Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
5/28/2009
3/19/2009
Lawyers Urge Bush Be Arrested
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/17/lawyers_group_urges_bush_be_arrested
3/03/2009
War, What Is It Good For
New York Times
March 3, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
Wars, Endless Wars
By BOB HERBERT
The singer Edwin Starr, who died in 2003, had a big hit in 1970 called “War” in which he asked again and again: “War, what is it good for?”
The U.S. economy is in free fall, the banking system is in a state of complete collapse and Americans all across the country are downsizing their standards of living. The nation as we’ve known it is fading before our very eyes, but we’re still pouring billions of dollars into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with missions we are still unable to define.
Even as the U.S. begins plans to reduce troop commitments in Iraq, it is sending thousands of additional troops into Afghanistan. The strategic purpose of this escalation, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged, is not at all clear.
In response to a question on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mr. Gates said:
“We’re talking to the Europeans, to our allies; we’re bringing in an awful lot of people to get different points of view as we go through this review of what our strategy ought to be. And I often get asked, ‘Well, how long will those 17,000 [additional troops] be there? Will more go in?’ All that depends on the outcome of this strategy review that I hope will be done in a few weeks.”
We invaded Afghanistan more than seven years ago. We have not broken the back of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. We have not captured or killed Osama bin Laden. We don’t even have an escalation strategy, much less an exit strategy. An honest assessment of the situation, taking into account the woefully corrupt and ineffective Afghan government led by the hapless Hamid Karzai, would lead inexorably to such terms as fiasco and quagmire.
Instead of cutting our losses, we appear to be doubling down.
As for Iraq, President Obama announced last week that substantial troop withdrawals will take place over the next year and a half and that U.S. combat operations would cease by the end of August 2010. But, he said, a large contingent of American troops, perhaps as many as 50,000, would still remain in Iraq for a “period of transition.”
That’s a large number of troops, and the cost of keeping them there will be huge. Moreover, I was struck by the following comment from the president: “There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments, but our enemies should be left with no doubt. This plan gives our military the forces and flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners and to succeed.”
In short, we’re committed to these two conflicts for a good while yet, and there is nothing like an etched-in-stone plan for concluding them. I can easily imagine a scenario in which Afghanistan and Iraq both heat up and the U.S., caught in an extended economic disaster at home, undermines its fragile recovery efforts in the same way that societies have undermined themselves since the dawn of time — with endless warfare.
We’ve already paid a fearful price for these wars. In addition to the many thousands of service members who have been killed or suffered obvious disabling injuries, a study by the RAND Corporation found that some 300,000 are currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, and that 320,000 have most likely experienced a traumatic brain injury.
Time magazine has reported that “for the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Suicides among soldiers rose in 2008 for the fourth consecutive year, largely because of the stress of combat deployments. It’s believed that 128 soldiers took their own lives last year.
Much of the country can work itself up to a high pitch of outrage because a banker or an automobile executive flies on a private jet. But we’ll send young men and women by the thousands off to repeated excursions through the hell of combat — three tours, four tours or more — without raising so much as a peep of protest.
Lyndon Johnson, despite a booming economy, lost his Great Society to the Vietnam War. He knew what he was risking. He would later tell Doris Kearns Goodwin, “If I left the woman I really loved — the Great Society — in order to get involved with that bitch of a war on the other side of the world, then I would lose everything at home. All my programs... All my dreams...”
The United States is on its knees economically. As President Obama fights for his myriad domestic programs and his dream of an economic recovery, he might benefit from a look over his shoulder at the link between Vietnam and the still-smoldering ruins of Johnson’s presidency.
March 3, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
Wars, Endless Wars
By BOB HERBERT
The singer Edwin Starr, who died in 2003, had a big hit in 1970 called “War” in which he asked again and again: “War, what is it good for?”
The U.S. economy is in free fall, the banking system is in a state of complete collapse and Americans all across the country are downsizing their standards of living. The nation as we’ve known it is fading before our very eyes, but we’re still pouring billions of dollars into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with missions we are still unable to define.
Even as the U.S. begins plans to reduce troop commitments in Iraq, it is sending thousands of additional troops into Afghanistan. The strategic purpose of this escalation, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged, is not at all clear.
In response to a question on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mr. Gates said:
“We’re talking to the Europeans, to our allies; we’re bringing in an awful lot of people to get different points of view as we go through this review of what our strategy ought to be. And I often get asked, ‘Well, how long will those 17,000 [additional troops] be there? Will more go in?’ All that depends on the outcome of this strategy review that I hope will be done in a few weeks.”
We invaded Afghanistan more than seven years ago. We have not broken the back of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. We have not captured or killed Osama bin Laden. We don’t even have an escalation strategy, much less an exit strategy. An honest assessment of the situation, taking into account the woefully corrupt and ineffective Afghan government led by the hapless Hamid Karzai, would lead inexorably to such terms as fiasco and quagmire.
Instead of cutting our losses, we appear to be doubling down.
As for Iraq, President Obama announced last week that substantial troop withdrawals will take place over the next year and a half and that U.S. combat operations would cease by the end of August 2010. But, he said, a large contingent of American troops, perhaps as many as 50,000, would still remain in Iraq for a “period of transition.”
That’s a large number of troops, and the cost of keeping them there will be huge. Moreover, I was struck by the following comment from the president: “There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments, but our enemies should be left with no doubt. This plan gives our military the forces and flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners and to succeed.”
In short, we’re committed to these two conflicts for a good while yet, and there is nothing like an etched-in-stone plan for concluding them. I can easily imagine a scenario in which Afghanistan and Iraq both heat up and the U.S., caught in an extended economic disaster at home, undermines its fragile recovery efforts in the same way that societies have undermined themselves since the dawn of time — with endless warfare.
We’ve already paid a fearful price for these wars. In addition to the many thousands of service members who have been killed or suffered obvious disabling injuries, a study by the RAND Corporation found that some 300,000 are currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, and that 320,000 have most likely experienced a traumatic brain injury.
Time magazine has reported that “for the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Suicides among soldiers rose in 2008 for the fourth consecutive year, largely because of the stress of combat deployments. It’s believed that 128 soldiers took their own lives last year.
Much of the country can work itself up to a high pitch of outrage because a banker or an automobile executive flies on a private jet. But we’ll send young men and women by the thousands off to repeated excursions through the hell of combat — three tours, four tours or more — without raising so much as a peep of protest.
Lyndon Johnson, despite a booming economy, lost his Great Society to the Vietnam War. He knew what he was risking. He would later tell Doris Kearns Goodwin, “If I left the woman I really loved — the Great Society — in order to get involved with that bitch of a war on the other side of the world, then I would lose everything at home. All my programs... All my dreams...”
The United States is on its knees economically. As President Obama fights for his myriad domestic programs and his dream of an economic recovery, he might benefit from a look over his shoulder at the link between Vietnam and the still-smoldering ruins of Johnson’s presidency.
2/04/2009
1/28/2009
To Release Iraq Minutes
Iraq minutes 'must be released'
The government is ordered to release the minutes of 2003 Cabinet meetings where the invasion of Iraq was discussed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7854105.stm
The government is ordered to release the minutes of 2003 Cabinet meetings where the invasion of Iraq was discussed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7854105.stm
9/08/2008
Embedded in Iraq III, Pinehurst, 9/18
The Ruth Pauley Lecture Series begins its 22nd season with “Embedded in Iraq III” featuring print and photo journalists from the Fayetteville Observer in a roundtable discussion moderated by the Pilot’s David Woronoff.
The discussion will be on September 18th at 7:30 p.m. in Owens Auditorium on the Sandhills Community College campus in Pinehurst. Admission is free and open to the public, no tickets required. For additional information, call 910-245-3132.
The discussion will be on September 18th at 7:30 p.m. in Owens Auditorium on the Sandhills Community College campus in Pinehurst. Admission is free and open to the public, no tickets required. For additional information, call 910-245-3132.
9/06/2008
8/13/2008
7/17/2008
7/11/2008
Willing to Hold Impeachment Hearings
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/10/pelosi-house-judiciary-co_n_111976.html
Impeachment Storm, Wexler
Capitol Hill is buzzing today with major developments regarding our campaign for impeachment hearings for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Just today, in what could be described as a perfect impeachment storm:
• Karl Rove once again thumbed his nose at Congress and the American people by brazenly ignoring a lawful congressional subpoena to testify before the House of Representatives;
• Judiciary Chairman John Conyers indicated his willingness to use the power of inherent contempt against Rove if necessary;
• Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced another article of impeachment on Bush's lies regarding the Iraq war; and
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi was quoted today saying that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Kucinich raises in the House Judiciary Committee.
After years of work by so many of you, the time appears ripe to finally hold Bush and Cheney accountable.
Conyers Opens Door to Inherent Contempt for Rove
Karl Rove has simply refused to appear, as he is legally required to do. His actions, endorsed by the Bush/Cheney Administration, are a challenge to our system of checks and balances and Congress must respond to this type of outrageous behavior with appropriate severity.
Today, Judiciary Chairman John Conyers courageously stated today that inherent contempt will remain an option for the House of Representatives so long as Rove and this Administration refuses to abide by the law.
We must now bring Mr. Rove (and other renegade Bush officials) in compliance with the law.
This is a defining moment for Congress: Will we continue to allow legislative power to be eroded by an out of control executive branch that ignores the rule of law - or will we finally put an end to this congressional capitulation and properly force Administration officials to testify in full view of the American people?
It is time for Congress to hold Karl Rove in inherent contempt. I congratulate Chairman Conyers' positive move in this direction, and we must work to move other Members of Congress in support of the use of inherent contempt. Inherent contempt properly enables the House Sergeant of Arms to physically take custody of Mr. Rove and bring him to the House of Representatives to testify.
How do you think a state or federal judge would react to a witness refusing to comply with a legal subpoena? The wayward witness would be arrested.
Should the Congress of the United States be shown any less respect than any courtroom in the nation?
Should the Congress react any differently than how any American judge would react? Absolutely not.
We are long past the time for threats and negotiation. We must bring Mr. Rove in front of the full Judiciary Committee, under oath. No administration official - not even the President - is above the law. They cannot be allowed to redefine it at will. We must all appear when called or suffer the consequences.
Speaker Pelosi's Shift on Hearings and Rep. Kucinich's New Article of Impeachment
After stating unequivocally that impeachment "is off the table," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated to CBS News today that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Rep. Kucinich's has raised in his impeachment resolution.
Pelosi's words provide genuine hope for our cause of accountability for this Administration. We must use Speaker Pelosi's openness to new hearings in the Judiciary Committee to pursue aggressively the serious allegations against Bush and Cheney relating to lies about the Iraq War, the illegal use of torture, the improper disclosure of the identity of a covert agent, the political firing of US attorneys, and on and on.
I again congratulate Congressman Kucinich on his continued leadership and work on behalf of this vital cause.
This issue now reaches far beyond the substance of the Judiciary Committee's original inquiry regarding the firing of US Attorneys for political purposes. The crisis at hand relates to our most fundamental laws and of our Constitution. It is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate – yet the national media ignores the facts and ramifications of this renegade Executive.
Congress has a duty to protect the balance of powers. Mr. Rove, Mr. Bolten, and Ms. Miers have taken actions that severely undermine these powers, and we should not rely on a federal court alone.
The political tide begins to be turning and that is why I feel so strongly that we should aggressively push for inherent contempt for Karl Rove and impeachment hearings for President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Thanks you for your work and your commitment to our constitution.
- Congressman Robert Wexler
Paid for by "Wexler for Congress"
PO Box 810669
Boca Raton, FL 33481
• Karl Rove once again thumbed his nose at Congress and the American people by brazenly ignoring a lawful congressional subpoena to testify before the House of Representatives;
• Judiciary Chairman John Conyers indicated his willingness to use the power of inherent contempt against Rove if necessary;
• Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced another article of impeachment on Bush's lies regarding the Iraq war; and
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi was quoted today saying that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Kucinich raises in the House Judiciary Committee.
After years of work by so many of you, the time appears ripe to finally hold Bush and Cheney accountable.
Conyers Opens Door to Inherent Contempt for Rove
Karl Rove has simply refused to appear, as he is legally required to do. His actions, endorsed by the Bush/Cheney Administration, are a challenge to our system of checks and balances and Congress must respond to this type of outrageous behavior with appropriate severity.
Today, Judiciary Chairman John Conyers courageously stated today that inherent contempt will remain an option for the House of Representatives so long as Rove and this Administration refuses to abide by the law.
We must now bring Mr. Rove (and other renegade Bush officials) in compliance with the law.
This is a defining moment for Congress: Will we continue to allow legislative power to be eroded by an out of control executive branch that ignores the rule of law - or will we finally put an end to this congressional capitulation and properly force Administration officials to testify in full view of the American people?
It is time for Congress to hold Karl Rove in inherent contempt. I congratulate Chairman Conyers' positive move in this direction, and we must work to move other Members of Congress in support of the use of inherent contempt. Inherent contempt properly enables the House Sergeant of Arms to physically take custody of Mr. Rove and bring him to the House of Representatives to testify.
How do you think a state or federal judge would react to a witness refusing to comply with a legal subpoena? The wayward witness would be arrested.
Should the Congress of the United States be shown any less respect than any courtroom in the nation?
Should the Congress react any differently than how any American judge would react? Absolutely not.
We are long past the time for threats and negotiation. We must bring Mr. Rove in front of the full Judiciary Committee, under oath. No administration official - not even the President - is above the law. They cannot be allowed to redefine it at will. We must all appear when called or suffer the consequences.
Speaker Pelosi's Shift on Hearings and Rep. Kucinich's New Article of Impeachment
After stating unequivocally that impeachment "is off the table," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated to CBS News today that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Rep. Kucinich's has raised in his impeachment resolution.
Pelosi's words provide genuine hope for our cause of accountability for this Administration. We must use Speaker Pelosi's openness to new hearings in the Judiciary Committee to pursue aggressively the serious allegations against Bush and Cheney relating to lies about the Iraq War, the illegal use of torture, the improper disclosure of the identity of a covert agent, the political firing of US attorneys, and on and on.
I again congratulate Congressman Kucinich on his continued leadership and work on behalf of this vital cause.
This issue now reaches far beyond the substance of the Judiciary Committee's original inquiry regarding the firing of US Attorneys for political purposes. The crisis at hand relates to our most fundamental laws and of our Constitution. It is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate – yet the national media ignores the facts and ramifications of this renegade Executive.
Congress has a duty to protect the balance of powers. Mr. Rove, Mr. Bolten, and Ms. Miers have taken actions that severely undermine these powers, and we should not rely on a federal court alone.
The political tide begins to be turning and that is why I feel so strongly that we should aggressively push for inherent contempt for Karl Rove and impeachment hearings for President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Thanks you for your work and your commitment to our constitution.
- Congressman Robert Wexler
Paid for by "Wexler for Congress"
PO Box 810669
Boca Raton, FL 33481
6/29/2008
Huh--So It Wasn't About Building Democracy?
http://www.truthout.org/article/it-was-oil-all-along?print
6/26/2008
6/20/2008
Mortgage Fraud, Cuba, More War $ from Dems
FBI holds 406 for mortgage fraud *The FBI says it has arrested 406property market players as part of a crackdown on mortgage fraud.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7464298.stm
EU to lift sanctions against Cuba *The European Union is to lift sanctions on Cuba it imposed in 2003 in protest at the jailing of dissidents.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7463803.stm
US House approves war funds bill *The Democrat-held US House of Representatives approves $162bn to pay for another year of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7464911.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/business/7464298.stm
EU to lift sanctions against Cuba *The European Union is to lift sanctions on Cuba it imposed in 2003 in protest at the jailing of dissidents.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7463803.stm
US House approves war funds bill *The Democrat-held US House of Representatives approves $162bn to pay for another year of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7464911.stm
6/18/2008
M. Dowd at Her Best
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/opinion/18dowd.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
5/29/2008
5/28/2008
5/20/2008
Protest Rally, Thursday, Fayetteville
Fayetteville Peace with Justice will be taking part in a press conference and rally together with the Democratic Party at the Market House in downtown Fayetteville this Thursday from 5 to 6 pm.
The protest will focus on President Bush's opposition to a strong G.I. Bill. The backdrop will be the Peace with Justice wall of names of soldiers killed in Iraq, together with our banners and signs calling for an end to the war and the return of all U.S. troops now.
More information will follow on the G.I. Bill, along with further details related to the press conference.
Please make plans to attend this important rally on the occasion of President Bush's visit to Ft. Bragg.
The protest will focus on President Bush's opposition to a strong G.I. Bill. The backdrop will be the Peace with Justice wall of names of soldiers killed in Iraq, together with our banners and signs calling for an end to the war and the return of all U.S. troops now.
More information will follow on the G.I. Bill, along with further details related to the press conference.
Please make plans to attend this important rally on the occasion of President Bush's visit to Ft. Bragg.
5/19/2008
Voting FOR More Iraq Funding--Coble
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/v-print/story/1076795.html
[please write or e-mail Howard Coble to voice our disappointment in his vote.]
[please write or e-mail Howard Coble to voice our disappointment in his vote.]
5/01/2008
Escalation of Air War, Iraq
Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa@accuracy.org
PM Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Escalation of U.S. Air War
In a front-page piece headlined "U.S. Role Deepens in Sadr City," the Washington Post reports today: "In the Sadr City clash, the U.S. soldiers responded by firing rockets armed with high-explosive, 200-pound warheads, killing 28 fighters, [Lt. Col. Steve] Stover said. In a separate incident in Sadr City, a fixed-wing aircraft dropped a bomb at 5:15 p.m. that killed two fighters firing mortars at a joint U.S.-Iraqi outpost, the U.S. military said.
"But Sadr City residents gave a very different accounting of the fighting. They said at least 50 people were killed and 130 injured, many of them women and children."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042900560.html?hpid=topnews BEAU GROSSCUP, bgrosscup@csuchico.edu,http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/book.asp?bookdetail=3721
Author of the book "Strategic Terror: The Politics and Ethics of Aerial Bombardment," Grosscup is professor of international relations at California State University in Chico.
CONN HALLINAN, connm@cats.ucsc.edu,
http://www.fpif.orgA columnist for Foreign Policy In Focus, Hallinan wrote the article "Death at a Distance: The U.S. Air War".
He said today: "We need to really look at U.S. actions right now in Sadr City -- like the increase in the use of air power in a packed, urban environment -- and the enormous increase in the use of armed robot drones in Iraq, like the 'Reaper.'
"The press has given the military a pass on the air war in both Iraq and Afghanistan; the air war ends up alienating the civilian population and serves as a recruiting sergeant for the insurgents. ..."
The U.S. military is falling apart on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. According to a recent study by the Rand Corporation, 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are afflicted with post traumatic stress disorder or major depression. Another 320,000 may have suffered traumatic brain injury. This means than more than one-third of the troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are casualties.
I might add, that both PTSD and TBI are difficult and complex to treat, and many of these soldiers will never recover. We cannot sustain this casualty rate, particularly given the declining recruiting numbers."
So the U.S. government is resorting to an air war, which they hope will make it a bloodless war for us. A stepped-up air war will mean an increase in civilian casualties, and greater anger at the United States. The U.S. military tried this tactic during the Vietnam War, but the touted 'increased firepower' ended up alienating the South Vietnamese peasants. 'Fire power freaks' always say they can win if we just let them bomb everyone back to the stone age. But it doesn't work and it also leads to serious violations of Geneva Conventions."
The current fighting in Sadr City is a case in point. According to U.S. figures, more than 500 people have been killed and 2,100 wounded since fighting broke out there in March. The Iraqis say these figures are much higher and that most of them are civilians. This is a case of the 'fire power freaks' running the show. Bombing from the air, artillery strikes, and indiscriminate small arms fire in a crowded urban environment mean you are going to kill a lot of civilians.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Stover said that U.S. troops were only responding to attacks when they called in air strikes and opened fire in Sadr City. He blamed the Madhi Army for hiding behind civilians."But his defense of what the U.S. is doing in Sadr City is an explicit violation of Article 48 of the 1977 addition to the Geneva Conventions. That article requires the parties to the conflict to 'at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants,' and Article 50 makes it clear that 'The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character.'
What this means is that you can't go into Sadr City and shoot up the place because you don't like the Madhi Army. It can land you on the docket of the International Court at the Hague."The moral of that is: don't occupy other countries because it is almost impossible to avoid violating international law.
Of course, since we violated international law and the UN Charter to invade Iraq in the first place, I don't suppose that cuts a lot of ice with the Bush administration. But we Americans should be paying attention. This is happening in our name."
Background: AP's report "300,000 vets have mental problem, 320,000 had brain injuries"
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jR80fyXWKdH2cTZVmwWBL45MVpbQD903M76O0
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa@accuracy.org
PM Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Escalation of U.S. Air War
In a front-page piece headlined "U.S. Role Deepens in Sadr City," the Washington Post reports today: "In the Sadr City clash, the U.S. soldiers responded by firing rockets armed with high-explosive, 200-pound warheads, killing 28 fighters, [Lt. Col. Steve] Stover said. In a separate incident in Sadr City, a fixed-wing aircraft dropped a bomb at 5:15 p.m. that killed two fighters firing mortars at a joint U.S.-Iraqi outpost, the U.S. military said.
"But Sadr City residents gave a very different accounting of the fighting. They said at least 50 people were killed and 130 injured, many of them women and children."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042900560.html?hpid=topnews BEAU GROSSCUP, bgrosscup@csuchico.edu,http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/book.asp?bookdetail=3721
Author of the book "Strategic Terror: The Politics and Ethics of Aerial Bombardment," Grosscup is professor of international relations at California State University in Chico.
CONN HALLINAN, connm@cats.ucsc.edu,
http://www.fpif.orgA columnist for Foreign Policy In Focus, Hallinan wrote the article "Death at a Distance: The U.S. Air War"
He said today: "We need to really look at U.S. actions right now in Sadr City -- like the increase in the use of air power in a packed, urban environment -- and the enormous increase in the use of armed robot drones in Iraq, like the 'Reaper.'
"The press has given the military a pass on the air war in both Iraq and Afghanistan; the air war ends up alienating the civilian population and serves as a recruiting sergeant for the insurgents. ..."
The U.S. military is falling apart on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. According to a recent study by the Rand Corporation, 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are afflicted with post traumatic stress disorder or major depression. Another 320,000 may have suffered traumatic brain injury. This means than more than one-third of the troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are casualties.
I might add, that both PTSD and TBI are difficult and complex to treat, and many of these soldiers will never recover. We cannot sustain this casualty rate, particularly given the declining recruiting numbers."
So the U.S. government is resorting to an air war, which they hope will make it a bloodless war for us. A stepped-up air war will mean an increase in civilian casualties, and greater anger at the United States. The U.S. military tried this tactic during the Vietnam War, but the touted 'increased firepower' ended up alienating the South Vietnamese peasants. 'Fire power freaks' always say they can win if we just let them bomb everyone back to the stone age. But it doesn't work and it also leads to serious violations of Geneva Conventions."
The current fighting in Sadr City is a case in point. According to U.S. figures, more than 500 people have been killed and 2,100 wounded since fighting broke out there in March. The Iraqis say these figures are much higher and that most of them are civilians. This is a case of the 'fire power freaks' running the show. Bombing from the air, artillery strikes, and indiscriminate small arms fire in a crowded urban environment mean you are going to kill a lot of civilians.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Stover said that U.S. troops were only responding to attacks when they called in air strikes and opened fire in Sadr City. He blamed the Madhi Army for hiding behind civilians."But his defense of what the U.S. is doing in Sadr City is an explicit violation of Article 48 of the 1977 addition to the Geneva Conventions. That article requires the parties to the conflict to 'at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants,' and Article 50 makes it clear that 'The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character.'
What this means is that you can't go into Sadr City and shoot up the place because you don't like the Madhi Army. It can land you on the docket of the International Court at the Hague."The moral of that is: don't occupy other countries because it is almost impossible to avoid violating international law.
Of course, since we violated international law and the UN Charter to invade Iraq in the first place, I don't suppose that cuts a lot of ice with the Bush administration. But we Americans should be paying attention. This is happening in our name."
Background: AP's report "300,000 vets have mental problem, 320,000 had brain injuries"
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jR80fyXWKdH2cTZVmwWBL45MVpbQD903M76O0
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