Saturday, November 15, 2014

I Hate The War

Gen Martin Dempsey has declared that the US is making progress in Iraq.  He made that statement in Iraq.

Sadly, he made that statement after sneaking into Iraq.

NBC News notes, "The United States' top military officer told American troops on a surprise visit to Baghdad on Saturday that the momentum in the battle with ISIS was 'starting to turn', but predicted a drawn-out campaign lasting several years."

Are things really "starting to turn"?

If a US official says so, it must be true!

If it were really true, US officials wouldn't have the need to sneak into Iraq.

If it were really true, we wouldn't be hearing 'turned corner!' with "but it'll take more years!" tagged on to it.

If things change, then they change.

As for improving?

We've heard that "turned corner" lie for years now.

Which brings us to the supposed leader of the Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdidi.

Is he dead?

The week started with the press making that claim.

But we've seen that move before too.

When the US government has someone wanted person captured in Iraq or killed, they're never shy about letting the world know with visual proof.

The US governement offered no visual proof.

By mid-week, doubts were emerging.

By the end of this week supposed message from beyond were emerging -- indicating he wasn't dead.

Dead or alive, it really wasn't a story.  At best, if he were dead, it was a paragraph in a report.

His death neither ends the Islamic State nor does it weaken it. (A point Naina Bajekal of Time magazine grasped if few others did.)

Baghdadi's death -- true or false -- was nothing but propaganda.  In fact, it was US-government sponsored propaganda with the US working with the Jordanian government to start the rumors and then using the US press to spread them.




It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)


The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] at least 4491.  (At least? Link is down currently: "We're sorry, the web page you are looking for cannot be found on the server. The page may have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.")


The following community sites updated:


  • Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)
    Bob Geldof wants to 'help'
    3 hours ago 

  • Thomas Friedman is a Great Man
    Thank goodness The Millers has been cancelled
    14 hours ago
  • Trina's Kitchen
    Cranberries in the Kitchen
    14 hours ago

  •  
  • Cedric's Big Mix
    A trick, a con, call it what you will
    1 day ago
  • The Daily Jot
    THIS JUST IN! GUBER! GOOBER GUBER!
    1 day ago 






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