What War Brings: the series and the ending

What War Brings: the series and the ending

Summary post

In this series, I have covered the nature of war and its effect on the civilians caught in the crossfire, and its effect on the human condition. There were a few things I did not cover – like home invasions, current health problems that civilians are dealing with and suffering from. There are likely others that I do not know about.

This was inspired by a Daily Kos diary “We march on a road of bones”. It highlights the utter futility of war from a national and military perspective. After reading that, I decided I wanted to highlight various aspects of what war brings to those people who are non-combatants who happen to live in the places we make war and occupation on. I posted many diaries on many topics, and I failed to truly cover each and every one of them. But I did leave some information behind on what the civilians of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are facing every day.

Certain things, once broken, can never be fixed again. The US public has ignored the horror that has been inflicted on the Iraqi and Afghan and Pakistan people by US troops and Special Forces and US “contractors” who were busting down doors of ordinary homes, killing civilians who got caught in the crossfire, destroying the environment, and destroy the very fabric of the culture of the country. For many of the victims and many of the combatants, it has destroyed their own moral and cultural fabric beyond repair. It has ripped Iraq apart, with the vicious onslaught of a civil war in the middle of the country, another horrific outcome of the US occupation.

On top of that, the fact that we are occupying or bombing these countries inspires other violent actors to come onto the scene, resulting in even more death and devastation of the civilian population. At many points of time in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was other combatants who were causing the most civilian deaths, not the US military. This is true of Pakistan also, even though our drone bombings have killed hundreds of civilians. We are still responsible for those deaths, those injuries, and the negative impact on ordinary people’s lives.

Americans know precious little of what has happened to the people of the countries we have bombed and invaded and occupied because it has not shown up on our TV stations. It has always been available on the internet though. By remaining ignorant, Americans have surrendered their humanity. And the majority of American politicians, as far as I can tell, just don’t give a shit.

Powell, after announcing his endorsement of Obama, said this to reporters outside: “And so, my concern was not my past or what happened in Iraq, but where we're going in the future. My sole concern was where are we going after January 20 of 2009, not what happened in 2003.” I think that is pretty blatant, and shows how little he cares. And the lack of action on prosecuting the prior administration for their crimes really shows their overall lack of concern. Oh, that and the fact that they are making no effort to help them. It’s mostly all talk.

NOT ONE MORE LIFE, NOT ONE MORE DIME, NOT ONE MORE LIE.

As Nancy Lessin (founder of Military Families Speak Out) said: “Racism plus dehumanization equals horror.”

This is what we need now:

• immediate withdrawal of US troop and contractors

• take care of our troops when they get home

• reparations to the Iraqi people so that they can rebuild their country ON THEIR OWN TERMS

The above is a summary of the demands of IVAW. This applies to Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as Iraq.

Here is a list of all the posts on WHAT WAR BRINGS.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: civilian deaths by US air bombings.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: civilian casualties from left over ordinance.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: sectarian strife, which results in violence, chaos and death.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: civilian deaths from crossfire.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the silence of children.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: brain drain on a massive scale.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: tens of thousands of disappeared and unending agony for their families.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the destruction and murder of Ali’s family.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the detention and torture of children.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: a deep sense of injustice among the people who live there.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: bombs going off in civilian neighborhoods.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: imprisoning journalists without charges.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: kidnapping of journalists.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the killing of journalists.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: corruption.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the destruction of health care.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: ongoing war crimes.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: confronting your family’s killers in court.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: creation of mass graves.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: weapons ending up in ‘enemy’ hands.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: kidnappings.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the killing of nonviolent protesters.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: shattered families.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: torture.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: US troops shooting up civilians.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: vast increases in poverty and homelessness.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: human rights abuses.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the destruction of culture.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: long term occupations, and all the horrors that it brings.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: homicide by torture.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the destruction of Ali’s family.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: drug addiction.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: mercenaries.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: the dumping of dead bodies on the public streets.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: rape and sexual torture.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: lack of electricity and clean water.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: combatants storming hospitals.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: suicides.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: neighbors and friend turning on each other in violence.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: vicious, horrific injuries to civilians.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: children forced to be militants.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: destruction of educational systems. (Jury is still out on Afghanistan.)

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: severe trauma to children.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: orphans.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: widows and abandoned elderly.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: violence and oppression to minority religious groups.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: violence and oppression to gays.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: death squads.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: drone bombings that kill civilians.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: deterioration of women’s rights.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: severe destruction of the environment.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: unending imprisonment and disregard for the rule of law.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: internally displaced people.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: refugees fleeing to foreign countries.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: unending grief.

If you support the continued occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the bombing of Pakistan, then you support WHAT WAR BRINGS: lies, lies, lies and MORE LIES.

To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole. – Robert Jackson, Chief American prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials

And to those who think we should keep doing what we have been doing in Afghanistan and Pakistan, those who support this, I just want to say one thing: If al Qaeda or the Taliban infiltrate the Pakistani military and secret service to the point that they get their hands on a nuclear bomb or materials, and they then proceed to use it – all that blood, all that death, all the human misery, will be on YOUR hands.

+++++++++++++++++++++

The after effects of war on civilians in Ukraine

These after-effects show up in this talent contest in 2009. A young woman does a sand ‘painting’ about the Second World War, and brings the entire country to tears. And a commenter on the blog A Tiny Revolution says

“Ukraine lost one in four of its population during the Second World War, the largest losses of any country and about 20% of the total deaths. Ah, so that's what it takes for a nation to truly appreciate the horrors of war, to the point where masses of people can be moved to tears by a sand painting. A generation from now, on "Iraq's got talent", will we witness a moving sand-animation portrayal of the horrors of the American occupation? They certainly don't lack for sand.”

Here is the You Tube video of the sand painting.

Iraqis are sickened by cancer at very high rates

The poisonous legacy of our bombings of Iraq – and is being repeated in Afghanistan and Pakistan.