Welcome, and a fine Memorial Day to you all! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.
TOP TOPICS
- At least 52 people are dead in renewed violence Khalis and Baghdad. An IED killed a U.S. soldier, two CBS news crewmen and an Iraqi in Baghdad Monday. Six soldiers and a CBS correspondent were wounded in the blast as well.
- The Iraqi government is concerned that disputes over Iraq's southern oilfields may lead to open conflict between Shiite groups, a disturbing reminder of the tension lines still dividing the country.
Other Topics Today Include: Investigation of Haditha massacre; Coalition withdrawl; Iraqi refinery halts production; deal with UNESCO; construction projects completed in Baghdad; Parliament still disagrees on ministers; Carnival of the Liberated; Japan expands role of air forces; Tariq Aziz takes the stand.
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
- The U.S. is continuing to investigate what happened in Haditha, where it appears U.S. Marines killed between 15 and 24 Iraqi civilians including women and children. How the U.S. handles this incident will have significant repercussions throughout Iraq, and is already a topic of great dispute.
- Wretchard RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY
- The Petrochemical Complex at Khor al-Zubair in Basra has halted production due to lack of demand. It had been producing chlorine and polymers.
- Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has made an agreement with UNESCO and the Strategic Committee for Constructing Iraq of the Ministry of Planning and Developing Cooperation to carry out an international program to promote the level and skills of the teaching staffs of the Iraqi universities.
- Al- Qasim city Municipality director within Babylon province announced that the ministry of municipality & public works dedicated 1.500 million ID to pave several streets in Alzahra', Alhamran, Alsa'idi, Alhusseiniya, Alrahmaniya, Alwahda, Alaskari and other streets parallel to imam al-Qasim shrine.
- Construction is complete on two projects "Water Compact Unit" and "Sewage Pumping Station" in Baghdad Province.
IRAQI POLITICS
- Iraq's Parliament remains divided over how to appoint the vital security ministries that will control Iraq's army and police forces. They were able to agree that the MPs need new cars, however.
- Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki pledged to have the cabinet security posts filled in very short order.
- This week's Carnival of the Liberated is up.
THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
- Here is a Federal News Service transcript of this past week's news conference with PM Blair and President Bush.
- President Bush is reportedly sending signals for a change in role for the U.S. military in Iraq, but stops short of committing to troop reductions.
- Japan will expand the operational areas of the Air Self-Defense Force in Iraq when it withdraws its ground troops.
ETCETERA
- Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz took the <a href="http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=15984"witness stand
- Do you have your GI Bracelet? Many military families fall into financial hardship when the breadwinner is injured or killed. The entire purchase price of the GI Bracelet is donated to support our troops and their families! Please join us to give back to these brave people in their time of need.
- The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!
- Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!
- Many American troops have taken it upon themselves to reconstruct schools and gather learning tools for the children of Iraq. Their efforts have been met with immense gratitude from the local Iraqis and their children. You can help too! Visit Operation Iraqi Children and get involved.
Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. And if you have a tip for a future Iraq Report, email us at MondayIraqReport(at)windsofchange.net.
>>The U.S. is continuing to investigate what happened in Haditha, where it appears U.S. Marines killed between 15 and 24 Iraqi civilians including women and children. How the U.S. handles this incident will have significant repercussions throughout Iraq, and is already a topic of great dispute.
Standard proceedure would be court-martial, those convicted of murder have their swords broken and are executed, yes?
On behalf of everyone who has lost a family member to war, I would like to invite you, on this Memorial Day, to take your stimulating, informing and amusing dispatch on the Iraq Meatgrinder, combine it with your prowar Euston Manifesto, and shove it right back up your ass.
You're welcome
Sadly, but not with upbraiding,
The generous deed was done;
In the storm of the years that are fading,
No braver battle was won; --
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment day; --
Under the blossoms, the Blue,
Under the garlands, the Gray.
Frances Miles Finch, "The Blue and the Gray" (1867).
Nothing like a day to honor those who have fallen in defense of their country to bring out the dysfunctional left.
I know what's going on here, I think; it's the same reasoning that makes Google ignore one of the year's major holidays even though it can fine the motivation to get festive over Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday. War Is Bad.
Yeah. And ice is cold and fire is hot. Wow, profound.
JimDandy, today might not be the day to be spewing hot spunk all over the NeoCon overlord's propagandistic web sites, dontcha know. Show a little respect (just a leetle) for the vast majority of honorable kids who simple wanted to get home, and didn't. M'kay?
Standard proceedure would be court-martial, those convicted of murder have their swords broken and are executed, yes?
Maybe in theory.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4642006.stm
The last US military execution was in 1961. There are new procedures that are supposed to make it easier, and they might kill a guy who's lived under a death penalty since 1988 -- his last appeal ran out. Bush has to approve it, not just fail to pardon him.
If the official evidence fits the news reports -- if they accept arab witnesses and fail to come up with adequate reasons for shooting children and babies and such -- it would be appropriate to pass out death sentences and announce it, and then ship them to Leavenworth until the uproar dies down and then reduce or commute the sentences.
We don't want the iraqis etc to see us brush it off, but we don't want to hurt military morale either.