The Iraqi Parliament wants the US out of Iraq, and they have made it clear in a recent letter which called for US troops to be removed. The United States doesn't seem quite so inclined to oblige. Recently we learned that the Bush administration was engaged in secret negotiations to establish fifty military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors for an indefinite period of time. The congress must remain engaged and not give in to pressure from the military industrial complex or current administration officials from both sides of the aisle. If we are ever to step out of this quagmire there must be broad resolve by the American people to bring the troops home and close down the military bases.

The simple straight-talking truth is that blood 'n' guts McCain doesn't support the troops. He supports the brass.

It may be hard for a third-generation officer to make that distinction. The troops, however, will be able to figure it out.

There is a bill in the US Senate right now that deserves our support. Senate Bill 594, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, currently has twenty-one sponsors in the Senate. This bill would ban the use of cluster bombs, which injure thousands of innocent people each year. Unfortunately the Pentagon and Department of Defense officials have fought the effort to outlaw these weapons. Their reasoning is difficult to understand given the sobering reality that almost thirty percent of the bomblets released in each bomb fail to explode initially, leaving a deadly legacy for future generations of children to discover. The Middle East is filled with children who have lost arms and legs to unexploded cluster bombs. This is not the legacy of freedom and democracy we wish to leave the people of Iraq.

In Memory of One Million Iraqi Dead

In 2006, the Lancet did a scientific study in which they estimated that the number of Iraqis who have died since the beginning of the US occupation in 2003 was greater than 600,000 people. This figure included the results of sectarian violence, revenge killings, suicide bombings and deaths at the hands of soldiers and occupying forces. That number alone is a staggering figure, but now, only two years later the estimate of dead has increased to almost one million. On this Memorial Day, as we gather to remember our loved ones who have died in war let us include the men, women and children who have died in Iraq.

The grim milestone came at a time when attacks against the U.S. military are ebbing and officials have claimed significant progress against Iraq's deadly insurgency and sectarian violence. It was reached about 10 p.m. on a day when more than 60 Iraqis were killed and dozens injured in attacks in Baghdad and north of the capital.

Nearly 30,000 US troops have been wounded in the Iraq conflict.

Will they be "drawing down" the troops as indicated earlier? Or, do they need all 160,000 to keep the "peace" in Iraq? I'm sorry to say, but it is an election year.

Unsigned editorials are seldom useful, but this one from the Boston Globe is an exception. It's really a news analysis and should have run on the front page, but still, it contains a strong fact basis that everyone should be aware of.

In the run-up to the war, President Bush's top economic adviser, Larry Lindsey, said it might cost as much as $200 billion. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the actual amount would be just $50 billion to $60 billion, calling Lindsey's projection "baloney," much as Rumsfeld had belittled General Eric Shinseki's estimate that it would take several hundred thousand US troops to fight the war successfully.

Both Lindsey and Rumsfeld were far from the mark. Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard University's Linda Bilmes have just published "The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict," and they consider that figure a conservative estimate.

$3 trillion! It's a debt that our grandchildren will find hard to pay off.

What's going wrong? US military deaths in the Iraq War are creeping back up again. There were 38 US military deaths in October, 2007, 37 in November, then 23 in December. Now, in January, 2008, 39 of our military have been killed as a result of the Iraq War.

It appears there may be a problem. It appears that a "surge" is not the end, similar to the Mission Accomplished statement. It appears that Bush is planning on a long term battle for the oil.

In fact, the administration is sending strong signals that reductions in Iraq will slow or stop altogether this summer, jeopardizing hopes of relieving the strain on the Army and Marine Corps and reviving debate over an open-ended U.S. commitment in the country.

Poland is committed to withdrawing their troops (all 900 of them) by October. Is there even a coalition any more?

The extra 30,000 troops sent to Iraq, bringing the total number to around 160,000, slowed down the military fatalities in Iraq. It's a good thing since 2007 was the deadliest year for US troops (901) in Iraq.

There were 24 coalition deaths in the Iraq war in December, 2007, 23 US soldiers and 1 UK soldier. There have been over 3,900 US fatalities and over 28,600 US soldiers wounded fighting in Iraq since 2003.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is hoping to discontinue the surge by bringing 30,000 troops out of Iraq by July, 2008. Will he? Can he? Is it safe? Will it ever be safe?

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee is holding another hearing today to "examine the wasteful spending practices that have become the hallmark of the war effort."

Two whistleblower witnesses will testify regarding waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq, and two other witnesses, former DoD officials, will discuss reforming the wasteful budget systems at DoD.

According to the DPC, questionable expenditures for Iraq reconstruction and military support contracts exceed $10 billion, and that "eyewitness accounts of waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq are not being taken seriously by federal contractors or the Bush Administration."

This isn't getting enough press. As seen at KnoxViews, the military doesn't really Support the Troops.

The military is desperate for new troops, so desperate they are promising larger and larger signing bonuses. They send the troops to fight. The troops get hurt and cannot finish their service. The troops lose the remainder of the signing bonus.

Do they tell the troops when signing them up they could lose the bonus if they are injured in combat? Do they tell the troops the odds of getting hurt in combat?

In a new ad, John Edwards "threatens" Congress.

But if you don't pass universal health care by July of 2009 — in six months — I'm going to use my power as president to take your health care away from you.

Harry Reid "threatens" the President.

If Bush vetoes the bill, "then the president won't get his $50 billion," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Yahoo (AP) headlines are beginning to rival the local newspaper and cable news. Who's afraid? I'd guess not Congress or the President.

Meet my nieces Lucy and Millie, Poster Children for Peace and they want you to join them.

Friends for Peace Link... is a project of the American Friends Service Committee. If you are not familiar with either AFSC or the Friends Committee for National Legislation Link... I urge you check them out. You will no doubt be pleased with the work we do.

And if you would, take a photo and submit it to Friends for Peace. As a member of the FCNL and AMSC I would love to see a few more Tennessee photos in the album. It would be nice if you first downloaded the official Friends for Peace sign but you don't have to do so. They do require that it be a photo with peace as the subject and it is best not to have a candidate or other cause in the photo.

If nothing else, browse the photos. You will be glad you did.

With nearly two months left in the year, 2007 is on course to be the deadliest year on record for American forces in Iraq, despite a recent sharp drop in U.S. deaths.

Iraq Coalition Casualties

2003 - 486
2004 - 849
2005 - 846
2006 - 822
2007 - 846 ...

Lest we forget in the midst of drought, water shortages, horrendous fires in CA, high gas prices, unaffordable health care, housing crisis, mortgage woes, there is a war going on in the Middle East.

The State Department said Friday it will require some diplomats to serve in Iraq because of a lack of volunteers willing to work at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
...
However, those refusing Iraq duty may face disciplinary action up to and including dismissal for failing to uphold their oath to serve the United States and the Constitution, Thomas [Harry Thomas, director general of the Foreign Service] said.

A little taste of what might be coming?

Jim Webb is turning out to be one of the few people willing to try to restore a balance of power between the executive and legislative branches when it come to war. His bill S759 "prohibits the use of military funds for military operations in Iran without the consent of the Congress." It's in committee now, but he hopes to bring it back to the floor. Link...

The full text and other info, including its two supporters. (Thank you Hillary for at least doing this much) can be found at: Link...
Sounds strong, huh?