BBC World News service rpt this AM - Iraq nearly completely out of control

[NRaleighLiberal]

Was listening to the BBC World service on my local NPR station this morning - they had a report from Iraq. Reporter said that the "west" is significantly underreporting the chaos and death in Iraq. Notwishstanding the 2-4 American deaths each day, he noted the incredibly high level of Iraqi deaths and injuries, which is getting worse with time. Went on to say that the majority of major Iraqi cities are under the control of various insurgencies. Why does this news NOT infiltrate into our media? What a sham...what an embarassment...what a crime!

[truthspeaker]

1. BBC reporting a true story. Time for Blair to condemn them again

appoint Hutton to call them irresponsible for reporting the truth.

[lottie244]

62. Iraq was out of control the moment we invaded. A fool could see that.

Saddam had Iraq under control, that is, the 1/3 that we allowed him to control. Now the entire country is in chaos and living in a hellish fear that didn't even exist under Saddam.

[mojowork_n]

77. Our Military is not always covering itself in Glory, either

Not if this report from truckers recently returned to India is to be believed... (US escort vehicles accompanying trucker convoys carrying supplies from Kuwait always turned and ran, at the first sound of gunfire)

http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/aug/02iraq2.htm

As in Afghanistan, where Karzai is famously known as the "Mayor of Kabul", so in Iraq. The (former CIA employee) now enthroned as the new Iraqi leader is pretty much the "Mayor of Baghdad". Except for the rowdy low-rent part that used to be called "Saddam City", that is.

[joeunderdog]

79. Speaking of fools, GWB predicted this very accurately...

Below is an exerpt from a Time article written by Poppy on why to stay out of Iraq's political structure (removing Saddam.) It was pulled off Time's web site, but it's preserved here.

http://www.thememoryhole.org/mil/bushsr-iraq.htm

While we hoped that popular revolt or coup would topple Saddam, neither the U.S. nor the countries of the region wished to see the breakup of the Iraqi state. We were concerned about the long-term balance of power at the head of the Gulf. Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-cold war world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome.

There's more...

[Love Bug]

2. This is terrible...

What terrible karma we are creating for ourselves. Damn Bush!

[jean]

16. please read Blowback by Chalmers Johnson forthwith - he defines our karma

[Zhade]

50. I just read that book last week. Great stuff.

I'm looking forward to reading his new one.

I just wish there had never been a need for him to write either of them...

[Tansy_Gold]

73. Before the war

there was a DUer who had a photo of an adorable little girl with the caption: "Our next war is with karma."

Just thinking about it tears me up.

[saigon68]

3. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

More $$$$$$$ for our friends at CACI--- the Mercenary Police Corporation.

[Scooter24]

34. Bush To Iraqi Militants: 'Please Stop Bringing It On'

WASHINGTON, DC—In an internationally televised statement Monday, President Bush modified a July 2003 challenge to Iraqi militants attacking U.S. forces. "Terrorists, Saddam loyalists, and anti-American insurgents: Please stop bringing it on now," Bush said at a Monday press conference. "Nine months and 500 U.S. casualties ago, I may have invited y'all to bring it on, but as of today, I formally rescind that statement. I would officially like for you to step back." The president added that the "it" Iraqis should stop bringing includes gunfire, bombings, grenade attacks, and suicide missions of all types.

[seemslikeadream]

65. More $$$$$$$ for MY friends at CACI

I've been meaning to tell saigon68 I love your couple and feel the same way. Here's a bit of stuff I've gathered


After George Bush Senior left the White House, he became an advisor and lobbyist for a Canadian gold-mining company, Barrick Gold. Hey, a guy’s got to work. But there were a couple of questions about Barrick, to say the least. For example, was Barrick’s Congo gold mine funding both sides of a civil war and perpetuating that bloody conflict? Only one Congressperson demanded hearings on the matter.

You’ve guessed: Cynthia McKinney.

That was covered in the . . . well, it wasn’t covered at all in the U.S. press.

McKinney contacted me at the BBC. She asked if I’d heard of Barrick. Indeed, I had. Top human rights investigators had evidence that a mine that Barrick bought in 1999 had, in clearing their Tanzanian properties three years earlier, bulldozed mine shafts . . . burying about 50 miners alive.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=229&row=1


War is Golden for the Bush Administration

And the commodities connection? President Pretzel's relentless hissy-fit for war on Iraq has of course goosed the price of gold enormously--and that's set Bush Family coffers a-clinking. How so? In the waning days of his failed presidency, Bush I invoked an obscure 1872 statute to give a Canadian firm, Barrick Corporation, the right to mine $10 billion in gold from U.S. public lands. (U.S. taxpayers got a whopping $10,000 fee in return.) Bush then joined Barrick as a highly-paid "international consultant," brokering deals with various dictators of his close acquaintance. Barrick reciprocated with big bucks for Junior's presidential run. And in another quid for the old pro quo, last year Junior dutifully approved Barrick's controversial acquisition of a major rival. (Barrick is also one of the biggest polluters in America, by the way.)

Thus every step toward war fills Bush pockets quite literally with gold. That's the way they operate, these liars and thieves in thousand-dollar suits, these secretive fronts who profit from war, fear, blood and greasy palms. They arm the "monsters," they disarm the monsters, making money both ways. Then they drape themselves with Bible and flag, like smug pimps promenading to church, singing "Glory Hallelujah" while the whole world burns.

http://www.counterpunch.org/floyd02152003.html


Billions of Dollars at Stake


American Minerial Fields (AMFI), a consortium based origninally in Hope,Ark.--yes, Bill Clintos's hometown--is a big player in exploiting Congo's mineral wealth. In 1997, just a month before Mobutu fell, it signed contracts with the Kabila-Rwanda-Uganda alliance forces for almost a billion dollars investment in copper, cobalt and zinc mines and processing plants in Kolwezi and Kipushi.

This project is part of the $60 billion so-called National Missle Defense system that George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donalc Rumfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vice-President Richard Cheney are pushing so vigorously. Building the space station will require many rare metals found in eastern Congo.

Another big player in the eastern Congo is Barrick Gold Corp., headquartered in Canada. It is the world's second-largest gold producer after Anglo-American of South Africa.


http://www.minesandcommunities.org/Company/kabila1.htm

The Lost World War


The war on Iraq is not the only war in the world and it is not the only war being fought for our material benefit. Western consumers' seemingly insatiable demand for mobile phones, laptops, games consoles and other luxury electronic goods had been fueling violent conflict and killing millions in the Democratic Republic of Congo(formerly Zaire).

The Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) is possibily the most minerial rich place on Earth - though this has proved a curse to the people of the Congo. The Congo holds millions of tons of diamonds, copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese, uranium, (the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki werre built using Congolese uranium), and coltan. Coltan, substance made up of columbium and tantalum, is a particularly valuable resource - used to make mobile phones, night vision goggles, fiber optics, and mirco-capacitors.
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/newsletter/issue13/issue13_part3.htm


THREE MILLION LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST SINCE 1998 IN CONGO

Barrick Corporation and Cynthia McKinney The Real Reason


The real reason McKinney was trashed.

Was Barrick Gold Mining funding both sides of a civil war and perpetuating that bloody conflict?

Top human rights investigators had evidence that a mine bought by Barrick in 1999 had in clearing their Tanzanian property three years earlier bulldozed mine shafts burying 50 miners alive.

Tundu Lissu was one of those investigators and McKinney was trying to save his life.

Only one Congressperson demanded hearings on the matter.
In 2001 Cynthia McKinney convened a special congressional panel to explore the role of US covert forces and private interest in Central Africa.

But maybe ther was another reason Andrew Young and Vernon Jordan let McKinney swing, Remember Barrick? Did I mention to you that Andy Young and Vernon Jordan are both on Barrick's payroll? Well, I just did.
http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/unitedstates/de... ...

Lots more here
Expelled Congo Diamond Miners Tell of Terror
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=566995


International arms trade $800 billion annually - largest business in the world.

Twice the second placed - illegal sale of drugs $400 billion a year

82 armed conflicts between 1989-1999 - 79 took place within national borders - arms not needed for self defense.

Reality is most arms are used on ordinary people by forces in the government or close to it.

159 wars fought since WWII - 9 out of 10 in developing world - more than 20 million people - were civilians.

War brings starvation - Biafra, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Chad, Sudan, Liberia and Somalia.

Until there is a radical reassessment of the arms trade and its consequences, millions more will be directly or indirectly killed by this lethal business.

The bottom line is that there is a lot of money to be made in weapons, and this motivates arms manufacturing.

To add to high profit margins, all arms manufactures are heavily subsidized and protected by their governments.

Free trade agreements - nearly always exempt from military spending

Industrialized countries will always be able to subsidies their corporations through defense contracts and grants for weapons research.

[DaveFL99]

4. But But

We've had a successful turnover. We're making wonderful progress. it's just a few "instakaters"

[Jacobin]

5. I predict that we will see an abrupt shift in the reporting on

IraqNam after Kerry wins.

It will be non-stop reporting about what a disaster it is. By then, it should be completely bonkers.

Then of course, after hours and hours of showing the carnage and how horrible it is, it will be inferred that its all Kerry's fault and what's he gonna do to fix it. It will also be inferred that Bush* had it under control.

So sad that corporate media has fucked this country up so bad

[ursacorwin]

8. i agree.

and it's been "out of control" for some time, anyone paying attention knows this.

the plan, as it seems to have been all along, is to let iraq fall into chaos, split into three states, and continue to have western powers extract resources without any benefit to the iraqi people.

i'll go on record: they were better off under saddam. nice job W- you can't even maintain a state as well as a ruthless dictator.

[SodoffBush]

21. astute observation in your last sentence

[democrat_patriot]

18. And than it will be Kerry's fault.

When Kerry wins - he will inherit a disaster. Hopefully he has an emergency address when he becomes president and levels with the Sheeple.

[Ganja Ninja]

45. How right you are.

If Kerry wins we'll see a complete turnaround and the media whores will suddenly find the whole place is in chaos and our forces on the brink of a military disaster. Naturally Kerry's election will have triggered all of it and the chimp's failure will be laid on Kerry and the democrats. It's all become too predictable.

[jimshoes]

49. You are absolutely right

Kerry won't get a moment's rest from the media after he takes office concerning Iraq. Daily death totals every hour on the hour.

[Zhade]

52. And THIS is why Kerry should be denouncing b*shco RIGHT NOW!

Besides the fact that it's the right thing to do, Kerry is walking right into a trap by remaining silent on the ongoing horrors in Iraq.

Kerry should admit he was wrong to vote for the war and start exposing these traitors for who they are. As one who "exposed more criminal dealings than anyone in Congress ever" (or so the myth goes), seems he has the credentials to do so, no?

[pa28]

71. That's exactly how it will play out. So right. n/t

[Minstrel Boy]

6. "it'll take time to restore chaos..."

"You're free. And freedom is beautiful. And, uhh, you know, it'll take time to restore chaos, and order, but we -- but we will."

Bush, April 13, 2003

audio here:
http://www.dubyaspeak.com/audio/chaos.phtml

[calico1]

7. Let freedom reign!

:mad:

[truthisfreedom]

46. freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

[Chimpeach]

9. not to point too fine a point on it.....

this is fucked up.

[cal04]

10. Robert Fisk did a piece on this

'Can't Blair see that this country is about to explode? Can't Bush?'
Indeed, watching any Western television station in Baghdad these days is like tuning in to Planet Mars. Doesn’t Blair realise that Iraq is about to implode? Doesn’t Bush realise this? The American-appointed "government" controls only parts of Baghdad - and even there its ministers and civil servants are car-bombed and assassinated. Baquba, Samara, Kut, Mahmoudiya, Hilla, Fallujah, Ramadi, all are outside government authority. Iyad Allawi, the "Prime Minister", is little more than mayor of Baghdad. "Some journalists," Blair announces, "almost want there to be a disaster in Iraq." He doesn’t get it. The disaster exists now.
http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles427.htm

[rooboy]

11. Bush/Cheney 2004 slogan: Worse than Saddam. n/t

[tlcandie]

12. For a link this is the best I could find to back up the thread...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3535180.stm

<snip>
But analysts have warned that unless there is significant progress in drawing the militants into the political process, the current crisis is in danger of spiralling into civil war.
<snip>

[cthrumatrix]

13. awol says "he would do this again".... see the madness of this asswipe

[koopie57]

30. I hope that at some point

Kerry uses this against him by saying that sometimes when you make a decision and it turns out not to have been a good one, you do what you need to remedy it. It is not called flip-flopping, it is called maturity and responsibility.

I don't understand how * can brag about "I would do this again" crap. It is like he is saying, "well, yes, it was a bad decision, not well planned out, foolish to not wait until the inspectors were through, not finishing up in afghanistan, not waiting for UN approval and more countries signing up, but of course, I would still do it again cuz I'm a decisive leader".

[lebkuchen]

54. I think he means that he now doesn't need any pretext at all to invade

I think Syria and Iran are in trouble if Bush slithers into the WH again.

[KansDem]

72. Apparently, the wisdom of Albert Einstein is lost on Bush...

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

[Lizzie Borden]

81. excellent quote/

:kick:

[Lizzie Borden]

82. excellent quote/

:kick:

[DemoTex]

14. Bu$h sez "Bring 'em on," mayhem ensues, and it is considered no big deal.

Teresa Heinz Kerry sez "shove it" and the world as we know it comes to an end.

[tabasco]

15. Pro journalist George Stephanopolous said Iraq was stabilized.

I guess he's been over there walking the streets to investigate.

[Jacobin]

17. Should we buy him a ticket for a vacation over ther with his

family, in the "newly stabilized Iraq"?

I'd love to get a post card from him

[lebkuchen]

58. George is too busy checking his look in the mirror to notice

the RPGs flying overhead.

[Neshanic]

19. But Matt and Katie have important stuff to report on. Laci, Hacking

[Triana]

20. another comment I heard on NPR...

...during BBC News Hour (may have been the same interview/report): The interviewer asked about the US transfer of sovereignty and the amount of violence and resistance since. The guy's first comment after that question was: "well, I don't know that there has really been any US transfer of sovereignty" (or something to that effect), then he went on to detail the resistance and violence encountered there every day still....

[bluedog]

22. articles from Iraq.........A MUST Read

The problem now is this. Bush wants his cake and he wants to eat it at the same time. In other words, he wants to own Iraq by keeping a large contingent of American troops permanently on Iraqi soil along with spies and politicians safe behind the walls of the world’s biggest US Embassy. At the same time, he doesn’t want it to appear so. He would like nothing more than for the US military in Iraq to be able to keep a low profile, while troops from Arab and Muslim nations put on a smiley public relations face to the world.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=49322&d=3&m=8&y=2004




America didn't only occupy and militarily sweep Muslim countries, it also set up hundreds of evangelization organizations and printed books about the Holocaust and distributed them in Muslim countries to wrench Muslims from their religion and make them Christians," the statement said.

"The wars now in Iraq and Afghanistan are hateful crusader wars against Muslims by America and its minions, with the blessing of the Pope who has the leaders of America between his hands like slaves," it said.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_04083crusade.shtml


Support the troops! “Air Force restricts medications carried in Air Force pharmacies. MOAA is concerned that this decision is motivated by cost alone. With this unilateral decision, the Air Force has bypassed the new, congressionally mandated Uniform Formulary (UF) process. The UF uses clinical experts to determine which medications are safest and most cost effective for the entire TRICARE program. More importantly, the decision bypasses any input from the (also congressionally mandated) Beneficiary Advisory Panel (BAP)--where beneficiary representatives have the opportunity to make public comment on pharmacy decisions.” Hey, we gotta pay for Lieutenant AWOL’s tax cuts!

http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/

War News for August 3, 2004

Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers killed, two wounded in Baghdad roadside bomb ambush.

Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police chief killed, two policemen wounded by roadside bomb in Baghdad.

Bring ‘em on: Another roadside bombing reported in Baghdad.

Bring ‘em on: One US Marine killed, six wounded in mortar attack and patrol ambush near Fallujah.

http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/

Bring ‘em on: One Iraqi killed, two wounded as US troops raid al-Sadr’s home in Kufa.

Bring ‘em on: Major pipeline attack reported near Beiji.

Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqi soldiers killed, four wounded by car bomb near Baquba.

Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police repel insurgent attack on police station near Kirkuk.

CENTCOM reports another US Marine died from wounds received in fighting in al-Anbar province.

[iconoclastic cat]

23. What can we do about this? Should we start writing letters?

I think we need to do something besides sit around at DU complaining.

[donkeyotay]

40. do something?

Besides complain? I come here to complain and to listen to people trash the prez. I think it's keeping me more or less sane, because when I listen to television, I think my head is going to explode.

We've tried protests, petitions and letters and it hasn't worked. It just keeps getting worse. I do have a plan that I think might work. I thought about this for a long time and concluded that the left has many people working on many issues, but the common denominator is that representation has been sold to corporations. The remedy is to restore representative government.

We tried fiddling with it - McCain-Feingold - and it didn't work. That's because incrementalism will not work. We need to have the courage to demand full and immediate public elections and make bribery illegal again.

We could organize a campaign, where everyone makes up whatever letter they want with fully funded elections as the main topic, makes copies, buys a role of stamps, (use postcards if the money matters)and sends those babies in in an avalanche of mail. Send them to the local offices, not Washington, until the volume alone becomes newsworthy.

This will give congress the political cover they need to actually DO something for the American people. Do you realize that on the day this comes to pass every senator and representative will suddenly be free to tell the truth?

I know that some people who think they benefit from the current system hate this idea, and lots of people are afraid of the people actually having any power, but the current system of corporate governance is fascism and it's killing us.

[The Spirit of JFK]

24. THIS is why the troops will not be home before the election.

We'l, THAT, and they still need to plant...I mean FIND the WMD.

There is NO way they are going to allow the troops to come home...the press will want to interview them ("so was it great rebuilding Iraq and giving them all hope")...and even THIS press could not ignore all the troops coming home with low morale and spilling all about what's really going on.

[demoman123]

41. They will not be home AFTER the election either.

Not for a long, long time. No matter who wins.

[SOS]

25. Now that the Iraq invasion is devolving

into complete failure, chaos and civil war, CNN has essentially ceased their coverage.

Our news is now only propaganda. Sad days for the former republic.

[tlcandie]

59. Reminds me of Afghanistan....

It's like it has ceased to exist except for some SMALL little blurp every now and then.

[Briar]

26. That's interesting...

The BBC's news services at home, on the radio and tv, tend to be far more upbeat about Iraq, more or less taking the Bush/Bliar line. Their idea of commentators on the current situation are turncoats like Ann Clywd and spokesmen for the quisling Iraqi government. Iraqi deaths are scrupulously kept out of the headlines.

Similarly, the BBC's security correspondents are all saying to the UK population that we should take the current terror alert at face value...

So the World Service has not been Huttonised?

[maxsolomon]

27. you cannot defeat terror by deploying terror

the arabs are right about one thing: 'state terror' is real. its called war.

i hate it when i agree with Osama Bin Laden.

[The_Casual_Observer]

28. Reports only say insurgent-police clashes now.

Our military is no longer engaging the citizens of Iraq in battle? Mission Accomplished? or are we laying low until November 3 to minimize deaths of marines?

[Lyagushka]

29. Afghanistan is the template

Look at the mess that is Afghanistan, that soon disappeared from the news after a few weeks, yet like Iraq, the government at best only control part of Kabul.

Reporters such as Robert Fisk are frequently derided for being 'hysterical' yet it is now the hight of the Summer. Electricity supplies frequently fail, the sewerage and water systems are far worse than before the war.

Bush pushed for the war to start before the Summer because of the effect these conditions would have on the troops. One year on and it is even worse- but anyone reporting the appalling conditions inflicted on the Iraqi people is just being 'hysterical' and not reporting all the 'good' news there is out there.

I have heard many reports on the BBC World Service, and there is an increasing air of desperation in those that report. It is almost as if they cannot bring themselves to really describe the reality of the situation, lest they incur the wrath of Blair and his cronies for 'left wing bias'.

[Zhade]

57. Excellent points. Welcome to DU.

Sorry to meet under such circumstances!

[Lyagushka]

70. Thanks

It's nice to be here :) I also wish the circumstances could be better to.

[Barrett808]

31. Brother of Ansar al-Islam chief killed in Mosul clashes

MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) - A brother of Mullah Krekar, head of the radical Islamic group Ansar al-Islam, was killed during clashes pitting insurgents against Iraqi and US forces, a provincial government spokesman said.

"Khalid Sido, the brother of Mullah Krekar, was killed during the clashes in the Yarmouk neighbourhood" of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, said Hazem Dalawi on Wednesday.

He said that weapons were found inside Sido's Opel vehicle as well as a black flag emblazoned: "There is only one God and Mohammed is his prophet."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040804/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_unrest_mosul_ansar

[leftchick]

85. so I am guessing with this fellows death the US has now created...

a few Hundred more resistance fighters at the very least. Way to go USA!! :puke:

[Az_lefty]

32. Iraq was never under control

:shrug:

[nolabels]

42. This was just happy news for happy people

(I guess he will get the real news in November)
Posted on Mon, Aug. 02, 2004

Franks: `Mission Accomplished' aimed to draw foreign involvement

BY DAVID TARRANT

The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - (KRT) - After commanding the operation that toppled Saddam Hussein, Gen. Tommy Franks suggested that President Bush publicly mark an end to major combat in Iraq - an idea that led to the president's politically controversial appearance aboard an aircraft carrier.

Bush's announcement, under a banner that read "Mission Accomplished," took place just six weeks after the start of the war, generating harsh criticism as being a premature celebration and political grandstanding.

Franks, who retired a year ago, said he thought a public announcement would send a green light to countries that had balked at joining combat operations but had expressed willingness to join efforts to rebuild Iraq.

"That was not so everyone could have a victory lap," Franks said in a telephone interview Monday. "We'd been given to believe that once major hostilities were over, we would have lots and lots more help from the international community."
(snip)
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/9304837.htm?1c

[Bernardo de La Paz]

44. Franks just changed his story

Just a day or two ago, a DU article reported Franks had caused the banner to be made and displayed as a way to get "closure" for the troops. Some "closure" with the backdoor draft!

[nolabels]

48. Don't they always?

(snip)
4. Bush Flip-Flops On Calling For A U.N. Vote On Iraq War

Bush Flip: U.S. Will Seek U.N. Vote For War With Iraq
Bush: ...yes, we'll call for a vote.
Question: No matter what?
Bush: No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations Security Council. And so, you bet. It's time for people to show their cards, let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam.

Bush Flop: Bush Attacked Iraq Without U.N. Vote
Bush "failed to win explicit council approval for the use of force" in Iraq. Two days before bombs began to fall in Iraq, the Bush administration withdrew its resolution from the UN Security Council that would have authorized military force. Bush abandoned his call for a vote after it became clear that the US could muster only four votes in support of force.
(snip)

http://www.theweeklybush.com/pages/bush_flip_flops.php

[nolabels]

43. dupe

n/t

[arikara]

33. Iraq is chimpy's monkey trap

A monkey sees a bottle with a banana inside it. The neck of the bottle is just big enough for the monkey's hand to slide in. The monkey grabs the banana and finds he cannot remove his hand without letting go of the banana. George Bush's monkey trap is Iraq. Having invaded Iraq to impose "freedom and democracy" on the Iraqi people (and/or control Iraq's oil, protect Israel and the dollar), the chimp is now faced with the monkey trap choice: turn loose the material goodies or "stay the course"...

[The_Casual_Observer]

39. This is a terrific analogy

Thanks

[daleo]

55. Yeah, that was good. n/t

n/t

[0007]

61. A peanut in a jar traps the monkey better than a banana

but the analogy is right on!

[nolabels]

35. Don't listen, watch or read their bull crap

Most of this was not a surprise for most hanging out at DU for anytime. i only check the local rag out to see what kind lies they are telling today. If i were to get angry, it would be at the people listening to the lies. These people that maybe even unknowingly listen to the lies will be some more of our Friends once they figure out why truth was more important. With that end in sight i will waiting in anticipation

[Minstrel Boy]

36. Narco-petro terror states occupied by the US military

and exploited by American industry.

That's the BushCo vision for the Middle East.

"Exporting democracy"? Yeah, that's it. :eyes:

[allemand]

37. It was Robert Fisk himself on Newshour - link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/ram/newshour1200.ram

The interview begins at 6:38 min.

[Zhade]

64. Everyone needs to listen to that report.

Fisk states that in a 3-day period in July, there were 105 attacks on soldiers. No wonder so many civilians are dying!

And bringing Saudi forces into Iraq = fall of the house of Saud. Nothing could inflame al Qaeda and their sympathizers in Arabia more.

This is madness.

:grr:

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

38. I too heard this report

and was struck by the contrast between it and what we are given from the networks. This pre-emptive invasion has de-stabilzed the entire country and....,well hell, I don't have to tell any of you about the long term implications of this occupation.
I'd encourage anyone reading this to find the BBC outlet where you live, or use your pc or so something, anything, to obtain information about Iraq from sources other than the American media.
edited for spelling :)

[Gloria]

47. If you don't get BBC WS on NPR, buy yourself

a good shortwave radio. I listen every morning, switching between Outlook and Newshour...the Africa and Asia feeds run a slightly different schedule, an hour apart on these programs.

BBC no longer broadcasts directly to the US...however, in many areas you can pick it up, either the Africa or Asia feeds. I even pick up the Europe feed at bedtime here in southern NM.

Right now, I'm picking it up with just the indoor antenna that Grundig provides. Once I complete the grounding of my 25 foot high antenna with it's 50 ft wire, well, it's really good reception. (I blew out a radio without a ground using this antenna..too much static electricity in the air around here). If you don't want to erect an antenna like mine, just throw a 20-22 wire outside, which will pick up very well and reduce the static and possible overload.

I use a Grundig 400PE and have not had to listen to American radio for well over a year!!! In the AM, besides the two BBC feeds, I also listen to Radio Canada which also has superior news reporting on the international front. I listen throughout the afternoon, too, but the Malloy comes on! (LOL)

Really, do yourself a favor and get a good shorwave radio!!

[lebkuchen]

51. Thanks for the info. Where are you, anyway? nt

[Gloria]

84. Lebkuchen, I am in Las Cruces, New Mexico.....

actually, take that 20-22 ft wire and hang the end up as high as possible, even in a tree, or tie a rock or weight to the end and throw up to the edge of your roof.....

The Canadian show "News at 6" is the real heavyweight news show I listen to on Radio Canada/CBC (Radio Canada International picks up shows from CBC in addition to producing their own). That's 6 ET. On Wednesday evenings they run "Dispatches" from correspondents...excellent stuff.

ALso just heard a report from Sudan. The demonstrators know it's about oil and I heard them shouting about the media. The reporter also said that it's so complex, again because of the tribal aspects which the Bushies refuse to factor in...it's not black and white, as Bush perceived Iraq. Let's see if the British walk in and get clobbered.........

[papau]

53. I posted the 130 deaths in last week on DU - but our media says nothing

I swear the latest Rove/Bush script for the media said take Iraq off the front page.

[donkeyotay]

60. Iraq is not news

"I swear the latest Rove/Bush script for the media said take Iraq off the front page."

Yep, I think that's exactly what happened. Iraq has officially not been news since the June 30th "handover."

[Clyde39]

56. Why not on ours? Mary L., Scott P, etc. etc. That's REAL news!

Those darn liberal media people just tell lies and more lies constantly about Bush, according to people who write into our newspaper.

[Tight_rope]

63. Well! Well! Well!.....looks like someone is trying to get the true out!

[Bo]

66. I have two friends there and they say its lost

They are foreign U.S. fighters from Peru. In ther words "Esta bien kagado"

[Barrett808]

67. "Iraq is not as bad as the news media are portraying - It's worse"

The situation in Iraq right now is not as bad as the news media are portraying it to be. It's worse.
By Ken Dilanian
Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted on Sun, Aug. 01, 2004

A kind of violence fatigue has descended over news coverage of Iraq. Car bombings that would have made the front page a year ago get scant mention these days.

Assassinations and kidnappings have become so common that they have lost their power to shock. More U.S. soldiers died in July (38) than in June (26), but that didn't make the nightly newscasts, either.

The U.S.-led effort to restore basic services has become a story of missed goals and frustrations. Hoped-for foreign investment in Iraq's economy hasn't materialized - what company is going to risk seeing its employees beheaded on television?

Simply by staving off stability and prosperity, the insurgents are winning.

These are painful observations for me to make, because in early April, I wrote on this page that the media had been underplaying the good things happening in Iraq, and were missing the potential for a turnaround.

I still believe the first part. But when I returned to Iraq in June, I found that the situation had deteriorated so dramatically that a lot of those good things have become irrelevant.

As for the turnaround, I couldn't have been more wrong.

(more)

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/sunday_review/9296480.htm?ERIGHTS=1667899555186884797philly::[e-mail]&KRD_RM=7pnvwtpuopwtvuwqpwnnnnnnnn|password|N

[SoCalDem]

68. How DARE you???

The little girls have pencils and they are going to school.. Our president keeps telling us that.. BBC must be lying... I think deep down they are French :P

[Lyagushka]

74. French ?

Get real ! The BBC now have 24 hour news coverage- the French still have a 35 hour working week !

Still, Le Monde Diplomatique has had some very good reporting from Iraq that rather goes against the grain of the triumphalist solipsisms that so much of the mainstream press enduldge.

Be kind to our Beeb, it is having a hard time under Blair.

[SoCalDem]

78. Sorry, you missed the "inside joke"..

Welcome to DU.:hi:..

There are some inside jokes here at DU that newcomers don't "get" right away..

that post was entirely

[Lyagushka]

80. Sorry !

I was only joking ! I did see the funny side- honest !

I just feel a bit protective to our poor Beeb after the savaging Blair gave it...if you kick out Bush, there may yet be hope for us too


*fingers crossed*

[seemslikeadream]

69. I am too scared to close my eyes

http://www.bushflash.com/year.html WATCH THIS VIDEO only takes 3 minutes

Enveloped in a sentiment,
A sound that rushes over me.
Engage an impulse to pretend
I have a faith as pure.
Not forgetting what it means to dream.
Indulging everything.
Entertaining thoughts that I've the strength
Of those I yearn to be.
Cheers and tribute greet the saviours.
Reckless thoughts survive.
Anachronistic and impulsive.

And what will happen?
Will I dream?
I am too scared to close my eyes.
For a second please hold me.
None can change in me these things that I believe.
But I don't know what happens now.
I am too scared to close my eyes.

Legion
Vnv Nation

[skordane]

75. The Press Can Not Get Out of the Green Zone

The reason this is not reported is that not many press people are traveling around Iraq right now. They are literally barricaded in the Green zones around Iraq. If they do venture out they will be attacked unless they are under heavily guarded escort.

[Lyagushka]

76. Juan Cole

Sorry to repeat this link if people already know of it, but Juan Cole (Professor of History at the University of Michigan) has a highly informative blog at http://www.juancole.com.

He is highly knowledgeable about Iraq and the Middle East and posts regular updates in the recent tragic deaths. He is very informative on the different religious and political factions within Iraq.

He also treats Bush with the disdain he deserves.

[Miss Authoritiva]

83. Thanks for the link. This paragraph struck hard:

"Robert Fisk reflects on his three weeks in Iraq. He maintains that neither PM Allawi nor the American troops control most of the country, and that the security situation is very bad. I have to say, the Iraq he describes looks an awful lot more plausible to me than the one on US television and in US politicians' speeches."