kpete Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Donate to DU! Mon Aug-23-10 07:40 PM
Original message
We ALL Lost: "The American public has no idea just how terrible we've made conditions in Iraq" Updated at 3:07 AM
Edited on Mon Aug-23-10 08:10 PM by kpete
U.S. Occupation of Iraq More Than Doubles Poverty, Sickness -- Leaves Country a Total Disaster
The American public has no idea just how terrible we've made conditions in Iraq.
August 22, 2010 |
Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life. What a havoc the United States has wreaked in Iraq.
UN-HABITAT, an agency of the United Nations, recently published a 218-page report http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publ... entitled State of the World’s Cities, 2010-2011. The report is full of statistics on the status of cities around the world and their demographics. It defines slum dwellers as those living in urban centers without one of the following: durable structures to protect them from climate, sufficient living area, sufficient access to water, access to sanitation facilities, and freedom from eviction.
Almost intentionally hidden in these statistics is one shocking fact about urban Iraqi populations. For the past few decades, prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the percentage of the urban population living in slums in Iraq hovered just below 20 percent. Today, that percentage has risen to 53 percent: 11 million of the 19 million total urban dwellers. In the past decade, most countries have made progress toward reducing slum dwellers. But Iraq has gone rapidly and dangerously in the opposite direction.
According to the U.S. Census of 2000, 80 percent of the 285 million people living in the United States are urban dwellers. Those living in slums are well below 5 percent. If we translate the Iraqi statistic into the U.S. context, 121 million people in the United States would be living in slums.
more:
http://www.alternet.org/story/147928/u.s._occupation_of... /
http://www.fpif.org/articles/what_you_will_not_hear_abo...
wtmusic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Donate to DU! Mon Aug-23-10 07:41 PMCan someone point out the law that requires the US to treat Iraq as a ward once the US has granted and Iraq has acknowledge its independent sovereignty.
Response to Original message
1. War crimes for Bush. nt
Larry Ogg (880 posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Mon Aug-23-10 11:50 PMYour candidates for 2010 and 2012.
Response to Reply #1
35. So if Bush is a war criminal (which I believe he is) Updated at 2:02 AM
what then should we call those who refused to investigate, impeach and prosecute?
wtmusic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Donate to DU! Tue Aug-24-10 02:26 AM
Response to Reply #35
46. Negligent at best, accomplices at worst. nt
Raster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Aug-24-10 05:02 AMYes, but can they count on your vote in November?
Response to Reply #35
50. collaborators and accomplices
Butch350 (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Aug-24-10 12:11 PM
Response to Reply #35
61. Left holding the bag.
Usrename Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Aug-24-10 12:22 PMAt which point we breathlessly await the next thread on DU extolling San Fran Gran Nan's virtues for making some lame snark about the GOP.
Response to Reply #35
62. According to the Nuremberg Principles, they would be complicit.
On a tangental subject, failure to investigate credible accusations of torture becomes a separate War Crime under the UN Convention Against Torture. These people (including the Speaker of the House) have a moral and legal duty here.
indecision is the main cause of delay
MissDeeds Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Aug-24-10 12:37 PMThey guy you voted for and will vote for again.
Response to Reply #35
63. And what should we call those who
chose to continue his wars?
indepat (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Mon Aug-23-10 07:48 PMGettysburg <--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> War crimes
Response to Original message
4. Lincoln's words "The world will never forget what they did here" comes to
mind. :cry:
gratuitous (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Mon Aug-23-10 08:09 PMVote Mussolini 2012.
Response to Original message
5. Very useful information
When we hear (and you know we will) from the Nitwit Brigade about what a terrific thing it was that we invaded Iraq, executed its dictator, and occupied the country for seven years, you might keep this little factoid handy in memory. I wonder how many would think it was a good trade should this have happened in their neighborhood?
dixiegrrrrl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Mon Aug-23-10 08:20 PMWhich is worse:
Response to Original message
6. And the US did that intentionally.[/b]
From the start of the attack they destroyed or permitted to be It defines slum dwellers asdestroyed hospitals, power plants, water plants,
everything a city needed, then imposed curfews so people could not work, barricaded towns and neighborhoods so nothing could move in or out.
Fortunately, at the time and later, all of this was reported.It defines slum dwellers as
Unfortunately, not enough people seemed to care about the reports.
But all the while, as the stories were revealed over the years, I kept thinking:
" This is OUR future. At some point, we WILL be next, in some fashion."
How many people live in Ca.or Nev. or Ariz.or DC., New York, Michigan, etc.meet the definition of slum dwellers:
those living in urban centers without one of the following:
durable structures to protect them from climate, ( the homeless)
sufficient living area,( tent cities)
sufficient access to water, access to sanitation facilities,( homeless and tent cities)
freedom from eviction.
That is 11 million people, if you break down the stats in the article's quoted Census report.
Now add the millions in this country living one check from eviction,
We've gone from a country who's population instinctively knew there was no free lunch to one who's population has convinced itself that the consumption of free lunches is a revenue generating activity.
Looks like the Bobophone went off to alert her that there was a thread that wasn't about her!
:rotf:
Hey, I wonder if BOBO has a Batman like serchlight signal in the sky thingy? ....and what's it carbon footprint?
What a pack of fools. I know there are DUmmies lurking on this thread so I'll be as clear as possible.
Saddam Hussein didn't bother to compile any such information, any such information collected during his reign of terror was based on statistical sampling which for any number of reasons may have been wildly inaccurate.
Large parts of Baghdad, not to mention the rest of the country, had never been connected to the electrical grid prior to US "re"building efforts. The cities septic system was largely non-existant, with human waste poured into open drains along the street.
Baghdad has seven city pumps for the delivery of safe drinking water. Prior to the allied invasion, six of these pumps had been diverted to provide water to the Al Faw Palace and it's surrounding large lakes and canals to provide Saddam and his family with safe swimming water. Iraqis were literally dying of thirst and drought while sitting beside lakes of safe water. Now the average citizen of Baghdad has at least some access to safe drinking water. You lurking DUmmies can find these man made lakes on google earth, start by looking for the palace.
Saddam's government was using money it should have been using to purchase food and medicine for Iraqi citizens to build ever grander palaces. The French absolutely knew this, they were building his Victory Over America Palace when Operation Iraqi Freedom began, their cranes are still there, again check google earth.
Saddam's government ran torture rooms where Iraqis were routinely beaten to death, often for no other reason than to intimidate the victims' family. He had a human shredder in one of these rooms.
How was life better under Saddam, DUmmies?
The average age of the population of Iraq is currently around twenty years. The allied invasion and occupation and the ensuing insurgent warfare does not logically account for this.
Have you seen the quote from that idiot that wants to grow a mosque at ground zero?
Raul, or whatever his name is: "Have you seen Fahrenheit 911?"
And you ask DUmmies if they know the facts? Of course they do! Spoken thru Michael Moore!
Hey, I wonder if BOBO has a Batman like serchlight signal in the sky thingy? ....and what's it carbon footprint?
Hey, I wonder if BOBO has a Batman like serchlight signal in the sky thingy? ....and what's it carbon footprint?
I'd say its footprint is about the size of Europe
You know, I'm beginning to miss old Saddam...I guess you can say I'm developing sort of a soft spot for him....he used to drop those that opposed him or caused problems for him into wood-chippers.
DUmmie-sausage would probably fry up real good due to all the foodstamp induced fat content....but then, the government does have certain standards for dog food.
You'd have to be in a MOPP-4 chemsuit from all of the toxins, though.
I was thinking along the same lines - I was thinking Id need to dig out my chemical respirator form the metals inspection days and stick a couple new cans on it.