Peace Was Outbid Again

For those people who are under the impression that the violence in Iraq occurs only in Baghdad (and there are those people out there), take a look at the map provided. Today, two suicide bombers killed around twenty people on the outskirts of Ramadi. Yesterday, roadside bombs killed eight American soldiers in the province of Diyala. An ambush by ground forces and accompanied bombing in Baqouba killed two U.S. soldiers and two policemen. And the tortured and shot body of an Iraqi policeman was found in Kirkuk. Here are three locations in two days where violence occurred that are not Baghdad.

In a more interesting story of how war is a business and profits are being made off of this one, NBC News is looking into why last September an Israeli-made weapon for destroying rocket-propelled grenades in mid-flight, dubbed Trophy, was denied by the U.S. Army for production. Our troops have been plagued by constant attacks by these weapons and here is a device that can put an end to that. The Trophy was tested nearly 400 times successfully with no failures on almost every type of RPG and anti-tank guided missile known. And the Pentagon even tested it and said it was 30 for 30. And yet with these astounding figures, the U.S. Army chose to give the contract to Raytheon so that they could build one from scratch. Even in the summer of 2005, the Pentagon Office of Force Transportation did a test of six systems and found that Trophy was the best of all of them.

Adam Ciralsky, Lisa Myers and the NBC News Investigative Unit had this to say, "Pentagon sources tell NBC News--and internal Army documents seem to confirm--that Army officials came to see Trophy as a threat to the Army's effort to field an RPG defense as part of the biggest procurement program in Army history, the $200 billion Future Combat System (FCS)."

This is just another pathetic example of how people are making money off of war and business comes before our own troops. U.S. soldiers are being killed by RPGs when a device that can save them already exists but the military would rather give the contract to a company that doesn't even have one yet.

Let's learn a little more about Raytheon. William H. Swanson is the Chairman and CEO of Raytheon. And despite Raytheon's values of ethics as stated on their website, Swanson was found by The New York Times to have plagiarized his booklet, "Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management". First of all, if it is in a booklet it is written. Second of all, I found it ironic that one of the sources he plagiarized his work from was, "...from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld..." said Wikipedia. Ah, Donald Rumsfeld and ethics. He was forced to resign not too long ago for his mishandling of the war in Iraq!

Also, Swanson is a trustee of the Association of the United States Army or AUSA. As stated in another Wikipedia article, "...(AUSA) is a private, non-profit organization which primarily acts as an advocacy group for the United States Army."

Well, it seems like Raytheon is certainly making a profit from having their CEO as a trustee of a group that influences the Army. This is war profiteering and it is wrong. How can the government condone such an action when American lives are on the line? A congressionally-mandated review is looking into the situation and I hope that someone goes to prison for making such a greedy and deadly decision.

America is not a corporation that uses politics and foreign relations as instruments to make money. And yet I continue to see blatant abuses of power and influence where corruption and profit triumph over common sense and right. It looks like the American eagle on the back of the dollar bill has found its olive branch too heavy to hold and now its just arrows and money.

We're Not Gonna Take It?

When it comes to the war in Iraq there are three things that I know: 1) the reason for going to war given to the American people and the international community (WMDs) was proven to be false. Despite the Republicans who are sick of people mentioning this factor, it is the key deceit that led to this war and should not be ignored. 2) The link to terrorism with Iraq is sketchy at best with the main thrust of terrorists flowing into Iraq after we invaded. Iraq was not a vital player in the war on terror and leaving Afghanistan has lifted the pressure off al-Qaeda and placed it on our stretched out troops. And 3) the profits from this war have been directly linked to White House officials such as Dick Cheney who still holds onto hundreds of thousands of shares in Halliburton despite claiming that he has severed all ties to his former company. Whether Halliburton has an instrumental role in going to war, I don't know. But what I do know is that there is a financial bias for the Vice President to lead this country into thinking that a war with Iraq was necessary. Again, this connection cannot be ignored. This is a direct example of war-profiteering and I suggest anyone interested in this matter read my article on Halliburton published earlier titled, "Bush: CEO Of America".
The media has the job of providing the people with the dots. It is up to the people to connect them. All of these factors show that not only is the war unjustifiable (as is the view of most Americans based on recent polls) but that our very own politicians who got us into this war are making money off of it. The Vice President should not have a personal financial gain in war.
I am trying to work on ways of getting this information out to the people but I fear that not enough people read my blog. And while my articles on Zimbio have received some comments, I don't believe that it is enough. Those responsible for this war and profiting from it when their interests should be in American security should be brought to justice. Bill Clinton nearly got impeached for getting "pleasure" from someone other than his wife but Bush and Cheney are directly responsible for the loss of thousands of lives and are showing that they have been making money from it. Is America really that f%#ked up?! How can they be allowed to get away with this and leave it up to us and future generations to clean up their mess?
The American people need to demand justice be served and not stand for anything less. This is our country and we deserve to have a say in how it is run. We need to come together and see to it that the Bush Administration doesn't get away with this so that it sends a message to future would-be presidents that the American people will not accept needless wars. Patriotism is not a shield to be used by politicians to disguise their true intentions. Patriotism is a sword that should be wielded in the face of all those who oppose this nation's security, even if that means pointing it at our own presidential administration. No longer should Americans feel scared into believing that this war is for our security and anyone who opposes it is less of an American. Stand up and demand your country back!

Bush Running This War Alone

With the president's approval ratings in a recent Newsweek poll dipping to an all-time low at 28%, there is little for him to be happy about these days, much less the war in Iraq. But I am sure the president is seeing the glass as half full and thinking about how nice it is that his disapproval ratings are at 72%. But the problems go further than simply the military failures of this war and even the treatment of the soldiers as stated in my last article. The problems have surfaced as a question of whether or not the strain and heavy burden placed on our troops overseas is creating a moral handicap in their judgment.
In a recent study, over 40% of soldiers supported the concept of torture on civilians in the hope that it would provide valuable information. Even more shocking was that less than half of Marines said that they would report a fellow Marine if they wounded an innocent civilian. And 10% admitted that they had been responsible for personally abusing innocent Iraqis.
An article by the Associated Press said, "The military has seen a number of high-profile incidents of alleged abuse in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the killings of 24 civilians by Marines in Haditha, the rape and killing of a 14-year-old girl and the slaying of her family in Iraq and the sexual humiliation of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison."
Our troops are stretched out too thin on the battlefields and the immense pressure placed on the soldiers is blurring the lines between defense and offense; ethical decisions and unethical decisions; right and wrong. It is understandable that under these high-pressured and violent conditions where life and death hang in the balance, decisions can become split-second and difficult. But our troops are beginning to show signs of mental fatigue. The scale of sanity is losing its balance and tipping to an unethical sense of preemptive defense and indiscriminate persecution. What our troops need is to come home and remember what peace feels like. Because while we like to believe that our troops are these invincible, perfect machines of justice and elitism--they're not. They are human beings just like everyone else and no training can prepare the mind for the things they face. No soldier is infallible but all are accountable. And so let's take our soldiers out of these hellish environments where some of our children as young as 18-years-old are forced to play judge, jury and executioner with real lives.
All the meanwhile, Bush is ridiculed at home for his handling of the war. Though many Republicans feel that he is brave in standing up for his beliefs, many Americans simply do not share that view. In a recent Newsweek poll of 1,000 American adults the conclusion by Marcus Mabry of Newsweek was, "A majority of Americans believe Bush is not politically courageous: 55 percent vs. 40 percent. And nearly two out of three Americans (62 percent) believe his recent actions in Iraq show he is 'stubborn and unwilling to admit his mistakes,' compared to 30 percent who say Bush's actions demonstrate that he is 'willing to take political risks to do what's right.'"
It is about time that Americans start seeing the truth behind this war and begin taking steps to end it. This war is not healthy for anyone. I can only hope that soon the horrors of war will be stopped and those accountable will be brought to justice so that peace can grow where violence has reigned for far too long.

A Mind Wasted: A War Mishandled

When "musical artist" Kanye West was on television in 2005 concerning Hurricane Katrina and the poor response by the government in New Orleans he said that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." He was way off. Our president doesn't care about ALL people. This even goes toward the troops he claims to be supporting in every speech he makes.
A fourteen-member panel created by the Pentagon found that 38% of soldiers and 31% of marines coming back from Iraq have either traumatic brain injury and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. The figures are 49% in members of the National Guard and all of these numbers are expected to increase over time. These task force members of the Pentagon want more adequate screening processes in the military instead of relying on the soldiers to come forward. This is because soldiers are often afraid of being singled out and having their professional or personal lives negatively affected.
An article by the Associated Press stated, "In recent weeks, several U.S. senators have pointed to problems in the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs' mental health care, citing the Army's Fort Carson in Colorado where some troops have said their pleas for mental health care went unanswered or were met with ridicule."
This follows the Walter Reed scandal and further shows the government's neglect of its own troops who are possibly of no more use in the field. A Veterans Affairs director of education, Jan Kemp, estimated that nearly 1,000 veterans within the system commit suicide every year.
Another quote from an Associated Press article said that, "A recent investigation by the Government Accountability Office found that just 22 percent of U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who showed signs of PTSD were being referred by Pentagon health care providers for mental health evaluation..."
It is absolutely disgraceful and unacceptable that our troops who are fighting overseas are being neglected of the mental disorders they obtain from the violence they're exposed to. I, as all Americans should be, find this to be appalling and unacceptable that our patriots are faced with such a lack of support from the government that sent them overseas in the first place. Our soldiers, Marines, Airmen, sailors and National Guard members are more than just bodies that fight wars. They are people--regular American citizens--when they return home and should never be considered second class citizens as our government is treating them. Their mental health is as, if not more, important than their physical health and should be treated with concern and care. Though the president may no nothing of post-traumatic stress disorder other than what the photo-ops with grieving families will allow, he certainly has shown that he has the judgement of someone with failing mental capabilities.

Send The Gears Turning

With so many Americans thinking with their hearts patriotically and not with their heads sensibly, not enough people are listening to the facts and considering the realistic global consequences of this war. And in addition to the ridiculous nature of U.S. politics these days, our foreign policy concerning Syria is nothing short of hypocritical. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Walid Moallem of Syria in the near future to discuss diplomacy between our two nations. But not even a month ago, Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Damascus and faced harsh criticism from the Bush Administration. It took a risky move by Pelosi to open Bush's eyes to the fact that diplomatic isolation is no long term solution. And now, the Bush Administration is going to take credit for re-opening the doors between Washington and Damascus.

Back to Iraq: in a recent speech by President Bush, he said, "For America, the decision we face in Iraq is not whether we ought to take sides in a civil war, it's whether we stay in the fight against the same international terrorist network that attacked us on 9/11."

This seems to be the first time since the war in Iraq started that Bush is concerned about defeating al-Qaeda. And I would like to point out to a few Republican war hawks that even Bush has admitted to this being a "civil war". If al-Qaeda is really our prime enemy in the war on terror, then what are we doing in Iraq--a country with no proven links to terrorism until we invaded?

Bush also had this to say in an April 21, 2007 speech, "...we are trying to help a young democracy survive in the heart of the Middle East, and at the same time prevent our stated enemies [al-Qaeda] from establishing safe havens from which to attack us again."

As reported by CNN, "Terrorist organizations behind the violence [in Iraq] are setting up along Pakistan's northwest frontier in safe havens...this has led to more fighters pouring into Afghanistan..."

If eliminating al-Qaeda's safe havens is our goal then why did we leave our mission in Afghanistan? The United States' disorganized micromanaging and split loyalty agendas cannot compete with al-Qaeda's dedicated, single-minded and goal-orientated structure. With a new base in the mountains of Pakistan, world-wide publicity gaining followers (U.S.'s mishandling of war is no help), investments in Iraq and prospects in a looming war with Iran al-Qaeda is in a much better position than before we went to war with Iraq. This is not a very good realization.

What makes war-hawk Republicans think that invading Iran is defeating terrorism? al-Qaeda, has been supporting a U.S.-led war with Iran for some time now. Think about it: the U.S. goes to war again, Iran is a Shiite nation, al-Qaeda is a Sunni terrorist group. It is a win-win for al-Qaeda if we go to war with a Shiite country that has even been expressing interest in meeting with Secretary Rice for a while now in attempts for a diplomatic solution to our differences.

CNN wrote on April 30, 2007 that, "Iraq's sectarian warfare fueled a sharp increase in global terrorism in 2006, the U.S. State Department reported...The total number of terrorist attacks was up more than 25% from the previous year..."

If anyone thinks that this war has made the world a safer place, they are very wrong. War is what our enemies want and that is what we are giving them. While al-Qaeda formulates another 9/11-scale plot in the caves of Pakistan and Afghanistan, we are bickering in Washington about sending more troops into Iraq! It was America's legacy as the precedent of representative democracies to reason and see above the needless violence through diplomacy that placed us at the head of the pack. But now, we are nipping at the heels like all the rest and have given in to a far much simpler and undignified method of dealing with foreign policy.

The American People Have Been Vetoed But Not Silenced!

President George W. Bush has officially vetoed the bill funding U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq that was also attached to a deadline for troop withdrawal from Iraq. The Democrats in Congress do not have the 2/3 majority vote to overturn that veto. The president has made it official that he is going solo on his plans for the war in Iraq without the support of the majority of Americans. Our very own leader has purposefully and stubbornly neglected the will of the American people to bring an end to this war. By now you know how I feel about this. What happens next...

The Oval Office Held Together With Heart: Heart In The Wrong Place

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been asked to step down from his position in the Israeli government due to his handling of the war with Lebanon last year. The war started after a constant barrage of rockets from Hezbollah killed numerous Israeli civilians and topped off with the killing of three soldiers and capture of two others in a cross-border guerrilla attack on July 12. The war began with overwhelming support by the Israeli people. A government probe investigation, though, revealed that, "The prime minister made up his mind hastily, despite the fact that no detailed military plan was submitted to him and without asking for one. All of these add up to a series of failure in exercising judgement, responsibility and prudence."
Soldiers often returned from the front lines with news that they weren't even given enough water or ammunition. There were other reports of a disgraceful mishandling of the war which finally brought a fellow Labor Party minister, Eitan Cabel, to resign. In addition, the vast majority of Israelis, horrified at the way Prime Minister Olmert rushed into the war and neglected key factors, have demanded his resignation. Despite the overwhelming number of protesters, Olmert has no plan on resigning.
Let's see: an elected leader rushing into war with falsified support, mishandling of the war and a stubborn defiance amidst the voices of his own people. Sounds a lot like a parallel to Bush if I may be so bold. Too bad we aren't demanding his resignation as diligently as the Israelis are of their prime minister.
And bad news for those that believe terrorism and the insurgency in Iraq are the same thing. I have heard so many times people saying that the terrorists are taking over Iraq but here is an example of what I have been saying for quite some time: the Iraqis do not want the terrorists in their country just as much as us. In a battle today, al-Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Ayyub al-Masri was killed in a gun fight. But the gunfight wasn't between al-Qaeda and the U.S. troops. The battle was fought between al-Qaeda and the insurgents!
"This was not an operation by the security forces, it was an internal battle that led to his death," said Brigadier General Abdul Kareem Khalaf.
An MSNBC article wrote, "There has been increasing friction between Sunni Islamist al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni Arab insurgent groups, particularly over al-Qaida in Iraq’s indiscriminate killing of civilians."
This is a sure sign of progress in that the Iraqis are willing to take back their own country not only from the U.S. occupiers but from the terrorists gaining foot holes in Iraq. They are more than just one people against the U.S. They are a complex group of differing sects all joined in Iraqi unification. And while many Sunnis and Shiites are still fighting for dominant control of the country, they all agree that it is an Iraqi fight and not one for foreigners. And while the death of al-Masri has been denied by al-Qaeda, it is in the best interest of peace that they are lying for propaganda purposes. If anything this event goes to show that Iraq is multi-layered and this war must be seen from more than just the black-and-white perspective the Bush Administration has been looking at it with. It is about time the Iraqis have shown signs of stepping up to the plate. Now all we have to do is get off the field and let them swing away.
And on a side note: I have found in my personal debates with people on the war in Iraq that one thing always remains a constant variable. For those supporting the war, I have noticed that their judgement is often clouded by a sense of patriotism and passion. They think with their hearts more so than with their heads. I am yet to find sufficient evidence justifying this war but everyone I meet who is in favor of it only meets my facts with words of patriotic pride. It is a shame that something like 9/11 could bring so many Americans together only to have something like this war in Iraq divide them so zealously.