Sacrifice Update
2,500 U.S. troops have now died in Iraq. Since we have neither a viable exit strategy nor, we know now, any real desire to ever withdraw, we should expect the next tragic milestone to be 3,000 during the next few months, then 3,500, and eventually 5,000 and beyond. Today the Pentagon also said that 18,490 troops have lost arms, legs, hands, feet, eyes, faces, or futures. Remember, we're not supposed to think about any of this beyond officially-approved bromides about "supporting the troops" or maybe doing something a bit radical like putting one of those yellow ribbon stickers on the car bumper. What are you doing to really remind others?
posted by The Cunning Realist at Thursday, June 15, 2006
21 Comments:
Keep praying that they come home soon and safely is in all my friends daily prayers. Plus that and counting the days when Bush will leave office.
I perioically pass this on to friend and foe alike, wishing them a happy weekend.
"U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 2497
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 3
Total 2500
DoD Confirmation List
Latest Coalition Fatality: Jun 15, 2006"
http://icasualties.org/oif/
I'm pointing out articles like this. It didn't have to come to this.
I think the most tragic milestone will be 3,021, when the number of troop deaths will equal the number of casualties on 9/11.
But the president had a good week this week: Zarqawi, visit to Iraq, smoke and mirrors.
I am guilty of doing nothing at all. If I say something about it, people declare me a bad patriot. They say that the soldiers signed up for duty voluntarily, and that's what it takes to make our country safe. People have to come to their senses all by themselves. Unfortunately, some are learning the hard way, with casualties in their own family. I feel very sorry for them. They also need to be able to swallow their pride, which is a very difficult thing to do for many conservatives.
Concerning the debate on whether to stay in Iraq or not, has anyone done a cost-benefit analysis? If we're spending more and losing more lives just trying to protect our presence there than Iraq as a whole, that's definitely a signal to pull out. Each time I hear the word "green zone" or that we're building an embassy the size of Vatican City, I hear "We're trying to protect our presence, not the Iraqi people."
The link above to Greg Palast's article was interesting. There was a Plan after all, and it all makes sense. The hearts and minds, let alone the livelihoods, of Iraqis didn't count for a thing.
I have friends in the Reserve and friends who served in the first Gulf War but are now too old. When I mention the US death toll, lack of body armor, cutting Veterans' Services budgets, etc. etc., they are with me to a certain point. "Yeah, yeah, we gotta vote out the Congressmen who did that," never taking the blame any higher.
But if I make the slightest, tiny little insinuation that the war was or is not worth those costs, they immediately contradict me. "No, no, you don't understand, we want to go over there and serve our country. Even if we have to blow kids to bits, even if we have to die or get maimed. War is hell, but that's our job, it's what we want to do. We don't want no stinkin' handouts from the VA, we don't want charity, we'll get by, so don't you dare suggest we need to vote out pro-war politicians just because they mishandle the VA."
I do think the majority of soldiers choose to do this, this violence, even at great cost to themselves. During a just war, that's a wonderful thing. During this war, it's a crime, both by them and against them. In any case, I think the old cliché is true: it's the soldier's job to kill people and break things, not to pick the battles. We citizens have to do that for them, through our elected representatives. (Although the system seems to have broken down in this case, assuming Bush was actually elected.)
While numerous, I suspect that people like this Daniel are exceptions to the rule. I think most soldiers want to do these horrible things, whether it's just from glorified inexperience or overzealous patriotism, or whatever. Sometimes, there's a place for that. This time, not. (Damn if that article about "Daniel" didn't have me on the verge of tears, sitting here reading it at work.)
For all the talk, I don't believe that most Americans give a flying fuck about the soldiers being ground up in Iraq, and they care even less about Iraqis. It's not like anything happening in our Mesopotamian adventure is secret, in the way that, say, the Politburo could keep unpleasant aspects of its interventions in Czechoslovakia or Afghanistan secret. But the sad fact is, the decades-old project to vilify the very notion of public life has paid off handsomely. Americans essentially shrugged their way into this bastard, hopeless war. Folks who warned then about what we're seeing now were written off as "activists" -- another way of saying "obsessive assholes".
I hate to say it, but I think the big experiment of 1789 is coming to a close, and the conclusions aren't good. The political system drawn up by the founders is no longer capable of responding to contemporary problems. We've been evading the consequences of our energy habits for 30 years now. Fifteen years ago, we decided to ignore the implosion of the only power that might have presented an existential threat, and opt for an especially dim-witted and unacknowledged kind of empire. Two years ago, we had the chance to eject a government that's run by a pack of unindicted co-conspirators who are plainly out of their depth -- but roughly half of our fellow "citizens" opted for more of the same.
-- sglover
As these guys found out, "The price is so high for telling the truth."
These are dangerous times, we attack truth-tellers, courage, commonsense and heros, and we give medals to incompetents and praise the liars and cruel. On Tavis Smiley last night, the guest was talking about moderate Republicans changing to the Democratic party because they believe in evolution, and the blue collar laborers who were always Democratic are going to the Republican party because of the brand of "values" being sold.
A quote from "The Majestic" always seems to apply:
(Peter) Actually I do not want to be contrary, but I think there is. Gosh, I don't know what to say. There is . .. I have never been a man of great convictions. I never saw the percentage in it. Quite frankly I suppose . . . I . . .ah . . . lack the courage. See I am not like Luke Tremble. He had the market cornered on those things. I never met the guy, but . . . I feel like I got to know him. The thing is I cannot help to wonder what he would say, if he was standing here right now. He would probably tell you that the America represented in this room is not the America that he died defending. I think he
would tell you that your America is bitter, and
cruel, and small . . . I know for a fact that his
America is big. . . Bigger than you can imagine .
. With a wide open heart . . . Where every
person has a voice. Even though you don't like
what they have to say.
(Chair) you are out of order.
(Chair) Enough. You are out of order.
(Peter) If he were here; how would you respond. You could explain to him what has happened to his America.
For all the comments here I don't believe that any of you (TCR included) give a flying fuck about the troops and care even less about any other people on earth. You are exploiting there deaths to rail against a war that you never supported. Your attempts to sound righteous ring hollow and you are not fooling anyone but yourselves. So go ahead and pat yourselves on the back, look into the mirror and repeat, I am a good person.
Maybe they are real christians and actually have a moral philosophy. A relic of the old America like the Quakers. 99.9% of Americans have no moral philosophy. They worship State power. Mussolini won WW2 after all.
For all the comments here I don't believe that any of you (TCR included) give a flying fuck about the troops and care even less about any other people on earth. You are exploiting there deaths to rail against a war that you never supported. Your attempts to sound righteous ring hollow and you are not fooling anyone but yourselves. So go ahead and pat yourselves on the back, look into the mirror and repeat, I am a good person.
Well, speaking for myself, 1) I'm a vet, and 2) I happen to live within a mile or Walter Reed Army Hospital, so every few days I get to see young guys going into town to try out their new prosthetic arms and legs. I share some little rite-of-passage experiences with these guys, and I got to miss one big ugly experience. The whole thing bothers me cuz it taps into these emotions called "empathy" and "sympathy". I know right-wingers like to downplay them, or dispense with them entirely, but some of us aren't so advanced.
Another thing. You're right, I figured Iraq would be a misbegotten clusterfuck from the start. I always knew it would be a waste of resources in general, but as a resident of the DC area I've got a more specific take, too. See, DC's been attacked, and remains pretty high on anyone's target list. So I gotta wonder about priorities, when I see billions of my tax dollars pissed away in the desert, while obvious vulnerabilities go unaddressed (e.g. railroad tank cars loaded with chlorine, rolling through the center of the city), because that would interfere with Holy Commerce. Don't even get me started on how "Homeland Security" wants to spread the wealth to defend hotbutton targets like Akron....
Nope, I always say, if you wanna hear some hollow righteousness, listen to the guys who talk long and hard about our glorious war, but won't enlist, and won't even demand that the government levies sufficient taxes to pay for its wars. So I can understand why you left your remark anonymously: If I'd made your comments, I wouldn't want to attach my name to them, either. More of that empathy thing, you might say....
-- sglover
Please check out Arkin's post today. Then ask yourself, if we had an Iraqi army operating at Level 1 status, would we be able to stay in the country for a decade standing them up while we stand ourselves down?
Since when have facistic regimes cared about anyone but themselves?
All the GOP is interested in is to make sure they and their wealthy, loyal supportes get what they want - money, money, money - and screw everyone else.
If some citizen are stupid enough to enlist and get chewed up in Iraq, that is their bad luck, but we make sure that when they come back and then needs help the VA will screw him again. We don't like to waste our money on these stupid veterans. We don't believe in social welfare, only corporate welfare. They should be satisfied and happy when we say such nice things about our soldiers, but well we have better use for our money.
And the nice thing about it, is that the american public is so stupid that they swallow all our spin (bullshit) and do not bother to find out the truth. So why should we be moral, ethical and square with the public.
IT IS NOT TO OUR (GOP) ADVANTAGE.
I email a large list of friends the current casuality count once a week.
Thank God for our troops and their mission.
Donna ... what is today's "mission" du jour???
Bring 'em Home!!!!!!!
to anonymous:
First you ask your relatives serving in the ME about their mission, and I'll ask mine, then we can compare notes.
15 Year old get death threats for voicing her opinion about the Iraq war.
98% of the adult US population doesn't have the courage this young person does. A lot can't afford to voice their opinion, most just don't care one way or another.
< What are you doing to really remind others? >
Tony Snow, White House Communications Director, is doing his best to remind us of the number of Americans killed in Iraq. Said Snow : "It's just a number."
Comment
Post a Comment
<< Home