35 Killed in Diyala Bombings;
10,000 Longshore Workers Strike against Iraq War;
Sadr Rebuffs UIA Delegation;
Sami al-Haj Released
A double suicide bombing killed 35 and wounded 66 at a wedding party in Baladruz, a city northeast of Baghdad in troubled Diyala province. In Baghdad, 1 US soldier and 8 Iraqis were killed by a roadside bomb targeting a US convoy.
In a sign of a reinvigorated American Left, longshore workers declined to come to work on Thursday, paralyzing ports along the West Coast from Los Angeles to Seattle, in protest against the Iraq War. The union workers complained that "many of the big shipping companies are profiting from the war."
If the Democrats could get both the executive and both houses of Congress in the fall, one measure of whether they are just time-servers and lackeys or whether they are serious about reforming the country away from its current abuses will be whether they revise Taft-Hartley and Landrum-Griffin, the 50s-era legislation that laid the legal groundwork for the successful union-busting by US corporations of the past three decades. Despite the myths, most unionized workers are substantially to the left of the white collar middle class on important social issues, and gutting the unions has ensured that their voices have been muted. On Thursday we got a glimpse of what they think and an inkling of what the US would be like if union membership hadn't plummeted to only about 12%. Corporations are very wealthy and very organized. The rest of us are not wealthy and not organized at all in comparison. And in politics, that means we almost always lose. Unions are the main form of organization that could at least sometimes prevail over corporation policies that injure the rest of us, and if they are not strong then we have lost our shield. For news of union-busting activities, Workinglife.org does a good job. Of course, not all corporations benefit from the Iraq War, and some actually are suffering from it in some ways, which is probably the main hope for ending it.
In Iraq news, a further parliamentary delegation, comprising MP from the United Iraqi Alliance (Shiite coalition), went from Baghdad to Iran in hopes of negotiating a new ceasefire with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadr, however, refused to see them. He said he preferred the negotiating track being engaged in by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and speaker of the House Mahmud Mashhadani. Sadr spokesman Salah al-Obeidi in Najaf denied that Sadr was anyway in Iran.
The Committee for the Protection of Journalists hailed the release by US military authorities of Aljazeera journalist Sami al-Haj, who was detained at Guantanamo for 6 years without ever having been charged with a crime. He had only been working for Aljazeera for 1 month when the Pakistani military detained him at the Afghan border. Apparently the US military trumped up charges against him in order to hold him, in hopes of interrogating him about Aljazeera. Donald Rumsfeld had all sorts of conspiracy theories about the Doha-based news organization, which is funded by the moderate Qatar government (which also hosts a US military base and has helped capture key al-Qaeda operatives).
And, see Pepe Escobar on Iran at tomdispatch.com. As usual, Tom Engelhardt has been publishing hardhitting essays, and recent ones include Chalmers Johnson on RAND and Tom himself on Gen. Petraeus (scroll down).
Tony Judt on the Israel Lobby:
McClatchy reports political violence in Iraq on Thursday:
' Baghdad
A parked car bomb exploded targeting a US military convoy in Camp Sara moving in the direction of the Sina'ah (industrial) street, central Baghdad at 9.20 Thursday. The explosion killed 8 civilians and 1 American soldier, wounding 21 civilians and 2 American soldiers, said Iraqi Police. The US military confirmed that, "soldier was killed from wounds sustained when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck the soldier's vehicle during a combat patrol in central Baghdad at approximately 9:15 a.m. May 1."
Random fire from 4 SUVs belonging to a private security company injured 1 civilian. The incident took place in Tayaran Square, central Baghdad at 1 pm.
A roadside bomb exploded targeting a police patrol passing under Ghadeer traffic fly over in Ghadeer neighbourhood, east Baghdad at 1.15 pm, injuring 2 policemen and 3 civilians.
A roadside bomb exploded targeting a US military convoy in Bayaa, southwest Baghdad at 4 pm. No casualties were reported.
A mortar round fell on al-Salhiyah residential complex, central Baghdad at 4 pm, injuring 3 civilians.
A roadside bomb exploded in Zafaraniyah near al-Kubaisi Mosque at around 6 pm injuring 3 civilians.
A roadside bomb exploded in al-Obaidi neighbourhood near al-Obaidi Mosque at around 6 pm injuring 5 civilians.
Armed clashes broke out in Amil between gunmen and US military forces at 8.30 pm. The US military had air support and several air strikes took place killing 4 people and wounding 12. The main waster supply pipe in the neighbourhood was hit during the air strikes.
5 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today. 1 in al-Nidhal Dtreet; 1 in al-Amin; 1 in Shaab and 2 in Saidiyah.
Diyala
1 Iraqi Army soldier killed and 4 injured in a roadside bomb explosion that had targeted an Army patrol in Abu Khamees village, 12 km to the south of Baquba at around 7.50 am Thursday.
A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest mingled with a wedding procession during a stop to take photographs at the studio in al-Faina area in Baladruz district, 45 km to the east of Baquba, and detonated. While people gathered to aid the wounded, another suicide bomber – this time a woman walked into their midst and detonated. Casualties until time of publication stand at 36 killed and 65 wounded many of whom were women and children.
Tikrit
Yeterday, Wednesday, 2 bodies found near the rail tracks in Dayum area, to the west of Tikrit city were identified as Khaleel Ibraheem, 24 years, labourer and his young wife Kawakib Suhail, housewife. The report from the coroner's office in Tikrit Teaching Hospital said they died as a result of torture.
Nineveh
A roadside bomb exploded targeting an Iraqi army patrol in al-Islah neighbourhood, western Mosul killing 2 soldiers and completely destroying their vehicle. '
Labels: Iraq
posted by Juan Cole @ 5/02/2008 12:45:00 AM
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7 Comments:
That was an impressive move by the longshoremen, and I congratulate you for finding a news story about it. It was the first one I'd seen. Of course, the Reuters story about them returning to work was three times as long, devoted primarily to diminishing the impact of the stoppage and questioning whether it was even about the war at all, or just some pre-contract negotiation muscle-flexing.
In 1947, a majority of Democrats in both houses voted to override Truman's veto of Taft-Hartley. Of course, the list was dominated by southern Democrats, who are now Republicans. Still, Democrats have held all levers of power several times since then, and I don't recall a serious effort to repeal Taft-Hartley. I don't recall any candidate making an issue of it this time around either, although I suspect Kucinich would be for it.
We need a third, really second, Populist Progressive Unity Party to make progress on issues like Taft Hartley and other union concerns.
Or else progressives could rebel at the DNC and put forward a progressive ticket, maybe Edwards/Gore.
But another party would really be the way to go. 50% of Americans don't vote. Those people need to be brought in.
Re. Sadre - I think I can understand his position. How the hell can the one who is being attacked negotiate the ceasefire? Ridiculous. What needs to be negotiated is how Maliki backs down while saving some face. Or, more likely, how his government falls, having killed a thousand citizens of Sadre City for no reason.
Re. Tom's article about the chessboard in Iran: I think it leaves nearly untouched the crucial point, which is that the hardliners in Iran lose a lot of raison d'etre without the US invading and occupying next door. Like Al Queda, Ahmadinejad is a monster of our creation, to a large extent. The war we encouraged Saddam to wage against Iran was where he cut his teeth and the war we waged against Saddam was what propelled him into power.
If we weren't in Iraq, the tendency of the population of Iran would be towards westernification. That's probably true of the entire Muslim world. Not homogenization.
Thanks for the video from Tony Jundt. As well, I came across this from Ronnie Kasrils, the South African Jew who was with Nelson Mandela a founder of the ANC, today.
At Black Agenda Report there is an enlightening reminiscence of Ali Abunimah of Barack Obama's other renunciations, and on the outlook for change, all over the world.
Bruce Dixon asked Ali Abunimah what he though of the American election. Of what difference it makes to him and his people :
Envisioning the End of Israeli Apartheid: An Interview With Ali Abunimah
I am very pessimistic that it makes any difference at all, because the tone and content of the politics on this issue in the United States is really a competition to see who can be the most pro-Israel candidate. That has been the case across the board with the three candidates who are out there now. All three are competing to be the most pro-Israeli to the point where Hillary Clinton has threatened to “totally obliterate Iran” on behalf of Israel.
Are you shocked that Barack Obama has denounced his pastor and remounced his people? Who else has he renounced :
Barack Obama too has been, from his past and I know some of this because I knew him hack in his Chicago days, he was much more sympathetic and much more attuned to the plight of the Palestinians. He used to be a lot more open minded, and now he is busy denying all that and trying to portray himself as a stalwart and unconditional supporter of Israel. So I don't see much change coming from mainstream politics. I think we have to keep pushing from the grassroots for the kind of change we want to see, that's where it will have to come from.
As to the possibility of a reinstituion of American politics outside the Duopoly, from the grassroots, those of us who haven't drunk the kool aid can take heart from Ali Abunimah, whose parents are alive and who haven't lost heart these past sixty years :
Apartheid and colonialism lasted for 300 years before they were brought down. The Soviet Union lasted for eighty years, and nobody anticipated its collapse either. You look at the history of this country where there is so much further to go, and yet there was change here as a result of social movements, not from the top down, but from the bottom up, coming from the efforts of people who decided they were not going to take this any more, that they would stand up for their rights. Every single one of these social movements has prevailed against overwhelming odds, and against enemies determined to hold onto power at any cost.
The American political class are not determined to do anything but get elected and stay elected! They are on sale at all times, always looking for the "sure way" to be elected and stay elected.
They are easily coercible. They are eminently cooptable. All we need do is show some real political muscle completely independent from themselves.
Gravel/McKinney/Nader.
First they ignore us. Then they laugh at us. Then they fight us. Then we win.
.
The idealism of youth.
I'm glad that my Professor has not lost it:
"If the Democrats could get both the executive and both houses of Congress in the fall, ..."
But it is naive to think that those two broken branches have any capacity, let alone inkling,
to put a stop to the gravy train you and I call the War.
This War will end when the third branch of our federal government is permitted to weigh in.
Our courts depend on Claimants and Complainants to give them the opportunity to judge when laws and principles are being violated.
It is your patriotic duty, oh Reader,
to create such opportunities.
your Avid Student
.
ref : “most unionized [American] workers are substantially to the left of the white collar middle class on important social issues”
whoa! {grin} êtes-vous sûr, mon professeur..?
indeed, i would submit that just the opposite is true; and, indeed ~ that fact is what makes any anti-War (or fwiw anti- any other U.S. policy) protest by "blue-collar workers", whether unionized or ensemble acting spontaneously ~ all the more poignant.
imho, the big message here is: that the good old boys and girls have had it with this government; ie., woe beware all political incumbents; in terms of history happening, we're starting to see Fear become Anger, Over Here. And insofar as the rest of us, who are so puny as to only express our outrage with mere angry words, I say...
YouTube => “Welcome to the party, pal!”
"If we weren't in Iraq, the tendency of the population of Iran would be towards westernification"
If USA and other Western imperialists "weren't in Iraq", Iran (in 1953), all over the ME and all the World in general (at least for 400 years now) there would be NO "West" worth speaking about.
All the "Western civilisation" is built on colonial robbery, so without such robbery, "the population of Iran" would have NOT a "westernisation" to look for.
Only a VERY naive (or is it a typical liberal USAmerican) could not see that war against Iraq is but a footnote to a VERY long colonial history, not just some "error"
I think we need to start from scratch, and of course by that I mean it's time to start colonizing the moon.
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