Memorial Day

This weekend we have Memorial Day here in the USA. It is a day to remember the people who gave their lives in the service of our country. An example of this is Pat Tillman. He had a promising career, but decided to give that up and go serve his country. He figured, as many who enlist in our military services do, that his country needed him. Specifically, he figured he needed to help in the fight against "terrorism". He was sent to Afghanistan, and there was killed by friendly fire. Now, friendly fire will happen in any conflict, just as accidents will happen when you drive cars. It is just a part of war because people make mistakes.

What happened next was shameful: the US Army and US authorities lied about Tillman's death.

In a Washington Post article, Tillman's father said "Maybe lying's not a big deal anymore."

He also said ''All the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation. They covered it up. I think they thought they could control it and they realized their recruiting efforts were going to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."

And Tillman's mother said "If this is what happens when someone high profile dies, I can only imagine what happens with everyone else."

How ironic and very sad it is that a decent young man, with a prosperous career in front of him, goes off to fight the "terrorists" and ends up being killed by his fellow Americans. And then, on top of that, the US authorities LIE about it. I feel it is ironically symbolic of our entire "war on terrorism" - which they are also telling astounding lies about.

I respect the people who choose to serve our country. I am deeply saddened by the way the current US government are misusing and abusing them. I am deeply saddened that they are sent to fight in wars that are totally unnecessary. I am disgusted by the lies told by the US government.

It seems to me that we should have a *Memorial Day* to remember that all wars start with lies. Perhaps we should have a *Memorial Day* to identify and remember the people who told those lies. In the case of the Iraq war, the lies were told by the Bush administration. A "smoking gun" to prove those lies is the Downing Street Memo.

Representative John Conyers, Jr. is sending a letter to Mr. Bush concerning this memo and the need for an inquiry into the reasons given behind the war in Iraq. Mr. Conyers is asking Americans to sign his letter, and several organizations (PDA, Gold Star Families for Peace, Vets for Peace, Code Pink, and others) have started a website to work on this issue. There is much you can do! Together, we can get this into the public's consciousness. (That leaves us with a problem, as a commenter on this blog noted: after we impeach Bush, we have Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Rice, and god-knows-who-else we need to deal with! But I think we have to keep chipping away at their power and work for something better.)

The website to request a formal investigation into possible impeachable offences is at:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org

This website, and effort, is only two days old right now. I think this is going to be big. I hope so anyway.

Photos

I look at the pictures. No matter who takes them or where I find them, I look at the pictures. Last week at a local child care conference (I was presenting there), a former US soldier had pictures of Iraq. He was in the northern part of the country, and he came home in March 2004. He said that many good things are happening there, and that our media reports only the bad stuff. And he had photos, many photos of Iraqi children. Most of them were just doing everyday stuff, with the little boys showing great interest in the guns. One photo showed two children looking through some razor wire, but most were just ordinary kids doing ordinary things.

He also had photos of the living quarters of the US troops. He said he does not want to go back to Iraq, only because he has two small children, and being away for a whole year is hard on them. Other than that fact, he would like to go back and help Iraq and Iraqis. I'm pretty sure the US military is not helping Iraq.

Last week, the photos of Saddam in his underwear came out. I really don't know what they were thinking when they published these silly photos, but I suspect it was a way to distract people from what is really going on.... following our corporate media's plan to give everyone infotainment, and generally keep them ignorant and supporting programs and policies that clearly hurt them.

I got to thinking that photos of Bush and Cheney in their undies would do the world a great deal of good! And maybe help the sheeple see through their nonsense.

And today, I looked at the photos from Iraq on Yahoo News, like I do every evening. There is picture after picture of car bombings. And picture after picture of the injured people afterwards. There is face after face after face - full of grief, all from the agony that is going on in Iraq these days.

There were a couple of photos of a very young girl in a pretty green dress. Her mother died today in a car bombing in Iraq.

Also, 16 US troops (so far) have died this week. And it is only Tuesday. And still we continue on this march of folly, mostly blind to the reality that is coming our way.

And McClellan sprouts too (not edible)

Although that was "a good first step," McClellan said, the White House wants Newsweek "to help repair the damage" by explaining "what happened and why they got it wrong, particularly to people in the region."'The report had real consequences,' Mr. McClellan said. 'People have lost their lives. Our image abroad has been damaged.'

Well, I don't care much about someone's *IMAGE* - I care about reality. I care about what is actually happening, and who is getting hurt. So, McClellan and the Bush White House should explain why the US went to OPTIONAL war for totally BOGUS reasons. (Well, for LIES, actually.)

I would like an explanation as to why they got it wrong - PARTICULARLY TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND THE US FAMILIES WHO LOST LOVED ONES IN THIS SENSELESS WAR.

And then I would like an apology to the people who lost their lives, loved ones, health, homes, possessions, jobs, careers, businesses, and sanity. And then pay them compensation for the losses.

Like I said, I don't care about images. But a little honestly would improve the image of Rumsfeld, McClellan and Bush.

Rumsfeld sprouts (please note - not edible)

“People lost their lives. People are dead,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. “People need to be very careful about what they say, just as they need to be careful about what they do.”

Amazing statement, in light of the lies that lead to this war from Rumsfeld himself, and his "stuff happens" comment when rioting and looting was widespread under US forces in Iraq.

The Quran story had "legs" because there are hundreds of people who saw it happen with their own eyes. And it will not go away for the same reason.

Rice Tells Lies

Rice said, "This war came to us, not the other way around."

That statement is a flat-out lie. She is speaking of Iraq, and Iraq did not attack the USA, Iraq did not threaten the USA, and as Ms. Rice herself claimed back in early 2001, Iraq was not a threat to the USA or even it’s neighboring countries. It amazes me that she can stand there and tell lies like this and get away with it.

She goes on and relates Iraq to the events of 9/11, even though Iraq, and Iraqis, had nothing to do with the events of 9/11:

Referring to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Rice said, "The absence of freedom in the Middle East -- the freedom deficit -- is what produced the ideology of hatred that allowed them to fly airplanes into a building on a fine September day."

This is also incorrect, however, I cannot call it a lie. She may be just really stupid. (Her stupidity is selective, however, as was the case about the claims of the threats of Saddam’s regime. In early 2001, she claimed Saddam was not a threat, in late 2003, she is talking of “mushroom clouds” from Saddam’s regime – a regime that didn’t even have an air force!) But, in the statement above, where she is totally incorrect is in claiming the “freedom deficit” produced the ideology of hatred. There are plenty of countries that do not have “freedom” in the style of the US, Canada, and most of Europe – yet they do not hate us. Furthermore, if there is a “freedom deficit” that produces hate – we should ask: how come they hate the USA, and not Canada or Sweden? Or poor health care system, maybe? That would make them hate us?

No, they hate us for our brutal, immoral and illegal foreign policy. (Hey, somebody tell the NY Times and WaPo and CNN that there is such a thing as INTERNATIONAL LAW and even MORALITY. They missed the memo.)

And, this is being brilliantly demonstrated for us today in what is going on in Uzbekistan! We have a dictator there who is being supported by the US administration, in spite of well-documented human rights abuses. We have a people there who have demonstrated against this dictator and his murder of his own people, and he then goes to murder even more of his own unarmed people. And this dictator claims the unarmed people are “terrorists” and the people they broke out of jail are “terrorists” (no evidence, beyond a torture-induced confession, to support that claim). The US administration does nothing. We have a military base there, and the US administration claims it is important in our fight against terrorism. It also has oil, gas and gold. (Funny how countries without such resources are not important in our ‘fight on terror’.) Does Bush stand up and condemn the violence against unarmed demonstrators in Uzbekistan, considering how he supported demonstrators in Lebanon and other places? NO, HE DOES NOT. Does Bush condemn the evil, brutal dictator of Uzbekistan – like he did Saddam? NO, HE DOES NOT.

Well, Bush is a hypocrite.

And Rice is a liar.

And we have pictures of Rumsfeld shaking hands with evil Saddam, and Bush shaking hands with the evil dictator of Uzbekistan. Like attracts like, I guess.

You can read more about Uzbekistan by going here:
Christian Science Monitor article on Uzbekistan

How are the Iraqi people doing?

It looks to me like we have delivered them up to the gateways of hell – or maybe hell itself.

Kuwait News Agency, 05/08/2005
One Iraqi child killed in landmine explosion in Al Mathana governorate. The landmine is listed as "war remains" - but it does not say which war, although the most recent one is the most logical one. And that same article states:"A statement by the multinational forces said an Iraqi citizen was killed by gunfire and another was wounded southwest of Telafer."

From CNN, 05/08/2005
"Also Sunday, two attacks in northern Iraq left four civilians dead, the U.S. military said. Three Iraqi civilians were found shot to death outside their vehicle in western Mosul. Another civilian was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army patrol in the eastern part of the city. Another Iraqi civilian died Saturday in an apparent insurgent attack near the restive city of Tal Afar, the U.S. military said. The number of Iraqi civilians killed in the war remains unclear. Data compiled by the Web site iraqbodycount.org suggests that between 21,000 and 25,000 civilians have been confirmed killed."

And so far, no attempt by CNN to count or name any of those civilian dead- unless they happen to work for CNN.

From the Globe and Mail, Toronto 05/09/2005
"The U.S. military said as many as 100 militants were killed in the first 48 hours of the assault, which began overnight Saturday in the Syrian border town of Qaim, about 320 kilometers west of Baghdad."Well, that's a load of crap. The US military does not know how many were killed, and even if they did, they wouldn't know how many were militants and how many were civilians. And if they did know, they wouldn't report it."At least four car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi police and the U.S. military said. They included a morning suicide attack in southern Baghdad that killed two Iraqi policemen and a civilian at a checkpoint at a busy intersection, police said. Six other policemen and three civilians were wounded in the attack. Another suicide attacker exploded a car bomb at an army checkpoint in eastern Baghdad, wounding five Iraqis, the Interior Ministry said. When police approached a suspicious car in south Baghdad, the booby-trapped vehicle exploded, killing one officer and a civilian bystander, the Interior Ministry said. Another policeman lost an arm in the attack. Six bodies also were found Monday in a deserted area in Markab al-Tair village, near the Syrian frontier, police Col. Wathiq Mohammed said. He identified them as a senior Iraqi border policeman and five of his relatives. The circumstances of their deaths were not immediately known."

From the Boston Globe, 05/09/2005
"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A funeral was held Monday for six Shiite Muslims who were kidnapped and killed over the weekend, and a Shiite cleric warned that such attacks could cause sectarian violence. The killings occurred Saturday south of Baghdad after gunmen stopped a minibus in which the six men were carrying the coffin of a relative to a funeral service in the holy Shiite city of Najaf, said police 1st Lt. Adnan Abdullah. The six men, three of them brothers, were kidnapped and killed, and the attackers threw the coffin into the nearby Euphrates River, Abdullah said. Several women and older men traveling in the minibus were freed and allowed to return to Baghdad, said Abdullah. The six were found dead, shot in the head and back, on Sunday near Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad, Abdullah said.

From Yahoo News, 05/10/2005
"The U.S. command said as many as 100 insurgents died in the first 48 hours — many of them trapped under rubble as attack planes and helicopter gunships pounded their hideouts."If they are buried under rubble by bombs dropped on their heads, how would they know there are 100 of them? And how would they know they are insurgents and not innocent civilian bystanders?"At least two car bombs exploded Tuesday in downtown Baghdad, targeting U.S. and Iraqi troops. At least nine Iraqis were killed and 19 wounded, the Interior Ministry said. One of the bombs wounded three American soldiers, a U.S. military spokeswoman, Capt. Kelly Lewis, said."

Are the Iraqis (who are dying) civilians or troops? And are they dying because of a bomb directed at them, or a bomb directed at the US troops?

From Yahoo News, 05/10/2005
Residents reached by telephone in the area reported some fighting Tuesday in Obeidi and the two nearby towns of Rommana and Karabilah. They said frightened residents were taking advantage of the relative lull to flee the Qaim area. Adel Izzedine left on foot with his wife and three children, walking six miles through farm fields to reach a village where the family caught a taxi and drove 43 miles to Rawa, east of the fighting. "There are gunmen in the city, but there are also a lot of innocent civilians," said Izzedine, who was looking for a mosque or a school in which to spend the night. "We are living the same misery that Fallujah lived some time ago."

More nonsense, from the Washington Post, 05/10/2005
"As many as 100 militants have been killed since Operation Matador began Saturday night, according to a casualty toll provided by the U.S. military."
There is no earthly way they would know either the total number dead, or how many of them are truly insurgents.

From Australian ABC News, 05/10/2005
"Iraqi police hurled insults at US soldiers after two suicide car bomb blasts in Baghdad killed at least seven people and left 19 wounded, including policemen. "It's all because you're here," a policeman shouted in Arabic at a group of US soldiers after the latest in a bloody wave of attacks that have rocked Baghdad this month. "Get out of our country and there will be no more explosions," he told the uncomprehending Americans staring at the smouldering wreck of a car bomb."

Yes, the US troops are being directly told to leave the country, but they don't know Arabic, so they don't know what the Iraqis are saying. Here's hoping the Iraqis learn English soon, since the Americans are way too dumb to learn Arabic, even when they are occupying an Arabic speaking country. Thank goodness there are some reporters who know both English and Arabic, so they can tell us things like this. Not that Americans are listening......

And another piece from that same article:
"Another suicide bomber also tried to attack a US army patrol on the central Saadun street but missed and smashed into other vehicles, setting them ablaze. At least seven civilians were killed and 16 wounded, police and medics said. "I was driving my bus with many passengers and on the other side of the street a US convoy was passing by," 45-year-old minibus driver Abdullah Jassim Mohammed said. "All of a sudden there was a big explosion and I saw a man dying in front of me. The US convoy was unharmed," the driver said, who sustained slight head wounds. "Since Americans invaded our country they have brought nothing but evil."


I wonder how many Iraqis are being killed by the insurgents, not directly, but because they were around when US troops were targeted? Like I said earlier in this post, we have delivered the Iraqi people to the gateways of hell.


From the New York Times, 05/10/2005
"The Marines' fight in western Iraq began over the weekend is supported by helicopter gunships, fighter jets, tanks, and light armored vehicles. F-15E Strike Eagle fighters from the Air Force dropped two 500-pound laser-guided bombs and fired 510 20-millimeter cannon rounds on Sunday against insurgents in the vicinity of Qaim, according to a summary of air operations released by the military. Marine F/A-18 fighters also fired 319 20-millimeter cannon rounds."

And they claim 100 insurgents were killed. But, there is no earthly way they could know if their bombs killed insurgents, civilians, or both. After all, 500 pound bombs are not very discriminating, they just kill any one around.


And, from today’s news, an insurgent says this:
"They destroyed our city, killed our children, destroyed our houses. Wehave nothing left," one man told Associated Press Television News inQaim on Thursday. He did not give his name and hid his face with a scarfto address the camera.

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

We have nothing left…..

May God forgive us for starting this hell on earth for the Iraqi people. May God forgive us.

"they hit the houses of civilians"

Iraqis flee American operation

May 13, 2005
By MOHAMMED BARAKAT
The Associated Press


JAZIRAH DESERT, Iraq — On the first day of a major U.S. offensive, two shells landed in Um Mazin's house. Grabbing what she could, she fled with four other women and 21 children. They are now all sheltering in a single flimsy tent, braving sandstorms in the desert — one of scores of families who have fled the roar of fighter jets, shattering gunfire and artillery barrages near the Syrian border.

"We ran away from the American bombings," said Um Mazin, as the wind picked up, sending sand swirling around her. "The Americans do not hit the gunmen, they hit the houses of civilians."

Yes, those big bombs are not too discriminating. And when "they" (Bush & company & their media partners) claim 100 insurgents are killed, they are just blowing smoke up your ass. They don't know how many were killed (they are mainly under a big pile of rubble) and they don't know how many of the dead are insurgents or civilians. They don't even know how to tell them apart. Claiming that their are foriegn fighters there is more smoke.


Story:
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050513/NEWS/505130322/1024/NEWS04

Another Iraqi child in need of help

There is another organization that is trying to help an Iraqi child injured in this war.
The story is here:

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/11582781.htm


Caught in the CrossfireUncle of severely burned Iraqi girl seeks help
By Jennifer L. Boen
jboen@news-sentinel.com

Fort Wayne resident Haider Al-jayashy carries a picture of his niece Wagdan Natham Al-jayashy with him most everywhere he goes. But he doesn't have to look at it to be reminded of the little girl's severe burns. He also knows the wounds are forever engraved in Wagdan's mind.

Wagdan was 6 that hot day on April 3, 2003, when she was caught in crossfire between Iraqi insurgents and U.S. military. She was on her way to the outdoor toilets near her home in Samawah City, Iraq, about four hours south of Baghdad.

Donations can be sent to:
Tower Bank
% Wagdan Nathahm Al-Jayashay
116 East Berry St.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46802

I'm enclosing a get well card also. Treatment for burns is very painful, and this child needs all the support she can get. Any extra money will be given to Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, an excellent hospital.

Please join me in making a donation.

HURT

The link below is to a flash presentation, based on the song "HURT" by Johnny Cash. It is well worth watching.


http://www.bushflash.com/y2.html

Four Dead in Ohio

Today is the very sad 35th anniversary of the killing of our own children (four of them) who protested the Vietnam war. The link below is to a song by Supaclean called "OHIO". It is about the Iraq war.



http://www.15megsoffame.com/artist/736/Supaclean/song/1459/Ohio

"major combat operations are over"

That statement was made by Mr. Bush over two years ago.

I agree with Raed Jarrar (Raed in the Middle blog):

major combat operations have not started yet.

Mission Accomplished, 2 years ago!

From the internet:

"I was appointed by LTG John R. Vines, Commander, Multi-National Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) on 8 March 2005 to investigate, per U.S. Army Regulation 15-6 (Annex 1B), all the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident at a Traffic Control Point (TCP) in Baghdad, Iraq on 4 March 2005 that resulted in the death of Mr. Nicola Calipari and the wounding of Ms. Giuliana Sgrena and Mr. Andrea Carpani."

Yes, that is the first line of the report issued by US authorities on this incident. Further on in the report are these facts:

"1. (U) Iraq. From July 2004 to late March 2005, there were 15,257 attacks against Coalition Forces throughout Iraq. The U.S. considers all of Iraq a combat zone. (Annex 8E).
2. (U) Baghdad. Baghdad is a city of six million people and is home to a large number of suspected insurgents and terrorists operating both in the city and its environs.
(S//NF) From 1 November 2004 to 12 March 2005 there were a total of 3306 attacks in the Baghdad area. Of these, 2400 were directed against Coalition Forces. (Annex 8E)"

And further on:

"The number of IED detonations from 15 June 2003 through 4 March 2005 (the date of the incident), has steadily increased. Although the effectiveness of those detonations has decreased over that timeframe, the overall average number of casualties during that period is nearly one per IED detonation. (Annex 4E)."

And:

"(S//NF) The week of the incident saw 166 IED incidents, with 131 detonations and 35 IEDs rendered safe. There were 82 casualties from those incidents. (Annex 4E)."

I'd say that Iraq is very much still at war. And most of the violence is directed towards American and coalition forces. The corporate media would leave you with the impression that most violence is directed towards other Iraqis, which is not true. It is true that the Iraqi people are suffering greatly, and dying in large numbers.

We really don't know how many are killed by insurgent activity and how much by American and coalition actions.

We do know that Mr. Calipari was killed by US forces. And probably tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. And we are far from done. May God forgive us for this insanity.

The full report can be seen here: http://213.160.111.174/unclassified.htm