One year after Abu Ghraib

This is a very sad time in America. One of the saddest, actually.

Here are some facts of life: one day, we all die.

Terrorists may speed up that eventual date with destiny, but that is all they can do. Our demise is inevitable. So, one can come to the conclusion that this is all there is, and issues like moral choices and behaviors could be considered trivial. But, if one comes to the conclusion that we are spiritual beings on a spiritual journey, then what moral choices and behaviors we follow (and allow) do take on a huge significance. And that would include choices made in our name, by our elected officials, using our tax dollars.

The nomination and appointment of Mr. Gonzales to Attorney General is appalling in light of the question of making moral choices. He chose to write up legal briefs and memos justifying torture in the US run prisons around the world. Mr. Bush supported him in this endeavor and clearly still supports him today. As a matter of fact, Mr. Bush claimed the US forces "shall continue to treat detainees humanely, and, to the extent appropriate *and consistent* with military necessity, *in a manner consistent with* the principles of Geneva." Yes, that's right. He didn't say follow the Geneva Conventions, he said "in a manner *consistent* with the principles of Geneva, as long as it is*consistent* with military necessity. He gave himself and his underlings lots of wiggle room there - and then went on to call some prisoners"unlawful combatants" rather then prisoners of war. More wiggle room.

As any thinking person knows, you can justify any damn thing in the end.

Mr. Gonzales told Mr. Bush that his war making powers gave him the authority to ignore any damn laws he wants to ignore. And Mr. Bybee (Asst. Attorney General) went on to say that for an act to be torture, it must be done for the sadistic enjoyment and not just for information (I guess that's why Mr. Graner and Ms. England got into trouble: they were getting off on it, and it showed.) More wiggle room.

Let me list the names of the officials who SHOULD have been responsible for what happened in Iraq at Abu Ghraib and other places, but were recently cleared of all responsibility:

Lt. Gen Sanchez
Maj. Gen. Wojdakowski
Maj. Gen Fast
Col. Warren


As per an article written by Mr. Sullivan in the New York Times earlier this year, and per uncovered memos provided by the ACLU, the FBI was aware of abuses and torture and did very little to halt this. These memos reflect a common thread through the various types of abuses and torture and show a wide geographical reach. They show these acts were committed by Marines, Army, Navy, reserves, and a host of others. They happened in Guantanemo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan and who-knows-where else.

The fact that a few soldiers committed these crimes - and the fact that the higher ups in the chain of command are let off scott-free - means the ordinary soldiers who did show moral behavior have had their reputation smeared around the world. It is like Lt. Gen. Sanchez and Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Bush have smeared blood and feces on the front of the uniforms of all our armed services. And made the rest of America look bad also.

We also have evidence, as per the case with Mr. Arar of Canada, of US authorities sending people to countries where they will be "tortured by proxy". Mr. Arar was shipped to Syria by US authorities, where he was imprisoned and tortured for 10 months before he was allowed to return to Canada. He was never charged with any crime. Yes, our government did that: sent someone to be tortured by a country that we have declared a "terrorist" state, and that someone was never even charged with a crime. And this is not the only case.

I will not go into the various forms of torture that are documented in the memos obtained by the ACLU under the Freedom of Information Act, nor will I recount what exactly happened to Mr. Arar. But I will assure you: it is not a pretty picture. It includes some of the most despicable acts known to man.

In Mr. Sullivan's article, he goes on to claim that the Red Cross reports that few of these acts occurred in "regular internment facilities" and most took place in places like Abu Ghraib, which were used to collect"intelligence". Mr. Sullivan concludes that "the vast majority of soldiers in Iraq and elsewhere had nothing to do with these incidents". Well, thank God for that. And for those who believe that morality is relative, and claim that "we're better than the terrorists" because we don't behead people, let me share this fact with you: the US government has uncovered 5 prisoners who have been beaten to death in Iraqi prisons, and is currently investigating over 100 more. If this is the moral high ground, then we are millimeters higher than the terrorists.

In various places in the US press, they refer to the Abu Ghraib scandal as"abuse" instead of "torture". They are flat-out lying. I will not rewrite here all the examples of what has happened: it is too sickening. But clearly killing people is not "abuse".

But you can justify any damn thing in the end.

One Iraqi inmate reported to the Red Cross that an US soldier said to him: "But I believe in torture and I will torture you". That soldier knew it was torture, and I can not imagine he would engage in torture if it was not tolerated (at the minimum) by his commanding officers.

What has happened since all this came to light with the Abu Ghraib photos? Well, the underlings in the photos are being punished. And the higher-ups who condoned and wiggled around the moral issues have been promoted. And nothing has been cleared up, nor has any redirections been issued. The scope and depth of the problem has not been acknowledged, much less addressed.

And seemingly, the majority of the American people do not care. They think torture of "terrorists" is acceptable because they think it might save American lives (stopping a terrorist attack may lengthen our lives by preventing an early untimely death - but it will not stop us from dying one day). The American public seemingly does not recognize the fact that when they decide that a group of people are unworthy of being treated humanely, then their own moral standing goes down. This is especially true when the group picked for torture is indistinguishable from ordinary civilians.

The American people also seemingly fail to realize how little useful information was gained by the use of torture by US forces. Nearly all of it was totally useless. They fail to realize that the Geneva conventions are to protect our troops also. They fail to realize that this extensive torture scandal also threatens ordinary Americans who travel overseas. And most importantly of all, the lack of outrage in Americans reflects their ignorance concerning what will happen to those torture victims who are actually innocent of any crimes: they will turn to violence themselves as a response. And many of their family members and friends will join them.

You see, it cuts both ways: you can justify any damn thing in the end.

And resorting to indiscriminate murder (after the experience of torture - to yourself or someone you love) is an easy justification to make.

Evil has a very ordinary face. Torturers-R-US.

Join me in writing to the House Armed Services Committee and asking for a special prosecuter and independent probe into this torture scandal. This is the address:
House Armed Services Committee
2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

More on Marla

Today's editorial in my local paper ends with the question:

"Who will be our conscience now?"

Who, indeed.


A mother explains to her child that a women who worked to obtain aid for Iraqi children, and her daughter asks in response:

"But now, who will help the little girl?"

Who, indeed.


And an Iraqi boy, injured by a US shooting, says when he learns of Marla's death:

"I say to her parents: God bless her soul, God give them strength to endure this tragedy," he said. "I lost her, they lost her and every poor Iraqi has lost her."

They are all talking about Marla Ruzicka. This young Iraqi boy really needed Marla, since she was going to get him to the states to get needed medical attention so he could walk again. Now there is no one to do this.


"occupation of iraq
lasting insurgency = reason to stay
lasting insurgency = reduced oil output
reduced oil output = higher crude prices + pressure on opec to raise output whilst the US is sitting in control of one of the largest oil reserves."
This was written on a blog by Chris Williams. It pretty much sums it up.

And finally, I would like to recommend two articles on another blog:

http://www.muslimwakeup.com/

The two great articles I read there were from earlier this month of April. One was "How I lost my Religion in the Holy Lands" and the other one was "An Inner Place of Healing: Combining Focusing and Sufism". The last one reminded me of Quaker meetings.

In Memory of Marla Ruzicka

Marla Ruzicka was killed in Baghdad yesterday. AP reports that she died from a suicide car bomb on the airport road in Baghdad. There are different reports also. Marla was 27 years old.

I first heard of Marla Ruzicka while watching a Nightline program on Iraqi civilian casualties in May 2003. It was the first news program in the US on Iraqi civilian casualties, and remains (as far as I know) the only one.

Marla founded and headed a group called CIVIC. It's purpose was to aid civilians injured by violent conflict. She also worked in Afghanistan. She was supported by the American Friends Service Committee while she was doing a survey of Iraqi civilians killed in the early part of this war. That survey ended in July, 2003. Marla was still in Iraq and working to bring aid to civilian victims. I contributed to her organization.


She inspired me.

I'm very sad to see her gone.

Is the threat of terrorism going down in the US?

This story would indicate that terrorism is not getting better under Bush. On top of that, not allowing the evidence out is just stupid! Maybe he thinks if we pretend hard enough, this threat will go away?

"Bush administration eliminating 19-year-old international terrorism report"
By Jonathan S. Landay Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered.

Full story here: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11407689.htm

And, the foreign press has this report out: No link between Iraq and al Qaeda. But you already knew that, right? Of course, we would all like to know *why* our Bush team made such ridiculous claims, won't we? What's really amazing is that it is a US Senator presenting the evidence in formerly classified documents, yet US corporate media are not covering it at all! But this is from an Australian newspaper:

"Reports undercut Iraq, al-Qaeda link"
From correspondents in Washington
April 16, 2005
A TOP Democratic senator has released formerly classified documents that he says undercut top US officials' pre-Iraq war claims of a link between Saddam Hussein's regime and the al-Qaeda terrorist network. "These documents are additional compelling evidence that the intelligence community did not believe there was a cooperative relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda, despite public comments by the highest ranking officials in our government to the contrary," Senator Carl Levin said today. The declassified documents undermine the Bush administration's claims regarding Iraq's involvement in training al-Qaeda operatives and the likelihood of a meeting between September 11 hijacker Mohammed Atta and an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague in April 2001, Senator Levin said in a statement.

Full story is here:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12875384^1702,00.html

Finally, I went to a seminar this weekend on Israel/Palestine issues. The last thing we did was watch a movie called "Gaza Strip". It was awful watching the Palesinians in Gaza suffer because of a nerve gas that Israel military fired on them - and there was plenty more that was awful in that short movie..... Like bulldozing down homes, shooting at kids, the hate and hopelessness being generated in the children because of all the violence they see happening - all of the violence coming from the Israeli military. This movie was filmed by an independent film maker back in 2003. It came out last year. It really shows the horror of occupation, and what it does to people.

And makes one wonder who the real terrorists are........

Helping Iraqis

And so it continues in Iraq:

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Two car bombs exploded near the interior minister's offices today, killing 18 people and wounding three dozen. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for the blasts, which caused the biggest death toll from an explosion in more than a month."

The ongoing daily slaughter of innocents shows no signs of letting up. The US/UK invasion has delievered the people of Iraq to the gateways of hell. I noticed today how the AP and other news agency have photos of the aftermath of the terrorists bombings, yet they had no photos earlier this week of the US bombing that killed 20 civilians. Why is that?

Raed Jarrar, and his family, are trying to help the people in Fallujah and other hard-hit areas by bringing them medical supplies. You can read about this, and see pictures of what they have bought with the money donated to them at this blog:

http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/


I made a contribution a while back. I hope you will too! It is far, far from doing enough to meet the needs of the people of Iraq, but it is a start.

What happened in Fallujah?

It has been over four months since the last time the US forces "liberated" Fallujah. How come we have not seen any video clips of what happened there? How are the people in that city doing now? Why, oh why, is our corporate media so inept?

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty and democracy?" --Mohandas Gandhi.

The United States of Hypocrisy

There is an article I read today in the Pakistan Tribute. It is a reflection of the US media, and US citizens, obsession with the Schiavo's nonsense. Our corporate media does not know the difference between a family tragedy and national/international news. They don't know the difference between news of any type and celebrity crime stories. They are generally very trite, and generally, the American public laps it up. I have no idea why Americans are so dumb. However, this review does give a clue, as does my title.

The article is titled: "The United Vegetative States of America"

And here is a clip:

"Where is the free American media and their kind hearted patrons when their G.I. Joes are pumping up Iraq with depleted uranium, napalm bombs, cluster munitions and poisonous gases even as these lines are being written? Is death less camera-friendly in Iraq or is it less worthy of the Americans' attention? Are Iraqis children of a lesser god? Go talk of Schiavo's right to live or die."

It ends with:

"The American writer Lee Harris was spot on the dot in his article "Good American Hypocrisy" when he wrote," America’s current critics need to recognize that in pursuing its self-interest the United States is hardly unique-what singles us out from among nations is our obdurate hypocrisy. We have to pretend to ourselves that we are doing the right thing-often at the cost of actually doing it." Go talk of Schiavo's right to live or die."


The entire article can be read here:

http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=101242

IRAQI Civilian Deaths from April 1 to April 7, 2005

I decided I wanted to keep a record of every reported Iraqi civilian death that I found in the media for one week. I mainly used Yahoo News, Iraq Coalition Casualties, and Today in Iraq blog for this information. I was careful not to repeat any incidents, but of course, there is undoubtedly deaths that were left out. I also recorded the incidents of Iraqi Police Officers deaths. May they rest in Peace. Read it and weep:

Interior Ministry officer
Died 4/1/05, Male
Killed during commando raid
Daniya section of Balad

Driver for Police Chief of Balad
Unnamed
Died 4/1/05, Male
Gunman opened fire
Balad Ruz

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown sex
Bomb near Sunni mosque
Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown sex
IED targeted Iraqi patrol
Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/04, unknown sex
Baghdad University
College of Law in Kirkuk
Roadside bomb

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown sex
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown sex
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bombs killed 11 Iraqis near
Shiite shrines

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bomb exploded in the path
of US/Iraqi patrol- kills 4 civilians
Samarra

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bomb exploded in the path
of US/Iraqi patrol- kills 4 civilians
Samarra

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bomb exploded in the path
of US/Iraqi patrol- kills 4 civilians
Samarra

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bomb exploded in the path
of US/Iraqi patrol- kills 4 civilians
Samarra

Unnamed Iraqi child, age 5
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Suicide bomber killed 4 civilians
Near Iraqi Army checkpoint
Road between Baghdad and Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Suicide bomber killed 4 civilians
Near Iraqi Army checkpoint
Road between Baghdad and Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Suicide bomber killed 4 civilians
Near Iraqi Army checkpoint
Road between Baghdad and Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Suicide bomber killed 4 civilians
Near Iraqi Army checkpoint
Road between Baghdad and Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/1/05, unknown gender
Car bomb north of Baghdad
4 police and a civilian killed

Hassib Zamil
Died 4/1/05, Male
Unknown gunmen
Education Ministry official
Sadr City neighborhood in Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/2/05, unknown gender
Car bomb in Kan Bani Saad
Central Iraq (1 Civilian, 4 Police)

Unnamed Iraqi Government Employee
Drive by shooting
Died 4/3/05, Unknown sex
Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/2/05, unknown sex
US helicopter shot them in
their boats (3 died)
Tigris River near Tikrit

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/2/05, unknown sex
US helicopter shot them in
their boats (3 died)
Tigris River near Tikrit

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/2/05, unknown sex
US helicopter shot them in
their boats (3 died)
Tigris River near Tikrit

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
IED went off after Iraqi patrol left
Died 4/2/05, unknown sex
Kirkuk

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/3/05, unknown sex
Government employee
Drive by shooting
al Bayaa neighborhood of Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/4/05, unknown sex
Bomb attack on café
Talafar (two died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/4/05, unknown sex
Bomb attack on café
Talafar (two died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/4/05, unknown sex
Roadside bombing
Target was Iraqi military convoy
Amiriya (one died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/4/05, unknown sex
Car bomb near Baghdad Airport
Baghdad (two died)

Hilal Karim
Died 4/5/05, Male
Sunni Cleric
Drive-by shooting
Baghdad

Salim Hilal
Died 4/5/05, Male
Member of Babil Provincial council
Gunned down on way to work
Hillah

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, Unknown sex
Car bomb
Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, Unknown sex
Roadside bomb (4 civilians killed)
Salman Pak

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, Unknown sex
Roadside bomb (4 civilians killed)
Salman Pak

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, Unknown sex
Roadside bomb (4 civilians killed)
Salman Pak

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, Unknown sex
Roadside bomb (4 civilians killed)
Salman Pak

Salim Ibrahim
Died 4/5/05, Male
Kurdistan Democratic Party official
Insurgents reportedly killed him -Mosul

Unnamed Government Translator
Died 4/5/05, Female
Drive by shooting
Baqouba

Father of unnamed Translator
Died 4/5/05, Male
Drive by shooting
Baqouba

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, unknown sex
Car bomb at Iraqi Army checkpoint
Baghdad’s Ameriyah neighborhood
(at least 2 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/5/05, unknown sex
Car bomb at Iraqi Army checkpoint
Baghdad’s Ameriyah neighborhood
(at least 2 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Car bomb near airport
Died 4//5/05, unknown sex
Baghdad (2 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Car bomb near airport
Died 4//5/05, unknown sex
Baghdad (2 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Shot – worked at US military base
Discovered in Muhammadiya (11 died)

Unnamed 12 year old Iraqi boy
Died 4/6/05, Male
Suicide bomber at US Intelligence HQs
Irbil (3 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/6/05, unknown sex
Suicide bomber at US Intelligence HQs
Irbil (3 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Died 4/6/05, unknown sex
Suicide bomber at US Intelligence HQs
Irbil (3 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/05, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)

Unnamed Iraqi Civilian
Body found shot in head
Found Dead 4/7/5, unknown sex
Balad Rooz (10 civilians died)


POLICE OFFICERS

Col. Hatem Rashid Mohammed
Died 4/1/05, Male
Gunman opened fired
Police Chief in Balad Ruz

Col. Mudhafar al-Jiburi
Died 4/1/05, Male
Gunman opened fired
Balad Ruz

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/1/05
Attack
Ramadi (2 police killed)

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/1/05
Attack
Ramadi (2 police killed)

Unnamed Iraqi Policeman
Died 4/1/05, Male
Armed fighters attacked
Al Saydiya district, south of Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/1/05
Car bomb north of Baghdad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/1/05
Car bomb north of Baghdad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/1/05
Car bomb north of Baghdad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/1/05
Car bomb north of Baghdad
4 police and a civilian killed


Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/2/05
Car bomb in Kan Bani Saad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/2/05
Car bomb in Kan Bani Saad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/2/05
Car bomb in Kan Bani Saad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/2/05
Car bomb in Kan Bani Saad
4 police and a civilian killed

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/2/05
Shot by US troops-mistake
(2 police killed)
Khalediyeh, west of Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/2/05
Shot by US troops-mistake
(2 police killed)
Khalediyeh, west of Baghdad

Iraqi Police Officer
Died 4/2/05, unknown sex
Gunned down (2 died)
Mosul

Iraqi Police Officer
Died 4/2/05, unknown sex
Gunned down (2 died)
Mosul

Unnamed Iraqi Policeman
Died 04/02/05
Gunned down
Ramadi (2 killed)

Unnamed Iraqi Policeman
Died 04/02/05
Gunned down
Ramadi (2 killed)

Unnamed Iraqi Police Officer
Died 4/3/05, unknown sex
Armed fighters shot him
Al-Saydiya district south of Baghdad

Unnamed Iraqi Police Officer
Died 4/3/05, unknown sex
Traffic Police gunned down
Mosul (two died)

Unnamed Iraqi Police Officer
Died 4/3/05, unknown sex
Traffic Police gunned down
Mosul (two died)

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/5/05, Male
Roadside bomb (2 police killed)
Basra

Unnamed Iraqi Policemen
Died 4/5/05, Male
Roadside bomb (2 police killed)
Basra

Dahir Habib, Iraqi police officer
Died 4/7/05, Male
Drive by shooting
al Dora section of Baghdad

Selling F-16s to Dictators

The US authorities have decided it is okay to sell F-16s to Pakistan. Pakistan is a dictatorship, and if free and democratic elections were held today, they would vote in some very anti-American leaders. The majority of the people there hate the US policies in the Middle East.

Now, F-16s can only be used to drop bombs, including nuclear bombs. The dropping of bombs means lots and lots of innocent people who never did anything to us (the very reason why they hate us so much! Not hard to figure out, is it?) will get killed. Yet Bush had this to say yesterday about a family tragedy (that passes as "news" in our country):

"In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life."

What a hypocrite.


What the Bush administration is pursuing is spreading instability and violence everywhere in the Middle East. They care NOT how many innocents die, which is why there is no attempt to count the dead in Iraq - indeed, there are serious efforts to stop anyone else from counting and reporting on this. If they cared, they would count and take note of how many died in Iraq.

Helena Cobban, a blogger (Just World News) and journalist (who writes for the Christian Science Monitor) who knows quite a bit about the Middle East, said this: "She (Rice) reveals a totally cavalier attitude to the whole non-trivial concept of social-political stability in Middle Eastern countries." and "So it looks as though Arc of Instability may now actually be the goal of U.S. policy, rather than its diagnosis of an existing problem. " She was talking about Lebanon, but the same idea applies to selling F-16s to Pakistan.

But, hey, Lockheed Martin is happy to sell these F-16s to Pakistan and make a bunch of money. I have not watched Aaron Brown's show Newsnight on CNN for months now, but last time I did I saw that Lockheed Martin was advertising on CNN. Why would Lockheed Martin be advertising to the American public? When was the last time YOU purchased a fighter jet? Well, I propose they are doing so as a "kickback" to CNN. They want CNN to keep feeding up slop (like celebrity crime and family tragedies) as "news" and slanting whatever little foreign news they do present as favorable to Lockheed Martin. No mention of the innocents killed by the bombs and airplanes of the USA on CNN. No, if you watch them, you would think that no innocent was every killed by our "smart" bombs.

Oh, and they are a bunch of hypocrites, too.

But keep in mind: F-16s are meant to drop big bombs on people, and kill a whole bunch of them, innocents included. This does not bother Lockheed Martin, CNN or Mr. Bush, in spite of the nonsense that comes out of his mouth.

And how did India respond to the sale of F-16s to Pakistan? From an Indian newspaper:

"NEW DELHI - The reaction has been quicker than expected. Peeved at the US decision to supply F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, India has made it more than apparent that it is not at all happy and will play hard to get in all defense negotiations with the US. Making India's irritation clear, Delhi has announced new defense orders to Russia, Germany, Italy, Israel and even Qatar, worth a total of US$746 million."

Now, even if these F-16s are never used to drop bombs and directly kill innocents, they will take health care and food away from some of the poorest people on the planet. They will, guaranteed, kill innocents.

No doubt about it.