End the war in Iraq

Maliki Calls for Timetable for US Troop Withdrawal

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has for the first time publicly called for a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The Bush administration has been secretly negotiating a long-term agreement with Iraq that would allow the US to keep permanent military bases in Iraq. But al-Maliki said Iraq only wants to sign a short-term agreement that includes a withdrawal timetable. Al-Maliki said, “The goal is to end the presence of foreign troops.” In Washington, the Bush administration rebuffed Maliki’s request. Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman criticized timelines as “artificial.” State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack questioned whether Maliki might have been misquoted.

Obama’s Comments on Iraq Scrutinized

Senator Barack Obama has suggested he is willing to refine his campaign promise to remove all combat troops within sixteen months of becoming president. On Thursday morning, Senator Obama discussed his views on Iraq in Fargo, North Dakota.

Sen. Barack Obama: When I go to Iraq and I have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I’m sure I’ll have more information and will continue to refine my policies.

Hours later, Obama held an impromptu press conference to insist that his statement did not reflect a change in policy.

Sen. Barack Obama: That position has not changed. I have not equivocated on that position. I am not searching for maneuvering room with respect to that position.

Bottom line: now is not the time for complacency!

The New York Times has revealed new details on how the Pentagon recruited more than seventy-five retired military officers to appear on TV outlets as so-called military analysts ahead of the Iraq war to portray Iraq as an urgent threat. The Times reports the Pentagon continues to use the analysts in a propaganda campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance. Internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as “message force multipliers” or “surrogates” who could be counted on to deliver administration themes and messages to millions of Americans in the form of their own opinions. Reporter David Barstow called the program “a symbiotic relationship where the usual dividing lines between government and journalism have been obliterated.” The so-called analysts were given classified Pentagon briefings, provided with Pentagon-approved talking points and given free trips to Iraq and other sites paid for by the Pentagon. The propaganda campaign also extended into the nation’s newspapers. Nine of the Pentagon-connected analysts wrote op-ed articles for the New York Times, and the Pentagon helped two retired military officers write a piece for the Wall Street Journal. Many of the same retired military officers also have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they were asked to assess on air.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/4/21/headlines#3

A woman in Houston, Texas has sued the company Halliburton and its former subsidiary KBR after she says she was gang raped by employees of the company in Baghdad. Jamie Leigh Jones, who was working for KBR at the time, says she was raped by multiple men at a KBR camp in the Green Zone. Jones accuses the company and the U.S. government of covering up the incident. Jones told ABC News that after she was raped, the company put her in a shipping container without food or water for at least 24 hours. She was also warned that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be out of a job. No one has been prosecuted for the rape. ABC News reported the alleged assailants will likely never face a judge and jury, due to a loophole that has effectively left contractors in Iraq beyond the reach of United States law.

UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday the International Atomic Energy Agency has no evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons. During an interview on CNN, ElBaradei urged the Bush administration to back away from its bellicose statements about Iran.

• Mohamed ElBaradei: “I very much have concern about confrontation, building confrontation, Wolf, because that would lead absolutely to a disaster. I see no military solution. The only durable solution is through negotiations and inspections… My fear if that we continue to escalate from both sides from both sides that we would end up into a precipice, we would end up into an abyss. As I said, the Middle East is in a total mess, to say the least. And we cannot add fuel to the fire.”

Earlier this month President Bush warned that World War III could begin if Iran obtains the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. But on Sunday Mohamed ElBaradei said the UN has no evidence that Iran is running a nuclear weapons program.

• Mohamed ElBaradei: “But have we seen having the nuclear material that can be readily used into a weapon? No. Have we seen an active weaponization program? No. So there is a concern, but there is also time to clarify these concerns.”

I can not recommend Naomi Klein’s book The Shock Doctrine enough. To my mind, it answers many questions about why peace can not be reached when it seems it should be a simple enough thing.

Thanks to one of 43T’s magnificent Scotsmen, I can even attach this link (fingers crossed) to a short film synopsis.

A top California official has criticized President Bush’s visit and called on him to order California National Guard out of Iraq to help out in their home state. Speaking on MSNBC, California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi said Bush’s visit would distract from the relief effort. He said: ‘What we really need are those firefighters, we need the equipment. We need frankly—we need our troops back from Iraq.” His comments come as California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer said the California National Guard is operating with just the half the equipment it needs because of the war in Iraq.

How To Reduce Fuel Consumption Amidst Skyrocketing Gas Prices
By Roger Charles

Consumers waste millions of dollars everyday because of dirty oil, worn spark plugs, faulty thermostats, loose gas caps, underinflated tires, malfunctioning engine controls, poor wheel alignment, dirty air filters, and so on. These problems are basic and easy to take care of, yet still they are major causes of wasted fuel.

As they say, “a stitch in time saves nine”. With proper maintenance you can save a lot of fuel. Avoid gas vaporization by ensuring that your vehicle gas cap is not damaged, loose or missing. Your tires must be properly inflated; otherwise it can cost you a few miles per gallon. Replace your spark plugs regularly to avoid misfiring and fuel wastage. Replace clogged air filters and improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.

Driving habits are another major contributor to poor fuel economy. Bad habits include exceeding speed limits, aggressive driving, excessive idling, carrying heavy items in vehicle, and the list goes on.

Fast driving in low gears can consume up to 45% more fuel than is needed. When traveling at highway speeds keep windows closed. Open windows reduce your mileage by 10%. You should drive steadily. Sudden changes in speed wastes fuel.

A lot of fuel can be wasted by prolonged warming up of the engine. You do not need to warm up engine for more than 45 seconds even on cold mornings. Starting and stopping your engine needlessly is another no-no. Avoid revving the engine, especially just before it is switched off.

You should also buy your gasoline carefully. Choose quality brands that provide greater economy. Buy your gasoline during the coolest times of the day. And never fill your gas tank to the top. The gas can slosh over and out of the tank.

Other fuel saving habits include avoiding rough roads, using straighter roads, regular tune-ups, inspection of suspension and chassis parts for misalignment, and removing snow tires during good weather seasons.

On Monday former Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan, said the removal of Saddam Hussein had been “essential” to secure world oil supplies. Greenspan said that had the U.S. not gone to war in Iraq, the cost of oil would be much higher.

Reporter: “If the war in Iraq was not about oil, why are we facing $80 a barrel right now. You make the point that if we hadn’t gone to war, we would be facing $130, $140 a barrel. Correct?”

Greenspan: “Correct. Absolutely, the way I read Saddam, that’s the way he was going.”

In his newly published memoirs, Greenspan writes: “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.”

The take home message: the best way you can support the troops and the most peaceful thing you can do is to reduce your consumption of oil!!! That means us, U.S.

The former head of the federal reserve Alan Greenspan has admitted the war in Iraq was over oil. In his new memoir, Greenspan writes: “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.” Greenspan headed the federal reserve from 1987 to 2006. In his memoir, Greenspan is also highly critical of President Bush’s economic policies.