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12 newest victims of ISIS in Baghdad

If you (that's us) may choose violence to solve problems then you have a responsibility to understand the price paid by innocent civilians. U.S. destabilized Iraq. ISIS moved in. Watch #Trump foreign policy...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-iraq-bomb-idUKKBN14S051

 

Why I Love Trump

 I’ve been immersed in foreigners for 10 years now; mostly Iraqis, mostly progressives. It took me a long time to understand even a little of where they’re coming from. They kept telling me “There’s no Freedom here.” It was hard to unravel. They weren’t talking about the right to vote, free speech, or equality. They were talking about the culture of suppression, prejudice, sexism, and powerlessness that we are born into. "You vote one day, make a choice, and then they ignore you for four more years." It’s hard to see what you grow up inside of.

Trump has allowed us a fresh and often harsh look, and for this I thank him. His foul-mouthed criticisms are sometimes correct. It affords us a time to reevaluate the America we all live in. And it ain't lookin' as good as the myth.

Much of Trump’s support comes from Americans who have the same view as many who judge our country from a distance. They see the corruption, moneyed power brokers, behind the scenes manipulation of public opinion, and the deep fear and systemic racism that pervades.

What they see is real, and denial has allowed us to look the other way. We live in a sexist boys-will-be-boys rape culture. We hold certain truths to be self-evident but they apply mainly to the white privileged men that call the shots by defining laws that protect the rich and politically powerful.

Freedom is just another word if you are black and live in fear when your children leave the house. Or if you pray that your daughter will not be accosted on the street for wearing a hijab. Or cringe when your Christian, Muslim, or Jewish house of worship is defaced with racist symbols (or burned to the ground). How strange it must be to be a Sikh and fear that you will be mistaken for a Muslim.

Unfortunately, Trump is not a solution. Trump may decry the injustice, but he is not equipped to do anything about it. His popular support will be no match for the machine that will force his hand should he be elected. His power as President will not be effective in stemming the tide of discrimination and violence he has unleashed. His privileged-rich-boy-viewpoint will not allow him to see, much less remedy, the ills deeply entrenched in our America.

What America needs is a well-educated populace that can mobilize a non-violent, justice-oriented movement that grows from the bottom, drives two-faced politicians from local office, and supports the rights of the people, not the rights of big-dollar donors. A Clinton administration, as corrupt as it will be, will offer domestic policies that make the justice revolution possible.

There. I’ve exhausted my hyphens-for-a-stronger-America. Up the revolution.

"Our most fruitful course is to stand firm…accept disappointments and cling to hope…

While there is much grounding in past experience for all these feelings [of anger and despair], a revolution cannot succumb to any of them. Today’s despair is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow’s justice." [MLKing]

Start with your next opportunity to vote!

October 13, 2016 by 121Contact

Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin

Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin, Imam and friend, murdered.

The energy of grief is powerful. So are the energies of frustration and anger. Think. Take that energy and turn it. Use it to make things better…even the smallest kindness. Together we can move our world toward more peaceful tomorrows. @Akojee @Islamophobia

‎Iraqi‬ demonstrators storm army checkpoints

‪#‎Iraq - demonstrators storm army checkpoints and go towards the ‪#‎Green‬ Zone. The nature of Iraq's government may change drastically in the next few months...or at any moment. [Amazing video] 

Tents are being installed near al Rashid Hotel as Sadr led demonstrations intensify. Demands for reform, an end to corruption, and restoration of basic services/salaries may have to be met in order to satisfy a populace growing less tolerant of current conditions. So far there's been no violence, as troops are falling back. This could, of course, change at any time.

All this just as the government undertakes its largest anti-ISIS campaign. Conscription law has been reinstated and await approval by the cabinet and then by parliament. Enforcement will be problematic. Many Sunni fear their fates within a military dominated, as are Iraq's governing bodies, by Shiites.

 

 

What to do about ISIS?

It is not a question of violence or non-violence. Killing for what you believe in is part of the definition of evil, and we do not wish to become evil. There is no question here. We must continue in the peaceful road.

There are many non-violent actions that can effectively halt the growth of ISIS, locally, nationwide, and worldwide, too. However none of these offer the instant gratification that an all-out war falsely promises.

We tried that path in Iraq and the world is still reeling from our mistake.

I cry for those caught in the ISIS Caliphate as I cry for all the world’s victims of cruelty, greed, and madness, but I will not let sorrow and frustration move me to embrace violence as a solution. Nor will I let fear of terrorism move me to irrational action.

Perhaps “What to do about ISIS?” is not even a real question. “What can we do to help steer the world to more peaceful tomorrows?” is a better question with a better chance at achieving success. We have all been working in our own ways to do just that in ways both large and small. All we have to do is continue.

Yours in peace, Bruce @bruce121Contact

[November 17, 2015, from an open letter to September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, an organization that has been turning grief and anger into works for peace since the 9/11 attacks on New York City]

Aug. 31, 2015 Baghdad Demonstration calls for removal of Medhat al-Mahmoud

Large numbers of demonstrators in Baghdad are now calling for the removal of Medhat al-Mahmoud, Iraq's Chief Justice and head of the Ministry of Justice, citing a need for “the eradication of judicial corruption.”

Al-Mahmoud was proclaimed head of the ministry by Paul Bremmer's Coalition Provisional Authority while the U.S. was hastily trying to rebuild a government they had just dismantled. Previous attempts to imit his power. Previous attempts to limit his power claimed that he unfairly supported then Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

 

 

photo: @HayderSH

 

 

Khalid Al-Ageeli: an Iraqi voice reported silenced

 If true, the loss of Khalid Al-Ageeli is a loss to all who seek more peaceful tomorrows. An unverified report on Twitter cites his assassination yesterday near his home in Baghdad. He was referred to as an Iraqi civil society activist.

YOU CAN HELP. Send solidarity messages to the Iraqi people, through pictures and selfies with slogans and messages for those who are demonstrating in Baghdad and many other cities. Post your pictures on social media using hashtag #withIraqiDemonstrations.

Who are these civil society activists? They are brave people engaging the government to foster change by concrete, non-violent actions. Working groups are slowly moving Iraq to a more just and unified society.

The new labor and anti-corruption laws mark their most recent successes. A new peace organization in Halabja is overcoming linguistic differences to promote tolerance and cultural exchange between local Kurds and the growing Arabic refugee communities.

 

 

 

 

 

Is it the 60's in Iraq?

Twittter is lit with images of tanks decorated with balloons and soldiers carrying the flowers placed into their hands. One month into the protests and demonstrators still insist upon non-violence!

Government is delivering small concessions. Police and Army are mainly refraining from violence. Hopefully an organized unity will grow strong enough to make a lasting difference.

[Iraq]..."government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Abraham Lincoln

The largest demonstrations were in Baghdad, Karbala, Hilla, Basra, al-Kut, al-Nasira, and Najaf. Many other cities also saw the people reminding the government that ISIS will not distract them from demanding that the deeper problems of the nation be remedied.

Many thousands took to the streets in massive NON-VIOLENT protests focusing on corruption, water cuts, inadequate electricity, rising unemployment rates,  and the interruption of government salaries.

Thousands continue to demonstrate daily despite sporadic attacks by police and 'unknown' assailants.

Power and Light to the People.

Twitter is alive with news and views [#Iraq, #Basra, etc.], but the U.S. media gives little weight to what is potentially the most important news out of Iraq these days. The protests seem to have begun with people demanding, peacefully!, for Qassim al-Fahdawi to step down. As Minister of Electricity he has shown little progress and his investigations into solar power seem quite out of touch with the current realities of people's lives. To be fair he has recently signed a Siemens to upgrade the power infrastructure, but no work has begun, and dates have not been set.

It has been over 115F/46C since the beginning August. Baghdad saw 120F/50C at the beginning of the month, and the protests there were huge in spite of the heat.

Followed by the U.S press for a few days, and then sporadically (if the Friday masses are large enough for dramatic photos), coverage has been light and barely informative. Headlines brag about the relatively useless killing of this or that easily replaced ISIS 'leader' but do little to shine light on what is a growing and persistent non-violent attempt  to end the dark nights, and unairconditioned days of the majority of Iraq's citizens. The elite seem to do OK with generous allotments of power and fuel.

As with all social movements this one is growing in scope, now addressing a wide range of grievances including poor water quality and a lack of basic services . There is a loud call to end government corruption. Women are taking prominent roles in the demonstrations. Tents are being erected to shelter those who have been driven by dire circumstances to pledge continuous protests.

August 22, 2015 by B.Wallace, 121Contact