Dan Lyons

MISCOUNTING ATTACKS: Not only are Iraqi Govt. forces not so reliable
in fighting; their reported numbers of attacks, casualties, etc.
are not so reliable either.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraqstats30nov30,1,205026.story?coll=la-headlines-world

Neither of course are US figures—they just undercounted US brain injuries by 20,000.

So we shouldn’t feel sure that things have improved all that much in Iraq/Baghdad.

EASE OF SABOTAGE: a desructive pipeline fire was caused by a ‘pinhole’ leak.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7116960,00.html

That shows how easy it wd. Be for insurgents to sabotage pipelines in Iraq—how foolish it is to count on restored Iraqi oil flow.

"Former "Sunni Insurgents are being paid $300 a month to stand on corners with rifles, vs. Quaeda. Turns out only 60k not 70k.

Shia govt. approved as long as they were only in Anbar(Sunni) province. But they’re understandably concerned when 'former' insurgents are being armed and paid in Shia territory.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_volunteer_forces.html
After all, who’s to say which are FORMER insurgents
and which are infiltrators for the insurgents ?

AUSSIES OUT: New Aussie PM says he’ll pull troops out of Iraq by mid-’08
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,2219713,00.html

MOST OF BAGHDAD TOO DANGEROUS FOR THEM TO VISIT ’
say NINE IN TEN US JOURNALISTS THERE.
Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27496676.htm
see also NYT29Nov.

‘ORDINARIES’ WIN vs. banks Consider the ordinary person who took out
a ‘subprime’ loan; the extreme case was that he paid only the interest,
accruing no equity.

Still, when the market collapsed, he ended up having paid VERY LOW RENT for a house, not an apartment.
If he was smart enough to save (hoping to pay the higher pmt. later)
then he has ability now to pay apt. rent.

The banks gambled on ever-increasing property values; they lost.

SuperSubForIran? They claim to have a sub that outwits Sonar, able to fire missiles and torpedos against our vulnerable Navy nearby (navy which we hope would protect super-vital Strait of Hormuz vs. retaliation for US bombing of Iran.)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iran_submarine.html

Never mind the truth-value of such claims. What should be remembered is that suicide-volunteers need only to launch attack, not to escape.

(A Chinese sub surfaced right next to our AircraftCarrier during our war-exercise near Taiwan.)

ENOUGHforDirtyBomb:
Thieves had about a pound of material radioactive enough to be used as ‘DirtyBomb’ (non-nuke able to render large,vital areas uninhabitable for a long time.)
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/29/nuclear.arrests.ap/

No doubt IRAN already has plenty of radioactive materials
suitable also for dirty bombs, available for use vs. US
in RETALIATION for our bombing them.

(Tiny amt. needed wd.be easy to smuggle in.)

MOSTstillWantGIsOutASAP,
Tho large MINORITY think
Iraq situation is getting better.

USATODAY28Nov,p.7A

But GOP/Bushies say no.
Thousands of GIs, NOW HEALTHY,
will be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

CAN'T KILL OUR WAY OUT !
A prowar journalist ‘embedded’ with US troops, says Iraqis he meets want us to stay. (Polls show otherwise).

He quotes US colonel: “We can’t kill our way out of this.”
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2217826,00.html

But that’s mainly what we’re trying to do.
We’re still bombing neighborhoods !

USairstrikesKill DOZENinnocents—
at least, in Afgh.
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2218303,00.html

Bushies never learn that airstrikes are inherently inaccurate, counterproductive (recruiting enraged new insurgents)
Later LATIMES report: twenty-two innocents killed.

HILARIOUS HAWK: a commentator disagreed: he said strike was very accurate; it just killed the wrong people! What a relief to hear that.

7 GIs Wounded by female suicider.
Wounded may be worse off than dead.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq.html

Teacher arrested for ‘teddy’ insult
(named ‘Mohammed’).
IRISH TIMES
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/1127/breaking38.htm
This illustrates fact that world Muslims will NEVER FORGET
Pope’s insult directly against the Prophet.

Bush formally commits GIs long-term, after ’08.
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2217581,00.html
This means that THOUSANDS more GIs, who NOW ARE HEALTHY
will be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked—all for nothing.

‘LessFocusOnPetraeus’, say military honchos privately. Before he reported, Americans suspected he would sugarcoat data.
He did, but dumb Americans bought into him partially.

Confidence in military generally has gone somewhat down. This worries mil.honchos.

Next ‘assessment’ is not till next March!
Then pol. Campaign will be hot and heavy.
If mil. Seems again to be sugarcoating Bushies,
They’ll pay in US confidence.
LATIMES
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trust26nov26,0,5883694.story?coll=la-home-center

All hinges on number of US casualties.
Lower RATE may mean LONGER war, higher TOTAL casualties...
just like the frog who accepted being boiled SLOWLY.

Iraqi Pols may agree to PERMANENT US presence of,say, 50,000 GIs, stationed outside cities--giving US INVESTMENTS preference.
Why not? Pols would benefit (Sadrites object.)
SEATTLE PI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_us.html

This would be like the Brit presence (as ‘equals’) after their failed occupation in the 1920’s. Brits wangled a 75-yr oil-preference from their puppet king.

But in ‘50s, the military Baathists murdered the royal family and took over.--Brits out.

Would US covert domination last 30 years?
Would US casualties fall (as Brits’ did)?

We don't have a puppet king, descended from Mohammed,up our sleeve !

DISAPPEARING LIBERTARIANS:
We heard them ranting about ‘overbig govt’, and so on. Now we face real dangers of this type; War is the worst enemy of domestic liberty,
and we are now in a long-term cold war with terrorists.
(Pentagon employs about a million CIVILIAN employees.)

RonPaul has demanded war-end, but most libertarians have gone silent.

The only liberty they really cared about was freedom from TAXES ON WELL-T0-DO TO HELP THE POOR. They don’t just feel selfish; they feel positive animosity toward the poor.

They used to say that people sacrificing ‘liberty’ for ‘security’ deserved neither.They obviously deserve neither.

‘DeclareVictory—OUT !” says Toronto Globe/Mail (25Nov)
Bushies are not fighting Sunnis now NOR SHIA
(Sadr has pulled out of fight for now)’
even Iran has pulled back in Iraq.
Quaeda is reeling, says this observer.

But nobody thinks Bushies will use this alleged good news
as excuse to pull out quickly.

They plan to stay in AT LEAST TILL 2012.

By then, tens of thousands of NOW HEALTHY GIs
may be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

Another staunch defender of Bush’s war just got TROUNCED in Aussie election.
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/24/ap/world/main3536799.shtml

USATODAY(23Nov)
says that the actual number of GIs brain-injured in Iraq/Afghan. is 20,000 higher than the Pentagon has been saying.

One Congressman guesses that 150,000 GIs may have been brain-injured.

(A brain-injury may be worse than death, and may lead to suicide.)
This illustrates how much faith we can put in Pentagon’s stories
measuring the real costs and benefits of this war.

ShiaBlamed by Bushie Generals,
based on ‘confessions’ and ‘forensic evidence’ for ATTACK ON SHIA NEIGHBORHOOD… they’re said to be trying to pin deaths on poor innocent Sunni.
SeattlePI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq.html

Attackers are said to be Sadrites disobeying Sadr’s call for temporary truce…with ‘Iranian backing’ tho perhaps not of Iran govt.

10rockets/mortars slammed into GREEN ZONE
Thursday, wounding some but killing none.
Oh,well-what a relief!

These attacks were also blamed on Shia insurgents.
-----------------
Former Commander blames Bushies for faith in military power alone.
He says it’s still going on.

Voice of America

CHINA backs out of ANTI-IRAN meeting.
That leaves only Brits, Bushies, & new right-wing France in ‘sanction’ alliance.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2884133.ece
That may be what crazy Bushies want, an excuse to bomb Iran, since ‘sanctions have failed.’
Excuse not needed: who would stop the bombing?

Excuse worthless: issue is horrific Iran RETALIATION vs. Iraq GIs.

AfghansFallingForTaliban says an independent expert thinktank. They control 54% of country, and it’s ‘when,not if’ they will grab Kabul.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2214813,00.html

Bush’s second losing war. Iran may be his 3d.

SAUDIS,ourMonsterAllies:
There is now an alliance between SaudiRoyals, Israel, and Bushies.

Saudis showed their true colors recently.
They sentenced a RAPE VICTIM to 90 LASHES for being in a car with unrelated male when they were attacked.

She appealed; they DOUBLED her sentence to TWO HUNDRED lashes,
because she squealed to the Press.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_saudi_rape.html

Never forget that most of the 9/11 bombers were Saudis; binLaden is a Saudi; Sunni insurgents are very likely getting aid (& suicide volunteers) from S.A.
(ISRAEL recently dropped FOUR MILLION CLUSTER BOMBLETS on Lebanon.
Typical Bushie friends.)

PSEUDO-FREE SPEECH, PSEUDO DEMOCRACY:
2 REQUIREMENTS FOR REAL DEMOCRACY:
--Equal Access to the public ear for all sides of a debate. The value of free speech is NOT in my right to ‘speak my mind’,
but in audience’s right to hear all sides in a debate.

--A functioning public ear. If the majority is deaf to rational argument, then there can be no effective free speech, no real democracy.
SO where rational dissenters are silenced by govt, OR IGNORED BY MASSES,
NO real democracy.

J.S.Mill said that the ONLY people suited for democracy are those whose opinions can be changed by rational argument.

In fact hardly any members of a modern mass democracy are so capable;
their opinions are fixed by biology and propaganda .

SO? Mass democracy cannot be real democracy. That doesn’t mean it’s worse than autocracy; just that there’s no real reason to think it’s better.

(A villainous, INTELLIGENT autocrat would not let global warming ruin the world for himself and family ! A dumb, manipulated democracy would.)

However, a benevolent IGNORANT autocrat would be WORSE than a democratic regime.

ISRAEL'SclusterBomblets:
4 MILLION clusterBombletsOnLebanon by savage Israel during war.

One million didn’t explode.
30 Lebanese have died from these bombs since then.

Luckily a recent hailstorm exploded many of these death-trap bombs.
GUARDIAN

“DemsBlockingAntiBombMoves” says Bushie about moves to postpone extra Iraq $ till next year.
DemHoncho replies that they can borrow against the more than
$1000 MILLIONSper DAY already shoveled to Pent.

Nearly 1000 bombs last month in North Iraq (near Kirkuk.)
SEATTLEPIhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/340379_usiraq20.html

ARAB VS. KURD? Iraq’s consititution calls for a referendum yet this year to decide if oil-soaked Kirkuk will join Kurdistan. No moves yet in that direction.

Kurds complain that Arabs have reason to stall (i.e., a referendum now would show Kurds in majority there; the annexation would take place.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-kirkurk18nov18,1,342941.story?coll=la-middleeast&ctrack=8&cset=true

Might this mean Sunni Arabs & Shia Arabs
are cooperating to freeze out the Kurds?

It won’t work. Kurds will grab Kirkuk—
unless they fear Turk invasion and US double-cross.
(Kurds have been our only allies in Iraq.)

ANOTHER MURDEROUS ‘TOY’ STUNT:
For at least the 3d time, a suicide bomber killed 3 GIs, 3 children (how many wounded?) while GIs were handing out toys.

Bushie spokesman said truly that this shows the insurgents don’t care about Iraqi lives.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21868884/

I’d add that the officers who set up/allow these stunts
don’t care much for GI lives either.

‘Casualties but no GI deaths’
(from recent rocket attacks)
say Bushie Generals.
They know Americans aren’t interested
in number of wounded, only the number killed
(nearly 4000 in Iraq, not counting those in Afgh, nor suicides.).

This is dumb of Americans; the dead are forgotten quickly, except by relatives and friends.
The blinded, crippled, and shell-shocked vets will be around to cost us and horrify us for decades.

HOW ARE OIL-SPIKES TIED
TO OUR PRESENT WARS?
Price rose nearly 1% in one day!
FORBES

In the 1st place, Pentagon is a main consumer of imported oil,
raising demand and spiking price.

Secondly, Pentagon deficit
(its budget is LARGER THAN OUR WHOLE FED. DEFICIT !)
weakens confidence in our dollar, lowering its purchasing power
re: oil and other imports.

And of course IF we bomb Iran or Venezuela,
the price of oil (& GASOLINE) will REALLY SPIKE!

TROOPS HOME WHEN?
Most Americans wanted GIs to start coming home
from Vietnam by 1969. Casualties continued.
The last troops actually came home in ’75.
[ PARADE MAG,18NOV ]

If Pentagon can manage similarly to defy popular will
in Iraq war, last troops will come home in Oct. 2012 !

That means there are perhaps
TENS OF THOUSANDS of GIs
NOW ALIVE AND WELL
who are doomed to be killed, maimed, or shell-shocked POINTLESSLY
in the next six years.

Pandemic of Vet Suicides
Twice as many suicides among young vets
as among non-vets.
CBS (13Nov)couldn't get info from feds,
so added info from States.

Osama criticizesIraqQuaeda
For ‘extremism’ (slaughtering other Muslims)
And for disunity.
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21443444

BagdadMoves TowardNormal
HoustonChron,18Nov

BLIND INTERVENTION"
“WestInterventionOK”
says Blairite Honcho, predictably.
Guardian
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2212894,00.html

I don’t know about other Western countries (tho I’ve heard that Brit foreign language competence has sunk)—But it’s absurd to say
Bushies should intervene,
when their intel svc. is blind as hell.

Collapsing$ harmsOPEC:
Most OPECs denominate their oil in US$..

It’s dropped 10% recently, cutting their real reserves.

Iran & Venezuela want OPEC, of course, to switch currency.
Chavez claims, plausibly, 'collapse of US Empire'.

But Saudis, kings of OPEC say no FOR NOW.

But they won’t likely ease oil prices by upping production.
BLOOMBERG
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aDYk2EV7L.Vk&refer=home

BRAINS VS. BRAWN:
In BasicTraining, one exercise was to crawl on elbows about 100 yards
under real fire from machine-guns. (..at height of M1rifle,we were told.)
We thought we heards bullets whistling overhead;
we saw fake explosions all around us.

I doubted the ‘real fire'’ part, but prudence dictated that
I tried hard to stay down on my elbows.

I was so weak and athsmatic that I finished up last, by far.
The sociopathic sergeant raved about collective punishment
if 'we 'didn’t go faster in the nighttime version.
I could calculate how my esteemed peers would treat me
if I were responsible for this collective punishment.

I did a quick think about logic and geometry.
Either the machine-guns were set exactly parallel
to the ground, or they were aimed upward or downward;
If aimed downward even in the slightest, they would eventually pick off every GI on his elbows..

So I got up on all 4s and went like a bat out of hell,
as if a bullet were on my tail.. It was nighttime;
people tried to grab at me to prevent my ‘suicidal’ progress,
but I made it to be the FIRST of my platoon
to finish the course
(reverting toward end to proper 'elbow' position) .
Survival indeed.

'War is a demented enterprise,
with personnel & policies corresponding.'

If I'd been really smart, I'd have collapsed in hysterics
and earned a general discharge on the spot.

BasraPeaceful? Only to the extent that Sadrites have actual power,
NOT the commander of central govt.’s army
(presumably from the other Shia faction, the Badrites).

Sadrites offer social services, quick justice,
and slaughter of ‘collaborators’ with the Brits
(e.g., translators) ;
Brits have pulled back to local airport,
ready to bug out of Iraq completely.
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2212585,00.html

GOOD NEWS IGNORED?
Victory an orphan? V.D. HANSON, an ancient hawk, wonders why US media have downplayed the startling turnaround in Iraq’s Anbar Province, as well as the 2 month drop in US casualties and general violence elsewhere in Iraq. He cites other wars where seeming defeat turned suddenly to victory (or in Korea, at least to a truce).
RMtnNews, 16Nov

He’s right to say these good bits of news should be widely noticed; but he’s wrong to hint that they are mainly caused by US forces. Many other factors have been noticed; especially Sunni disgust with Quaeda slaughter of Iraqis and with ‘strict Quaeda version of Islam.’Also, disappearance of mixed neighborhoods (sites of intersect slaughter) and Sadr's pulling out his forces temporarily.

Indeed, our Bushie generals have just warned against ‘excessive optimism’ arising from this good news.
And generals in Afghanistan are saying
we’ll need to send more troops into that SECOND war.
[USATODAY,16Nov]

When you read claims that US has killed dozens of Taliban
(or civilians mistaken for Taliban)--
Remember, what counts is the number of enemy LEFT.
Taliban (or potential recruits) number in the hundreds of thousands.
We have only 24,000 troops there.
USATODAY,16Nov.

Number of GIs dead in Afghan war increases every year; for ’07,110

Over 5 years, 731 have been evacuated (many for mental problems) to German Hospital.

That sounds like 1 in 240 GIs killed this year.
417 total died (perhaps from 'non-hostile' causes);
1 in 7 died over 5 years.
http://icasualties.org/oef/

A given GI has about as much chance to be killed, maimed, wounded or shell-shocked in Afghanistan as does a given GI in Iraq.

BushieGenerals:
”Govt.nowMainProblem’
They now see Govt.’s refusal to do favors for Sunnis
as the main obstacle to US efforts, more than Sunni/Shia insurgents
even more than Quaeda!

Also they warn Americans vs. ‘EXCESSIVE OPTIMISM’.
(pushed of course by desperate GOP!)
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21781092/#storyContinued

It may be that (Sunni) Quaeda strategy has worked;
to wreak so much slaughter of Shia
that Shia leaders don’t dare make concessions, e.g.,
to Saddamite Sunni (former?) insurgents.

‘MoltenMetal’bombs can penetrate TANK armor!

Shia militants have been using them vs. US vehicles.

Bushie generals claimed that they come from Iran.

But now there are far fewer of them being used,
And generals give Iran credit for ‘stemming the flow’.
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/15/iraq/main3504891.shtml

Iran may feel it has given enough warning
of the havoc it could wreak vs. Iraq GIS
IF we bombed Iran.

WarFunding:
Dem House passed a war-fund bill setting a ‘goal’ of
most troops out by end of ’08.
A Dem plan like this (nor a GOP plan with no deadlines) will likely not pass by REQUIRED SIXTY VOTES in Senate.

Dem leader says he will force the 4 Senate Pres.candidates (including HawkHillary) to stay in DC over the weekend (close to Iowa voting)
to vote on versions of this bill.

When this bill fails, Dem leaders will NOT allow
another vote this year—money can be borrowed from
the nearly HALF A MILLION MILLIONS already shoveled to Pentagon for ’08—for NONwar frills.

GOP Senators will be under more pressure
from antiwar voters (a considerable majority!),
the closer their prowar votes come to the election.
GUARDIAN

GOOD BASRA NEWS: Observers worried that
when the Brits bugged out of Basra, attacks would increase—
(They’ll be gone from Iraq by end of ’07!)

but it turned out
most of the previous attacks were against the Brits,
and the total of attacks dropped!
SEATTLEPI

TALIBANbombsUP
1739 last year; already this year, 1932
101GIs killed this year.

Taliban gets whomped
when they stage conventional attacks.

So they’re reverting to guerilla war ‘because it works’.

They’re dominating some Afghan regions, esp. where opium poppies grow.
[USATODAY,15Nov,p. 1]

BAGHDAD VIOLENCE-DROP?
WhyLessBaghdadViolence?
An Iraqi war-reporter disagrees with story that
the violence-drop is caused by success of Bushie SURGE.
INFOclearing-house
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18715.htm

He cites ethnic cleansing and flight of honest war-reporters.

“NewAlly’claimUS killed his men by mistake.
Airstrike involved.

EITHER this is 1more example of indiscriminate US attacks—

OR this guy ran a US-hostile gang
posing as allies.
SeattlePI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_clash.html

How could Bushies distinguish friends from foes,
not even understanding Arabic?

‘Declare fertilized eggs as persons’ a new Colorado measure will propose--designed to milk more $ from right-wingers.

'Conservative' backing might depend on telling citizen embryos from illegals.

Penile Lockup: a local paper referred to people entering the penile system of prisons;

I was reminded of a student pleading for university readmission after he was dropped for low grades. He complained of suffering from Attention Defacate Disorder.
The committee refused his petition; when his attention wandered….

Language Studies: Less than 9% of US collegians study ANY language
(down from 16.5% in ’65.

Spanish is the most popular language.
Arabic for the first time is in the ‘top ten’;
That is, about one in a hundred language students study Arabic—that’s about
1 in a thousand collegians.(24k in whole country.) The rate has doubled since ’02; before it was only 12k..

A friend is fluent in Arabic; he says far more than 1 year is needed.
These figures are likely first-year students, mainly.
(Of the thousand functionaries in our Baghdad embassy,
only TEN really understand Arabic).

Those studying Chinese are only 51,000—
including thousands of Chinese-Americans.

We can’t even persuade our collegians to study the language
of a nation we’ve invaded 5 yrs ago , and are trying to occupy
(the study of Afghan or Indonesian languages --or Iran’s farsi--
is not worth recording.)
[ USATODAY,14Nov,p.8D]

The plain fact is we have no reliable spy-information,
no reliable intelligence, on the middle East. Yet we’re entangled in wars
in Afgh. & Iraq, and Bushies are dying to get into another war with Iran.

Nutty.

LAUGHABLE WORRIES:
Pent says that if Congress doesn’t give them $50,000 more millions ‘for the war’, they’ll run out of money—
even though Congress just gave them $471,000 millions.
Story admits that most Pent. $ do NOT go for our 2 winless wars.

Congress Dems say if they can’t pass the money bill
with commitments to bring troops home,
they will simply wait till next year to pass the money bill.
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/13/national/main3497162.shtml

How could PLUNGING dollar hurt us?
At 1st sight, it helps us: increasing exports as cheaper, cutting our imports as more expensive. Even more expensive oil helps us in long run (encouraging conservation).

BUT our bonds are at risk. If other nations cash in our bonds (or even quit buying them) then our interest rates will have to spike up—
because we MUST sell our bonds, to finance our monstrous debts.
(We can't default; we must KEEP BORROWING. Like hillbillies, we borrow more to pay interest on past loans.)

That interest spike could plunge us into deep recession.

MILLIONS OF MILLIONS:
Our 2 winless wars (until ’08) will cost $1.6 millions of millions,
or $20,000 for each US family of four.
Extra costs include interest (all the money is borrowed!), lost investment,
long-term health for vets, and oil-market disruption.

If war continues till ’13, the total costs will be 3.5 trillion,
or $46,000 for each family--one year of median pay.
(Eventually this borrowed money must be repaid.)
GUARDIAN

And of course the COSTS FOR TOTAL PENTAGON BUDGET
will be much higher.

Some test ! Bushies say the drawdown of the extra SURGE troops will test whether the SURGE has worked. But they plan on withdrawing
only 1 of 20 EXTRA brigades this year,
with only 5 of 20 withdrawn by next July.
SeattlePI

What will count electorally is whether the 2-month drop in US casualties continues.

‘Bush Honors Veterans” says headline in DenverPaper.
But then it turned out he was honoring the ‘good, just,noble cause’ they died for.
That is, he honored his own needless, pointless, heartless, brainless, WINLESS war, in which their lives were wasted.

This follows an old tradition: pretend to honor the victims of the disease of war, while you’re actually honoring the disease.

ElectionsWithoutFreeExpression:
Nobody’s fooled By Musharreff announcing elections in early ’08 when he intends to keep a stranglehold on TV & the Press during the campaign.
We’re shocked by his nerve.

But Americans aren’t shocked when the wealthy MONOPOLIZE TV time here to push their candidates. What’s the difference between locking up free speech (as in Pakistan) and BUYING UP the access to effective free speech, as here?
In either case, elections are a farce.

Thousands of SunniVolunteers suspected by Shia govt.
How can Bushies (unable to understand Arabic!) \
‘vet’ them to eliminate insurgent infiltrators ?

It’s admitted that some of the volunteers are working with Quaeda, instead of fighting Quaeda.
MSNBC

CLEAR,BUT NOT HOLD?
A Brit afghan Honcho said Brits have taken back territory held by Taliban—but they’re counting on Afghan troops HOLDING the newly gained territory—and that is not assured.
GUARDIAN

Low numbers of Western troops cannot clear and hold all of Afghanistan.

GoodIraqNews
Far Fewer rocket/mortar attacks in Oct,
Somewhat fewer Iraqi deaths (1000 in Sept.down to 800),
and somewhat lower GIdeaths (65 to 39).
SeattlePI

Besides US trumpeted efforts, partial explanation could lie
in already-accomplished ethnic cleansing
(Sunnis now on left side of river, Shias on right side).

190,000 weaponsMislaid !
We gave them—intended to bolster Iraq security—
to a businessman who SOLD THEM TO ALL COMERS.

“Craziest thing I’ve ever seen!” says US witness.

NYTIMES

Have any of these weapons killed Americans? Who knows?

Progress?UpTo a point
A CBS analyst agrees with Bushies’ claim of some progress in mitigating violence.

But he makes several reservations:

--certain neighborhoods are safer; but people venture out of them at their peril.

--One reason for diminished sectarian violence is that there are fewer ‘mixed’ neighborhoods to give scope to sectarian violence; people are moving to be with ‘their own kind’, in automatic ‘ethnic cleansing’.

--Govt. brags that 3000 people have returned to original homes over the last 3 months. But RedCrescent (Muslim version of RedCross) says the number of refugees WITHIN Iraq increased 16% in the last 30 days, totaling now
2.3 million (not counting those who’ve fled the country altogether.)

--Arming the sheikhs could end up with Iraq run by independent warlords. Even Bushies admit that central govt. is pretty helpless. (Dumping Maliki would give up pretence of ‘democracy', as we’ve given it up inPakistan.)

--Bushies brag that Iraqis control 8 provinces, neglecting to mention their earlier prediction that Iraqis Would control all 18 provinces by end of ’07.

US BragsAbout Expensive Cocaine
Latimes,11Nov

This pains users, but deters youth from starting.
SIMILARLY, we should rejoice at
EXPENSIVE GASOLENE.

It will minimize teen-driving and
addictive use of monster vehicles.

CHINESE SUPER-SUB
DuringUSmaneuvers, a Chinese sub surfaced
right next to vulnerableUS carrier!
UnitedPress,11Nov

US worried that such subs could deliver RETALIATORY nukes to US,
in spite of our laughable anti-missile missiles.

Why is Guliani popular with GOPs?
He’s pro-choice, pro-gay.
But he’s also pro-rich and pro-war.
That’s what counts.

BaghdadViolenceSaidDown77%
USATODAY,11Nov.

We’ll see if this relief lasts after the 30K extra GIs are withdrawn.

(Shia) IranOilTo(Sunni) Pakistan
1600-mile pipeline to be built.
US opposed, trying to ‘isolate’ Iran.
Musharref disobeys US—
he knows we’re stuck with him.
SeattlePI

It's BushieAmerica that's getting isolated.

30K’NON-HOSTILE’IRAQ CASUALTIES
http://icasualties.org/oif/
There’s no reason to think these ailments would have happened to 150,000 Americans outside of Iraq.
37k evacuated medically from Iraq.

(1 in 4 IraqGIs needing evacuation).

So they should perhaps be included in costs of our occupation.

Sunni ALLIES SAY ‘US STAY OUT !”

They say they’re attacking Quaeda;

But they fear US intervention will mean
US airstrikes mistakenly hitting THEM !
NYTIMES

Illustration of counterproductiveness of airstrikes.

DIM WOMEN:
Women who support Hilary automatically
are as dumb as the men who oppose her automatically—
based on the nature of her genitals.

POOR RESERVISTS:

Almost halfof reservist vets objected to
Govt’s handling of their complaints
about difficulty of getting their prewar jobs back.
CBS

PakisVs.US
Most Pakis are very opposed to Musharref-and also to US, perceived
(with good reason) as his backer.

We see him as bulwark vs. Taliban; he hasn't done much in that line;
much of the billions we gave him
went to get ready for a possible war with India !
LATIMES
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-antius10nov10,1,2258419.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=6&cset=true

2dWinlessWarNoticed:
6 GIS killed by Taliban ambush (more wounded) plus 3 Afghan troops.
SeattlePI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/339178_afghan10.html

Only on occasions like this
is our SECOND winless war noticed.
The truth is that a given GI there
has about the same chance
of being killed/maimed/injured
as a GI in Iraq.

And we seem to be heading for a
THIRD, REALLY BLOODY war vs. Iran.

Nutty GOP (& nutty Dems like hawkHilary )
for backing frothing Bush.

Neglect of Vets:
Nearly 2 million veterans
are without healthcare,
having neither insurance nor access to vet facilities.
NYTIMES, 9Nov/pA26

‘OPTIMISTIC WORDS WILL RETURN TO BITE HIM’
say some European observers, of the glowing assessment by US honcho.
Years ago our generals said the road to the airport was safe, just before several attacks.
Murders in Baghdad are now said to be down 80%
from (a very high) peak.

Govt. brags that thousands of refugees have returned to their homes.
One reason might be that the refugees Outside Iraq ran out of money, HAD To return.

Iraq Red Crescent says the number of refugees QUADRUPLED THIS YEAR !
46,000 are said to return, of over 2 million refugees.
Guardian

Iranian vs US war-resources
Expert Cordesman: Iran has more defensive than offensive resources..
[but that’s what counts!]
A standing army of 350k troops.
Iran has shown it can resist pressure/invasion
under far more divisive conditions than hold now.
(vs. hope that ‘shock/awe’attack will trigger regime-change. )

US has plethora of ineffective bombers, of course,
but admittedly no real troop force available for invasion
except a few thousand marines on ships--who'd be slaughtered.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/338919_iran09.html

Bombing/shelling would be it; then comes Iranian retaliation,
especially vs. our GIs in next-door Iraq.
As I’ve said before, an EARLY attack with retaliation made visible
would wreck campaigns of US hawks like Hilary & all GOP candidates.

But a delayed attack gives Iran more chance to improve retaliation.
(You can bet the country is in state of advanced mobilization.)

Iran claims it has 11k rockets to fire (at Iraq GIS?) during 1st minute of war.

Sen.DullardOffersBlackHumor:

Colorado’s Sen.Allard gave this reason for supporting the new AG nominee (who won’t say that waterboarding is illegal,
tho precedent says clearly that it is) :

‘It’s not black & white; we don’t really know what waterboarding is;
it could be holding the guy’s head underwater,
OR IT COULD BE SLAPPING HIM IN THE FACE WITH A WET WASHCLOTH.”
[NPR News,8Nov]

The latter version would scare the truth out of anyone !

HawkHilary
Still leading strongly among Dem candidates.

Voters can save $ from Dem contributions,
If they, for some reason, don’t support
a THIRD WAR AGAINST IRAN.

1 in 4Homeless are Veterans:
1500 from Afghan,Iraq wars.
SeattlePI 8Nov

Surely these should be added to number of
POINTLESS casualties from these follies.
(besides hundreds or thousands of other vets
suffering from shell-shock or brain injuries.)

Bushies care for ‘our troops’ as Tyson cares for its chickens.
-------------
CORRECTION: 1500 homeless are from 'current' wars; only 400 from Afghan/Iraq wars.

But 72,000 vets (from various wars) pay more than half their income in rents.
40% of homeless female vets say they were sexually assaulted by GIs during their service.
NYTIMES8Nov

Hawks retort, “Have you just discovered that war is ugly?”
No—I learned that in Korea during that war;
and it’s too bad the hawks didn’t discover this
before endorsing 2 pointless, winless wars
and now perhaps a 3d against Iran !

BUSH & binLaden:
People polled worldwide think Bush is just as dangerous as binLaden.
INDEPENDENT
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3135398.ece
Actually, he’s MORE dangerous: just as nutty, and much better armed.

IRANcanMakeDirtyBombs
They say they have 3000 cascading centrifuges now working. Maybe they can’t make nukes yet;
NBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21666121/

But they can produce lots of radioactive stuff to use to make DIRTY BOMBS

(radio.stuff packed around ordinary explosives)—

ONE of which could render key area in America
uninhabitable for a long time. (easy to smuggle in enough.)

Unnoticed Elephant Still inLivingRoom:
Congress shovelled $459,000 millions to Pentagon for next year !—
well over $1000 MILIONS eachDAY--

but Congress bravely refused extra money for Iraq war,
which has cost ONLY around $400,000 millions over FOUR-PLUS YEARS !

(Pentagon could make up their refusal from petty cash.)
SEATTLEPI

Non-fatal GI problems needing medical transport
outside Iraq (Pent. Figures—certainly not too high !)
Total 37,000.
[ Icasualties.org ]
http://icasualties.org/oif/

Doesn't include AFGHAN casualties, of course.

1 pedestrianBOMB,140AfghanCasualties
GUARDIAN

90 KILLED(incl.5 Parliamentarians) , 50 WOUNDED.
The wounded may well be worse off than the dead.

5 GIs killed Monday in Iraq. # wounded?
(usual ratio is 7 wounded for every GI killed.)

Suicide bombs & road-bombs are nearly impossible to counter.

Suicider casualties HAVE been cut in Israel. How?

HawkHilary & gas price.
Hilary (plus most other Senators!) gave implicit permission for Bushies to bomb Iran.

Iran retaliation would wreck world oil markets.

Speculators have already raised world oil price
to nearly $100 a barrel.
UnitedPress
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2007/11/06/us_oil_surges_nearly_2_approaches_96/4431/

US gasoline now back to $3 a gal, will spike higher.
-----------
MINIMUM SANITY: Bushies bomb Iran just before election '08,
triggering dumb Jingoist triumph,
but before disastrous side-effects show up.

GATESwarnsCHINAaboutIran:
“China will lose from middle-east instability”.
VoiceOfAmerica
http://voanews.com/english/2007-11-06-voa12.cfm

--The only instability from Iran getting nukes is more power to Shia (Sunni Pak. Already has 30 nukes).
How would this hurt China?

--Why in the world would China heed a US honcho telling them where their interest lies? What a farce.
--The statement was really aimed at US public, to increase chatter
about Iran dangers--paving way for insane bombing.

WastedTrillions
($1 trillion= $1 million MILLIONS!)
How much security-increase has been bought
by trillions shoveled to Pent. In last few years?

DEFENDING US: For decades we’ve had thousands of H-bombs
to use as 2d strike deterrent (fired off submarines
even AFTER our country was nuked).
No improvement needed there.

ATTACKING OTHER COUNTRIES:
Realizing the nuttiness of Bushies (in ’02 they said they might attack
any country that tried to keep up with us in weaponry !)—
Other nations are racing to get 2D-STRIKE-DETERRENT weapons
(as N.Korea has produced nukes).

For Instance, other countries are developing WAR-GERMS
(the ‘poor nation’s nukes’)--
To retaliate vs. our homeland if we attack them.

So the trillions to Pentagon don’t make ATTACKS
any safer for us.

All trillions wasted by a country going hopelessly into debt—
as our comptroller general is warning on his tour around US.

BushieMideastStrategyCriticized

Obsessive belief that terrorism can be countered by spreading democracy?

When most Muslim voters in world hate US?

C’mon !
USNEWS&WORLD REPORT

US weak tsk-tsk response to Pak.coup may show that
even Bushies are waking up.

US Billions misdirected by Pakistan
Money intended to help Pak fight Quaeda
went instead for equipment to fight India !
LATIMES

What a surprise!

But that also pleases our weapons-makers (masters of our Pent)
because they can sell Pak snazzy aircraft etc,
better suited for anti-Indian war.

Bushies’Depended’On ONE IRAQI for Intel !
CBS

They ‘believed’ him because he said what they wanted people to think.

It was said that Bushies did not have a single US spy on the ground in Iraq before invasion !

Let’s face it: such a TINY MINORITY of Americans care enough about the outside world even to study languages,
that we COULDN’T have reliable intel about Middle East.

We are the blind elephant dancing near cliffs.