Clipmarks | jklugman's 'war' clips

Experts warned Blair of Iraq mess

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:30:53 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Joffe got the impression of "someone with a very shallow mind, who's not interested in issues other than the personalities of the top people, no interest in social forces, political trends, etc".

Clip Source: blogs.cqpolitics.com

Jonathan Steele's Defeat: Why They Lost Iraq, which describes a prewar session that British Prime Minister Tony Blair held with outside-government experts who offered their views on what might occur in Iraq following an invasion:

George Joffe, an Arabist from Cambridge University,

"We all pretty much said the same thing," Joffe recalls. "Iraq is a very complicated country, there are tremendous intercommunal resentments, and don't imagine you'll be welcomed." He remembers how Blair reacted. "He looked at me and said, 'But the man's uniquely evil, isn't he?' I was a bit nonplussed. It didn't seem to be very relevant." Recovering, Joffe went on to argue that Saddam was constrained by various factors, to which Blair merely repeated his first point: "He can make choices, can't he?" As Joffe puts it, "He meant he can choose to be good or evil, I suppose."

Tags: tony blair, iraq, war, uk, incompetence

Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP to Get No-Bid Oil Contracts in Iraq

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:41:49 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Big oil got its baby back, after 36 years of waiting.

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP to Get No-Bid Oil Contracts in Iraq

The New York Times reports four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations on contracts that will return them to Iraq for the first time in thirty-six years. Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP—the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company—are among the corporations in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest oil fields. The Times reports it is not clear what role the United States played in awarding the contracts. Americans continue to serve as advisers to Iraq’s Oil Ministry.

Tags: oil, energy, war

Prisoner's tortured at the hands of the guards in Afghanistan

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:08:08 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

KABUL, Afghanistan — American soldiers herded the detainees into holding pens of razor-sharp concertina wire, the kind that's used to corral livestock.

The guards kicked, kneed and punched many of the men until they collapsed in pain. U.S. troops shackled and dragged other detainees to small isolation rooms, then hung them by their wrists from chains dangling from the wire mesh ceiling.

Former guards and detainees whom McClatchy interviewed said Bagram was a center of systematic brutality for at least 20 months, starting in late 2001. Yet the soldiers responsible have escaped serious punishment.

This picture from a U.S. court martial file, drawn by military polygraph examiner George Chigi III, shows how Afghan detainee Dilawar was shackled by his wrists to the ceiling of an isolation cell at Bagram Air Base before being beaten to death in December 2002. | View larger image

Tags: terror, terrorism, torture, bagram, afghanistan, war, war on terror, war crimes

In defense of William Ayers

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:30:57 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Wonderment said:

But to call Ayers a "terrorist" and throw him in the Osama bin Laden pile is a reach for the moral high ground by the very people and political establishment that secretly carpet bombed Cambodia, murdering hundreds of thousands of civilians.

...Ayers is no martyr, and he's no role model. But he doesn't deserve to be the punching bag of the moral cretins who still celebrate lying wars of aggression and the pointless slaughter of untold thousands.

Clip Source: bloggingheads.tv

Ayers makes the claim that the use of violence, particularly with the aim of zero loss of life, was justified as a form of protest and pressure to end the Vietnam and Cambodian War. If you look at the crimes of the Johnson and Nixon administrations in their historical context (napalming civilians, Agent Orange, torture, starvation, mass murder, carpet bombings, persecution of dissidents in the US, including the murder of college students by the National Guard, pro-war police riots, disproportionately race-based conscription of 18-year-olds, etc. etc.), there is a case to be made that taking up arms against such a regime is justified.

Now you may argue that the prospects of achieving success in ending the war through "revolutionary" violence were slim to none. I agree.

Tags: william ayers, vietnam, cambodia, hypocrisy, war, civilian-killings

VA Conceals Vet Suicide Figures to Downplay Epidemic

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:37:59 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: What do the constant lies from this administration tell you?

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

VA Conceals Vet Suicide Figures From CBS To Downplay ‘Epidemic In Suicide’»

Yesterday marked the opening day of a class action lawsuit brought by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), arguing “that failure to provide care is manifesting itself in an epidemic of suicides” among veterans. The VA denies the charges, pointing to increased resources devoted to mental health.

Today, CBS News reports that the VA apparently concealed veteran suicide statistics, and fed the news organization faulty data for a story on the issue. The VA told CBS that there were 790 attempted suicides in all of 2007. Yet shortly after, the VA’s head of Mental Health, Dr. Ira Katz, wrote in an e-mail to the VA’s top media adviser that there were “about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilities.”

Tags: war, suicide, bush, iraq

3rd marine cleared of Haditha charges

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:37:10 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Officials close to the Haditha case said they think prosecutors dismissed the charges in order to pursue Wuterich aggressively at trial. The cases against three of the Marines accused of shooting civilians have fallen apart, and Wuterich remains the only one left for prosecutors to target for accountability. Wuterich led the Marine squad and allegedly told his troops, as they approached a group of civilian homes that day, to shoot first and ask questions later.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

The Marine Corps yesterday dismissed all charges against one of the Marines accused of killing women and children in the Iraqi town of Haditha in late 2005, the third time a Marine linked to the slayings has been exonerated

Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, who has admitted shooting civilians inside their homes as part of a pursuit of insurgents, was cleared and granted immunity to testify in further hearings related to the investigation. The move leaves only Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich to face charges in connection with the shootings on Nov. 19, 2005.

Although the Marines were at first accused of going on a rampage, the case has evolved into a far more complex examination of the Corps' rules of engagement and the general conduct of wartime operations in hostile residential areas.

Tags: haditha, marines, iraq, war, civilian-killings, stephen tatum, frank wuterich

Military losses in perspective

Thu, 24 May 2007 20:22:40 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: gatewaypundit.blogspot.com

** The US has been fighting the War on Terror for over 5 years and has lost just over half the soldiers in battle as the Clinton Administration was losing during peacetime in 8 years.

Yearly Military Deaths During Clinton Years Exceeded Iraq War

US war fatalities...

War losses in Iraq compared to other wars when US population is figured in as a factor...

Tags: iraq war, war on terror, military, war, politics

The Volunteer Army: Who Fights and Why?

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:10:53 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Michael Massing went to Ft. Drum in New York to interview soldiers about why they joined the army.

("these books" he refers to in this clip are recently-published soldier memoirs; "Bradley's" is a military supply store)

Overall, the average bonus paid to Army enlistees jumped from $11,100 in 2005 to $16,500 in 2007. This is one of the main reasons why the Army has been able to meet its recruiting goals in spite of the ongoing specter of serving in Iraq.

Another is the relaxation of admission standards. In 2007, 11 percent of all new recruits received "moral waivers" for being in trouble with the law—double the proportion in 2003. Over that same period, the proportion of enlistees who had finished high school fell from 90 to 71 percent—the lowest level in twenty-five years. Due largely to the Iraq war, the Army now includes far more recruits from the troubled, truant, tattooed ranks of the population.

Clip Source: www.nybooks.com

In these books, the idea of joining the military to defend America or uphold its values is largely absent. Rather, these soldiers signed up to escape dead-end jobs, failed relationships, broken families, bills, toothaches, and boredom. The armed forces offered a haven from the struggles and strains of life in modern-day America, a place to gain security and skills, discipline and self-esteem.

That initial group of interviews at Bradley's would mirror those I had throughout my stay. In all, I would speak with about thirty soldiers, and roughly one of every four would tell me that he had joined the military mainly for idealistic reasons, for some larger cause. Often, in describing those reasons, these soldiers would sound vague—"I've wanted to be a soldier since I was young," they would say, or "my family has always served in the Army." (A family history in the military features strongly in the decision of many enlistees.)

Tags: iraq, war, military, recruitment

US made deal with devil to stabilize Iraq

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:03:55 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Chris Hedges is the author of this editorial.

...those who support the continuation of the war insist that "the surge" has been successful. But the surge...did little to thwart attacks.

"The big news of the past year, the smashing up of al-Qaeda in Iraq and the stabilization of a lot of Sunni Arab areas, has virtually nothing to do with the surge," said Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence unit. "What we have done, in effect, is we have made a deal with the devil in order to get rid of al-Qaeda. We have allowed nearly 100,000 tough Sunni Arab fighters to organize and arm themselves as they never could before when they had to operate underground. We have destroyed a nasty insurgency and replaced it with a more deeply rooted and broad-based potential insurgency."

Clip Source: www.philly.com

In selling the American public on the "surge" strategy in Iraq, the White House and the military have praised the funding and support of Sunni Arab militias in Iraq. We are being told this strategy is yet another proof of "success" in Iraq - when in fact it is a short-term tactic that could result in horrific blowback.

These Sunnis, many of whom once belonged to extremist organizations that attacked U.S. troops, currently receive salaries (each fighter gets $300 a month) from the U.S. military. In return, they have been asked for support to control parts of the country where there is a Sunni Arab majority; target jihadists; and end assaults on U.S. troops. These militias have replaced local government officials, including police, and taken over local administration and security in many pockets of Iraq. They have carved out, with our assistance, independent fiefdoms.

Tags: iraq, chris hedges, surge, al-qaeda, sunni, civil war, war

Pentagon Admits Use Of White Phosphorous

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 14:43:42 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: Chemical weapons. How deep into the moral abyss can the US sink? There seems to be absolutely no limit.

WARNING: The video contains very graphic images.
Fallujah - The Hidden Massacre

Clip Source: mwcnews.net

Pentagon Admits Use of White Phosphorus

Pentagon Reverses Position and Admits U.S. Troops Used White Phosphorous Against Iraqis in Fallujah

The U.S. government has now admitted its troops used white phosphorous as an incendiary weapon against Iraqis during the assault on Fallujah a year ago.

Chemical weapons experts say such attacks are in violation of international law banning the use of chemical weapons.

White phosphorous is often compared to napalm because it combusts spontaneously when exposed to oxygen and can burn right through skin to the bone.

Peter Kaiser, of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said, "Chemicals used against humans or animals that cause harm or death through the toxic properties of the chemical are considered chemical weapons."

reporters have noted the use of white phosphorous since the war began

"We fired "shake and bake" missions at the insurgents, using WP [White Phosphorous] to flush them out and HE [high explosives] to take them out."

Tags: chemical weapons, wmd, hypocracy, murder, torture, ethics, usa, war, crime, lies, evil, bush, neoconservatism,

Sniper team tells of pressure from above to get "Kills"

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:14:37 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

BAGHDAD -- Here they were, hardened combat soldiers, grounded on a military base far from the palm groves, canals and marshes where they once prowled.

But at least for a moment this week, they were still the Painted Demons, the elite sniper unit that struck fear in the so-called triangle of death south of Baghdad. That couldn't be taken away: not by breaking them up, as the Army had done, and not even by the murder trials of three of their members at Camp Victory.

They surrounded Sgt. Evan Vela, whose preliminary hearing on murder charges began Sunday morning. Vela, a stocky 23-year-old, bear-hugged them, smiling and laughing. He looked nothing like the man who had broken down on the witness stand days before, at the trial of a fellow sniper. Then, he had spoken in barely audible tones about firing two bullets at point-blank range into an Iraqi detainee's head, allegedly on the orders of Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, the leader of the Painted Demons.

Tags: iraq, war, terror, soldiers, snipers, crimes

Iraq's Power Grid Nearing Collapse

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:42:10 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

"We no longer need television documentaries about the Stone Age. We are actually living in it. We are in constant danger because of the filthy water and rotten food we are having," said Hazim Obeid, who sells clothing at a stall in the Karbala market.

Clip Source: www.abcnews.go.com

Iraq's power grid is on the brink of collapse because of insurgent sabotage, rising demand, fuel shortages and provinces that are unplugging local power stations from the national grid, officials said Saturday.

Electricity Ministry spokesman Aziz al-Shimari said power generation nationally is only meeting half the demand, and there had been four nationwide blackouts over the past two days. The shortages across the country are the worst since the summer of 2003, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, he said.

Power supplies in Baghdad have been sporadic all summer and now are down to just a few hours a day, if that. The water supply in the capital has also been severely curtailed by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations.

Tags: iraq, reconstruction, occupation, surge, war, infrastructure

Daily Attacks in Iraq Hit New High

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:19:46 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: But don't worry! Peter Pace, chairman of the JCS, says that Iraq has undergone a "sea change" in security, and David Petraeus told Hugh Hewitt that "(W)e have achieved what we believe is a reasonable degree of tactical momentum on the ground"

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attacks in Iraq last month reached their highest daily average since May 2003, showing a surge in violence as President George W. Bush completed a buildup of U.S. troops, Pentagon statistics show.

The data, obtained by Reuters from the Defense Department, showed an upward trend in daily attacks over the past four months, when U.S. and Iraqi forces were ramping up operations against insurgents and militants, including al Qaeda, in Iraq.

Tags: iraq, war

WWII Sex Slavery Horror

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:02:26 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Zhou Fenying is a living witness to the dark history that still poisons China's relations with Japan more than 60 years after World War Two.

When Zhou was 22, Japanese soldiers came to her village in eastern China, grabbed her and her sister-in-law and carted them off to a military brothel, she says.

Now 91, Zhou has broken decades of silence to speak of her traumatic experience as a "comfort woman" -- the euphemism the invading Japanese used to describe women forced into sex slavery.

The Chinese government says Japan has yet to atone properly for its war crimes, which it says included massacres and forcing people to work as virtual slaves in factories or as prostitutes.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Zhou said she had served as a "comfort woman" for two months before a local town official rescued her by paying off the Japanese.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Tokyo has not paid direct compensation to any of the estimated 200,000 mostly Asian women forced to work in brothels for the Japanese military

Tags: health, women, war, sex

Bush: This is World War 3

Sat, 06 May 2006 22:05:27 GMT

clipped by: adamc
clipper's remarks: WTF?

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Bush likens 'war on terror' to WWIII

He said he agreed with the description by David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, in a Wall Street Journal commentary last month the act was "our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war - World War III".

Mr Bush said: "I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III.

Tags: bush, wtf, george bush, world war 3, war, quote