Five Years and Counting: Taking It to the Streets

Posted about 1 year ago

Artist:
- PLAY
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Album:

Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran
Track:
- PLAY
- QUEUE
Light Up Ya Lighter / Michael Franti & Spearhead

All out for March 19!In San Francisco, ANSWER has initiated a mass demonstration on the evening of March 19 (the actual day that the invasion began) following militant direct actions that will take place throughout the earlier part of the in the Bay Area. A wide number of groups are planning and mobilizing for those actions. In Florida, ANSWER is organizing and mobilizing for demonstrations throughout the state during the same days. In New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and other cities, ANSWER organizers are working to bring people into the streets. Find the revolution nearest you

Counting the Cost of the Iraq WarU.S. military killed in Iraq: 3,973Number of U.S. troops wounded in combat since the war began: 29,203Iraqi Security Force deaths: 7,924Iraqi civilians killed: Estimates range from 81,632-1,120,000

Internally displaced refugees in Iraq: 3.4 millionIraqi refugees living abroad: 2.2-2.4 millionIraqi refugees admitted to the U.S.: 3,222

Number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq: 155,000Number of "Coalition of the Willing" soldiers in Iraq: February 2008: 9,895 September 2006: 18,000 November 2004: 25,595

Army soldiers in Iraq who have served two or more tours: 74%Number of Private Military Contractors in Iraq: 180,000Number of Private Military Contractors criminally prosecuted by the U.S. government for violence or abuse in Iraq: 1Number of contract workers killed: 917

What the Iraq war has created, according to the U.S. National Intelligence Council: "A training and recruitment ground (for terrorists), and an opportunity for terrorists to enhance their technical skills."

Effect on al Qaeda of the Iraq War, according to International Institute for Strategic Studies: "Accelerated recruitment"

Comments (12)

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dermahrk says I notice you are omitting all the statistics regarding how the Surge has worked in Iraq, how violence is down substantially, how Al Queda is on the run. I think if we abandon Iraq now, we would be shirking our responsibility and sacrificing the Iraqi people to a chaotic bloodbath. We can argue about whether, with 20/20 hindsight, the invasion was the right idea but to shrug our shoulders and abandon the Iraqi people now would be morally irresponsible.

Permalink posted 03/18/2008
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earthman says Statistics Bla! you are only lucky to finds facts, they are all feed through the machine and tainted. Anyone who has had even a small dose of media can vouch for that. My guess is no one in Iraq knows whats going on let alone those outside. These are humans invading other humans countries illegally.Many of the Dead are children and young men and woman, they are a lost generation

Permalink posted 03/18/2008
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runobodyii says dermahrk, ever heard of multi-lateral peacekeeping missions, diplomacy, political solutions, truth and reconciliation commisions, the Iraq Study Group, Declaration for Peace? My pointing being that no one, but no one, is, or has ever, suggesting that the U.S. pull its troops out and simply leave the Iraqis to their own devices. But, whther in our personal or political lives, the problem with drawing the conclusion that violence is a solution is that something in our brain decides that violence is THE solution, blinding us henceforth to all other possibilities. And, as for bloodbaths, let's not forget who turned on that faucet in the first place or gave it a good annointing with WD-40. More violence, less violence. I'm with the poet: after the first death, there is no other.

Permalink posted 03/18/2008
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dermahrk says I see the faucet-turner as Saddam Hussein who, besides slaughtering and exploiting his own people, gave everyone the impression that he had WMDs that could re-define bloodbath. Sorry, I see the purveyors of violence as those who behead the innocent on video, not American troops who are trying to put the country back together. You have to face the question what are we going to do NOW, and leave the Hillary/Obama camps to argue about past votes until the cows come home. Multi-lateral peacekeeping commissions and diplomacy did no good against Hussein and will do the Iraqi people no good now.

Permalink posted 03/19/2008
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runobodyii says dermahrk, honey, De Nile is a river in Egypt. But fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one's position, other peoples of the world have their own realities which they do not submit so willingly to the "truths" of western imperialist arrogance and greed. A little thought experiment, if you will: say in 30 years the American people elect a president, no matter from what party, who in the course of his/her first term becomes a tyrant, wide-spread oppression, a reign of terror, the whole nine yards. And, let's say, in the years prior to this Americans have developed technology that efficiently desalinates seawater, technology which we are not sharing with the water-thirsty world. So the Chinese decide to come to our rescue and liberate the poor down-trodden American people from their evil tyrant leader, and they do, toppling the tyrant handily. But of course the tyrant had some supporters, not to mention various American interest groups - - secular humanist socialists, libertarian separatists, Christian coalitions, a small group of brown people who want a separate state in Florida, etc - - all of whom want to grab power or at least a bigger piece of the pie now that evil-tyrant-dictator is gone. So here are our saviours, the wonderful Chines, who have leveled are infrastructure in the process of saving us and unleased factional vilence previously held in check by an oppressive tyrant. Also they are very interested in gaining control over our saltwater-desalination technology. Don't know about you, but as for me who stand a hair's-breadth shy of pacifism, I would do all within my power to send the Chinese packing, thus allowing Americans to sort things out among ourselves and to exist as a sovereign nation. I would also welcome UN peacekeepers to protect us from ourselves in the meantime. But the Chinese army on American soil for 10 or 20 or 100 years. No way in bloody hell. The golden rule still remains a pretty good rule of thumb.

Permalink posted 03/19/2008
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dermahrk says runobodyii - sweetie, honey-pie, love-bug (the more we argue the friendlier it becomes... :-) - the construction of an elaborate fantastical what-if does not really speak to the issue. Neither does the easy use of phrases like "imperial arrogance and greed" or "revolution". Oh ??puh-leeze??.. Our political system does not really allow for tyrants. I actually think we, like most Americans, are in agreement on the basic issues - that we should exit Iraq as soon as it's feasible without pulling the legs out from their society. But I'm not sure that's what the protestors would say. And, while I am strongly in favor of peace, the term "pacifist" is just another name for naivete, the idea that if we are just "nice", that all problems will go away. The world is a rough and dangerous place and those that want to literally annihilate all infidels (non-believers) really won't care if they're killing pacifists. In fact, I think they would be dancing in the street to celebrate your demise. Again, we need a logical path forward that protects the Iraqis and, by doing so, makes the Middle East a bit safer place, making us safer as well.

Permalink posted 03/20/2008
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runobodyii says Pacifism / non-violence is not simplistic or niave (see Jesus, Thoreau, Tolstoy, Ghandi, MLK). It DOES require courage and imagination.

Permalink posted 03/20/2008
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deadmandeadman says Ahhhhh, but we are neither pacifists, nor idealists, are we? Runobudyii, if you insist that violence is never the answer, you'd better explain that to us. Where would we be without the violence of the Revolutionary war? The American Civil War? WW II? etc etc etc. John F Kennedy said we would go to any corner of the world, expend our blood and our treasure to aid people in the battle to be free. He would puke if he saw the state of American Liberalism today. Iraq can still develop into a version of democracy, That's the goal. To help them reach self-determination. A goal worthy of America. >>>>For the record; Neither a president Barack nor or a president Clinton will pull our troops out of Iraq until its time. I truly believe they understand this but cannot say so because the rabid portion of their fan base (and this is especially true of Mr Barack) would turn on them like sharks sniffin' blood.

Permalink posted 03/20/2008
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dermahrk says And might I point out that 3/5 of your pacifists named were murdered or assassinated? What does that say about the success of pacifism in the real world?

Permalink posted 03/20/2008
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runobodyii says Just because we fought an American revolution and a civil war, etc, doesn't mean that those wars were the ONLY way to address those particular conflicts. Other countries, Great Britain ended slavery without civil war / bloodshed. In sout Africa Apartheid ended without a large-scale armed conflict. And my point was simply that none of us would want a foreign army on American soil for an extended period of time however noble its intention, so why woud we expect that any other sovereign nations would want us in their country. But I forget, as Americans, we are above both international law and the most basic moral precepts.

Permalink posted 03/20/2008
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runobodyii says If you have to ask the question, you couldn't even begin to understand the answer.

Permalink posted 03/20/2008
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dermahrk says I apologize profusely for my stupidity, mistress. Might I have another?

Permalink posted 03/20/2008