all the time in Vietnam.”
So, between that, and Dubya assuring us that the U.S. does not torture, I guess we can all calm down, huh? Our leaders have everything under control.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 08:32 AMrelating to what JOS and others are saying about violent images. if you have a strong stomach go here http://www.bushflash.com/animation and watch the one called ‘your tax dollars at work’. although highly unpleasant its very instructive adn the sort of thing that peopl should know.
let me know what you think.
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/09 at 08:34 AMSorry to go off-topic with something so trivial, but I wanted to tell JOS that it looks like Tino will be “let” go by the Yanks again: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/31026.htm
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 08:35 AMSorry, Michael. I “wrote” the above as you were posting. I’ll check out the video later. Thanks.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 08:37 AMno probs mickey....
i would also recommend on a lighter note “idiot son of an asshole” on he same site and for interesting history try “thanks for the memories”
they r all about 2 minutes each.
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/09 at 08:39 AMTino came in (the first time) and almost filled Donnie’s shoes...that’s saying a lot. If he goes and Bernie goes, well, it will be very sad.
Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/09 at 08:42 AMone last comment on sports: forget everything I said about the Knicks. Everything.
Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/09 at 08:44 AMOne more on sports from me, too. Tino and Bernie will leave with four rings and were part of a true dynsaty. Neither will make the Hall, but they were two of the rare athletes who seemed to be team players and didn’t play into the whole image nonsense. As for the Knicks, give Larry time. They’ll hit stride after the New Year.
Okay, time to check out the videos Michael recommends.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 08:50 AMif anyone has just or is watching that stuff right now...just as it is with mickey showing some of these photos...it is the reestablishment of the link between consequences and actions that is important. the UK uses that stuff too. its important that the consequences are visible and not just dismissed as people doing nasty things to each other in that mythical country of ‘foreign’
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/09 at 09:16 AMMichael, the animation link you gave didn’t get me in, so folks can try this: http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html.
The company line, btw, is that the U.S. uses white phosphorus bombs in Iraq to “illuminate battlefields.”
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 09:26 AMForgive me one more sports note to JOS: How badly was Mariano ripped off for Cy Young, huh?
Heading out. See everyone later.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 09:28 AMVery badly ripped off...now I just read that they are trying to trade Posada.
Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/09 at 09:37 AMThis is a picture of the US military using phosphorus bombs to illuminate a battlefield. When this stuff hit someone it burns through skin down to the bone:
Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/09 at 10:15 AMGood morning, posters! I’m back after my tiring Tuesday!
I was an erection...err election clerk in at the polls yesterday, a full 13-1/2 hour day, which will net me under $100. But goodness knows we were busy...the Yes on 2 (anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution, passed by a three-quarters vote) crowd was out in force! More than 10% of the registered voters in the precinct I worked came out to vote. This is considered extraordinary, since about 20% show up for Presidential elections...and it’s one of the most politically active (inside the two-party framework) in the state. I think the word “party” is the only appropriate one here, becasue that’s all it is...members of the In Club getting together to party, and #### the poor schmoes who are payin’ the bills.
Drawback (personal): I had to be awake and aware at 5am Tuesday in order to get to the polls at 6:30 to be open at 7, and stay pretty much put until 7pm, then clean up and verify the untamperedness of the ballot box (as if that really matters) until 7:45. I hit the sack at 8:20, after feeding the puppies and taking a shower. However nice it was to do some out-of-the-house work, this election stuff is a lot of hard work!
Dealing with the very, very few unreasonables was not my job, thankfully, but the usual customer service fun was there...the lonely ones who want to talk, the (faux?) dumb ones who tried to vote in more than one place (similar to the “but the Barton Creek Mall store said I could return it here without a receipt!” crowd), etc etc etc. Tiring, annoying people, but voters one and all, bless their cotton socks.
I think the Academy should be notified of my minor, unscripted role for a “Best Supporting Actor” role...like the other nominees, I did it for the oney, and I gave it my best, and both Republican and Democrat judges (one of each must be at each polling place by Texas law) told me I did a great job! I’m sooo proud!
Back to Monday, you’re welcome, Helga. Any other subject, I’d be hailed...this one merits silence and denial. Hmmm.
Yesterday: I have done zippo on my NaNovel, Joe and JOS and MZ, I was sleeping by 10pm Monday and just couldn’t find a slow minute at the polls (I expected to have a few hours of uniterrupted writing time, HA! Gotta make sure we let them fags know how much we hate ‘em, thought my fellow Murricans, so let’s show up and vote vote vote! for hatred!) and haven’t really awoken fully even yet.
Oh sigh. Well, I have to go off and make up a 5,000-word deficit on My True Adventures in the Porn Trade.
Arrivederci a tutti
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 11/09 at 11:12 AMYou’re in “fine” spirits today, Mudge. I wish I could get back to my novel but life is insane lately. Tomorrow’s post will highlight two of the many projects keeping me hectic.
It’s not much, but here’s one tiny way to voice your disapproval, re: U.S. actions in Iraq and elsewhere:
http://tinyurl.com/c8zboPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 12:00 PMnew thumps…
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/09 at 12:01 PMGreat post, Mickey! I was going to recommend Patrick Sloyan on the war crimes committed during Gulf War I but you have done it already - he has written very movingly about what happened back in 1991.
And hi to all of you MZ’ers!
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 11/09 at 04:57 PMHi Helga. You’re right, Sloyan did a fine job exposing this story...but sadly, his work seems to have had little impact in terms of shaming the U.S. Sand plows in 1991. Napalm in 2005. Will anything slow their ruthlessness?
Michael, I’ll stop your blog shortly.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 05:10 PMHi Everyone...I just got home and have not had time to carefully read all comments yet. I unsuccessfully tried to connect to Michael’s link but then tried Mickey’s link in comment #13. I was really affected by watching that even though I had seen those photographs many times before. Those are the kinds of images that no one can become immune to.
JOS, the White Phosphorus issue is trying to make its way into the mainstream. Thanks for the photo.
At yesterday’s White House Press conference, (I think that it was yesterday) Helen Thomas did a good job of trying to force the conversation around to the fact that VP Cheney wants an exclusion to the torture rules. When McClellan tried to silence Helen Thomas, other members of the WH Press ALSO started to ask questions about torture. It was really something to watch....might have been the best WH Press conference that I have ever seen. It actually looked like the members of the Press were finally waking up.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/09 at 05:58 PMTV ALERT...I believe that Ralph Nader is scheduled to be on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, tonight at 7 EST.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/09 at 06:21 PMyou can watch Fallujah the Hidden Massacre here:
http://tinyurl.com/75ucja u.s. military spokesperson denies that white phosphorus was used as a chemical weapon in a debate on democracy now: http://tinyurl.com/98day
Posted by tm on from before the law 11/09 at 06:53 PMThanks, tm.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/09 at 07:12 PMHello TM and RMJ. Thanks for the links, TM.
Allow me, if you will, to play devil’s advocate:
I’m glad this story is breaking big but I think we need to be careful not to overinvest our energies in it. The focus must be on the long string of atrocities. If we choose one crime to highlight (a la Abu Ghraib), the gov’t will find a scapegoat to punish and pat itself on the back for dealing so effectively with an alleged anamoly.
Whaddya think?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 07:17 PMOne more before I hit the sack…
Fisk on torture: http://tinyurl.com/c4ov2
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/09 at 09:58 PMmickey and everyone…
“To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”
thats fledgling international law from the nuremberg trials. therefore all of these crimes must be “contain[ed] within..the accumulated evil of the whole”
there’s the trees, step this way a bit, say hello to the woods!
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 05:10 AM
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