Protesting Mogdada
"Moqtada al-Sadr is free to go anywhere he likes and as far as I hear ... probably he will stay in his house in Najaf, but he is as free as any Iraqi citizen to do whatever he likes."
'Iraqi Minister of State' Kasim Daoud
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and militant cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's victories in Najaf and Kufa, as well as previous Iraqi victories against U.S. occupying forces in Fallujah and other cities, must leave George W. Bush and neo-con America feeling bitter, twisted and decidedly angry.
al-Sistani's plan, accepted by the U.S. and the puppets presently doing duty as an 'interim government', calls for Najaf and Kufa to be declared weapons-free cities. It demands that all foreign forces withdraw from Najaf, leaving security to the police. Most importantly, it calls on the 'government' [read U.S. taxpayer] to compensate those harmed by the fighting.
The United States is on to a hiding to nothing as, enjoying the imprimatur of Ayatollah al-Sistani, resistance to its occupation strengthens to encompass a broad base of Shi'ites and Sunnis. Nothing has reinforced this base more than the bad grace with which al-Sistani's compromise was accepted. 74 people marching on the Imam Ali shrine, now packed with pilgrims and militia, died in skirmishes between pilgrims, militia, police and U.S. troops through the day.
With U.S. forces having visited a mini-Holocaust on the city, their pre-withdrawal stoking of anarchy signals murderous intent and the al-Mahdi Army would do well to remain alert.
Or, as the world prepares itself for New York's gauche and tacky celebration of The Bush Doctrine at the Republican Convention, can ordinary Iraqis rely on their American allies to hold their government in check?
"When a foreign army invades a country about which it knows virtually nothing, there is plenty of deliberate brutality, but there is also the unintended barbarism of blind ignorance."
Naomi Klein
Blogger Baldoni Murdered by Islamic Army Extremists
al-Jazeera reports 56-year old Italian blogger and Diario journalist Enzo Baldoni murdered by his kidnappers, members of the so-called Islamic Army of Iraq, only three days after his August 24 kidnapping on the road to Najaf. Italy's chief drug lord, gangster and money launderer Silvio Berlusconi, who also poses as prime minister, had this to say of the journalist's gruesome death. "There are no words for an inhuman act which at one swoop wipes out centuries of civilisation and returns us to the dark times of barbarism."
Politicians certainly have a way with words. Either that, or they have a manual. While I'm sure his thoughtful, considerate words will be a great comfort to the late journalist's wife and two children, I've a feeling the man should have used them in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent sacking of Baghdad.
Had he done so... Well, he didn't, did he?
Update on Thatcher Arrest
From the Guardian. Thatcher family had bags packed ready to flee to US, police say
As the apparent plot to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea continued to unravel, the elite Scorpions police unit said it had arrested Sir Mark after learning that he had put his house on the market, arranged to sell four of his cars, found boarding school places in the US for his two children and bought his family plane tickets to the US.Hmm... Equatorial Guinea, oil, corruption, coups, politicians, big money and... Of course, the U.S. With the United States giving sanctuary to more tinpot dictators, genocidal maniacs and all-round crank cases than any other country in the world (hell, it exports them), why should such a report surprise me? It doesn't. It reminds me of good old Kurt Cobain:
When officers arrived at his home in the upmarket Constantia suburb of Cape Town at 7am on Wednesday, they found the Thatchers' suitcases packed and in the hall. The house had been placed on the market for 22m rand (£1.8m).
Where do bad folks go when they die? | They don’t go to heaven where the angels fly | They go down to the lake of fire and fry | Won’t see them again till the fourth of July.
Nirvana | Lake of Fire
Note For all and any information pertaining to the botched Equatorial Guinea coup, Mark Thatcher, Simon Mann, James Kershaw (said to hold the "Wonga list" identifying those bankrolling the venture), Nick du Toit, and the Zimbabwe trial of more than 60 mercenaries, visit Kathryn Cramer's remarkable site. She has it covered. And yes, while Kathryn's mix of down-home reflections, provocative questions and informed comment might set Dave Winer and Doc Searls's hearts a'pounding (along with all those keen to equate blogging and journalism), she renders the debate irrelevant by delivering compulsive, intelligent reading. As with most I've crammed into my blogroll, her site defies stereotyping (it ain't political, personal or 'what have you'). If it is to be reduced to cliché, 'must read' will do the job.
