Wounded troops are coming home alive from the Middle East. They often return hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries from homemade bombs and the unremitting anxiety of fighting a hidden enemy along blurred battle lines. Treatment, recovery and retraining often can't be assured quickly or cheaply.
These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far. But the cost of their benefits is already testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come, say economists and veterans' groups.
Of 1.4 million U.S. forces deployed for Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 185,000 have sought care from the VA _ a number that could easily top 700,000 eventually, predicts one academic analysis. The VA has already treated more than 52,000 for PTSD symptoms alone.
Economic forecasts for the federal costs of caring for injured veterans returning from the Middle East, range as high as $700 billion for the VA. That would rival the cost of fighting the Iraq war. In recent years, the VA has repeatedly run out of money to care for sick veterans and has had to ask for billions more before the next budget.
30 September, 2007
republicans on children's health
The spectacle Tuesday of 151 House Republicans voting in lock step with the White House against expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was one of the more remarkable sights of the year. Rarely do you see so many politicians putting their careers in jeopardy.
SCHIP has been one of the most successful health-care measures created in the past decade. It was started in 1997 with support from both parties. SCHIP in the past 10 years financed insurance for roughly 6.6 million youngsters a year. The money was distributed through the states, which were given considerable flexibility in designing their programs. The insurance came from private companies, at rates negotiated by the states.
Hundreds of organizations -- grass-roots groups ranging from AARP to United Way of America and the national YMCA -- have called on Bush to sign the bill. America's Health Insurance Plans, the largest insurance lobbying group, endorsed the program.
SCHIP has been one of the most successful health-care measures created in the past decade. It was started in 1997 with support from both parties. SCHIP in the past 10 years financed insurance for roughly 6.6 million youngsters a year. The money was distributed through the states, which were given considerable flexibility in designing their programs. The insurance came from private companies, at rates negotiated by the states.
Hundreds of organizations -- grass-roots groups ranging from AARP to United Way of America and the national YMCA -- have called on Bush to sign the bill. America's Health Insurance Plans, the largest insurance lobbying group, endorsed the program.
cheney,Iraq, Iran
This week yet another video of Dick "Five Deferments" Cheney surfaced from the early nineties, again articulating his views as to why trying to occupy Iraq would be lead to nothing but a disastrous quagmire.
And yet this is the same man who not only lied the country into doing just that once he seized power himself, but is still the most aggressive force in the White House pushing for an even more monumental debacle in Iran.
And yet this is the same man who not only lied the country into doing just that once he seized power himself, but is still the most aggressive force in the White House pushing for an even more monumental debacle in Iran.
29 September, 2007
Iraqi oil
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday a U.S. Senate resolution calling for the creation of separate Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish federal regions in Iraq would be a disaster for his country.
He wants to control it all, with us dying while helping him do it.
Do you suppose their oil reserves has something to do with it.
He wants to control it all, with us dying while helping him do it.
Do you suppose their oil reserves has something to do with it.
license to kill in Iraq
Snipers superiors in Iraq have sought less restrictive rules of engagement — to legalize the combat killing of anyone who made a soldier “feel threatened,” for example, instead of showing hostile intent or actions.
update Iraq
US forces carried out an air strike early on Friday, killing at least 10 people, including women and children, in a building in a mainly Sunni area of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.
"According to Iraqi police, the bodies of five adult women and four children were taken to a local hospital in Musayyib," the statement said. Those killed were mainly relatives including the children aged one, two, four and five years old.
This is continuing in our name. God help us.
"According to Iraqi police, the bodies of five adult women and four children were taken to a local hospital in Musayyib," the statement said. Those killed were mainly relatives including the children aged one, two, four and five years old.
This is continuing in our name. God help us.
28 September, 2007
Blackwater Prince a republican Bushie
Blackwater,private security company involved in a Baghdad shootout last weekend, operated under State Department authority that exempted the company from U.S. military regulations governing other security firms, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials and industry representatives.
Blackwater is untouchable, protected by State Department officials who defended the company at every turn. Blackwater USA in Iraq, has received $678 million in State Department contracts since 2003.
The confrontation between the Iraqi government and Blackwater, based in Moyock, N.C., has illuminated the uneven and largely dysfunctional regulatory system intended to govern tens of thousands of hired guns operating in Iraq.
Erik Prince runs Blackwater and also happens to be a Michigan native who has roots in a Holland automotive supplier fortune, and has republican political connections (he was an intern in the elder George Bush's White House). There you have it, another republican and Bush crony.
Blackwater is untouchable, protected by State Department officials who defended the company at every turn. Blackwater USA in Iraq, has received $678 million in State Department contracts since 2003.
The confrontation between the Iraqi government and Blackwater, based in Moyock, N.C., has illuminated the uneven and largely dysfunctional regulatory system intended to govern tens of thousands of hired guns operating in Iraq.
Erik Prince runs Blackwater and also happens to be a Michigan native who has roots in a Holland automotive supplier fortune, and has republican political connections (he was an intern in the elder George Bush's White House). There you have it, another republican and Bush crony.
27 September, 2007
winning Iraqi hearts and minds?
Blackwater’s behavior is increasingly stoking resentment among Iraqis and is proving counterproductive to American efforts to gain support for its military efforts in Iraq.
“They’re repeat offenders, and yet they continue to prosper in Iraq,” said Representative Jan Schakowsky. “It’s really affecting attitudes toward the United States when you have these cowboy guys out there. These guys represent the U.S. to them and there are no rules of the game for them.”
“They’re repeat offenders, and yet they continue to prosper in Iraq,” said Representative Jan Schakowsky. “It’s really affecting attitudes toward the United States when you have these cowboy guys out there. These guys represent the U.S. to them and there are no rules of the game for them.”
war on Iran not necessary
Gen. John P. Abizaid, who retired this year as senior American commander in the Middle East, said that while the United States must do all it can to prevent Iran from going nuclear, the world could live with a nuclear Iran and could contain it, contrary to the neocon republican line.
Also, “This constant drumbeat of war is not helpful, and it’s not useful,” said Adm. William J. Fallon, the current senior American commander in the region. Republicans are always saying they rely on the military judgment which is just another lie.
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Also, “This constant drumbeat of war is not helpful, and it’s not useful,” said Adm. William J. Fallon, the current senior American commander in the region. Republicans are always saying they rely on the military judgment which is just another lie.
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26 September, 2007
Blackwater mercenaries
It was the moment the war turned: On March 31, 2004, four Americans (Blackwater mercenaries) were ambushed and burned near their jeeps by an angry mob in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja. Their charred corpses were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.
The ensuing slaughter by U.S. troops would fuel the fierce Iraqi resistance that haunts occupation forces to this day. But these men were neither American military nor civilians. They were highly trained private soldiers sent to Iraq by a secretive mercenary company (Blackwater) based in the wilderness of North Carolina.
The ensuing slaughter by U.S. troops would fuel the fierce Iraqi resistance that haunts occupation forces to this day. But these men were neither American military nor civilians. They were highly trained private soldiers sent to Iraq by a secretive mercenary company (Blackwater) based in the wilderness of North Carolina.
justification for another war
In case you thought it was just an aberrant moment of lunacy last week when Lieberman pressed General Petraeus for an attack on Iran, just before the weekend he and Republican Senator Kyl introduced an amendment to the defense bill to authorize exactly that:
(3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies;
(4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.
(3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies;
(4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.
25 September, 2007
US Death in Iraq continues
US Deaths By Month:
January through December
2003 0 0 65 74 37 30 48 35 31 44 82 40
2004 47 20 52 135 80 42 54 66 80 64 137 72
2005 107 58 35 52 80 78 54 85 49 96 84 68
2006 62 55 31 76 69 61 43 65 72 106 70 112
2007 83 81 81 104 126 101 79 84 58(thru Sept)
TOTAL 3799 as admitted
January through December
2003 0 0 65 74 37 30 48 35 31 44 82 40
2004 47 20 52 135 80 42 54 66 80 64 137 72
2005 107 58 35 52 80 78 54 85 49 96 84 68
2006 62 55 31 76 69 61 43 65 72 106 70 112
2007 83 81 81 104 126 101 79 84 58(thru Sept)
TOTAL 3799 as admitted
22 September, 2007
behind the war on Iraq?
read today:
"Now, we have the destruction of Iraq, a nation that was no proven threat to the United States, but was then considered to be Israel’s most serious antagonist. U.S. government neoconservative republicans, many of whom have shown excessive loyalty to Israel, were instrumental in promoting the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In effect, the U.S. fought, and is still fighting, Israel’s battles.
What is a predictable scenario in the near future? We have, as one outcome of the Iraq occupation, the accusations that Iran and Syria, two other serious antagonists to Israel, are threats to world peace."
"Now, we have the destruction of Iraq, a nation that was no proven threat to the United States, but was then considered to be Israel’s most serious antagonist. U.S. government neoconservative republicans, many of whom have shown excessive loyalty to Israel, were instrumental in promoting the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In effect, the U.S. fought, and is still fighting, Israel’s battles.
What is a predictable scenario in the near future? We have, as one outcome of the Iraq occupation, the accusations that Iran and Syria, two other serious antagonists to Israel, are threats to world peace."
Republican Blackwater
Blackwater USA, a Moyock, N.C.-based company, has been implicated in six other incidents over the past seven months, including a Feb. 7 shooting outside Iraqi state television in Baghdad in which three building guards were fatally shot.
Other incidents include: a Sept. 9 shooting in front of Baghdad's municipal government building that killed five people and wounded 10; a Sept. 12 shooting that wounded five on the capital's Palestine Street; a Feb. 4 shooting near the Foreign Ministry, in which Iraqi journalist Hana al-Ameedi died; a May shooting near the Interior Ministry that claimed the life of a passer-by and a Feb. 14 incident in which Blackwater employees allegedly smashed windshields by throwing bottles of ice water at cars.
These six cases support the case against Blackwater, because they show that it has a criminal record. However, Blackwater contractors (mercenaries) enjoy immunity from law in Iraq and in our country, and are accountable to no one. Some day they will be coming for you and me. This is what these Republicans are doing to our country.
Other incidents include: a Sept. 9 shooting in front of Baghdad's municipal government building that killed five people and wounded 10; a Sept. 12 shooting that wounded five on the capital's Palestine Street; a Feb. 4 shooting near the Foreign Ministry, in which Iraqi journalist Hana al-Ameedi died; a May shooting near the Interior Ministry that claimed the life of a passer-by and a Feb. 14 incident in which Blackwater employees allegedly smashed windshields by throwing bottles of ice water at cars.
These six cases support the case against Blackwater, because they show that it has a criminal record. However, Blackwater contractors (mercenaries) enjoy immunity from law in Iraq and in our country, and are accountable to no one. Some day they will be coming for you and me. This is what these Republicans are doing to our country.
21 September, 2007
evil in Iraq
The moral vacuum of Iraq—where Blackwater USA guards can kill 10 or 20 Iraqis on a whim and never be prosecuted for it—did not happen by accident. It is yet another example of something the Bush administration could have prevented with the right measures but simply did not bother about as it rushed into invading and occupying another country.
Two days before he left Iraq for good, L. Paul Bremer III, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator, signed a blanket order immunizing all Americans, because, as one of his former top aides told me, “we wanted to make sure our military, civilians and contractors(mercenaries) were protected from Iraqi law.”
Blackwater operatives have long been known to be cowboys who act as if they are free to commit homicide as they please, And they do. Blackwater is seen by Iraqis as the face of a malignant occupation. Morality begins when people take responsibility for their actions. But no one in this Republican administration has taken responsibility for one disaster after another in Iraq.
Two days before he left Iraq for good, L. Paul Bremer III, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator, signed a blanket order immunizing all Americans, because, as one of his former top aides told me, “we wanted to make sure our military, civilians and contractors(mercenaries) were protected from Iraqi law.”
Blackwater operatives have long been known to be cowboys who act as if they are free to commit homicide as they please, And they do. Blackwater is seen by Iraqis as the face of a malignant occupation. Morality begins when people take responsibility for their actions. But no one in this Republican administration has taken responsibility for one disaster after another in Iraq.
cost of Iraq war
This is one of the historic moments when Americans have to decide whether our country will be a republic, or continue to function as an empire. Our failure to make that fundamental decision today will ensure future imperial wars and occupations.
If the Russians or Chinese came into America tomorrow with their troops and over 150,000 mercenaries to take over our country, brutalize our wives and children and take over our lives, wouldn't you fight back? Of course we would. That is what the Iraqis are doing.
During an eight-hour working day, U.S. tax dollars spent in the battle zones of Iraq total $112 million. These figures are extrapolated from a report by the Congressional Research Service (CSR), a bipartisan agency which provides research and analysis for the U.S. Congress. It put the war's average cost in 2007 at around $10 billion a month, this is serious money.
The dollar dropped to record lows through the $1.40 level against the euro on Thursday as the US currency continued its slide following the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates earlier in the week
If the Russians or Chinese came into America tomorrow with their troops and over 150,000 mercenaries to take over our country, brutalize our wives and children and take over our lives, wouldn't you fight back? Of course we would. That is what the Iraqis are doing.
During an eight-hour working day, U.S. tax dollars spent in the battle zones of Iraq total $112 million. These figures are extrapolated from a report by the Congressional Research Service (CSR), a bipartisan agency which provides research and analysis for the U.S. Congress. It put the war's average cost in 2007 at around $10 billion a month, this is serious money.
The dollar dropped to record lows through the $1.40 level against the euro on Thursday as the US currency continued its slide following the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates earlier in the week
20 September, 2007
update war on Iraq
Why is "Operation Iraqi Freedom" dependent upon killer mercenaries. Why the "democratically elected government" of "liberated" Iraq does not explicitly have the legal power to expel Blackwater USA from its land or hold any of the 50,000 private contractor troops that the U.S. government has brought to Iraq accountable for their deadly actions.
Also, the U.S. National Guard has been strained by multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and faces equipment shortfalls totaling tens of billions of dollars, the Guard's top general said on Wednesday.
When historians look back on the past week in Washington, I suspect they will see it as a seminal moment. It was the moment when the president and his party recommitted themselves to an indefinite, decades-long Iraq occupation, and when the Iraq war was formally handed over to the next president, with forces near the maxed-out 2006 level
Also, the U.S. National Guard has been strained by multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and faces equipment shortfalls totaling tens of billions of dollars, the Guard's top general said on Wednesday.
When historians look back on the past week in Washington, I suspect they will see it as a seminal moment. It was the moment when the president and his party recommitted themselves to an indefinite, decades-long Iraq occupation, and when the Iraq war was formally handed over to the next president, with forces near the maxed-out 2006 level
18 September, 2007
continuing republican scam
When the President launched the "surge" in January, he told us that its purpose was to provide Iraqi leaders with the time to make that political progress. But now, nine months into the surge, the President's own advisers tell us that Iraq's leaders have not, and are not likely to do so. Meanwhile, thousands of brave Americans remain in the crossfire of another country's civil war.
It's no surprise that these neocon Republicans are changing the surge objectives, moving the goal posts back to keep us in this Iraqi civil war, and willing to drawdown troops levels to what they were before the surge just in time for the elections. They have been changing objectives, etc. all along.
It's no surprise that these neocon Republicans are changing the surge objectives, moving the goal posts back to keep us in this Iraqi civil war, and willing to drawdown troops levels to what they were before the surge just in time for the elections. They have been changing objectives, etc. all along.
Eight civilians were killed and 13 were wounded when contractors believed to be working for Blackwater USA opened fire on civilians Sunday in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Mansour in western Baghdad.
American officials refused to discuss Iraqi casualties, nor would they confirm that Blackwater personnel were involved. They also refused to explain the legal authority under which Blackwater operates in Iraq or say whether the company was complying with the order.
The incident drew attention to one of the controversial American practices of the war - the use of heavily armed private security contractors who Iraqis complain operate beyond the law.
In April, the Defense Department said about 129,000 contractors of many nationalities were operating in Iraq - nearly as many as the entire U.S. military force before this year's troop buildup
Blackwater, a secretive North Carolina-based company run by a former Navy SEAL, is among the biggest and best known security firms, with an estimated 1,000 employees in Iraq and at least $800 million in government contracts.
American officials refused to discuss Iraqi casualties, nor would they confirm that Blackwater personnel were involved. They also refused to explain the legal authority under which Blackwater operates in Iraq or say whether the company was complying with the order.
The incident drew attention to one of the controversial American practices of the war - the use of heavily armed private security contractors who Iraqis complain operate beyond the law.
In April, the Defense Department said about 129,000 contractors of many nationalities were operating in Iraq - nearly as many as the entire U.S. military force before this year's troop buildup
Blackwater, a secretive North Carolina-based company run by a former Navy SEAL, is among the biggest and best known security firms, with an estimated 1,000 employees in Iraq and at least $800 million in government contracts.
17 September, 2007
truth about Iraq
While more than two million Iraqis have fled to other countries, another two million have been displaced internally. According to the Global Policy Forum, a group that monitors international developments:
Access to safe drinking water is a problem in much of the country. (The World Health Organization was asked to help with a recent outbreak of cholera in parts of Kurdistan that is believed to have been caused by polluted water.) Sanitation facilities are routinely crippled by violence and sabotage. The economy, like the country's infrastructure, is in shambles.
We shouldn't be so cavalier. Based on all available evidence, it seems unreasonable to believe that fewer than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed thus far. Many very serious scholars believe the total is much higher.
The effect on children of the carnage, the dislocations and the deteriorating quality of daily life has been profound. Conditions in Iraq were dire for children even before the war. One in eight died before the age of 5, many from the effects of malnutrition, polluted water and unsanitary conditions.
These are just a few of the things you won't hear much about from the American officials in Washington who profess to care so deeply about the people of Iraq.
Access to safe drinking water is a problem in much of the country. (The World Health Organization was asked to help with a recent outbreak of cholera in parts of Kurdistan that is believed to have been caused by polluted water.) Sanitation facilities are routinely crippled by violence and sabotage. The economy, like the country's infrastructure, is in shambles.
We shouldn't be so cavalier. Based on all available evidence, it seems unreasonable to believe that fewer than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed thus far. Many very serious scholars believe the total is much higher.
The effect on children of the carnage, the dislocations and the deteriorating quality of daily life has been profound. Conditions in Iraq were dire for children even before the war. One in eight died before the age of 5, many from the effects of malnutrition, polluted water and unsanitary conditions.
These are just a few of the things you won't hear much about from the American officials in Washington who profess to care so deeply about the people of Iraq.
reason for war on Iraq
Just days into the job, President Bush created the Cheney energy task force with the stated aim of developing “a national energy policy designed to help the private sector.” Typically, Cheney has been able to keep secret its deliberations and even the names of its members.
A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit forced the Commerce Department to turn over task force documents, including a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries, terminals, and potential areas for exploration; a Pentagon chart “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts;” and another chart detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects—all dated March 2001.
Greenspan finally confirms it saying "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.”
A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit forced the Commerce Department to turn over task force documents, including a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries, terminals, and potential areas for exploration; a Pentagon chart “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts;” and another chart detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects—all dated March 2001.
Greenspan finally confirms it saying "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.”
Bush, Hunt, oil
Greenspan, who was the country's top voice on monetary policy at the time Bush decided to go to war in Iraq, has refrained from extensive public comment on it until now, but he made the striking comment in a new memoir out today that "the Iraq War is largely about oil." The rest of the story is that Bush's buddy, Ray Hunt, of the Texas Oil comapny and others could get control of oil contracts.
mercenary "progress" in Iraq?
A U.S. State Department motorcade came under attack in Baghdad on Sunday, prompting security contractors(mercenaries) guarding the convoy to open fire in the streets. At least nine civilians were killed, according to Iraqi officials.
A Washington Post employee in the area at the time of the shooting witnessed security company (mercenary) helicopters firing into the streets near Nisoor Square in Mansour. Witnesses said they saw dead and wounded people on the pavement.
The Iraqi government will investigate the incident and "probably will withdraw the authority for this security company in Baghdad," said Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman.
"The security company contractors opened fire randomly on the civilians," he said. "We consider this act a crime."
Did you know that we have over 180,000 mercenaries in Iraq that are accountable to neither Iraqi or US law.
A Washington Post employee in the area at the time of the shooting witnessed security company (mercenary) helicopters firing into the streets near Nisoor Square in Mansour. Witnesses said they saw dead and wounded people on the pavement.
The Iraqi government will investigate the incident and "probably will withdraw the authority for this security company in Baghdad," said Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman.
"The security company contractors opened fire randomly on the civilians," he said. "We consider this act a crime."
Did you know that we have over 180,000 mercenaries in Iraq that are accountable to neither Iraqi or US law.
Neocons,children,money
Rumsfeld is apparently trying to resurrect himself. Rumsfeld became wealthy during a 24-year business career between stints in government. A family foundation, set up in 1985 by him and his wife, Joyce, is now valued at about $20 million and makes charitable contributions to dozens of groups a year.
They become multi-millionaires and their children don't fight wars which separates them from the rest of us.
They become multi-millionaires and their children don't fight wars which separates them from the rest of us.
Petraeus lies on Iraq
A week ago today, Gen. David H. Petraeus started his rounds on Capitol Hill, reporting that security in Iraq was improving to the point that a small number of troops could begin coming home by year's end.
But 10 days ago, his commanders in Baghdad began advertising for private contractors to work in combat-supply warehouses on U.S. bases throughout Iraq because half the soldiers who had been working in the warehouses were needed for patrols, combat and protection of U.S. forces.
But 10 days ago, his commanders in Baghdad began advertising for private contractors to work in combat-supply warehouses on U.S. bases throughout Iraq because half the soldiers who had been working in the warehouses were needed for patrols, combat and protection of U.S. forces.
16 September, 2007
Oil, Iraq, Republicans
Without elaborating, Greenspan writes, "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." Bush and his republican Bushies and Cheney are all into oil investments. For motive, follow the money.
republicans per Greenspan
Greenspan accuses the Republicans who presided over the party's majority in the House until last year of being too eager to tolerate excessive federal spending in exchange for political opportunity. The Republicans, he says, deserved to lose control of the Senate and House in last year's elections. "The Republicans in Congress lost their way," Greenspan writes. "They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither."
15 September, 2007
more republican lies on Iraq
Mr. Bush’s claim that things were going so well in Iraq that he could “accept” his generals’ recommendation for a “drawdown” of forces was a carnival barker’s come-on.
The Army cannot sustain the 30,000 extra troops Mr. Bush sent to Iraq beyond mid-2008 without serious damage to its fighting ability. From the start, the president said that the increase would be temporary. That’s why he called it a “surge.”
Before he spoke, Iraq’s brutal reality had debunked the claims of political and military success made by Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the ambassador in Baghdad. First, The Times reported that the only sliver of political progress — a tortuous compromise on sharing oil revenues —was evaporating.
Then came news of the assassination of the Anbar tribal leader whose decision to fight alongside the Americans was cited by Mr. Bush as proof that the war’s tide was turning — even though it had nothing to do with the increase in forces.
The Army cannot sustain the 30,000 extra troops Mr. Bush sent to Iraq beyond mid-2008 without serious damage to its fighting ability. From the start, the president said that the increase would be temporary. That’s why he called it a “surge.”
Before he spoke, Iraq’s brutal reality had debunked the claims of political and military success made by Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the ambassador in Baghdad. First, The Times reported that the only sliver of political progress — a tortuous compromise on sharing oil revenues —was evaporating.
Then came news of the assassination of the Anbar tribal leader whose decision to fight alongside the Americans was cited by Mr. Bush as proof that the war’s tide was turning — even though it had nothing to do with the increase in forces.
how they treat our wounded
After nearly three years as an outpatient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon had begun the wrenching process of turning himself into a civilian.
If you want to read how these republicans treat our wounded, google "John Daniel Shannon."
If you want to read how these republicans treat our wounded, google "John Daniel Shannon."
14 September, 2007
reasons for Iraq War
Check out the big oil deal between the Kurds and Ray Hunt, a Bushie, AND the connection between Haliburton and Cheney. Then you will know the REAL reasons for the War on Iraq
neocon nukes?
The forthcoming September 14 U.S. Air Force report will likely describe the B-52 incident as an "error" and an "isolated incident" as foreshadowed in the September 6 Press Statement.
This will create some difficulty in exposing the actual role played by Cheney and any other government figures that supported him. There will be a need for continued public awareness of the true events behind the B-52 incident in order to expose the actual role of Mr. Cheney.
Only in that way can Cheney be held accountable for his actions, and other government figures that supported his neo-conservative agenda be exposed. Regardless of whether Cheney's role as the prime architect of the B-52 incident is exposed to the public, the official backlash against his covert operation should force his resignation.
In either case, a very dangerous public official would be removed from a powerful position of influence. More importantly, the world has been spared a devastating nuclear war by courageous American airmen who revealed the true contents of an otherwise routine B-52 landing at Barksdale, AFB headed for a covert nuclear mission to the Middle East.
This will create some difficulty in exposing the actual role played by Cheney and any other government figures that supported him. There will be a need for continued public awareness of the true events behind the B-52 incident in order to expose the actual role of Mr. Cheney.
Only in that way can Cheney be held accountable for his actions, and other government figures that supported his neo-conservative agenda be exposed. Regardless of whether Cheney's role as the prime architect of the B-52 incident is exposed to the public, the official backlash against his covert operation should force his resignation.
In either case, a very dangerous public official would be removed from a powerful position of influence. More importantly, the world has been spared a devastating nuclear war by courageous American airmen who revealed the true contents of an otherwise routine B-52 landing at Barksdale, AFB headed for a covert nuclear mission to the Middle East.
13 September, 2007
reason for war on Iraq
It may have been the military that invaded but, with Iraq completely dismantled, the reconstruction was to be the preserve of US corporations ... Thus was born 'disaster capitalism', where oil companies profit from a broken country and private security firms grow rich on political chaos
Iraq another view
In an interview with The Associated Press, retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, retired in May after nearly four years as the top officer at U.S. Central Command, the U.S. needs to draw down forces in Iraq so the Iraqis can take control of their own affairs.
Abizaid was considered a straight shooter during his time as CentCom chief. In July 2003, he was the first high-ranking officer to say publicly the war in Iraq had become a guerrilla war — a development that then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others had refused to acknowledge.
Abizaid was considered a straight shooter during his time as CentCom chief. In July 2003, he was the first high-ranking officer to say publicly the war in Iraq had become a guerrilla war — a development that then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others had refused to acknowledge.
Bush/Caesar
Bush decided long ago the U.S. Constitution is nothing but a "G**damn piece of paper," and is obsessed with exercising empirical control over every facet of government, over the people -- over the entire world. Bush is Caesar, his visions put Plato to shame, and when he weeps, his head is on God's shoulder.
shifting the blame to Petraeus
When we listen to General Petraeus, we hear the generals of Vietnam assuring us that they are winning. Generals are not independent thinkers. They serve the political goals of the administration. We can't expect independent, honest assessments of the situation.
The Republicans are trying to make the war on Iraq as a Petraeus War, to shift the blame. He follows policy, he doesn't make policy.
The Republicans are trying to make the war on Iraq as a Petraeus War, to shift the blame. He follows policy, he doesn't make policy.
10 September, 2007
Petraeus massages the data
Petraeus will claim a 75% reduction of violence since the surge started and will use multiple cherry-picked statistics to spin the White House's case. How did they cook the books?
For starters, they changed the definition of violence:
The Los Angeles Times reports that people killed in car bombings don't count.¹
The Washington Post reports that victims shot in the face don't count.²
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reports that Shi'a vs. Shi'a and Sunni vs. Sunni violence doesn't count.³
For starters, they changed the definition of violence:
The Los Angeles Times reports that people killed in car bombings don't count.¹
The Washington Post reports that victims shot in the face don't count.²
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reports that Shi'a vs. Shi'a and Sunni vs. Sunni violence doesn't count.³
just trust them?
Beginning in October 2007 the Department of Homeland Security will open a new office called the National Applications Office (NAO) charged with civil/domestic intelligence gathering.
This new division of Homeland Security was conceived entirely by the Executive Branch, with no Congressional input, and will serve as a clearinghouse for requests to access the data provided by military spy satellites, with a resolution of inches, to view the territorial United States.
Some form of "just trust us", was the operative phrase. How, exactly, has this worked, so far? We now know that governmental spies have violated constitutional safeguards in the recent past.
This new division of Homeland Security was conceived entirely by the Executive Branch, with no Congressional input, and will serve as a clearinghouse for requests to access the data provided by military spy satellites, with a resolution of inches, to view the territorial United States.
Some form of "just trust us", was the operative phrase. How, exactly, has this worked, so far? We now know that governmental spies have violated constitutional safeguards in the recent past.
strategy of fear
How the republicans use fear:
Fear will allow more liberties to be taken away. Not only will there be justification for the troops to remain in Iraq, as planned, but there will be justification for another war – Iran. The options are in the air – the nuclear armed B-52 bombers, all that is needed is a panicked populace. There was never a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. With persistent lies, this White House committed genocide in Iraq. With the same lies, they are planning genocide next door.
Fear will allow more liberties to be taken away. Not only will there be justification for the troops to remain in Iraq, as planned, but there will be justification for another war – Iran. The options are in the air – the nuclear armed B-52 bombers, all that is needed is a panicked populace. There was never a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. With persistent lies, this White House committed genocide in Iraq. With the same lies, they are planning genocide next door.
09 September, 2007
Thompson, lawyer and lobbyist
Asked about Republican candidate for President Mr. Fred Thompson’s participation in the Libya case, James Kreindler, a lawyer who represents 130 of the victims’ families, said: “Pan Am 103 was really an attack on the United States, so while some families understood the concept that everyone deserves a defense, a number were offended and angered that American lawyers were willing to earn fees by doing anything to help this pariah nation or the two bombing suspects.”
Iraq and Vietnam comparison
In the not too distant future, the violence in Iraq will begin to decline. The reason is one side will become the dominant force. Thus there will be fewer and fewer targets to engage. Bush will then point to the decline in violence saying that his surge is working.
It has been said if the US withdraws there will be a bloodbath. To some degree this is correct. ( Currently 1,000 plus dying evey week ) However, in all the civil wars recorded in history, eventually one side comes up on top.
Nothing has been learned from Vietnam. Those old enough remember the claims, If North Vietnam is victorious a domino effect will result and all of South East Asia will fall into Communist hands.
Well, you know the outcome. Currently American business concerns are tripping over their shoe laces to do business with the victorious North Vietnamese
It has been said if the US withdraws there will be a bloodbath. To some degree this is correct. ( Currently 1,000 plus dying evey week ) However, in all the civil wars recorded in history, eventually one side comes up on top.
Nothing has been learned from Vietnam. Those old enough remember the claims, If North Vietnam is victorious a domino effect will result and all of South East Asia will fall into Communist hands.
Well, you know the outcome. Currently American business concerns are tripping over their shoe laces to do business with the victorious North Vietnamese
republican party-line generals
It should come as no surprise that the Bush administration's newest military-man-of-substance-turned- political lapdog, General Petraeus, maintains that the situation in Iraq is not only salvageable, but actually improving, due to the "surge" of U.S. combat troops into Iraq over the past year. All the president and his collection of GI Joe hand-puppets ask for is more time, more money and more troops.
more republican lies
Bush lied to us on May 1, 2003, on the aircraft carrier with the sign "Mission Accomplished"in the war on Iraq. We all remember that. What we don't remember is he also did it with the war on the Taliban/Al Qaeda as shown below.
On June 24, 2003, President Bush declared al-Qaeda's leadership largely defunct. At a Camp David summit, Bush praised Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf, crediting his country with apprehending more than 500 members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
"Thanks to President Musharraf's leadership, on the al-Qaeda front we've dismantled the chief operators," Bush said. Although bin Laden was still at large, his lieutenants were "no longer a threat to the United States or Pakistan," Bush added.
On June 24, 2003, President Bush declared al-Qaeda's leadership largely defunct. At a Camp David summit, Bush praised Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf, crediting his country with apprehending more than 500 members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
"Thanks to President Musharraf's leadership, on the al-Qaeda front we've dismantled the chief operators," Bush said. Although bin Laden was still at large, his lieutenants were "no longer a threat to the United States or Pakistan," Bush added.
08 September, 2007
Bushies and the Nazis
Speaking of guilt by communications with people in my previous post check this out:
Newly-uncovered government documents in The National Archives and Library of Congress reveal that Prescott Bush, the grandfather of President George W. Bush, served as a business partner of and U.S. banking operative for the financial architect of the Nazi war machine from 1926 until 1942, when Congress took aggressive action against Bush and his “enemy national” partners.
The documents also show that Bush and his colleagues, according to reports from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and FBI, tried to conceal their financial alliance with German industrialist Fritz Thyssen, a steel and coal baron who, beginning in the mid-1920s, personally funded Adolf Hitler’s rise to power by the subversion of democratic principle and German law.
Furthermore, the declassified records demonstrate that Bush and his associates, who included E. Roland Harriman, younger brother of American icon W. Averell Harriman, and George Herbert Walker, President Bush’s maternal great-grandfather, continued their dealings with the German industrial baron for nearly eight months after the U.S. entered the war.
There is a long pattern of Bush family war profiteering that continues today via George H.W. Bush’s intimate relationship with the Saudi royal family and the bin Ladens, conducted via the super-secret Carlyle Group, whose senior advisers include former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III.
Newly-uncovered government documents in The National Archives and Library of Congress reveal that Prescott Bush, the grandfather of President George W. Bush, served as a business partner of and U.S. banking operative for the financial architect of the Nazi war machine from 1926 until 1942, when Congress took aggressive action against Bush and his “enemy national” partners.
The documents also show that Bush and his colleagues, according to reports from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and FBI, tried to conceal their financial alliance with German industrialist Fritz Thyssen, a steel and coal baron who, beginning in the mid-1920s, personally funded Adolf Hitler’s rise to power by the subversion of democratic principle and German law.
Furthermore, the declassified records demonstrate that Bush and his associates, who included E. Roland Harriman, younger brother of American icon W. Averell Harriman, and George Herbert Walker, President Bush’s maternal great-grandfather, continued their dealings with the German industrial baron for nearly eight months after the U.S. entered the war.
There is a long pattern of Bush family war profiteering that continues today via George H.W. Bush’s intimate relationship with the Saudi royal family and the bin Ladens, conducted via the super-secret Carlyle Group, whose senior advisers include former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III.
spying on Americans
The F.B.I. cast a much wider net in its terrorism investigations than it has previously acknowledged by relying on telecommunications companies to analyze phone-call and e-mail patterns of the associates of Americans.
The National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency have explored using link analysis to trace patterns of communications sometimes two, three or four people removed from the original targets.
Such link analysis is misused to establish tenuous links to people who have no real connection to terrorism but may be drawn into an investigation nonetheless.
The National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency have explored using link analysis to trace patterns of communications sometimes two, three or four people removed from the original targets.
Such link analysis is misused to establish tenuous links to people who have no real connection to terrorism but may be drawn into an investigation nonetheless.
05 September, 2007
republican fascism
The freedom to travel of more than 100,000 Americans placed on “watch” and “no fly” lists is being restricted by the Bush-Cheney regime.
Citizens who have done no more than criticize the president are being banned from airline flights, harassed at airports’, strip searched, roughed up and even imprisoned.
Making it more difficult for people out of favor with the state to travel back and forth across borders is a classic part of the fascist playbook,” author Wolf said.
She noticed starting in 2002 that “almost every time I sought to board a domestic airline flight, I was called aside by the Transportation Security Administration(TSA) and given a more thorough search.”
During one preboarding search, a TSA agent told her “You’re on the list” and Wolf learned it is not a list of suspected terrorists but of journalists, academics, activists, and politicians “who have criticized the White House.”
Citizens who have done no more than criticize the president are being banned from airline flights, harassed at airports’, strip searched, roughed up and even imprisoned.
Making it more difficult for people out of favor with the state to travel back and forth across borders is a classic part of the fascist playbook,” author Wolf said.
She noticed starting in 2002 that “almost every time I sought to board a domestic airline flight, I was called aside by the Transportation Security Administration(TSA) and given a more thorough search.”
During one preboarding search, a TSA agent told her “You’re on the list” and Wolf learned it is not a list of suspected terrorists but of journalists, academics, activists, and politicians “who have criticized the White House.”
more republican lies
In July the Florida Republican state representative Bob Allen was caught offering to pay a black undercover cop $20 so that he could perform oral sex on him in a park. Allen's defence? Blow jobs and cash are to black males what kryptonite is to Superman - the only known means of depleting their superhuman strength. "There was a pretty stocky black guy," he explained to the arresting officer. "And there was nothing but other black guys around in the park." Fearing he "was about to be a statistic", he claimed he would have said anything just to get away. Allen had indeed become a statistic - yet another desperate conservative politician mangling logic to explain his hypocrisy.
Last week it was the turn of the Idaho senator Larry Craig, who in June was caught propositioning an undercover officer in the toilets of Minneapolis airport. Two months later he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct without consulting his lawyer. Then Craig, who finally resigned over the weekend, claimed that he framed himself. "I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously," he explained. "In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty." If he's telling the truth now he's a perjurer; if he was telling the truth then, he's a gay man who legislates against gay people
Last week it was the turn of the Idaho senator Larry Craig, who in June was caught propositioning an undercover officer in the toilets of Minneapolis airport. Two months later he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct without consulting his lawyer. Then Craig, who finally resigned over the weekend, claimed that he framed himself. "I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously," he explained. "In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty." If he's telling the truth now he's a perjurer; if he was telling the truth then, he's a gay man who legislates against gay people
04 September, 2007
republicans lying again
Lest anyone think this was merely a random rhetorical spasm, outgoing White House political czar Karl Rove wrote an article in the conservative National Review last week that included this passage: "If the outcome [in Iraq] is like what happened in Vietnam after America abandoned our allies and the region descended into chaos, violence and danger, history's judgment will be harsh. History will see President Bush as right, and the opponents of his policy as mistaken -- as George McGovern was in his time."
What?
For the record, the illegal U.S. bombing of Cambodia destabilized that country and boosted the Khmer Rouge, who eventually took power and exterminated those "millions" in the "killing fields." The monstrous Khmer Rouge regime was finally ousted by . . . none other than the communists who took power in Vietnam after the American withdrawal. Oh, and it was Richard Nixon who negotiated and began the U.S. pullout. Gerald Ford presided over the fall of Saigon. Both of them were Republicans, as I recall.
What?
For the record, the illegal U.S. bombing of Cambodia destabilized that country and boosted the Khmer Rouge, who eventually took power and exterminated those "millions" in the "killing fields." The monstrous Khmer Rouge regime was finally ousted by . . . none other than the communists who took power in Vietnam after the American withdrawal. Oh, and it was Richard Nixon who negotiated and began the U.S. pullout. Gerald Ford presided over the fall of Saigon. Both of them were Republicans, as I recall.
further republican lies on Iraq
Add faked photos to the list of lies told by the BushCheney Administration before its invasion of Iraq.
In a town hall meeting in Bloomsburg, Pa. this week, Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a 12-term congressman, said that shortly before Congress was scheduled to vote on authorizing military force against Iraq, top officials of the CIA showed select members of Congress three photographs it alleged were Iraqi Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), better known as drones. Kanjorski said he was told that the drones were capable of carrying nuclear, biological, or chemical agents, and could strike 1,000 miles inland of east coast or west coast cities.
Kanjorski said he and four or five other congressmen in the room were told UAVs could be on freighters headed to the U.S. Both secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and President Bush wandered into and out of the briefing room, Kanjorski said.
Kanjorski said it was the second time he was called to the White House for a briefing. He had opposed giving the President the powers to go to war, and said that he hadn't changed his mind after a first meeting. Until he saw the pictures, Kanjorski said, "I hadn't thought that Iraq was a threat." That second meeting changed everything. After he left that meeting, said Kanjorski, he was willing to give the President the authorization he wanted since the drones "represented an imminent danger."
Kanjorski said he went to see Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a retired Marine colonel. Murtha, said Kanjorski, "turned white" when told about the drones; Murtha, a former intelligence officer, believed that such information was classified.
Several years later, Kanjorski said he learned that the pictures were "a god-damned lie," apparently taken by CIA photographers in the desert in the southwest of the U.S. The drone story itself had already been disproved, although not many major media carried that story.
In a town hall meeting in Bloomsburg, Pa. this week, Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a 12-term congressman, said that shortly before Congress was scheduled to vote on authorizing military force against Iraq, top officials of the CIA showed select members of Congress three photographs it alleged were Iraqi Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), better known as drones. Kanjorski said he was told that the drones were capable of carrying nuclear, biological, or chemical agents, and could strike 1,000 miles inland of east coast or west coast cities.
Kanjorski said he and four or five other congressmen in the room were told UAVs could be on freighters headed to the U.S. Both secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and President Bush wandered into and out of the briefing room, Kanjorski said.
Kanjorski said it was the second time he was called to the White House for a briefing. He had opposed giving the President the powers to go to war, and said that he hadn't changed his mind after a first meeting. Until he saw the pictures, Kanjorski said, "I hadn't thought that Iraq was a threat." That second meeting changed everything. After he left that meeting, said Kanjorski, he was willing to give the President the authorization he wanted since the drones "represented an imminent danger."
Kanjorski said he went to see Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a retired Marine colonel. Murtha, said Kanjorski, "turned white" when told about the drones; Murtha, a former intelligence officer, believed that such information was classified.
Several years later, Kanjorski said he learned that the pictures were "a god-damned lie," apparently taken by CIA photographers in the desert in the southwest of the U.S. The drone story itself had already been disproved, although not many major media carried that story.
02 September, 2007
more republican hypocrisy
Dont believe that the republicans wen they say they are hard on their own people. There were clear political distinctions at play in the way Republicans responded to the two situations.
Were Mr. Vitter, on the prostitue list, to resign, his successor would be chosen by Louisiana’s Democratic governor, while in Idaho, Republicans had the comfort of knowing that Mr. Craig’s successor would be a republican chosen by a Republican, Gov. C. L. Otter.
Were Mr. Vitter, on the prostitue list, to resign, his successor would be chosen by Louisiana’s Democratic governor, while in Idaho, Republicans had the comfort of knowing that Mr. Craig’s successor would be a republican chosen by a Republican, Gov. C. L. Otter.
more on republican wars
read today: The media is silent, Congress is absent, and Americans are distracted as George W. Bush openly prepares aggression against Iran. US Navy aircraft carrier strike forces are deployed off Iran.
US Air Force jets and missile systems are deployed in bases in countries bordering or near to Iran. US B-2 stealth bombers have been refitted to carry 30,000 pound “bunker buster” bombs. The US government is financing terrorist and separatist groups within Iran. US Special Forces teams are conducting terrorist operations inside Iran.
Bush has discarded habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions, justified torture and secret trials, damned critics as anti-American, and is responsible, according to Information Clearing House, for over one million deaths of Iraqi civilians, which puts Bush high on the list of mass murderers of all time. The vast majority of “kills” by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan are civilians.
Bush has declared himself to be the “decider.” The “decider” decides whether Americans have any rights under the Constitution and whether Iran has any rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. As the “decider” has decided that Iran has no such rights, the “decider” decides whether to attack Iran. No one else has any say about it.
US Air Force jets and missile systems are deployed in bases in countries bordering or near to Iran. US B-2 stealth bombers have been refitted to carry 30,000 pound “bunker buster” bombs. The US government is financing terrorist and separatist groups within Iran. US Special Forces teams are conducting terrorist operations inside Iran.
Bush has discarded habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions, justified torture and secret trials, damned critics as anti-American, and is responsible, according to Information Clearing House, for over one million deaths of Iraqi civilians, which puts Bush high on the list of mass murderers of all time. The vast majority of “kills” by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan are civilians.
Bush has declared himself to be the “decider.” The “decider” decides whether Americans have any rights under the Constitution and whether Iran has any rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. As the “decider” has decided that Iran has no such rights, the “decider” decides whether to attack Iran. No one else has any say about it.
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