Faiza is in Baghdad (reportedly) and she said she will go and talk with the Interior Minister about Khalid's detention. Today, I read this on the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.
07/16/05 M&C: Iraq foils assassination attempt
An independent Iraqi newspaper Saturday said Iraq`s Interior Minister Bayan Soulagh escaped an assassination attempt. The attacker, dressed in an Iraqi police uniform, had sneaked into the Convention Center, located in the high security Green Zone.
What a horrible, horrible mess the Bush administration has created.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Faiza goes to Baghdad
Faiza has gone to Baghdad to try to talk to the Interior Minister about Khalid's being in the jail of the secret police (under the CIA, apparently). She asks for our prayers.
I think this is going to turn out okay, once the authorities (is that what they are? I don't know.) figure out that Khalid and his family is against all violence.
I think this is going to turn out okay, once the authorities (is that what they are? I don't know.) figure out that Khalid and his family is against all violence.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Silence speaks volumes and Khalid is detained
Today, the British people observed a couple of minutes of silence in memory of the victims of last weeks' terrorist bombings. I am very impressed that the whole country took part in this display of solidarity in the face of fear and violence. It shows amazing strength. In the Quaker faith, the silence of the meeting is where we connect with the voice and messages of God. May they find comfort in their faith. Their silence spoke volumes about faith and goodness.
And today, I got the awful news that Khalid Jarrar has gone missing. His brother reports that he was detained by the Mukhabarat, a secret service agency run in Iraq by the CIA. Per Raed Jarrar, this was the best outcome they could have hoped for: other alternatives were much more gruesome. I cannot imagine what they detained Khalid for, but Raed says it has to do with his writings or his blog. I met up with Khalid's mother last month in Washington, DC. Her blog is called "A Family in Baghdad". Most of the family is now in Amman, since Baghdad is so dangerous. Khalid went back to Baghdad because the family home was broken into - and his hard drive on his computer stolen. It looks like the Mukhabarat took it.
I have not heard much on the Mukhabarat, but I found this article today:
Amidst Doubts, CIA Hangs on to Control of Iraqi Intelligence Service By Hannah Allam and Warren P. Strobel Knight Ridder May 8, 2005 The CIA has so far refused to hand over control of Iraq's intelligence service to the newly elected Iraqi government in a turf war that exposes serious doubts the Bush administration has over the ability of Iraqi leaders to fight the insurgency and worries about the new government's close ties to Iran. The director of Iraq's secret police, a general who took part in a failed coup attempt against Saddam Hussein, was handpicked and funded by the U.S. government, and he still reports directly to the CIA, Iraqi politicians and intelligence officials in Baghdad said last week. Immediately after the elections in January, several Iraqi officials said, U.S. forces stashed the sensitive national intelligence archives of the past year inside American headquarters in Baghdad in order to keep them off-limits to the new government.
The full article is here was on the Iraq Coalition Casualties page.
I am hopeful that this will turn out okay, but I cannot imagine what the CIA is doing with Khalid or his computer or his blog. I sure hope they are reading my blog... and all my emails. Maybe they will learn something.
And today, I got the awful news that Khalid Jarrar has gone missing. His brother reports that he was detained by the Mukhabarat, a secret service agency run in Iraq by the CIA. Per Raed Jarrar, this was the best outcome they could have hoped for: other alternatives were much more gruesome. I cannot imagine what they detained Khalid for, but Raed says it has to do with his writings or his blog. I met up with Khalid's mother last month in Washington, DC. Her blog is called "A Family in Baghdad". Most of the family is now in Amman, since Baghdad is so dangerous. Khalid went back to Baghdad because the family home was broken into - and his hard drive on his computer stolen. It looks like the Mukhabarat took it.
I have not heard much on the Mukhabarat, but I found this article today:
Amidst Doubts, CIA Hangs on to Control of Iraqi Intelligence Service By Hannah Allam and Warren P. Strobel Knight Ridder May 8, 2005 The CIA has so far refused to hand over control of Iraq's intelligence service to the newly elected Iraqi government in a turf war that exposes serious doubts the Bush administration has over the ability of Iraqi leaders to fight the insurgency and worries about the new government's close ties to Iran. The director of Iraq's secret police, a general who took part in a failed coup attempt against Saddam Hussein, was handpicked and funded by the U.S. government, and he still reports directly to the CIA, Iraqi politicians and intelligence officials in Baghdad said last week. Immediately after the elections in January, several Iraqi officials said, U.S. forces stashed the sensitive national intelligence archives of the past year inside American headquarters in Baghdad in order to keep them off-limits to the new government.
The full article is here was on the Iraq Coalition Casualties page.
I am hopeful that this will turn out okay, but I cannot imagine what the CIA is doing with Khalid or his computer or his blog. I sure hope they are reading my blog... and all my emails. Maybe they will learn something.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Another "key operative" of Zarqawi caught!
He sure does have a lot of "aides" and "operatives" in his staff.
And one has to wonder when our US media is going to learn anything. Someone in the Canadian press got it though: Haroon Siddiqui wrote an article for the Toronto Star titled "Bush's war on terror is a colossal failure". Not only is it (will be proved to be) a failure, it is highly immoral, illegal and oh-so-breathtakingly-stupid.
I heard a great song today by Pete Seeger titled "garbage". Here's one verse:
"Getting home and taking off his shoes he settles with the evening news
While the kids do homework with the TV in one ear
While Superman for thousandth's time sell talking dolls and conquers crime
(They) dutifully learn the date of birth of Paul Revere
In the paper there's a piece about the mayor's middle name
(And) he gets it done in time to watch the all-star bingo game
Oh, Garbage
We're filling up our minds with garbage
What will we do when there's nothing left to read
And there's nothing left to need, there's nothing left to watch, there's nothing left to touch, there's nothing left to walk upon and nothing left to ponder on, nothing left to see and nothing left to be - but garbage"
Well, that about sums up the state of corporate TV news in the USA.
And one has to wonder when our US media is going to learn anything. Someone in the Canadian press got it though: Haroon Siddiqui wrote an article for the Toronto Star titled "Bush's war on terror is a colossal failure". Not only is it (will be proved to be) a failure, it is highly immoral, illegal and oh-so-breathtakingly-stupid.
I heard a great song today by Pete Seeger titled "garbage". Here's one verse:
"Getting home and taking off his shoes he settles with the evening news
While the kids do homework with the TV in one ear
While Superman for thousandth's time sell talking dolls and conquers crime
(They) dutifully learn the date of birth of Paul Revere
In the paper there's a piece about the mayor's middle name
(And) he gets it done in time to watch the all-star bingo game
Oh, Garbage
We're filling up our minds with garbage
What will we do when there's nothing left to read
And there's nothing left to need, there's nothing left to watch, there's nothing left to touch, there's nothing left to walk upon and nothing left to ponder on, nothing left to see and nothing left to be - but garbage"
Well, that about sums up the state of corporate TV news in the USA.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Summertime Rain and Christine Kane
Tonight, I decided to take a break from work and activism and go see Christine Kane in concert. I was hoping she would sing "I'm a Southern Girl Now" but she didn't. She is terrific to listen to, and she is a great performer. She also writes great stuff, and the lyrics to the last song she sang is printed below. She addressed this song to a local environmental group, after someone said to her that they wonder what good they are doing with their activism. They are not seeing results. Of course, those of us in the Peace Movement feel the same way a good deal of the time.
When we left, the heavens opened up and lots of rain (from Hurricane Dennis) came down. Some beautiful lightening in the distance. Big puddles everywhere, the air smelling sweet and soft, and the rain and air so warm that it does not matter that one gets all wet. The wonderful gift of rain and summertime warmth was with me tonight. I love a rainy night.
Tonight, I passed up going to a town hall meeting with US Representative Charles Taylor (R- NC). It turns out I missed something. I just heard that he said "we have got to go and fight for the oil" and they got it on video! I wish I had taken my Iraqi Civilian Casualties display boards down there and then confronted him with the "fight for oil" in the face of the deaths of so many innocents. I am hoping they can get this video clip on the web soon. I will post a link if they can.
The last song Christine Kane did was called "The Good You Do" and here are the lyrics:
You say that in times like these
You're driven down to your knees
Looking around grieving what peace there was
You promised yourself you would
Work for a world of good
Look at you now, wondering what good it does
No lost hope, no violent point of view
Can erase all of the good you do
There's nothing as dark as night
But nothing so strong as light
Here is the choice: to let it burn out or bright
In a world where the fear and force
Have buried the silent source
Can you deny the need for a light like yours?
No fast pace, no jaded attitude
Can erase all of the good you do
If someone has left his wrath
On everything in his path
Taking the wealth and leaving his trash behind
Will you be peace or pride?
Can you at last decide?
There's no one to fight - we are the same inside
So go home and get some rest
There's many more miles and tests
All about love - what if it comes to be all that we have left?
No dark place, no debt, and no abuse
Can erase all of the good you do
(You can look Christine Kane up on the web and listen to her songs. Let's hope all the work we do has a great deal of good coming from them and brings good into our hearts and lives. Thank you Christine for such a lovely song. The Quakers believe there is the light of God in all people, and that we can connect more deeply with God by meeting for silent worship. In silence, we can hear the essence of God's light speak to us in our lives and in the world. We regularly strive to stay connected to the silent source of God. Do not let fear and violence bury your "silent source".)
When we left, the heavens opened up and lots of rain (from Hurricane Dennis) came down. Some beautiful lightening in the distance. Big puddles everywhere, the air smelling sweet and soft, and the rain and air so warm that it does not matter that one gets all wet. The wonderful gift of rain and summertime warmth was with me tonight. I love a rainy night.
Tonight, I passed up going to a town hall meeting with US Representative Charles Taylor (R- NC). It turns out I missed something. I just heard that he said "we have got to go and fight for the oil" and they got it on video! I wish I had taken my Iraqi Civilian Casualties display boards down there and then confronted him with the "fight for oil" in the face of the deaths of so many innocents. I am hoping they can get this video clip on the web soon. I will post a link if they can.
The last song Christine Kane did was called "The Good You Do" and here are the lyrics:
You say that in times like these
You're driven down to your knees
Looking around grieving what peace there was
You promised yourself you would
Work for a world of good
Look at you now, wondering what good it does
No lost hope, no violent point of view
Can erase all of the good you do
There's nothing as dark as night
But nothing so strong as light
Here is the choice: to let it burn out or bright
In a world where the fear and force
Have buried the silent source
Can you deny the need for a light like yours?
No fast pace, no jaded attitude
Can erase all of the good you do
If someone has left his wrath
On everything in his path
Taking the wealth and leaving his trash behind
Will you be peace or pride?
Can you at last decide?
There's no one to fight - we are the same inside
So go home and get some rest
There's many more miles and tests
All about love - what if it comes to be all that we have left?
No dark place, no debt, and no abuse
Can erase all of the good you do
(You can look Christine Kane up on the web and listen to her songs. Let's hope all the work we do has a great deal of good coming from them and brings good into our hearts and lives. Thank you Christine for such a lovely song. The Quakers believe there is the light of God in all people, and that we can connect more deeply with God by meeting for silent worship. In silence, we can hear the essence of God's light speak to us in our lives and in the world. We regularly strive to stay connected to the silent source of God. Do not let fear and violence bury your "silent source".)
Friday, July 08, 2005
Bombs on Thursday
On Thursday, there were 21 people killed in Iraq from mortars, bombs, bullets. This is from Iraq Coalition Casualties site, and I doubt it is a complete listing of all press articles about Iraq. I doubt that all the violence in Iraq makes it into the press.
And on Thursday, over 50 people were killed by bombs in London's subway and a bus.
Last week, we know that US bombs killed 17 civilians in Afghanistan.
I would say we are not winning our *war* on terror here. I would say it is getting worse. Violence begets violence, as always. It does seem to me that if war solved problems, we would have solved a few by now. Instead, it seems war leads to severe problems for civilians and lays the conditions for the next war.
Also, when I woke up on Thursday, I thought I heard NPR say that there were six bombings in London. Today I learned there were four bombs that went off and two found unexploded. This has struck me as very odd. Why were they reporting six bombs having gone off, when it was only four? How long did it take to find the unexploded bombs? Who found them? I sure hope they find whoever did this horrible crime.
And I hope they find out who had done all the bombings in Iraq (well, we know who dropped the air bombs already) and bring them to justice.
My heart goes out to all the innocent victims of violence.
Peace.
And on Thursday, over 50 people were killed by bombs in London's subway and a bus.
Last week, we know that US bombs killed 17 civilians in Afghanistan.
I would say we are not winning our *war* on terror here. I would say it is getting worse. Violence begets violence, as always. It does seem to me that if war solved problems, we would have solved a few by now. Instead, it seems war leads to severe problems for civilians and lays the conditions for the next war.
Also, when I woke up on Thursday, I thought I heard NPR say that there were six bombings in London. Today I learned there were four bombs that went off and two found unexploded. This has struck me as very odd. Why were they reporting six bombs having gone off, when it was only four? How long did it take to find the unexploded bombs? Who found them? I sure hope they find whoever did this horrible crime.
And I hope they find out who had done all the bombings in Iraq (well, we know who dropped the air bombs already) and bring them to justice.
My heart goes out to all the innocent victims of violence.
Peace.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Judith Miller goes to jail for the wrong reasons!
Time for a party. Judith Miller went to jail for the wrong reasons, so to celebrate that, I am having a party on Saturday, July 9, at 6 PM. We can all sit around and talk about why Judith Miller should have been sent to jail instead of why she was sent to jail. I hope being in jail gives her time to think about all the people who are suffering in Iraq because of her war-mongering, but I doubt she will give it any thought.
Current History of Iraq
Below is a link to a website that has a list of the acts of violence in Iraq for the last two years (since Mr. Bush said "Bring 'em on!") Please take a look at it: http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 01, 2005
Visiting Senator's offices again
Today, I joined up with a women named Laura, who I met at the UFPJ meeting. She was from Texas, so we were going to go and visit her Senators, and stop in at Senator Reid's office and Senator Lautenberg's office. We went into the Russell Senate Office Building, and we were stopped because of my display boards. The officer there said we had to go to Special Events and get a special permit to get in. Since it was lunch time, and we had no appointments to talk to any Senators, I felt that this was going nowhere.
Odd, since I got in okay just two days before. Today, they were telling me that this was a protest. I tried to tell them it was just information. I did have on a tee shirt that said "Democracy is best taught by example, not by war" and I guess that could be considered a protest shirt.
I am now in Front Royal at a cafe. I am headed to the mountains and back to sweet home Asheville.
Odd, since I got in okay just two days before. Today, they were telling me that this was a protest. I tried to tell them it was just information. I did have on a tee shirt that said "Democracy is best taught by example, not by war" and I guess that could be considered a protest shirt.
I am now in Front Royal at a cafe. I am headed to the mountains and back to sweet home Asheville.
Meeting with UFPJ
Today, United for Peace with Justice had an organizational meeting. I have to admit I went brain-dead after five hours of the meeting, but it was very exciting to see and meet and talk to so many people who are involved in the peace movement here in the USA. There were four people from North Carolina, so that was really cool. One was a women that none of us knew, but the other three women did know each other from prior political/peace work.
There were 34 people present at this meeting, but a few more came in later. Some of the groups represented were PDA, DowningStreetMemo, Tax Resistors, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Code Pink, 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Historians against the War, WNC Peace Coalition, and probably a few more that I missed. There was talk about stopping the funding for the war, the Out of Iraq Caucus, the Abercreombie-Jones bill, the Iraq Policy Working Group (by EPIC, funded by FCNL and others), the Downing Street Memo, and talk about legislative goals. There was also talk on opening an office for UFPJ in the DC area.
Bill Goold came and spoke to the group and also stayed to listen to what we were talking about and what goals and plans we were making. Bill is working with the Progressive Caucus, and I think he is a lobbyist for them, but I'm not totally clear on that.
There was a lot of talk on the upcoming events in September to be held here in DC. This is a huge undertaking, and a lot of logistics work will have to be done by the DC folks to make this happen. There will be a march on Washington on September 24th to end the war on Iraq. There will be an interfaith service and grassroots training on September 25th for all the peace activists. And there will be a day of visiting congress members on September 26th to educate them about war and peace issues. That last one is on a Monday, so this will be a full weekend. There is more information at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
Some other goals proposed by this group:
*get all eight Downing Street Memos out to legislative aids
*establish a working relationship with the Out Of Iraq Caucus
*identify which congressional districts to target for lobbying and education
*organize legislation alerts network
*develop material for handouts on the congressional visits on Sept 26th.
The above is just a brief summary, but more information will be forthcoming. I hope you will consider going to DC in September to support this effort.
There were 34 people present at this meeting, but a few more came in later. Some of the groups represented were PDA, DowningStreetMemo, Tax Resistors, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Code Pink, 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Historians against the War, WNC Peace Coalition, and probably a few more that I missed. There was talk about stopping the funding for the war, the Out of Iraq Caucus, the Abercreombie-Jones bill, the Iraq Policy Working Group (by EPIC, funded by FCNL and others), the Downing Street Memo, and talk about legislative goals. There was also talk on opening an office for UFPJ in the DC area.
Bill Goold came and spoke to the group and also stayed to listen to what we were talking about and what goals and plans we were making. Bill is working with the Progressive Caucus, and I think he is a lobbyist for them, but I'm not totally clear on that.
There was a lot of talk on the upcoming events in September to be held here in DC. This is a huge undertaking, and a lot of logistics work will have to be done by the DC folks to make this happen. There will be a march on Washington on September 24th to end the war on Iraq. There will be an interfaith service and grassroots training on September 25th for all the peace activists. And there will be a day of visiting congress members on September 26th to educate them about war and peace issues. That last one is on a Monday, so this will be a full weekend. There is more information at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
Some other goals proposed by this group:
*get all eight Downing Street Memos out to legislative aids
*establish a working relationship with the Out Of Iraq Caucus
*identify which congressional districts to target for lobbying and education
*organize legislation alerts network
*develop material for handouts on the congressional visits on Sept 26th.
The above is just a brief summary, but more information will be forthcoming. I hope you will consider going to DC in September to support this effort.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Visiting Congressional offices
Visiting Congressional offices
This day started with meeting for worship at the Wm. Penn House. I not only wanted to be grounded for today, I had told a few contacts that they should meet me there if they could join me. No one was there to join me, but it was still a nice way to start the day, with silent worship. I started thinking about a story from Iraq at meeting for worship. In September 2004, a US humvee or tank (or something) was hit by an IED. The US troops had left already, but there was a reporter from Al Arabiya on the air, reporting on the attack and the wreckage behind him. While he was on air, US gunships arrived and shot him. His last report, still live on air, was "I'm dying, I'm dying". This was broadcast all over the Middle East.
There was another reporter there, a young man who was an architect in Baghdad before the war, and was now employed by the Guardian newspaper of London. He was taking pictures of the scene, and he wrote up a long report on what happened there. The US gunships came back several times to shoot at the people who were in the area, and I think about 9 or 10 people were killed. None of them had anything to do with the original attack. The reasons the US military gave for coming back to shoot at these people changed several times.
But what I was thinking about in meeting for worship was one man in the scene. He was leaning against a small wall, with his leg bent grotesquely out of shape. He was also bleeding, and he was aware of people around him. He showed no signs in the photos or the reporter's story of pain or fear, he was just mainly looking, looking, looking, down the street - like he was waiting for someone to arrive, for someone to come to him. He was aware of the people around him, and the US gunships coming back to fire, but he didn't seem to be too concerned with them. He was just looking.... and waiting to die.
This story, and the pictures that went with it, reminded me so much of some of my experiences while working in an Emergency Room. On occasion, we would have someone come in who would just be looking, looking, looking, for someone or something. They were dying, but they showed no pain or fear, just looking for someone - like they were already nearby, only the rest of us could not see them.
I got to thinking that maybe the ones who have died in Iraq are really the fortunate ones, since they are beyond all pain and fear. Maybe it is those of us who are still living who are really in hell.
I took this story with me to the congressional offices, and along with the story of the "Miracle Baby" told to me by Mary Trotochaud (of FCNL), which I also retold to several people I talked with today. My first visit was to Walter Jones's office. Jones is a Congressman from the far eastern county of North Carolina, and he has recently decided that going into Iraq was a mistake. He has joined Kucinich in calling for the start of withdrawal in 2006. I wanted to say to him and his office (and I did get to see him briefly) that he is incorrect when he says that over 1,700 people have died and he cannot see what they died for. That number is only the Americans who have died, there is a record of over 29,000+ Iraqis who have been killed so far in our media outlets. That number is not an accurate count, however. I had no trouble getting my display boards into the building, and all the offices did at least look at the display and talk to me about them.
Jones was in the Cannon building, and I went on to visit two more congressman in the Cannon building from North Carolina. Both were Republican and still support the war in Iraq. One was from the Morganton district and the other from the eastern part of the state. I did not write down their names, unfortunately. I just stopped in their offices as I was walking by since I did not have an appointment with them. Then I visited Congressman Taylor's office. I was supposed to speak to Adam Shepard, but instead spoke to Jill Nelson. I now know that Adam was the legislative assistant and Jill was a correspondent. It would have been better to talk to Adam, but I think they did this switch on purpose. Jill took me to a private room to look at the Iraqi Civilian Casualties Display boards. She did listen and she seemed sympathetic.
I carried the display boards back to my car, and moved my car before I got a ticket. Then, I ate an early lunch, and moved my car again, this time to the Union Station garage. Having a car with you in DC is a hassle and parking somewhere is expensive. Not moving it every two hours gets you an even more expensive ticket.
When I walked into the Cannon building, I was approached by Senator Reid's (NV) congressional aide. I am not sure I am spelling his name correctly, but he told me that Reid was the minority leader of the Senate. He really liked the display boards, and asked me to bring them to his office, but I did not have time for that one.
I then carried the display boards to Senator Byrd's office. He is the longest serving member of the Senate, and I wanted to thank him for his antiwar stance. I was supposed to see one of his congressional aides, but somehow that did not work out. I went from there to visit Senator Lautenberg's office. They have a display of the fallen Americans outside their office. I just stopped in this office because I had not made an appointment. They were very impressed with my display boards and wanted their press people to see them, but the press people were in a meeting. I told them how they could make such boards. I then went on to visit Senator Dole's office, and the young staff there were very interested in the display boards and seemed rather impressed. I dropped off some literature for her congressional aide. After this, I was waiting in a hallway for some time to pass, since I needed a break. An older gentleman and two young men stopped to look at the display and asked me questions about them. One of the young men asked me if insurgents were on the boards, and I said no because they would be combatants, not civilians.
I stopped in Senator Leahy's office and talked to them about Marla Ruzicka and her work. I also stopped in the two Ohio Senator's office and handed them a poem written by my niece in Ohio. She is 14 years old and wrote a poem two years ago about how the war was over, but that hate and fear live on. These Senators were Dewine and Voinovich. I stopped in Senator Kerry's office to leave a note saying that the military recruitment problem would be much better if the Kerry, Edwards, Bush and Cheney kids all enlisted.
I stopped by Senator Graham's office to give him a letter I had written about the horrible practice of extraordinary rendition. At 4:00 PM, I had an appointment with Senator Burr's office to speak with D'Ann Grady. I was a bit early, and as I was sitting there, I found out there was a closed Armed Services Committee meeting across the hall. I saw McCain, Graham, and Dole go into this room. The room was not marked, and I wonder if the Democratic Senators were told about the meeting. I have heard stories that they were often not told about committee meetings. I also feel that what happened last week at the public Armed Services Committee meeting was a dog and pony show, and I would bet the real "work" of was done in the closed meeting. I wish I could have gone to that meeting.
I talked with Ms. Grady, and while I was talking to her, a group of three business men showed up and went in to talk to Senator Burr. And so it goes..... if you have money, you get to speak directly to the Senators. If not, you speak to some lowly aide, if you are lucky.
And, as I was leaving, I bumped into Senator Dole in the hallway. I immediately told her I was a constituent of North Carolina, and started talking about the display boards and my concerns for the Iraqi Civilian Casualties. She said she had to run to a meeting and suggested I make a copy and leave it with her office. I told her I could not make a copy because they were too big. It was obvious that she did not care at all about my display boards or have any concerns about the Iraqi people. And so it goes.....
We have got to elect a better class of person to run our country and make our laws.
I plan on coming back to DC in September to again visit my Senators and Representative. This time, I hope there are other people joining up with me on this journey. This will be a part of the United for Peace with Justice campaign on September 24, 25, 26.
I hope you can join me.
This day started with meeting for worship at the Wm. Penn House. I not only wanted to be grounded for today, I had told a few contacts that they should meet me there if they could join me. No one was there to join me, but it was still a nice way to start the day, with silent worship. I started thinking about a story from Iraq at meeting for worship. In September 2004, a US humvee or tank (or something) was hit by an IED. The US troops had left already, but there was a reporter from Al Arabiya on the air, reporting on the attack and the wreckage behind him. While he was on air, US gunships arrived and shot him. His last report, still live on air, was "I'm dying, I'm dying". This was broadcast all over the Middle East.
There was another reporter there, a young man who was an architect in Baghdad before the war, and was now employed by the Guardian newspaper of London. He was taking pictures of the scene, and he wrote up a long report on what happened there. The US gunships came back several times to shoot at the people who were in the area, and I think about 9 or 10 people were killed. None of them had anything to do with the original attack. The reasons the US military gave for coming back to shoot at these people changed several times.
But what I was thinking about in meeting for worship was one man in the scene. He was leaning against a small wall, with his leg bent grotesquely out of shape. He was also bleeding, and he was aware of people around him. He showed no signs in the photos or the reporter's story of pain or fear, he was just mainly looking, looking, looking, down the street - like he was waiting for someone to arrive, for someone to come to him. He was aware of the people around him, and the US gunships coming back to fire, but he didn't seem to be too concerned with them. He was just looking.... and waiting to die.
This story, and the pictures that went with it, reminded me so much of some of my experiences while working in an Emergency Room. On occasion, we would have someone come in who would just be looking, looking, looking, for someone or something. They were dying, but they showed no pain or fear, just looking for someone - like they were already nearby, only the rest of us could not see them.
I got to thinking that maybe the ones who have died in Iraq are really the fortunate ones, since they are beyond all pain and fear. Maybe it is those of us who are still living who are really in hell.
I took this story with me to the congressional offices, and along with the story of the "Miracle Baby" told to me by Mary Trotochaud (of FCNL), which I also retold to several people I talked with today. My first visit was to Walter Jones's office. Jones is a Congressman from the far eastern county of North Carolina, and he has recently decided that going into Iraq was a mistake. He has joined Kucinich in calling for the start of withdrawal in 2006. I wanted to say to him and his office (and I did get to see him briefly) that he is incorrect when he says that over 1,700 people have died and he cannot see what they died for. That number is only the Americans who have died, there is a record of over 29,000+ Iraqis who have been killed so far in our media outlets. That number is not an accurate count, however. I had no trouble getting my display boards into the building, and all the offices did at least look at the display and talk to me about them.
Jones was in the Cannon building, and I went on to visit two more congressman in the Cannon building from North Carolina. Both were Republican and still support the war in Iraq. One was from the Morganton district and the other from the eastern part of the state. I did not write down their names, unfortunately. I just stopped in their offices as I was walking by since I did not have an appointment with them. Then I visited Congressman Taylor's office. I was supposed to speak to Adam Shepard, but instead spoke to Jill Nelson. I now know that Adam was the legislative assistant and Jill was a correspondent. It would have been better to talk to Adam, but I think they did this switch on purpose. Jill took me to a private room to look at the Iraqi Civilian Casualties Display boards. She did listen and she seemed sympathetic.
I carried the display boards back to my car, and moved my car before I got a ticket. Then, I ate an early lunch, and moved my car again, this time to the Union Station garage. Having a car with you in DC is a hassle and parking somewhere is expensive. Not moving it every two hours gets you an even more expensive ticket.
When I walked into the Cannon building, I was approached by Senator Reid's (NV) congressional aide. I am not sure I am spelling his name correctly, but he told me that Reid was the minority leader of the Senate. He really liked the display boards, and asked me to bring them to his office, but I did not have time for that one.
I then carried the display boards to Senator Byrd's office. He is the longest serving member of the Senate, and I wanted to thank him for his antiwar stance. I was supposed to see one of his congressional aides, but somehow that did not work out. I went from there to visit Senator Lautenberg's office. They have a display of the fallen Americans outside their office. I just stopped in this office because I had not made an appointment. They were very impressed with my display boards and wanted their press people to see them, but the press people were in a meeting. I told them how they could make such boards. I then went on to visit Senator Dole's office, and the young staff there were very interested in the display boards and seemed rather impressed. I dropped off some literature for her congressional aide. After this, I was waiting in a hallway for some time to pass, since I needed a break. An older gentleman and two young men stopped to look at the display and asked me questions about them. One of the young men asked me if insurgents were on the boards, and I said no because they would be combatants, not civilians.
I stopped in Senator Leahy's office and talked to them about Marla Ruzicka and her work. I also stopped in the two Ohio Senator's office and handed them a poem written by my niece in Ohio. She is 14 years old and wrote a poem two years ago about how the war was over, but that hate and fear live on. These Senators were Dewine and Voinovich. I stopped in Senator Kerry's office to leave a note saying that the military recruitment problem would be much better if the Kerry, Edwards, Bush and Cheney kids all enlisted.
I stopped by Senator Graham's office to give him a letter I had written about the horrible practice of extraordinary rendition. At 4:00 PM, I had an appointment with Senator Burr's office to speak with D'Ann Grady. I was a bit early, and as I was sitting there, I found out there was a closed Armed Services Committee meeting across the hall. I saw McCain, Graham, and Dole go into this room. The room was not marked, and I wonder if the Democratic Senators were told about the meeting. I have heard stories that they were often not told about committee meetings. I also feel that what happened last week at the public Armed Services Committee meeting was a dog and pony show, and I would bet the real "work" of was done in the closed meeting. I wish I could have gone to that meeting.
I talked with Ms. Grady, and while I was talking to her, a group of three business men showed up and went in to talk to Senator Burr. And so it goes..... if you have money, you get to speak directly to the Senators. If not, you speak to some lowly aide, if you are lucky.
And, as I was leaving, I bumped into Senator Dole in the hallway. I immediately told her I was a constituent of North Carolina, and started talking about the display boards and my concerns for the Iraqi Civilian Casualties. She said she had to run to a meeting and suggested I make a copy and leave it with her office. I told her I could not make a copy because they were too big. It was obvious that she did not care at all about my display boards or have any concerns about the Iraqi people. And so it goes.....
We have got to elect a better class of person to run our country and make our laws.
I plan on coming back to DC in September to again visit my Senators and Representative. This time, I hope there are other people joining up with me on this journey. This will be a part of the United for Peace with Justice campaign on September 24, 25, 26.
I hope you can join me.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Real People???
I spent the weekend camping out at Gooney Creek, near Front Royal, VA. I told the lady who runs the campground about the great service I got at one local restaurant and the terrible service I got at another local restaurant. She asked me if the restaurant was run by real people or by Chinese or Vietnamese people.
Sometimes, I wonder just how truly stupid Americans are.
Today was not successful - no one was at the AFSC when I went there today, and neither Getler or Milbank was at the Washington Post when I showed up there with my display boards. But Cindy Sheehan is going to meet me at Rep. Jones office on Wednesday, and I hope she will stick with me for the rest of the day. Cindy's son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in April 2004. Cindy is now a powerful voice for peace. She knows the terrible true cost of this war.
I finished reading "A Distant Mirror" by Barbara Truchan, which I don't really recommend. It is a long, sad tale of the 14th century and the stupidity of man. But here are some quotes from the book:
"Neither party could know that they were opening a war that would outlast both of them, that would develop a life of it's own, defying parleys and truces and treaties designed to stop it, that would drag on into their son's lives and the lives of their grandsons and great grandsons and great great grandsons to the fifth generation, that would bring havoc to both sides and become, as it's damage spread through Europe, the final torment of the Middle Ages."
"As the era of the sword was ending, that of firearms began, in time to allow no lapse in man's belligerent capacity."
"...... force, once employed, quickly became rapine, difficult to restrain."
And in all the history of the world, weapons once designed and produced, were always utilized. So far, only on two occasions has nuclear weapons been used, but the weapons are still present and ready to be used by many nations. This does not bode well for the future of the world.
Sometimes, I wonder just how truly stupid Americans are.
Today was not successful - no one was at the AFSC when I went there today, and neither Getler or Milbank was at the Washington Post when I showed up there with my display boards. But Cindy Sheehan is going to meet me at Rep. Jones office on Wednesday, and I hope she will stick with me for the rest of the day. Cindy's son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in April 2004. Cindy is now a powerful voice for peace. She knows the terrible true cost of this war.
I finished reading "A Distant Mirror" by Barbara Truchan, which I don't really recommend. It is a long, sad tale of the 14th century and the stupidity of man. But here are some quotes from the book:
"Neither party could know that they were opening a war that would outlast both of them, that would develop a life of it's own, defying parleys and truces and treaties designed to stop it, that would drag on into their son's lives and the lives of their grandsons and great grandsons and great great grandsons to the fifth generation, that would bring havoc to both sides and become, as it's damage spread through Europe, the final torment of the Middle Ages."
"As the era of the sword was ending, that of firearms began, in time to allow no lapse in man's belligerent capacity."
"...... force, once employed, quickly became rapine, difficult to restrain."
And in all the history of the world, weapons once designed and produced, were always utilized. So far, only on two occasions has nuclear weapons been used, but the weapons are still present and ready to be used by many nations. This does not bode well for the future of the world.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Dog and Pony Show at the US Senate
6/23/05
Today, I went and sat in on most of the Armed Services Committee meeting. Answering questions were Gen Myers, Rumsfeld, Gen Casey, and Gen Abizaid.
Casey said the insurgents will be defeated when they see the political process as more viable. He seems to indicate that this needs a political, not a military solution. Abizaid said he sees the political process as a solution.
Levine pointed out that not meeting timetables will have negative repercussions on our troops. Levine suggests that we have some repercussions lined up for Iraqis not getting things done! (Yes, he does think the Iraqis should do "democracy" on our time schedule!) I stopped by Levine's office later in the day and pointed out the discrepancy in his remarks.
Rumsfeld said that "I do know what I think" and he sees the importance of progress on the political side. He says the insurgents realize that they will lose if democracy is established. He does not elaborate on how this can be "democracy" if we are telling them what to do.
McCain said that the worst thing we can do is set a timetable for withdrawal.
Casey says the number of attacks are the same as a year ago, against civilians and against the military. I certainly don't think this is the whole truth.
McCain asked how many Iraqi troops are ready. Casey replied that we are training Iraqi troops and putting them in charge more and more.
McCain said that he felt the men there in the armed services and Rumsfeld himself gave him confidence and hope. (I made a visit later to McCain's office to say that those people who got us into an optional war for bogus reasons and then totally bunged the aftermath do not inspire any confidence or hope in me!)
Edwards piled it on. He said we have a responsibility to get it correct, and then said we are in serious trouble with no end in sight. He reminded Rumsfeld of WMD claims and threats of Saddam's regime. He reminded him of the "stuff happens" and "you go to war with the military you have".
Rumsfeld said he didn't think there would be a guerilla war, and Edwards asked him what do you call a "suicide bomber" and then he asked him to resign. Rumsfeld said that he offered to resign twice to Bush, but Bush turned him down.
Both Rumsfeld and Casey said that Iraq is not a quagmire.
Reed mentioned a credibility gap and "erosion of trust".
Sessions claimed that all the troops involved in torture or abuse were prosecuted, and that there is no systematic abuse, and then said the fake Newsweek story is total cause of the riots and deaths in Pakistan. (Obviously, he is clueless.)
One of the generals claimed that terrorists want chemical and biological and nuclear weapons and that they will use them against us. He further stated that our enemies want people to believe that we don't respect them and that we are there to steal their resources. (Funny, but when they start going on like this, I start thinking they are really talking about themselves. That means the US military wants these weapons to use against people who they think are there to steal "our" resources - a big problem, of course, is that "our" resources are not located inside our country.)
Clinton talked about the "tone" in the Senate and in the nation.
Graham said the only way we can lose in Iraq is to leave too soon and leave the country in shambles. He said "losing is leaving before the job is done." He notes that the public is losing support for this war. In a list of what "freedom and democracy" should look like, he made comment about "mothers (should) have a say about their children". So, I stopped into his office later in the day and left copies of two news articles - one about a 10 year old who was killed in a roadside bomb and one about a 10 year old shot by US troops. I said I wanted to know what the US has done to show it's sorrow for these events and what he thinks these mothers would say about what happened to their children.
Rumsfeld said he doesn't believe in polls (remember that for the update on Iraqi polls later in the day), but he said that leadership needs to lead. (Well, I guess that was what he was saying, I have to admit I really don't know.)
Then he made a comment on how the "terrorists" want to turn it back over to darkness - that is to people who want to behead other people. I sure wish I could ask him about the deference between beheading people and dropping a bomb on them. I would like to know what the difference is for the dead people.
Graham said that the same people who want us to leave Iraq are the same people who wanted us dead on 9/11. I guess he didn't notice that the people who wanted us dead on 9/11 also dead themselves.
Rumsfeld went on to say that 18 terrorists attacked us on 9/11, and as Rumsfeld was leaving I told him there were 19 terrorists that day, not 18.
Bayh asked how do we define success? What are the benchmarks for reaching that goal? When do we decide that the country is "stable enough"? As he was leaving, I stopped him and told him Iraq was stable on March 1, 2003. WE, and only WE, are the ones who destabilized the country.
Collins then spoke and said we should put political pressure on the Iraqis. So, this is what "freedom and democracy" means to Collins: the Iraqis get to do what we tell them to do. I stopped by Collins office later in the day and pointed out the discrepancy. She had much the same orientation as Levine did earlier in the Dog and Pony Show.
Ensign when on to state that what people may say will hurt the troops and he brought up Newsweek's article on the Koran and a Senator's comments about how Guantanamo is like the Nazi camps and the Soviet gulag. I visited Ensign's office after the Dog and Pony Show and told them it is not what people say about the torture, it is what was done and who was NOT held accountable in the chain of command that is the problem.
Byrd commented that Rumsfeld likes to lecture the committee and sneer at them, like no one before him has ever done. He commented that we didn't ask enough questions before the war and that the American people have not heard enough of the truth. Byrd was great, and always has been.
I believe that the military guys passed out their information on Iraq Public Perception of the Iraqi Security Forces at this point. Over all, this looks very positive. I have no idea how they surveyed people who are not able to leave their homes safely. No data was presented on how the survey was done or any margin of error. And I guess the military believes in polls even if Rumsfeld doesn't.
Then they presented data on the Iraqi hotline tips. The number of calls has gone up significantly since ads were done on TV in April 2005. No data presented on whether these tips were useful or not. I suspect it is a great way to get another tribal member or neighbor you don't like in trouble. In spite of the increased number of tips, attacks have gone up considerably, so it appears it is not working all that well.
Dole was one of the last to speak. She commented on the show "Terrorism in the hands of Justice" which is on Iraqi TV. On that show, men who have been beaten up confess to terrorism crimes. There is no trial, no evidence, no judge, no jury - just a confession extracted after torture. She also commented on reconstruction and how the "good news" isn't getting out. (And that's because the death toll keeps going up and up and up.)
I stopped by Dole's office today also and talked to "Chris" who is supposedly her foreign affairs person. He didn't think the US has any responsibility at all for the insurgents bombs that target US troops but killed a 10 year old child. He could not understand that if we had Chinese troops in our country and a US "insurgent" set off a bomb that was directed towards them, then most of the US population would hold the Chinese army responsible for being the cause of this violence.
He thought the US troops shooting a 10 year old child was an unfortunate mistake. I left my articles about these two children with him, and my pictures of how the Iraqi people are grieving. I argued with him on the "Terrorism in the Hands of Justice" show and told him that I would confess to killing my mother if I was tortured (that would be hard to pin on me, since my mother is still alive).
Basically, in the short time I talked to him, I don't think I got anywhere. He believes that the Iraqi people want the US troops there and they are much better off without Saddam. He didn't even believe my statements about mass graves in Iraq. He said he could show me the pictures of the graves. I could show him the pictures also. Best I can figure from articles on the web, about 10-12,000 Iraqis have been uncovered from mass graves. There are still many graves sites not explored, due to the security situation. But to claim that there are 400,000 graves is most likely not accurate. I told him about the 600 mass graves in Fallujah from April 2004, seen in the movie "The Dreams of Sparrows". He said he was familiar with the movie.
And our Senators have a Dog and Pony Show as a sequel to the "Everyone is Responsible For This Mess Except Me" routine, which followed the "How Could We Know He Got Rid of The WMDs?" posturing which came after the "Let's Vote for Optional War! It's Patriotic!" game they played in the fall of 2002.
They are mainly sickening.
Today, I went and sat in on most of the Armed Services Committee meeting. Answering questions were Gen Myers, Rumsfeld, Gen Casey, and Gen Abizaid.
Casey said the insurgents will be defeated when they see the political process as more viable. He seems to indicate that this needs a political, not a military solution. Abizaid said he sees the political process as a solution.
Levine pointed out that not meeting timetables will have negative repercussions on our troops. Levine suggests that we have some repercussions lined up for Iraqis not getting things done! (Yes, he does think the Iraqis should do "democracy" on our time schedule!) I stopped by Levine's office later in the day and pointed out the discrepancy in his remarks.
Rumsfeld said that "I do know what I think" and he sees the importance of progress on the political side. He says the insurgents realize that they will lose if democracy is established. He does not elaborate on how this can be "democracy" if we are telling them what to do.
McCain said that the worst thing we can do is set a timetable for withdrawal.
Casey says the number of attacks are the same as a year ago, against civilians and against the military. I certainly don't think this is the whole truth.
McCain asked how many Iraqi troops are ready. Casey replied that we are training Iraqi troops and putting them in charge more and more.
McCain said that he felt the men there in the armed services and Rumsfeld himself gave him confidence and hope. (I made a visit later to McCain's office to say that those people who got us into an optional war for bogus reasons and then totally bunged the aftermath do not inspire any confidence or hope in me!)
Edwards piled it on. He said we have a responsibility to get it correct, and then said we are in serious trouble with no end in sight. He reminded Rumsfeld of WMD claims and threats of Saddam's regime. He reminded him of the "stuff happens" and "you go to war with the military you have".
Rumsfeld said he didn't think there would be a guerilla war, and Edwards asked him what do you call a "suicide bomber" and then he asked him to resign. Rumsfeld said that he offered to resign twice to Bush, but Bush turned him down.
Both Rumsfeld and Casey said that Iraq is not a quagmire.
Reed mentioned a credibility gap and "erosion of trust".
Sessions claimed that all the troops involved in torture or abuse were prosecuted, and that there is no systematic abuse, and then said the fake Newsweek story is total cause of the riots and deaths in Pakistan. (Obviously, he is clueless.)
One of the generals claimed that terrorists want chemical and biological and nuclear weapons and that they will use them against us. He further stated that our enemies want people to believe that we don't respect them and that we are there to steal their resources. (Funny, but when they start going on like this, I start thinking they are really talking about themselves. That means the US military wants these weapons to use against people who they think are there to steal "our" resources - a big problem, of course, is that "our" resources are not located inside our country.)
Clinton talked about the "tone" in the Senate and in the nation.
Graham said the only way we can lose in Iraq is to leave too soon and leave the country in shambles. He said "losing is leaving before the job is done." He notes that the public is losing support for this war. In a list of what "freedom and democracy" should look like, he made comment about "mothers (should) have a say about their children". So, I stopped into his office later in the day and left copies of two news articles - one about a 10 year old who was killed in a roadside bomb and one about a 10 year old shot by US troops. I said I wanted to know what the US has done to show it's sorrow for these events and what he thinks these mothers would say about what happened to their children.
Rumsfeld said he doesn't believe in polls (remember that for the update on Iraqi polls later in the day), but he said that leadership needs to lead. (Well, I guess that was what he was saying, I have to admit I really don't know.)
Then he made a comment on how the "terrorists" want to turn it back over to darkness - that is to people who want to behead other people. I sure wish I could ask him about the deference between beheading people and dropping a bomb on them. I would like to know what the difference is for the dead people.
Graham said that the same people who want us to leave Iraq are the same people who wanted us dead on 9/11. I guess he didn't notice that the people who wanted us dead on 9/11 also dead themselves.
Rumsfeld went on to say that 18 terrorists attacked us on 9/11, and as Rumsfeld was leaving I told him there were 19 terrorists that day, not 18.
Bayh asked how do we define success? What are the benchmarks for reaching that goal? When do we decide that the country is "stable enough"? As he was leaving, I stopped him and told him Iraq was stable on March 1, 2003. WE, and only WE, are the ones who destabilized the country.
Collins then spoke and said we should put political pressure on the Iraqis. So, this is what "freedom and democracy" means to Collins: the Iraqis get to do what we tell them to do. I stopped by Collins office later in the day and pointed out the discrepancy. She had much the same orientation as Levine did earlier in the Dog and Pony Show.
Ensign when on to state that what people may say will hurt the troops and he brought up Newsweek's article on the Koran and a Senator's comments about how Guantanamo is like the Nazi camps and the Soviet gulag. I visited Ensign's office after the Dog and Pony Show and told them it is not what people say about the torture, it is what was done and who was NOT held accountable in the chain of command that is the problem.
Byrd commented that Rumsfeld likes to lecture the committee and sneer at them, like no one before him has ever done. He commented that we didn't ask enough questions before the war and that the American people have not heard enough of the truth. Byrd was great, and always has been.
I believe that the military guys passed out their information on Iraq Public Perception of the Iraqi Security Forces at this point. Over all, this looks very positive. I have no idea how they surveyed people who are not able to leave their homes safely. No data was presented on how the survey was done or any margin of error. And I guess the military believes in polls even if Rumsfeld doesn't.
Then they presented data on the Iraqi hotline tips. The number of calls has gone up significantly since ads were done on TV in April 2005. No data presented on whether these tips were useful or not. I suspect it is a great way to get another tribal member or neighbor you don't like in trouble. In spite of the increased number of tips, attacks have gone up considerably, so it appears it is not working all that well.
Dole was one of the last to speak. She commented on the show "Terrorism in the hands of Justice" which is on Iraqi TV. On that show, men who have been beaten up confess to terrorism crimes. There is no trial, no evidence, no judge, no jury - just a confession extracted after torture. She also commented on reconstruction and how the "good news" isn't getting out. (And that's because the death toll keeps going up and up and up.)
I stopped by Dole's office today also and talked to "Chris" who is supposedly her foreign affairs person. He didn't think the US has any responsibility at all for the insurgents bombs that target US troops but killed a 10 year old child. He could not understand that if we had Chinese troops in our country and a US "insurgent" set off a bomb that was directed towards them, then most of the US population would hold the Chinese army responsible for being the cause of this violence.
He thought the US troops shooting a 10 year old child was an unfortunate mistake. I left my articles about these two children with him, and my pictures of how the Iraqi people are grieving. I argued with him on the "Terrorism in the Hands of Justice" show and told him that I would confess to killing my mother if I was tortured (that would be hard to pin on me, since my mother is still alive).
Basically, in the short time I talked to him, I don't think I got anywhere. He believes that the Iraqi people want the US troops there and they are much better off without Saddam. He didn't even believe my statements about mass graves in Iraq. He said he could show me the pictures of the graves. I could show him the pictures also. Best I can figure from articles on the web, about 10-12,000 Iraqis have been uncovered from mass graves. There are still many graves sites not explored, due to the security situation. But to claim that there are 400,000 graves is most likely not accurate. I told him about the 600 mass graves in Fallujah from April 2004, seen in the movie "The Dreams of Sparrows". He said he was familiar with the movie.
And our Senators have a Dog and Pony Show as a sequel to the "Everyone is Responsible For This Mess Except Me" routine, which followed the "How Could We Know He Got Rid of The WMDs?" posturing which came after the "Let's Vote for Optional War! It's Patriotic!" game they played in the fall of 2002.
They are mainly sickening.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Dinner with Faiza, Mary and Rick
I am now in DC, and my first stop was to listen to a lecture by Faiza Jarrar of "A Family in Baghdad" blog. Faiza talked about the "divide to control" strategy being used by the Bush administration in Iraq. She said the Brits tried it also (a few decades back) and her grandparents told her about it. It didn't work then, and hopefully, it won't work now. Faiza commented repeatedly how "they" do not listen to her or other Iraqis. The "they" in this case is the US authorities, Bush administration, and US lawmakers in the Senate.
Faiza definitely thinks the US troops need to get out of Iraq.
She said if people are willing to come to Iraq to listen to them and help, then that is great. But if they come in with an attitude of "I know best" then she feels they should stay away.
I agree with Faiza.
Faiza definitely thinks the US troops need to get out of Iraq.
She said if people are willing to come to Iraq to listen to them and help, then that is great. But if they come in with an attitude of "I know best" then she feels they should stay away.
I agree with Faiza.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
More truth, and another "smoking gun"
In the Times on Line, UK:
Ministers were told of need for Gulf war ‘excuse’
byMichael Smith
MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal. The warning, in a leaked Cabinet Office briefing paper, said Tony Blair had already agreed to back military action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of President George W Bush three months earlier. The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair’s inner circle on July 23, 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was “necessary to create the conditions” which would make it legal.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ art...50822_1,00.html
Thanks to the leaking Brits, we have another "smoking gun" showing how Blair and Bush cooked the intelligence to start the illegal war on Iraq.
Ministers were told of need for Gulf war ‘excuse’
byMichael Smith
MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal. The warning, in a leaked Cabinet Office briefing paper, said Tony Blair had already agreed to back military action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of President George W Bush three months earlier. The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair’s inner circle on July 23, 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was “necessary to create the conditions” which would make it legal.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ art...50822_1,00.html
Thanks to the leaking Brits, we have another "smoking gun" showing how Blair and Bush cooked the intelligence to start the illegal war on Iraq.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Photo Captions from Yahoo News
The body of a driver is placed in the back of a vehicle
after he was killed when US troops opened fire in Baghdad
Monday June 6, 2005. US troops opened fire when the driver
reportedly ignored an order to stop and tried to overtake their
convoy. (AP Photo / Hadi Mizban)
The man was unarmed. Why is the US shooting unarmed men in Iraq?
Residents clear debris after an air strike on a house in the
western Iraqi city of Ramadi June 6, 2005. Witnesses said
seven people were killed, including three children, when a
fighter jet dropped a bomb on a house in Ramadi.
REUTERS/Ali Mashhadani
Why is the US killing Iraqi children?
I printed up both pictures and captions. They will go on the outside of an envelope addressed to Senator Burr and Senator Dole. Along with these questions: WHY ARE WE KILLING IRAQI CHILDREN? WHY ARE WE SHOOTING UNARMED IRAQI MEN?
Inside will be an article and a letter about Uzbekistan and how we need to stop supporting that brutal, evil dictator. A letter saying that we need to take action NOW to stop him, and I am not talking about military action. I am talking about public censure, stopping selling him arms, stopping diplomatic relationships with him, pulling our troops and our base out of that country, and bringing the dictator before the UN Security Council.
I do letters like this about once a week. I am so mad at all the evil people in America who start and continue and promote wars.... and prop up evil dictators along the way. I guess they do that so there is some reason for a future war.
And I have an idiot emailing me saying I would have preferred Saddam stay in power. I'll bet every last dime I have that he NEVER wrote to his Senators in the 1980's telling them to stop propping up Saddam. I am angry with the stupid people of America too.
I'm just very angry.
after he was killed when US troops opened fire in Baghdad
Monday June 6, 2005. US troops opened fire when the driver
reportedly ignored an order to stop and tried to overtake their
convoy. (AP Photo / Hadi Mizban)
The man was unarmed. Why is the US shooting unarmed men in Iraq?
Residents clear debris after an air strike on a house in the
western Iraqi city of Ramadi June 6, 2005. Witnesses said
seven people were killed, including three children, when a
fighter jet dropped a bomb on a house in Ramadi.
REUTERS/Ali Mashhadani
Why is the US killing Iraqi children?
I printed up both pictures and captions. They will go on the outside of an envelope addressed to Senator Burr and Senator Dole. Along with these questions: WHY ARE WE KILLING IRAQI CHILDREN? WHY ARE WE SHOOTING UNARMED IRAQI MEN?
Inside will be an article and a letter about Uzbekistan and how we need to stop supporting that brutal, evil dictator. A letter saying that we need to take action NOW to stop him, and I am not talking about military action. I am talking about public censure, stopping selling him arms, stopping diplomatic relationships with him, pulling our troops and our base out of that country, and bringing the dictator before the UN Security Council.
I do letters like this about once a week. I am so mad at all the evil people in America who start and continue and promote wars.... and prop up evil dictators along the way. I guess they do that so there is some reason for a future war.
And I have an idiot emailing me saying I would have preferred Saddam stay in power. I'll bet every last dime I have that he NEVER wrote to his Senators in the 1980's telling them to stop propping up Saddam. I am angry with the stupid people of America too.
I'm just very angry.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Please sign
I just thought that I would put out another appeal to go and sign Rep. John Conyers letter to Bush about the Downing Street Memo:
http://www.johnconyers.com/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC={456ECCD5-4EAC-4C6D-8A17-89728B250AE2
http://www.johnconyers.com/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC={456ECCD5-4EAC-4C6D-8A17-89728B250AE2
Saturday, June 04, 2005
The Week in Review
I haven't posted all week, mostly because I don't have anything new to say. Obviously, our country is still being lead down the toilet, while people argue if Amnesty International got all their i's dotted and t's crossed properly. I think they did, so if you can afford to do so, please make a contribution to them here:
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/donate_now
I got a new bumper sticker that says:
W - Worst President Ever
That was from a Democracy for America meeting where they seem to mostly talk about social security and Walmart. I hate Walmart, and hope to collect social security one day. But right now, neither issue seems all that pressing. But maybe Walmart is. I also saw the movie "The Corporation" this week, and that is well worth watching. It shows how corporations are psychopaths, which reminded me of Bush and Cheney, and how the corporations (with the help of Bush and Cheney) are running our world and country into the toilet.
So, it has not been an especially exciting week here, hence no posts. But I think that will be changing in a couple of weeks, so come back then!
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/donate_now
I got a new bumper sticker that says:
W - Worst President Ever
That was from a Democracy for America meeting where they seem to mostly talk about social security and Walmart. I hate Walmart, and hope to collect social security one day. But right now, neither issue seems all that pressing. But maybe Walmart is. I also saw the movie "The Corporation" this week, and that is well worth watching. It shows how corporations are psychopaths, which reminded me of Bush and Cheney, and how the corporations (with the help of Bush and Cheney) are running our world and country into the toilet.
So, it has not been an especially exciting week here, hence no posts. But I think that will be changing in a couple of weeks, so come back then!
Sunday, May 29, 2005
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
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.
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.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
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.
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.
Monday, May 16, 2005
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
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
Friday, May 13, 2005
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.
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
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
Saturday, May 07, 2005
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.
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.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
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
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
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.
I agree with Raed Jarrar (Raed in the Middle blog):
major combat operations have not started yet.
Monday, May 02, 2005
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
"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
Thursday, April 28, 2005
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
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
Sunday, April 24, 2005
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.
"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.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
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.
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........
"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........
Thursday, April 14, 2005
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.
"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.
"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.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
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
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
Monday, April 11, 2005
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
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
Friday, April 01, 2005
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.
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.
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