Saturday, January 27, 2018

It's not 'friendly fire'

BREAKING: US-led coalition helicopter has killed at least 7 members of 's armed forces and wounded another 11 after striking a convoy that had just arrested a high-ranking Da'ish commander during a early morning raid in Al-Baghdadi, western Anbar province.



More 'help' from the US, apparently.


AFP states at least 8 people were killed including one woman and, "The friendly fire incident drew swift criticism of the US military presence in Iraq from pro-Iranian figures in Baghdad."

It's a cute to pretend that only pro-Iranian figures in Baghdad are bothered by the assault.  It is an assault.  You can dress it up with 'friendly fire' and any other cute names but it was an assault.

Had it killed ISIS, it would have been called an assault.

But, oops, we killed the wrong people and suddenly it's an 'incident.'

Or 'friendly fire.'

REUTERS notes, "A spokesman of the US-led international coalition said all its air strikes are carried out at the request of the Iraqi security forces."

Well maybe that's why you don't put the US military under the control of Iraqi forces -- forces known to go after Sunnis, Kurds and various religious minorities -- the area struck, though not identified as such by the press, is Sunni.  That's a key detail and how telling that it's left out or that there's so much work put into not identifying the province -- Anbar.  


AFP also notes, "Despite the government's declaration of victory over IS last month, the jihadists remain active underground in several regions of Iraq, particularly along the Euphrates Valley and in the vast desert to its west."


  1. Why is the US still airstriking if is defeated




Exactly.



Yes, the never-ending war drags on and supposedly it's to help the Iraqi people but no one's being helped.

WWII was a global war but it didn't take 15 years and counting to conclude.

Today the US Defense Dept announced:


Strikes in Iraq
There were no reported strikes in Iraq Jan. 23-25.
On Jan. 22, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Qara Tapa. The strike destroyed an ISIS weapons cache.
On Jan. 21, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of three engagements against ISIS targets:
-- Near Hawija, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position and an ISIS command-and-control center.
-- Near Rutbah, a strike destroyed two ISIS tactical vehicles.
On Jan. 20, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Qayyarah. The strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

There were no reported strikes in Iraq on Jan. 19.



The following community sites -- plus NPR, Jody Watley, Cindy Sheehan and THE GUARDIAN -- updated:














xx

Talk Nation Radio: Colman McCarthy on The Post and Teaching Peace


http://davidswanson.org/talk-nation-radio-colman-mccarthy-on-the-post-and-teaching-peace/
https://soundcloud.com/davidcnswanson/talk-nation-radio-colman-mccarthy-on-the-post-and-teaching-peace
Colman McCarthy is a former Washington Postcolumnist, from 1969 to 1997, and the director of The Center for Teaching Peace in Washington DC. He teaches courses on nonviolence at Georgetown Law, Georgetown undergraduate, American University, the University of Maryland and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. He’s a pacifist, a vegetarian, and the author of several books including I’d Rather Teach Peace.
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
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Music by Duke Ellington.
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David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson's books include War Is A Lie. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio.He is a 2015, 2016, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee.
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Michigan Greens Issue a Response to Snyder's Last State of the State Speech





GREEN PARTY OF MICHIGAN
=======================
grassroots democracy  •  social justice
ecological wisdom  •  non-violence

www.MIGreenParty.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January 25, 2018



CONTACT:  Sherry A. Wells, Chair
    313-815-2025



Michigan Greens Issue a Response to
Snyder's Last State of the State Speech
=======================================



The Green Party of Michigan has issued a response to Rick Snyder's final 
"State of the State" speech Tuesday night.

The 15-minute video, a special episode of the recurring "In the Green" 
program with host Clyde Shabazz, features GPMI Chair Sherry A. Wells and 
Jennifer V. Kurland, a candidate for the Green nomination to succeed 
Snyder as governor.

Wells introduces the founding principles of the Green Party, its Four 
Pillars -- Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice, Non-Violence, and 
Ecological Wisdom -- and explains how they are connected to major issues 
Michigan faces.

Kurland discusses the Flint water crisis, on which she has already 
shared the results of six months of research with every member of the 
Legislature, as well as the impact of income inequality on Michigan 
education and the need for a Green New Deal to give Michigan workers 
jobs using the skills they have to help clean up the state's excessive 
share of the country's most polluted neighborhoods.

The video is available on the party's Facebook page at


or via YouTube at


The text of Wells's remarks is on the party's Website at


GPMI's next statewide membership meeting will be Saturday, February 24 
in the lower level training room at Community Rebuilders, 1120 Monroe 
NW, Grand Rapids.

For more information on the Green Party of Michigan, its values, and its 
platform -- and how you can get involved -- please visit the party's 
Website at www.MIGreenParty.org, or the migreens Facebook page.


#  #  #


Official Press Release of the Green Party of Michigan
    www.MIGreenParty.org
    www.facebook.com/migreens
    PO Box 504; Warren, MI  48090-0504