Antiwar.com Blog

Buried away toward the bottom of this news article are a few interesting paragraphs about the morale of at least one Iraqi Army battalion:

Meanwhile, gunmen Friday attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in the city of Adhaim, in religiously and ethnically mixed Diyala province, killing eight soldiers and wounding seventeen, an Iraqi army officer said on condition he not be identified for fear of reprisal.

“There were too many to count,” said Akid, a 20-year-old soldier from Diwanayah being treated for gunshot wounds to both thighs. “They tried to kill everybody.”

Akid, who would only give his first name for fear of reprisal, said his battalion of about 600 men had already suffered over 250 desertions after a Dec. 3 ambush in Adhaim killed 19 Iraqi soldiers.

“They gave up,” he said. “They said, ‘The hell with this.'”

I wonder if this is one of the Iraqi battalions cited by the Pentagon as being ready to take over from American troops. If so, it may be a very long time before our soldiers can come home.

At the invitation of the Perdana Peace Foundation, Justin Raimondo and Eric Garris spent the week attending their Global Peace Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We had a wonderful time and were treated royally by the staff and volunteers of the foundation and the other participating organizations and companies. We’d especially like to thank Matthias Chang (conference organizer), Ooi Eng Hong (Garris’ liaison officer), Cathy Yong (Raimondo’s liaison officer), and Steve Peter H.S. Kok (parliamentary assistant). You can read a political report on our trip here.

Here are a selection of photos from our trip, more to come. Click on each photo for a larger version. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos by Ooi Eng Hong.

Eric Garris on War, Peace, and the Net		Justin Raimondo on Naming Names
Eric Garris on War, Peace, and the Net		Daniel Ellsberg on the Antiwar Movement
The main banquet hall		Ellsberg, Garris, Raimondo visit the Menara Telecommunications Tower Photo by Cathy Yong
Garris interviewed by Islamic televsion network		Former Malaysian PM Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, Perdana Chairman
Last 100 Years of War Deaths, a Major Theme of the Conference		Poster listing the major speakers
Many more photos to come!

 

From the AP:

BERLIN – The U.N.’s lead investigator in the inquiry into the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister said Wednesday he believes a spate of recent killings in the country are linked.

“These are not isolated attacks,” Detlev Mehlis told reporters at a news conference after returning home to Berlin from the U.N. assignment. “It’s pretty clear that there are connections, even if I can’t prove it.” …

Mehlis did not elaborate on his comments, citing the ongoing investigation. He said he could not predict how long the probe would take.

This is a major self-inflicted blow to Mehlis’ credibility. Isn’t it the job of an investigator to put up or shut up? What is the purpose of such statements, other than the geopolitical equivalent of jury-tampering? And if Mehlis doesn’t feel the need to prove what he already deems “clear,” then why doesn’t he go ahead and tell us what those connections are? No need to observe formalities after a statement like that.

I don’t often agree with Democratic congressmen, but Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) had the right response after listening to Bush’s December 14th speech on Iraq:

“The President now says he is responsible for the war in Iraq. I agree with the President. He is responsible. He is responsible for attacking a nation that did not attack us. He is responsible for the 2,151 American troops killed in Iraq. He is responsible for the 15,881 U.S. troops injured in the war. He is responsible for at least 30,000 Iraqi civilians killed since the start of the war. He is responsible for draining $250 billion from U.S. taxpayers to pay for the war. And he is responsible for the failed reconstruction and for the continued occupation.”

From a speech by George W. Bush on April 20, 2004 , more than two years after the illegal wiretapping of Americans commenced on his personal say so:

Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

What? Wiretaps require a court order? Our Constitutional rights are guaranteed? Then how come ….

from RBN, where I’ve hosted the Weekend Interview Show since August of 2004.

This is all for the better, because now I’ll have to figure out how to do the next project bigger and better…

My best to everyone at RBN.

Oh, yeah, and by the by, I have a new blog called Stress, named in honor of Bill Hicks‘ band. Stop on over if ya like.