Long before Wikileaks sources provided the confirming documents, independent journalist Dahr Jamail was reporting on the horror of the U.S. war on Iraq, telling the truth about the terror and carnage to anyone who would listen. On September 28, 2006 at 12:30 pm, Dahr Jamail spoke in a crowded room at the Memorial Union on the University of Maine Orono campus. It is this four-year-old podcast I am re-posting here. You should be able to recognize from Dahr’s talk exactly the picture of U.S.-occupation-generated human tragedy and death squad killing now detailed from within by the newly-released material.

An editorial today in the Guardian of London reads,

Many attempts were made to justify the invasion of Iraq, but one of the most frequently and cynically used was that, irrespective of the absence of weapons of mass destruction, putting an end to the barbarities of Saddam Hussein’s regime was a moral imperative. Well, now there is chapter and verse, from ringside seats, on the systematic use of torture by the Iraqi government that the US installed in Saddam’s place. The worst practices of Saddam’s regime did not apparently die with him, and whereas numerous logs show members of the coalition making genuine attempts to stop torture in Iraqi custody, it is clear their efforts were both patchy and half-hearted. In the worst incidents, one can only reasonably conclude that one set of torturers and thugs has been replaced by another.

From the original post:

Dahr Jamail is a rare human being. When he saw that there was a colossal tradgedy unfolding in Iraq, the extent of which barely being reported, he decided to go to work and take on the job of reporting from Iraq himself. Local artist Robert Shetterly has included Dahr Jamail in his stunning exhibit on Americans Who Tell the Truth.

It was a pleasure to meet Dahr Jamail. Please keep his website, http://dahrjamailiraq.com/, on your list of regular reads. It has essential information you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Please download and listen to this extraordinary podcast.

12:30 “The Destruction of the Modern State of Iraq” (audio only HERE)

19:00 “Debris and Diaspora: Iraqi Culture Today” (this post contains 67-minute audio-only version)

I am pleased to make these available at peacecast.us and as a BitTorrent download. DIVX-encoded video of “Debris and Diaspora: Iraqi Culture Today”, packed along with the audio from the noon talk is available in a BitTorrent version. (What’s a torrent? See HERE for information. You must install client software in order to download files shared as torrents.)

This post contains downloadable audio for the 7pm talk only. Downloadable audio for the noon talk is HERE.

The programs both were produced by peacecast.us.

These are gripping talks that paint a devastating picture of what has happened to Iraq and its people. The tragedy of Iraq hits home for Sinan. It once was a country with great potential that has been eviscerated by America and its “student,” Saddam Hussein. It is rare in America to see Iraq from an Iraqi point of view. Sinan Antoon helps us do that. Highly recommended.

SINAN ANTOON is an Iraqi-born poet, novelist, and translator. He studied English literature at Baghdad University before moving to the United States after the 1991 Gulf War. He did his graduate studies at Georgetown and Harvard where he earned a doctorate in Arabic literature.

His poems and essays (in Arabic and English) have appeared in various journals and publications around the world, including as-Safir, an-Nahar, al-Adab, and Masharef, as well as The Nation, Middle East Report, al-Ahram Weekly, Banipal and the Journal of Palestine Studies. He has published a collection of poems, (A Prism; Wet with Wars, Cairo 2003). A translation of his poems appeared in English in May 2007 by Harbor Mountain Press entitled “The Baghdad Blues.”

His debut novel I`jam: An Iraqi Rhapsody (published in Arabic in Beirut in 2003) was translated and published in English in May, 2007 by City Lights Books. It was chosen by Kirkus Reviews for its special edition on debut fiction “2007: New and Important Voices.” His poetry was anthologized in Iraqi Poetry Today. He has also contributed numerous translations of Arabic poetry into English. His co-translation of Mahmud Darwish’s poetry was nominated for the PEN Prize for translation in 2004.

Antoon returned to his native Baghdad in 2003 as a member of InCounter Productions to co-direct/produce a documentary About Baghdad about the lives of Iraqis in a post-Saddam occupied Iraq. He is a senior editor with the Arab Studies Journal, a member of Pen America, a contributing editor to Banipal and a member of the editorial committee of Middle East Report. Antoon is currently an Assistant Professor at New York University.

Sinan Antoon spoke in 140 Little Hall on the University of Maine Orono campus Thursday, April 3, 2008. The program was sponsored by the Maine Peace Action Committe with support from Student Government at the University of Maine and the Dean of Students Programming Funding Board.

The brief music excerpt you hear in the background is from a performance by Iraqi musician Amer Tafiq recorded for the film, About Baghdad.

12:30 “The Destruction of the Modern State of Iraq” (audio only, 72 minutes, THIS POST)

19:00 “Debris and Diaspora: Iraqi Culture Today” (audio & w/video in torrent version)

I am pleased to make these available at peacecast.us and as a BitTorrent download. (What’s a torrent? See HERE for information. You must install client software in order to download files shared as torrents.)

This post contains downloadable audio for the noon talk only. Downloadable audio for the 7pm talk will appear in the next post.

Produced by peacecast.us.

These are gripping talks that paint a devastating picture of what has happened to Iraq and its people. The tragedy of Iraq hits home for Sinan. It once was a country with great potential that has been eviscerated by America and its “student,” Saddam Hussein. It is rare in America to see Iraq from an Iraqi point of view. Sinan Antoon helps us do that. Highly recommended.

SINAN ANTOON is an Iraqi-born poet, novelist, and translator. He studied English literature at Baghdad University before moving to the United States after the 1991 Gulf War. He did his graduate studies at Georgetown and Harvard where he earned a doctorate in Arabic literature.

His poems and essays (in Arabic and English) have appeared in various journals and publications around the world, including as-Safir, an-Nahar, al-Adab, and Masharef, as well as The Nation, Middle East Report, al-Ahram Weekly, Banipal and the Journal of Palestine Studies. He has published a collection of poems, (A Prism; Wet with Wars, Cairo 2003). A translation of his poems appeared in English in May 2007 by Harbor Mountain Press entitled “The Baghdad Blues.”

His debut novel I`jam: An Iraqi Rhapsody (published in Arabic in Beirut in 2003) was translated and published in English in May, 2007 by City Lights Books. It was chosen by Kirkus Reviews for its special edition on debut fiction “2007: New and Important Voices.” His poetry was anthologized in Iraqi Poetry Today. He has also contributed numerous translations of Arabic poetry into English. His co-translation of Mahmud Darwish’s poetry was nominated for the PEN Prize for translation in 2004.

Antoon returned to his native Baghdad in 2003 as a member of InCounter Productions to co-direct/produce a documentary About Baghdad about the lives of Iraqis in a post-Saddam occupied Iraq. He is a senior editor with the Arab Studies Journal, a member of Pen America, a contributing editor to Banipal and a member of the editorial committee of Middle East Report. Antoon is currently an Assistant Professor at New York University.

5 Years After the Invasion And Occupation of Iraq:
What Is To Be Done?

Thursday, March 20th, 2008 7:00 PM
140 Little Hall, University of Maine, Orono

Sponsored by the Maine Peace Action Committee

This podcast is presentation 1 of 4 in the main program. The downloadable audio file (below) is identical to the audio in the video viewable above.

1. “Iraq: Some Historical Background and Analysis and Some Relations with Iran”, Alex Grab, Professor of History, who teaches courses on the Middle East.

2. “My Military Experiences in Iraq”, Brian Clement, UMaine student who served in the U.S. military in Iraq.

3. “The People of Iraq Under Occupation and War: Where Do We Go From Here?”, Rick McDowell, who moved to Baghdad in 2003 working for the American Friends Service Committee, returned to the U.S. in 2005, and has maintained close relations with Iraq over the years.

4. “The Larger Lessons of the Iraq War: Militarism, Imperialism, and Empire”, Doug Allen, Professor of Philosophy, MPAC, and Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

5 Years After the Invasion And Occupation of Iraq:
What Is To Be Done?

Thursday, March 20th, 2008 7:00 PM
140 Little Hall, University of Maine, Orono

Sponsored by the Maine Peace Action Committee

This podcast is presentation 2 of 4 in the main program. The downloadable audio file (below) is identical to the audio in the video viewable above.

1. “Iraq: Some Historical Background and Analysis and Some Relations with Iran”, Alex Grab, Professor of History, who teaches courses on the Middle East.

2. “My Military Experiences in Iraq”, Brian Clement, UMaine student who served in the U.S. military in Iraq.

3. “The People of Iraq Under Occupation and War: Where Do We Go From Here?”, Rick McDowell, who moved to Baghdad in 2003 working for the American Friends Service Committee, returned to the U.S. in 2005, and has maintained close relations with Iraq over the years.

4. “The Larger Lessons of the Iraq War: Militarism, Imperialism, and Empire”, Doug Allen, Professor of Philosophy, MPAC, and Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine.

5 Years After the Invasion And Occupation of Iraq:
What Is To Be Done?

Thursday, March 20th, 2008 7:00 PM
140 Little Hall, University of Maine, Orono

Sponsored by the Maine Peace Action Committee

This podcast is presentation 3 of 4 in the main program. The downloadable audio file (below) is identical to the audio in the video viewable above.

1. “Iraq: Some Historical Background and Analysis and Some Relations with Iran”, Alex Grab, Professor of History, who teaches courses on the Middle East.

2. “My Military Experiences in Iraq”, Brian Clement, UMaine student who served in the U.S. military in Iraq.

3. “The People of Iraq Under Occupation and War: Where Do We Go From Here?”, Rick McDowell, who moved to Baghdad in 2003 working for the American Friends Service Committee, returned to the U.S. in 2005, and has maintained close relations with Iraq over the years.

4. “The Larger Lessons of the Iraq War: Militarism, Imperialism, and Empire”, Doug Allen, Professor of Philosophy, MPAC, and Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

5 Years After the Invasion And Occupation of Iraq:
What Is To Be Done?

Thursday, March 20th, 2008 7:00 PM
140 Little Hall, University of Maine, Orono

Sponsored by the Maine Peace Action Committee

This podcast is presentation 4 of 4 in the main program. The downloadable audio file (below) is identical to the audio in the video viewable above.

1. Iraq: Some Historical Background and Analysis and Some Relations with Iran, Alex Grab, Professor of History, who teaches courses on the Middle East.

2. My Military Experiences in Iraq, Brian Clement, UMaine student who served in the U.S. military in Iraq.

3. The People of Iraq Under Occupation and War: Where Do We Go From Here?, Rick McDowell, who moved to Baghdad in 2003 working for the American Friends Service Committee, returned to the U.S. in 2005, and has maintained close relations with Iraq over the years.

4. The Larger Lessons of the Iraq War: Militarism, Imperialism, and Empire, Doug Allen, Professor of Philosophy, MPAC, and Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

I spoke with independent journalist DAHR JAMAIL last week and the interview aired Thursday March 20 on Community Radio WERU. You may download or play the 28-minute audio program using the links below.

Dahr will be in Maine March 22 & 23 for TWO appearances:

“Beyond the Green Zone”
Book reading/Iraq Lecture

Saturday March 22, 7:00PM CANCELLED
Curtis Memorial Library
23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick (MAP)

and

Sunday March 23, 4–6PM
Belfast Free Library
106 High Street, Belfast (MAP)

Incredible coverage in the October 1, 2007 edition of The Bangor Daily News, please click image for newspaper’s website

Re-raising Lady Liberty

Below is the order of events at the rally with the beginning time of each segment in the 53-minute-long mp3 file. Audio of the eight-minute speech by Gold Star mother Mary Alice Horrigan (discussed in the incredible Bangor Daily News article linked to above) begins at 23:12 with her introduction by Doug Allen.

End the War – Build the Peace

Rally & demonstration, Saturday September 29, 2007 at the “Paul Bunyan” park on Main Street in Bangor

Drumming — Peter Baldwin and Friends Tolling of Bells by area churches (audio not included here)

0:00 Introduction—Doug Allen, Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Maine Peace Action Committee (MPAC)

10:12 The Economic Costs of War—U Maine Students of Maine Peace Action Committee

17:46 “The Circle is Broken”—David McLean, singer, song-writer with Maria Irrera

23:12 Mourning the Iraq War Dead—Mary Alice Horrigan, Gold Star Mother

31:02 Reading of Names of Iraq War Dead—Members of Military Families Speak Out and Veterans for Peace (participants lie down to represent war dead or stand silently as mourners).

Bagpipe tribute—Peter Beckford, Simon Beckford and Ursa Beckford (audio not included here)

37:23 Mourning the loss of civil liberties—Lady Liberty in State—Peter Baldwin Responsive reading of parts of the Declaration of Independence

42:05 Rise up with signs and symbols of alternatives to war and sing along “Women’s Peace Prayer,” “We are One” “Peace, Salaam, Shalom” Voices for Peace and Women with Wings (end of audio file)

Chain of Concern—line up along Main Street with signs and symbols

On February 10, 2003, Doug published an oped entitled Going to War in the Bangor Daily News. It has been available HERE at the original Deep Blade Journal website ever since.

As it turns out, the salient points in Doug’s 2003 piece have become all too real as the US invasion, conquest, occupation, and pacification program in Iraq has dragged on for now over four years. Doug wrote in 2003:

The long-range consequences of war for the people of Maine and the U.S., as well as for Iraqis and people of the region, are unpredictable and very threatening: the likely destabilization and possible overthrow of many governments in the region; the likely increase in terrorism at home and abroad; the likely escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the volatile destabilization of Iraq with Shia uprisings in the South (possibly linked with Islamic militants in Iran), Kurdish uprisings in the North (possibly linked with Kurds in Turkey and demands for a separate Kurdistan), and the permanent stationing of many thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq and the expenditure of many billions of dollars trying to impose foreign order on the chaos; and the devastating economic consequences for our already fragile local, state, and national economies.

For all of these reasons, it makes sense to oppose preemptive and largely U.S. unilateral moves toward war. We must work with others to explore alternatives for resolving the serious crisis with Iraq.

The audio program here runs just over one hour. It delves into the history of the conflict and analyzes aspects of policy that have driven the US into a corner in Iraq, making it very difficult for it to get its military out of the country. The war thus continues despite daily death and destruction following the utter failure of the application of US military might to solve anything. Every day the US stays in Iraq, the conflicts and humanitarian disasters only grow worse.

This is a special podcast featuring Brian Clement, Iraq war veteran and student at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. Mr. Clement spoke on October 24, 2006 as part of an Iraq war teach-in sponsored by the History Department at the University of Maine.

Mr. Clement spoke in terms of stark reality about the war in Iraq. Please listen to Brian Clement tell of his experiences in Iraq and his conclusions about the war in his own words. I think you’ll agree that Mr. Clement in the beginning sells himself short as a powerful public speaker.

See also, keynote address at the March 25, 2006 Real Security Hearing by Richard & Rita Clement, Brian’s parents, posted HERE.

Dahr Jamail is a rare human being. When he saw that there was a colossal tradgedy unfolding in Iraq, the extent of which barely being reported, he decided to go to work and take on the job of reporting from Iraq himself. Local artist Robert Shetterly has included Dahr Jamail in his stunning exhibit on Americans Who Tell the Truth.

It was a pleasure to meet Dahr Jamail. Please keep his website, http://dahrjamailiraq.com/, on your list of regular reads. It has essential information you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Please download and listen to this extraordinary podcast.

74 min; 28 MB; 48kbps mp3; download link here ->

Here is how Shetterly describes Dahr’s efforts to tell the truth:

In Iraq for eight months between November 2003 and February 2005, Jamail reported “collateral damage” far beyond what the military or embedded journalists acknowledged. He wrote of soldiers shooting people in prayer at a Baghdad mosque. He relayed accounts of civilians in Fallujah with extraordinary burns (later revealed to be caused by white phosphorus) and of men and women who bore white flags being shot in the Euphrates River as they tried to swim to safety. Jamail also watched those profiting from the war, reporting examples of blurred lines between the military and corporations operating in Iraq, as well as Bechtel’s failure to restore potable water after being paid hundreds of millions to do so.

In his talk, Dahr reveals and explains the whos and hows of the United States policy of fomenting death squads, militias, and civil war in Iraq. If the intent was to pacify an insurgency, the US has missed the mark by about 180 degrees.

DAHR JAMAIL: They are coming out of the Interior Ministry forces. The Interior Ministry, which also has a US adviser–all of the ministries in Iraq have US advisers serving five-year terms–and they’re all funded by the United States. These death squads…were basically brought into existence because the military admitted that there is [Sunni resistance] that is way out of our control, we have to do something to stop it…. [they] went around knocking off leaders of the Sunni resistance…. Then reprisal attacks began. Hence began the civil war in Iraq.

Looking back over the last couple of years, we find example after example of the honest coverage Dahr has given to events in Iraq. He peels away the facade and reveals the truth about how actual US actions on the ground vary considerably with the way they are reported in corporate media. For many weeks in 2004, for example, Dahr issued regular reports from Iraq on the KPFA Flashpoints program. Download this one:

Bush’s crusaders storm the eminent Abu Hanifa Mosque in Baghdad as Friday worshippers attend prayer services, our special correspondent Dahr Jamail shares his exclusive audio from inside the mosque during the raid…

and many others from that period in November 2004 when the US pulverized the city and population of Fallujah. Dahr then issued reports that are the honest history of Iraq. It’s just going to be some years before any writers of history sort through the propaganda and lies enough finally to say what Dahr already has told us.

The keynote presentation is given by Rita and Richard Clement, Maine parents whose son served in the US Army in Iraq and has since returned. Their story is heartfelt and moving. The Clements show deep respect for the service of their son and the hundreds of thousands of others sent to Iraq, even though they say, “Our real security has been much lessened by the actions of our government.”

About their son, Rita Clement says, “He appears to be doing all right. I guess we didn’t expect him to come back the way he left.”

Their presentation at our event yesterday is at once heartfelt, riveting, full of relief that their son made it home more or less in one piece, and hopeful. They have vision, and they want us to share it with them. Truly an extraordinary day.

57 min; 13 MB; 32 kbps mp3; download link here ->

More quotes from the Clements:

RITA CLEMENT: With Maine’s share of the money spent on Iraq, we could have provided 3,603 students with a four-year scholarship at public universities. Do we feel safer yet?

Well, I don’t know what you’re feeling after hearing all of this, but I’m pretty mad. I get mad because I can’t allow myself to get discouraged. Things stay the same when we believe that we don’t have the power to make changes…

RICHARD CLEMENT: As families with loved ones in the military, we have a special need to speak out against this illegal, immoral war in Iraq–a war based on lies that has resulted in the deaths of over 2300 of our soldiers, and untold thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children.

Even as our loved ones return, they must deal with PTSD, stop loss, extensions of duty, new deployments, and re-depolyments. You can be sure that the team that brought us “bring ‘em on” is all safe and sound in Washington, DC. Their loved ones are not at risk, not in harms way…

My favorite part of this panel is where Ilze recounts the amazing array of peace and justice work that is done by thousands of people day-in, day-out, every day all over the state of Maine:

ILZE PETERSONS: …those of us who remember the many years it took to build the movement to end the war in Vietnam, to gain women’s suffrage, to enact civil rights legislation, are heartened by the strength of the growing peace & justice movement. More than ten weekly peace vigils have been held in communities around the state for the past four years–in Presque Isle, in Houlton, in Harrington, …, Deer Isle, Brunwick, Waterville, Farmington, Portland, and every Tuesday in front of the Federal Building in Bangor [at 5 pm]….

New organizations have sprung up in local communities across the nation… And following the lead of Cindy Sheehan, is the organization Military Families Speak Out, which will be sponsoring the event at [the talk by US Senator Susan Collins in Orono] today….

And as we all know, there’s been a steady stream of articulate letters to the editor, opeds, many have signed petitions, called and visited Congressional offices, held readings of Iraq war dead, planted flags on lawns, travelled to Augusta, New York, and Washington DC, held Chains of Concern, formed Bridges of Peace, attended town meetings, held hearings.

One of the most effective, successful collaborations was the statewide response was when the University of Maine had planned a conference on doing business in Iraq, and people from around the state got together, and stopped it. And it just shows the power that we have when we unite.

43 min; 10 MB; 32 kbps mp3; download link here ->

This one is well worth the download.

“It appears to me that the Iraqis have made up their minds that they are not going to accept foreign domination….It’s time for some escalations in the anti-war movement.” –Stan Goff

85 min; 20 MB; 32 kbps mp3; download link here ->