Iraq Is Falling Apart
And with all of King George's horses and all of King George's men, I don't think we can put it back together again. I am so sick of hearing how the surge is working because a small discreet part of Baghdad is overmanned militarily.
One word: Basra. The Iraqi bloggers of Gorilla Guides are eyewitness to the devastation:
Parts of Basra were relatively quiet in the morning following the withdrawal of some fighters to the outskirts of the city however much of the city is seeing intensifying armed clashes. Eyewitness reports say that groups of Mahdi Army withdrew to the outskirts of the city after GZG forces backed by British tanks and US warplanes tried to eradicate them from areas that are strongholds of the Mahdi Army. Some witnesses confirmed that a group of the Mahdi Army captured two vehicles belonging to the GZG army type there are reliable reports that GZG barracks have been overrun.
One of our members in the city says that withdrawals appear to have been planned long before as part of a defense in depth strategy. Our members and contacts in city say that there is still a lot fighting going on. They also say that reports in the British media that british troops and aircraft are not involved in the fighting is a flat out lie and that British tanks are heavily involved. .
Udpate: [sic] The American war criminal Bush whose death squad in uniform called the U.S. armed forces are still trying to subjugate Irak and who have murdered innumerable Iraki Children women and men calls the carnage a "positive moment" you can read what he has to say for himself to the UK Times newspaper here.Tahseen al-Sheikhli one of the two main spokesmen for the "surge" was unavailable for comment because he has been kidnapped.
I considered editing the post to remove the reference to George Bush, but honestly, can you blame them for their characterization? These people do not think of American forces as liberators, no matter how many times that's repeated on American TV.
There is too much and it is too difficult in this blog format to list all the reports of carnage, chaos and destruction, so click on the "Basra" link for multiple reports that shame all the media spin about the surge's success, including the heart breaking report that the 9 year old brother of one of the bloggers passed away yesterday as a result of burns he received during an airstrike. His brother, Mohammed, author of this heartbreaking poem, already the victim of so much violence, survived being shot at while trying to carry his brother to the hospital.
Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar write the Five Things You Need To Know To Understand The Latest Violence In Iraq.
But Nicole, Busholini told us JUST YESTERDAY how everything is coming up roses in Iraq! Militarily, economically and politically! Now you want to spoil that with the TRUTH?
ARGHH!!! ALL of our politicians are deluded, but especially herr duhbya.
He is right.. the US Military is nothing more than a death squad. They're good at killing people, not nation-building.
Iraq is falling apart? Really? Morning Joe and the tools of MSM barely talk about it. I'm beginning to think the media is in cohoots with the Administration. But I guess I'm just paraniod.
Why has this administration not been impeached?
Surely the evidence of gross-incompetence in Iraq and Katrina would have been enough to hold our "leadership" accountable.
The people of the world surely must wonder at the incompetence of the American people in not demanding accountability.
Thanks for making these stories visible.
For an interesting critique of the American military by prophetic comedian Bill Hicks:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Np6_b-72H3E
And according to an article I found via buzzflash, some of the Iraqi police are taking off their uniforms but keeping their guns and joining in the fight against the US and Iraqi army.
It looks to me like the best thing we can do is get the hell out of their country. Of course they resent our presence there, what country wouldn't resent being invaded, bombed all to hell, taken over and then for the most part ruled by another country's form of government? Bush talks about Iraq as though he is their savior. They don't need to be saved, they need to be left alone to decide how they want their country to be.
You consider Basra to be a bigger indicator of the surge's success or failure then the entire Anbar Province? A province that includes Ramadi and Fallujah? A province that actually had people sent to it as part of the surge (Anbar Province and Baghdad...Basra is way in the South and was controlled by the British and wasn't part of the surge strategy).?
I mean, I'm okay with you feeling that Bush lied yet again. I'm okay with saying that things in Iraq are not going too well, and that Basra is a sign that things aren't as under control as our own government claims they are.
But using Basra as any indicator of the surge strategy betrays a bit of ignorance on your part.
accoring to Cheney the surge has WORKED, not working.... but it's WORKED!!!! and the Iraq war has been a success, now perhaps if the objective was to cause as much chaos, huge loss of life , start a civil war, destroy Iraq and cause a humanitarian crisis then i guess it was a success ?.
Why remove the reference to Bush? Based upon what we know now, and what we have seen, Bush IS a War Criminal. God, how I wish we had a parliamentary system so we could have removed Bush and Chenney from office LONG ago.
P.S. I am a Republican.
I did hear on tv last night that some of Blackwater's helicopters were destroyed. I think it was near the green zone, but I'm not positive.
K at comment 6, are you aware that Baghdad is under curfew and the green zone is locked down?
Soon, the word “surge” will be stricken from the public record. Not sure what the three stooges (McCain, Lieberman & Graham) will talk about then. I’m sure they will come up with something outlandish.
What do you want, a medal?
Just kidding, glad to see there are members of his own party who realize that lockstep isn't the way to go...
Leaving would be the best thing for us to do for the civilians and everyone else in Iraq.
Sorry.
pissed off patricia @ 9:
The Iraqi's have named a disease after Blackwater
What does GZG stand for? I tried googling, but only got something about Zero War Games.
The long predicted Iraqi "Tet Offensive" has finally arrived.
why would you edit their post?
And the corporate mafia called the 'msm' will continue to tell us the surge is working, the surge is working ........ iraq is a success ... the corporate pimps/whores/sluts called williams, couric, scarborough, gibson, fox news, and all the rest of them will do all they can to manipulate public perception yet again to benefit their corporate boy McBush in order to sustain a government by and for the few: greed ...... and these corporate pigs called the 'elite media' will collect their million dollar paydays in doing so ... meanwhile our teachers of our children will get their $30,000 a year .......
They can easily pull it off too. Remember when "Stay The Course" went the way of the Dodo in terms of the popular political lexicon? Tony Snowjob, with a straight face no less, standing up their claiming "This a great story, because we went back and looked today and could only find eight times where he ever used the phrase stay the course." It'll be the same shit with the "Surge" when they start bombing Iran, it creates chaos, and they then say well, we need an Escalation. People will say, isn't that the same bullshit as the Surge you tried that failed miserably? Spokesperson of the moment: "That's really funny because actually we can only find one instance where the president (or "interim" dictator once martial law is declared to quell the public outrage over bombing Iran...) ever mentioned anything about surges..."
andy @ 13:
Anything associated with that name scares me. Reading the book about them makes you see red, and now this. Maybe along with getting our troops out of there, the Iraqis would appreciate getting blackwater out of there as well.
Why should we worry about Iraq? King Bush said things are going swimmingly. MSM doesn't deem Iraq news worthy. The talking heads are in a frenzy over Barack and Billary. Meanwhile the Iraq is becoming a hellish nightmare. Jesus, how are we every going to get out of this mess.
pissed off patricia @ 19:
Iraq was doomed the day we violently invaded their nation.
This article gives aid and comfort to the enemy.
oops, my comment went into the blockquote...
Actually from what I've heard Blackwater Fever was already called that...it's just a really twisted coincidence.
23 fry Says: This article gives aid and comfort to the enemy.
No more so than Bush and his policies playing right into the hands of those he purports to fight against...
The American armed forces have been nothing but death squads for dozens of years. In all corners of the world the U.S. armed forces and their surrogates have spread havoc death and despair in large measures. No one is ever happy to see the U. S. army coming. Peaceful, free countries have been laid to waste by the army and their pawns, from South America to Africa to the middle east to the far east. American policies have ruined the lives of millions.
K @ 6:
Ya, I think the ignorance belongs to you. We pile troops into Baghdad and the fighting moves to Basra. Get it? The surge strategy likely is working. It was probably intended to secure an area of Iraq and then make sure that area is the only one that appears on the news. Then people will believe the surge to be a success and claim that anyone with evidence that says otherwise is ignorant.
K @ 6:
If nothing else, this shows why the surge was a stupid idea in the first place. Military commanders have been describing their efforts to kill Iraqis as a game of Whack-a-Mole for years. I don't know who reasonably thought that putting a lot of guns in one part of the country would not lead to increased "insurgent" activity in other parts of the country. And the fact that this is the Mahdi Army fighting us again IS a big indicator that their strategic goals are failing. Apparently paying people to stop shooting at you doesn't work so well if you keep shooting at them. Who knew?
And Nicole, I second Robert's thoughts on Bush. Why even consider removing a factual description of our president from the post? If illegally and aggressively invading a country without provocation does not classify one as a war criminal, what would? He violated laws to start a war. That's the definition of a war criminal. Don't tell me you're turning into one of the "Very Reasonable People" who doesn't want to say anything controversial? :)
To be fair, Iraq was the lead story on ABC news last night. They gave it a lot of coverage.
pissed off patricia @ 9:
And they'll bill those back to the taxpayer at what? $10 billion each?
pissed off patricia @ 19:
Actually, I think that many Iraqis would just love to have Blackwater stay in Iraq. So long as it's staked out in the desert naked at high noon on a termite mound.
Can't chat right now weaseldog, I'm off to shop at Wal-mart.
I'm just teasing you. But I did understand your message.
Seeing these stories and what I saw on tv last night, makes what bush said yesterday the words of a crazy man. No wonder he was talking so loud and acting so angry, it's hard work lying out your ass and trying to convince people that a fire is out when the flames are still roaring.
Let's be careful here. That is the job of the army, to kill people. An army is really nothing more than a state sanctioned death squad, but the death inflicted is only supposed to be against other death squads in order to take your opponent's death squad away (i.e. military victory). However, the individual soldiers do not deserve a name with connotations like "death squad" has. There are many people in the military who did not sign up because they want to kill people. There are many people in the military who signed up because they truly believed they would be fighting the forces of evil and all that (whether or not that makes them deluded is irrelevant). What you are talking about is the policies that the army is forced to enact/the strategies that are thrust upon them, that due to the nature of a civilian controlled armed force, they are duty-bound to follow. No, you do not have any obligation to follow an illegal order on an individual level, so if an officer orders a grunt to commit a war crime, they are legally bound to refuse...but what happens when the pretenses and the basis for you being in this situation was the illegal part? The soldiers are already there, by virtue of this every combat kill is technically a war crime, but not one of their choosing, they have no choice to keep on doing what they are doing because it's not like they can all simultaneously put down their weapons, hope those they are fighting don't shoot at them in the meantime, and wait for their country to come and get them out...
Ugh...this war/occupation is so fucking tragic on so many levels...
Americans deserve the problems they get.
Americans don't deserve the problems they get.
The answer lies somewhere in the middle.
In the case of Iraq specifically, the soldiers don't deserve the crap they've been dealt, but the American homeland foreclosure debacle is deserved.
America's economic dominance is coming to an end, and a rebalancing of economic forces is occurring.
Years from now when the globe emerges from its current recession, America won't be playing just football anymore; it'll be forced to take up soccer and play it on the world stage in order to stay competitive. And since we suck at the sport, we'll have a lot of catching up to do.
With apologies to Chanel, it's time for a new perfume product:
"Share the fantasy, Bush, no. 43."
Just a few spritzes of Bush no. 43, and your scent will get people thinking that "people are going to look back at this moment in history and say a democracy in Iraq helped change the world for the better."
Bush, no 43. The magical perfume that covers up the stink of war.
When the Russians were pretending to rid Afghanistan's people of their rigid rule, the Russians were looked at, after a couple of years, not as liberators but Occupiers. Then after reagan armed the mujahadeen the rest of the Islamic world joined in the fight against the Russian. Fighters started showing up from Egypt, Iran, Pakistan etc. to fight them. Infidels were not wanted in an Islamic country.
Bush was told before going into Iraq that he was going to face the same consequences if he went in and tried so set up any permanence of presence. Powell told him "If we Break it we're stuck in a quagmire". Krinsiki told them they needed hundreds of thousands to accomplish what the wanted, many other generals said the same. But bush knew better. His man Rumsfeld knew better and their "advisor's" told them to dismantle the Iraqi Army, instead of utilizing them to keep an insurgence from happening. Again, non-military men made the call and set up the perfect failure.
Bush believes his own lies now and expects us to have faith in him even though we can see he is making the same mistakes over and over.
See any comparison here. Non-Islamics are still never going to be welcome in an Islamic land. Osama Bin Ladin knew he couldn't beat the American military so he wanted to take the American Economy down, so he attacked out financial heart.
Bush then accommodated him by started a war that can't be won and is doing exactly what Bin Ladin wanted to do. Destroy our economy.
Bin Ladin couldn't have wished for a better ally that bush.
Bush is happy with the w
pissed off patricia @ 32:
And, of course, NO ONE (as of yet) has the cajones to simply tell Busholini "YOU ARE A DELUSIONAL LIAR!"
Bush is happy with the war. He calls it a success.
Iraq is going exactly hte way he wanted it to go.
How can you call this a mistake?
Weaseldog @ 39:
The war is a success to the military industrial complex and the oil companies.
The rest is all F*cked.
No. 44 @ 35:
I like to refer him as Bush, no 2. ....there's no substitute for real defecation.
Dr. Acula @ 38:
Actually I did yesterday sitting at the island in my kitchen while watching him on tv as he gave that speech. But, I don't know if that counts.
Iraq was NEVER really together to fall apart!
pissed off patricia @ 42:
Right, me too -- I should have clarified -- no one in the "media"... not even KO. When the "president" can outright lie (well, he's been doing it for 7-1/2 years) without any consequence, our status as a "democracy" is truly questionable.
pissed off patricia @ 42:
it's good enough for me. :)
Considering Iraq by itself is like watching Ophelia's madness scene in Hamlet, and deducing the play's plot from that, if you can.
The most one can discern is that something is terribly wrong, is unholy rotten.
Iraq is but a theater in a strategic war to dominate the oil sources in the Middle East, thereby throttling America's emerging "enemy economies" -- China, India, Brazil -- and restricting Russia to minding its own affairs instead of growing its presence on the world stage.
The strategic goal is owning and operating the Caspian Basin region, and all points south of there. Puppet states or failed states from Baku to Beirut is the end goal. All lesser goals are adjustable and fungible under that one.
It's Baku or Bust, boys.
Iraq is but a beachhead. So is Iran. So is Syria, and so is Saudi Arabia if it ever goes flaky. That's American oil under that sand, so it's Give Over Or Die from here on out.
The challenge for the American Empire is to make itself "vital" to the "security and democracy" of fabled Syriana, the crescent shaped region stretching from the Caspian to the eastern Med. That's largely a PR challenge, not a military one. After we nuke a couple of bunkers in Persia, those Caspian states will be lining up to become wholly owned subsidiaries of America, Inc.
It's a sales job. There are point three billion Americans walking around right now -- less than three hundred thousand of them will reap virtually ALL the wealth being stolen over there.
Whether the Republic survives never bothered these folks. Whether the American Empire survives doesn't trouble them either. They and their money will be welcome anywhere in the world. They currently own and operate the biggest, baddest military and economic power in human history, and they use it to rape, pillage, and steal.
It's their machine. It's not your father's Republic.
Well over 90% of Americans are just along for the ride from this point.
As long as they are not willing to lop off heads, a la carte, that is.
This war will pay for itself.
The insurgency is in its death throes.
it will all be over in six months, tops.
etc. Our leaders have no idea what they're doing in Iraq. The strategy behind the surge might work if we had a million troops in Iraq, but we just don't have enough guys to hold the ground. Add to that the fact that we're buying a peace - giving money to the people who might spend that money on guns and then turn around and shoot at us.
Did anyone catch in the Frontline special that we gave Motata al Sadr 330 million$? That's a lot of ammo for ak47s.
you wanted to edit out bush, but keep the u.s.death squad in uniform comment?
I've been commenting about the war ever since I've been involved, my viewpoints are left of center, and so now I'm a "Death squad member".
Wow.. way to go on setting the bar for objective reporting..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda
♣Bangkok Bob♠ Says: When the Russians were pretending to rid Afghanistan’s people of their rigid rule, the Russians were looked at, after a couple of years, not as liberators but Occupiers. Then after reagan armed the mujahadeen the rest of the Islamic world joined in the fight against the Russian. Fighters started showing up from Egypt, Iran, Pakistan etc. to fight them. Infidels were not wanted in an Islamic country.
I agree totally except one thing. The mujahideen were fighting the Soviets. The distinction is important because at the time they were one of the world's 2 superpowers. But they did something dumb. The tried to invade and occupy another nation. This cost them, cost them a lot. The Soviet Union literally disappeared from the map. I hope the U.S. never makes the mistake of carrying out a long and costly occupation in an islamic nation. D'oh!
Let's see if I can show my ignorance here for the world to see...at least the world of C&L. Bush said yesterday that Iraqi oil revenues were way up last year. Couldn't that just mean that because the price of oil rose so much last year they would logically make more money, not that they were necessarily able to pump more oil?
i guess this proves that the decrease in violence had nothing to do with the "surge" and everything to do with the bribe and ceasefire, right? of course the media will completely ignore this, because they would have to admit that they were guilty of toeing the line for this administration AGAIN.
I wish I was more like my mother. Just put all my faith in god. Turn off the TV. Wrap myself in denial and move on. But I can't. My children depend on me to be smart. Oh well.
duncanidho @ 47:
I surely don't see the soldiers as "death squads" but they may look that way to some Iraqi families. Just because they are people who invaded their lives and frighten the hell out of them.
#11 on my "Year 2008 Predictions" was that "The Surge has merely clamped down the lid on a boiling pot" without addressing the underlying problems, and if left unchanged, would explode in violence.
But I also predicted it wouldn't happen until July. Foolish me.
pissed off patricia @ 49:
Yup.
♣Bangkok Bob♠ @ 36:
Bad news, Mr and Mrs Six pack.... But the outlook is not good. Iraq is in a civil war, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. The best thing I can do is pretend to have control of the country, and run out the clock till Election Day. True, nothing will change, but then, it will be some other President's headache.
Its said it will take our 140,000 troops 12-18 months to withdrawl from Iraq. UNDER PEACEFUL CONDITIONS. Imagine what it's going to be like when 1/3rd of the population is trying to kill you, another 3rd is begging you to take you with them and another third is just cheering from the sidelines. Our military has been bled white because of this nonsense, our standing in the world is non-existent, and our economy's in the toilet...
POTUS 44 will have some serious s#$t to deal with. I wish that person well.
There is no reporting, because every reporter that goes into that meat grinder IS KILLED!
River hasn't posted since October 22.
I hope she is safe. But I worry she isn't.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
The thing about McCain and Bush is they will never be able to solve the war because they do not understand it. They do not understand the players. They don’t get the dynamics of country being invade by foreign powers. What would happen if the U.S. pulled out of Iraq immediately? What would happen next? I think this is what would happen - The Shia tell Iran "Thanks for the help, now leave. Get out of our country." That is the part the neocon war mongers can't seem to understand. Everybody says that Iran will take over Iraq. Or they will have so much influence that Iraq will essentially become part of Iran. Well that will NOT happen. Iraq is Iraq. They don't want to be told what to do by Iran. Just like they don’t want to be told what to do by the U.S. Remember when Saddam invaded Kuwait, Saudi Arabia let the U.S. stage in their country to throw Saddam out of Kuwait. And Egypt helped the coalition in that war. Both those countries are Sunni. Saddam was Sunni. In fact Egypt harbored an exiled Saddam many years ago but Egypt helped throw Saddam out of Kuwait. Being from the same sect did not help Saddam. Saddam didn't listen to Saudi Arabia when it came to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia is Sunni like Saddam. Saudi Arabia let the coalition stage in Saudi Arabia to attack Saddam, a Sunni. Why would Iraq listen to any other country, i.e. Iran or Syria or anybody else? Why would they let Iran tell them what to do? So you see that just because part of Iraq and Iran are the same sect you cannot assume that Iraqi Shia will let Iranian Shia tell them what to do. The Iraqis are only letting Iran help them because Iraq wants the U.S. out! As far as the Kurds go they have it figured out. They're having BBQ on Saturday nights (probably). And the Sunni? They will have to figure out how to have their own area. Joe Bidden knows how this will work out. Most of them have left the country anyway. It will work out without us. And Al Qaeda? you may ask. Well the Iraqis will kick their sorry butts out (no matter what McCain thinks) in a matter of hours after the U.S. leaves. The Iraqis hate Al Qaeda as much as they hate the U.S. for invading. You can bet your bottom $ that no Iraqi will be told what to do by some Al Qaeda nut who all of Iraq hate. McCain does not even know who Al Qaeda is. Obviously the same is true with Bush. All you will see of Al Qaeda is the dust they kick up as they run for Afghanistan. Iraq will kick Al Qaeda out just like they will do to the Iranians, "Thanks for the help. Now get the hell out." The neocon war profiteers don't get it or they want this war to continue for financial reasons. You know this. I know this. 82% of the U.S. knows this. Getting out is the dilemma. The Republicans think that staying in is the delima. I'm sure the military can figure out how the hell to leave. They don't have to worry about all the junk they brought with them. Most of it is trash at this time anyway. It's worn out. Used up. Just get on a plane and leave. Remember Iraq was better off with Saddam. I've said it many times. Nobody wanted to say it at the time but it is true. Let's pack it up and leave tomorrow. You are either with me or... um... ah... won't get fooled again.
"...part of a defense in depth strategy..."
Hmm. Looks like someone might have been paying attention when Hezbollah bloodied the IDF in Lebanon.
Bush's Insane Idea of "Success": Iraqi police in Basra shed their uniforms, kept their rifles and switched sides
Weaseldog @ 54:
ABC News did a story the other night (wish I had captured it) noting that 20% of the oil they are producing is being stolen. The piracy is rampant, both along the pipeline by black-marketeers, and by the truckers shipping the oil to refineries. They'll drain as much a quarter of the load and then "refill the tanker up with whatever they can find... even water... so that the level doesn't change."
Weaseldog @ 57:
I'm hoping she and her family are still in Syria and safe and sound.
Don't fret people, Bush just needs another six months! And the lap dogs in congress will give it to him. They fear they will be portrayed as being weak. The fact is they are enablers. Spineless shills.
seele @ 56:
Only if they report what is actually happening.
Mugsy @ 61:
Yesterday, in Basra, if I'm not mistaken, they blew up a section of the oil pipeline. Someone over there knows why booschCo is in Iraq.
updated 21 minutes ago
Baghdad on lockdown as rockets, bombs fly
Baghdad is on virtual lockdown today as a tough new curfew ordered people off the streets of the Iraqi capital and five other cities until 5 p.m. Sunday. Despite the curfew, rockets or mortar rounds hit an Iraqi vice president's office in the Green Zone, killing two guards.
Unless adherence to the law is restored in OUR country, this Administration will continue to act arbitrarily.
They have their agenda, and that is all that they are interested in. Their enablers in the media and the 25%ers in the country will run interference for them, the compliant and ultimately complicent Democrats in the Congress will allow them to get away with it, and nothing will change.
We need REAL change. We need to return to the basic principles which have allowed democracy in this country, a democracy unlike any other in the world, and never before seen in history, to work.
I'm a very big fan of Gorilla guides and have been reading it a lot to finally get the other side of the story in Iraq in English, which even in the very critical and reasonably objective European media is still lacking because as "white Christians" (sic, this is the way they are seen by possible Muslim death-squads be it Al-Qaeda or anything else) it is impossible for them to get on the field without getting murdered. Although we do see many reports on European media from refugees in Syria and Iran, which I'm sure most white dumb fat gun-and-Humvee loving Americans have never heard of. But still to hear it directly from people still there: Gorilla is currently my only option.
I don't think their words are in anyway harsh, I mean cmon your country has been totally destroyed for the greed of some white petrol-moguls and thanks to the idiocy, racism and bigotry of a bunch of retarded sheep, who thought they were doing the 'good thing': Millions of refugees, children forced to prostitution, arbitrary detention, torture, fearing for your life when doing basic activities like going to school, shopping, no electricity, now water, no job, a concrete wall in your street just so you can put your garbage out without being blasted...
And then of course to be confronted every time with the official narrative of your oppressor: that it's all in your best interest and that everything is going better, when the only thing that's going better is Dick's paycheck from Halliburton and co.
I mean what words could be used to describe such arrogance, idiocy, hypocrisy and cruelty?
Look at how they treat American white women in Iraq, and then think how they would treat Muslim women in Iraq which for many of the lowly educated soldiers (especially the thugs mercenaries roaming Iraq like Blackwater, more than the poor soldiers forced in the army because of lack of opportunities in the US) there are nothing than mere animals, the one breeding the so called 9/11 hijackers (which is the way they were portrayed in US media for a long time, as a way to sell that oil-profiteering-war).
Thumbs up for Gorilla Guide, and reconciliation or any forgiveness for America will only be possible when they'll be ready to face the consequences of their acts, and the words of your victims is just one part of it.
Captain Kangaroo at 58, I think you pretty much nailed it.
pissed off patricia @ 52:
Why use death squads when we can just drop a few thousand pound bombs on them and call it collateral damaged? Those airforce soldiers arn't death squads, those are officers.
Its part of the new way of legitimizing mass murder.
I'm gonna wear out the keys on my keyboard repeating this ..
I strongly believe this is precisely what the NeoCons have intended all along.
It's genocide.
They call it "creative destruction" - completely destroy the physical *and* social infrastructure, slaughter as many as possible, subjugate the few remaining, then let the corporations move in and take over the rubble.
They did it to the American South during the American Civil War, to the American Natives in the latter half of the 19th century, to the Phillipines, to Europe in World Wars One and Two, to VietNam, etc, etc, etc.
It's the way they operate.
It's business as usual for the Colonisers.
Why does everyone continue to pretend that Bush & Company EVER wanted peace or stability anywhere in the Middle East?
People .. this is a no-brainer .. we've been lied to and lied to and lied to .. and told this is a great success .. could take 100 years but we're not leaving ..
WHAT THE F*&^ TO YOU THINK THEY MEAN???
They MEAN what they SAY.
Michael Ledeen (Wikipedia) is one of the NeoCons principal "thinkers" .. read this Wikipedia entry.
Relevant quote:
serrano @ 4:
The democrats are just as guilty as Bush. That is the reason there has been no impeachments.
pissed off patricia @ 52:
The Americans don't just frighten Iraqis, they kill them. When the Americans start a killing spree, they kill everyone they encounter because they are told not to believe that someone may not be their enemy. Get some of the accounts from the WinterSoldier conferences. It will add much to the perspective and the discussion.
*Scenario I: Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Malaki using his Iraqi Army engages the rogue elements of Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army setting off a full scale Shiite Civil War in Iraq.
*Scenario II: Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army engages the Iraqi Army of Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Malaki setting off a full scale Shiite Civil War in Iraq.
*Scenario III: American President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney [recent visitor to Iraq] initiate active hostilities against Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army claiming it is an operation of Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Malaki and his Iraqi Army in hopes of bringing the Iraq War to some successful end - re-electing a Republican President in the U.S., insuring the oil flow is in the hands of "friendlys," and finding a place for themselves in history.
What is the evidence that Scenario III has to be included in the possibilities?
1.Last week, Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator John McCain, and Senator Joe Lieberman were in Iraq for week-long visits.
2.Basra, the center of the fighting, is the oil export hub for Iraq’s oil.
3.Earlier this week, John McCain made a foreign policy speech reaffirming his committment to the War in Iraq.
4.General David Petraeus is scheduled to go before Congress to discuss dropping troop levels in Iraq [and Bush is signalling that we aren’t going to do that].
5.When this melee started, Dana Perino come out with this fanciful interpretation that the hostilities were evidence of the strength of the Iraqi Army and that the "surge was working":
DANA PERINO: This is an Iraqi led and Iraqi initiated operation. And this is what we’ve been wanting to see the Iraqis do is take on more responsibility…
The surge created new opportunities and in fact created many more Iraqi Security Forces…
So I would characterize it as a bold decision — precisely what the critics have asked to see in Iraq, more movement by the Iraqi Security Forces.
6.On the third day [yesterday], President George W. Bush made this same claim in a speech to soldiers at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
7.Last week, Karl Rove was on O’Reilly saying a prelude to such a scenario:
"… the creation of the democracy in the historic center of the Middle East with the third-largest oil reserves in the world. If we have a functioning democracy in Iraq, that’s an ally in the war on terror, a counterweight to the mullahs of Iran and to Assad in Syria, this will create a very hopeful center of reform and energy for reform throughout the Middle East."
8.Today, we read in the Washington Post:
U.S. Armor Forces Join Offensive In Baghdad Against Sadr Militia
Americans Appear To Take the Lead As Iraqi Units Wait
U.S. forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday in Sadr City, the vast Shiite stronghold in eastern Baghdad, as an offensive to quell party-backed militias entered its third day. Iraqi army and police units appeared to be largely holding to the outskirts of the area as American troops took the lead in the fighting.
9.It is a classic Bush/Cheney ploy to do something like this.
Some reporter recently returned to Iraq and said it was something out of the film Blade Runner.
Chuck Hagel said Bush's view of Iraq was "Alice in Wonderland".
The McCainstream Media is as usual doing what it did in the run-up to the war.
-GSD
Weaseldog @ 39:
I agree. To say bush's war is going badly would be to claim bush had anyone other then his corporate investors intrests in mind when he invaded.
Thousands of Americans have been killed, hundreds of thousands of Iraqies have been killed, however the body count is not a factor in bush's measurement of what a success is. Profit is the only measure bush cares about, and this war has profited his corporate backers almost beyond imagine.
Captain Kangaroo @ 58:
what proof do have that Iran is helping anyone and risking the stupidity and wrath of booschCo?
Dr. Acula @ 1:
Exactly. Sen. Chuck Hagel called the White House "Alice in Wonderland" for saying the opposite of what is actually happening (and Lewis Carroll was writing about politicians; wise man). Go to rawstory.com for the video. Oh, and he called Bush arrogant and incompetent, too. Just about says it all.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 73:
I was relying on what my friend, who was in the Guard and over in Iraq the first 13 months of the war, told me when he came home. That was part of his job, to bust down doors, and arrest the males in the family. He hated terrorizing those people that way and he said he sure as hell understood why they would hate him.
The civilized world can end this nightmare whenever it wishes, by issuing international arrest warrants for Bushco and his enablers in Congress on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges and by acting upon and prosecuting those warrants. America is no longer a member of civilized humanity; it is the only rogue nation of significance on the planet. the so-called "Axis of Evil", and all other nations that are infamous for their records pale by comparison.
We can never begin to the long process of regaining our honor among nations until these monsters are brought to justice.
pissed off patricia @ 69:
Yup...pretty saavy there Capt.!
1. Violence goes down = Success!
2. Violence remains constant = Success!
3. Violence goes up = Success!
Every change and lack of change is proof Bush's success.
Bassra is controlled by Iran.....That is who we are really fighting. It is the beggining of the war with Iran by Proxy.
No don't edit their post let it stand as is. . . it puts a human behind the grammatical errors and the anger of the victims.
Bush$Co's mentality is "We have to destroy the city in order to Save Basra!"
The best thing we in America could do is withdraw from the country and ask the world to please go help the Iraqis rebuild what we have destroyed in the name of oil and profits for the War Inc and Bush$Co alliance. Send Bush$Co and his clan of outlaws the bill.
Mugsy @ 61:
NBC had a story the other day on the Iraqi oil. Maybe that is what you were thinking about. If you click on the link wait for it to load. It might take a minute or two for their server to find the video and load it up. The link should work but give it a minute.
"The American war criminal Bush whose death squad in uniform called the U.S. armed forces are still trying to subjugate Irak and who have murdered innumerable Iraki Children women and men calls the carnage a “positive moment” you can read what he has to say for himself to the UK Times newspaper here.Tahseen al-Sheikhli one of the two main spokesmen for the “surge” was unavailable for comment because he has been kidnapped. "
Posting something like this as an "udpate" is a disservice to this blog.
Proud American Liberal @ 15:
and what a coincidence...on the 40th Anniversary of the last big lump of shit hitting the fan...
"The Tet Offensive (Tet Mau Than), or officially, Tổng Công Kích/Tổng Khởi Nghĩa - General Offensive, General Uprising, was a three-phase military campaign conducted between 30 January and 23 September 1968"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive
I guess we can count on Iran being the next " illegal Bombing of Cambodia"?
stephen @ 83:
Moqtada al-Sadr is an Iraqi nationalist. He's fighting against the US occupation and the Maliki government. Read the Gorilla Guide, link above.
P.D. @ 51:
God gave us brains and a sense of Right and Wrong for a reason.
I'm reminded of that "God will provide..." joke.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 77:
Hey, I don’t have proof of this. It is just what Bush Co. has been saying. I take it as a given (I realize nothing Bush says should be taken as a given but it does make sense that Iran would be helping part of Iraq – the Shia). That part of my comment is in response to the Bush talking point. If it is bullshit then all the better.
Nero Bush fiddles while Iraq burns.
pissed off patricia @ 79:
Understood. I have two cousins in Iraq on the 4th and 5th tours with the booschCo traveling band of people who see their mission as protecting each other(because getting back home is first on their minds). They can't say publicly what they've done. I can't tell if it's conscience or if it's anger and fear.
stephen @ 83:
Best you head down to the nearest recruiting office and enlist, before it's too late.
Verdillac @ 87:
I survive TET in Danang and I think you are right on that Iran=Cambodia since Iraq=Vietnam amazing how fast the war profiteers forget history for oil and $$$
stephen @ 83:
what proof do you have that Iran is helping anyone and risking the stupidity and wrath of booschCo?
Anais @ 78:
Oops, forgot about Hagel. I don't agree w/him on social issues, but he's spot-on about the
waroccupation.It's no wonder he's retiring.
The problem with the Iraqi army doing anything is not just their training but also the fact that the government is Shia dominated due to the Sunni's boycot of those elections. So any attack by government troops on Sunnis can be seen by both sides as a religious/political strike not a legitimate government move.
Is there any such thing as a girlcott?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0ns8t9iQck
Captain Kangaroo @ 90:
Understood. booschCo has been pushing the Iran meme since 2001. please don't fall into that trap. several so-called 'experts' have been staging appearances on the cia news net blaming Iran for everything from IEDs to logistical support and weapons shipments. They've even claimed (McAsshole 4 times) that Iran helps Al CIAda. Not one shred of proof or fact has been offered. please don't let the repetition overwhelm your judgement.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 95:
What proof do you have that a man landed on the moon.
So how is American stewardship of the country as it gets torn apart by civil war any different than Iraqi stewardship of the country as it gets torn apart by civil war?
It's so nice to know my tax dollars are being spent to underwrite the creation of a militant Shiite theocracy.
I see many people saying Us soldiers are not Death Squads, I mean guys , you need to open your eyes (and remember for Iarqis there is no distinction between american mercenaries or american soldiers, I mean why should there be, they work for the same entity):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Baghdad_shootings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Dale_Green
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abeer_Qassim_Hamza
http://gorillasguides.com/2007/02/
especially the last article, it showed me the way everyday Iraqis feel about US troops, how they are treated on a daily basis by them. And those are not rotten apples, those are no rare exceptions. They are just the tip of the iceberg. We finally aknowledged now 60 years later, the horrible way people were treated in our European colonies. when you see how the people in power disregard the Iraqis, it's just normal this translates also on the field, US soldiers are even encouraged to act like that.
Stop to think all your soldiers are univeristy degree student with a strong view and understanding of the world and sound and strong moral principles even in the face of the most horrible violence.
Most americans are raised in cultural nihilum, under religious dogma's and in total ingorance. As an European when I travelled to the US, I was always amazed by how stupid, naive and cultural ignorant the vast majority of Americans were (and arrogant by the way, especially anyone involved in security business). It's something that struck me often whenever there was a slight difference from the usual/normal way, every american I faced really had a though time handling the situation. I was allways thinking : "huh how can this be the superpower whith such idiots." (Its before I understood the definition of the Americna dream: an aggressive and innovative elite flanked by an army of ignorant underpayed sheep)
They are just poor lads who have no clue how to remain human in such a chaotic situation, even if they don't mean to harm. But that doenst impeach them from doing the most horrible things in the name of 'Freedom'.
MountainMan23 @ 71:
spot on.
ysbaddaden @ 97:
sure! in a girltent at girlcamp.
Captain Kangaroo @ 99:
They used to show it all the time on MTV.
Besides, you're employing an Argumentum ad Ignorantiam.
Captain Kangaroo @ 99:
I was there! :)
to be honest, if boosh told me that man landed on the moon, I would not believe it.
Captain Kangaroo @ 99:
Oh please! Iran doesn't control Basra. Moqtada al-Sadr is an Iraqi nationalist. He's fighting for political control of Iraq for his own sake.
The reason that Basra is important is the simple fact that there are huge oil pipelines laying in the desert, just outside of the city. This was never a target before but it has become a very big one lately. Due to the severe damage sustained, the Iraqi Government's main source oil revenue is seriously constrained. Who ever target those pipelines knows exactly how the cripple that so called Iraqi Government and its U.S. backers.
MountainMan23 @ 71:
One can only hope that we turn the region into a cauldron...
What say we call it a chalice, attack the Catholics instead of the Witches for once.
Captain Kangaroo @ 99:
Was it Larry Craig?
ysbaddaden @ 110:
He provided proof of landing in the men's room.
Liberal AND Proud @ 111:
Was there a rocket in his pocket?
Leslie @ 107:
I'm with you on this. I don't care one iota about Iran. I will say this though. Don’t forget that Ahmadinajad (sp) was welcome with open arms in Baghdad. He had a better welcome than any U.S. delegation. And like I said if Iran is not involved all the better. The people of Iraq do not want us there!!! What country would want invaders to stay and run around shooting it up with everybody who moves. There is no way the Iraqis will ever be happy with us there. These neocons are fucked up. Iraqis are pretty fucked up too but that's their own problem. My problem is with the neocons.
Ugh, Bush is on the MSNBC news right now. He's in Australia talking about "human rights"... I have to throw up now.
A premature withdrawal from Iraq would endanger Israel, John McCain
"Never be haughty to the humble or humble to the haughty." -- President Jefferson Davis, CSA
Leslie @ 114:
You mean his right to bomb the bejeeezus out of other humans.
Captain Kangaroo @ 113:
Well, of course, Iran is involved in some ways. Iraq is their neighbor. They have every reason to be interested in what happens in Iraq, just like the Saudis, Turkey, et al. But Iran is not involved the way the Bushies portray, and they certainly don't control Basra.
Meanwhile, the Bushies are doing everything they can to start a war with Iran. They want "regime change" there too. They're so f**king stupid!!!!
Liberal AND Proud @ 116:
Yes, exactly. Oh, I feel sick.
The headline story at CNN.com right now is "Baghdad on lockdown as rockets, bombs fly". I wanted to get the Foxnews.com reaction to the situation. There is nothing, anywhere, on Foxnews.com about the situation. I looked for five minutes all over the appropriate screens. Apparently, according to Fox News, Iraq no longer exists.
As Bush is so high and mighty about 'Regime Change', why doesn't he start with his own country?
Gen Keane (ret) was on NPR this morning. He was spinning like a top on methedrine. But it's exactly the same bullshit they've been serving since the beginning. Six months away from stability, its just a small group of troublemakers, we're days away from finally crushing AQI. I am sick of the lies and the death. I believe those professors that were on Charlie Rose. We need to get out now. No bases, no just in case troops..out.
Captain Kangaroo @ 113:
Agreed. I've never understood the thinking behind "we will be greeted as liberators". If anything, Iraqis in general see their fellow Iraqis working with the Americans as traitors or collaborators. Besides, who in their right minds would support an invading force from the other side of the planet. One who bombed the Hell out of them and earlier, installed and supported the same dictator that they say they say they are overthrowing? In light of all of those facts, its no wonder the Iranians are greeted with open arms by many in Iraq.
Weaseldog @ 120:
Why? We gave him ours.
Leslie @ 114:
Oy, didn't he say enough yesterday?!!!
Dr. Acula @ 124:
You'd think! It's always the same recycled BS anyway.
In another unfortunate case of premature Iraq elation, the Wall Street Journal last week celebrated the decline and fall of Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Al-Sadr. Echoing the "bring 'em on" taunt of their former boss, ex-Bush advisers Dan Senor and Roman Martinez triumphantly asked "Whatever Happened to Moqtada?" But as the renewed turmoil in Baghdad and violent chaos in Basra suggest, the answer may be, "he's back."
For the details, see:
"Moqtada Al-Sadr Answers the Wall Street Journal."
Next on Fox News - Recycled BS - Does it improve the environment?
Liberal AND Proud @ 127:
I've heard it makes a very good mulch.
Once again, all the naysayers who claim that the surge has failed have themselves failed to view the American War in Iraq from the perspective of our very own criminal executive.
Five years in, elbusho and DICK-N-Co. have become filthy rich through war profiteering. The executive operates largely beyond the reach of Congress. The Judicial branch is an extension of the neoconservative politic. The people's economy is crumbling at the same time intercontinental oil & media giants are raking in ever-increasing power and treasure. And yet, 50% of Americans are too insipid to see any of it. Grasping their beer or Bible in one hand, they pump their other in the air, chanting: U.S.A., U.S.A., oblivious that their heroes have been grinding knives into their backs for years. Then what? Blame the gays, the blacks, the Latinos, the leftists, and the powerless. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
DR-TV @ 129:
Kinda like the end of the Roman Empire, huh.
PJ @ 115:
Fuck Israel!!!!!!!!!!! They are the main problem in that whole region. And yes I know that I'm going to be called anti-semitic. I don't care. Israel is so full of shit that it's ridiculous. Always screaming about how their neighbours are going to push them into the sea, slaughter them all if given half a chance etc. etc. etc. Israel is the only country in the area that has NUKULER WEPENS, as Chimpy would say it. Who'se going to push who into the sea. Israel is guilty of war crimes as much as Germany was.
AngryOne @ 126:
As usual, Senor and the others always associate non-action with lack of power and influence. Al Sadr agreed to the cease fire and now that it is broken, he and his men are on the offensive. Al Sadr has the power and influence to literally shape things in Iraq where the Bush Administration can only pay people off. My concern is where is the man in Iraq that is above Al Sadr. No one has heard from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for some time.
I heard that Obama is black and possibly a Muslim.
It's the end of the nation!
I'll bet the embassy and oil fields are all nice and secure.
We're just sitting back and letting them all kill each other off.
CoIntelPro - against Divisive Democrats @ 65:
The price of crude oil surged this morning after saboteurs bombed one of Iraq's main oil pipelines in what was feared to be a backlash attack by powerful Shia Muslim militias.
The attack is being seen as an act of retaliation for the Government's campaign to crack down on the Shia private armies, many of them Iranian-backed, which have exerted a powerful and violent influence over the south and centre of Iraq.
The explosion on the Zubair 1 pipeline, four miles south of Basra, happened on the third day of an operation by the Iraqi Army to defeat and round up gunmen in the oil port of Basra.
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=867
Iraq Is Falling Apart
Hmmm...must have been manufactured by Americans.
How would Hillary feel about premature withdrawal?
Leslie @ 128:
For a second there I thought you said lunch.
andy @ 7:
This was the plan, protect (better known as steal) the oil by causing chaos and not allow enough organization to keep track of what is actually happening. Over 300,000 barrels of oil are gone missing from Iraq daily. Who can tell us who is actually in charge of operating the oil pumps. Say it with me everbody....Halliburton.
lucid fiction @ 134:
The Green Zone is under attack. Embassy staff are restricted to reinforced buildings. And we're bombing Basra. We're hardly sitting back and letting them kill each other off. We're doing most of the killing.
Leslie @ 140:
The Green Zone is under attack?!?! But...but...no one will be able to go to the Starbucks or the McDonalds!!!
"Iraq is falling apart"..... No shit!!!.......I guess we all know who to thank for that....mission accomplished???? FUCK you George Bush... FUCK you Dick Cheney... And a big FUCK YOU to all the rest of the idiot cheerleaders and underlings who assisted in creating this massive clusterfuck on humanity.........Rot in hell all of you!!! JD
Liberal AND Proud @ 141:
Wha? But...but...just yesterday Busholini told us how fantastic everything was in eyerack. I'm so confused... ;>)
fry @ 23:
Yeah, George Bush!
""Israel stands to benefit greatly from the US led war on Iraq, primarily by getting rid of an implacable foe in President Saddam Hussein and the threat from the weapons of mass destruction he was alleged to possess. But it seems the Israelis have other things in mind.
An intriguing pointer to one potentially significant benefit was a report by Haaretz on 31 March that minister for national infrastructures Joseph Paritzky was considering the possibility of reopening the long-defunct oil pipeline from Mosul to the Mediterranean port of Haifa. With Israel lacking energy resources of its own and depending on highly expensive oil from Russia, reopening the pipeline would transform its economy.
To resume supplies from Mosul to Haifa would require the approval of whatever Iraqi government emerges and presumably the Jordanian government, through whose territory it would be likely to run. Paritzky's ministry was reported to have said on 9 April that it would hold discussions with Jordanian authorities on resuming oil supplies from Mosul, with one source saying the Jordanians were "optimistic". Jordan, aware of the deep political sensitivities involved, immediately denied there were any such talks.
Paritzky said he was certain the USA would respond favourably to the idea of resurrecting the pipeline. Indeed, according to Western diplomatic sources in the region, the USA has discussed this with Iraqi opposition groups.
It is understood from diplomatic sources that the Bush administration has said it will not support lifting UN sanctions on Iraq unless Saddam's successors agree to supply Israel with oil.
All of this lends weight to the theory that Bush's war is part of a masterplan to reshape the Middle East to serve Israel's interests. Haaretz quoted Paritzky as saying that the pipeline project is economically justifiable because it would dramatically reduce Israel's energy bill.
US efforts to get Iraqi oil to Israel are not surprising. Under a 1975 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the US guaranteed all Israel's oil needs in the event of a crisis. The MoU, which has been quietly renewed every five years, also committed the USA to construct and stock a supplementary strategic reserve for Israel, equivalent to some US$3bn in 2002. Special legislation was enacted to exempt Israel from restrictions on oil exports from the USA.
Moreover, the USA agreed to divert oil from its home market, even if that entailed domestic shortages, and guaranteed delivery of the promised oil in its own tankers if commercial shippers were unwilling or not available to carry the crude to Israel. All of this adds up to a potentially massive financial commitment.
The USA has another reason for supporting Paritzky's project: a land route for Iraqi oil direct to the Mediterranean would lessen US dependence on Gulf oil supplies. Direct access to the world's second-largest oil reserves (with the possibility of expansion through so-far untapped deposits) is an important strategic objective.""
and then check out American bases H1, H2, and H3 in Anbar province.
www.alternet.org/waroniraq/69580/
A new war with SR LEB. WE THINK.........
Basra =START IRAN OP>>>The U.S. navy has sent a third aircraft carrier to its Fifth Fleet area of operations, which includes Gulf waters close to Iran..
What's the matter? We're winning, aren't we?
Define "winning"? Everyone in the Middle East who hates the US dead?
Stability? Control of the oil in US hands? Democracy? (oh wait, there are democracies in the middle east but they hate us; what does that mean?)
And again, people call for Congress to act on impeachment but they won't. They can force W out of Iraq by withholding $$ but they won't.
The democratic party is still bickering about who should run against McSame.
1/20/09 for good or for four more years - THE END OF AN ERROR!!!
Why would you even consider editing that reference? I'd consider editing the reference to the troops, but not that of Bush.
GWB absolutely IS a war criminal by the standards applied to Japanese war criminals prosecuted after the Pacific War. Waging a war of aggression. Openly setting a policy of ignoring the Geneva Convention. How could anyone make a case for him NOT being a war criminal. He is a war criminal in the world stage and is guilty of Treason at home by virtue of his obvious campaign of destruction of the constitution he is sworn to uphold, protect, and defend.
I would welcome any debate of these claims in front a jury, rather than before a panel of judges handpicked by him and his fascist predecessors. That a trained monkey like Jon Yoo can occupy a chair on the faculty at Berkeley only shows how reactionary the decision makers at that place are. It does not in itself impart logic on his arguments, which are so absurd they take your breath away.
Dr. Acula @ 143:
This is the Mid East version of a Big Mac Attack.
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