Archives for September 2006

35 Bodies Found Executed in Baghdad, Kut 10 Coalition Troops dead in 2 Days AP and Reuters report that 33 bodies, most showing signs of torture, were found in the streets of Baghdad on Monday. The victims were likely victims of reprisal killings from the opposite branch of Islam. Another two bodies were found in […]

Tantawi: Jihad is Purely Defensive Freedom of Religious Belief Intrinsic to Islam Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar Seminary in Cairo, perhaps the foremost Sunni Arab authority, has issued a statement that jihad or “holy war” was legislated in Islam for the defense of the persons and honor of Muslims, and is […]

Israel to Launch War on Syria, Iran? The Times of London details Israeli planning for a war with Syria and Iran. Richard Perle, who sold the American people the fantasy that the US could march into Iraq, install corrupt businessman Ahmad Chalabi in power, and would be greeted with garlands of flowers, is disappointed that […]

Barzani Threatens Secession; Sistani Aide Assassinated; 4 GIs Killed Massoud Barzani reacted angrily to criticisms of him by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and many other Iraqi politicians for his call that the Iraqi flag not be flown in Iraqi Kurdistan. Al-Hayat reports [Ar.] that in a speech before the opening session of the Kurdish parliament […]

South Asian Pilgrims Slaughtered; Sistani Retires from Politics Upbraids Government for lack of Security 11 Pakistani and 3 Indian Shiite pilgrims that passed through al-Anbar Province and reached al-Nakhib to the west of Karbala, to which they were making pilgrimage–were captured, robbed, tortured and killed on Saturday. Their women relatives were allowed to go free. […]

Smearing the Wilsons The Washington power elite, like sharks, smells blood in the water. The midterms may well be a political earthquake. If the Dems take the House, investigatory committeess are suddenly going to be subpoenaing documents on the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush adminstration. Traitor Rove’s and Traitor Libby’s outing of Valerie […]

Barzani Forbids Iraqi Flag; Baker in Baghdad The Pentagon says that violence was up substantially this quarter over last in Iraq. There was a decline violence and deaths in August, but July was so hellish that it frankly does not mean much. At August’s rates nationwide, surely 10,000 would be dying a year, which is […]

Mortar Shells Kill Dozens of Shiites in East Baghdad Iraq to take over Dhi Qar Province Reuters reports political violence throughout the country, which left at least 67 dead and dozens wounded. In the single biggest incident, Mortar shells slammed into a Shiite neighborhood in East Baghdad, causing a building to collapse on inhabitants and […]

Google and Michigan’s Library Google books is an astonishing, epochal development. But I am tired of journalists who write about it ignoring the fact that the core of the digitized collection is the 7 million volumes at the University of Michigan. It is always mentioned that Harvard and Oxford are participating. Last I knew, Oxford […]