AL NASSER TO SPEAK IN LA MESA WEDNESDAY ON IRAQ WAR ISSUES
Printer-friendly versionDr. Farouk Al Nasser, an Iraq native and U.S. citizen, will speak on conditions in Iraq at the La Mesa Community Center on Wednesday, June 3rd. “Dr. Nasser will help us understand the situation on the ground in Iraq; he is in contact with his extended family of more than 400 living in Iraq,” said Linda Armacost, president of the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club, host of the meeting, which is open to people in all political parties. Nasser will provide information and perspectives on the Iraq War not found in the mainstream U.S. media, she added. Armacost offered insights into a recent decision by Barack Obama not to release additional photos of prisoner abuse in Iraq from 2001 to 2005. “President Barack Obama’s apparent reversal of his commitment to release photos of Bush-era torture was driven by a bone-chilling assessment of what might happen, delivered by none other than Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Malik,” Armacost said, citing a McClatchy Newspapers report. That report stated that when Malik was told by U.S. ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill that new photos of suspected detainee abuse were about to be released in response to an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit, “"he went pale in the face," according to a U.S. military official who requested anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. According to McClatchy, the official said “Maliki warned that releasing the photos would lead to more violence that could delay the scheduled U.S. withdrawal from cities by June 30…The public outrage and increase in violence could lead Iraqis to demand a referendum on the security agreement and refuse to permit U.S. forces to stay until the end of 2011.” The report cites a second unnamed official, who told McClarthy, “Maliki made an ominous prediction that ‘Baghdad will burn.’” If the new photos are released. Unreleased Abu Ghraib abuse photos reportedly depict scenes of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse, according to statements made to The Telegraph by former army officer, Major General Antonio Taguba. Taguba, a respected officer, was brought in to conduct an internal investigation into the abuses committed by American soldiers against detainees at Abu Ghraib and issued a report critical of the Bush administration’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques, dubbed the Taguba Report, which was leaked and published in 2004. Taguba was forced to resign from the Bush administration in 2007. In his interview with The Telegraph, he supported President Obama’s decision not to release the additional photos of abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan prisons, including Abu Ghraib, because the images would inflame the Muslim world further and place American troops in danger. Former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Bush administration officials have defended the use of enhanced interrogation techniques to obtain information from suspected terrorists and deny that torture was committed. Al Nasser will speak at 7 p.m.; socializing and refreshments will begin at 6:30 p.m. The La Mesa Community Center is located at 4975 Memorial Drive in La Mesa. Admission is free to the public. Printer-friendly version
SDG&E THREATENS TO SUE WILDFIRE VICTIMS
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery February 2, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)–San Diego Gas & Electric Company has notified attorneys representing fire victims that the utility company plans to sue victims of the 2007 wildfires. The announcement has sparked an angry response from some elected officials and residents in burned-out areas of East County. “Predictably, SDG&E’s lawyers are stooping as low as possible and attempting to blame victims for the utility’s failure to maintain its own system,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob told East County Magazine. “It is a callous legal strategy but one that’s not surprising coming from the same people pushing the tragically flawed Sunrise Powerlink.” SDG&E has been blamed by the California Public Utilities Commission and a Cal-Fire report for its power lines creating arcing that caused three of the devastating wildfires that ravaged San Diego County in 2007. SDG&E faces lawsuits by the state and county, insurance companies, and homeowners for damages suffered in the Witch Creek, Rice Canyon, and Guejito fires. The cross-complaint by SDG&E claims homeowners are to blame for damages because they didn’t take care of their properties properly. The utility has filed similar claims against several local governments and fire agencies. “They’re trying to blame the firefighters who fought the fire, the county and the city and our clients? Are you kidding me?” James P. Frantz, attorney representing homeowners threatened with the lawsuits, said in an interview with NBC. “They lost everything they owned, all the way down to their china, their family pictures, their pet rat and now they get sued by this corporation. It’s wrong.” SDG&E spokesperson Stephanie Donovan said the cross-complaint raises legitimate issues about property maintenance and how it affected the spread of the fire. “It should not come as a surprise to the plaintiffs’ attorneys,” said Donovan, according to NBC. Lakeside resident Mary Handfelt, whose neighbors lost their home to wildfire, drew this conclusion. “It really is sickening the way the legal system works. If you get sued, you need to taint your accuser in order to mitigate your damages. These homeowners are not liable in my view. When a corporation installs potentially hazardous items on public or private property, it is up to them to maintain those items and do whatever is necessary to protect surrounding property.” Printer-friendly version