BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
THE DAHLIBAMA IS SHOWING SIGNS OF SENILITY -- JUST LIKE REAGAN!
VIDEO HAS CAPTURED CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O TALKING TO HIMSELF AS HE PLAYED GOLF INCLUDING CHASTIZING HIMSELF FOR GOING TOO "FAR LEFT."
DON'T WORRY SO MUCH, BARRY, NO REAL LEFTY WOULD EVER ACCUSE YOU OF GOING LEFT OR EVEN "FAR LEFT."
THAT HE WOULD ACCUSE HIMSELF OF THAT GOES TO A NIXONIAN PARANOIA THAT HAS APPARENTLY GRIPPED HIM AS WELL.
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
The
US government has succeeded in burying a report on the true costs of
war. The report in question was to be published by the World Health
Organization and the study was undertaken by WHO and the Iraqi
government in response to the huge number of birth defects now appearing
in Iraq.
Just last week, Iraq's
Dr. Samira Alaani started a petition calling for the suppressed report to be released:
My name is Dr
Samira Alaani and I am a pediatrician working in Fallujah General
Hospital. In the years since US forces attacked our city my colleagues
and I have recorded a horrifying increase in the numbers of babies born
with congenital defects: spina bifida, heart abnormalities and defects
that I do not even have a name for. Many do not survive. For those that
do, we care for them as best we can with the limited resources we have.
I have worked in Fallujah as a Pediatrician since 1997 but began to
notice something was wrong in 2006 and began logging the cases; we have
determined that 144 babies are now born with a deformity for every 1000
live births. We
believe it has to be related to contamination caused by the fighting in
our city, even now, nearly 10 years later. It is not unique to
Fallujah; hospitals throughout the Anbar Governorate and many other
regions of Iraq are recording increases. Every day I see the strain this
fear puts on expectant mothers and their families. The first question I
am asked when a child is born is not ‘is it a boy or a girl?’ but ‘is
my child healthy?’
When
I heard that the Iraqi Ministry of Health and the World Health
Organization (WHO) were going to carry out research I finally felt a
glimmer of hope. I knew it would only confirm what we already
knew; that there had been a rise in birth defects, but I saw it as a
stepping stone to finally spur Iraq and the international community into
action.
The research is now complete and we were
promised that it would be published at the beginning of 2013, yet six
months later the WHO has announced more delays. We worry that
this is now politics, not science. We have already waited years for the
truth and my patients cannot wait any longer. The WHO has
another option. The data should be published in an open access journal
for independent peer review. The process would be fast, rigorous and
transparent.
My patients need to know the truth, they need to know why
they miscarried, they need to know why their babies are so ill but, most
importantly, they need to know that something is being done about
it. The Iraqi Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization need
to release this data and give us answers.
Please sign this petition and show that the rest of the world has not forgotten about the people of Iraq.
Currently, the petition has 51,736 signatures. Last March,
Dhar Jamail (Al Jazeera) reported on the birth defects and noted:
A frequently cited epidemiological study titled Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005-2009 involved a door-to-door survey of more than 700 Fallujah households.
The research team interviewed Fallujans about abnormally high rates of cancer and birth defects.
One of the authors of the study, Chemist Chris Busby, said that the Fallujah health crisis represented "the highest rate of genetic damage in any population ever studied".
Those are precisely the reasons
Dr. Samira Alaani started her petition. But the petition may have been rendered moot today.
Dr Mozhgan Savabieasfahani (Al Jazeera) reported this morning:
A short and anonymous report just appeared on the World Health Organization (WHO) website. It is titled "Summary of prevalence of reported congenital birth defects in 18 selected districts in Iraq."
Previously, this report was referred to on the WHO website as a "joint
study" with the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) which began in May-June
2012. It was to examine the prevalence of congenital birth defects in a
number of geographically dispersed areas of Iraq which were exposed to
bombardment or heavy fighting, or were unexposed.
This
joint investigation was initiated following widespread public alarm
over unusual increases in poor reproductive and birth outcomes in Iraq
after the US-led invasion. Across Iraq, increasing numbers of birth
defects appear to be surfacing, including in Mosul, Al-Ramadi, Najaf, Fallujah, Basra, Hawijah, and Baghdad. In some provinces, cancers also are rising. Sterility, repeated miscarriages, stillbirths and severe birth defects - some not found in any medical books - are reported widely.
This explains why many public health scientists awaited the release of the WHO/MoH report on birth defects in Iraq.
The doctor continues her coverage at Salem-News, noting:
Another unusual and outrageous feature of this report
is its anonymity. No author(s) are listed or identified. An anonymous
report is rarely seen in epidemiological reporting given the multiple
questions that often arise when interested readers examine complicated
study designs, large data sets, and multiple analysis. Identification of
corresponding authors is critical for the transparency and clarity of
any report. Without author names and affiliations, without identified
offices in the MoH, the reader must ask, who is responsible to answer
for this report? To whom must the public direct their questions and
concerns about this report?
The WHO has simultaneously broadcasted and vanished from this report.
The described methods of this report are not without
fatal shortcomings. First and foremost, an epidemiologic study must
clearly show that individuals who were selected for the study accurately
represent the population of interest. To that end, methods must offer
clear and justifiable criteria for the inclusion of individuals in the
study, and for their exclusion from the study.
The methodology section of this report simply declares
that the selection criteria were "determined by the Ministry of Health".
The critical questions of "on what basis" and "why" remain unanswered.
Selection criteria have major and critical influences on an
epidemiological investigation and are universally expected to be fully
discussed, even in short reports.
We cannot tell whether selection bias, a common problem
in epidemiological studies, has occurred here. If it has, then the
study is fully discredited. Based on information available in this
report, we cannot rule out selection bias issues. The undisclosed
criteria for recruitment of participants appears to have "included areas
that had and had not been exposed to bombardment or heavy fighting."
The maps and tables in the report do not indicate which
areas were exposed to bombardment or heavy fighting and which areas
were not. Another fatal shortcoming of the report is that the exposed
and unexposed populations remain unidentified throughout. How is a
comparison between two population's rates of "spontaneous abortions",
"stillbirths", or "congenital birth defects" possible if their exposure
status is never described?
What happened?
The US government went after WHO and it wasn't pretty. Nouri shared
their interest in killing the report. (He has remained silent on the
birth defects epidemic since he first became prime minister.) He bought
off the Ministry of Health which then demanded that WHO not list them
on the report. For a change, the head of the ministry is not accused of
lining their pockets. Instead, Majeed Hamadaminie Jamil is said to be
using the money to provide more clinics to in-need provinces.
The violence never stops in Iraq.
National Iraqi News Agency reports
3 Mosul bombings left three people injured, a
Ramadi roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer and left another injured, an
armed clash in Diyala left 1 militant dead, the
Islamic Party's Dhafer al-Rawi was kidnapped in Rawa,
1 police officer was shot dead in Karbala,
Brigadier
General Ismail al-Jubouri was injured in an assassination attempt in
Mosul (a suicide bomber detonated in the midst of the general's convoy), a
Mosul bombing claimed the lives of 2 police officers and left a third injured, a
Tikrit roadside bombing left two people injured, a
Baghdad suicide bomber claimed the lives of 10 other people and left thirty injured, this
morning 22 homes of "employees of the security services and the army in different areas south of Mosul" were blown up and
last night four shops in Sheikh Hamid (to the north of Tikrit) were blown up.
All Iraq News adds, "Two employees within the Shiite Shrines Directorate were killed
when unidentified gunmen attacked the holy shrine of Imam Ahmed bin Musa
al-Kadhim in Muqdadiya district."
The
Kurdish Globe reminds
the UN's death toll for last month was 800 Iraqis killed and that 5,000
have been killed so far this year. Yesterday's violence claimed 67
lives according to
Iraq Body Count which also notes 574 violent deaths for the month so far through yesterday.
While
the violence continues, journalists in Iraq face more problems and no
one seems to even notice. An except for Ayad Allawi, no one seems too
concerned.
-
-
-
-
The Tehran Times reports
that "another group" of the Ashraf community has been resettled to
Albania. They don't specify how many but note that Albania had already
taken in 159 members of the Ashraf community earlier.
All Iraq News states 210 members were admitted to Albania.
Camp Ashraf housed a group of Iranian dissidents who were welcomed to
Iraq by Saddam Hussein in 1986 and he gave them Camp
Ashraf and six other parcels that they could utilize. In 2003, the US
invaded Iraq.The US government had the US military lead negotiations
with the residents of Camp Ashraf. The US government wanted the
residents to disarm and the US promised protections to the point that
US actions turned the residents of Camp Ashraf into protected person
under the Geneva Conventions. This is key and demands the US defend the
Ashraf community in Iraq from attacks. The Bully Boy Bush
administration grasped that -- they were ignorant of every other law on
the books but they grasped that one. As 2008 drew to a close, the Bush
administration was given assurances from the Iraqi government that they
would protect the residents. Yet Nouri al-Maliki ordered the camp
repeatedly attacked after Barack Obama was sworn in as US President.
July 28, 2009
Nouri launched an attack (while then-US Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates was on the ground in Iraq). In a report released this summer
entitled "
Iraqi government must respect and protect rights of Camp Ashraf residents,"
Amnesty International described this assault, "Barely a month later,
on 28-29 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed into the camp; at
least nine residents were killed and many more were injured. Thirty-six
residents who were detained were allegedly tortured and beaten. They
were eventually released on 7 October 2009; by then they were in poor
health after going on hunger strike."
April 8, 2011,
Nouri again ordered an assault on Camp Ashraf (then-US Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates was again on the ground in Iraq when the assault
took place).
Amnesty International described the assault this way,
"Earlier this year, on 8 April, Iraqi troops took up positions within
the camp using excessive, including lethal, force against residents who
tried to resist them. Troops used live ammunition and by the end of
the operation some 36 residents, including eight women, were dead and
more than 300 others had been wounded. Following international and
other protests, the Iraqi government announced that it had appointed a
committee to investigate the attack and the killings; however, as on
other occasions when the government has announced investigations into
allegations of serious human rights violations by its forces, the
authorities have yet to disclose the outcome, prompting questions
whether any investigation was, in fact, carried out." Those weren't
the last attacks. They were the last attacks while the residents were
labeled as terrorists by the US State Dept. (
September 28, 2012, the designation was changed.) In spite of this labeling,
Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed that "since 2004, the United States has considered the residents of
Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva
Conventions." So the US has an obligation to protect the residents.
3,300 are no longer at Camp Ashraf. They have moved to Camp Hurriyah
for the most part. A tiny number has received asylum in other
countries. Approximately 100 were still at Camp Ashraf when it was
attacked Sunday. That was the second attack this year alone.
February 9th of this year, the Ashraf residents were again attacked, this time the ones who had been relocated to Camp Hurriyah.
Trend News Agency counted 10 dead and over one hundred injured.
Prensa Latina reported, " A rain of self-propelled Katyusha missiles hit a provisional camp of
Iraqi opposition Mujahedin-e Khalk, an organization Tehran calls
terrorists, causing seven fatalities plus 50 wounded, according to an
Iraqi official release." They were attacked again
September 1st.
Adam Schreck (AP) reported
that the United Nations was able to confirm the deaths of 52 Ashraf
residents. Shreck also noted when the last of the Ashraf residents left
Camp Ashraf this month.
Expand
US Senator Robert Menendez
issued a statement
on the attack which included, "I hold the Iraqi government directly
responsible to protect the community, to investigate this matter
thoroughly, and to prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act. I am
deeply concerned for the seven hostages who were taken during this
attack. The Iraqi government should act swiftly to determine their
whereabouts and ensure their safety. There is added urgency for the
global community, as well as for the United States, to help resettle
this community outside of Iraq, and end this cycle of ongoing terror
attacks." Seven Ashraf hostages? Nouri's government denied they existed
but they did and do. Last week,
UNHCR issued the following statement:
These seven are all known by UNHCR to be asylum-seekers, and the agency
hopes to have an opportunity to interview them. In light of the
numerous and persistent reports over the past week that these
individuals may be at risk of forced return to Iran, UNHCR calls upon
the Government of Iraq to locate them, to ensure their physical
security, and to safeguard them against return to Iran against their
will.
US House Rep Dana Rohrabacher
issued a statement
noting them and the continued attacks on the Ashraf community. He
observed, "The refugees disarmed themselves with faith in U.S.
Government guarantees of their safety. If we fail them, nobody will
believe us again."
The World Organisation Against Torture issued a statement and a call for action:
According to the information received, on 1st September 2013 seven Iranian exiles, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI),
an Iranian opposition group, were abducted from Camp Ashraf during an
attack carried out by the Iraqi security forces, which also led to the
death of 52 people and several injured[1].
The seven residents are: Ms. Fatemeh Tahoori, Ms. Vajihe Karbalaey, Ms.
Mahnaz Azizi, Ms. Lila Nabahat, Ms. Zahra Ramezani, Ms. Fatema Sakhie
and Mr. Mohammad Ratebi.
According to the same information received, on 12th September
2013, Mr. Kamel Amin, Deputy of the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights,
confirmed the arrest of seven members of the PMOI and announced that
they are in the custody of the security forces.
OMCT
is gravely concerned about the fate and safety of Ms. Fatemeh Tahoori,
Ms. Vajihe Karbalaey, Ms. Mahnaz Azizi, Ms. Lila Nabahat, Ms. Zahra
Ramezani, Ms. Fatema Sakhie and Mr. Mohammad Ratebi. OMCT urges the
Iraqi authorities to immediately disclose their exact whereabouts and to
guarantee their physical and psychological integrity at all times, in
accordance with international human rights law.
OMCT
fears that they may be forcibly returned to Iran, where they would be
at risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. OMCT recalls to the
Iraqi authorities the absolute prohibition of sending a person to
another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he
or she would be in danger of being subjected to torture and other forms
of ill-treatment or other serious human rights violations.
OMCT
further urges the Iraqi authorities to immediately release them in the
absence of valid legal charges that are consistent with international
law and standards, or, if such charges exist, to bring them promptly
before an impartial, independent and competent tribunal and guarantee
their procedural rights at all times.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Iraq urging them to:
i. Immediately
disclose the exact whereabouts of Ms. Fatemeh Tahoori, Ms. Vajihe
Karbalaey, Ms. Mahnaz Azizi, Ms. Lila Nabahat, Ms. Zahra Ramezani, Ms.
Fatema Sakhie and Mr. Mohammad Ratebi;
ii. Guarantee,
in all circumstances, their physical and psychological
integrity, including by not forcibly returning them to Iran, where they
would be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment;
iii. Order
their immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges that are
consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges
exist, bring them promptly before an impartial, independent and
competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights at all times;
iv. Guarantee unconditional access to all members of their family and their lawyers;
v. Guarantee that they are examined by independent doctors and receive adequate medical care;
i. Carry out a prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into the
circumstances of these events, the results of which must be made
public, in order to bring those responsible before a competent,
independent and impartial tribunal and apply penal, civil and/or
administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. Ensure
the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the
country in accordance with national laws and international human rights
standards.
Addresses
Ø Prime Minister, H.E. Nouri Kamil Al-Maliki, Email: info@pmo.iq;
Ø Minister of Justice, H.E. Hassan al-Shammari, Ministry of Justice;
Ø Minister of Human Rights, H.E. Mohammed Shia´al-Sudani, Ministry of Human Rights, Email:minister1@humanrights.gov.iq
Ø H.E
Mr. Mohammad Sabir Ismail, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the
Republic of Iraq to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Email: mission.iraq@ties.itu.int, Fax. +41 22 733 03 26
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Iraq in your respective countries.
***
RECOMMENDED: "
Iraq snapshot"
"
The violence and the cover up"
"
The drums pound on for war on Syria"
"
Chemical weapons arsenals (Manlio Dinucci)"
"
Obama's desperate measures (Judith Orr)"
"
Hejira"
"
At least 41 dead and 52 injured in Saturday's viol..."
"
I Hate The War"
"
Guess who's union busting;"
"
On being a member of the Green Party"
"
Food stamps"
"
barack eyes iran"
"
Using logic . . ."
"
Music Videos"
"
He chooses sides"
"
The Family falters"
"
Moving?"
"
A nun calls out Barack's war lies"
"
Russell Simmons serves up more of his usual homophobia"
"
THIS JUST IN! MORE HOMOPHOBIA!"
Sara Miller
Lukman Faily
Cecily Hilleary
bamboozler
A W
Shirin Nariman
James Lee
Prashant Rao
Ayad Allawi
Adam Schreck