Sunday, August 10, 2008

And the war drags on . . .

Iraq Veterans Against the War are in the midst of a summer base tour and upcoming dates include:

Fort Stewart
Mon, August 11, 2008
7 pm
Stafford Pavillion
607 Oglethorp Hwy
Hinesville, GA
Fundraiser
Tues, August 12, 2008
7pm
202 E 32nd St
Savannah, GA 31401
Fort Hood
Fundraiser
Thur, August 14, 2008
7pm
Genuine Joe’s
2001 W Anderson Ln
Austin, TX 78757
BBQ
Fri, August 15, 2008
7 pm
TBD
Concert - Ryan Harvey
Sat, August 16, 2008
7pm-2am
Ruta Maya
3601 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
Fort Sill
Concert - 8-bit Cynics, MC Jabee
Sun, August 17, 2008
7pm
Cross Rhodes Tavern
2548 N.W. Ft Sill Blvd
Lawton, OK 73507
Fundraiser
Mon, August 18, 2008
7:30 pm
1st Unitarian Church
600 NW 13th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
BBQ - VA Benefits / GI Rights information
Tue, August 19, 2008
7pm
Location TBD
Fort Carson / Denver (Democratic National Convention)
Concert
Sun, August 24, 2008
Denver Park Bandstand
23rd Ave
Denver, CO
Minneapolis (IVAW Convention and Republican National Convention)
Event details to come.
Camp Pendleton
Fundraiser - Potluck BBQ
Thur, September 4, 2008
6:30PM
1462 Burroughs St
Oceanside, CA 92054
BBQ
Fri, September 5, 2008
7pm
Capistrano Park
770 Capistrano Dr
Oceanside, CA
Concert
Sat, September 6, 2008
Location: TBD

For more information, you can use these IVAW links:

Latest Base Tour Updates
Latest Base Tour News Coverage
Upcoming Base Tour Stops
More information on the Base Tour
Meet the Base Tour crew

The start of August brought the non-stop 'news' of 'success' in Iraq and 'turned corner' and all the other hogwash that's a component of Operation Happy Talk. Multiple bombings took place in Baghdad over the weekend -- yeah, Baghdad 'the protected' area. Reported violence claimed at least 35 lives over the weekend. The number of US service members killed in Iraq continued to rise but all the press can talk about is whispers that just maybe a treaty between the White House and the puppet of the occupation (Nouri al-Maliki) is about to be 'finalized' (such a treaty has to go to the Iraqi Parliament for approval and should go to the US Senate though Bully Boy thinks he can sidestep them). Nearly five and half years later and no end to the illegal war.


They're just there to try and make the people free,
But the way that they're doing it, it don't seem like that to me.
Just more blood-letting and misery and tears
That this poor country's known for the last twenty years,
And the war drags on.
-- words and lyrics by Mick Softly (available on Donovan's Fairytale)


Last Sunday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war hit the 4,128 mark. And tonight? 4138. Today the US military announced: "A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier and four Iraqi citizens were killed, and others wounded during a complex attack in the Tarmiyah district, north of Baghdad at approximately 2 p.m. Aug. 10. After an initial improvised explosive device detonated, an MND-B team was sent to investigate. Shortly after the team’s arrival, a suicide vest attack occurred and was followed by small-arms fire. The attacks also wounded two U.S. Soldiers, 15 local nationals, three Iraqi Policemen and three Sons of Iraq members." And yesterday they announced: "One U.S. Soldier was killed and two others wounded after an improvised explosive device struck their patrol in Baghdad at approximately 9:30 p.m. Aug. 8. " The death toll for the month is 11. Remember when July's total of 13 was "news" and you couldn't avoid it? Somehow 11 dead already this month barely gets a mention. But then it doesn't fit in with the myth of the 'turned corner' and the 'working' 'surge,' does it? 11 so far this month, ten more since last Sunday. But if everyone pretends not to notice, maybe we can all believe the 'surge' worked, right?


Just Foreign Policy's counter estimates the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war to be 1,252,595 up from 1,251,944 last Sunday. Turning to some of the weekend's reported violence starting with Sunday.

Bombings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing that wounded two Iraqi civilians and two Iraqi soldiers, another Baghdad roadside bombing that claimed 2 lives and left ten wounded, a third Baghdad roadside bombing that wounded three Iraqi military members, another Baghdad roadside bombing that wounded two security contractors, a Baghdad car bombing that claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier (five more wounded), another Baghdad roadside bombing that claimed 3 lives and left ten wounded, a Baghdad bomber who killed themselves and claimed the lives of 10 people with twenty more wounded and a Diyala Province car bombing that claimed the life of the driver as well as 3 civilians (twenty more wounded). Reuters notes a Khanaqin bus bombing that claimed 3 lives and left at least twenty people injured. Dropping back to Saturday, Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy) reported a Baghdad roadside bombing that left four police officers wounded, a Baghdad apartment bombing that left two people wounded, a Diyala Province home bombing that claimed the life of 1 police officer and a Diyala Province roadside bombing that wounded two police officers.

Shootings?

Saturday Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy) reported an attack on "the director of Al Qadisiya pool in Baghdad" (Satar Amir) that claimed the life of 1 of his sons and left the director and another son wounded and 1 man shot dead in Erbil.


Corpses?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 3 corpses discovered in Baghdad. Saturday Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy) reported 3 corpses discovered in Baghdad and 1 in Diyala Province.

Again, thirty-five reported dead above. And notice how many attacks took place in Baghdad. That would be the one area that the US is supposed to 'control.'

New content at Third:

Truest statement of the week
A note to our readers
Editorial: NPR aka Home of the Unqualified
TV: The stench of 'public affairs' programming
Stop-Loss
'Friends' and Bigots
You can learn a lot from a movie
Nader and Gonzalez speak to the people
War resistance then
The sorry John Edwards spectacle
Highlights

Isaiah's latest goes up after this. UK members are noting they have a demonstration against the illegal war planned next month and where's the US? As Gareth writes, "Guess the 'left' in the States can't oppose the illegal and immoral war and also support the war hawk Barack Obama so ending the war takes a back seat?" That does appear to be the case, Gareth. Pru notes "Demonstrate against the war at Labour Party conference" (Great Britain's Socialist Worker):

Protesting against the war at Labour’s conference in Manchester in 2006 (Pic: » Guy Smallman)

The Stop the War Coalition has called a national demonstration at the Labour Party conference in Manchester on 20 September to protest against the continuing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The demonstration will also highlight the cost of the war.
Chris Nineham from the Stop the War Coalition told Socialist Worker, “Gordon Brown is supporting George Bush’s wars as enthusiastically as Tony Blair did. There are still thousands of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The war budget is now £32.6 billion and set to rise to £36.9 billion in 2010. That money could be spent on pensions, food subsidies and services. The ‘Troops Out’ demonstration to Labour’s conference is a rare chance to make the government aware of real public opinion.”
For more information go to » www.stopwar.org.uk
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