Inside The Iraqi Inferno: More US Soldiers Killed
Nov 06, 2003
Omar Al-Faris, JUS
Arab Mujahideen waged several attacks Wednesday in the Iraqi city of
Mosul that has resulted in the deaths of two US soldiers and wounded
five others. Two US soldiers were killed when their convoy came under
attack by RPGs in the south of the city. One vehicle was destroyed,
another severely damaged and three US soldiers were also wounded.
Also in southern Mosul, AP reported a RPG was fired at a US convoy
in southern Mosul. Witnesses said the grenade fell short of the
convoy and killed two Iraqi men in a civilian car. The U.S. 101st
Airborne Division said one soldier was wounded.
Also in Mosul a hand grenade was thrown at two US vehicles in the
center of town on Wednesday afternoon. Hospital officials said the
blast killed a boy and wounded at least seven Iraqis. The US military
issued a statement saying one soldier was wounded. "Seven or eight
people were wounded," Dr Omar Farouk, who treated the victims at the
Arazi hospital, told Reuters. "One 10-year old boy died from head
wounds before he arrived."
A separate RPG attack wounded two U.S. soldiers in the city, and
another soldier was wounded in a roadside bomb attack, Sergeant
Robert Woodward of the 101st Airborne told Reuters.
Here in Baghdad, security was on high alert and mixed reports are
still coming in from the attacks on the US headquarters as US
forces beefed up patrols. The highly secured headquarters was hit
by mortars fired by Arab Mujahideen using a 81 mm mortar launcher
Tuesday night at approximately 7:30 pm, lighting the skies and
rocking a three mile radius. Three explosions were confirmed however
US Military has been mum on casualties reporting only four wounded.
The story on the street was a different matter. One eyewitness
told JUS Wednesday that he saw at least eight individuals being
evacuated. "There was fire and smoke everywhere and soldiers and
people were confused. It was chaos. They were loading stretchers
onto the helicopters and the fires were still burning when I was
forced to leave" he said.
It was the second attack within 24 hours.
Many we talked to expressed that the Americans were getting "what
they deserve".
"We don't want them here. We did not ask them to come here. Look at
our country - it is a war zone. What have we done? Our husbands and
sons are being killed. We are not safe. We want them to take their
war somewhere else. May God help us" one woman pleaded.
"We will fight them until they leave with their tails between their
legs" said another. (JUS)
http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre_internal.php?article=
82780&list=/home.php&
* * *
Falluja revenge fulled by civilan deaths
In the epicentre of anti-American fury in Iraq, US troops with
machine guns comb alleyways for Saddam Hussein loyalists, hoping
to prevent deadly new attacks.
But people in Falluja, 50km west of Baghdad, say the men firing
rocket-propelled grenades at occupation forces are just ordinary
taxi drivers, labourers and professionals avenging the deaths of
relatives.
With all its high-tech weapons, the US military has overlooked
what rules the gritty streets of this town where it has faced
many of the most deadly attacks against its troops - the tribal
code of revenge.
"Saddam's people have nothing to do with Americans killed in
Falluja. If you want to know why we hate the Americans so much
in Falluja, look at this," said Muthanna Salih, pulling up the
flowing robe covering his stump as he balanced on crutches.
"I was in my house when the Americans started shooting. They hit
my leg, they killed my brother and they left me jobless with eight
children."
Sixteen other people were also killed in that incident in April,
when US troops fired into crowds of protesters just outside
Salih's house.
Tribal revenge
American soldiers have been entangled in Falluja's tribal quest for
revenge since then.
Every time they kill someone in the crackdown on suspected Saddam
supporters, they invite the wrath of tribes who can spend decades
seeking revenge.
"The Americans hit a roadside bomb and then instead of catching the
culprits they just open fire on everyone in sight," said policeman
Haitham Abd al-Wahab. "That's why Falluja is boiling."
It is a vicious cycle that is never mentioned by politicians
in Washingto who always blame remnants of Saddam's Baath Party
or foreign Islamic militants for killing American troops. On
the ground, Falluja's hard-nosed people describe the bloodshed
in simple terms.
"The Americans killed innocent people. Remember this is a place
where two people who get in a little argument over a plant in a
field that lies between them, they pull out the guns and shoot
each other," said Abu Taha. "If I see an American I will definitely
kill him if I can."
On Sunday, 15 American soldiers were killed when their Chinook
helicopter was shot down over a village near Falluja.
Worse than Saddam
In this conservative Sunni Muslim city of cement block houses and
a turquoise-domed mosque, people only respect the elders of dozens
of tribes who look down on US troops and their only allies - Iraqi
policemen tainted by past corruption. It is not just deaths of
civilians that enrage Falluja.
American soldiers conduct humiliating house searches, breaking
furniture, frisking men and women and stealing cash and jewellery,
Iraqis said. "Saddam's people were terrible but they never
humiliated us like this. We are a tribal society. We are hot
blooded. What do you expect?" said Hamid Kasim, a shop employee.
Reuters
Thursday 06 November 2003 10:55 AM GMT
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6AD5CFDC-3146-4CFC-
9BB4-F4FBECEE28BE.htm
* * *
2 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq, Troop Reduction Disclosed
BAGHDAD, November 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Two U.S.
soldiers were killed and a Polish soldier injured in separate
attacks in Iraq, as Washington disclosed Thursday, November 6,
plans to cut down the number of troops with the beginning of a
"rough winter" in the war-ravaged country.
One of the soldiers was killed Thursday near Husaybah, on the
border with Syria, 335 kilometers (210 miles) west of Baghdad,
the U.S. military was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as
saying in a statement.
"One U.S. soldier from 1st Squadron Armored Cavalry Regiment,
attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, was killed when a
military truck struck a landmine while traveling along a border
road near the Husaybah border crossing point," a statement said.
The other soldier died and two more were wounded Wednesday,
November 5, evening "when their patrol was ambushed by rocket-
propelled grenades and small arms fire near the city of
Mahmudiyah at approximately 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) November 5,"
read another statement.
The deaths raise to 142 the number of U.S. troops killed in
combat since May 1, when Washington declared major hostilities
had ended. During the six-week offensive on Iraq before that
date, 114 Americans died from hostile fire.
Also, an Iraqi interpreter working for U.S. forces was wounded
Thursday when assailants fired at a checkpoint manned by U.S.
soldiers and Iraqi police in northern Iraq, police said.
The U.S. forces did not immediately confirm the incident, but
Captain Arkan Hamed al-Obeidi, who heads a nearby police station,
confirmed that Sami Ahmed, a 30-year-old interpreter, was
wounded around when six Katyusha rockets were fired at the joint
checkpoint.
A Polish officer was also injured during an attack on a military
convoy 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Karbala, the first
casualty suffered by Warsaw's troops in the country, a Polish
Defense Ministry spokesman said.
Rough Winter
This comes as Britain's special representative in Iraq Jeremy
Greenstock warned occupation forces face a "rough winter on
the security front" following a recent surge of violence here.
" 'Terrorists' are trying to make Iraq ungovernable and choosing
their targets cleverly. They want to try and close Baghdad down,"
Greenstock said in an interview with The Times newspaper.
Greenstock said the U.S.-led forces had to "earn time" from
an increasingly skeptical local population and "Iraqicise" the
security operation as quickly as possible to make Iraqis the
"acceptable face of security".
Many ordinary Iraqis are seething with anger and frustrations
over the continued occupation of their oil-rich country and
the U.S. military provocations, including detentions, incursions
and unjustified killings.
"I believe it's do-able but I believe we're in for a rough
winter on the security front," said Greenstock, saying, however,
that multinational troops could be in the country "for some
time".
Former Generals
In a separate development, three former generals of Iraq's toppled
regime, including the brother of an official wanted by the United
States, were detained this week, their families and neighbors said
Thursday.
The U.S. military had previously announced the arrest of two of
the former regime officers in the flashpoint city of Fallujah,
50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad.
"General Hamed Sarhan and his son Mohammad, a lieutenant in the
security services, were arrested yesterday in their house," a
neighbor, Abdelrahman al-Hammadi, said.
Sarhan is a brother of Khamis Sarhan al-Mohammad, a former leading
member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, who figures on a list of
55 most-wanted ex-regime officials.
The general was responsible for military printing presses.
Reduction And Rotation
In the meantime, senior U.S. defense officials said the Pentagon
is preparing to rotate its forces in Iraq next year, amid plans
to cut back U.S. troop numbers to 100,000 while Iraqi security
forces increase in size.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed orders to set
in motion a force rotation next year that will send back U.S.
Marines along with active duty army and national guard and
reserve units, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
The rotation would involve the replacement of the bulk of the
132,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq and will include some 35,000
to 45,000 national guard and reservists, said the official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Although most of the deployment plan has long been in place,
the Pentagon had held off a final decision in hopes that a
third multinational division could be formed to take up some
of the slack.
But the multinational division has so far failed to materialize,
forcing the Pentagon to implement a backup plan to make up the
difference with additional U.S. forces.
General Peter Pace, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said the Pentagon would be announcing "a very specific
laydown" on Thursday.
"It does include the call-up of Reserves. It does include the use
of Marine forces. It does include Navy and Air Force with their
capabilities to participate," he said at a congressional committee
hearing.
Pace also told the House of Representatives Armed Services
committee that the Pentagon plans to reduce U.S. troop strength
in Iraq to about 100,000 by May 2003 as new units are rotated
in.
He said the reduction from four to three divisions would be
accommodated by an increase in the size of Iraqi security
forces from about 115,000 to some 171,000.
The Pentagon also is counting on other countries sending
peacekeepers to Iraq, he said.
Pace said the United States has received commitments from countries
contributing troops to the occupation forces to maintain the two
multinational divisions now in the country, one led by Poland and
the other by Britain.
But many countries rebuffed the U.S. request for a military
commitment in Iraq, amidst fears rising against the backdrop
of deteriorating security situation in the war-scarred country
and the fact that it is still controlled by "occupying"
powers.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-11/06/article08.shtml
* * *
Polish and US troops die in resistance raids
Poland suffered its first fatality in Iraq when one of its soldiers
was targeted in the latest round of resistance attacks.
He was part of a military convoy which came under fire at al
Mussayih, 40 kilometres north of Karbala.
The dead man was a 44-year-old commander with the Polish Army,
which now commands a 9000-strong multinational occupation force
patrolling a large sector of central and southern Iraq.
Two American soldiers also died in separate incidents near Baghdad
and along the Syrian border, as attacks took place throughout the
occupied country.
One soldier was killed early on Thursday when his truck hit a
landmine near the Husaybah border crossing point with Syria about
315km northwest of Baghdad, according to US military officials.
A paratrooper was also killed and two others wounded when their
patrol came under rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack near
Mahmudiya, 25km south of Baghdad late on Wednesday, announced
the military.
Their deaths bring to 140 the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq
by hostile fire since US President George Bush declared an end to
major combat on 1 May.
A total of 114 US soldiers were killed in the active combat phase
which began on 20 March.
First Polish casualty
And a Polish major was seriously wounded in an ambush south
of the capital near Karbala on Thursday, as he was returning
from a promotion ceremony for the Iraqi civil defence corps,
according to Polish officials.
It is the first casualty suffered by Warsaw's troops in Iraq.
In the north, an Iraqi interpreter working with US forces was also
injured when assailants fired at a checkpoint manned by occupation
soldiers and Iraqi police.
Occupation officials did not immediately confirm the incident.
The latest attacks coincide with as a senior Japanese official's
saying his country would stand by its commitment to send forces
to Iraq despite the heightened threat to Japanese military and
civilian personnel.
Judges angry
Meanwhile, Iraqi judges investigating alleged atrocities by former
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's government are angry with US-led
occupation forces for failing to provide more protection as their
colleagues fall victim to assassins' bullets.
"We risk our lives every day. The Americans only talk," said one
prominent judge who asked not to be named.
"We are losing colleagues. Seven months have already passed since
the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, and the Americans still
have not fulfilled their promises to give us protection," he said.
Anger is running particularly high in the city of Najaf, where the
governor called a strike by municipal staff after a meeting with
occupation officials on Wednesday failed to secure pledges to
improve security, following the latest assassination to target the
judiciary.
Muhan Jabr al-Shuwaili, the top judge in Najaf, was murdered on
Monday by unknown assailants who told him "Saddam has ordered
your prosecution" before shooting him dead.
Home front
In other news, Democratic presidential contender Wesley Clark
said the United States should resist pressure for an early exit
in Iraq.
Clark, in a speech designed to clarify his positions on domestic
and foreign policy, said Washington should appoint an allied high
representative to guide Iraq's reconstruction while shifting the
military operation to NATO forces under US command.
"Early exit means retreat or defeat. There can be neither," he
said. "First we must end the American monopoly on the occupation
and reconstruction. Then we must develop the right force mix to
fight and win guerrilla war."
Agencies
Thursday 06 November 2003 11:42 AM GMT
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CC43AA92-C7D9-4F60-
8BB2-2F37A7B843BD.htm
* * *
US to cut troop strength in Iraq
In the face of intense resistance, the Pentagon plans to reduce
US troop strength in Iraq to about 100,000 by May as new units
are rotated in.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace on
Wednesday told the House of Representatives Armed Services committee
the reduction from four to three divisions would be accommodated by
an increase in the size of Iraqi security forces from about 115,000
to some 171,000.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meanwhile signed orders on
Wednesday to set in motion the force rotation in Iraq next year
that will send back US Marines along with active duty army and
national guard and reserve units.
Deployment
The rotation would involve the replacement of the bulk of the
132,000 US troops now in Iraq and will include some 35,000 to
45,000 national guard and reservists, said a senior official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Units ordered to move were being notified overnight, the official
said. "There will be some active Marines, some reserve Marines,"
he added.
Although most of the deployment plan has long been in place,
the Pentagon had held off a final decision in hopes that a
third multinational division could be formed to take up some
of the slack.
But the multinational division has so far failed to materialise,
forcing the Pentagon to implement a backup plan to make up the
difference with additional US forces.
Pace told the committee, "So as we look at projections for security
requirements and total capabilities of non-Iraqi coalition, Iraqi
coalition and US, we think that the spike in need for ground troops
will in fact continue to go down, that it is not a new plateau."
Some lawmakers, however, were sceptical of Pace's projections.
"I don't see the security situation in Iraq changing fast enough
or the Iraqis being trained fast enough or the likelihood of a
multinational division being available in March of 2004," said
Representative Heather Wilson, a Republican from New Mexico.
"What's your back-up plan?" Wilson questioned.
AFP
Thursday 06 November 2003 1:51 AM GMT
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AE935A7F-F72D-4C80-
9C49-9200F60FA634.htm
* * *
More attacks on US forces in Iraq
Resistance fighters in Iraq continue to forcus their attacks on
American military forces in the country.
Aljazeera's correspondent in Baghdad, Beiba Wild Mhadi, reports
two blasts were heard early on Thursday near the Green area where
the occupying troops are based.
The area houses government buildings and the Presidential Palace
Compound, headquarters of the US forces and leaders of the Iraqi
occupation.
Mhadi said US army helicopters hovered over the capital on
Thursday morning, especially in the al-Doura area. There have
been no immediate reports of possible casualties or damage.
Anti-occupation fighters in Iraq have stepped up their campaign
against US forces in recent weeks. The number of attacks on US
targets is now averaging around 30 a day.
Aljazeera
Thursday 06 November 2003 6:08 AM GMT
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E9DCBD63-53FF-4FE2-
99F1-CB2F0CDB8B8C.htm
* * *
British "Special Ops" Killed, Four Others Wound
Nov 06, 2003
Source: Wires
A British Marine corporal has been killed while on an undercover
mission in Iraq. Former comrades said Ian Plank, 31, was serving
with the Special Boat Service. He and four other soldiers,
believed to be SAS troopers, were shot in a raid in northern
Iraq.
An SAS insider said last night: "The guys were attacking a target
they had been aware of for some time but they had no idea how many
of them were in there. It was a hornet's nest." A spokeswoman said:
"We are still investigating the incident. He was killed by hostile
fire during a coalition operation."
But a marine who had served with Corporal Plank said: "He was a
really able bloke and it is known he passed the entry for the SBS."
The SBS are the group that made amphibious landings near the port
of Umm Qasr.
http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre_internal.php?article=
82785&list=/home.php&
* * *
Iraq 'Not Central Part' Of War On Terrorism: U.S. Poll
Additional Reporting By Subhi Haddad, IOL Correspondent
WASHINGTON, November 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A
new poll released Wednesday, November 5, found that a majority
of Americans does not support U.S. President George W. Bush's
argument that invading Iraq is a "central part" of the alleged
war on terrorism as attacks against U.S. occupation forces in
Iraq continue unabated.
Six in seven Americans disagree with Bush's assertion that the
conflict in Iraq is the most important fight in the terrorism
combat, said the Washington Post-ABC News poll.
However, the poll revealed that just 14% think that the invasion
of Iraq is the "most important" part of the so-called war on
terrorism supporting Bush's point of view, the Post reported.
But the doubt of the majority of Americans- shared by some experts
in military strategy - poses a potential problem for Bush, because
it indicates that a large majority of Americans disagrees with his
main argument for justifying the continuing occupation of Iraq,
which has proven costlier and bloodier than was generally predicted
before the invasion, the U.S. daily added.
Experts in public opinion believe the results may explain why
support for Bush's policies on Iraq has sagged.
Changing Perceptions
"These are very important changing perceptions," said Andrew
Kohut, who directs the nonpartisan Pew Research Center polls.
Andrew said the results are "potentially threatening to support
for the war, because it's no longer being seen as something we
did to protect ourselves".
"When you say war on terrorism, they think about the things
protecting us, like the Department of Homeland Security and
screening at the airports," he said.
Trying to make the case for invading and occupying Iraq, Bush
addressed his nation on September 7 describing Iraq as "the
central front" in the so-called war on terrorism.
"We will fight this war against terror until it is won. We are
fighting on many fronts, _ Iraq is now the central front," Bush
said recently in one typical speech.
A former poll in April 2003, however, showed that 77% of Americans
believed the war in Iraq was part of the alleged American war
against terrorism, but this number felled to 66% in September 2003
and to 61% last week, when the latest poll was conducted.
Declining support for the situation on Iraq was also witnessed
as the Americans former 75% approval in April 2003 felled to 50%
in September 2003 and then dropped to 47%.
'Misguided'
Public skepticism about the importance of the Iraq invasion to
national security, the Post said, was not the only blow Bush
received as he heard similar doubts from some lawmakers in his
own party.
Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa) criticized on Tuesday, November 4, the
administration's thinking about Iraq as "one of the most misguided
assumptions in the history of United States strategic thinking"
and said the occupation could increase the threats to American
security.
A number of defense experts also reject the president's notion of
the role of Iraq in the campaign against "terrorism".
"I think the 'central front' idea is just crazy," said Michael
Vickers, a former CIA officer who is now an analyst at the
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
On September 11, 2001, Vickers said, "we weren't hit from Iraq".
He also said that while he thinks "we have to prevail in Iraq ...
I can imagine winning the global war on terrorism without winning
Iraq, just like you could win the Cold War without winning in
Vietnam".
Fresh Attacks
In the meanwhile, U.S. and British occupation forces came under
fresh attacks, as anti-American sentiments are rising among Iraqi
civilians seeking a return to security in the war-ravaged country
and an end to occupation.
An American soldier died when his vehicle hits an explosive device
in Baghdad on Tuesday, a few hours after the British Ministry of
Defense announced that a Royal Marine was killed in hostile fire
on October 31.
Loud explosions near the U.S. military headquarters in Baghdad
shook the city mid-evening local time, with the reverberations
felt by reporters on the opposite bank of the Tigris river, the
BBC NewsOnline reported.
The U.S. military said the blasts caused no damage or injuries
inside the compound.
The attacks were blamed on remnants of the former regime, but
frustrations are spreading among Iraqis due to U.S. military
provocations.
An Iraqi farmer was "accidentally" shot dead by U.S. soldiers who
were combing farms in Mokdadiyah near Baqubah, northeast of Baghdad,
a relative said Wednesday.
"U.S. forces were shooting indiscriminately while combing farms on
Tuesday night. As a result, my nephew Laith Ali Tomeh was killed
near his farm," Jawad Hassan Yaakub told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
An office of Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in
Iraq (SCIRI) in western Baghdad was also attacked last night,
eyewitnesses said.
The blast, caused by an RPG raid by unknown gunmen, has completely
destroyed the Shiite party's office at Al-Mansour District and
damaged a number of surrounding houses, eyewitnesses toldIslamOnline.
net.
They said that none of the party members were at the office at the
time of the explosion.
The chairman and founder of the SCIRI Mohammed Baqir Al-Hakeem, was
assassinated in a bomb blast on August 29 at the Shiite holy city
of Najaf, some 180 kms to the southwest of Baghdad.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2003-11/05/article04.shtml
* * *
Baath official hurt in Kirkuk attack
An Iraqi woman linked to the Baath party and her daughter has been
wounded in an attack on their home in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad.
Iraqi police named the woman as, Jamila Abbas Khumeidi saying
that she was "targeted because she was a high official of the
Baath party".
Khumeidi, is the former head of the Association of Iraqi women,
which worked closely with the former government of Iraq.
Rocket
In a separate incident in Kirkuk, a rocket slammed into the offices
of a cultural centre. The attack on the Al- Shafaq Kurdish cultural
organization is linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (DDP),
according to members of the group.
The front of the building was damaged in the blast, but there were
no reports of any injuries.
Ahmad Taqana, a member of the DDP said: "I cannot accuse anyone
but I believe there will be more attacks in the coming days."
Strike
Meanwhile the governor of Najaf has called an open ended general
strike in the province, to protest against the lack of security
in the area.
The governor met members of the US led coalition to discuss concerns
about security following on from the killing of a judge.
A senior US official has admitted that continuing attacks in Iraq
threaten American led efforts to rebuild the country after the war.
Deputy Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz blamed the attacks on
Ba'ath party loyalists. He said the coalition's priority is to
involve more Iraqis in their countries defence.
Wolfowitz made his comments after the headquarters of the US led
coalition in Baghdad came under attack for the second time in as
many days, injuring three people.
AFP
Wednesday 05 November 2003 11:37 AM GMT
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8C9D11CF-72EE-41B1-
87A8-2F88C930B162.htm
* * *
Bushe's War
Mike Whitney
Al-Jazeerah, 11/5/03
The downing of the Chinook helicopter and the death of the 15
American servicemen signals an important turning point in the
ongoing Iraq conflict. This is George Bush's war now.
The dispute that the American people were duped into the
campaign with dubious intelligence and misleading information
will undoubtedly persist for years to come. Never the less,
the President now has the war he so urgently sought, and the
chaos and casualties that result, are his responsibility alone.
An ABC poll taken last week (before the Chinook incident) shows a
steady slipping of support for Bush on the Iraq war issue. 51% of
the people polled do not approve of the President's handling of
the war, down from 72% who did approve some 3 months earlier. This
is the first time that a majority of Americans has shown their
uneasiness with Bush's leadership. It's clear from the stepped up
media campaign that this downward trend has the White House shaken.
But, how much can be controlled in the battle of perceptions?
The Administration already dominates the Sunday morning talk
shows, offering up whatever "spin" they need to provide for the
weeks events. The televised and print media have been entirely
accommodating by abstaining from pictures of flag draped coffins
or casualties in the field. And, certainly, the Administration
can count on its legions of media loyalists in talk radio who
prattle the party line 24-7.
The simple fact is, that as the insurgency gains momentum it will be
increasingly difficult to obscure the rising violence. This does not
auger well for those in the Bush Administration who take pride in
controlling the narrative.
Congress has only compounded the problem by passing the $87 billion
supplemental budget for continued expenses in Iraq. The monies
allocated provide a clear endorsement for a failed policy and a
war that, as yet, has no solid justification. Apparently, that's
no obstacle for the feckless members of the House who would rather
violate their own principles than seem unpatriotic. It's doubtful
that any of our current cast of representatives has even pondered
the more serious, long range questions related to our occupation
of Iraq, such as, will we succeed? Judging by the intensity of the
hostilities so far, and the growing antipathy of the world community
to US aggression, failure is inevitable.
Despite the President's childlike platitudes about "democratizing
Iraq", recent polls by the EU reveal that more than two thirds of
Europeans believe that the US was wrong to invade Iraq, and more
than half believe the US is the greatest threat to world peace
(just behind Israel) This is a straightforward condemnation of US
foreign policy and should dispel any miscalculation about our allies
helping out. We have effectively alienated the world, and you can
bet that there are more than one or two world leaders who are glad
to see us "cut and bleeding" in Iraq.
Still, the President's popularity and the steady flow of propaganda
("We must never forget the lessons of Sept 11") will undoubtedly
keep the doomed mission lurching ahead for some time to come. The
notion that "America will never run" is rooted deep in the collective
American psyche and won't disappear overnight. But, the mission will
fail, that much is certain. Whether its two years, or ten years, the
age of colonialism is over, all that's left to see is whether we bury
the last empire along with it.
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%
20Editorials/November/5%20o/Bushe's%20War%20Mike%20Whitney.htm
* * *
Bush's Claim on the Economy Versus Fact
Edith Archer
Al-Jazeerah, 11/5/03
While our servicemen and women are dying, injured and maimed, on a
daily basis in Iraq -- Bush & Cheney are out campaigning and raising
money from donors who look forward to more tax money funnelled their
way, to greedily gorge upon ... while the rest of us will suffer
slashed services, under-funded social programs needed for a civilized
society, and, we'll also be forced to pick-up their mind-boggling,
heart-rendering & back-breaking burden of debt.
Our National Debt currently stands at over $6.8 Trillion dollars --
Bush has squandered over $1.9 Trillion during his term on office, on
immoral (& possibly illegal) boondoggles, tax loopholes & tax cuts,
for the wealthy oligarchy & "corporate-take-all" crooks, and for
his illegal & immoral wars (Afghanistan & Iraq) designed to further
enrich his corporate cronies ... Americans are faced with the highest
budget deficit of over $560 Billion in 2003 alone, in our nation's
history ... and this "borrow-and-spend" us into bankruptcy is bound
to continue-- since those with "short-term" vision are crowing over
the 7.2% increase in GDP in the 3rd quarter ... and pushing the debt
(to be paid for with interest) off into the future.
If you spend, spend, and spend, on credit -- life may seem "happy-
go-lucky" today, but tomorrow the "day-of-reckoning" arrives ...
and only through death might you escape the bill collector!
Bush is not creating the basis for a prosperous economy standing
firm on a stable, solid foundation -- Bush is spending borrowed
money -- and the wealthy, the rich, and the corporations aren't
going to pay the bills, my friends. The exorbitant bills are to
be paid for by "We the People" ... according to the Bush Doctrine:
"Only the Little People Pay Taxes & Bear Burdens" ... In Bush's
convoluted, simple mind: "We the People" = "Little People" ...
The Bushies don't give a damn about anyone unable to contribute at
least $100,000 to their campaign!
An example:
Bush was fund-raising again last week, and while in Columbus, Ohio,
actually had the unmitigated gall to smirk:
CLAIM: "The tax cut was good for job creation. The two tax cuts were
an integral part of creating the conditions for growth."
- President George W. Bush, in Columbus, OH 10/30/03
FACT: "Columbus has lost 16,000 jobs since President Bush took
office - almost 2% of the city's entire workforce."
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Metropolitan Report, 10/29/03
The cold, hard reality is that productivity improvements and growth
are not important to the health of the nation, unless they also
produce jobs and prosperity for all. If corporate pigs make an
additional $100 million/year in addition to the $300 million/year
(e.g. salaries of executives of Health Care Insurance & HMO
Corporate Scams), they swindle from employee pension funds,
corporate assets & stockholders-- then the so-called economic
improvements are indeed, a boon for the crooks, but not for the
majority of "We the People" ...
* Where are the jobs for 9 million Americans unemployed? (3 million
jobs were wiped out by Bush)
* Where is the insurance for over 45 million Americans without the
ability to obtain health care?
* Where is the substantive improvement for public education, vital
to prepare future generations of Americans to be responsible and
productive citizens?
* Where are the improvements to our nation's infrastructure (e.g.
roads, sewer systems, energy grid, national parks -- all the
things make our lives civilized & healthy)?
* Where are the funds to ensure that the next generation of
Americans will be able to retire with dignity?
* Where are the funds to ensure we return to fiscal responsibility,
with a balanced budget and eliminate deficit spending?
* Where are the funds to pay-down the staggering National Debt?
These are but a few questions that need to be answered before the
Bush's court-jesters & attack-dogs, can credibly howl in arrogance,
at the "success (sic)" of Bush's corrupt, so-called, economic
policies ... Frankly, the applause & celebration of those who
haven't answered these questions, demonstrates the panic-stricken
desperation of an American people turned spoiled, and sadly, living
in a fantasy of wishful thinking.
The wealthy oligarchy, corporations and the richest amongst us
are shirking their duty to this nation ... Of course, they are not
patriotic -- but instead are a "take-the-money-and-run" unsocially-
conscious generation of thugs who don't care about the welfare of
our country and all our citizens ... and Bush is their cheer-leader.
The type of society we create:-- our social programs-- the
development of our people -- our programs & plans to improve
our habitat -- These vital concerns cannot be ignored, simply in
order that a minority of selfish "takers" can rake in billions
for themselves ... this is worse than Saddam Hussein's Regime ...
perhaps not resulting in his photogenic-shocking physical
torture ... but instead, under Bush, a slow drip, drip torture
that is psychologically, socially & physically debilitating for
the vulnerable, low-income, middle-class and fixed-income retirees
"left out in the cold". A political class (or person) that is
callous to the needs of its' countrymen doesn't deserve, and
isn't fit to serve in office.
The jury is still "out" on Bush's "rush-to-judgment" bragging of
good news on the economy ... Methinks it is similar to his neo-con
cabal's "happy talk" propaganda regarding the wars in Afghanistan
& Iraq: Lies, deceptions & more falsehoods-- to fool some of the
people, as much of the time, as he can get away with!
The miserable Bush Regime hasn't even begun to solve the
challenging problems we face as a nation ... The Bushies
are failures who are tragically, part of the problem and
not the solution.
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%
20Editorials/November/5%20o/Bush's% 20Claim%20on%20the%20Economy%
20Versus%20Fact%20Edith%20Archer.htm
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