Before I had a chance to finish my first cup of coffee this morning I was swatted with the news (from Al Jazeera) that Iraq says we "must stay until 2020."
This shocking news came from Lieutenant General Babaker Zerbari and therein lies the crux of the problem. Zerbari is a Lieutenant General and Iraq's most senior military officer.
We send Lieutenant Generals out for coffee and donuts in the morning. We have Bird Colonels sharpening pencils and Major Generals escorting defense lobbyists to strip clubs.
As the number of troops who have lost their lives in the war in Afghanistan has now reached 1,000, the monetary cost of the war could reach into the trillions. The decade long war has had a terrible toll on both the American military and on the people of Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan is now costing us more than the war in Iraq, both in lives and in treasure. But no one is paying any attention.
After President Obama's election and the adoption of the nineteen month withdrawal plan, the war in Iraq has faded out of the public debate. However, the war in Iraq is far from fading on the battlefield, and the violence in Iraq could be on the verge of increasing.
According to Casualties.org 4,299 American military service members have died in Iraq and March was the lowest level of American casualties (9) since the war in Iraq began. However, last month was the highest total of American casualties (19) since September of last year, and this month 17 service members have died in Iraq.
The Washington Post reported yesterday, that three United States soldiers were killed and nine were wounded while on patrol in a marketplace in western Baghdad. Also, early that day eight Sunnis where killed in a suicide bombing in Kirkuk.
In northern Iraq tensions between the Kurds and the Sunni Arabs are mounting. According to an article in the New York Times earlier this week, the Kurds have refused to recognize the Iraqi government's sovereignty over the Kurdish occupied Nineveh province. The newly elected Sunni Arab governor was not allowed to enter a Kurdish controlled town, a Sunni Arab Nineveh police chief was not allowed to cross a bridge into a Kurdish controlled area, and there have been other similar incidents in the last several weeks.
Early this month the New York Times reported on a bombing in Sadr City; that kind of violence had not been seen in the city since November of 2006. The report stated that sectarian violence had increased recently, and the victims of the attacks expressed the possibility of retaliation against those they felt where responsible.
"...the people were angry and they started talking about reacting. Some of them said that they were ready to return back to the old days, and sink deep into a sectarian war again. Until last week I would not have believed that Iraqis dared to think that there is a possibility of returning to hell."
The services use a waiver process to let in recruits with felony convictions, and many of the crimes were committed when the service members were juveniles.
I'm sure that adult offenders are making their way in, as well, given that many of them are low-level offenders. As Democrat Henry Waxman stated, much of this has to do with the fact that the Iraq War is affecting our numbers, and I would argue our actual defense readiness at home.
Still, we may be giving jobs to the deserving who have been cleared, but we cannot escape the fact that they are being placed in harm's way. Upon their return, they will still have a rap sheet; they will still have the conviction that will make it difficult for them to live non-military lives with good jobs and the ability to rent housing and have other rights.
Much like the military has a "blood for papers" program for legal immigrants, I believe this program should be expanded for these ex-offenders who are being used as IED fodder. If they are willing to put up their lives and survive, then they should be rewarded with an immediate pardon, and in some cases, expunsion of their original cases. Otherwise, they will return to hardened lives with nothing but a cheap medal to prove they are worthy of something.
After reading through the blogs lately, all I seem to be reading about is Iraq and the "pounding of the drums for war" against Iran. Has everyone completely forgotten the war we are supposed to be fighting in Afghanistan? The Washington Post finally came out with something today to let us know how bad the war in Afghanistan is really going.
Today the Rick Noriega campaign website is suspended for 24 hours:
Yesterday we reached the terrible milestone of 4,000 Americans dead in the misguided war in Iraq.
395 Texans and their families have paid the ultimate sacrifice and I ask you to take the time you would have spent on my website today offering them your prayers and your thanks for the heroic service of their loved ones.
We must also offer the country a new direction so that more of our young men and women are not lost.
I have suspended my campaign website for 24 hours to call attention to the failed policies that led us into war and kept us there with no plan for getting out.
Click here to see the names of all who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The History News Network published the following article by me on September 23, 2002. As my oldest son approaches eighteen, I still don't want him to die in an unjust quagmire. It's wrong for Washington politicians to continue using our brave men and women as political props. It's up to us to lead them home with honor.
--------
Every school child can recite the value of history: those that ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. What lessons can we learn about the present Iraqi crisis from the Vietnam experience?
On October 24, the County Executive Committee of the Travis County Democratic Party approved a resolution urging the State Democratic Executive Committee to put a referendum on Iraq on the March 2008 primary ballot.
Anyone can sign the online petition for the Vote Us Out of Iraq referendum by going to: http://voteusoutofiraq.org
Here is a video of the presentation and vote on the resolution. I am the one standing. The other person at the front of the room sitting on the table is Chris Elliott, chair of the Travis County Democratic Party
The proposed ballot language reads,
"Shall President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress, in support of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal of all United States forces."
(Thank you to the TCDP Executive Committee and to all who worked to put it together. - promoted by boadicea)
Yesterday, the County Executive Committee of the Travis County Democratic Party approved a resolution urging the State Democratic Executive Committee to put a referendum on Iraq on the March 2008 primary ballot.
Only one person voted against the proposal. Since we spread the word online and in email before the meeting that the resolution would be brought up for a vote, I think some people might have come to the meeting just to vote for the referendum, which is the same effect I think putting the referendum on the primary ballot will have. People will go to the polls to vote against the war.
The CEC is going to send a letter to State Chair Boyd Richie telling him of their endorsement of putting the referendum on the ballot.
I hope that I can get other county CECs in November and December to approve the resolution before I take it to the SDEC for their approval in January. The SDEC has the power to put the referendum on the ballot; so if you know anyone on the SDEC, urge them to vote to put the referendum on the ballot. In November, I will start calling all the SDEC members to find out if they will vote to put the referendum on the ballot. If anyone wants to help call, just let me know.
The proposed language reads, "Shall President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress, in support of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal of all United States forces."
Meanwhile, the big national news yesterday on the war concerned the cost of the war. Back in 2003, Bush said the war in Iraq would cost between 50 and 60 billion dollars. As it turns out, the war has cost about 40 times more than Bush said it would.
WASHINGTON-George W. Bush has asked the U.S. Congress to approve another $45.9 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the 2008 tab to almost $200 billion and making it the most expensive year of military combat in his so-called "war on terror.''
...
According to the independent Congressional Research Service, the $196.1 billion request by Bush for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 would bring the total cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and counterterrorism operations to more than $800 billion since terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
Even with an optimistic projection of half as many American troops in Iraq by 2017, the research service said spending on the wars would hit $1.45 trillion by then.
The Iraq war alone is costing U.S. taxpayers about $10 billion per month, or $330 million each day.
"The Iraq war is leaving us less secure, unprepared to fight an effective war on terror or respond to the unexpected. President Bush should not expect the Congress to rubber stamp this,'' said Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
I am going to present the Vote US Out of Iraq resolution at the Travis County Executive Committee on Wednesday, Oct 24 at 6pm. There needs to be a quorum present for the committee to approve it, so if you know anyone on the committee urge them to attend.
The resolution urges the State Democratic Executive Committee to put a referendum on Iraq on the primary ballot. It has already been passed by several Democratic clubs in Austin: South Austin Democrats, Central Austin Democrats, Lake Travis Democrats, Capital Area Progressive Democrats, West Austin Democrats and the North by Northwest Democrats.
The proposed ballot language is:
"Shall President George W. Bush, in support of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, end the United States occupation of Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal of all United States forces?"
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Commissioners' Courtroom, Granger Building, 11th and Guadalupe
MEETING MOVED TO THIS DAY RATHER THAN THE LAST WEDNESDAY WHICH THIS MONTH IS OCTOBER 31ST AND CONFLICTS WITH HALLOWEEN.
The expected agenda will include presentations by those who have indicated they will be filing for office of County Chair.
TCDP Chair Chris Elliott invites all Democrats to the Party's County Executive Committee.
Seems Texas Republicans are more than willing to stuff our children's cash down the pockets of war merchants and sleazy campaign contributing contractors than to vote for a fully funded program to provide more Texas children health care.
For those of us not in the Houston area and have missed this http://www.chron.com... it appears that seventy-one percent of cash donated by military folks to presidential candidates has went to anti-war, get out now candidates. That is Republican Paul and Democrat Obama.
When we evaluate the facts, the use of private military contractors appears to have harmed, rather than helped, the counterinsurgency efforts of the U.S. mission in Iraq, going against our best doctrine and undermining critical efforts of our troops. Even worse, the government can no longer carry out one of its most basic core missions: to fight and win the nation's wars. Instead, the massive outsourcing of military operations has created a dependency on private firms like Blackwater that has given rise to dangerous vulnerabilities.The dark truth about Blackwater
The idea of privatization of American public and governmental functions has been at the center of the neo conservative movement and over the last decade has been presented as the cure for everything that ails us from Social Security to Medicare, prison administration to public education, law enforcement and even the waging of war.
This idea that private enterprise can accomplish governmental functions more efficiently, at less cost while providing better service is, of course absurd and, in fact, is nothing but an enormous lie, and, like all enormous lies, if repeated often and loudly by the right authority figures and affirmed in "scholarly" studies performed by the Heritage or American Enterprise think tanks, it will take hold and seem, to a sizable portion of the uncritical public, to be the truth, simply because they have heard it so many times from so many familiar voices.
The marketing/propaganda professionals of the Cheney /Bush administration have carefully studied their Goebbels and know that the truth is what they can sell to those gullible enough to believe it especially when delivered in a climate of xenophobic, racist or religious fear, and due to the fact that a large percentage of our citizenry are either unable to look at their government and the wider corporate culture which largely dictates public policy, with a properly suspicious eye, or simply doesn't give a damn as long as no one threatens to take away their snowmobiles, shotguns and cheap access to the mind numbing inanity of popular culture and celebrity, the great lies become public truths and "common knowledge."
Seven years ago the people of this country nearly elected a federal administration that came to office expressing a hatred of government and an intention to reduce the size and influence of it in regulating the affairs of the ruling capitalist class, while at the same time charting a course to invade the lives and privacy and reduce the fundamental freedoms of the lesser classes. How anyone could expect those who despise government and representative democracy to govern effectively and efficiently is well beyond my understanding.
After their near election and illegal appointment to the highest offices in a government that they had absolutely no respect for, Cheney and Bush along with their corporate mafia criminal associates began to strip the federal regulatory agencies of dedicated professionals who took the job of regulating business and industry in the interest of public health and safety seriously, and started replacing them with industry cronies who simply stopped enforcing the laws so that businesses could achieve greater profits.
(In short, what GMT says... - promoted by boadicea)
It's sad when the right blogsphere tries to play GOTCHA! Facts, you see, aren't their strong suit. But it's even sadder when they try to play GOTCHA! while making accusations about someone playing GOTCHA!
In case you missed it (I did until this morning), David Shuster has been made to apologize for exposing the fact that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) hasn't been paying attention to the inflow of coffins to her district. No, she'd rather bitch about MoveOn.org, because that's what she was told to do.
Apparently, the right blogsphere thinks this all will magically go away because the dead soldier in question wasn't from her district, even though he was. Of course, that wasn't the point. The fact remains that Blackburn didn't know. In fact, she even said so:
The progress being made in our 4 1/2 year war of terror on Iraq is phenomenal. So impressive are our recent gains that the "top tier" Democratic candidates who have lined up in competition to become the heirs of this great struggle for freedom, for Middle Eastern democracy, for oil and gas rights for western corporations and of course for lucrative contracts in arms sales and private security for campaign contributors, last night went way out on a limb and declared their goal of removing our troops from the quagmire in Mesopotamia by the end of their first term in office in 2013.
Despite their boldness, they did not report whether or not they could guarantee the colonization of Mars, a cure for cancer, or flying pigs within that time frame.
longer carry out one of its most basic core missions: to fight and win the nation's wars. Instead, the massive outsourcing of military operations has created a dependency on private firms like Blackwater that has given rise to dangerous vulnerabilities.
