Dinar4Dave

Thank you for your intercessions of compassion. It is a pleasure to know there are God-loving, praying people on these forums who are about to be blessed and become bigger blessings to their respective worlds of influence.

Iraqi Dinar Value

Gambling on Iraq

FIFA Lift Suspension On Iraq Football Association The Asian champions are back in the fold... Mar 20, 2010 10:43:00 PM 4Share Photo GalleryZoom Iraqi Fans The Iraq Football Association (IFA) has been readmitted the global football family by FIFA . The governing body has lifted the ban on the IFA that was imposed in November 2009 after allegations of governmental interference in the sport. FIFA has demanded that the IFA

Posted on Sun, Mar. 21, 2010 Worldview: Where will its next government lead Iraq? As one man's plight shows, corruption and sectarianism remain rampant. By Trudy Rubin Inquirer Opinion Columnist Dear Prime Minister Maliki: I'm writing you at a time when the outcome of Iraq's election is still uncertain. Your political bloc may get a plurality of votes - or not. Even if you win the most parliamentary seats, you will have to struggle to form a governing coalition, which may take months. But it's not too early for you (or any other leader who seeks your job) to respond to this question: What kind of Iraq do you want? An Iraq in which Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds are at each other's throats? An Iraq where decent people are jailed for sectarian revenge? Or an Iraq in which all who are loyal to their country, irrespective of sect, have a role to play? I have a personal reason for asking. My Iraqi driver and friend, Salam, has been in a Baghdad jail for 15 months because he believed in an Iraq that rises above sect. That belief could cost him his life. You've shown signs of wanting the kind of Iraq Salam did. You named your political bloc State of Law. You tried to change your party's image from one of rank Shiite sectarianism to one standing for a united Iraq. You cracked down on radical Mahdi Army militiamen who were killing and robbing in Baghdad and Basra. So you should be outraged at what has happened to Salam. He should be the poster child for the new Iraq you once wanted to build. Instead, corrupt, sectarian military and security officials have framed him and gotten him jailed. Salam is a secular Shiite whose uncle was killed by Saddam Hussein. He rejoiced at Saddam's fall and was optimistic about Iraq's future. But he grew furious when radical Shiites from the Mahdi Army began killing his Sunni neighbors in the Hay Salam district of Baghdad. He told me how Mahdi Army thugs were shaking down businessmen and killing Shiite women who denounced their acts. He took me to visit the Sunni imam in his neighborhood, a gentle cleric who refused to leave his home despite death threats. He cursed the reign of terror that the militiamen imposed. Like you, Salam decided he could no longer tolerate the Mahdi Army. So he tipped the U.S. forward operating base at Al-Muthana Airport about a family of Mahdi Army thugs who'd been orchestrating the killing in his district. Some members of the family were jailed, and the Iraqi army killed the head of the family. Salam and some of his neighbors began bringing back Sunni families who had fled the neighborhood. But the Mahdi Army family had connections in the security and military establishments, and it sought revenge. As soon as U.S. troops withdrew from Baghdad, family members brought false charges against Salam. He was arrested, his son was jailed for several months, and his brother was gunned down. On Jan. 14, after more than a year in jail, Salam was freed by Judge Abdullah al-Alousi. But as soon as he left prison, he was rearrested by men in army vehicles, who took him to a military base and then another jail. Members of the same Mahdi Army family brought new charges against him - that he had gone on a shooting spree, on a day when he was actually in prison. Despite the absurdity of the charges, despite the family's criminal background, and despite the verdict of the honest judge who had set Salam free, my friend remains in prison. His elder son was rearrested, and his younger one was also jailed. And I've just learned that a whole new string of trumped-up charges has been lodged against him so that, if another honest judge frees him, he will be rearrested again. Since Salam's arrest, I have heard many similar stories of Iraqis jailed by corrupt officials for vengeance. One Iraqi told me: "The only difference between Salam and thousands of others is that he has someone in a position to fight for his release." I've contacted many Iraqi officials and asked for help getting Salam freed, but so far nothing has happened. Some Iraqis have told me the only solution is to pay someone a large sum of money. But the political corruption that ensnared Salam stems from a vicious sectarian politics that has penetrated the security services, not from a thirst for dinars. This type of corruption is far more dangerous than the kind that responds to a bribe. So you have a choice to make, Mr. Prime Minister. Voters in this election have sent mixed messages: The two blocs that got the most votes stressed national unity, but with strong sectarian undertones. And while openly religious parties fared poorly, the Sadrists - from whose ranks the Mahdi Army sprung - got a sizable number of seats. Which way the country goes will depend on the road its leaders take, and whether they try to pull Iraqis together. If you want to be prime minister of all Iraqis, Mr. Maliki, send a signal now. Demonstrate that you won't tolerate an Iraq in which corrupt officials linked to sectarian militias throw innocent people in jail for revenge. Free Salam. Trudy Rubin can be reached at trubin@phillynews.com. Find this article at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20100321_Worldview__Where_will_its_next_government_lead_Iraq_.html

Iraq's delayed democracy Far from a triumph, Iraq's national elections have created a constitutional and leadership vacuum as sectarianism prevails o Fawaz Gerges o guardian.co.uk, Friday 19 March 2010 13.33 GMT o Article history Although Iraq's second parliamentary elections since the US-led invasion represent a milestone, they will neither resolve the country's existential crisis nor bring it closer to genuine democracy. Results released by the inept Independent High Electoral Commission show little change in political attitudes and loyalties. On the whole, Iraqis did not vote according to party or ideology. Sect, ethnicity, and tribe trumpeted other loyalties, including the nation. For the foreseeable future, Iraqi politics will be toxically fragmented along sectarian, ethnic, and personality lines, though fear of all-out civil war is unwarranted. A week after the balloting, prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition and the cross-sectarian Iraqiya coalition, headed by ex-premier Iyad Allawi, were projected to win roughly the same number of seats

My dad was born in Wisconsin. So, it touched a cord with me. I am originally from Chicago, IL

Dinarded's Dinar Quest March 21, 2010 Allawi was CIA

* The Future of Iraq in Light of the Recent Election March 20, 2010

Peace activists mark seventh anniversary of Iraq war with march in Cleveland By James Ewinger March 21, 2010, 12:01AM protest.jpgJames Ewinger, The Plain DealerGreg Coleridge of the Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition (with the bullhorn) leads off a peace rally Saturday at Market Square Park in Ohio City. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As winter staged a fighting retreat from Northeast Ohio on Saturday, dozens of peace activists campaigned on the streets of Ohio City to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bundled against the resurgent cold, nearly 40 representatives of numerous groups convened at the invitation of the Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition to mark the seventh anniversary of the campaign in Iraq. The coalition's Greg Coleridge began the rally by blasting the government for leading the nation into a war that it failed to justify, he said, "with cheerleading by the corporate media." Withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan was not the only rallying point. Many also spoke against poverty, lost jobs, declining schools, urban violence and efforts to break labor unions in the United States. Susan Schnur of the Bail Out the People Movement said, "There's a war right here, against working people." Walt Nicholes of the local Veterans for Peace chapter called for an end to U.S. involvement in wars overseas. "Today, the U.S. deploys about 200,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of these, most have endured repeated 'stop loss' meat-grinder active-duty tours." Nicholes is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Other groups represented at the rally included Middle East Peace Forum, Peace in the Hood, Cleveland Jobs With Justice, U.S. Labor Against the War, the Libertarian Party, Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice, American Friends Service Committee, Cleveland Peace Action, and the National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations. After nearly an hour of oratory, the activists marched north on one side of West 25th Street, then south on the other side, before dispersing in front of the historic West Side Market. The entire rally came off without incident or counter demonstration. Passers-by and the occasional West Side Market shopper paid intermittent attention. The coalition also sent a busload of 45 people to a rally in Washington, D.C., departing Cleveland Friday night, Coleridge said. The Associated Press reported that thousands came together Saturday at Washington's Lafayette Park across from the White House, then marched downtown. Seven protesters were arrested in Washington, the wire service reported, including activist Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq in 2004.

Kenosha soldier killed in Iraq Updated: Saturday, 20 Mar 2010, 7:07 PM CDT Published : Saturday, 20 Mar 2010, 4:23 PM CDT KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) - A Kenosha soldier was killed in Iraq after a rocket-propelled grenade hit the watchtower where he was on guard duty, the soldier's family said Saturday. Military officials told relatives that Army Spc. Robert Rieckhoff, 26, died Thursday in Baghdad, his family said. The Defense Department hasn't officially confirmed the death. "They told us it happened at 9:11 (a.m.) local time," his grandmother, Judith Nelsen, told The Associated Press. "Of all the times, it was 9:11." Rieckhoff, who has an 8-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, recently re-enlisted as part of Battery Bravo Second Battalion of the 15th Field Artillery Unit out of New York. He began talking about joining the military in high school, said his mother, Barbara Garwood of Kenosha. "I told him whatever he decided, I was behind him 100 percent," she said. Rieckhoff graduated from Tremper High School in 2002 and served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Kuwait. He knew how much his family worried so he e-mailed them almost every day to let them know he was safe, his grandmother said. The morning he died, Nelsen asked Garwood whether she checked for an e-mail that day. "She said she'd check as soon as she finished her coffee," Nelsen said. "Before she finished, there was the military at the back door." Nelsen paused, then added, "She didn't get the e-mail that day." Rieckhoff wasn't rich, but he was more interesting in spending his military salary on his family than on himself, his mother said. One of the last gifts he gave her was an expensive Christmas tree, she said. "Another time he took me to a local casino," Garwood said, chuckling softly. "He said he learned his lesson, that he's never going to do that again." His grandmother said she cherishes a costly decoration he gave her, a snowman that plays music. "I cried and his mother cried," she said, her voice cracking. "He said, 'God, guys, it's just a snowman.' I said, 'Robert, this costs too much.' He said, 'Grandma, these are the things I always wanted to buy for you, but I never had the money.' That's the kind of person he was. He'd give you the shirt off his back, the last dollar to his name." It was hard not to worry about him, even with his regular e-mails, his family said. When he decided to re-enlist it was because he wanted to make sure his kids had health benefits and access to good education, Nelsen said, but he still called his relatives to get their opinions. "He called and said, 'What do you think?"' his grandmother said. "I said, 'Son, do whatever you want to do.' He said, 'I want you to be proud.' We said, 'We are proud, pal, we couldn't be more proud."' Rieckhoff died one day before the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He was the 92nd Wisconsin resident to die in the conflict, according to an AP count. Twelve others have died in Afghanistan since 2004. His grandmother said Americans shouldn't be dying over there, and the U.S. should bring its troops home now. "If they (Iraqis) want to fight, let them fight amongst themselves," Nelsen said. "Our boys go over there and lose their lives. I think they should bring those boys home. All of them." Copyright Associated Press, Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

LONDON - Britain

A Flat tax is better that what we have, but it is still an income tax. That means two things. One: Our Congress will one day change its simplicity and start adding deductions, etc., and in no time at all it will resemble what we currently have. Two: Under an income tax we are not freemen. We are slaves. Sorry, I don't have time to expound on it thoroughly. I will just give you one point. Under an income tax who controls how much you pay to the government in taxes?..................If you said Uncle Sam you would be correct. That is why the best alternative would be to outlaw the income tax completely and replace it with a national sales tax, also known as the Fair tax. Under the national sales tax you take home ALL of your pay (such a thought?!). Then, YOU decide how much tax you want to pay on the items you purchase. If you want to pay Uncle Sam just a little then when you need a car you buy a used economy car. The sales tax would get the government out of our lives. You would never have to sweat April 15th or worry about being audited or hear reports of disguntled Americans flying their plane into government buildings or committing suicide over the over-reaching arm of the IRS......JMHO