Yesterday I got an e-newsletter about the same time I caught this post. The e covered what prompted the post by ScottyUrb.

Today, the 4th of July, we here in the States celebrate our "Independence", no need to go into an explanation, or give a link to read about, we're all supposed to know and understand what that means, and so are others who think they've achieved that.

This year there'll be alot less traveling to a further destination for relaxation or whatever, more home bodies, we all know the reasons, or we should.

A Nation that sends its Sons and Daughters into Occupations?

A C-17 Airforce Transport plane arrives in Kandahar, Afghanistan to receive the bodies of five U.S. service members killed. Though more than 1,000 US and coalition forces were on hand to participate in the "ramp ceremony," a Los Angeles Times reporter and photographer were asked to leave the area by a military public affairs officer. A Pentagon policy banning coverage of this particular event was cited as the reason. [Photo: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times]

Do you like what you see?

When you hear the term "Swiftboat" what comes into your mind?

I already know your answer, but it isn't the meaning for those who served on nor any Navy Personal who served In-Country Vietnam.

Not to far back a small group of misguided Navy personal, who served aboard 'Swiftboats' in 'Nam, took that once proud name and used it for their political purposes and gains, with some others joining them, who not only never served on  swiftboats, and the extremely dangerous missions they were sent into, but some never served at all, in the Military nor In War/Occupations!

Your word has turned to slime, hope the business world is paying attention, though you'll always find
snakes like you to deal with and make some bucks, and I'm sure many already have learned about you through your years of building your billions.

What's this all about? Well,

One is struck by the continual use of terrorism against civilians on the part of Israel and its bungling accomplice in the Middle East, the US government. The mindset is clearly one of civilized western values Americans and Israeli, taking action against Arab non-western "savages".

The stars are dead-set against George Bush (they always have been), and therefore against us.  Schade.  George Bush could actually salvage something from the burning wreckage of his legacy, if he did take this most excellent opportunity to begin troop withdrawals from Iraq.  He could then claim with greater credibility that he did, in fact, depose a dictator (however illegal) and allowed a newer, more representative form of government to take root in Iraq.  As one Iraqi businessman said:

http://www.usatoday.com/...

"I'm not ungrateful that they took away Saddam Hussein," says Salam Ahmed, 30, a Shiite businessman. "But the job is done. Thank you very much. See you later. Bye-bye."

According to Israeli officials cited by Ha'aretz, Israel did:

'The mortar shells were fired [on Monday] by Hamas, although the group did not publicly take responsibility for the attack, which caused no injuries.

Israeli officials said the mortar fire appears to be a Hamas reaction to the wounding of a Palestinian civilian in northern Gaza on Monday, in a bid to show that Hamas will not stand by as Israel harms Palestinian civilians. The civilian, 68, appears to have been hurt by an errant IDF bullet.' (hat tip)

Yesterday I posted the following, below the fold, on my site and a few other boards, but before that and the reason for this post is something just coming across the wires, this:

Bomb kills 4 Americans at Baghdad council meeting

A bomb killed 10 people including two U.S. government employees and two U.S. soldiers at a council meeting in the Baghdad stronghold of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday, officials said.

This and the incident below, from yesterday, seem to show a rising dangerous coming trend in the Insurgency and Occupation!

Since Iraq is finally threatening to eject US troops, while the for the first time since 2003 the US death toll in Afghanistan exceeds Iraq's, it's past time to ask: just why are we in Afghanistan and what is our mission?

Astonishingly, most Americans - including even avid news readers like us, I'm afraid - still know more propaganda than fact about Afghanistan's and the Taliban's role in 9/11.  So please take a moment, take the poll (no peeking in the Wikipedia!) and then read the facts.

Also: excerpts from today's New York Times that make it clear why occupying Afghanistan might be even more dangerous than Iraq, and what we need to know to help save President Obama from likely disaster.

Originally I was going to postup on a report out of Vietnam, that I received, as to 'Agent Orange', a few days back.

But War brings alot of negative results, very few positives, especially in conflicts of choice built on lies and the occupations that result, often having the invading country placing a supportive government in place as they remain the occupiers.

I'll get to the information on Agent Orange in a moment, but before that I'd like to update some other news on the Remnants of War.

Through all the media and White House lies and obfuscation about whether or not the so-called "surge" is working; an essential, often ignored and sometimes intentionally obscured indicator of military and political success there has been the preeminent Shi'ite clerics who wield most of the political power in Iraq. The majority of those clerics, even the moderate ones, are growing increasingly restive over continued U.S. military presence.

Of the main Shi'ite clerics in Iraq, there can be no doubt that Moqtada al-Sadr is the most militant of the group. Over the past five plus years of the U.S. occupation of his country, Sadr and his army have clashed with coalition troops a number of times. Those clashes are over now. The Mahdi Army will not be engaging the occupying force anymore. Sadr’s army has officially been redeployed. But that redeployment isn’t nearly as auspicious as it sounds. In fact, Sadr's latest order could turn out to be the beginning of a very unfortunate if not unexpected turn of events.

I'm so tired of screaming, "Why is this not the headline story on every news network?"  And, at the same moment, I figuratively smack myself in the head...to remind myself that I am living in Bush's America, where corporate interest manage the news.  But, thankfully, there's the Internet, so I stop screaming for a moment and start to write.

This story only took off anywhere (it broke in the British press), in the last week - but has really evolved into a dangerous dance of death between the US and Iran.  Yes, Iran, not Iraq, - because Iran is being set up 'as the fall guy' once again, and the usual suspects rally around an attack on Teheran.

It is now clear that McCain is embracing the neoconservative idea of nation building in the middle east. Thankfully, Obama opposed this idea for the start.

Keep reading.

For the first time, the Iraqi Prime Minister has spoken firmly about the impasse on a long-term agreement for American presence in Iraq.


As he says, it’s about Iraqi sovereignty:

In a meeting with newspaper editors in Jordan, Mr. Maliki said the current draft of the agreement was unacceptable. "The American version of the agreement infringes hugely on the sovereignty of Iraq and this is something that we cannot ever accept," he said.

Jason Linkins of The Huffington Post writes a short article... with huge ramifications for the General Election here in the US and the Iraq War...

... and why the HELL is this not being reported anywhere else??? If it is... it must be on the back page.

I know we've been caught up in in the hard-fought primary battle, but this is everything that Bush is currently trying to bypass the House and Senate in order to set up permanent bases.

This is against the McCain/Bush/GOP argument that have been using for years.

Yeah sure it's a great thing that Hillary has finally gotten caught up on her third grade math, but while we're all nice and distracted by that, Bush is making the moves to steal Iraq for good.  And we're talking a permanent act of piracy, a literal lockdown of another foreign country, something unprecedented (as far as I know) in American history, and something none of us, or any of our elected representatives, have had any say in.  Oh yeah, and it'll cost a damn fortune.  Forever.

Revealed: Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control

Bush wants 50 military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors

Isn't that special?  Heck, make me a damn contractor and send me to Iraq!  I can get 100% immunity for anything I do!  WHOO HEE!