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© Merle Harton, Jr. | About | XML/RSS
Saturday, February 03, 2007
North Korea Looks Out for a Big Easter BunnyCan you say, Haben Sie Kaninchen?  Karl Szmolinsky is a German breeder of gray rabbits that grow to about the size of a cocker spaniel. His largest—a 23.2 lb, 29-inch gray giant—won the prize at a state fair a year ago. So it's probably no surprise that hungry meat eaters, like maybe North Koreans, would find his giant rabbits a possible solution to a national need for nutrition. The retired chauffeur was visited recently by North Korean diplomats interested in farming his beasts, and they took away with them four females and two males for a pilot program in the Asian peninsula. Females produce two litters of eight to 14 offspring each year, so the four alone could produce as many as 112 rabbits in the first year alone. At that rate, it would not take long to make an impact, especially because a single rabbit produces some 15 pounds of meat.1 Not only are the rabbits "really good for their hunger problem," said Szmolinsky, but they're also easy to raise: "They'll eat absolutely anything," he said. "It's no big problem." 1. "Giant Rabbits an Answer to Hunger?" AP/Discovery Channel, February 2, 2007. 
Congressional representatives plan to end the Iraq War by sitting on their handsThis Inter Press Service story gives a good indication of how weak-kneed the Democrats have become as they stare at the military-industrial juggernaut coming toward them: Senior Congressional Democrats are brushing off questions about cutting off funding for the Iraq war, and indicate they will do little to forcefully stop President George W. Bush from sending 21,500 additional US troops to Iraq. On Wednesday, after returning from a trip to Iraq, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sidestepped questions over whether she would try to scuttle Bush's plan to increase the number of US troops in Iraq, calling it "the one last chance" that the US war in Iraq will "succeed." Likewise, Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he would focus his energies on passing a bipartisan, symbolic resolution opposing the so-called "surge"—a move President Bush has already said he would ignore. You can read more—if you can stand it, that is. posted by Merle Harton Jr. | 12:25 AM |
Friday, February 02, 2007
Still More from the Dark SideAll in a single day we get these stories from Iraq: How the US botched the training of Iraqis, more wasted money in Iraq, lies, lies, more lies, 3.8 million Iraqi refugees, the Iran clock is ticking, and a Texas Grandmother Sweeps Streets of Washington as Punishment for Protest. posted by Merle Harton Jr. | 9:30 AM |
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Victory by MassacreThe human imagination just can't seem to keep up with the horror of what is real in Iraq now: US 'victory' against cult leader was 'massacre'
posted by Merle Harton Jr. |
7:25 PM |
The Independent UK Wednesday, January 31, 2007 There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre. A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to intervene with devastating effect. The involvement of Ahmed al-Hassani (also known as Abu Kamar), who believed himself to be the coming Mahdi, or Messiah, appears to have been accidental. The story emerging on independent Iraqi websites and in Arabic newspapers is entirely different from the government's account of the battle with the so-called "Soldiers of Heaven," planning a raid on Najaf to kill Shia religious leaders. The cult denied it was involved in the fighting, saying it was a peaceful movement. The incident reportedly began when a procession of 200 pilgrims was on its way, on foot, to celebrate Ashura in Najaf. They came from the Hawatim tribe, which lives between Najaf and Diwaniyah to the south, and arrived in the Zarga area, one mile from Najaf at about 6am on Sunday. Heading the procession was the chief of the tribe, Hajj Sa'ad Sa'ad Nayif al-Hatemi, and his wife driving in their 1982 Super Toyota sedan because they could not walk. When they reached an Iraqi army checkpoint it opened fire, killing Mr Hatemi, his wife and his driver, Jabar Ridha al-Hatemi. The tribe, fully armed because they were travelling at night, then assaulted the checkpoint to avenge their fallen chief. Members of another tribe called Khaza'il living in Zarga tried to stop the fighting but they themselves came under fire. Meanwhile, the soldiers and police at the checkpoint called up their commanders saying they were under attack from al-Qai'da with advanced weapons. Reinforcements poured into the area and surrounded the Hawatim tribe in the nearby orchards. The tribesmen tried—in vain—to get their attackers to cease fire. American helicopters then arrived and dropped leaflets saying: "To the terrorists, surrender before we bomb the area." The tribesmen went on firing and a US helicopter was hit and crashed killing two crewmen. The tribesmen say they do not know if they hit it or if it was brought down by friendly fire. The US aircraft launched an intense aerial bombardment in which 120 tribesmen and local residents were killed by 4am on Monday. The messianic group led by Ahmad al-Hassani, which was already at odds with the Iraqi authorities in Najaf, was drawn into the fighting because it was based in Zarga and its presence provided a convenient excuse for what was in effect a massacre. The Hawatim and Khaza'il tribes are opposed to the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Dawa Party, who both control Najaf and make up the core of the Baghdad government. [ READ MORE » ]
Sunday, January 28, 2007
More from the Dark SideI'm not ready yet to rest my case on my speculation that the real role George Bush the younger has in the Cheney-Bush presidency is basically to distract people so that the other Busheviks can pick our pockets. Well, if you've had any doubt that the one who's reaching for your pocket from the shadows is Dick Cheney, then read this news account of his spokeswoman's testimony in federal court in the Scooter Libby trial. Cathie Martin, under oath and apparently really uninhibited, managed to describe a back-room vice presidency with a deft handle on how to make propaganda: No one served up spicier morsels than Cheney's former top press assistant. Cathie Martin described the craft of media manipulation—under oath and in blunter terms than politicians like to hear in public. The uses of leaks and exclusives. When to let one's name be used and when to hide in anonymity. Which news medium was seen as more susceptible to control and what timing was most propitious. All candidly described. Even the rating of certain journalists as friends to favor and critics to shun—a faint echo of the enemies list drawn up in Richard Nixon's White House more than 30 years ago. Do you suppose Nixon left behind notes on how to control the press? Perhaps that's unnecessary: Just leaf through records left by the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, headed by the Nazi propaganda master himself, Dr Joseph Goebbels. posted by Merle Harton Jr. | 12:35 AM |
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