'Chemical Ali' gets the Rope...

[ChargerMike]

'Chemical Ali' to Be Executed in Iraq
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA,AP
Posted: 2008-02-29 10:08:55
BAGHDAD (Feb. 29) - Iraq's presidential council has endorsed the execution within a month of Saddam Hussein's cousin, known as "Chemical Ali," for his role in the 1980s scorched-earth campaign against Kurds, officials said Friday. But it spared the life of two other officials amid Sunni protests that they were only following orders.

The approval by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani and two vice presidents was the final step clearing the way for Ali Hassan al-Majid's execution by hanging. It could now be carried out at any time, a government adviser and a prosecutor said. Ali Hassan Al-Majid, a cousin of Saddam Hussein, is known as 'Chemical Ali' for his role in a 1980s crackdown that killed nearly 200,000 Kurds in Iraq. He appears in court at his genocide trial in 2006.

Al-Majid was one of three former Saddam officials sentenced to death in June after being convicted by an Iraqi court of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their part in the Operation Anfal crackdown that killed nearly 200,000 Kurdish civilians and guerrillas.

Al-Majid was nicknamed "Chemical Ali" for ordering poison gas attacks that killed thousands.

The officials said the three-member presidential council agreed to al-Majid's execution, but did not approve death sentences against the other two - Hussein Rashid Mohammed, an ex-deputy director of operations for the Iraqi armed forces, and former defense minister Sultan Hashim al-Taie.

[Mikey]

I guess that'll be what you call the Ali Rope-a-Dope.


Can Hillary be far behind, CM?

[Dinsdale]

Ain't it funny how stories change over time?

In September 1988, however – a month after the war (between Iran and Iraq) had ended – the State Department abruptly, and in what many viewed as a sensational manner, condemned Iraq for allegedly using chemicals against its Kurdish population. The incident cannot be understood without some background of Iraq's relations with the Kurds…throughout the war Iraq effectively faced two enemies – Iran and elements of its own Kurdish minority. Significant numbers of the Kurds had launched a revolt against Baghdad and in the process teamed up with Tehran. As soon as the war with Iran ended, Iraq announced its determination to crush the Kurdish insurrection. It sent Republican Guards to the Kurdish area, and in the course of the operation – according to the U.S. State Department – gas was used, with the result that numerous Kurdish civilians were killed. The Iraqi government denied that any such gassing had occurred. Nonetheless, Secretary of State Schultz stood by U.S. accusations, and the U.S. Congress, acting on its own, sought to impose economic sanctions on Baghdad as a violator of the Kurds' human rights.

Having looked at all the evidence that was available to us, we find it impossible to confirm the State Department's claim that gas was used in this instance. To begin with. There were never any victims produced. International relief organizations who examined the Kurds – in Turkey where they had gone for asylum – failed to discover any. Nor were there ever any found inside Iraq. The claim rests solely on testimony of the Kurds who had crossed the border into Turkey, where they were interviewed by staffers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…

It appears that in seeking to punish Iraq, the Congress was influenced by another incident that occurred five months earlier in another Iraqi-Kurdish city, Halabjah. In March 1988, the Kurds at Halabjah were bombarded with chemical weapons, producing many deaths. Photographs of the Kurdish victims were widely disseminated in the international media. Iraq was blamed for the Halabjah attack, even though it was subsequently brought out that Iran too had used chemicals in this operation and it seemed likely that it was the Iranian bombardment that had actually killed the Kurds.

Thus, in our view, the Congress acted more on the basis of emotionalism than factual information, and without sufficient thought for the adverse diplomatic effects of its action.

Not that I'll shed a tear for that POS's demise, but the willingness of people with bones to pick to lie about circumstances surrounding ancient events is a little disturbing.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

So, whenever you guys get restless about your failure of an occupation, you roll out another execution, is that it?

I wonder if the executioners will shout "Muqtada! Muqtada!" like they did when Saddam dropped from the gallows.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

...and the Anbar Sunnis turned on al-Qaeda.

You paid the insurg...errr...Sunnis to smoke the 50 or so AQ guys there were in Iraq. Al Queda was never a force of any consequence in Iraq, you dullard.


Have to agree. This is absolutely one of the dumbest posts you've ever clacked out marty.

Get real, provide a link, or STFU. This US hate mongering baiting and sniping routine of yours is tedious

[ChargerMike]

Ain't it funny how stories change over time?

In September 1988, however – a month after the war (between Iran and Iraq) had ended – the State Department abruptly, and in what many viewed as a sensational manner, condemned Iraq for allegedly using chemicals against its Kurdish population. The incident cannot be understood without some background of Iraq's relations with the Kurds…throughout the war Iraq effectively faced two enemies – Iran and elements of its own Kurdish minority. Significant numbers of the Kurds had launched a revolt against Baghdad and in the process teamed up with Tehran. As soon as the war with Iran ended, Iraq announced its determination to crush the Kurdish insurrection. It sent Republican Guards to the Kurdish area, and in the course of the operation – according to the U.S. State Department – gas was used, with the result that numerous Kurdish civilians were killed. The Iraqi government denied that any such gassing had occurred. Nonetheless, Secretary of State Schultz stood by U.S. accusations, and the U.S. Congress, acting on its own, sought to impose economic sanctions on Baghdad as a violator of the Kurds' human rights.

{b]Having looked at all the evidence that was available to us, we find it impossible to confirm the State Department's claim that gas was used in this instance. To begin with. There were never any victims produced. International relief organizations who examined the Kurds – in Turkey where they had gone for asylum – failed to discover any. Nor were there ever any found inside Iraq. The claim rests solely on testimony of the Kurds who had crossed the border into Turkey, where they were interviewed by staffers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…[/b]

It appears that in seeking to punish Iraq, the Congress was influenced by another incident that occurred five months earlier in another Iraqi-Kurdish city, Halabjah. In March 1988, the Kurds at Halabjah were bombarded with chemical weapons, producing many deaths. Photographs of the Kurdish victims were widely disseminated in the international media. Iraq was blamed for the Halabjah attack, even though it was subsequently brought out that Iran too had used chemicals in this operation and it seemed likely that it was the Iranian bombardment that had actually killed the Kurds.

Thus, in our view, the Congress acted more on the basis of emotionalism than factual information, and without sufficient thought for the adverse diplomatic effects of its action.

Not that I'll shed a tear for that POS's demise, but the willingness of people with bones to pick to lie about circumstances surrounding ancient events is a little disturbing.

Shed a tear or not, it appears there was credible evidence of at least some chemical warfare ...

"The Anfal campaign began in 1986 and lasted until 1989, and was headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid (a cousin of then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from the Saddam's hometown of Tikrit). The Anfal campaign included the use of ground offensives, aerial bombing, systematic destruction of settlements, mass deportation, concentration camps, firing squads, and chemical warfare, which earned al-Majid the nickname of "Chemical Ali".

Thousands of civilians were killed during chemical and conventional bombardments stretching from the spring of 1987 through the fall of 1988. The attacks were part of a long-standing campaign that destroyed almost every Kurdish village in a vast areas of northern Iraq -- along with a centuries-old way of life -- and displaced at least a million of the country's estimated 3.5 million Kurdish population. Independent sources estimate 100,000 to more than 200,000 deaths and as many as 100,000 widows and an even greater number of orphans.[4] Amnesty International collected the names of more than 17,000 people who had "disappeared" during 1988.[5] The campaign has been characterized as genocidal in nature, notably before a court in The Hague. It is also characterized as gendercidal, because "battle-age" men were the primary targets, according to Human Rights Watch/Middle East.[6] According to the Iraqi prosecutors, as many as 180,000 people were killed.[7]"

[ChargerMike]

I guess that'll be what you call the Ali Rope-a-Dope.


Can Hillary be far behind, CM?

I think you're on to something Mikey:


The real Hillary Clinton stood up at the Democratic presidential debate this week: angry, sarcastic, stubborn, secretive, arrogant, mired in the past, victim of the media, and still firmly convinced that she is uniquely entitled to the Democratic Party nomination and the presidency.

That Hillary hasn’t really been on display much since the debacle of her disastrous health care plan and the end of Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, when she haughtily flaunted her combative personality.

But make no mistake about it — that’s the Hillary Clinton that we’ll see if she somehow manages to steal the Democratic nomination.

She’s found her voice. The one that so alienated everyone she came into contact with over her health care plan that her own party destroyed it. The one that publicly and loudly defended Bill and arranged for attacks on Monica Lewinsky when she knew the complete and sordid truth.

She’s always had a chip on her shoulder and a strange paranoia, but it’s definitely gotten worse. Now it’s not just the vast right wing conspiracy that is out to get her. Now it’s the mainstream media. How are they doing that? By asking her the first questions at the debates!

Hillary’s snide comment about whether Barack needed a pillow to be made more comfortable was downright embarrassing. The anticipated applause line on her script never happened. The audience was silent. The press was amazed. And Barack seemed genuinely startled by her nuttiness — he looked over at her as if he was viewing a dotty old aunt at a family dinner, the one that everyone politely humors.

Her lifelong pattern of secrecy was once again evident. While publicly promoting transparency in government, she steadfastly refuses to release her personal income tax returns. That’s a clear tip-off that there’s something to hide. Recall that the Clintons selectively released tax returns in Arkansas, but refused to go back to 1980, when Hillary had her windfall in cattle futures.

During the debate, Hillary suggested that she’d release the returns “soon,” but her staff quickly backtracked. She implied that she’s been too busy to deal with releasing the returns. Does she really think anyone believes that it will take more than simply making a copy of the return? She’s stalling and there’s a reason for that.

Most likely, the return will show how much Bill has been making from his partnership with the Sheik of Dubai and his other business ventures. Should the spouse of a presidential candidate be in business with a foreign leader who needs favors from the U.S. government? Definitely not. That’s why we’ll never see those returns.

And then there are the Clinton Library records that document her schedule as first lady. She doesn’t want them released either because they will definitively show that she was never the co-president. The Library has been stalling on the release of those documents for years. During the debate, she said that she wanted them released as quickly as possible and seemed to blame the Bush administration for the delay. But today, the White House indicated that she had made no requests for any expedited release.

The old Hillary, the real Hillary, is back.

And there’s apparently been no one to stop her from acting on her own worse instincts.

Underneath the veneer of the practiced smile and the strategically used giggle, there is a rage that is always close to the surface. It was on display in the debate.

Hillary Clinton is furious that America has not agreed to her coronation. She doesn’t understand why voters are rejecting her and embracing Barack Obama. She just doesn’t get it.

Never one to engage in self reflection, she can’t blame herself or even her incompetent strategists and advisers. They’re too close to her. She can’t accept the sorry fact that her campaign has been a disaster because it was based on the past and not the future, because it was premised on her phony experience and maintaining the status quo, and because her negative outlook is completely out of step with the mood of America. And finally, because in the positive message of Barack Obama, Americans see a stark contrast with her doom and gloom view of the world.

So, she’ll blame the media. It’s their fault.

And she’ll keep screaming about what a fighter she is.

More like a bully.

[Diogenes]

I guess that'll be what you call the Ali Rope-a-Dope.


Can Hillary be far behind, CM?

I think you're on to something Mikey:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333729,00.html

[Dr_Phibes]

Have to agree. This is absolutely one of the dumbest posts you've ever clacked out marty.

Get real, provide a link, or STFU. This US hate mongering baiting and sniping routine of yours is tedious

Come on, if you're going to edit people's posts, at least sign off on it. The Washington Post leaked pentagon documents showing Al Queda in Iraq was a psy-ops campaign, it's public record.

[BSmack]

Have to agree. This is absolutely one of the dumbest posts you've ever clacked out marty.

Get real, provide a link, or STFU. This US hate mongering baiting and sniping routine of yours is tedious

Come on, if you're going to edit people's posts, at least sign off on it. The Washington Post leaked pentagon documents showing Al Queda in Iraq was a psy-ops campaign, it's public record.

Agreed, that is fucking pathetic. Talk about your "bitch moves of the highest order".

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Agreed, that is fucking pathetic. Talk about your "bitch moves of the highest order".

I think Bushice was just drunk when he attempted that "mod edit".

I don't begrudge him. We are all human.

[Diogenes]

Get real, provide a link, or STFU.

Marty goes for option 4.

Agreed, that is fucking pathetic. Talk about your "bitch moves of the highest order".

I think Bushice was just drunk when he attempted that "mod edit".

I don't begrudge him. We are all human.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Get real, provide a link, or STFU.

Marty goes for option 4.

I need to provide a link to show that the occupation is a failure?


The Iraqi government lavished hospitality and praise on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Sunday during the first visit by an Iranian head of state to a country that was for decades considered a bitter foe.



Will that suffice?

[Dr_Phibes]

self criticism for everyone.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Damn it Phibes...you are nothing if not fair.

Why we dont listen to our young people more often, I'll never know. They are our future, and with them, the seeds of our destiny.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

"I believe the children are our are future..."




"...Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be."

[BSmack]

"I believe the children are our are future..."




"...Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be."

Sounds like something Stalin would have said eh?

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Sounds like something Stalin would have said eh?

Short answer: Yes.

Look, are you on board for this revolution, or not? Pretty soon we'll be able to count the number of partisans on T1B on two hands. Either join us or be buried with the rest of the imperialist stooges in the unmarked grave of yesterday's tyranny.

[Diogenes]

Sounds like something Stalin would have said eh?

Short answer: Yes.

Look, are you on board for this revolution, or not? Pretty soon we'll be able to count the number of partisans on T1B on two hands.

We're already there. The delusional nutjobs and those of us who laugh at you.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Look, are you on board for this revolution, or not? Pretty soon we'll be able to count the number of partisans on T1B on two hands.

We're already there. The delusional nutjobs and those of us who laugh at you.

Let me just take the opportunity to say that you probably have the funniest sig line going around here.

Props for that, at least.