CNN protester labels

This morning, as I was waking up, I tuned into CNN Headline News. They were covering the recent protest against the war in Washington DC, which was organized by the ANSWER Coalition.

The protesters against the war in Iraq were labeled as "Anti-War," which is relatively accurate. They numbered in the 10,000 range.

At the same time, there was a counter-protest, at the Washington monument, which had about 1,000 people involved. CNN chose to label these people as "Pro-Troop." The fact is, that they believe the war in Iraq is necessary, and therefore, they should have been called "Pro-Iraq War."

Because they were labeled as troop supporters, then, logically, one would assume that the opposition, the anti-war people, do not support the troops. That is far from the truth, as the anti-war protesters want the troops out of the unnecessary war that is killing our troops.

On a side note, the pro-war rally was shouting chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A" while waving the American Flag. Sound familiar? That is straight out of the Presidential advance manual, which instructs loyal party members to shout down the few protesters that make it past the screening process and actually end up in Bush's appearances.

U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan - Haaretz - Israel News

U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan - Haaretz - Israel News: "National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky said yesterday that the port of Haifa is an attractive destination for Iraqi oil and that he plans to discuss this matter with the U.S. secretary of energy during his planned visit to Washington next month. Paritzky added that the plan depends on Jordan's consent and that Jordan would receive a transit fee for allowing the oil to piped through its territory. The minister noted, however, that 'due to pan-Arab concerns, it will be hard for the Jordanians to agree to the flow of Iraqi oil via Jordan and Israel.'

Sources in Jerusalem confirmed yesterday that the Americans are looking into the possibility of laying a new pipeline via Jordan and Israel. (There is also a pipeline running via Syria that has not been used in some three decades.)"

Yes, our current way of stealing Iraq's oil is simply not efficient enough. We must find a way to steal it easier and faster.

US accuses Saudis of telling lies about Iraq | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

US accuses Saudis of telling lies about Iraq | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "In a graphic example of the tension, Zalmay Khalilzad, until recently the US ambassador to Baghdad, protested to the Saudis over fake documents distributed in Baghdad which claimed Mr Maliki was an Iranian agent and had tipped off the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, about a US crackdown on his Madhi army militia.

Mr Khalilzad, who is now US ambassador to the UN, wrote in the New York Times last week: 'Several of Iraq's neighbours - not only Syria and Iran but also some friends of the United States - are pursuing destabilising policies.'

The Bush administration is also expressing its unhappiness with the Saudis for failing to stem the flow of Saudi jihadists across its border to fight in Iraq, often as suicide bombers. The US estimates that about 40% of the 60 to 80 foreign fighters entering Iraq each month are from Saudi Arabia."

Yes, this comes out the same day that we are considering selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. WTF??? We are going to sell to a country we are accusing of trying to undermine the Iraq government? What the heck is wrong with the administration?

Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You

Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You: "In 1996, Jesus Alberto Suarez del Solar was a 13-year-old boy, up from Tijuana on a family shopping trip, when he stopped at a Marine Corps recruiting table at an open-air mall in Chula Vista, Calif.

Jesus had been an easy mark for the recruiter-a boy who fantasized that by joining the powerful, heroic U.S. Marines, he could help his own country fight drug lords. He gave the recruiter his address and phone number in Mexico, and the recruiter called him twice a week for the next two years, until he had talked Jesus into convincing his parents to move to California. Fernando and Rose Suarez sold their home and their laundry business and immigrated with their children to Escondido, where Jesus enrolled at a high school known for academic achievement. But the recruiter wanted him to transfer to a school for problem teenagers, since its requirements for graduation were lower and Jesus would be able to finish sooner. He was 17 and a half when he graduated from that school, still too young to enlist on his own, so his father co-signed the enlistment form, as the military requires for underage recruits.

Three years later, at the age of 20, his body was torn apart in Iraq by an American-made fragmentation grenade during the first week of the invasion. In the Pentagon's official Iraq casualty database, his death is number 74"

Ok, now I know why Bush is pushing the immigration bill so whole-heartedly. He needs more martyrs. People to die for an illegal war. People who think they may get points on their citizenship application. People who were fooled by U.S. propaganda.

Think Progress » Baghdad Residents Receiving Just One Hour Of Electricity Per Day

Think Progress » Baghdad Residents Receiving Just One Hour Of Electricity Per Day: "Before the war, Baghdad residents received 16-24 average hours of electricity each day. But on July 19, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said that residents of Baghdad are now receiving just one or two hours of electricity each day — the lowest level of the war:"

Meanwhile, in the Green Zone, our people are watching movies in the theater, enjoying air-conditioning, surfing the web, and shopping to their hearts' content. They hate us for our freedom....

Bush warns anew of terror threat - Yahoo! News

Bush warns anew of terror threat - Yahoo! News: "Citing security details he declassified for his speech, Bush described al-Qaida's burgeoning operation in Iraq as a direct threat to the United States. Bush accused critics in Congress of misleading the American public by suggesting otherwise."

His newly-declassified "intelligence," which claims al-Qaida in Iraq is related to those who are supposedly responisble for 9/11, is shaky at best, as is his own intelligence. Below are the details...

"_Al-Qaida in Iraq was founded not by an Iraqi but by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who had deep relations with al-Qaida leaders. The president said Zarqawi, who was killed by U.S. forces last year, set up operations with terrorist associates in Iraq long before U.S.-led forces arrived, and that in the violence and instability following Saddam Hussein's fall, was able to expand the "size, scope and lethality" of his operation. Zarqawi formally joined al-Qaida in 2004 and pledged allegiance to bin Laden, he said.

_The merger gave al-Qaida senior leadership 'a foothold in Iraq to extend its geographic presence and to plot external operations and to tout the centrality of the jihad in Iraq to solicit direct monetary support elsewhere.'"

The fact is that Saddam did not allow al-Qaida to operate within his country. Are we just supposed to believe Bush's word, without evidence???

For that matter, there really is no concrete proof that al-Qaida, or more specifically, bin-Laden, was responsible for 9/11. There are plenty of stories out there that contradict the administration's position on 9/11, and not all of them are from "conspiracy nuts."

When will people wake up and stop believing the same old lies over and over again? Also, when will Bush admit that we were instrumental in creating al-Qaida in Iraq and that we inspire people to join its ranks, by bombing the country into submission and treating Iraqis like garbage? When will he admit that we were also instrumental in the original formation of al-Qaida, when the Russians were the enemy of the day and it was convenient for us?

FOXNews.com - Bush Surprises Senate Aides With Unexpected Interruption of White House Meeting - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Polit

FOXNews.com - Bush Surprises Senate Aides With Unexpected Interruption of White House Meeting - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum: "Bush was described as folksy, adamant and mildly profane as he interrupted the meeting between senior White House communications staffers Tony Snow and Ed Gillespie and GOP leaders. His message: the policy on Iraq isn't changing. He is not backing down and no one on Capitol Hill should be confused into thinking he is letting up."

"I am King George, the decider, and you all shall bow to my will." His stance on Iraq reminds me of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In this episode, an experiment carried out by Wesley Crusher goes awry, trapping his mother, Dr. Beverly Crusher, in a warp field bubble, essentially a mini-universe, that is constantly contracting. As this bubble draws in, Dr. Crusher finds less and less people at her side. Eventually, she is all alone in her own little universe. This is Bush. His bubble is collapsing, but he still feels, in his own little universe, that Iraq is going well. At the last moment, Dr. Crusher was saved, before the bubble fully collapsed and she was collapsed into nothingness. I say let Bush's bubble keep collapsing.

Think Progress » Sen. Reed: White House Blocking Petraeus From Pursuing ‘New Direction’ In Iraq

Think Progress » Sen. Reed: White House Blocking Petraeus From Pursuing ‘New Direction’ In Iraq: "...But yesterday on C-SPAN, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), who recently returned from a trip to Iraq, suggested that those comments aren’t Petraeus’s real views. Rather, he is shilling for the administration. 'I got the impression from Gen. Petraeus that he wasn’t waiting' until September to reassess the Iraq policy. 'Now he might be overruled by people in the White House and, you know, wait until September. But he seemed very eager to come forward as quickly as possible with a new direction and policy.'"

You mean he is just a puppet of the administration? No way!!! It is a shame that these guys cannot stand their ground.

My Way News - PM: Iraqis Can Keep Peace Without U.S.

My Way News - PM: Iraqis Can Keep Peace Without U.S.: "Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that the Iraqi army and police are capable of keeping security in the country when American troops leave 'any time they want,' though he acknowledged the forces need further weapons and training.

The embattled prime minister sought to show confidence at a time when pressure in the U.S. Congress is growing for a withdrawal and the Bush administration reported little progress had been made on the most vital of a series of political reforms it wants al-Maliki to carry out."

Yes, the Iraqi's want us out, but we will not leave until we have secured the oil for the big oil companies...

The Raw Story | Bush: Insurgents in Iraq same as 9/11 attackers

The Raw Story | Bush: Insurgents in Iraq same as 9/11 attackers: "President Bush, defending his troop surge in Iraq, insisted Thursday that the insurgents attacking US troops in Iraq 'are the same ones who attacked us on Sept. 11.'

Bush was speaking at a White House press conference on the same day an interim progress report on his troop surge in Iraq was released. Asked for proof of the connection between insurgents in Iraq and the 9/11 hijackers, Bush said both had pledged their allegiance to Osama bin Laden."

Same lie, over, and over, and over again...

From Natural Born Killers:

"Repetition works David. Repetition works David. Do you think any of those nit wits in Zombieland remember anything?"

[the nit wits are the TV audience]

Bush sharpens budget attack on Democrats - Yahoo! News

Bush sharpens budget attack on Democrats - Yahoo! News: "'They are working to bring back the failed tax-and-spend policies of the past,' he said in his weekly radio address. 'Democrats are failing in their responsibility to make tough decisions and spend the people's money wisely.'"

Oops, did he forget that he has already run the national debt up to over 8 trillion dollars himself? Did he forget the cost of the war in Iraq has cost this nation more than 400 billion? How is he spending our money wisely?

The Truth of Iraq

AlterNet: War on Iraq: Is the United States Killing 10,000 Iraqis Every Month? Or Is It More?

AlterNet: War on Iraq: Is the United States Killing 10,000 Iraqis Every Month? Or Is It More?: "The results are nevertheless staggering for those of us who read the American press: for the deaths that the victims families knew for sure who the perpetrator was, U.S. forces (or their 'Coalition of the Willing' allies) were responsible for 56%. That is, we can be very confident that the Coalition had killed at least 180,000 Iraqis by the middle of 2006. Moreover, we have every reason to believe that the U.S. is responsible for its pro rata share (or more) of the unattributed deaths. That means that the U.S. and its allies may well have killed upwards of 330,000 Iraqis by the middle of 2006."

Sorry Saddam, we beat your record...

U.S. eager and it shows in Iraq - Examiner.com

U.S. eager and it shows in Iraq - Examiner.com: "The U.S. command in Baghdad this week ballyhooed the killing of a key al Qaeda leader but later admitted that the military had declared him dead a year ago.

A military spokesman acknowledged the mistake after it was called to his attention by The Examiner. He said public affairs officers will be more careful in announcing significant kills."

This is only one example of people we have claimed to kill more than once. "chemical Ali," for example, was reported dead many times...

The Raw Story | Pentagon hides piles of IED-shredded Humvees from public

The Raw Story | Pentagon hides piles of IED-shredded Humvees from public: "On American military bases all across Iraq, the shredded wreckage of scores of humvees damaged by IEDs and other explosive devices lie under tarps, hidden from public view. Much like the coffins of soldiers killed in the line of duty, the Pentagon refuses to allow images of the physical toll of battle to be seen by the public."

Soldiers are not allowed to send photos of wrecked Humvees to anyone, as well. They are trying to minimize the bad things we see coming out of Iraq, while spinning propaganda that says how much good we are doing in the country. Check the video out on the linked page...

The Raw Story | Pentagon paying $900,000 to destroy jets it paid millions to build

The Raw Story | Pentagon paying $900,000 to destroy jets it paid millions to build: "Iran is the primary target of the Pentagon's move. According to AP, Iran is the only country trying to keep F-14s airworthy -- jets they bought in the 1970s when it was an ally."

Oops, we sold Iran weapons too. Who won't we arm to the teeth, besides, of course, the enemy of the day? I wonder how many weapons used against our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are stamped with the words "Made in the USA?"

The Raw Story | 'No modern president has experienced such a sustained rejection;' Kissinger: Bush 'at peace'

The Raw Story | 'No modern president has experienced such a sustained rejection;' Kissinger: Bush 'at peace': "'I find him serene,' Kissinger said. 'I know President Johnson was railing against his fate. That's not the case with Bush. He feels he's doing what he needs to do, and he seems to me at peace with himself.'"

Well I am glad he is at peace. At least someone is at peace. I bet the Iraqis are glad he is at peace too, and I bet the families of the fallen soldiers, the maimed soldiers, the mentally wrecked soldiers, the families of the Katrina victims, the slowly-dying 9/11 workers, and the families of 9/11 victims are also glad that Mr. Bush is at peace. What has his "peace" cost us as a nation?

The Raw Story | Iran placing Hezbollah agents in Iraq to fight 'proxy war'

The Raw Story | Iran placing Hezbollah agents in Iraq to fight 'proxy war': "He said the Quds Force and Hezbollah were jointly operating camps near Tehran in which they trained Iraqi fighters before sending them back to Iraq to conduct attacks.

'He was directed by the Iranian Quds force to move Iraqis in and out of Iraq and report on the training and operations of Iraqi special groups,' he said, adding that the Quds Force was training between 20 and 60 Iraqis at the time.

'They were being taught how to use EFPs (explosively-formed penetrators), mortars, rockets, as well as intelligence, sniper, and kidnapping operations,' Bergner said."

It must be Propaganda Monday. Once again we are accusing Iran of supporting militants in Iraq. I ask where is the evidence they say they have? Evidence evidence evidence. Let's not go into another war where the accusations are proven false years after the bombs start falling. I can hear the rat-a-tat-tat of the snare drums now...

AlterNet: War on Iraq: U.S. Officials Have Absolutely No Clue about Iraq's Oil Law

AlterNet: War on Iraq: U.S. Officials Have Absolutely No Clue about Iraq's Oil Law: "In Washington, lawmakers and military officials say that Iraq's new oil law is vital for the country's future. But, as one reporter learned, most have no idea what they're talking about."

Well, most of our congress members do not read the bills they pass for America, why would they even fathom reading a bill they are talking up for a country half way around the world?

One U.S. soldier who must be counted | Salon.com

One U.S. soldier who must be counted | Salon.com: "As of 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, 3,529 American military service members and civilian employees had died in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. That prepositional distinction, 'in Iraq,' matters. On the same day, June 20, doctors withdrew life support from Army Cpl. Frank Sandoval, following complications from brain surgery for injuries he sustained in Iraq in 2005. He had been declared brain-dead several days prior. Sandoval didn't die in Baghdad or Fallujah; he died in a hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. But as of Thursday, Sandoval has not been included in the official tally by the Department of Defense."

This is a decent article reminding us that the official figures of those who died in Iraq are not necessarily accurate...