Definitely no Refund

THIS has got to be one of the craziest/creepiest sites I've ever encountered.

Calling It Even

Using the current conservative Iraqi civilian massacre count (see left column) and the amount of time it took to reach it, it should take about 5 more weeks to reach the same number of civilians+firefighters killed in the 9-11 attack on the twin towers. Not as quick as al Qaeda, but still terrorism. Maybe Bush will be happy at that point in time, call it even, stop the massacre and then bring our boys home where they belong. Why? Well, he believes Iraq was behind 9-11 (or at least has convinced 75% of Americans of it), and he is a self-professed compassionate, born-again christian, so why not?

Scuds! Chemicals! Massacres! Hussein is Dead!... Oh, Wait a Minute. Stop the Presses.

If you have wondered about the accuracy of military reports from Iraq since the beginning of the invasion, this article in the Guardian should give you an idea. Some of the turned-out-to-be-false stories include "IRAQI GENERAL CAPTURED", "BASRA TANK COLUMN", "MASSACRE OF TRIBESPEOPLE", "SCUD UPDATE", "CHEMICAL WEAPONS FACTORY: NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T", BASRA UPRISING", and "SCUDS". You've seen them all in the news during the past 10 days, and they are mostly fabricated fantasies.

Parrish: Speak to the Audience

Geov Parrish Seems to understand what direction a successful anti-war movement must now take:

"For those of us who do want to challenge it, there's much we can't control. Barriers to such changes in U.S. public perception are formidable. The military complex in this country has enormous money behind it, enough to employ millions of people earning (except for the soldiers) a comfortable living building pieces of a repugnantly deployed whole. Mass media is currently dominated by a range of political opinion that makes Genghis Khan a centrist, and that acknowledges dissent usually only in the course of ridiculing it. Both major political parties are corrupted by corporate money almost beyond redemption.

But what we can control is what we say (and hear), how we act, who we appeal to and work with, and to what ends. Much of the political rhetoric in this country -- with or without a war in progress -- is so over the top and intolerant as to be anathema to a secular democracy, and many Americans know that, too. What is lacking is a coherent, appealing alternative. Times of crisis and maximum dissent are precisely when those alternatives should be on display -- not when they should be abandoned for the protest equivalent of comfort food.

Many of us who have opposed this war feel frustrated and powerless; it is an emotionally charged time. Remember this sensation. Remember how unpleasant it is. Then resolve to do what you can to ensure that neither you nor future generations of people who care about their world will be put in this place again. And start working to do something about it."

It's obvious that the street protests are having virtually no impact on Bush's decisions regarding Iraq. Now is the time to stop looking at the immediate past and the present, and to start planning for the immediate future. Time to shake up the Democratic Party and filter out the policy-flapjack senators and representatives, replacing them with real Democrats who represent the voters rather than the largest campaign donors. It won't be easy, but what choice do we, the opponents of American Imperialism, have?

HERE is the first hint that Syria is the next target in Bush's invasion sights. Excerpt:

"WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld issued a stern warning to Syria on Friday to stop sending military equipment to Iraqi forces, saying such shipments have included night-vision goggles.

``We consider such trafficking as hostile acts and will hold the Syrian government accountable for such shipments,'' Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon briefing.

``There's no question but that to the extent that military supplies or equipment or people are moving across the borders between Iraq and Syria, it vastly complicates our situation,'' Rumsfeld said.

Asked if the United States was threatening military action against Syria, Rumsfeld said: ``I'm saying exactly what I'm saying. It was carefully phrased.''

Good News/Bad News

Glenn Kessler and Philip P. Pan, Washington Post Staff Writers today wrote a thorough analysis of how Bush bungled negotiations with Turkey, resulting in the latter's rejection of the deployment of American troops in Turkey for the planned northern-front invasion into Iraq. The good news (for Iraq) is that this means the troops meant for the northern front are now being transported to Southern Iraq and won't be ready for deployment until mid-April. The bad news (for everyone) is that every minute this war is extended due to delays means more massacred men, women and children.

"Smart" Weapons?

From the Guardian Unlimited:
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The United States stopped firing missiles at Iraq through Turkish airspace Friday after a missile in flight fell in southeastern Turkey, a Turkish official said. On Sunday, two Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a ship in the eastern Mediterranean landed in an unpopulated area of Sanliurfa without exploding. Pentagon officials said they may have malfunctioned in flight.

DOCTORS AND NURSES AGAINST THE WAR

DOCTORS AND NURSES AGAINST THE WAR
Mission Statement

Doctors and Nurses against the War is an organization of doctors and nurses and other health professionals who are committed to speaking out and organizing against the US plans for a war with Iraq.

We believe that George W. Bush's planned war is immoral and will lead to the deaths of thousands of Iraqis and an unknown number of US GI's. The war against Iraq requires the White House to ignore international law and violate the UN Charter.

Furthermore, the $300 billion plus that will be spent on war and the cost of an occupation of Iraq (possibly costing $2 trillion) is a shameless diversion of needed resources from social services including health care. Real "security" for the people of the United States should include providing full health coverage for the 41.5 million Americans who are outside of the system. The security of the hungry, homeless, and growing number of impoverished people means the use of precious resources to fund vital social programs and services.

While waged under the slogan of the "war on terrorism," the war will only lead to an escalation of the cycle of violence. The country must go in a different direction.

The goal of Doctors and Nurses Against the War is to facilitate organizing amongst health care workers, both locally, and nationally - so that we can become a powerful and clear voice of opposition in the broader peace movement.

Curiosity Almost Kills the Cat

Paul Ford posts a letter from Rachel Lange in Pittsburgh, where she recounts how, out of curiosity, she stepped outside to view a small peace march and ended up being ridiculed and abused while in jail for 30 hours. VERY interesting letter.

Ignore the Major American Media

Earlier this week American media were reporting that one or two scud missiles were fired into Kuwait by Iraq and that a chemical weapons factory was discovered in Southern Iraq in a town called Najaf. Both these reports were later retracted by the Pentagon and subsequently proven false, but not until long after every media outlet had reported them. So far the pro-US media have done a poor job (as always during any war) of verifying information before publishing it. Your best bet is to search for several independent media sources that seem to be relatively unbiased and refer back to those on a daily basis for your war news. See "More Links" in the left column, specifically "War/Iraq" and "Media Sources" to get you started. If you find other good (i.e. unbiased) sites then please leave a comment that includes the URL and this blog's editorial board will consider adding it to the permanent list.

UPDATE: HERE is a good analysis by Michael Moran of
MSNBC of the current overall military state in Iraq.

Hey, Over Here!

OOPS! We're forgetting about THE REST OF THE WORLD!

Bush Trying to Eliminate Islamic Fundamentalism

Joshua Micah Marshall explains in his latest Washington Monthly essay that the invasion of Iraq is just the start of the overthrow of all islamic fundamentalist regimes. Josh notes in TPM: "That, as you might say, is a rather tall order. And it would have been very hard for the administration to sell the American people on such a struggle. So it didn't try. It pushed rather to get us into Iraq, knowing that if it went about the process in the right way it would make a further series of wars against Iran, Syria and perhaps lower-level hostilities against Saudi Arabia and Egypt all but inevitable." An excerpt from the essay:

"Imagine it's six months from now. The Iraq war is over. After an initial burst of joy and gratitude at being liberated from Saddam's rule, the people of Iraq are watching, and waiting, and beginning to chafe under American occupation. Across the border, in Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, our conquering presence has brought street protests and escalating violence. The United Nations and NATO are in disarray, so America is pretty much on its own. Hemmed in by budget deficits at home and limited financial assistance from allies, the Bush administration is talking again about tapping Iraq's oil reserves to offset some of the costs of the American presence--talk that is further inflaming the region. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence has discovered fresh evidence that, prior to the war, Saddam moved quantities of biological and chemical weapons to Syria. When Syria denies having such weapons, the administration starts massing troops on the Syrian border. But as they begin to move, there is an explosion: Hezbollah terrorists from southern Lebanon blow themselves up in a Baghdad restaurant, killing dozens of Western aid workers and journalists. Knowing that Hezbollah has cells in America, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge puts the nation back on Orange Alert. FBI agents start sweeping through mosques, with a new round of arrests of Saudis, Pakistanis, Palestinians, and Yemenis.

To most Americans, this would sound like a frightening state of affairs, the kind that would lead them to wonder how and why we had got ourselves into this mess in the first place. But to the Bush administration hawks who are guiding American foreign policy, this isn't the nightmare scenario. It's everything going as anticipated."

"Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."

Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City.

Next Anti-War March in Los Angeles:

Sunday March 30th

12 noon

Assemble at Pershing Square
6th Street and Hill, Downtown LA

March to the Downtown Federal Building

Initiated by:
International ANSWER Coalition Los Angeles
Coalition for World Peace
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
Global Womens Strike

I Still Might Move There

The Globe and Mall reports how Canada is getting the same treatment from Bush as has Turkey, France, Germany, Mexico, etc.:

"Washington's ambassador to Canada has delivered the sternest public rebuke by a U.S. representative since the Trudeau era, saying Americans are upset at Canada's refusal to join the war in Iraq and hinting there could be economic fallout."

Bush has done a remarkable job in uniting the world, the best by any President in history. Problem: he's uniting the world against us!

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, The Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, and Germany doesn't want to go to war." ---from www.whatreallyhappened.com

America's Most Powerful Man?

Arianna Huffington raises concerns about the unethical influence of Richard Perle on our current Administration. Perle is single-handedly most responsible for convincing Bush to initiate the invasion of Iraq. Snippet:

"As chairman of the Pentagon's influential Defense Policy Board -- a position that is unpaid but still subject to government ethics rules -- Perle has been the frothing pit bull of the Bush administration's dogs of war. At the same time, he is the managing partner of Trireme Partners, a firm that specializes in homeland security and defense, and serves on the Board of Directors of Autonomy, a software company whose clients include the Defense and Homeland Security Departments.

Perle's latest deal finds him on the payroll of Global Crossing. The bankrupt telecommunications company is struggling to win government approval for its proposed sale to Asian investors. The Defense Department and the FBI are both opposed to the $250 million deal since it would place Global's fiber optic network -- which is used by the U.S. government -- under the control of Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong Kong firm with close ties to those freedom loving folks in Beijing.

Enter Richard Perle. Global is hoping he can convince his good buddies in the Defense Department to put their national security concerns aside and let the dicey deal go through. And Perle is clearly confident that he can deliver: In a highly unusual arrangement for a Washington gun-for-hire, he's agreed to make $600,000 of his $725,000 fee contingent on his bringing home the bacon."

From today's Independent Online:

US will lose war, says former UN inspector
March 26 2003 at 06:42PM

Lisbon - The United States does not have the military means to take over Baghdad and will lose the war against Iraq, former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter said. "The United States is going to leave Iraq with its tail between its legs, defeated. It is a war we can not win," he told private radio TSF in an interview broadcast here Tuesday evening. "We do not have the military means to take over Baghdad and for this reason I believe the defeat of the United States in this war is inevitable," he said.

"Every time we confront Iraqi troops we may win some tactical battles, as we did for ten years in Vietnam but we will not be able to win this war, which in my opinion is already lost," Ritter added. Stiffening Iraqi resistance as US-led forces close in on Baghdad have prompted questions about the strategy to use precision air power and a smaller, fast moving ground force to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Some military analysts have said there are not enough allied troops in Iraq to take control of Baghdad, where Saddam Hussein's elite troops are said to be concentrated, and that the planning of the war was overly optimistic. But British Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament Wednesday the United States and Britain believe they have "sufficient forces" in Iraq and London was not planning to send reinforcements to the country at this stage.

A combination of bad weather and heavy fighting in central Iraq has slowed the advance of coalition troops marching on Baghdad. Ritter resigned in August 1998 after accusing both Washington and the United Nations of not doing enough to support the weapons inspectors. Since leaving the UN weapons inspectors team he has become an outspoken critic of US policies towards Iraq. - Sapa-AFP

Not a War

Samir Hussain makes the case that this is not a war:

"We must create our own vernacular which accurately depicts the reality of what is happening so that it may be appropriately recorded for posterity's sake. Indeed, there are innumerable terms and expressions which aptly describe what is happening in Iraq, but "war" is not one of them. What we are witnessing is a US-Led Aggression against Iraq to advance an imperialist agenda. It is an Act of State Terrorism in defiance of international law and public opinion. It is an Unjustified Bombardment. It is an Invasion that will end in Occupation. It will be a Massacre." Pshaw! It already IS a massacre.

How can we sit back and let this happen?

An Iraqi man cries while holding a little boy in front of a house damaged by a missile during an air strike in Baghdad, late March 22, 2003. Fresh air raids shook Baghdad on Sunday as a U.S. armored column pushed more than half-way to the Iraqi capital, part of a ferocious onslaught aimed at ousting President Saddam Hussein. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Baghdad Family

Experiences of one middle-class family in Baghdad today. Excerpt:

"A pregnant friend of the daughter-in-law was supposed to have a Caesarean section within 10 days. But her doctor has vanished. Hospital after hospital, overwhelmed with the task of preparing for the wounded, has refused to admit her. Another friend who is seven months pregnant has begun taking Valium. A neighbour said she stuffed cotton in the ears of her two young children every night. She fretted about finding diapers and milk.

When it came to the cause of Iraq’s predicament, family members pointed to Saddam, describing him as rash. He invaded Iran, trapping them in an eight-year war. He seized Kuwait, bringing on the Persian Gulf War and the devastation of sanctions that largely wiped out Iraq’s middle class. But they bitterly denounced the war the US has launched. To this family, the assault is an insult. It is not Saddam under attack, but Iraq, they said.

It is hard to gauge if this is a common sentiment, although it is one heard more often now. ‘‘We complain about things, but that doesn’t mean cooperating with foreign governments,’’ the father said. ‘‘When somebody comes to attack Iraq, we stand up for Iraq. That doesn’t mean we love Saddam, but there are priorities.’’

A friend of the family interrupted. ‘‘Bombing for peace?’’ he asked, shaking his head. ‘‘I don’t even care about the leadership,’’ the daughter-in-law said. ‘‘But someone wants to take away what is yours. What gives them the right to change something that’s not theirs in the first place? ’I don’t like your house, so I’m going to bomb it and you can rebuild it again the way I want it, with your money’? I feel like it’s an insult, really.’’

The American "Liberators", Harbingers of Freedom and Democracy...

March 24, 2003

Look Out For Those Pickup Trucks!

From the Daily KOS:

"No Scuds. No WMDs. No attacks on Israel. But AK-47s, RPGs and pickup trucks.

Thank the gods I'm being "defended" (per Bush) from these pickup trucks of mass destruction. I will definitely sleep better tonight."

Goodbye, My America

Leonard Pitts Jr. helps us say goodbye to the America we knew and loved. Excerpt:

"For better or for worse, a new nation will be born here. And it will be different from the one it supersedes. For the first time in its history, the United States has claimed for itself - and now puts into action - a doctrine of preemption, the right to hit first any nation we suspect of hostile intent. In an era when nuclear, chemical and biological weapons might easily fall into the hands of stateless religious fanatics eager for martyrdom, the President says anything less would be suicide.

It's a compelling argument, yes. But it has frightening implications, for it frees any nation to strike any other on the grounds that it perceives a threat. Indeed, it can be argued that the new doctrine gives thug nations an incentive to strike American interests first - to pre-empt our preemption, in other words.

But the new nation being born here is not just a product of the Bush Doctrine. It's also the product of Washington's recent taste for unilateral action. As the old order passes, it evidently takes with it any inclination on America's part to embrace a role of constructive leadership as part of the community of nations.

Truth is, we have been rejecting that role since well before the terrorist attacks of Sept.11, 2001.

What else did it mean when we abandoned the peace process in the Middle East? When we repudiated the Kyoto Protocol and withdrew from treaties to which we had already agreed. When we stopped listening to the rest of the planet, even our allies. When we, simply put, withdrew from the world."

You know, stop and think about it. It really is true. Bush has single-handedly changed the destiny of this planet and the way in which we think about and feel about our country and the rest of the world. We will now spend the rest of our lives with the fear of terrorism in our cities at any time, any place. We will be hated when we go abroad, and we will resent other nations for feeling that way about us, because we, personally, didn't want this war. But there's nothing we can do now. What's done is done and we can thank Bush for it (and don't forget every Democrat who voted for Nader - you should thank each and every one of them). Life will now suck even more for the rest of our days. I saw it coming, way back in December, 2000, outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building.

Empathy

Bush tells us how we should be feeling towards Iraq right now.

Dear Raed is Back

More posts by Salam Pax at Dear Raed. If you read only one thing on this blog, read this.

And Heeeeere We Go!

From Guardian Unlimited:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Agency for International Development announced a $4.8 million award Monday night to Stevedoring Services of America for assessment and management activities at Iraq's only deep-water port.

An AID announcement said the port at Umm Qasr is a critical component of Iraq's economic infrastructure and is expected to play a critical role in provision of postwar humanitarian aid.

The contract for the Seattle company represents a tiny share of what is expected to be a U.S.-led reconstruction effort that will cost many billions of dollars. Announcement of additional contracts is expected in the coming days.

So the first contract to an American company has been finalized. Tens of billions of our tax dollars will now be spent rebuilding Iraq. This money should have gone to our schools, state governments, healthcare, homeless shelters, food programs, housing, V.A. programs, highways, national parks, civil defense, etc. But now it will go to Republican-friendly American companies to repair all the damaged caused by our uninvited, unilateral, preemptive, immoral, illegal and perilous invasion of the overmatched and overwhelmed nation of Iraq. The sound of this payola is going to be deafening, folks.

Helping Children Cope

If you have children this site may help you understand and prepare for any trauma they may experience during this war and if there is a terrorist attack in this country. Plus, the lists detail the horrendous behavioral changes the children in Iraq are experiencing right now. It is fascinating but sobering reading.

March 23, 2003

Photos

Some images from Reuters.

Images

Some images from Gulf War I. Skip this if you have a weak stomach:

It's Unravelling

This is turning into our worst fears...

Battles Rage in Iraqi Cities, Bodies Litter Desert
Sun March 23, 2003 11:17 PM ET
By Luke Baker and Rosalind Russell

SOUTHERN IRAQ (Reuters) - Charred Iraqi corpses smolder in burned-out trucks. Black smoke hangs over bombed cities where U.S. troops battle Iraqi soldiers. Youths greet British tanks with smiles, then sneer when they have passed.

Reuters correspondents in southern Iraq -- some with U.S.-led forces, some operating independently -- watched the war to topple Saddam Hussein unfold on Sunday as U.S. convoys advanced on Baghdad and battles raged for control of key cities. In the desert near the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, just 100 miles south of Baghdad, correspondent Luke Baker traveled through a plain littered with Iraqi bodies and gutted vehicles after U.S. forces fought a seven-hour battle against militiamen desperately trying to halt their advance.

Some vehicles were still smoldering, and charred ribs were the only recognizable part of three melted bodies in a destroyed car lying in the roadside dust.

Embarrassed

Here are the first, middle and last victims of Bush's war. Bush, just because it's happened before, it doesn't make it legitimate. It's the ultimate wrong of civilization. You cower behind your West Wing walls, pulling justifications for your actions out of the Handbook of Immoral and Despicable Behavior, the very same book carried in Hitler's vest pocket. The world looked up to these United States as the promising moral leader of our future. The world was in our pocket following 9-11. Yet you have now taken the rest of the world and tossed it into the vat now fermenting the hatred of America.

We are 6% of the world's people. No matter how advanced we are both militarily and technologically, if we continue down this path of imperialism then our only destination is the military, economic and political revolution of the remaining 94%, thus bringing to end a flawed, yet promising republic. I liked being an American. I passionately despise the hateful, arrogant actions of most of our elected representatives, and I mourn the civilians of Iraq who have suffered, are suffering and will suffer even much more from the brutality and completely dispassionate conduct of George W. Bush. I am an overwhelmingly and helplessly embarrassed American.

March 22, 2003

Sounds Familiar

This sounds very familiar, like I've been hearing something similar for months now:

"Address by Adolf Hitler to the Reichstag, Sept. 1, 1939.

For months we have suffered under the torture of a problem which the Versailles Diktat created - a problem that has deteriorated until it becomes intolerable for us ...

As always, I attempted to bring about, by the peaceful method of making proposals for revision, an alteration of this intolerable position. It is a lie when the outside world says that we only tried to carry our revisions through by pressure. Fifteen years before the National Socialist Party came to power there was the opportunity of carrying out these revisions by peaceful settlements and understanding. On my own initiative I have, not once but several times, made proposals for the revision of intolerable conditions. All these proposals, as you know, have been rejected - proposals for the limitation of armaments and, even if necessary, disarmament, proposals for the limitation of warmaking, proposals for the elimination of certain methods of modern warfare ... You know the endless attempts I made for peaceful clarification and understanding of the problem of Austria, and later of the problem of the Sudetenland, Bohemia and Moravia. It was all in vain.

It is impossible to demand that an impossible position should be cleared up by peaceful revision, and at the same time constantly reject peaceful revision. It is also impossible to say that he who undertakes to carry out the revisions for himself transgresses a law, since the Versailles Diktat is not law to us.

In the same way, I have tried to solve the problems of Danzig, the Corridor, etc., by proposing a peaceful discussion. That the problems had to be solved was clear. It is quite understandable to us that the time when the problem was to be solved had little interest for the Western Powers. But time is not a matter of indifference to us ...

For four months I have calmly watched developments, although I never ceased to give warnings. In the last few days I have increased these warnings ...

I made one more final effort to accept a proposal for mediation on the part of the British government. They proposed, not that they themselves should carry out the negotiations, but rather that Poland and Germany should come into direct contact and once more pursue negotiations.

I must declare that I accepted this proposal and worked out a basis for these negotiations which are known to you. For two whole days I sat in my government and waited to see whether it was convenient for the Polish government to send a plenipotentiary or not. Last night they did not send us a plenipotentiary, but instead informed us through their ambassador that they were still considering whether and to what extent they were in a position to go into the British proposals. The Polish government also said they would inform Britain of their decision.

Deputies, if the German government and its leader patiently endured such treatment Germany would deserve only to disappear from the political stage. But I am wrongly judged if my love of peace and my patience are mistaken for weakness or even cowardice. I, therefore, decided last night and informed the British government that in these circumstances I can no longer find any willingness on the part of the Polish government to conduct serious negotiations with us.

The other European states understand in part our attitude. I should like all to thank Italy, which throughout has supported us, but you will understand for the carrying on of this struggle ... we will carry out this task ourselves.

This night for the first time, Polish regular soldiers fired on our territory. Since 5:45 a.m. we have been returning the fire and from now on bombs will be met with bombs. Whoever fights with poison gas will be fought with poison gas. Whoever departs from the rules of humane warfare can only expect that we shall do the same ... until the safety, security of the Reich and its rights are secured."

by Jimmy Breslin in Newsday

The New Bush Legacy

A 12-Year-Old Defines Our Flag

What the American Flag Stands For
by Charlotte Aldebron

The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can be very important. It is against the law to let the flag touch the ground or to leave the flag flying when the weather is bad. The flag has to be treated with respect. You can tell just how important this cloth is because when you compare it to people, it gets much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie all over the ground all night long without anyone picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering him from the rain.
School children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of cloth every morning. No one has to pledge loyalty to justice and equality and human decency. No one has to promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water, or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to promise to love a rectangle of red, white, and blue cloth.

Betsy Ross would be quite surprised to see how successful her creation has become. But Thomas Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of the flag's real meaning remains.

Charlotte Aldebron, 12, wrote this essay for a competition in her 6th grade English class. She attends Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine.

March 21, 2003

The Voice of the Prophet

If you haven't seen this 8-minute film I STRONGLY recommend that you do; it is a sobering prediction, of current events, made in 2001. Be sure you have shockwave loaded.

Resistance

In spite of what the government-controlled media is showing you on CNN, Fox, etc., Iraq is offering surprising resistance to the invasion.

Thank God for Richard Perle?

Richard Perle, a prominent adviser to Bush and his administration, doesn't seem to think very highly of the United Nations.

The Idealized Soldier

Natasha Walter gives reasons for us to consider on why we shouldn't be hypocritical and idealize the American soldiers currently in Iraq. Snippet:

"It is all very well to hear about how vulnerable and heroic our troops are, but we should not forget that the truly vulnerable people are not the healthy young men who chose to join one of the best-equipped armies in the world, but ordinary Iraqi people who did not choose to be caught, utterly defenseless, between a tyrant and a destructive army.

These soldiers do indeed face a scary task, which includes the threat of chemical and biological weapons. But since only 20 British soldiers were killed in the actual course of the last Gulf War – most of those by US friendly fire – and Iraqi military power is said to be so much weakened since then, let's be honest and remind ourselves that the horror that British soldiers are most likely to confront in the next few weeks is not that of dying in an unnecessary war, but of killing in an unnecessary war.

It is fashionable to present our forces as composed of peace-loving people who have been reluctantly coerced into risking their lives for us – "They'd give anything to be doing such mundane things as walking to work in the spring sunshine or meeting their friends for a pint," said one commentator yesterday – but when ex-soldiers speak out about their experiences, they do not usually see themselves in quite such a gentle fashion."

Flag

Now that everyone will be reattaching their stars and stripes to their SUV's, let's revisit Bill Moyers on Patriotism and the American Flag:

"Sometimes I would offer a small prayer of gratitude that I had been born in a country whose institutions sustained me, whose armed forces protected me, and whose ideals inspired me; I offered my heart's affections in return. It no more occurred to me to flaunt the flag on my chest than it did to pin my mother's picture on my lapel to prove her son's love. Mother knew where I stood; so does my country. I even tuck a valentine in my tax returns on April 15.
So what's this doing here? Well, I put it on to take it back. The flag's been hijacked and turned into a logo — the trademark of a monopoly on patriotism. On those Sunday morning talk shows, official chests appear adorned with the flag as if it is the good housekeeping seal of approval. During the State of the Union, did you notice Bush and Cheney wearing the flag? How come? No administration's patriotism is ever in doubt, only its policies. And the flag bestows no immunity from error. When I see flags sprouting on official lapels, I think of the time in China when I saw Mao's little red book on every official's desk, omnipresent and unread.

But more galling than anything are all those moralistic ideologues in Washington sporting the flag in their lapels while writing books and running Web sites and publishing magazines attacking dissenters as un-American. They are people whose ardor for war grows disproportionately to their distance from the fighting. They're in the same league as those swarms of corporate lobbyists wearing flags and prowling Capitol Hill for tax breaks even as they call for more spending on war.

So I put this on as a modest riposte to men with flags in their lapels who shoot missiles from the safety of Washington think tanks, or argue that sacrifice is good as long as they don't have to make it, or approve of bribing governments to join the coalition of the willing (after they first stash the cash.) I put it on to remind myself that not every patriot thinks we should do to the people of Baghdad what Bin Laden did to us. The flag belongs to the country, not to the government. And it reminds me that it's not un-American to think that war — except in self-defense — is a failure of moral imagination, political nerve, and diplomacy. Come to think of it, standing up to your government can mean standing up for your country."

The "Feel Good" President

President Bush announced the attack in a four-minute television speech to the nation. "On my order, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war," he said. "These are the opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign."

Minutes before the speech, an internal television monitor showed the president pumping his fist. "Feels good," he said.

By Martin Merzer, Ron Hutcheson and Drew Brown
Knight Ridder Newspapers

Your Neighbor is a Moron?

Ted Rall seems convinced that Bush's days are numbered. We can only hope he's correct. Snippet:

"It's impossible to predict the effects of prolonged American occupation of an Arab country; increased terrorism, regional instability and even greater Muslim hostility to the U.S. and its allies seem likely. But a failure to establish a long-term U.S. military presence throughout the country could prove even more damaging than a quick pull-out. If Iraq follows Afghanistan into neglect, political disintegration and anarchy, we'll be able to count our resentful new enemies by the tens of millions.

American alliances and relations with the UN and NATO have been stretched to the breaking point. By launching an illegal, unsanctioned invasion of a sovereign nation, the U.S. has abandoned its moral standing. We are, by definition, a rogue state. More frightening than that, foreign leaders from Paris to Berlin to Beijing to Moscow are starting to count more on one another than on us. This means trouble for us, sure, but also for Bush as we notice our nation's loss of prestige.

As always, however, the fools will save us from themselves. The 51 percent who currently believe what is patently false will ultimately conclude that they were duped by Bush (though it's not really true). Like stupid Americans before them (those who bought into the Domino Theory, Joe McCarthy and the necessity of interning Japanese-Americans in concentration camps), they'll wonder what the hell they were thinking. And they'll have lots of time to think about it, what with not having a job and all."

Morality and Pragmatism Drive the Protest

Father Louis Vitale, pastor of St. Boniface Church in San Francisco and Sister Bernie Galvin, head of Religious Witness with Homeless People itemize the justifications for civil disobedience now.

Our boys are dying...

Twelve troops were killed today when their American helicopter crashed in the Kuwaiti desert, British military officials confirmed. Story here. And they weren't even killed by Iraqis.

Coalition of the Willing's Current Head Count

Here is the latest head count of the Coalition of the Willing and their roles in the invasion of Iraq.

March 20, 2003

Rachel Corrie

Jeanne d'Arc at Body and Soul posted this letter from an observer of the death of Rachel Corrie:

"March 18, 2003
Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine

Many of you will of heard varying accounts of the death of Rachel Corrie, maybe others will have heard nothing of it. Regardless, I was 10 metres away when it happened 2 days ago, and this is the way it went down.

Rachel Corrie, 23, Killed by Israeli Bulldozer

We'd been monitoring and occasionally obstructing the 2 bulldozers for about 2 hours when one of them turned toward a house we knew to be threatened with demolition. Rachel knelt down in its way. She was 10-20 metres in front of the bulldozer, clearly visible, the only object for many metres, directly in its view. The Israelis were in radio contact with a tank that had a profile view of the situation. There is no way she could not have been seen by them in their elevated cabin.

They knew where she was, there is no doubt.

The bulldozer drove toward Rachel slowly, gathering earth in its scoop as it went. She knelt there, she did not move. The bulldozer reached her and she began to stand up, climbing onto the mound of earth. She appeared to be looking into the cockpit. The bulldozer continued to push Rachel, so she slipped down the mound of earth, turning as she went. Her faced showed she was panicking and it was clear she was in danger of being overwhelmed. All the activists were screaming at the bulldozer to stop and gesturing to the crew about Rachel's presence. We were in clear view as Rachel had been, they continued.

They pushed Rachel, first beneath the scoop, then beneath the blade, then continued till her body was beneath the cockpit. They waited over her for a few seconds, before reversing. They reversed with the blade pressed down, so it scraped over her body a second time. Every second I believed they would stop but they never did.

I ran for an ambulance, she was gasping and her face was covered in blood from a gash cutting her face from lip to cheek. She was showing signs of brain hemorrhaging. She died in the ambulance a few minutes later of massive internal injuries. She was a brilliant, bright and amazing person, immensely brave and committed. She is gone and I cannot believe it.

The group here in Rafah has decided that we will stay here and continue to oppose human rights abuses as best we can.

Sincerely,

Tom

(Forwarded by John Steppling)"

Pray for the Innocents

The only innocent people involved in this war are the Iraqi people. If you are a praying person, you should be starting off with them, not our soldiers.

A recent poll from the Pew Research Center shows how America's image abroad is in a nosedive:

Reich's 2 Fables

Robert B. Reich tries to explain the political state of the world using 2 fables. It makes for an awkward yet interesting reading. A snippet:

"Not since the Vietnam War have we witnessed such a profound loss of faith in the moral authority of the United States. The consequences are potentially tragic. If we appear more like the world's bully than its beacon light, how can we count on our friends and neighbors to help us reduce the odds of further terrorist attacks here? If Fable 2 offers the world's destitute and angry a more convincing explanation for their condition, how can we prevent the ranks of terrorists from growing?"

Peace Activism is Still Growing

Tai Moses at Alternet has it right. Excerpt:

"And what of the troops? "Honor our Troops, Bring them Home. Peace Is Patriotic," reads the marquee on my local movie theater. We wholeheartedly support the idea of protecting the lives of our soldiers by bringing them safely home. Our opposition to the war is based on respect for human life, be it an Iraqi grandmother or a private in the U.S. army. But we do not support the mission these soldiers have been sent on: to kill thousands of Iraqis. So how can we in good conscience honor the military?


Our own commander-in-chief has shown little respect for the men and women he has sent into harm's way. Even as Bush has ordered more than 200,000 troops into combat, the Republicans in the House Budget Committee voted to cut $25 billion from the Department of Veterans Affairs' budget over the next 10 years; just when wounded or ill Gulf War II combat vets are sure to need benefits the most. This is unprecedented; it is always difficult to get money for vets in peacetime, but to slash veterans' pensions and disability compensation at the beginning of a war defies belief. So when someone questions the patriotism of antiwar protesters, remind them of the administration's hypocrisy.


What to do with our discouragement, our horror, our exhaustion? If you have invested any of your energy and heart in resisting the war efforts of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al., depression is going to be your occasional companion. We can try to avoid despair in these dark times by recognizing that we each have a valuable place in the continuum that is the struggle for peace, which has existed as long as there has been war. "It is not necessary for you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it," said the Talmudic sage Rabbi Tarphon.


The bombs are falling over Baghdad. In the U.S. there are people in the streets; there is a roar of protest around the world that is rising in volume even now. One month ago, many of us took part in the largest coordinated single-day antiwar demonstration in the history of the world. George W. Bush did not listen to us, but we heard each other. When the wartime blues begin to get you down, remember: There is a one-term president in the White House, and that good fight has just begun."

Woe is Mother Earth

Here is a very brief but very good summary of the environmental effects of this second Gulf War. Scary, very scary. Excerpt:

"During the Gulf War, retreating Iraqi forces set fire to more than 600 Kuwaiti oil wells, creating toxic smoke that choked the atmosphere and blocked the sun. The Iraqis dumped 4 million barrels of crude oil into the Persian Gulf, tarring beaches, killing more than 25,000 birds and driving millions more away, according to data compiled by the World Resources Institute and other organizations that monitor the environment. Spills of 60 million barrels of oil in the desert formed huge oil lakes and percolated into aquifers.

More than 80 percent of Kuwait's livestock perished during the war, and fisheries were heavily polluted, according to the monitoring groups. The burning oil fields released nearly a half-billion tons of carbon dioxide, an amount of greenhouse gas that many scientists say is the leading cause of the earth's rising temperature.

To date, a dozen nations affected by the Gulf War have submitted environmental damage claims to the United Nations totaling $79 billion. The U.N. has ruled so far on $1.9 billion of the claims, awarding about $1 billion, most of it to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Environmental groups and experts said a new war in Iraq could do even more harm to the region's environment and water resources, and kill off dozens of endangered species of birds and animals.

"The first Gulf War was the biggest environmental disaster in recent history," said Gar Smith, former editor of Earth Island Journal and a spokesman for Environmentalists Against the War. "Unfortunately, with advances in military technology, a new Gulf War has the potential to be even worse."

Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq, said in a recent interview with MTV that, "To me the question of the environment is more ominous than that of peace and war."

The New American Empire

Leon Fuerth give a more concrete description of the new American Empire that is quickly taking shape under the watch of Bush.

March 19, 2003

Raed Update

You absolutely must read this now.

Protest Marches in Los Angeles Area

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, HERE is information on marches happening today, tomorrow and this weekend.

What is the difference between the actions Bush is partaking this week and the actions Hitler partook at the start of his invasion of Poland?

Byrd's Speech

I feel it is my duty to post Senator Byrd's speech:

Arrogance of Power
Today, I Weep for my Country...

by US Senator Robert Byrd
Speech delivered on the floor of the US Senate
March 19, 2003 3:45pm


"I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.

But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.

We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.

After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe.

The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice.

There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board.

The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses.

But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight.

The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to "orange alert." There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home?

A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq.

What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy?

Why can this President not seem to see that America's true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?

War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us."

Cook Speech

Robin Cook's resignation speech in the British House of Commons is one for the annals of history. Excerpt:

"Only a couple of weeks ago, Hans Blix told the Security Council that the key remaining disarmament tasks could be completed within months. I have heard it said that Iraq has had not months but 12 years in which to complete disarmament, and that our patience is exhausted. Yet it is more than 30 years since resolution 242 called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. We do not express the same impatience with the persistent refusal of Israel to comply. I welcome the strong personal commitment that the prime minister has given to middle east peace, but Britain's positive role in the middle east does not redress the strong sense of injustice throughout the Muslim world at what it sees as one rule for the allies of the US and another rule for the rest. Nor is our credibility helped by the appearance that our partners in Washington are less interested in disarmament than they are in regime change in Iraq. That explains why any evidence that inspections may be showing progress is greeted in Washington not with satisfaction but with consternation: it reduces the case for war."

Cook also wrote an essay today explaining his reasons for resigning:

"I have resigned from the cabinet because I believe that a fundamental principle of Labour's foreign policy has been violated. If we believe in an international community based on binding rules and institutions, we cannot simply set them aside when they produce results that are inconvenient to us.

I cannot defend a war with neither international agreement nor domestic support. I applaud the determined efforts of the prime minister and foreign secretary to secure a second resolution. Now that those attempts have ended in failure, we cannot pretend that getting a second resolution was of no importance.

In recent days France has been at the receiving end of the most vitriolic criticism. However, it is not France alone that wants more time for inspections. Germany is opposed to us. Russia is opposed to us. Indeed at no time have we signed up even the minimum majority to carry a second resolution. We delude ourselves about the degree of international hostility to military action if we imagine that it is all the fault of President Chirac.

The harsh reality is that Britain is being asked to embark on a war without agreement in any of the international bodies of which we are a leading member. Not Nato. Not the EU. And now not the security council. To end up in such diplomatic isolation is a serious reverse. Only a year ago we and the US were part of a coalition against terrorism which was wider and more diverse than I would previously have thought possible. History will be astonished at the diplomatic miscalculations that led so quickly to the disintegration of that powerful coalition.

Britain is not a superpower. Our interests are best protected, not by unilateral action, but by multilateral agreement and a world order governed by rules. Yet tonight the international partnerships most important to us are weakened. The European Union is divided. The security council is in stalemate. Those are heavy casualties of war without a single shot yet being fired."

Read the entire letter of resignation HERE.

Bombs = Rebuilding = Business = Jobs = Good for Economy

Arianna Huffington EXPLAINS how Bush really does have the best interests of the US economy in mind. Well, at least the interests of major US corporations. OK, at least the interests of major corporations aligned both politically and financially with top administration including Bush and Cheney.

Blair Speaks

To be fair to what has become the wrong side of the war, here is Tony Blair's speech opening the Iraq debate yesterday in Parliament. In a very long-winded, but very eloquent, oration he basically says that, now that the British troops are in Iraq, it would be embarrassing to bring them home.

You know, if Bush had Blair's conviction and speaking skills, he probably could have convinced me and the rest of the world to overthrow Saddam. However, by forcing everything down our respective throats and telling us how he's going to do it his way (the U.N. be damned), in a way the illiterate neighborhood bully would, he's alienated nearly everyone. Too bad for Blair, who's receiving unfathomable flack for being such a great friend and supporter of the US government at the expense of his political career. I wish I had even a fraction of Blair's courage.

Don't Forget Your Iodine Pills

On a lighter note, as you probably know by now, the government has provided you with a web site chock full of information for countering the consequences of a terrorist attack in your neighborhood. The problem is, the images used on the site are, at the least, very confusing. THIS SITE attempts to clear up the confusion.

The Jungle's Biggest Lion

Michael Tomasky's weekly column looks ahead to the beginning of a new global Darwinism. Excerpt:

"It seems likely -- and we should all hope, for humanity's sake and our country's -- that we'll win this war, that Saddam Hussein will be retired from active duty, that hard evidence of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in his Iraq will turn up (and hopefully be destroyed before they find their way to the black market), and that the Iraqi people will probably, to one degree or another, be better off under whatever comes next. Bush will benefit from these developments, a fact that brings me no joy. But we must admit that these are all very good things, and liberal opponents of the war need to acknowledge them -- along with the fact that, let's face it, the United Nations was not enforcing its resolutions against Iraq, and only the pressure applied by this administration made it begin to do so.

But the following is true as well, and it is not a very good thing at all. Most Americans aren't thinking this far ahead, and the administration's rah-rah corner is not very interested in the subject, but: History will not end the day the white standard is run up the flag poles of Hussein's palaces. People and societies have memories, and they will remember the staggering number of distortions and pieces of misinformation that helped set this war in motion. They'll remember the administration saying that it would seek the imprimatur of a second UN resolution, and they'll remember the "no lunch, please, we've only got an hour" summit at which that pledge was tossed out the window. They'll remember Colin Powell's "hard evidence" presented at his Security Council briefing in February, and they'll remember just how much of that evidence didn't hold up to tough scrutiny. In France and Mexico and Turkey, they will remember the arm-twisting and bullying and childish caterwauling -- and even if you don't care about those countries, you can bet that Tony Blair will remember just how far he stuck his neck out for an administration that was willing to hang him out to dry, too, and he won't be likely to do it again.

The day this war starts, the world enters a new era of global Darwinism in which a structure of covenants and norms -- admittedly far from perfect, but at least the result of an ongoing dialogue of nations -- that has developed over the last half-century will be pushed aside. It's no contradiction at all to hope for the best for our troops but remain dead set against the rules of world order being rewritten overnight by the jungle's biggest lion."

Hussein Has Nuclear Weapons. Wait - He May Someday Have Them. But Kill Him Now.

This article from the Washington Post details how Bush and Cheney during this past week are still using officially disproven assertions as justification for invasion. If you are still not convinced that Bush is jerking us all, then read it.

March 18, 2003

Lets Unite for the Sake of Unity

New Democrats Online posted the following call for support today:

"President Bush announced last night that an American-led coalition would initiate military action to topple Saddam Hussein's regime and disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction unless Saddam steps down and leaves his country within 48 hours. Now is the time for Americans to unite in support of the president and our troops as they finish the job left undone in 1991 as quickly and humanely as possible. The time is over for recriminations about how we reached this point of confrontation with Iraq, and whether we could have reached it with more support. This war, like all war, will horrify many people here and around the world, for good and bad reasons. It will reinforce the hatred of America already felt by those who envy our power or oppose our values. But there can be no real doubt that the world and the Middle East will be safer, more peaceful and stable without Saddam Hussein. We would especially appeal to our fellow Democrats to rise above the partisan fray in Washington, and avoid letting their anger over the mistakes of the Bush Administration at home and abroad distract them from the national interest in winning this war. We hope and pray the disarmament and liberation of Iraq will not take long. But for the moment, it's time for unity and resolve."

I don't agree. Given that the attack is going to occur, we need to increase our efforts to keep Bush in check and to hold him accountable for every decision regarding Iraq made both during and after the war. We can't give him a blank check to show our support... look what happened last time we (Congress) did this last year. Who can say that the Middle East will be more stable and peaceful without Hussein? We are destabilizing the status quo there and the the unpredictability of the consequences far outweight the risks, at this point; thus our resistance to this war. Basically NDOL is saying that we should unite and support for the sake of unity and resolve. Whaaa?

The American public is (hopefully) becoming more politically and educationally sophisticated over the years, and "Rally 'Round the Flag" appeals, which are now flying around like bats out of hell as of last night, are becoming more hollow with age. Since WWII and maybe Korea, the calls for unquestioned patriotism and economic support of our government and troops have subsequently shown to be big mistakes in most cases. Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, etc. all proved to be major errors and Iraq is starting out as an even bigger one. We can't even clean out the drug lords from South Central Los Angeles, but we can clean out a dictator and make his country a nice and spiffy democracy on the other side of the planet with terrorists aiming at us through their gunsights? Come on.

It's the 21st Century, So Let's Kill Children

Magie Dominic writes a moving piece about the most innocent victims of this war:

"If war could bring peace, the definitive battle would have been fought millennia ago, on a wide-open field, with sticks and stones and possibly spit. Instead, today’s armies fight on with hard drives and software, with white noise and satellites, with specks on monitors erupting in flames. And smart weapons create the same images of disfigured women holding expressionless children — head too small for the hospital pillow, body too short for the bed. War has never fit children.

I’ve been reading old newspapers lately, clippings with torn edges, dates marked in ink at the top. In the 1991 Gulf War, more than 59,000 tons of bombs were dropped monthly on Iraq. In Vietnam, 34,000 tons were dropped monthly. Vietnam doesn’t need a date to define it. Vietnam was the sixties. Iraq was the nineties. Everything else fell in between.

During the six-week assault on Iraq, 84,000 tons of bombs were dropped, the equivalent of five Hiroshimas. I need to repeat that: 84,000 tons of bombs rained down, the equivalent of five Hiroshimas — and children were the largest group of casualties. Many died of hunger and cold. At the Cukurca refugee camp, eighty-six died in three days. In Iraq, U.S. forces introduced ammunition made with depleted uranium, a radioactive waste. At least 940,000 of those toxic, armour-piercing rounds were fired. Dr. Eric Hoskins, a medical doctor with fifteen years of experience working in war zones, surveyed Iraq two years after the war as part of a Harvard Study Team. He estimates that 50,000 children died in the first eight months of 1991, many from the effects of spent rounds littering the ground. UN aid workers saw Iraqi children playing with empty radioactive shells. In Basra, a child was seen using them as hand puppets.

The mass destruction of Iraq’s water purification facilities [in the Gulf War] hastened the spread of cholera and typhoid, and hastened the deaths of thousands of children. Protocol I of the Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 54 prohibits the destruction of objects indispensable to the survival of a civilian population, including food and drinking water. Near Baghdad, 12-million gallons of raw sewage spewed into the Tigris River hourly. Without access to television, radio or newspapers, families continued to rely on the Tigris for their drinking water. As many as a quarter of a million Iraqi civilians died as a result of the Gulf War. Dr. Hoskins recently returned to Canada after another assessment mission to Iraq. His team found that 500,000 Iraqi children are malnourished and the country has only three months of medicine left. Now, with war looming once again, the children are more vulnerable than ever:

“While it is impossible to predict both the nature of any war and the number of expected deaths and injuries, casualties among children will be in the thousands, probably in the tens of thousands and possibly in the hundreds of thousands ... Iraq’s 13-million children are at grave risk of starvation, disease, death and psychological trauma.”

In 1991, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney — then Secretary of Defence — directed one of the largest and deadliest military campaigns in history. The Washington victory parade alone cost more than $12-million. The attack began late on a clear moonless night, while children were sleeping. Laser bombs work best when it’s clear; they become confused in the clouds."

Bowling for Baghdad

Michael Moore writes a letter to Bush. Excerpt:

"If you do go through with this war, more than likely it will be over soon because I'm guessing there aren't a lot of Iraqis willing to lay down their lives to protect Saddam Hussein. After you "win" the war, you will enjoy a huge bump in the popularity polls as everyone loves a winner – and who doesn't like to see a good ass-whoopin' every now and then (especially when it 's some third world ass!). So try your best to ride this victory all the way to next year's election. Of course, that's still a long ways away, so we'll all get to have a good hardy-har-har while we watch the economy sink even further down the toilet!"

The Bush Doctrine is Now Official

Eric Alterman succinctly summarizes the current state of affairs:

"We are now about to enter a world in which the values we practice are pre-emptive war, fiscal indiscipline, domestic theocracy and the good opinion of human kind be damned. Since 9/11, Bush and company have done almost everything possible to alienate the world and inspire more terrorists to hate us, despite the initial wellspring of sympathy and solidarity the [9-11] attacks inspired worldwide. Meanwhile, for all its collective bluster, the Bush crowd has done almost nothing to protect the nation from the entirely predictable consequences of their folly and the hatred we have engendered across the Islamic and Arab worlds."

Catch Eric tonight on The Daily Show on Comedy Central (11:00 p.m.)

March 17, 2003

Now that Bush has finished with Afghanistan and is starting his invasion of Iraq, it's time to take a look at the new Middle East following the completion of the Bush Presidency:

From Where did Saddam Come?

HERE is a history of Iraq starting back in 1917, for those of you looking for a historical perspective and how it applies to current events.

It'sThe Economy, stupid, Stupid, STUPID

As we spiral into the start of an international travesty, Dan Gillmor reminds us that we're forgetting something closer to home. Bush has redirected our focus to a decimation of Iraq, and by the time we refocus on ourselves months from now we'll find that our economy is in shreds.

If you're frustrated today by what's obviously going to happen, take some of your anger out here:
(Thanks, Diane Z. for the link.)

The Business Of War... And Beyond

After reading this article, you'll have a better idea why Bush is proceeding with the invasion. (The ad lasts only a few seconds.)

March 16, 2003

Live from Baghdad

Nothing like hearing it firsthand. This blogger (Raed) is from Baghdad and his posts are chilling reading. You must read it. Excerpt:

"What is bringing on this rant is the question that has been bugging for days now: how could “support democracy in Iraq” become to mean “bomb the hell out of Iraq”? why did it end up that democracy won’t happen unless we go thru war? Nobody minded an un-democratic Iraq for a very long time, now people have decided to bomb us to democracy? Well, thank you! how thoughtful.
The situation in Iraq could have been solved in other ways than what the world will be going thru the next couple of weeks. It can’t have been that impossible. Look at the northern parts of Iraq, that is a model that has worked quite well, why wasn’t anybody interested in doing that in the south. Just like the US/UK UN created a protected area there why couldn’t the model be tried in the south. It would have cut off the regimes arms and legs. And once the people see what they have been deprived off they will not be willing to go back, just ask any Iraqi from the Kurdish areas. Instead the world watched while after the war the Shias were crushed by Saddam’s army in a manner that really didn’t happen before the Gulf War. Does anyone else see the words (Iran/not in the US interest) floating or is it me hallucinating?"

I recommend visiting this site daily once the US begins its illicit invasion.

What to Do

So, I don't know what to do when the war starts. Everything is in standard mode. The usual suspects, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc., will give very little useful information, and pretty much everything will be in "Support your country" flag-waving mode, so please, tell me where to turn for real information.

Invade When?

Everyone is saying tomorrow (March 17th), but I'm thinking Friday, the 21st. That way everyone will be home, glued to their TV's all weekend. If it occurs earlier, then everyone (who works) will be getting more than just the conservative-biased view of the Republican-controlled media. Those pesky liberals at the water cooler will make things a bit more challenging for the political lemmings, and we can't have that, so Friday it is. On the other hand, it will be easier for all of us to attend last-minute marches and rallies on the weekend, but I think Bush is willing to roll the dice on that. Go, Lakers!

Reps to Clinton: Remove Hussein

In 1998 Elliott Abrams, Richard L. Armitage, William J. Bennett, Richard Perle and Donald Rumsfeld sent a letter to President Clinton urging the overthrow of Hussein. Excerpt:

"It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do if we continue along the present course, the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world’s supply of oil will all be put at hazard. As you have rightly declared, Mr. President, the security of the world in the first part of the 21st century will be determined largely by how we handle this threat.

Given the magnitude of the threat, the current policy, which depends for its success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners and upon the cooperation of Saddam Hussein, is dangerously inadequate. The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.

We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your Administration's attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam's regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. Although we are fully aware of the dangers and difficulties in implementing this policy, we believe the dangers of failing to do so are far greater. We believe the U.S. has the authority under existing UN resolutions to take the necessary steps, including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf. In any case, American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council.

We urge you to act decisively. If you act now to end the threat of weapons of mass destruction against the U.S. or its allies, you will be acting in the most fundamental national security interests of the country. If we accept a course of weakness and drift, we put our interests and our future at risk."

Resolute determination of Republicans to uphold a policy is an admirable trait, unlike the Democrat's marshmallowing pursuit of pleasing all. On the other hand the insensitivity and self-imposed ignorance used to support the former's determination is not.

Stop Being a Loser Dictator

Are you a Loser Dicatator?

Nader Voters: Your Time Is Here

If you are a Salon subscriber then this article is a necessary read.

March 15, 2003

What Goes Up...

The latest Ipsos Public Affairs/Cook Political Report Poll on Bush's job ratings:

These are Bush's lowest ratings (by this polling organization) since 9-11. Other polling org.'s show similar results. I sure wish I would get a call from one of these pollsters just once in a while. I've got intelligent, well-informed opinions. My phone number: aww, forget it.

Stupid vs. Stupider

I can't decide who is more blockheaded here, the military policy makers or the potential protestors:

"VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - Security forces at Vandenberg Air Force Base may use ``deadly force'' against protesters if they infiltrate the military complex if a war starts, officials said.

Some anti-war activists plan to trespass onto base grounds in hopes of disturbing Vandenberg's mission and to vandalize sensitive equipment they contend helps guide the war effort.

Vandenberg officials revealed Friday that military security police may shoot to kill, if necessary, to protect base residents and machinery.

The directive has always been in existence, but a base spokeswoman said it is more critical now that people understand its severity.

``This is not fun and games anymore,'' said Maj. Stacee Bako. ``We're living in post 9/11. We don't know what's going to happen with the war effort in Iraq. These folks have got to realize their actions. ... They're illegal intruders.''

Military police will use their ``judgment, experience and training'' to determine if lethal force is necessary, she said.

``Deadly force can be used when lesser means of force aren't feasible or have failed, and to protect (Department of Defense) assets designated as vital to the national security,'' she explained.

The deadly force policy will not deter protesters, said Peter Lumsdaine of the Vandenberg Action Coalition, one of the organizers of the planned trespassing.

``I think it does underline that people in the nonviolent resistance movement are willing to take some risks,'' Lumsdaine said."

The Bush Program, Part II

The New York Observer isn't finished with Bush:

"As a result of Mr. Bush’s clumsy economic stewardship and the potential cost of a war, the country is facing an economic debacle which threatens to flatten us. When Mr. Bush took office, the Congressional Budget Office forecast a 10-year surplus of $5.8 trillion. Now the country may be looking at a 10-year deficit of as much as $3 trillion. If that happens, it will send interest rates to the moon. It almost seems as if this country is being run like a banana republic. Last week, the Committee for Economic Development—a nonpartisan business group—urged the administration to initiate tax increases and spending cuts, warning that if the White House does not do so, "investment, productivity and living standards will suffer." It won’t be long before the return of the "misery index," that unsettling calculation of inflation plus unemployment—note that the U.S. has lost two million jobs since Mr. Bush was elected."

Just how much longer are we all going to remain silent?

Osama: "Thank You, George"

The New York Observer seems to have it exactly right. This editorial is a must-read. Excerpt:

"With its Reagan-era bluster and frat-house machismo, the Bush administration has played into the hands of terrorists, breaking apart NATO and fracturing half-century-old relations with Europe that have persevered through all the roilings of post–World War II history. And the administration did it at just the very moment when the West has been targeted—not by that wretched despot Saddam, but by the murderous followers of Osama bin Laden. Thanks to the President and his hubristic crew of ideologues, America and Europe are not united, as they should be, in the face of global Islamic militancy. Instead, many people talk about the end of America’s strategic alliance with Western Europe. Instead of France and Germany, some say, we will simply align ourselves with the post-Communist states of Eastern Europe—like, say, Bulgaria.

Osama bin Laden did not create this sad state of affairs. George W. Bush did.

Rarely in the face of war has the leadership in this country—both the executive and the opposition—served it so badly. The opposition has cynically acquiesced; they have not challenged this intellectually challenged President. There are, as Thomas Friedman has pointed out so eloquently in The New York Times, many merits to the argument for the war; the President has not made them. Mr. Bush, having painted himself into a diplomatic corner unlike any in American history, has created rationales for attack that are less in the tradition of American war Presidents like Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt, even Bush Sr., and more in the tradition of William McKinley as he bumbled his way into the Spanish-American war."

Yes, Bush has done more to screw things up worldwide that Osama or any terrorist organization could have dreamed.

The Bush Program

Molly Ivins shows us how Republicans have not yet completed the job. Excerpt:

"One can hardly say enough about the courageous action of the U.S. House Administration Committee in renaming French fries "Freedom Fries" at the House cafeteria. In these critical times, it's good to know we can count on House Republicans. They'll teach those cheese-eating surrender monkeys a thing or two. (Guys, did you really have to just hand the French this one? That has to be the slowest pitch on record.)

This was in addition to Republicans trading tasteless anti-French jokes publicly during a hearing with Colin Powell. Just for the record, there are 6,000 French troops currently serving as peacekeepers in Afghanistan and the Balkans. As they keep watch in places they'd rather not be, I'm sure they all appreciate your gestures. Likewise, the Germans -- described by Rumsfeld as a "pariah state" -- have 10,000 troops in Afghanistan and the Balkans.

Have you ever seen such amazing arrogance wedded to such awesome incompetence?"

March 14, 2003

No to War Isn't Equal to Yes to Saddam

No, I'm not pro-Saddam. I'm pro-peace. If Saddam Hussein disappeared from the surface of this planet tomorrow I would feel glee. Being adamantly against Bush's current policies (both foreign and domestic) has nothing to do with approving Hussein's actions, past, present or future. If Iraq/Hussein had initiated war against us or one of our allies, I would not hesitate in supporting any military action against Iraq. As a civilized nation and currently a leader both politically and economically, our only correct course of action is to defend ourselves and our friends, not take unprovoked offensive action. If we take the initiative and invade Iraq shortly, I will not blame Iraq one bit if they retaliate and try to bomb, gas, or bio-violate us. Not once in our nation's history have we not done the same.

The inspections ARE working. Let's continue and expand them for as long as needed. Saddam will not last forever and will probably be assassinated soon for a myriad of reasons.

Even if Bush and cohorts realize they are wrong, do you really think they are mature enough, and compassionate enough, to admit their mistakes and do the right thing? God, no! They're totally out of touch with reality and the value of life and with the understanding of anything not related to power and money. Here's another view on this.

And our soldiers? Many have said that they will feel no remorse if they are killed in Iraq because they volunteered and were aware of the dangers posed by enlisting. Am I wrong to think that a lot of them joined the military because there were no other jobs available as a result of the downward-spiralling economy caused by Bush's obscene policies and direction?

Mutiny on the Horizon?

PAUL KRUGMAN wrote an excellent column today in the NY Times. To whet your palate, here's the beginning:

"Aboard the U.S.S. Caine, it was the business with the strawberries that finally convinced the doubters that something was amiss with the captain. Is foreign policy George W. Bush's quart of strawberries?

Over the past few weeks there has been an epidemic of epiphanies. There's a long list of pundits who previously supported Bush's policy on Iraq but have publicly changed their minds. None of them quarrel with the goal; who wouldn't want to see Saddam Hussein overthrown? But they are finally realizing that Mr. Bush is the wrong man to do the job. And more people than you would think — including a fair number of people in the Treasury Department, the State Department and, yes, the Pentagon — don't just question the competence of Mr. Bush and his inner circle; they believe that America's leadership has lost touch with reality.

If that sounds harsh, consider the debacle of recent diplomacy — a debacle brought on by awesome arrogance and a vastly inflated sense of self-importance.

Mr. Bush's inner circle seems amazed that the tactics that work so well on journalists and Democrats don't work on the rest of the world. They've made promises, oblivious to the fact that most countries don't trust their word. They've made threats. They've done the aura-of-inevitability thing — how many times now have administration officials claimed to have lined up the necessary votes in the Security Council? They've warned other countries that if they oppose America's will they are objectively pro-terrorist. Yet still the world balks."

(You'll need to do a one-time registration to access the N.Y. Times online site - it's worth it.)

It's the CHILDREN, Damn It.

This has been said innumerable times, but it can't be said too often and it must be repeated as long as there is a chance it will make a difference. Excerpt:

"The children in Iraq are already in sorrowful shape. The last thing in the world they need is another war. More than half the population of Iraq is under the age of 18, and those youngsters are living in an environment that has been poisoned by the Iran-Iraq war, the first gulf war and long years of debilitating sanctions.

One out of every eight Iraqi children dies before the age of 5. One-fourth are born underweight. One-fourth of those who should be in school are not. One-fourth do not have access to safe water.

This generational catastrophe is the fault of Saddam Hussein, no question. But those who favor war should at least realize that the terrain to be invaded by the most fearsome military machine in history is populated mostly by children who are already suffering.

The American military has significantly improved the accuracy of its weapons, and the U.S. has gone to great lengths to develop war plans designed to minimize civilian casualties. But war, as anyone who has been in the military knows, is about killing people. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has already made it clear that the U.S. is planning to deliver what he calls a "shock" to the Iraqi system.

That shock reportedly will be delivered by 3,000 precision-guided bombs and missiles in the first 48 hours. The children of Iraq won't be the targets, but that is what their country will face if America attacks."

(You'll need to do a one-time registration to access the N.Y. Times online site - it's worth it.)

Edwards on Families

Using the Clinton Administration's successful Family Policies as a blueprint, Sen. John Edwards during a speech Wednesday at George Washington University laid out his "Promoting Strong Families". Excerpt:

"Before September 11, this administration's central domestic policy was budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Today, even as the bill for those tax cuts continues to climb, the cost of war is terribly unclear, the litany of unmet domestic security needs remains ignored, and families are struggling to make ends meet, what is the administration's central domestic policy? Budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Thanks to this administration's economic policies, Americans are working harder, making less, and spending less time with their families. Thanks to its security policies, Americans are more frightened, and less secure, than they should be. Thanks to this administration's fondness for special interests, one of the greatest social challenges of our time, how to help people do right by their families, is getting worse because Washington won't do a thing to help.

This president is out of touch with America's families. If you're a parent who is worried because the crime rate in your town is going up again, this president's message is: Start taking self-defense classes, because we're going to gut the initiative that put 100,000 cops on the beat."

March 13, 2003

Here's something YOU can do right now that will boost the anti-war movement. Working Assets is raising donations to place these billboards in high-traffic areas of the U.S. Donate a few $$ now and save some soldiers' lives. Here's what they look like:

Infiltrated by "The Radical Capitalist"

Well now this is interesting. This link appears in the cycling ad that is at the top of all the non-bloggerpro pages. I wonder if anyone has noticed. I signed up with Blogger and paid the $50 + $35 to get all the features, including the removal of the blogger ad, and this blog page is the result. However all my links pages (left column) are published under the free version as they still have the ad at the top. I didn't realize Blogger (i.e. Pyra) advertised political sites. I'm not sure if I should complain to the Blogger staff or look for another service. Suggestions?

UPDATE: Examining this ad thing further, I notice now that the ads at the top are somewhat geared to the general subject matter of the blog. The "Computers" links page has mostly computer-related ads, the "War/Iraq" links page has mostly war/anti-war ads, etc. Is this explained anywhere on the Blogger/BloggerPro site?

March 12, 2003

Offshore 1040

I'd REALLY like to see an opposing viewpoint on this issue. Excerpt:

"Every populist movement needs a catalytic issue and a crystallizing response that come to symbolize the greater struggle at hand. Think of Rosa Parks refusing to move to the back of the bus or the Greensboro Four taking a seat at that Whites Only Woolworth's lunch counter.

The revolt against antipatriotic tax havens may be the spark that ignites a far-ranging movement for basic fairness and economic justice. What could be more unfair, after all, than asking hard-working Americans to dig deeper into their wallets, retirement funds, and savings accounts so corporate execs rolling in an overflowing wallow of tax-free profits won't have to?

It should be a political no-brainer, an issue that transcends right-left divisions. And, indeed, politicians from both parties -- including Sens. Evan Bayh, Charles Grassley, Max Baucus, Harry Reid, and Carl Levin and Rep. Richard Neal -- have introduced or are preparing to introduce legislation that would crack down on offshore tax evaders. Even President Bush is on record saying: "We ought to look at people who are trying to avoid U.S. taxes as a problem… American companies ought to pay taxes and be good citizens." Yes, gee, they ought to. If only there was some public body that could, say, pass a law and force them to do it.

Yet for all the public posturing, behind closed doors our leaders continue to protect their corporate sponsors, allowing profits to trump patriotism -- even in this time of war."

Pole Shifts and Blimps

Planet X is getting close. If you haven't started preparing for the POLE SHIFT, you'd better get a move-on because it's only 63 days away! If that doesn't make your day, then read this post about a father's experience with something ordered from Sharper Image - I guarantee you'll be shooting coffee out your nose.

Quit Blaming France

The DLC seems to be shifting the blame for the current crisis onto the U.N. as described in today's essay:

"The French-led rebellion against enforcement of U.N. resolutions concerning Iraq has taken on a new and more dangerous nature since President Jacques Chirac's admission that there are no circumstances under which France would allow U.N.-sanctioned military action to occur. "Whatever happens, France will vote no," he told reporters in a domestic television interview. Aside from representing a green light to Saddam Hussein to resume his defiant pursuit of weapons of mass destruction amidst the minor inconvenience of inspectors, this posture belies the claim that France, Germany and Russia are trying to defend the United Nations' multilateral prerogatives against U.S. unilateralism. The United States has asked the United Nations to deal with Saddam Hussein after 12 years of unenforced resolutions, and it looks like the United Nations may simply refuse.

There's already a backlash underway in U.S. public opinion against the previously lofty reputation of the United Nations. And if the United Nations begins to reflect the apparent belief of some in Europe that the United States, not Iraq or North Korea, represents the primary threat to world peace and stability, then domestic support for collective security through multilateral organizations will inevitably drop even further."

The Domocrats seem to be confusing France's defiance with the overall intentions of the majority of the members. They make it appear that France poses more of a threat to security in the region than the growing Bush-led U.S. military presence. The U.N. should call France's bluff and do the reasonable action: acknowledge that Hussein is doing a half-ass job of compliance, increase the presence of the inspection team and support the inspection team with U.N. soldiers. Obviously Hussein reacted to the military threat posed by the U.S. by allowing the inspectors back in and releasing details of weapons stores (however incomplete it may be). Now the U.N. needs to ratchet up the pressure by increasing its presence in Iraq and forgoing any spineless imposition of timelines.

Warren Langley

THIS is what I was talking about HERE. You can get more info on non-violent protesting here, here, here, and here. Looks like I'm going to have to create a new links page for non-violent action resources. Also, if I can figure out how to participate in non-violent demonstrations without losing my job, I'll be jumping right in; with Bush's tightening grip on the economy's throat, I'd probably be unemployed for quite a while if I get arrested and my employer found out. Gotta support the little 'uns so that they can grow up to be strong anti-Republicans.

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Well the weight of the world is FALLING And on my back I've been CRAWLING The state of affairs is APPALLING And the 6 o'clock news keeps CALLING Well I've been trying to see the world through their eyes Where black is white and day is night Left is Right Left is Right Left is Right, For me Well negotiations keep STALLING The United Nations keeps CALLING The Skeletons you're HAULING Won't hold when you're FALLING I’ve been trying to see the world through their eyes Where day is night and black is white Left is Right Left is Right Left is Right for me Put your head in the sand and you'll never know What's waiting for you in the depths below (below) Don't believe everything that you read Take what you want and keep what you need I’ve been trying to see the world through their eyes Where day is night and black is white Left is Right Left is Right Left is Right for me I said Left is Right Left is Right Left is Right for me For me, For me, For Me! TWISTED NIXON Written in 1998 after Johnny Punish who was sitting at the Las Vegas Hilton Sports Book and was hit by the absurdity of the place. It absorbed him and he wrote the phrase "LEFT is RIGHT for me" on a drink napkin. That night in a studio in the seedy back alleys of Las Vegas, LEFT IS RIGHT was born when then lead guitarist, Brian Jay Cline, wrote the clever verses while Twisted Nixon added the melodies. Sung by Brian Jay Cline, Left is Right is clearly Twisted Nixon's best ever in terms of a pop anthem. This song is the most requested song by fans. Produced by Paul Hampton of The Skeletones