Received from Houzan Mahmoud of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq:

Appeal to all human rights, labour and political organisations worldwide
Support the protest movements of people in Kurdistan!

Urgent action required to support thousands of people in Iraqi Kurdistan
demanding basic rights

Over the last few days Iraqi Kurdistan has seen a wave of protests and gatherings of people in several towns. The protests started in Darbandikhan and Chamchamal - (August 7th) this protest movement has already spread to other places like Kefri, Sulaymania and Kalar.

Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous zone, heretofore an island of relative stability, now also appears to be infected by the sectarian strife tearing apart the rest of the country. This attack took place in Basra, but the struggle for control of northern Kirkuk was at issue. From Reuters, Aug. 11:

Gunmen storm Kurdish offices in southern Iraq

KERBALA - Gunmen angered by criticism of a Shi'ite cleric ransacked offices of President Jalal Talabani's Kurdish party in southern Iraq on Friday after a newspaper claimed the cleric was fanning sectarian tensions.

Another heroic blow by the Iraqi resistance... against Shi'ite pilgrims. From the Los Angeles Times, Aug. 11 (links and annotation added):

NAJAF, Iraq — A suicide bomber struck Thursday at a checkpoint near a revered Shiite Muslim mosque here, killing 35 people and threatening to further agitate sectarian violence as U.S. and Iraqi troops intensified operations in Baghdad to rout militias and death squads.

For all of the endless talk about religion as a cause of war in the Middle East, it is rare that a media account mentions the actual resources that are being fought over. This welcome exception from the Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10:

QASMIYA, Lebanon — Israeli bombing has knocked out irrigation canals supplying Litani River water to more than 10,000 acres of farmland and 23 villages in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, prompting accusations here that Israel is using its war against Hezbollah to lay claim to Lebanon's prime watersheds.

From The Forward, Aug. 11:

JERUSALEM — Young Israeli activists are fighting back against Hezbollah — with a boycott on smoking hash.

This blurb appeared in the New York Times Aug. 8:

The authorities have banned a rights group founded in 2002 by a group of lawyers and led by Shirin Ebadi, the only Iranian to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The Interior Ministry said the group, the Center for Protecting Human Rights, had failed to obtain a valid operating permit. “Its activities are illegal and the violators of this decision will be prosecuted,’’ the ministry said. The group has defended dissidents and journalists and has repeatedly criticized Iran’s hard-line judiciary. Ms. Ebadi, who won the Nobel in 2003 and headed the Tehran City Court from 1975 until the revolution in 1979, after which women were banned from such posts, said her center needed no special permit under the Constitution. Last month, another of the center’s founders, Abdolfattah Soltani, was sentenced to five years in prison.

More insidious lies from the liberal media. We all know that global warming is just a myth. So what if people make money by stating this truth? Why does the liberal media hate capitalism?* From ABC News, July 27:

Making Money by Feeding Confusion Over Global Warming
WASHINGTON - Ever wonder why so many people still seem confused about global warming? The answer appears to be that confusion leads to profit -- especially if you're in some parts of the energy business.

Talk about addictive behavior. 4,000 more US troops are sent into Baghdad, where they are mixing it up with Moktada al-Sadr's militia in a small urban counter-insurgency operation. (LAT, Aug. 8) So 4,000 more troops can become so stressed out that they commit atrocities and further swell the ranks of Sadr and other jihadist forces. Good thinking! From the New York Times, Aug. 9:

BAGHDAD — Five homemade bombs and a bank robbery left 24 people dead in Baghdad on Tuesday as the level of violence here remained undiminished despite a buildup of American and Iraqi troops meant to restore a sense of order.