Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Iraq

A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died at a Coalition forces medical facility in Baghdad today as a result of wounds sustained following an IED attack Aug. 26. The Soldier was wounded after the vehicle he was traveling in was struck by an improvised explosive device in northeastern Baghdad Aug. 26.

The US military announced the above today. The death brings to 4148 US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war and 20 since the start of the illegal war.

In terms of press, we'll note Paul von Zielbauer's "U.S. Soldiers Executed Iraqis, Statements Say" (New York Times):

In March or April 2007, three noncommissioned United States Army officers, including a first sergeant, a platoon sergeant and a senior medic, killed four Iraqi prisoners with pistol shots to the head as the men stood handcuffed and blindfolded beside a Baghdad canal, two of the soldiers said in sworn statements.
After the killings, the first sergeant -- the senior noncommissioned officer of his Army company -- told the other two to remove the men's bloody blindfolds and plastic handcuffs, according to the statements made to Army investigators, which were obtained by The New York Times.

Aaron LeClair's "War, peace, truth, lies, life, choice" (Laramie Boomerang) notes Iraq Veterans Against the War's Matthis Chiroux:

Sgt. Matthis Chirous of the Individual Ready Reserve is a war resister and IVAW member who had successfully refused to deploy to Iraq earlier this year.
He is the first person to refuse a deployment and not be prosecuted.
"They tried to send me and I publically refused to go," he said while the IVAW protestors took a break from marching.
Chirous, who is from Brooklyn, N.Y., refused to deploy to Iraq because he said the war is illegal according to the Constitution.
"The occupation of Iraq is in violation of Article 6, Section 2 of my U.S. Constitution, which I have sworn to protect and defend before anything else as a serviceman to this country," he said.
Chirous was ordered to deploy to Iraq on June 15. But he stood before the U.S. Congress on May 16 and publically refused by calling the war in Iraq illegal and immoral.
In addition to publically refusing to deploy, he informed the Congress of the plight of Iraqi war resistors. For his testimony, Chirous received a letter signed by 15 Congressmen and Congresswomen that they sent to President Bush.
Chirous said he was marching for IVAW during the DNC in Denver to rebuke the Democratic Party for its failure to end the war in Iraq after it was given majorities in both the House and Senate in 2006.
"We are trying to bring the message to the Democrats that you have failed to end the war as we, the American people, have demanded," he said. "We will now force your hand. We will hold you accountable for your promises."

We covered Ned Parker's article in yesterday's snapshot but we'll throw in a link here.

From yesterday's snapshot:


"Open the Debates" Super Rally at the DNC
Speakers/Performers: Val Kilmer, Sean Penn, Tom Morello, Jello Biafra, Nellie McKay, Cindy Sheehan, Ike Reilly and more
Magness Arena, University of Denver
2199 South University Blvd. Denver, CO 80208
Click here to go to the Denver Super Rally web page
(303) 832-2509 or events@votenader.org
Map it
Jess spoke with Ashley Sanders, the Super Rally Media Coordinator this evening, and she states, "We're hoping for 5,000 people and we want the mood to be thoroughly democratic and we want the peopl to feel inspired about voting for candidates who actually represent them."

Denver_Color_Flier_230w

The rally is today. This is it for the regular entries. I've read the e-mails and we're grabbing a topic that I heard about last night as well. Hearing about it (from women very upset by it), I planned to make it the Thursday night topic; however, it is huge in the private e-mail accounts (members) and in the public account (visitors).


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.





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