Author: Tom Kertes

CNN reports that the number of American military deaths in Iraq had passed the 2,000 mark.  

The difference between 1,999 deaths and 2,000 deaths speaks more to a fondness of round numbers than to any trend.  It’s a grim milestone – a chance to stop and reflect on what George Bush is doing to America’s military families.  

2,000 dead soldiers is 2,000 grieving mothers, 2,000 grieving fathers.  It’s thousands of children, cousins, aunts and uncles.  It’s friends, co-workers, lovers, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends.  It’s childhood memories.  First kisses.  Camping trips.  Getting stoned with buddies.  Shoplifting at 13.  Standing with friends.  Fights.  Tears.  Laughs. Hugs.

2,000 dead soldiers is over 100,000 dead Iraqi civilians.  And that is over 200,000 parents.  Countless children, cousins, aunts and uncles.  Countless hugs, tears, joys and all the other little things in life.

Tip: Kos

Cross posted: Political Porn

Cindy Sheehan shares some moving letters sent to her by families of American soldiers who have died in Iraq.

Dear Ms. Sheehan ~ I wasn’t sure how else to contact you, so am sending this thru the gsfp website. I just want to thank you for posting your essay entitled, ‘A Peaceful Day’ dated October 17th on the commondreams.org website, a site I visit every weekday.

My cousin, “brave soldier”, 30, originally of Indiana, was one of the five U.S. soldiers killed on Saturday, October 15th — Iraq’s ‘peaceful day.’ He is survived by his wife, his two children, his parents, his sister, our grandma, his aunt, his two uncles and his two cousins. We are currently awaiting confirmation per dna identification. (continues…)

The United States has locked most of our most caring people into the least effective and stupidest organizations possible: Non-profit social service agencies.  These agencies seem good, since they do good things like deliver hot meals, pass out bags of surplus food and pat themselves on the back all the time.  But the reality is that most non-profits aren’t good, they’re just “not bad.”

Non-profits are primarily patronage and public relations programs.  They are also a kind of outsourcing initiative, with non-profits saving money by doing work that should be done by higher paid and better benefited government employees.  As patronage and public relations programs, non-profits are very effective.  A big part of what they do is link politicians to people who care about issues, by inviting the pols to thank you galas, ribbon cuttings and other p.r. events.  Non-profits spend a great deal of their time and resources gathering money – which positions them as key nodes in the fund raising networks that politicians depend on.

Cross posted: Political Porn

The United States is responsible for the conduct and the supervision of its soldiers.  And it looks like the culture of the war, and the conduct of our soldiers, is a disgrace.  Here is a photo from the burning of killed “enemy combatants” for public display.

From transcripts of the original Australian broadcast:

Reporter: At the top of the hills above the village the soldiers have taken the tactics of psychological warfare to a grotesque and disturbing extreme. US soldiers have set fire to the bodies of the two Taliban killed the night before. The burning of the corpses and the fact that they’ve been laid out facing Mecca is a deliberate desecration of Muslim beliefs.

Soldier: Wow, look at the blood coming out of the mouth on that one, fucking straight death metal.

Reporter: PsyOps specialist Sergeant Jim Baker then broadcast an inflammatory message over the loudspeakers in order to taunt and bait the enemy. Source

We are either bound by the rule of civilized law or we are not.  When we invade other countries we have the absolute responsbility to do so (yes, I know that there’s a paradox here) in a civilized and lawful manner.  

Tiphat: Magpie

Cross posted at Political Porn

I just got back from a two week trip to Germany.  I had a wonderful time, and came back in love with Munich and Berlin.  My best friend just moved to Berlin.  I went to Germany for the baptism of his son, my godson Otto.

Last week I visited a place where 200,000 Jews, gays and others were either killed, moved someplace else to be killed or made slaves by their government.  A few days before that I visited an exhibit on law, justice and torture during the Dark Ages.   I can’t help but think of how these two places connect to the upcoming debates about Harriet Miers.  

originally posted at my blog: Politcal Porn