Bush's Death Toll in Iraq climbs ... and who profits? V. S. Paine

Opinion, September 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

Bush's Death Toll in Iraq climbs ... and who profits?

V. S. Paine

Al-Jazeerah 9/19/03

Bush's Death Toll in Iraq climbs to over 350+ US & British Soldiers, plus 17 Journalists, and between 6131 and 7849+ innocent Iraqi civilians [Source: http://www.antiwar.com/ewens/casualties.html ]. The UK Guardian reports that up to 8 American soldiers were killed today in an ambush in the Iraqi town of Khaldiyah, west of the capital Baghdad [Source: "US troops 'killed in Iraq ambush'" on http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1044840,00.html ].

In addition, over 1478 Americans have officially been injured in Bush's guerrilla quagmire, but there are reports that in fact, many more US Soldiers are casualties of war, than are being disclosed to the public [Source: "America's hidden battlefield toll: New figures reveal the true number of GIs wounded in Iraq" on http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=908 , reports "more than 6,000 American servicemen have been evacuated for medical reasons since the beginning of the war, including more than 1,500 American soldiers who have been wounded, many seriously" ...]

The death toll and misery that the Bush Regime has brought to Iraq and the entire world, in order to enrich their corporate cronies is surely a Crime Against Humanity. To discover who benefits from the Bushies' illegal and immoral warmongering, read:

(1) "The Price of Freedom in Iraq and Power in Washington", by Ceara Donnelley and William D. Hartung, on http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/updates/081203.html , which outlines the Bushies' corporate cronies, given no-bid, no-cap, and no-audit multi-billion dollar contracts.

(2) "Feith-Based Initiative", by Al Kamen, on http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51378-2003Sep9 , which reports on the fat, juicy contracts awarded by Douglas J. Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy and head of -- what else? -- reconstruction matters in Iraq, to his own law firm Zell, Goldberg & Co.

(3) "We Stand Our Ground", by William Rivers Pitt, on http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8588 , in which he cites amongst other Bush cronies, Daddy Bush's Carlyle Group, a private investment house, that supplies massive armaments, and is making a fortune.

(4) "Corporations are the Only Victors in Iraq", by Devin Nordberg, on http://www.guerrillanews.com/sci-tech/doc2929.html , reports that Bush's Executive Order 13303 grants complete legal immunity to transnational oil companies operating in Iraq, and the grab for oil and loot in Iraq.

(5) "The Occupation Runs Out of Gas: It Was the Oil and It Is Like Vietnam", by Stan Goff, on http://www.counterpunch.com/goff09152003.html , points out the immoral motives behind Bush's Iraqi guerrilla quagmire.

The Bushies are having the time-of-the-lives, relishing the war-booty and loot, that they along with their corrupt corporate cronies, campaign contributors, "top dogs" and "fat cats", have swindled out of America and Iraq. American taxpayers (working class -- not corporations & wealthiest 5% awarded massive tax cuts by the Bushies) are being scammed out of $166 Billion to pay for an unnecessary war, and the Iraqi people are being conned out of their Oil: re-distributed into the pockets of the Bushies & their War-Profiteers. Get your own War-Profiteers Card Deck on http://www.warprofiteers.com/ , to remind yourself who is benefiting from this ugly blood-letting.

Meanwhile, human beings are dying daily in Iraq, and being maimed and injured ... and the misery of occupation can be seen on the faces of those who lose their family members, and are lying in hospital beds with no legs, no arms, in agony ... But we are all comforted in the knowledge that this carnage is waged in the name of "freedom" and that "no price is too high": especially when so many like Bush's Carlyle Group, Cheney's Halliburton, Rice's Chevron, Feith's Law Firm, Rumsfeld's Defence Contractors, Wolfowitz's PNAC & Neo-Fascist AEI, and other Bush Paymasters, Will Be Made So Very Happy and So Very Rich.

We should also be very comforted by the Bush's "compassionate" message of condolence to the families of lost loved ones, and those maimed and injured for life: "Stuff Happens".

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).