Fake New York Times released by the Yes Men on November, 12th, 2008, announcing "the end of the Iraq war."
As the US military withdrawal from Iraq approaches its deadline of December 31st, 2011, the Popular Movement to Save Iraq‘s Uday al-Zaidi, released a statement calling for celebration, vigilance, and a new front “to resist the second face of the occupation.”
The statement, addressed to the “Iraqi and Arab media”, and signed by 15 other Iraq-based grassroots organizations, begins: “The day of the US military occupation’s defeat by the great Iraqi people and its resistance draws near, and Iraqis have been preparing themselves for a Friday which will be the final chance for those that are anti-occupation to record their name in the history of Iraq’s resistance. December 30th, 2011 will be called: ‘The Friday of Occupation’s Defeat’” It goes on: “[That day] the youth will remain in the streets calling for the departure of every last American soldier, under whatever terms or form that the occupation government might adopt.” They have also chosen this day “to prepare to open up a new front to resist the second face of the occupation represented by its sectarian government, its divisive constitution, and to resist Iranian influence, that may be considered worse than the US occupation by every measure.”
It concludes by calling journalists in the “free media”, to “stand with the [Iraqi] people [ . . . ] at the doorstep of an important and delicate moment in Iraqi history” and refers to an earlier statement which lists the names and phone numbers of dozens of organizers all over Iraq who are mobilizing with “coordinating committees” for the 30th.
Take it away, “free media.”
1 . Baghdad: Thurgham al-Zaidi 009677704260290, Sana al-Dalaymi 009647812801749, Uday al-Zaidi 009647902502891
2. Mosul: Ghanim al-Abad 009647701615687, Khalid Juma 009647709185836
3. Basra: Mr. Awath al-Abdan 009647703261868, Kamil Ahmad al-Ghathban 009647703392839
4. Salah al-Deen: Khalaf Jasim 009647706668819, Hashim al-Hamdani 009647701344847
5. Najaf: Mr. Abu Ameer al-Arathi 009647801131677, Abu Jasim al-Bayati 009647702301830
6. al-Anbar: Mr. Rahim al-Mahmadi 009647905668408, Layth al-Dalaymi 009647704358280
7. al-Amara: Mr. Faruq al-Mahmadawi 0096478122214106, Abu al-Hasan al-Akili 00964780108651
8. al-Nasariya: Saud al-Khafaji 009647817848776, Abu Tayba al-Saidi 009647811660025
9. Dialy Province: Mr. Abu Azawi 0096477110135000
10. Kirkuk: Mr. Harby al-Amash 009647712143298
Time Magazine: Vol. 179, NO. 1 / 2012
OMG, pigs can fly! Finally something of value from the folks at Time Magazine. Specifically, the first edition of 2012 ahs a cogent article on the Middle
East that is on the one hand graphic and on the other hand reasonably accurate in its presentation of some of the major problems. This is more gas on the fire that the United States will most likely be sucked into, if only for our Treaties with Israel. The tow-page spread on pages 26 & 27 lay out the situation very clearly. It’s a shame that from Libya to Iran, from Yemen to Turkey, the Arab Spring is headed toward the Arab Bloodbath. It seems to me that folks in this region of the World have a passion with in-fighting, tribalistic land grabs, and a general distaste for each other. I do hope that the United States resists the temptation to once again play global peacemaker, and get involved in something we will regret more than anything we have done to date.