posted on October 13, 2003 06:03:06 AM new
A public relations blitz by Bush, Cheney, Rice will not fool anyone in the face of daily casualty reports, car bombings, reserve call ups and $87 billion appropriations.
The explosion transformed a bustling block in central Baghdad into a panorama of wartime devastation and deepened the unease many Iraqis have about security in the capital. Glass shards, pieces of twisted metal and pools of blood littered the street. Battered and burned survivors, some missing limbs, screamed for help as the acrid smoke from burning cars obscured rescuers. The force of the blast was so powerful that body parts were found on nearby roofs
Cont...
The children of one woman who owned some fruit trees lay down in front of a bulldozer but were dragged away, according to eyewitnesses who did not want to give their names. They said that one American soldier broke down and cried during the operation. When a reporter from the newspaper Iraq Today attempted to take a photograph of the bulldozers at work a soldier grabbed his camera and tried to smash it. The same paper quotes Lt Col Springman, a US commander in the region, as saying: "We asked the farmers several times to stop the attacks, or to tell us who was responsible, but the farmers didn't tell us."
posted on October 13, 2003 10:50:53 AM new
You are guilty by association, so we'll destroy your livelihood. This is obscene. It's torture in the truest sense of the word.
___________________________________
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken
posted on October 13, 2003 05:07:14 PM new
It may be illegal and against the Geneva Accords it is however a time honored tradition used by the US Military with historical precedants which include Shermans infamous march to the sea.
Republican, the other white meat!
Nearly one-quarter of the 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still have not been issued a new type of ceramic body armor strong enough to stop bullets fired from assault rifles.
Delays in funding, production and shipping mean it will be December before all troops in Iraq will have the vests, which were introduced four years ago, military officials say.
Congress approved $310 million in April to buy 300,000 more of the bulletproof vests, with 30,000 destined to complete outfitting of the troops in Iraq. Of that money, however, only about $75 million has reached the Army office responsible for overseeing the vests' manufacture and distribution, said David Nelson, an official in that office.
Angry members of Congress have denounced the Pentagon. They say up to 44,000 troops lack the best vests because of the sluggish supply chain, significantly more than the Pentagon figure. Relatives of some soldiers have resorted to buying body armor in the United States and shipping it to their troops, congressional critics say.
posted on October 14, 2003 07:40:02 AM new
Nonsense...just the corporate media's spin on a miniscule few digits. I'll keep up with the body count. You keep up with the PR results. It's a shame that Bush only cares about his own hide. The American people need to hear about policy...not PR.
Unfortunately, some Americans (especially those with small brains) are reluctant to criticize a president during war time.
posted on October 14, 2003 12:13:02 PM new
Oh, yes, you only mention the polls when President Bush's numbers are going DOWN. I forgot.
I'll keep up with the body count.
I have NO doubt you'll do just that. It seems to give you pleasure in some very strange way.
Because if you think it's going to change anything, you'd be wrong.
And while you're continue to list the deaths, remember that the democrats also voted for this war.
Remember that Clinton also felt Saddam needed to be removed.
Remember that all but two [I believe] of the current group of dem candidates are not stating they will withdraw our troops from Iraq. So this small amount of deaths will continue, even under a democratic president.
And then also remember to compare the numbers of deaths in our cities. Like one I read was Chicago. Three times more people died in one year there than in the total deaths we have seen in this war. It's not a high number.
Be sure to notice which deaths are not war related too. Traffic accidents do happen everywhere. So do accidents while are military are at home training/honing their skills.
Find Law
Iraq War Swells Al Qaeda's Ranks, Report Says
LONDON (Reuters) - War in Iraq has swollen the ranks of al Qaeda and galvanized the Islamic militant group's will, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said on Wednesday in its annual report.
The 2003-2004 edition of the British-based think-tank's annual bible for defense analysts, The Military Balance, said Washington's assertions after the Iraq conflict that it had turned the corner in the war on terror were "over-confident."
The report, widely considered an authoritative text on the military capabilities of states and militant groups worldwide, could prove fodder for critics of the U.S.-British invasion and of the reconstruction effort that has followed in Iraq.
posted on October 16, 2003 12:19:37 AM new
This test consists of one (1) multiple-choice question (so you better get it right!)
Here's a list of the countries that the U.S. has bombed since the end of World War II, compiled by historian William Blum:
China 1945-46
Korea 1950-53
China 1950-53
Guatemala 1954
Indonesia 1958
Cuba 1959-60
Guatemala 1960
Congo 1964
Peru 1965
Laos 1964-73
Vietnam 1961-73
Cambodia 1969-70
Guatemala 1967-69
Grenada 1983
Libya 1986
El Salvador 1980s
Nicaragua 1980s
Panama 1989
Iraq 1991-99
Sudan 1998
Afghanistan 1998
Yugoslavia 1999
In how many of these instances did a democratic government, respectful of human rights, occur as a direct result?
Choose one of the following:
(a) 0
(b) zero
(c) none
(d) not a one
(e) a whole number between -1 and +1
This quiz is compliments of Vietnam Veterans Against the War Ben Chitty USN 65-9 VN 66-7 68 NY/VVAW peaceCENTER P.O. Box 36, San Antonio, Texas 78291
In an effort to feel the pulse of U.S. forces firsthand, Stars and Stripes reporters spent three weeks in August fanning across Iraq. Reporters traveled as far south as the enemy prisoner-of-war camp in Umm Qasr, about 15 miles north of the Kuwait border, and as far north as Mosul, about 70 miles from Turkey. To get a firsthand account of what life was like for American forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, reporters slept, ate, showered and went on patrol with troops.
They handed out and received responses to nearly 2,000 questionnaires. (The U.S. Air Force allowed reporters to visit Air Force bases, but did not allow airmen to complete the surveys at some of its bases. At one base, reporters were allowed to meet with airmen and ask them the questions on the survey.)
Troops were asked about their morale and their units morale. They were asked about their living conditions and whether they thought their commanders were doing anything to improve those conditions. They were asked about their units mission and if they felt going to war in Iraq was worthwhile for America.
Half of those questioned described their unit's morale as low and their training as insufficient, and said they do not plan to reenlist.
posted on October 16, 2003 07:00:53 AM new
Twelvepole, When you are struggling to stay on a third grade course, your perception of reality may be compromised. Don't give up.
posted on October 16, 2003 01:18:39 PM new
helen - You might want to re-read your Stars and Stripes article again. It says 72% of the troops are okay with their living conditions. It also states that how things are depend a lot on where they are stationed.
Also this first survey is TWO months old. Bet a lot of things have changed in two months. We'll see on the next survey. And once Congress passes the funding....the part for our soldiers...I'd bet things will get a lot better for them. BUT this is still a war zone....not a vacation. Most of them are tough...they were trained to be tough.
Leave it to you to only pick out the negative things being said. And yes, there are negatives. Soldiers understand being in a war zone is not the same as staying at the Hilton. lol
[i]Conditions for U.S. troops in Iraq vary widely, and so, too, does the mood and morale of the individual units scattered throughout the country. For months, Stars and Stripes has received scores of letters from troops complaining about one thing or another connected with their service, as well as scores of letters from troops decrying the claims of the complainers and urging them to just do their duty.
"The numbers are consistent with what I suspect is going on there," said David Segal, a military sociologist at the University of Maryland at College Park. "I am getting a sense that there is a high and increasing level of demoralization and a growing sense of being in something they don't understand and aren't sure the American people understand."
But Stars and Stripes raised questions about what those visiting dignitaries saw in Iraq. "Many soldiers -- including several officers -- allege that VIP visits from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill are only given hand-picked troops to meet with during their tours of Iraq," the newspaper said in its interview with Sanchez. "The phrase 'Dog and Pony Show' is usually used. Some troops even go so far as to say they've been ordered not to talk to VIPs because leaders are afraid of what they might say."
The newspaper also noted in that interview that its reporters were told that some soldiers who had complained of morale problems had faced disciplinary actions known as Article 15s, which can result in reprimand, extra duties and forfeiture of pay. Sanchez said he did not know of any such punishments, but he added that they would have been handled at a lower level.
posted on October 16, 2003 01:30:29 PM new
Another survey results from the Stars and Stripes.
÷ Asked about their personal morale, 34 percent overall rated it as glowh or gvery low,h 27 percent said it was ghighh or gvery high,h and virtually all the rest called it gaverage.h Perceptions of their unitfs morale ranked heavier on the glowh side. This question of personal morale elicited widely different responses among the services.
Reservists ranked their morale as the lowest by far. Marine and Air Force respondents tended to rate their own morale on the high side, while Army respondents were fairly evenly divided between high and low morale, with most falling in the middle, or gaverage.h
÷ Of all troops surveyed, 72 percent rated living conditions gaverageh or better. But disparities existed throughout the region. One Army unit could have three hot meals a day and another unit with the same mission subsisted on MREs and rationed bottles of water. Some units, although they had been in Iraq for months, still hadnft had a day off or access to a hot shower. Other troops had been in Iraq a few weeks and were already being allowed to leave on morale trips.
Oct. 17, 2003 | KARBALA, Iraq (AP) -- Three American soldiers were killed and seven were wounded in a midnight clash at a Shiite Muslim cleric's headquarters in this shrine city, the U.S. military said Friday. Witnesses said at least eight Iraqis also died in the fighting.
The U.S. troops, who were not identified pending notification of relatives, were members of the 101st Airborne Division, Maj. Mike Escudie of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla. said in a statement.
posted on October 17, 2003 06:21:38 AM new And the PR campaign rolls on
"The story of what we've done in the postwar period is remarkable. It is a better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day.
Congressman George Nethercutt --got carried away with his 'we're building new schools right & left in Iraq' enthisiasm.
The Seattle Post added that he did not want more soldiers killed.
posted on October 17, 2003 08:56:36 AM new
I'll try saying this another way.
Congress controls the purse strings. IF they wanted our troops brought home, IF they are really so against this war, they would not be approving the continuation of funding to support this project/conflict. They would be trying to pass legislation to stop this conflict RIGHT NOW!!!...
And even though the democrats say they oppose what Bush is doing, check out their votes on funding for Iraq. Actions speak louder than words, imo.
They can say anything...it's what they do we should be paying attention to. So take notice how many democrats vote to continue the Iraq funding.
posted on October 17, 2003 12:08:58 PM new
Tweedle dum lauds another statement by tweedle dee.
Republican, the other white meat!
[ edited by davebraun on Oct 17, 2003 12:09 PM ]
posted on October 17, 2003 01:38:53 PM new
I can agree with you there, Linda. The democrats sure let down a lot of people with their approval of this mess.
