IRAQ
IRAQ
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Re: IRAQ
A i pate gjo lajmet dje. Po gazetat sot a i lexut?
O bo qameti, na kan sulmu komandot shqiptare, porse nuk qenka e para here. Ata qenkan sulmu ene her te tjera. Gjynof, akoma Irakjont nuk e kon msu se kta burra kon ardh per paqe, pranaj po u japin ne vend te buqetave me lule bomba e granata.
Na u qante nje none, a thua te jet çuni im? Nuk ka faj e shkreta, i qan zemra per fmijen e saj.
Pse duhet t'i vrasin dy here keta te shkrete? nje here vrasin ushtarin e shkrete, i cili eshte ne rrezik dhe njehere vrasin zemrat e nenave, e per ç'far? per interes te amerikes.
A i pate gjo lajmet dje. Po gazetat sot a i lexut?
O bo qameti, na kan sulmu komandot shqiptare, porse nuk qenka e para here. Ata qenkan sulmu ene her te tjera. Gjynof, akoma Irakjont nuk e kon msu se kta burra kon ardh per paqe, pranaj po u japin ne vend te buqetave me lule bomba e granata.
Na u qante nje none, a thua te jet çuni im? Nuk ka faj e shkreta, i qan zemra per fmijen e saj.
Pse duhet t'i vrasin dy here keta te shkrete? nje here vrasin ushtarin e shkrete, i cili eshte ne rrezik dhe njehere vrasin zemrat e nenave, e per ç'far? per interes te amerikes.
Re: IRAQ
Po a e sheh more Musliman ushtaret shqiptare jane jane me mision paqesor,dhe jo per te vrare,po hajde mo si ne irak,diten te puthin naten te hedhin nje granade dhe ikin me vrap.Aq precize kane qene ata ne hedjen e granades sa plagosin(gervishtin ne doren e majte) nje "PAQERUAJTS" shqiptare dhe plagosin nja pese shtetas irakene.
Pune kalamojsh.
Po a e sheh more Musliman ushtaret shqiptare jane jane me mision paqesor,dhe jo per te vrare,po hajde mo si ne irak,diten te puthin naten te hedhin nje granade dhe ikin me vrap.Aq precize kane qene ata ne hedjen e granades sa plagosin(gervishtin ne doren e majte) nje "PAQERUAJTS" shqiptare dhe plagosin nja pese shtetas irakene.
Pune kalamojsh.
Re: IRAQ
O Rangers, ty sikur t'paska ike avioni per ne Iraq mor vlla. C'pret tani, merr avionin tjeter.
Sa te leht e keni me fol e me gjyku. Si po ndodh ne Iraq do kishte ndodh gjithkund. Nje pjese e popullit do i perkrahi, nje pjese jo.
P.sh. Ja ta themi se Greqia fut ne shqiperi nja 100 mije trupa, per te mire e kombit shqiptar qe mos t'kthhet me Enveri( ne ket rast amerika qe mos te kthehet Sadami). Si thu ti.. si do reagoje populli shqiptare? Kuptohet si populli irakjan sot.
Athere... ngushellimet tona per shqipen e plagosur dhe ishalla e kompeson mire amerikoni sic e ka zakon
O Rangers, ty sikur t'paska ike avioni per ne Iraq mor vlla. C'pret tani, merr avionin tjeter.
Sa te leht e keni me fol e me gjyku. Si po ndodh ne Iraq do kishte ndodh gjithkund. Nje pjese e popullit do i perkrahi, nje pjese jo.
P.sh. Ja ta themi se Greqia fut ne shqiperi nja 100 mije trupa, per te mire e kombit shqiptar qe mos t'kthhet me Enveri( ne ket rast amerika qe mos te kthehet Sadami). Si thu ti.. si do reagoje populli shqiptare? Kuptohet si populli irakjan sot.
Athere... ngushellimet tona per shqipen e plagosur dhe ishalla e kompeson mire amerikoni sic e ka zakon
Re: IRAQ
Ranger:
Nuk eshe puna per nje plagosje te lehte dhe nuk eshte as e para. Po te ishte ashtu do ta nxirrnin ushtarin e shkrete qe tu qetesonin te gjithe. Po ashtu do te thonin dhe emrin e tij qe te qetesohet dhe familja e tij.
Amerika merr milionat duke grabitur Irakun dhe te tjeret i rren me nje karamele.
Ketu eshte nje loje fjalesh, sepse nuk behet fjale per nje paqe siç i thone, porse per interes te nje shteti te vetem dhe ky shtet eshte Amerika.
Ranger:
Nuk eshe puna per nje plagosje te lehte dhe nuk eshte as e para. Po te ishte ashtu do ta nxirrnin ushtarin e shkrete qe tu qetesonin te gjithe. Po ashtu do te thonin dhe emrin e tij qe te qetesohet dhe familja e tij.
Amerika merr milionat duke grabitur Irakun dhe te tjeret i rren me nje karamele.
Ketu eshte nje loje fjalesh, sepse nuk behet fjale per nje paqe siç i thone, porse per interes te nje shteti te vetem dhe ky shtet eshte Amerika.
Re: IRAQ
US SOLDIER: We Are Facing Death In Iraq For No Reason
Sep 20, 2003
By Tim Predmore, 101st Airborne Division In Iraq
For the past six months, I have been participating in what I believe to be the great modern lie: Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After the horrific events of September 11 2001, and throughout the battle in Afghanistan, the groundwork was being laid for the invasion of Iraq. "Shock and awe" were the words used to describe the display of power that the world was going to view upon the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was to be an up-close, dramatic display of military strength and advanced technology from within the arsenals of the American and British military.
But as a soldier preparing to take part in the invasion of Iraq, the words "shock and awe" rang deep within my psyche. Even as we prepared to depart, it seemed that these two great superpowers were about to break the very rules that they demanded others obey. Without the consent of the United Nations, and ignoring the pleas of their own citizens, the US and Britain invaded Iraq. "Shock and awe"? Yes, the words correctly described the emotional impact I felt as we embarked on an act not of justice, but of hypocrisy.
From the moment the first shot was fired in this so-called war of liberation and freedom, hypocrisy reigned. After the broadcasting of recorded images of captured and dead US soldiers on Arab television, American and British leaders vowed revenge while verbally assaulting the networks for displaying such vivid images. Yet within hours of the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, the US government released horrific photographs of the two dead brothers for the entire world to view. Again, a "do as we say and not as we do" scenario.
As soldiers serving in Iraq, we have been told that our purpose is to help the people of Iraq by providing them with the necessary assistance militarily, as well as in humanitarian efforts. Then tell me where the humanity is in the recent account in Stars and Stripes (the newspaper of the US military) of two young children brought to a US military camp by their mother in search of medical care.
The two children had, unknowingly, been playing with explosive ordnance they had found, and as a result they were severely burned. The account tells how, after an hour-long wait, they - two children - were denied care by two US military doctors. A soldier described the incident as one of many "atrocities" on the part of the US military he had witnessed.
Thankfully, I have not personally been a witness to atrocities - unless, of course, you consider, as I do, that this war in Iraq is the ultimate atrocity.
So what is our purpose here? Was this invasion because of weapons of mass destruction, as we have so often heard? If so, where are they? Did we invade to dispose of a leader and his regime because they were closely associated with Osama bin Laden? If so, where is the proof?
Or is it that our incursion is about our own economic advantage? Iraq's oil can be refined at the lowest cost of any in the world. This looks like a modern-day crusade not to free an oppressed people or to rid the world of a demonic dictator relentless in his pursuit of conquest and domination, but a crusade to control another nation's natural resource. Oil - at least to me - seems to be the reason for our presence.
There is only one truth, and it is that Americans are dying. There are an estimated 10 to 14 attacks every day on our servicemen and women in Iraq. As the body count continues to grow, it would appear that there is no immediate end in sight.
I once believed that I was serving for a cause - "to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States". Now I no longer believe that; I have lost my conviction, as well as my determination. I can no longer justify my service on the basis of what I believe to be half-truths and bold lies.
With age comes wisdom, and at 36 years old I am no longer so blindly led as to believe without question. From my arrival last November at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky, talk of deployment was heard, and as that talk turned to actual preparation, my heart sank and my doubts grew. My doubts have never faded; instead, it has been my resolve and my commitment that have.
My time here is almost done, as well as that of many others with whom I have served. We have all faced death in Iraq without reason and without justification. How many more must die? How many more tears must be shed before Americans awake and demand the return of the men and women whose job it is to protect them, rather than their leader's interest?
Tim Predmore is a US soldier on active duty with the 101st Airborne Division, based near Mosul in northern Iraq. A version of this article appeared in the Peoria Journal Star, Illinois
US SOLDIER: We Are Facing Death In Iraq For No Reason
Sep 20, 2003
By Tim Predmore, 101st Airborne Division In Iraq
For the past six months, I have been participating in what I believe to be the great modern lie: Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After the horrific events of September 11 2001, and throughout the battle in Afghanistan, the groundwork was being laid for the invasion of Iraq. "Shock and awe" were the words used to describe the display of power that the world was going to view upon the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was to be an up-close, dramatic display of military strength and advanced technology from within the arsenals of the American and British military.
But as a soldier preparing to take part in the invasion of Iraq, the words "shock and awe" rang deep within my psyche. Even as we prepared to depart, it seemed that these two great superpowers were about to break the very rules that they demanded others obey. Without the consent of the United Nations, and ignoring the pleas of their own citizens, the US and Britain invaded Iraq. "Shock and awe"? Yes, the words correctly described the emotional impact I felt as we embarked on an act not of justice, but of hypocrisy.
From the moment the first shot was fired in this so-called war of liberation and freedom, hypocrisy reigned. After the broadcasting of recorded images of captured and dead US soldiers on Arab television, American and British leaders vowed revenge while verbally assaulting the networks for displaying such vivid images. Yet within hours of the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, the US government released horrific photographs of the two dead brothers for the entire world to view. Again, a "do as we say and not as we do" scenario.
As soldiers serving in Iraq, we have been told that our purpose is to help the people of Iraq by providing them with the necessary assistance militarily, as well as in humanitarian efforts. Then tell me where the humanity is in the recent account in Stars and Stripes (the newspaper of the US military) of two young children brought to a US military camp by their mother in search of medical care.
The two children had, unknowingly, been playing with explosive ordnance they had found, and as a result they were severely burned. The account tells how, after an hour-long wait, they - two children - were denied care by two US military doctors. A soldier described the incident as one of many "atrocities" on the part of the US military he had witnessed.
Thankfully, I have not personally been a witness to atrocities - unless, of course, you consider, as I do, that this war in Iraq is the ultimate atrocity.
So what is our purpose here? Was this invasion because of weapons of mass destruction, as we have so often heard? If so, where are they? Did we invade to dispose of a leader and his regime because they were closely associated with Osama bin Laden? If so, where is the proof?
Or is it that our incursion is about our own economic advantage? Iraq's oil can be refined at the lowest cost of any in the world. This looks like a modern-day crusade not to free an oppressed people or to rid the world of a demonic dictator relentless in his pursuit of conquest and domination, but a crusade to control another nation's natural resource. Oil - at least to me - seems to be the reason for our presence.
There is only one truth, and it is that Americans are dying. There are an estimated 10 to 14 attacks every day on our servicemen and women in Iraq. As the body count continues to grow, it would appear that there is no immediate end in sight.
I once believed that I was serving for a cause - "to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States". Now I no longer believe that; I have lost my conviction, as well as my determination. I can no longer justify my service on the basis of what I believe to be half-truths and bold lies.
With age comes wisdom, and at 36 years old I am no longer so blindly led as to believe without question. From my arrival last November at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky, talk of deployment was heard, and as that talk turned to actual preparation, my heart sank and my doubts grew. My doubts have never faded; instead, it has been my resolve and my commitment that have.
My time here is almost done, as well as that of many others with whom I have served. We have all faced death in Iraq without reason and without justification. How many more must die? How many more tears must be shed before Americans awake and demand the return of the men and women whose job it is to protect them, rather than their leader's interest?
Tim Predmore is a US soldier on active duty with the 101st Airborne Division, based near Mosul in northern Iraq. A version of this article appeared in the Peoria Journal Star, Illinois
Arbana Mali
Primus registratum
Re: IRAQ
tema per Himaren eshte tek politika shqiptare jo tek Iraku /pf/images/graemlins/wink.gif
tema per Himaren eshte tek politika shqiptare jo tek Iraku /pf/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Presidenti
Forumium maestatis
Re: IRAQ
ka thene i dergurai i Allahut a.s. :
" Nen shtratin e Eufratit, ne krahinat e irakut do te zbuloht nen toke nje thesar i madh qe s'eshte as ar e as argjend.Njerez nga tere anet e botes e sundimtare te fuqishem do te perplasen ne keto toka. Shum luftra do te behen ne emer te ketij thesari. E shum njerez te pafajshem do te vdesin. Kjo do te ndodh drejt fundit te koherave. Populli im te mos kete dore ne kete thesar, shkak lufte!!!"
si e ka thene, atje ku e ka thene, i besuam fjales se te derguarit !(thuhet pas haditheve te te derguarut a.s. ne shejnje respekti)...megjithse sot kjo shprehje standart e respektit per fjalen e profetit merr pak nuanca formale, pasi koha ka treguar veretesine e tyre.
ka thene i dergurai i Allahut a.s. :
" Nen shtratin e Eufratit, ne krahinat e irakut do te zbuloht nen toke nje thesar i madh qe s'eshte as ar e as argjend.Njerez nga tere anet e botes e sundimtare te fuqishem do te perplasen ne keto toka. Shum luftra do te behen ne emer te ketij thesari. E shum njerez te pafajshem do te vdesin. Kjo do te ndodh drejt fundit te koherave. Populli im te mos kete dore ne kete thesar, shkak lufte!!!"
si e ka thene, atje ku e ka thene, i besuam fjales se te derguarit !(thuhet pas haditheve te te derguarut a.s. ne shejnje respekti)...megjithse sot kjo shprehje standart e respektit per fjalen e profetit merr pak nuanca formale, pasi koha ka treguar veretesine e tyre.
Guest
Re: IRAQ
Botuar ne BBC: E diel, 26 tetor 2003 - 08:53 CET
Mijra vetë protestojnë në SHBA
Rreth 20 mijë vetë morën pjesë në një protestë të zhvilluar në Uashington, ku aktivistët kundër luftës kërkuan tërheqjen e trupave amerikane nga Iraku.
Protestuesit vinin nga 140 qytete amerikane dhe kanadeze
Ata u mblodhën në monumentin e Uashingtonit prej nga ku shihet shumë mirë Shtëpia e Bardhë.
Protestuesit tundnin pankartat e tyre, midis të cilave shkruhej "Hapni vende pune, mos bëni luftë", dhe "Bushi është gënjeshtar".
Një korrespondent i BBC-së në Washington tha se demomstrata reflektoi qëndrimin e shumë e amerikanëve, të cilët e kanë humbur durimin duke parë koston e luftës dhe numrin gjithnjë në rritje të viktimave.
Botuar ne BBC: E diel, 26 tetor 2003 - 08:53 CET
Mijra vetë protestojnë në SHBA
Rreth 20 mijë vetë morën pjesë në një protestë të zhvilluar në Uashington, ku aktivistët kundër luftës kërkuan tërheqjen e trupave amerikane nga Iraku.
Protestuesit vinin nga 140 qytete amerikane dhe kanadeze
Ata u mblodhën në monumentin e Uashingtonit prej nga ku shihet shumë mirë Shtëpia e Bardhë.
Protestuesit tundnin pankartat e tyre, midis të cilave shkruhej "Hapni vende pune, mos bëni luftë", dhe "Bushi është gënjeshtar".
Një korrespondent i BBC-së në Washington tha se demomstrata reflektoi qëndrimin e shumë e amerikanëve, të cilët e kanë humbur durimin duke parë koston e luftës dhe numrin gjithnjë në rritje të viktimave.
Admir
Forumium maestatis
Re: IRAQ
Kundershtimi i nderhyrjes amerikane ne Irak duhet te pakten te marre parasysh vullnetin dhe te ardhmen e popullit Irakien. DUHET te pakten qe kundershtuesit te jene mirenjohes qe nje diktator gjakpires si Sadam Husein nuk eshte me ne pushtet. Fatkeqesisht ekzistojne interpretime te thata qe konsiderojne kete nderhyrje tip kryqezate. Aq i myshkur eshte opinioni i ketij grupi aq edhe i pabazuar. Ksenofobia e radikalistave pranon edhe diktator, aty ku nacionalizmi merr permasa te paparashikueshme fetare, pra mjafton qe shteti te drejtohet nga arab (pavaresisht nga lloji i rregjimit) dhe jo nga "infedel te Krishtere". Keto rryma duhet te luftoje Amerika ideologjikisht dhe ushtarakisht.
P.S Pa perfshire ketu te metat e ideologjizmit fetar perkates...
Kundershtimi i nderhyrjes amerikane ne Irak duhet te pakten te marre parasysh vullnetin dhe te ardhmen e popullit Irakien. DUHET te pakten qe kundershtuesit te jene mirenjohes qe nje diktator gjakpires si Sadam Husein nuk eshte me ne pushtet. Fatkeqesisht ekzistojne interpretime te thata qe konsiderojne kete nderhyrje tip kryqezate. Aq i myshkur eshte opinioni i ketij grupi aq edhe i pabazuar. Ksenofobia e radikalistave pranon edhe diktator, aty ku nacionalizmi merr permasa te paparashikueshme fetare, pra mjafton qe shteti te drejtohet nga arab (pavaresisht nga lloji i rregjimit) dhe jo nga "infedel te Krishtere". Keto rryma duhet te luftoje Amerika ideologjikisht dhe ushtarakisht.
P.S Pa perfshire ketu te metat e ideologjizmit fetar perkates...
Re: IRAQ
Mbase gabohem po sido qe te jene problemet fetare ato nese s'jane ne gjendje te qetesojne gjendej, sic paraqiten per paqen, te pakten s'duhet te shfrytezohen si rigjenerues lufte.
Vetem me kete pjese te shkrimit duket sikur ju e keni problemin larg nje analize politike, duket gati sikur mbani me shume inate fetare brenda. /pf/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Mbase gabohem po sido qe te jene problemet fetare ato nese s'jane ne gjendje te qetesojne gjendej, sic paraqiten per paqen, te pakten s'duhet te shfrytezohen si rigjenerues lufte.
Admir
Forumium maestatis
Re: IRAQ
warm wind,
Permenda qe feja i jep nuanca edhe me te ashpra nderhyrjes. Pohova qe nderlikimet fetare e kane keqesuar situaten. Dhe kjo jo nga ana e cliruesve, por nga grupet radikale myslimane brenda dhe jashte Irakut. Duhet te kuptohet qe amerikanet nuk kane qellime fetare atje, por qellime tejet politike. Aq e erret eshte mendja e disave sa akoma i shikojne si pushtues, e shume myslimane te tjere simpatizojne me Sadamin dhe cakajte e tij.
warm wind,
Permenda qe feja i jep nuanca edhe me te ashpra nderhyrjes. Pohova qe nderlikimet fetare e kane keqesuar situaten. Dhe kjo jo nga ana e cliruesve, por nga grupet radikale myslimane brenda dhe jashte Irakut. Duhet te kuptohet qe amerikanet nuk kane qellime fetare atje, por qellime tejet politike. Aq e erret eshte mendja e disave sa akoma i shikojne si pushtues, e shume myslimane te tjere simpatizojne me Sadamin dhe cakajte e tij.
Guest
Re: IRAQ
Termin çlirimtar ja kane dhene vet vetes amerikanet. Shko e pyeti njehere ata irakianet se sa i shohin amerikanet si çlirimtare. Pastaj pushtues amerikanet i ka quajtur dhe OKB, mos me thuaj qe dhe keta jane myslimane.
Une do te mendoja qe amerikanet luajten me fatet e tjereve dhe tani Iraku per ta eshte kthyer ne bumerang. Me vjen keq qe disa mendojne akoma sipas llogjikes se Bushit dhe me vjen mire qe forca e vertete e llogjikes amerikane ka filluar te veproje.
@+
Termin çlirimtar ja kane dhene vet vetes amerikanet. Shko e pyeti njehere ata irakianet se sa i shohin amerikanet si çlirimtare. Pastaj pushtues amerikanet i ka quajtur dhe OKB, mos me thuaj qe dhe keta jane myslimane.
Une do te mendoja qe amerikanet luajten me fatet e tjereve dhe tani Iraku per ta eshte kthyer ne bumerang. Me vjen keq qe disa mendojne akoma sipas llogjikes se Bushit dhe me vjen mire qe forca e vertete e llogjikes amerikane ka filluar te veproje.
@+
Re: IRAQ
Logos.
Ai shkrimi lart kishte te bente me nje problem ne analizen tuaj. Dukej me shume se nisej nga prefenrenc tuaja fetare se sa nga nje deshire per analize politike. Gjithsesi vura re edhe nje prefrence tuajen edhe tek tema palestines. Eshte e qarte gjithcka.
Logos.
Ai shkrimi lart kishte te bente me nje problem ne analizen tuaj. Dukej me shume se nisej nga prefenrenc tuaja fetare se sa nga nje deshire per analize politike. Gjithsesi vura re edhe nje prefrence tuajen edhe tek tema palestines. Eshte e qarte gjithcka.
Re: IRAQ
War Profiteers Flourish ;
Soldiers and Their Families Pay the Price
By Jeri L. Reed
Mother of a US soldier in Iraq
30/10/2003
Close associates of George Bush, **** Cheney and other key American officials scramble to enrich themselves from the suffering of the Iraqi people, while soldiers’ families and other concerned Americans collect old clothing to send to military hospitals in Germany and the United States. Wounded soldiers, risking their lives - not to “free the Iraqi people,” but to transform Iraq into a safe haven for investment - are flown from Iraq in flimsy hospital gowns or torn and bloody uniforms, missing not only a hand, an arm or a leg, but also all of their possessions. Soldiers are lucky to arrive at Landstuhl, Germany, where wounded soldiers from Iraq are processed, or a stateside hospital such as Walter Reid Army Medical Center in Washington DC, with their few belongings in plastic garbage bags. In the Danvers, Massachusetts post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), VFW members are so upset by this idea that they collect duffle bags or other luggage so that the soldiers do not suffer the additional indignity of arriving with their belongings in garbage bags, which appears to be the Army way.
- US Military Families Against the Occupation of Iraq
- No Help for the Masters of Chaos and Fear
“I asked the nurses and the chaplains what the soldiers needed; and they said warm clothes, such as coats, sweaters, gloves, hats, long underwear, sweat pants and sweat shirts, sneakers, socks, new underwear… and anything else you can think of,” wrote a visitor to the military hospital at Landstuhl. The weather in Germany is already cold, and soldiers are dependent on the work of the chaplains at the hospital who collect clothing and toilet articles for the soldiers’ use. The Army, unable to provide adequate equipment or supplies in Iraq, is even unable to provide those basic things for young soldiers who will spend their lives suffering from the serious injuries they received in this unjust war.
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War profiteers do not bother to conceal their activities or their ties to the Bush Administration.
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As if this was not enough insult, war profiteers do not bother to conceal their activities or their ties to Bush Administration officials; they promote them. “When Iraq is ready to rebuild, we will be there,” reads the website of the Bush-connected consulting firm, New Bridge Strategies. “The opportunities evolving in Iraq today are of such an unprecedented nature and scope that no other existing firm has the necessary skills and experience to be effective both in Washington, D.C. and on the ground in Iraq.” The firm proudly displays biographies of its leaders, listing their ties to George Bush, leading potential clients to believe that they offer not only easy access to government contracts, but also the protection of the US Army in Iraq, an essential factor for doing business there.
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We have been shipping food, clothing, water and, yes, even bullet-proof vests to soldiers.
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Independent business people who travel to Iraq, their eagerness for easy riches causing them to risk life and limb, find they are unable to get in the front door due to their lack of connections with the Bush Administration. Violating the principles of free market that they claim to uphold (like all other violations of democracy and freedom that have perpetrated the US government since September 11), Bush officials come under criticism for unfair contracts, awarded secretly without open bidding; again they claim that this is to protect national security. But while these greedy few complain of unfairness, the true injustice lies in the tragedy of the Iraqi people and the soldiers and their families, all of whom suffer while the wealthy profit.
The United States Congress recently approved another $87 billion to be divided by those profiteers, for reconstruction projects in Iraq and for supplying the troops. We can only expect those funds to be added to the billions already in the pockets of George Bush’s friends - with a large portion reserved for the infamous Halliburton, the company that sends **** Cheney millions of dollars. Subsidiaries of this company hold contracts to provide the soldiers with food, water and mail delivery - the provision of none of which has been a success.
For many months, those of us with family members in Iraq have been shipping food, essential clothing, water and, yes, even bullet-proof vests to soldiers, the items that private-sector companies are supposed to provide, companies receiving billions of dollars of our tax money. Since soldiers do not come from wealthy families, we have gone without paying our bills to provide those things (some people keep the receipts, as if one day they will have the opportunity to show them to George Bush and demand restitution). Thinking we can rest in peace knowing that our children will at least have food despite the great cost, imagine our anger to find that in many areas of Iraq our packages do not arrive for months. Halliburton, the very company charged with providing food, water and other essentials, is unable to deliver the mails, meaning our soldiers still lack adequate supplies despite our efforts.
The money transferred from the US government to those wealthy profiteers has an additional effect on soldiers and their families: it is draining the budgets of essential government service programs, such as food assistance, health care and education. The young families of soldiers (the wives are already cutting their small budgets to send their husbands food) often depend on those programs because of their low incomes. The programs from which they receive food assistance for their children have been reduced because of the drain of dollars, an implication of the high cost of the occupation of Iraq. Their children now attend overcrowded, inadequate schools, many of which are unable to provide even the basics of education due to the lack of funds. The families of National Guard and Reserve soldiers are facing a huge cut in income, as the Army pay is far less than what they received in the private-sector jobs they were forced to leave. The prospect of soldiers staying in Iraq for extended periods has provoked an outcry from families, not merely because we miss our loved ones and fear for their safety, but because this war is driving us deeper into poverty.
Operation Iraqi Freedom does not represent freedom for neither the Iraqi nor the American people; the freedom it represents is only for war profiteers to enrich themselves at our expense. It does not guarantee Iraqi or American security; it is driving us deeper and deeper into insecurity. Iraqis and Americans are dying and are being wounded daily; we are all facing an insecure future, while George Bush and his friends hold barbeques at his ranch and discuss the division of the spoils.
Jeri L. Reed is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Oklahoma and member of Military Families Speak Out, a group of families with loved ones in the military who have opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Jeri is the mother of Cody, 21, a US soldier located at the Abu Gharib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq.
War Profiteers Flourish ;
Soldiers and Their Families Pay the Price
By Jeri L. Reed
Mother of a US soldier in Iraq
30/10/2003
Close associates of George Bush, **** Cheney and other key American officials scramble to enrich themselves from the suffering of the Iraqi people, while soldiers’ families and other concerned Americans collect old clothing to send to military hospitals in Germany and the United States. Wounded soldiers, risking their lives - not to “free the Iraqi people,” but to transform Iraq into a safe haven for investment - are flown from Iraq in flimsy hospital gowns or torn and bloody uniforms, missing not only a hand, an arm or a leg, but also all of their possessions. Soldiers are lucky to arrive at Landstuhl, Germany, where wounded soldiers from Iraq are processed, or a stateside hospital such as Walter Reid Army Medical Center in Washington DC, with their few belongings in plastic garbage bags. In the Danvers, Massachusetts post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), VFW members are so upset by this idea that they collect duffle bags or other luggage so that the soldiers do not suffer the additional indignity of arriving with their belongings in garbage bags, which appears to be the Army way.
- US Military Families Against the Occupation of Iraq
- No Help for the Masters of Chaos and Fear
“I asked the nurses and the chaplains what the soldiers needed; and they said warm clothes, such as coats, sweaters, gloves, hats, long underwear, sweat pants and sweat shirts, sneakers, socks, new underwear… and anything else you can think of,” wrote a visitor to the military hospital at Landstuhl. The weather in Germany is already cold, and soldiers are dependent on the work of the chaplains at the hospital who collect clothing and toilet articles for the soldiers’ use. The Army, unable to provide adequate equipment or supplies in Iraq, is even unable to provide those basic things for young soldiers who will spend their lives suffering from the serious injuries they received in this unjust war.
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War profiteers do not bother to conceal their activities or their ties to the Bush Administration.
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As if this was not enough insult, war profiteers do not bother to conceal their activities or their ties to Bush Administration officials; they promote them. “When Iraq is ready to rebuild, we will be there,” reads the website of the Bush-connected consulting firm, New Bridge Strategies. “The opportunities evolving in Iraq today are of such an unprecedented nature and scope that no other existing firm has the necessary skills and experience to be effective both in Washington, D.C. and on the ground in Iraq.” The firm proudly displays biographies of its leaders, listing their ties to George Bush, leading potential clients to believe that they offer not only easy access to government contracts, but also the protection of the US Army in Iraq, an essential factor for doing business there.
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We have been shipping food, clothing, water and, yes, even bullet-proof vests to soldiers.
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Independent business people who travel to Iraq, their eagerness for easy riches causing them to risk life and limb, find they are unable to get in the front door due to their lack of connections with the Bush Administration. Violating the principles of free market that they claim to uphold (like all other violations of democracy and freedom that have perpetrated the US government since September 11), Bush officials come under criticism for unfair contracts, awarded secretly without open bidding; again they claim that this is to protect national security. But while these greedy few complain of unfairness, the true injustice lies in the tragedy of the Iraqi people and the soldiers and their families, all of whom suffer while the wealthy profit.
The United States Congress recently approved another $87 billion to be divided by those profiteers, for reconstruction projects in Iraq and for supplying the troops. We can only expect those funds to be added to the billions already in the pockets of George Bush’s friends - with a large portion reserved for the infamous Halliburton, the company that sends **** Cheney millions of dollars. Subsidiaries of this company hold contracts to provide the soldiers with food, water and mail delivery - the provision of none of which has been a success.
For many months, those of us with family members in Iraq have been shipping food, essential clothing, water and, yes, even bullet-proof vests to soldiers, the items that private-sector companies are supposed to provide, companies receiving billions of dollars of our tax money. Since soldiers do not come from wealthy families, we have gone without paying our bills to provide those things (some people keep the receipts, as if one day they will have the opportunity to show them to George Bush and demand restitution). Thinking we can rest in peace knowing that our children will at least have food despite the great cost, imagine our anger to find that in many areas of Iraq our packages do not arrive for months. Halliburton, the very company charged with providing food, water and other essentials, is unable to deliver the mails, meaning our soldiers still lack adequate supplies despite our efforts.
The money transferred from the US government to those wealthy profiteers has an additional effect on soldiers and their families: it is draining the budgets of essential government service programs, such as food assistance, health care and education. The young families of soldiers (the wives are already cutting their small budgets to send their husbands food) often depend on those programs because of their low incomes. The programs from which they receive food assistance for their children have been reduced because of the drain of dollars, an implication of the high cost of the occupation of Iraq. Their children now attend overcrowded, inadequate schools, many of which are unable to provide even the basics of education due to the lack of funds. The families of National Guard and Reserve soldiers are facing a huge cut in income, as the Army pay is far less than what they received in the private-sector jobs they were forced to leave. The prospect of soldiers staying in Iraq for extended periods has provoked an outcry from families, not merely because we miss our loved ones and fear for their safety, but because this war is driving us deeper into poverty.
Operation Iraqi Freedom does not represent freedom for neither the Iraqi nor the American people; the freedom it represents is only for war profiteers to enrich themselves at our expense. It does not guarantee Iraqi or American security; it is driving us deeper and deeper into insecurity. Iraqis and Americans are dying and are being wounded daily; we are all facing an insecure future, while George Bush and his friends hold barbeques at his ranch and discuss the division of the spoils.
Jeri L. Reed is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Oklahoma and member of Military Families Speak Out, a group of families with loved ones in the military who have opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Jeri is the mother of Cody, 21, a US soldier located at the Abu Gharib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq.