Not completely unrelated to the popular grass-roots protests many groups are planning to organize during the Republican National Convention in NYC, which are many, I'd like to interject my observation about the Najaf crisis that was avoided.
Did you happen to notice how quickly after our U.S. media broadcast images of the massive Iraqi convoys following the grand ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to Najaf, and peace was restored, you see and hear nothing now? It's as if the media was ready for the shit to hit the fan and civil war to erupt, but when it didn't happen, they packed up and scurried back inside the green zone -- as if there's no friggin' story to be told now.
Coming up next on Fox News -- some in-depth live reporting on some excrutiatingly minute detail of the Scott Peterson murder trial -- Fox News asks the tough questions -- Did Amber Frey's hair stylist also have an affair?
Back when Moqtada al-Sadr first took his Mehdi militia into Najaf, I made a quick comment about how I thought the media, or the Bush administration, seem to scoff and call them 'radicals' and 'insignificant insurgents'. Also, despite published material from our own U.S. Army War College, the Bush administration couldn't seem to grasp the inherent importance of Iraqi clerics to the Iraqi people they so repeatedly take credit for 'liberating' -- or the huge significance that Iraq's grand ayatollah Ali al-Sistani got involved and reigned in Moqtada al-Sadr and his anti-occupation campaign. Had al-Sistani not done so, civil war or a large-scale civilian uprising in Iraq was more than a possibility. While time will tell if al-Sadr respects al-Sistani enough to keep his word on the cease-fire, it certainly should show anyone paying attention that Bush's occupational puppet prime minister of Iraq, Allawi, has no power with the Iraqi people. But, at the end of the day, I said in Cooler Heads Prevail For How Long? that al-Sistani undoubtedly saved many lives, both Iraqi and U.S. military, and thank [insert-deity-here] al-Sistani has done it again.
On August 29, United for Peace and Justice will hold an impassioned, peaceful, and legal march past Madison Square Garden, the site of the Republican Convention. When the Republicans descend on New York City with their agenda of war, greed, hate and lies, they will be met by a massive, diverse, peaceful outpouring of dissent, as huge numbers of us join together in a spirit of nonviolence for a legal, permitted march on August 29 to say NO to their destructive and divisive policies.
More than 360 groups — including Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and September 11th families — have endorsed the August 29 protest and will be marching with us on that day. We will also be joined scores of prominent people, including Danny Glover, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., UNITE/HERE President Bruce Raynor and Congressman Major Owens.
If you're alarmed by the direction that the Bush Administration has taken this country, and disgusted by the efforts to marginalize and stifle our calls for change, you will want to make your voice heard on August 29.
Accordingtomultiplereportscoming into nyc.indymedia.org, even though TIMES UP! conducts a typically traffic-slowing Critical Mass Ride every month, several thousand bikers, skaters, and pedestrians took the opportunity to voice their opposition to the Bush administration.
Unfortunately, some 264 participants in last night's event rode straight into Bush World compassionate conservatism and were arrested.
"In a show of unity and strength, we will gather in the birthplace of reproductive freedom - New York City - to support global family planning; real sex education; accessible, safe and legal abortion; birth control options; the right to privacy regarding sexuality; and access to health care."
Saturday, many thousands of women representing a number of women's groups marched across the Brooklyn Bridge and took part in the NY Planned Parenthood March for Womens Lives.
Duke August 30, 2004 02:45 PM PDT Ahh yes, Planned Parenthood...the killer of many an unborn child, all because some women think they have the freedom to murder their unborn children that they don't want simply because they were to lazy to use birth control or self control for that matter!
Say, why don't we legalize retroactive abortion? It's all the same thing, MURDER!
J f Z August 31, 2004 04:49 AM PDT Yes, and I think the reason Michael Moore is so fat is because he's been sneaking around eating as many aborted fetuses as he can find.
Don't worry, if Bush gets re-elected maybe he'll overturn Roe vs Wade, make christianity mandatory, and then the unborn can grow up and go kill some unbelievers in the rest of the world. But, if that happens and Michael Moore starves to death, wouldn't it be murder, too?
Meh. I get so confused. I think I'll just go out and hit a lesbian in the face with my bible. That'll make me feel better.
Duke August 31, 2004 07:05 PM PDT All I initially wanted to say upon reading your comments was that you’re an idiot! But then I realized that would be just a mean and pointless remark so...Michael Moore is an idiot and he’s fat because he can’t tell a lie from the truth so he thinks Twinkies are health food (tell a lie so many times and you begin to believe it...hmm...Farenheit 9/11 anyone?).
Bush has no intention of making Christianity mandatory, he (much like myself) is tired of seeing the Judeo/Christian values this country was founded on get trampled by liberal morons who think they know better than God what moral and acceptable behavior is.
When have you seen Christians act violently as you are describing? When? Not in our lifetime. If you try to bring up the Crusades just remember one thing: the Crusades were a result of Islam invading Europe and slaughtering all non-Muslim-believers so the Christians had to fight back or be destroyed!
Christians don’t hate homosexuals, they hate homosexuality, there is a very distinct difference. I’m sorry if you can’t or just refuse to see that.
JfZ August 31, 2004 08:38 PM PDT I'm sorry for forgetting to put the [sarcasm] html code [/sarcasm] in that comment. I was in a hurry.
Es tut mier leid. Lo siento. Steve Martin voice: "Ex-cuuuuse me" ;)
I heard Elizabeth Dole just talk about GOP compassionate conservatism in her speech, about a minute ago on CSPAN. When describing all the people republican have helped, she listed off 'women, minorities, and those relegated to the shadows'. I guess she thought it was compassionate to describe millions of people as shadowy fags, or something. I dunno.
I had just starting drinking some coffee, so I switched to CSPAN2 where they were playing videotape from past conventions (1968 RNC, Miami). While Lizzy Dole was being so heart-felt on CSPAN, Richard Nixon was complaining about Eisenhower and emoting, "I want to bring honesty to the whitehouse!"
At that point, I had to mute the TV so I could finish drinking my coffee without spitting it all over the livingroom while laughing.
Duke August 31, 2004 10:03 PM PDT Well at least Nixon did the honorable thing and stepped down when he got caught with his pants down...unlike the Slickster and his supporters who saw nothing wrong with Whitewater, his sexual indiscretions or any of the other numerous things he did that he should have stepped down for (you know, like giving the Chinese some of our most secret defense technologies).
Also, in the future if you are going to say things like you did in your first reply and mean them to be sarcastic please do specify that...it's often hard to tell with you whether you're serious or not.
Still love ya, even tho you're an idiot. ;) (note the sarcasm regarding the idiot comment...heh)
Duke August 31, 2004 10:06 PM PDT BTW, I haven't seen you at my blog in like forever (well, you haven't made any comments anyway)...even though we disagree on a ton of things I do appreciate your THOUGHTFUL comments.
