I usually stay away from controversial subjects because everyone has their entitiled to opinion and nothing I write will change anyone's mind, however, since we are coming on the war's fifth anniversary don't see how I can avoid the subject.
Two pictures of poignant signs at a war protest in downtown Portland just made me feel the need to write. A small child riding in a Radio Wagon decorated with a sign that said "War leaves every child behind." The other was a picture of a four year old holding a sign "This War is older then me."
The sad thing is, is that we may not even be at the half point of the war as some Pentagon officials are estimating that the war will last more than ten years. Already the war has lasted longer than the U.S. fight in World War II or Korea. Recently Lt. Gen James Dublik, who heads the Multi-National Security Transition Command, told the House Armed Services Committee that Iraqi Officials estimate they can't assume responsibility for internal security until as late as 2012 and won't be able to defend their borders until 2018.
The timeline:
March 20, 2003 - The U.S. invasion is launched.
May 1, 2003 - On a aircraft carrier under a "mission accomplished" banner, President Bush declares "major combat operations in Iraq have ended."
December 13, 2003 - Saddam captured in a underground hideout near Tikrit.
March 31, 2004 - Four private security employees are ambushed and killed in Fallujah. Their bodies are hung from a bridge. US forces later attack the city in some of the first major urban battles against the Sunni insurgants.
April of 1004 - Photographs surface of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib Prison.
October 6, 2004 - A top U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq finds no evidence that Saddams' regime produced weapons of mass destruction affter 1991, discounting a main justification of the war.
January 30, 2005 - Iraqis elect a 275 seat National Assembly in the country's first national election since Saddam's fall. Shiite's win 48% of the seats, Kurdish 26%, and man Sunnis boycott the election.
November 5, 2006 - Saddam sentenced to death by an Iraqi court.
December 30. 2006 - Saddam is hanged.
January 16, 2007 - United Nations report that 34,452 Iraqi civilians were slain 2006, more three times the number reported by the government.
October 23, 2007 - UN Refugee agency says nearly 2.3 million people are displaced inside of Iraq and more than 2.2 million have fled Iraq.
COST IN LIVES.
As of last Saturday at least 3,988 members of the U.S. have died since the beginning of the war and more than 60,000 soldiers have been wounded.
According to the World Health Organization and the Iraqi government more than 151,000 Iraqis died from 2003 through 2006. Triple that number have been wounded.
COST IN DOLLARS:
WWII - 5 trillion
Iraq - 3 trillion
Vietnam War - 635 billion
Korean War - 445 billion.
God bless our solidiers may they return safely home.
About Me
- William J.
- First, I think the birth sign is wrong. 6-21, some papers say Gemini, some Cancer. Guess that means I have so many personalities that I can do group therapy alone. For those that don't know how to read Google profiles I have put what I really mean in ( ). Hot (Good looking enough to be in movies(if I buy at ticket). A body like a God (Buddha). Romantic (Thinks begging is foreplay.) Physically fit (Heart trouble. Put 911 on speed dial before we get initmate.) Good Provider (has good life insurance in case you forget to put 911 on speed dial.) Loyal (has reference letters from Mom and parole officer.) Intelligent (scored 1600 on his SATS but you have to total the scores of the four times that I took the test.) Looking for someone compatible (Be between 30 & 99 and not inflatable.)
5 comments:
Thanks for your comments, Bill. This whole fiasco is outrageous, and, IMHO, the whole blame lies at the feet of this administration.
And our grandson is headed over there in early May.
Nothing you said was at all controversial to me, Bill. As you no doubt know. This has been a huge blunder from the get-go, and the cost in lives horrifying. That comes first in the list of horrors, but then comes concern for the Iraqi people, followed by our standing in the world, which has to be at an all-time low, and wondering what good all that money could have done if used in other ways. This administration has a lot to answer for, and I wonder if they ever will.
To Mary Z: So sorry to hear your grandson is headed there. Good wishes for his safety, as I wish it for all our troops and for innocent Iraqis, too.
Hi Mary
First, Happy Birthday, the 16th, right?
Second, I blame the administration for a most of it but I have a few others to blame too. Among those are:
The fourth estate. The press ceased being journalists and became cheerleaders for the war. The failed to force the administration to make an accounting of the reasons for going to war nor did they do any investigating those reasons until after the war started.
The general public which also became cheerleaders and failed to hold their leaders accountable for the decesions they made. A good share of the public stifled debate about the war by branding anyone that questioned the war as unpatriotic or traitors.
Talk radio. The Limbaughs, Hannitys, Coulters, O'Reily's. Kristols etc that created a bunch of listeners that blindly believe anything they say without doing an ounce of investigating their statements.
Fox News Channel which became the administration pravada channel instead of a news channel. Then create a false belief among their viewers that they are "fair and balanced."
Each of the above have blood on their hands.
Bill
Hi Pat
I am saving the controversial stuff for the message responses, see note to Mary.
I think the war will go down as the worst blunder in history.
The cost in life is horrifying just in its numbers but when you think of many families ended up without a wife, husband, son, daughter, sister, brother, father, mother, and so forth in is emotionally draining.
The war has also not only destroyed are standing in the country but also our economy. The oil prices went up because of the war and the value of the dollar went down because of the spike in the oil prices. There is no end to what we could have done with the money we spent on the war.
If the administration does answer for there errors my guess is it will be at a time when we are no longer on this earth.
And Mary Z I join Pat in wishing for your grandson's safety and safe return home.
Bill
Thanks for the good wishes for our grandson - we'll take all we can get.
And thanks for the birthday wishes, too - yes, it is the 16th.
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