March 22, 2005

WAR BASED ON LIES
This weekend marks the two-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Two years ago, the White House had waged an aggressive campaign for invading Iraq. Since that time, however, all of the rationales posed by the White House as justification for the war have been thoroughly debunked. There were no weapons of mass destruction. Saddam had no collaborative ties to al Qaeda. Even more egregious, however, is while there was a comprehensive plan for getting into the war, the White House never implemented a real plan for winning the peace and establishing a secure Iraq. Today, more than 1,500 American soldiers have been killed. There still is no exit strategy for U.S. troops. There is no standard for determining when Iraqi security forces will be ready to take over responsibility for their own security. Corruption is rampant, reconstruction is woefully behind, and the American public is becoming increasingly disillusioned with this "war of choice." (According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 53 percent of Americans said the war was not worth fighting and 70 percent said the number of U.S. casualties is an unacceptable price.) [more] and [ more ]

• Pictured above: A student participates in a rally to mark the second anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, at the Maronia Park in Seoul Sunday, March 20, 2005. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday extolled the virtues of free  and open societies at a news conference in Seoul, after security guards wrestled  a man to ground as he loudly called for American intervention to free communist North Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
• Condoleezza Rice Still Workin for Whitey [more]
  

Death Toll Rising in Iraq --  18 US Soldiers Killed per Wek
Two years after the invasion of Iraq the rate of US soldiers being killed is averaging 18 a week, almost double the rate in the first year after the war. The country is far more dangerous than 12 months ago, say security experts, and reconstruction has slowed to a crawl. Between 40,000 and 50,000 US military personnel are in Iraq despite serious medical conditions that should have ruled them out of combat, according to the National Gulf War Resource Centre. The GI Rights Hotline, which counsels troops, says it fielded 32,000 calls last year from soldiers seeking an exit from the military, or suffering from post-combat stress. Others vote with their feet. Last year the Pentagon admitted that 5500 of its forces had gone AWL, although it claims many returned to their units after resolving personal crises. [more ]

• Insurgents mark the second anniversary of the US-led war against Saddam Hussein with a wave of violence across Iraq. [more]
• Pictured above: The skyline of Baghdad lights up under fire from US cruise missiles early in the war. The initial strikes on 20 March 2003 were targeted at Saddam Hussein and his sons. [more]