Israel's Senator explains his absence

It's interesting that although Washington DC doesn't have a member in the U.S. Senate, Israel has two. One of them Chuck Schumer, who masquerades as a Senator from New York (as does his junior partner Hillary Clinton), had this to say about why he failed to attend the Iraqi Prime Minister's address to Congress Wednesday:

"Maliki did not denounce Hezbollah, a terrorist organization or repudiate amnesty for Iraqis who killed Americans soldiers. Therefore, I won't be attending,"

Al-Maliki's crime was to have honestly stated his humanitarian views on the Israeli massacre in Lebanon:

"The Israeli attacks and airstrikes are completely destroying LebanonÂ’s infrastructure,"

"I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministersÂ’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action to stop these aggressions. We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression."

Ah well, honesty isn't usually the best policy in today's Washington.

Iraq's Al-Maliki shares the Bush's fantasies

The Bush may not have taught Iraq's Al-Maliki much about democracy, but he has certainly taught him how to spin the truth, Here's what Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki had to say to Congress Wednesday:

"My presence here is a testament of the new politics of a democratic Iraq. In a short space of time, Iraq has gone from a dictatorship to a transnational administration and now to a fully fledged democratic government."

Here's what right-wing pundit and NY Post columnist Ralph Peters had to say on the same day about "the fully fledged democratic government":

"Instead of working aggressively toward a solution, key elements within the Iraqi government have become part of the problem Responsible for the police and public order, the Interior Ministry has failed utterly. Instead of behaving impartially, Shia-dominated police units provide death squads to retaliate against Sunni insurgents. As a result, more Sunnis back the insurgents in self-defense. More Shias die. More Sunnis die. The downward spiral accelerates."

"This is bad news for our troops in Iraq. For the first time, we may face a problem we have no hope of fixing."

It seems as if the Bush has welcomed Al-Maliki into his own private fantasy world.

The Dick's aim is no better when he predicts the future

"The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

The Dick, May, 2005

"Obviously the violence in Baghdad is still terrible, and therefore there needs to be more troops"

The Bush, July, 2006

Which insurgency was that Mr. Vice President?

The N.Y. Post hits a new journalistic low

I have to admit that I didn't believe that the N.Y. Post could surprise me by how low it would stoop in its campaign to smear Sen. Clinton. But in Wednesday's edition it scraped the bottom of the journalistic barrel.

Anyone who reads Contested Terrain knows that I am not a Hillary fan, but even I was shocked by Post Correspondent Geoff Earl's article ("Heel Hails Hill" - the Post is big on alliteration).

Post readers know that the most important world news over the last week is coming out of the newly split Christie Brinkley-Peter Cook menage. I should add that Earl's piece is an "exclusive." Of course, one might wonder if any other editor would have considered it a legitimate news story.

The heel of the headline, of course, is Cook, who cheated on ex-supermodel Brinkley with "a doe-eyed teen," named Diana Bianchi. The innocent 19-year-old teen has since these revelations has hired two "high-powered" attorneys, "in case she is called as a witness" in the upcoming divorce trial, although there have been suggestions of "a great sexual-harassment claim." Her attorney might sound a little less gleeful about it.

The core of this ridiculous article is that

"Cooks Clinton donations were spread out between 2001 and 2004, long after his sex romps with pop singer Samantha Cole, who was then about 18, and just before he picked up Bianchi, now 19, last summer."

Then comes the Coup de Earl,

"Like his cheating ways, Cook's contributions to Clinton, appear to be a summer tradition."

In other words, he zipped up his fly and ran to his checkbook to pay off Sen. Clinton. Just as other people in the same situation run off to drop some money in their church collection box.

Now the fact that none of this was known until last week seems to have slipped what passes for Earl's research.

I was also amused by the fact that when "asked by the Post whether she will return the contributions , Clinton said, 'I'll have to look into it.'" And "Campaign aide Ann Lewis later said, 'Senator Clinton has met Peter Cook. We do not intend to return his contributions.'"

What I don't understand is why any moderately intelligent person wouldn't have looked at the questioner and said, "Your an idiot, go away."

Pro life in the womb and the Petri dish, not after a human being is born.

(Photo: AP/Ron Edmonds)
When I saw the Bush with all those babies at the White House for the stem-cell research veto party, I realized what was going on.

First of all they (the Republicans) need all those babies to supply human fodder for all the future "wars for democracy" these nuts plan to fight.

In fact it's becoming clear that the only life they are pro is in the womb or in the Petri dish. Once a child is born he or she becomes someone else's problem until they are old enough to get shot somewhere in the world to which the neo-cons are currently bringing democracy.

We know that god speaks through the Bush about spreading democracy to the benighted parts of the world, but unfortunately she forgot to explain to him what "democracy" means.

July 21: Emergency Action to End the War on Lebanon

Emergency Action to End the War on Lebanon
Deliver a Letter to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Join UFPJ and peace and justice activists:

July 21, 4:00 PM (until 5:30 PM)
140 East 45th Street (between Third and Lexington Aves)

"A call for the Bush administration to:

"Support a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire;

"Urge negotiations now to resolve all disputes including the release of prisoners by all sides;

"Put an end to U.S. blocking of UN action.

"There will be a picket outside the mission and we will deliver a letter signed by UFPJ and other peace and justice organizations.

"While the world is crying out for global intervention to stop the bloodshed, we have been tremendously disappointed by the response from the Bush administration.

"And instead of rallying the international community to call for an immediate cease
fire to stop further bloodshed, it has blocked the UN efforts to do just that.

"We condemn all attacks on civilians, and call for the release of prisoners held on all sides in this conflict, including the Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah. But while Hezbollah violated international law by attacking Israel and then firing missiles at Israeli cities, Israel's clearly disproportionate response is an act
of collective punishment against the Lebanese population -- a serious
violation of international law.

"On Friday, we will go to the U.S. mission to hold our government accountable for their negligent response to this conflict. Please join us."

July 18 - Protest Israeli invasion of Lebanon

July 18, 4:30 pm -

Protest: demand action now to stop the killing of Lebanese & Palestinians, hold Israel accountable for its crimes, and free all Lebanese & Palestinian political prisoners.

At Israeli Mission to the UN,
2nd Ave btw E 42nd &43rd Sts
(4/5/6/7 to 42nd St-Grand Central).

Info: Riham Barghouti, rihambarghouti@yahoo.com or
Issa Mikel, 917-446-8032, issamikel@gmail.com

(There may also be a counterdemo July 17, 12-3 pm
at Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations pro-Israel rally, at Israeli Mission to the UN)