March 19, 2009, is a day that lives in infamy. There were others in the past. However, on this date six years ago, the United States launched what has come to be accepted as unwarranted attacks on Iraq. Although, from the first, there were protests even in high places such as the Senate floor, unilaterally, Americans bombed an innocent people. This time, for near two years prior, pretense was presented as truth.
It is March, again. Just as I have been for years, in this month I am haunted by the hate we, humans, propagate. March 19th is the sixth anniversary of "unnecessary wars". The phrase is not mine alone. Public servants, Ambassadors, and former Presidents have proclaimed as I have. Foreign Secretaries and domestic Diplomats deem the war was a mistake. Then there are the people.
There was a break in the news. On Cable News Network Wolf Blitzer was noticeably moved. He excitedly reported; Dick Cheney confessed. Broadcaster Blitzer's words were a bit more tempered. He said, "This just coming into The Situation Room. The Vice President, Dick Cheney, has given ABC News an interview and confirming now publicly that the Bush administration did engage in the very controversial interrogation tactic of waterboarding." The Commentator then asked America to listen to the clip. ABC News Correspondent Jonathan Karl inquired of the outgoing high-level government official, "Did you authorize the tactics that were used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?" Without hesitation, the Vice President responded. "I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the -- the process cleared, as the agency, in effect, came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn't do. . . . (T)hey talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it.
Viewers vented. Some shifted nervously in their seats. However, The Judicial Watch was not amused. Nor were they elated. The answer was not the one this Conservative organization, hoped for, groped for, and searched for though the courts, for all these many years. Vice President Cheney did not confess to sins conceived long before September 11, 2001. He told said nothing of the maps and charts of Iraqi oil fields. Foreign suitors for Iraqi oilfield contracts were not discussed as they had been in March 5, 2001, six months and six days before the infamous September 11 attacks.
The Bush Cheney Administration rewrote history even as it occurred. In the waning hours of their shared reign, a committee was formed to secure their legacy. Technically, the work to revise the past began only weeks ago. In truth, the men in the Executive Branch endeavored to deliver a message of accomplishment from the first.
On every occasion, when asked of the public umbrage for the Iraq War, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney offered a similar answer. "So."
I understand that deregulation, greed, and mismanagement are major factors in the current economic crisis. But why are so few of the "experts" talking about a war, fought on credit, that's already cost hundreds of billions - and that some believe will have a total economic impact of more than $3 TRILLION? It's insane. This week's toon, "Dollar Wise," (Archive 0833) pokes at that question.
I was planning to write a lengthy commentary piece to go with this week's toon, pointing out several other "blast from the recent past" headlines that were in the news these last few days. But then I went to the dentist today. I was expecting a root canal but ended up getting something called a pulp cap. The upside is that it leaves the nerve alive, which is good for the tooth in the long run. The downside is that it leaves the nerve alive, which is bad for me tonight. That's one pissed off nerve. Oww.
So check out my latest, circa October 1, 2007, toon, "Reruns," [Archive 0732] and let me know what you think. Me? I'm going to try to get some sleep.
An Iraq veteran's perspective When I volunteered as a soldier to be a part of the initial invasion of Iraq, it was under the assumption that our intentions were just. U.S. troops-most of us from working-class backgrounds-were fed countless stories of the supposed brutality of Saddam Hussein, and the plight of the Iraqi people.
I truly began to understand the nature of the "liberation" that the U.S. military was bringing to Iraq after one particular mission-one that I struggle with everyday, and one that I share with a great deal of shame and regret.
There is a story taking place in America that is being buried by the media, the armed forces, and the politicians. This story is so frightening that no one wants to address it or even talk about it. This story has the potential to bring more violence to the streets of America than any terrorist attack. The frightening tale that is being ignored is the fact that we have ticking time bombs within our midst. They do not belong to al Qaeda or any other shady terrorist cell, they will not be profiled because they don't have Mid-Eastern ancestry, nor are they Muslim extremists. These ticking time bombs are our own sons, daughters, fathers, and brothers. They are the returning soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As Governor of Texas, the Presidential hopeful warned us. If we were to select him as Commander-In-Chief he would not send mixed messages. Americans might have read George W. Bush's lips. Pressure would be applied in abundance. A thousand points of light illuminated the path the then possible Chief Executive proposed. Yet, no one wished to believe a prominent person, the son of a former President of the United States could be so cruel. Certainly, a candidate to the highest office in the land would not suggest that he would be happy to start a war while he worked to win the support of American people. Yet, there it was, in the smirk, in the statement, in the glint seen in the eyes of Governor George W. Bush. The date, January 16, 2000, one year and four days before the ready and willing combatant placed his hand on the Bible and recited the Presidential Oath of Office.
Challenging the bipartisan imperialist consensus On the outset of the invasion of Iraq, I sat strapped in a cargo plane that swooped through the night sky dodging anti-aircraft guns. As we sat in darkness, not knowing if we would ever reach the ground, we suddenly dropped quickly from the air and slammed hard against a makeshift runway. Our plane was the first to land in the north. Our mission was to get in quickly, take the required territory and be relieved by heavy armor.
"The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Toiled ever upward through the night."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Peace comes upon us without much fanfare. Most await an announcement or seek a moment of resolve. However, the message never comes. In this country, in our local communities, and perchance planet wide, a small number of people acknowledge goodwill is not created in an instant. It grows. The transition from warfare to common welfare is invisible. Tranquility enters; and no one stands triumphantly. Buglers do not blow their horns. Twenty-one guns do not salute. Serenity is a state of being. This is true for individuals and for the world as a whole. Harmony, once achieved will be but a hush. Peace grows as a tree does, from the roots up.
We're at war and our economy is a mess - and our leaders don't seem to realize there is a connection between the two. Mainstream media reports now put the cost of the war in Iraq at around $5,000 per second. That's per second! And unlike previous wars, there's been no attempt to pay for at least part of this boondoggle as we go. In fact, current leaders have gone to the opposite extreme with massive tax cuts for the rich and a pair of tax-rebate pittances for us working folk. This week's toon, "Stimulating a War Economy" [Archive No. 0817], pokes at this issue.
A soldier's story is our story. On this April afternoon, I attended a memorial. Americans in my local community, as well as those in every other region of the country, mourned the recession. People pondered the reality; this war affects our daily lives and our fiscal stability. In my neighborhood, Michael Prysner, an Iraq War veteran offered his theory on the theme, Recession and the Iraq War; A Soldier's Story. I share an introduction to his tale and an invitation. Please peruse the musings of Michael Prysner.
I'm starting to get worried about the Democratic race - and about the increasingly nasty tone of both candidates. At the end of the day, this election isn't really about them. This week's toon, "A Word From the Middle Class," tries to put that in focus.
I just have one question for the architects and proponents of this global war on terror, how will we know when it is over? Who will sign the treaty papers for the terrorists? Will it be Osama bin Laden? The truth is that there will be no surrender ceremony because we are not really fighting a war. We are not fighting a war in the conventional sense. It is sort of like the "war on poverty" or the "war on drugs" there is no identifiable point of success or failure. Because our enemy is undefined and really impossible to defeat there are no "benchmarks" to gauge our successes or failures. We have been fighting the war on poverty since 1964 and poverty has not surrendered yet. We have been fighting the war on drugs since 1972 and drugs have yet to surrender. In fact in both case we have actually lost ground to both enemies. The problem with declaring war on these types of enemies is that you become entrenched in the mindset of the original declaration.
This week's concept was actually last week's runner-up in the sketchbook. While it would have been timelier right on the heels of the Congressional hearings, our insatiable oil addiction isn't going anywhere soon. It's also an underlying cause for so many of our problems, from our entanglements in the Middle East to global warming. So I went ahead with "The Hunger." It's not the most sophisticated metaphor, but I also wanted a simple, striking visual after last week's text-heavy toon.
Thank God for the Iraqis, if it were not for them the MSM would have allowed John McCain to put the Iraq War in his pocket and run with it. Fortunately the Iraqis have other thoughts and have reminded the American public that yes there is still a war going on in Iraq. Despite all the hype and the John McCain "Mission Accomplished" banners, any peace in Iraq has very little to do with us and the surge and is dependent on the Iraqi people. It is unfortunate that it takes bodies and bloodshed to get the MSM's attention, but of course when St. John declares peace is at hand who in the MSM is going to argue.
I'm sending out my cartoon a day early this week to commemorate another grim milestone in the war in Iraq. Late Sunday, U.S. military fatalities in Iraq hit 4,000. That news barely made a ripple with the media, which seems to have again lost its way when it comes to watch-dogging this fiasco.
President Bush and leaders in Congress: Support our troops by getting them the hell out of harm's way.
(Tis in the news once again. Our troops take their own lives.
During the month of January, more soldiers committed suicide (24) than were killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan and Iraq combined (16). This is unusual, but--amazingly--not unique. In fact, the problem of military suicides is growing much worse, as Army Chief of Staff George Casey said yesterday in Hawaii.
Casey claimed to be mystified by the suicide rates:
"The fact of the matter is, we just don't know" why suicides have increased, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said Friday. "It's been very frustrating to me with the effort that we made over the last year, and we did not stem the tide."
"Supporting the troops means more than slapping a bumper sticker on your car" ~ David Berry, 26, Iraq Veteran
They say the soldiers fight for our freedom, and while many may argue the truth of this statement, no one can dispute that we must support our troops. Today, citizens have a chance to demonstrate that we, the people care about those who serve our country in combat. Please reflect on a reality too terrible to ignore, soldier suicide. Then, if you choose telephone, or write, your Florida State Representative. Express your desire to endorse State Bill 2554, Prevention Services for Veterans and Their Families, submitted by Senator Ted Deutch. If you are not a Florida resident, please ponder what you can do within your home region. The tales and the tears of those torn from within tell an unforgettable story. Will we listen, and look for ways to help those hurt by our war?
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