Tuesday, August 21, 2012

THIS JUST IN! JUAN COLE: RAPE ADVOCATE!

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE


 WHEN NOT CASHING CHECKS FROM THE C.I.A., PROFESSIONAL SCUM JUAN COLE LIKES TO PRETEND HE'S A GUEST ON PLAYBOY AFTER DARK --  PRETENDING'S THE ONLY WAY HE CAN ACT LIKE ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN HIM.

WHICH IS HOW JOHN COLE CAME TO ARGUE THAT ENTERING A SLEEPING WOMAN'S VAGINA IS NOT RAPE:


Another question is whether Julian Assange is a candidate for political asylum. Technically, a British court has ordered him to be extradited to Sweden for an inquiry as to whether he is guilty of sexual crimes peculiar to Sweden, not exactly rape but rough sex in one instance, and in the case of another woman, resisting, during passionate love-making, a request that he use a condom. (In both cases, the sex appears to have been consensual and so he could not have been charged with rape in the UK or the US).

HIS TESTIMONIAL CAN ONLY BE SEEN AS ADVOCACY FOR RAPE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS.  NOT ROUGH SEX, RAPE.

AND AN 'ACADEMIC' WHO THINKS A WOMAN CAN FREELY GIVE CONSENT AFTER WASKING  UP WITH A MAN IN HER WHO WILL NOT PULL OUT WHEN SHE ASKS HIM TO IS AN 'ACADEMIC' WHO ENDORSES RAPE.

WAY TO GO JOHN COLE, YOU'RE DUMB, YOU'RE UGLY, YOU'RE ON THE CIA PAYROLL AND YOU'RE NOW A RAPE ADVOCATE.  PICK YOUR SPOT IN HELL CAREFULLY, YOU'LL SPEND ETERNITY THERE.


FROM THE TCI WIRE:


 
Alex Lawler (Reuters) reports, "Exports from Iraq's south have averaged 2.25 million bpd in the first 20 days of August, the data shows.  That is up from 2.22 million bpd in July -- the highest since before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, according to the International Energy Agency."  But Iraqis aren't seeing improved lives. Moahmmed Salem tells AP that the money is "being stolen by government officials and sent to banks outside of Iraq" and "There is no electricity, no public services. No respect for the people of Iraq."  The issue of Iraqi oil was raised in today's State Dept press briefing in DC:
 
 
QUESTION: A different topic. I have a quick question regarding the oil agreements made in Northern Iraq. I had asked this question last week during a panel to Brett McGurk. He is a special advisor to Madam Secretary, probably, as I understand it. There are some American companies who made deals with KRG directly, bypassing Baghdad government, and this is an issue between KRG and Baghdad government right now, these oil agreements. And also, Turkey and KRG -- Turkish Government and KRG mad an -- agreements between two governments, and the -- some trucks started to transfer some oil to Turkey from Northern Iraq.
I'm wondering this -- the official position of U.S. Government on this issue, because the Baghdad government is arguing that this is unconstitutional, these kind of agreements, but KRG is arguing that no, they have license to do that. What is the official position of USA -- U.S. Government on this issue?
 
 
MS. NULAND: I mean, our position on this has not changed. We've spoken about it many times here. We speak about it in Iraq. With regard to our own companies, we continue to tell them that signing contracts for oil exploration or production with any region of Iraq without approval from the federal Iraqi authorities exposes them to potential legal risk, and we continue to tell them --  obviously, they'll make their own business decisions, but unless and until we have federal legislation in Iraq governing these things, something that we've been urging, that there are risks for them. So that's our message to our companies.
 
 
QUESTION: Did you raise this issue with the companies directly?
 
 
MS. NULAND: We do. When they come to us and ask what we think, then we raise this issue with them, yes.
 
 
QUESTION: And how about Turkey?
 
 
MS. NULAND: What do you mean?
 
 
QUESTION: Did you raise this issue with Turkey, I mean, in terms of this agreement made by -- between Turkish Government and KRG?
 
 
MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, they know where we are on our view of this issue. When the Secretary was in Istanbul, I think Foreign Minister Davutoglu had just been in Northern Iraq, so obviously, they talked about that trip, and they talked about Iraq as a general matter and our interest in seeing the groups work together and get through some of the political issues that they have so that they can get back to things like working on the oil legislation that is important for everybody.
 
 
 
Though Nouri al-Maliki seems to struggle with this concept, in the US, oil companies aren't controlled by the government. 
 
In more bad news for Nouri, Reuters reports, "French oil major Total has bought a minority share in an exploration block in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, ignoring threats from the central government in Baghdad made after a similar deal last month." Oil and Gas Journal adds the company's purchased "a 20% participating interest in the Taza PSC."
 

At The National Interest last week,  Joost R. Hiltermann weighs in on the conflict between Erbil and Baghdad:

Pipelines connecting the Kurdish region to the Mediterranean are still two years away. The Turkish government has not yet decided what kind of direct hydrocarbons relationship it wants with the KRG. That decision could lead to Iraq's break-up, a prospect that Ankara has historically feared and actively resisted because of the threat it would pose to Turkey's own territorial unity. Yet times are changing: the Syria crisis and a possible U.S.-Iran war could redraw the region's borders. Not knowing how the chips will fall, political actors are starting to move to secure their interests as best they can and maximize any advantage they might gain. The Maliki government and the Kurds are therefore unlikely to kiss and make up. Any new agreement will be a temporary accommodation that would give each what they need most right now—Baghdad: revenues from Kurdish crude before its own production in the south ramps up; Erbil: the ability to pay producing companies before they throw in the towel in utter frustration. The real battle—over the future of Iraq and Kurdistan—is still a couple years away.
 
 
 
Meanwhile AFP reports "at least 409 people" died in the month of Ramadan with another 975 left injured.  That's basically two week of July through Saturday.  For the month of August, through Saturday, Iraq Body Count records 323 deaths from violence.
 
Violence continued over the weekend and there was one high profile incident.  
 
Sunday brought news of the death of a notable figure.  KUNA reports, "Head of the Sunni fatwa authority in Iraq Sheikh Madhi al-Sumaidaie has sustained critical injuries due to a car-bomb blast that targeted his motorcade in west of the Iraqi capital, an police source said on Sunday." AP notes four body guards were killed in the attack and three more were left injured and they explain, "Al-Sumaidaie has sided with the government against Sunni extremists. Earlier this year, he called for a unified religious authority to bridge the gap between Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites. " Al -Arabiya elaborates, "Sumaidi, who extermist Sunni groups viewed as aligned with the government, had called for all Iraqis to disarm after the formal withdrawal of U.S. troops last year, saying that those who carried weapons were aginast Iraq and its interests."

 Kareem Raheem (Reuters) adds, "The attack came as Al Qaeda's local wing, Islamic State of Iraq, has warned of a new campaign and security analysts say fighters in Iraq are benefitting from funds and morale from Islamists slipping into Syria to join the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad next door."  Political analyst Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, also the Shaeikh's cousin, tells AFP, "Gunmen driving a car tried to cut off Sheikh al-Sumaidaie's convoy, and when the convoy came to a halt, another car driving fast crashed into his car and blew up."

 AKnews notes a statement from Nouri al-Maliki saying that this was an effort to "silence any moderate national voice."   It was left to Kitabat to offer actual journalism, they pointed out that the Ministry of the Interior had ordered that Sheikh al-Sumaidaie's convoy was always to be protected with at least two police cars.  Where were those cars today, Kitabat -- and only Kitabat -- asks?  The orders were put in place after the January Baghdad assassiantion of Sheikh Mullah Nazim al-Juburi.  Since those orders were put in place, al-Sumaidaie has been the target of many public threats, the paper explains, including several just last week. 
 
 
Alsumaria notes a Diyala Province roadside bombing which left three soldiers injured.  Alsumaria also notes a Nineveh roadside bombing injured a soldier and one Sahwa was shot dead by unknown assailants on motorcycles.
 
In the face of all of this, there are still no heads of the security ministries.  Nouri was supposed to nominated people in December 2010 and didn't.  All this time later, he still hasn't made nominations.  Today, Raman Brosk (AKnews) reports, "The State of Law Coalition (SLC) led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that it is not responsible for naming the interior and defense ministers, adding that resolving the file needs sincere intentions from all of the political blocs."
 
The political crisis continues as well and All Iraq News reports that Iraqiya has stated the only person benefitting from the ongoing crisis is Nouri.  Alsumaria adds that Iraqiya continues their call for a government of national partnership (as opposed to what Nouri's offered).  And Iraqiya MP Yassin al-Mutlaq states that the biggest cause of problems in Iraq today is the inabilty to address the political crisis.  Raman Brosk (AKnews) reports, "The State of Law Coalition (SLC) led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that it is not responsible for naming the interior and defense ministers, adding that resolving the file needs sincere intentions from all of the political blocs."

Saturday Diyala Province Governor Hashim Hayali and his wife died in what's being called a car accident (Hayali most recently survived an assassination attempt April 21st).  All Iraq News notes that Iraqiya issued a statement noting the "tragic loss." 
 
Meanwhile AFP reports,  "Iraq insisted Monday that its trade with Iran was honest, denying reports that it was helping the Islamic republic skirt sanctions by smuggling oil and moving cash in secret."   What are they talking about?
 
The front page of yesterday's New York Times which featured James Risen and Duraid Adnan's "U.S. Says Iraqis Are Helping Iran to Skirt Sanctions" about the White House's knowledge that Iraq is helping Iran "skirt economic sanctions."  And, the two reported, Barack was "not eager for a public showdown with Nouri."  The New York Times-owned Boston Globe runs the story but 'forgets' a byline and may leave readers with the impression that they originated the story.  The Toledo Blade runs the story but credits it to the Times.  AFP writes about the Times report and highlights this statement by Nouri al-Maliki's spokesperson, "We also have good relations with Iran that we do not want to break."  Covering the report, Reuters notes, "Barack Obama, the US president, acknowledged the problem last month when he barred a small Iraqi bank, the Elaf Islamic Bank, from any dealings with the American banking system, according to the report."

At Third yesterday, we offered "Editorial: We're giving that guy the F-16?" because it doesn't make a lot of sense to share F-16 technology with a government who's already helping Iran get around legal sanctions. But when does the US government make a great deal of sense? Al Arabia and AFP report that the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin "Dempsey acknowleged arch-foe Iran was trying to expand its influence in Iraq but said the Baghdad leadership wanted to build up relations with the American military."  Dempsey's headed to Iraq to smooth things over because apparently money is more important than safety and it's more important to the White House that the F-16 deal goes through possibly because, as Dar Addustour noted last week, Iraq is also seeking arms from the Russian government.

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