FAILED WRITER AND FAILED DIRECTOR AND CURRENT GRAD SCHOOL STUDENT MITCHELL BARD WAS ON THE SCENE LAST NOVEMBER WHEN SARAH PALIN MISSPOKE SWITCHING SOUTH AND NORTH KOREA AND HE INSISTED THAT IT MATTERED GRAVELY BECAUSE, AMONG OTHER REASONS, SHE SAID "TWO YEARS AGO" THAT SHE WAS "QUALIFIED TO FILL A JOB THAT IS A HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY."
HE MUST HAVE BEEN BUSY ATTENDING CLASSES AND TRYING TO FIND A PLACE TO PARK AND ASKING MOM IF SHE'D DO HIS LAUNDRY THIS SEMESTER BECAUSE I A YOUTUBE INTERVIEW, CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O MADE IT CLEAR HE WAS CONFUSED AS TO WHICH WAS IRAQ AND WHICH WAS AFGHANISTAN.
CNN'S TOM COHEN RUSHED IN TO PROTECT THE MAN WHOSE ASS HE COVETS, INSISTING IT WAS "A RARE SPEAKING STUMBLE" FOR BARRY O AND CONTINUED:
The president twice referred to Afghanistan when clearly talking about the situation in Iraq.
He said that the United States would withdraw all combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2011 and that combat operations there had ended, which actually describes the situation and policy for Iraq.
It was unclear whether Obama realized his mistake.
IT'S NOT CLEAR WHETHER TOM COHEN REALIZED HIS MISTAKE. IF YOU'RE GOING TO INSIST THAT BARRY O MERELEY GOT IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN CONFUSED THAT STILL WOULDN'T EXPLAIN INSISTING THAT "THE UNITED STATES WOULD WITHDRAW ALL COMBAT TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN BY THE END OF 2011" -- UH, DUMB ASS TOM COHEN, IF YOU CAN'T STOP JERKING OFF WHILE MOANING "BARRY!" FOR A SECOND, EXPLAIN TO US WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF LAST AUGUST?
OH, THAT'S RIGHT THE U.S. WITHDREW "COMBAT" TROOPS FROM IRAQ.
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Were this a business conference, there would be the financial press covering it as well as write ups in the general press. Were it on cholera or any of the illnesses that so frequently plague Iraq, the health press would cover it and the general press would do a few write ups. Were it on 'security,' the entire press would be ga-ga over it 'reporting' with advertising copy. But when the conference deals with women, where's the press?
If you're late to it, we covered the conference in yesterday's snapshot. Today on Morning Edition (NPR), Kelly McEvers and Isra al Rubeii report on Iraqi women married to 'terrorists' -- dubbed terrorists by the government of Iraq, a government that itself terrorizes its own people. Whether they're forced into the marriage by families or not, it's the women's fault in the eyes of the 'government' of Iraq. Their husband takes an action, well, the women are responsible because they should have known. It's a real damn shame that the US-government installed so many exiles to begin with but it's even more surprising how grossly ignorant the exiles are. Excerpt:
An Iraqi-American actress and playwright developed an off-Broadway hit by creating nine diverse portraits of Iraqi women.
NCCI: As the former Regional Coordinator for Women for Women International in Iraq, what do you feel are some of the greatest obstacles facing NGOs which operate in the sector of women's rights?
Manal Omar: The biggest challenge is when women become the negotiating chip. One of the titles of my chapters in my book is "Negotiating Chip," because I witnessed too often how women's rights were used during political or social bargaining. For example, you may have high-level Kurdish representatives that believe 100% in women's rights. However, during political debates, or when it's time to vote on a resolution, they will not vote pro-women. When I would challenge them, they often would say that their primary issue is federalization, and as a result, they would strike a deal on a resolution for women if more conservative parties would vote on the resolution of federalization. The second challenge is what I call the "not now" argument. This argument usually states that because of overall violence and instability, it is not an appropriate time to discuss women's issues. I have witnessed how the "not now" easily becomes the "not ever." Women must maximize the window of opportunity to push their rights forward.
NCCI: When was the last time that you were in Iraq? Did you notice any changes in women's status in the country at that time?
Manal Omar: The last time I was in Iraq was December 2010. Unfortunately, during my trip there was the announcement of the new government ministries. It was very sad to see that Iraqi women were not part of the list of ministries at all. Many of the women's organizations I have worked with for the last seven years called me and were in shock to see how Iraqi women continue to lose rights rather than gain them! After the previous elections, there were 6 female ministers; now there are none. Even the Ministry for Women's Affairs has an interim male Minister. This highlights that the challenge facing women is stronger than ever.
NCCI: Who do you consider as the most vulnerable groups of women today in Iraq? What special protection should NGOs and the government seek to provide them with?
Manal Omar: The most vulnerable groups would be women heads of households; this usually means widows, divorcés, or unmarried women. They do not have the access or mobility than men generally have. They are often more vulnerable in times of limited security and have less access to income. A lack of security remains the primary obstacle limiting women's ability to attain economic self-sufficiency. Naturally, women in that category who are either internally displaced people (IDPs) or refugees in neighbouring countries are at twice the riskk. NGOs should focus on programs that are accessible for these women. The best programs will not be able to succeed if women are not able to come, and that is often the case with the vulnerable women. They have very limited mobility. The more the program is available with limited transportation time and costs, the more accessible it will be for these groups. Overall, the Iraqi government is still the primary duty bearer and should have programs targeting the most vulnerable groups. These programs should be easy to access, with minimum bureaucracy and clear application steps.
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