Saturday, August 05, 2006
Our World On A Saturday Morning
No Cuckoos in Lebanon
"Sumer is ycomen in,
Loude sing cuckou!
Groweth seed and bloweth meed,
And springth the wode now.
Sing cuckou!"
---Anonymous (13th Century English Poem)
The headlines paint a bleak picture of what is happening in our world on this sunny morning in July. For us in the San Francisco Bay area the weather is balmy. Mild temperature and blue sky. One cannot,however, escape what is happening in Lebanon, Gaza, and Iraq. If there are cuckoos, they are not singing. People in Israel too have not escaped suffering but I am with those whose sympathies are with the civilians who have received the brunt of Israel's brute force.
Emma Brockes writes in The Guardian, "Oh God, Redux": "At this stage, the shelf starts to buckle. Embedded in these stories was speculation about Iran's nuclear threat, a reminder that Gaza is still under siege, analysis of Tony Blair's fallout with his cabinet and footage of his joint press conference with George Bush, which when it was shown the first time round - Blair frowning powerfully, Bush sinisterly jocular - was a tipping point into despair for lots of people. The final item on the news that evening couldn't have been more symbolic if it had shown the ravens leaving the Tower of London. Fidel Castro, the one constant in all our lives, was on the blink. That's when I reached for the phone and -
"We're fucked."
- Biblical prophesy sites have been quick to jump on the Israel/Lebanon crisis as a realisation of Thessalonians 5:3 ("While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape ...") and the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. They must be the only people actively enjoying the situation. "Got that dancing feeling on the inside of me," posts one contributor to the Rapture Ready website, an outfit dedicated to scouring world events for signs of the second coming. Its talkboards are in a state of high excitement at the moment. "This is the busiest I've ever seen this website in a few years!" posts one contributor. "I have been having rapture dreams and I can't believe that this is really it! We are on the edge of eternity!!!!!!!"
- "Whoa! I can sure feel the glory bumps after reading this thread!" replies another contributor and another points out that there are exactly 40 days between the date on which the first Israeli soldier was kidnapped and that day's date, which, he writes, "I find to be a HUGE coincidence."
I must confess that the thought of a world without the holy rollers -- assuming that they would soon ascend to heaven -- makes me happy. I shall take my chances of being left behind.
And there is news about agreement being reached between the U.S. and France on a mid-east truce. It was time. Let us hope that peace, a lasting peace prevails in Lebanon.
Abeer Hamza
The case against soldiers accused of rape and murder of a 14-year old Iraqi girl in Mahmudiya is making progress. The NY Times reported: "On March 13, a group of American soldiers sitting at a checkpoint south of Baghdad were asked to look into a horrible crime: a 14-year-old Iraqi girl had been raped, then killed along with her family in their house nearby in Mahmudiya."
- Those soldiers, along with others from their checkpoint, walked over and took detailed forensic photographs of the charred and bullet-riddled bodies, as if it were a routine investigation of an insurgent attack, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
- Now, those photographs are likely to serve as evidence in the military’s prosecution of the case, which opens a new chapter tomorrow when an Article 32 hearing, the rough equivalent of a grand jury proceeding, begins in Baghdad for five soldiers accused in the crime.
Dog Days For Bush and Blair
Tony Blair postponed his vacation in Bermuda, and President Bush has decided to shorten his annual vacation in Crawford. Doubt if he took any books to read. In the meantime, GOP candidates worried about their prospects in mid-term election are keeping their distance from El Jefe. Michael Abramowitz in the Post: "On Capitol Hill, Rep. Mark Kennedy (Minn.) and Sen. James M. Talent (Mo.) are known as loyal Republican soldiers, reliable votes for President Bush on tax cuts and the Iraq war. In elections past, they have aired advertisements featuring the president and have stumped with him at public rallies."
- This year, both are running for Senate seats, but their television ads have made no mention of Bush -- and have been conspicuous in distancing the candidates from their partisan affiliation. "Most people don't care if you're red or blue, Republican or Democrat," Talent's ad states. A recent ad from Kennedy says, "He doesn't do what the party says to."
Saturday, November 18, 2006
The Evil That Man Does
Mahmudiya, Iraq, March 12, 2006 * 502nd Infantry Regiment
The war, President Bush's war, in Iraq began more than three and half years ago. Number of American soldiers who have lost their lives is nearing 2900; many times that number have suffered serious injuries. Estimates of the number of Iraqi deads range from 50,000 to more than half a million. There have been kidnappings and torture of prisoners. The images of American soldiers gleefully taking part in abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib remain indelible.
One incident that stands apart is the rape and killing of 14-year old Abeer Hamza. It took place in Mahmudiya on March 12th and five soldiers of 1st Battalion,502nd Infantry Regiment participated in it. The methodical brutality with which they planned and executed the crimes is horrifying. They raped Abeer Hamza and killed her as well as her parents and her younger sister to leave no witnesses. Perhaps killing the parents was in a way an act of kindness. For them, living with the memory of what took place would have been worse than death.
When the details began to emerge, cover-up was not an option. The facts were known to too many people -- Iraqis and American soldiers. Two soldiers of the 502nd were kidnapped , tortured and killed by Iraqis, reportedly to avenge what happened. A few soldiers came forward to report what they knew. Investigation began and charges were filed. Steven Green, accused of being the primary culprit, had left the army (discharged for "personality disorder") before the investigation began. He is awaiting trial in Kentucky. On November 16th, Spc. James P. Barker received a sentence of 90 years in prison for his role in the crimes.
*
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A soldier who was sentenced to 90 years in prison for conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her family said he knew his actions would harm support for the U.S. military's mission in Iraq. At his sentencing Thursday, Spc. James P. Barker, one of four Fort Campbell soldiers accused in the March 12 rape and killings, begged Iraqis not to cast judgment on other troops. "I do not ask anyone to forgive me today," he tearfully told the judge. "I don't know how that would be possible after what I have done. I do ask the Iraqi people not to blame my brothers still fighting in Iraq." Barker pleaded guilty Wednesday and agreed to testify against the others to avoid the death penalty. The killings in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad, were among the worst in a series of alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq. |
See: The Neocons' War and A Girl Named Abeer Hamza
The 502nd Infantry Regiment and Abeer Hamza
Abeer Hamza
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
"Redacted", a Film about Rape and Murder of Abeer Hamza
A 14 year old Iraqi girl named Abeer Hamza was raped and killed at Mahmudiya, Iraq, by soldiers of 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. To leave no witnesses, the perpetrators killed her parents and 5-year old sister. The brutal crime could not be covered up. Too many people were aware of the facts. Other soldiers came forward to testify. Four have been convicted. Steven D. Green, who was discharged from the army before the filing of charges, is awaiting trial in civilian court.
In retaliation, local Iraqis kidnapped two soldiers of the 502nd Regiment. They were tortured and killed.
"Redacted" by American film maker Brian De Palma is based on what took place at Mahmudiya on March 12, 2006.
David Denby's review of "Redacted"
Wikipedia Mahmudiyah Incident
See:
Mahmudiya, South of Baghdad
The Evil That Man Does
The Neocons' War and A Girl Named Abeer Hamza
The 502nd Infantry Regiment and Abeer Hamza
Abeer Hamza
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Mahmudiya, South of Baghdad
The Rape and Murder of Abeer Hamza
One day the war will come to an end. For the people of Mahmudiya (also known as Mahmudiyah, Al-Mahmudiyah) the memory of what took place on March 12, 2006 will remain alive for a long time after the guns become silent. The wheel of justice is moving for the soldiers of 502nd Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, charged with taking part in the rape and murder of a young Iraqi girl named Abeer Qasim Hamza. A second soldier, Sgt. Paul Cortez, has confessed. Steven Green, reported to be the one who shot and killed her parents and her 5-year old sister before raping and killing Abeer Hamza, was discharged from the army before the investigation revealed his role. He is on trial as a civilian.
Source: BBC News
See:
The Evil That Man Does
The Neocons' War and A Girl Named Abeer Hamza
The 502nd Infantry Regiment and Abeer Hamza
Abeer Hamza
