#Iraq Invasion

[soon-palestine]

[nando161mando]

Iraqi protesters break into KFC restaurant in Baghdad in protest against the US support for Israel’s crimes in Gaza.

[tomorrowusa]

Apart from comedians, the only person who seemed to like Sen. Katie Britt's Republican response to the State of the Union was Donald Trump. For Trump, who told 30,573 lies during his presidency, lying is a big plus and a useful tool.

Trump’s accolades for Britt should not come as a surprise. After all, Britt took a page from Trump’s own playbook by baselessly stoking fears about Brown immigrants to scare voters into supporting the white supremacist GOP. The most compelling part of Britt’s speech involved her telling the story of a 12 year-old girl who had been sex trafficked by the drug cartels.  Britt began that portion of her speech by blaming Biden for the “border crisis,” claiming he “invited” it with his executive actions. She continued, “I took a different approach. I traveled to the Del Rio sector of Texas. That’s where I spoke to a woman who shared her story with me,” adding, “She had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at the age of 12.” From there, Britt detailed the painful story of this girl, saying, “She told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped.” After sharing more of the gruesome details of what the cartels did to the girl, Britt declared, “We wouldn’t be okay with this happening in a Third World country. This is the United States of America, and it is past time, in my opinion, that we start acting like it,” adding, “President Biden’s border policies are a disgrace.” Britt’s message was clear: Due to Biden’s border policies, a 12-year-old girl was sex trafficked by drug cartels and was repeatedly raped on US soil. However, that was not even close to the truth. As fact checkers detailed—and Britt’s own staff has now admitted after a backlash—the sex trafficking of the 12 year old girl, Karla Jacinto Romero did not happen during Biden’s presidency. Rather it occurred between 2004 and 2008 during the presidency of Republican George W. Bush.

George W. Bush, AKA: "Dubya", was a big liar himself. He instigated the Iraq War on the false claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction which it was about to use on the West; two years after the war, the CIA reported that there had been no such weapons in Iraq.

And to stoke support for the Iraq invasion among voters, members of the Bush administration would try to link the 9/11 attacks to Iraq by giving speeches where they would intentionally use these words in close proximity to each other: Saddam, 9/11, terrorists, Iraq, Osama bin Laden. This mendacious word salad could deceptively leave the impression that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11 without actually saying so outright. For the record, the official 9/11 Commission (appointed by Bush) in 2004 found no connection between Iraq and the 2001 9/11 terror attacks.

Donald Trump and Katie Britt are just amplifying the 21st century GOP trend of fabricating reality regardless of its relation to the truth.

[thestateofardadreaming]

I remember how many we were when we demonstrated against the invasion Iraq. All around the world people were massively demonstrating. I was thinking to myself: we are making history. Our goverment will listen to us.

It didn't make a difference. In fact, even the UN couldn't stop this invasion.

300 000 people died so far (in 2023) from the aftermath of this invasion. (Detailed Source)

We later found out, there were no weapons of mass destruction (the pretext for this war). A whole nation was destroyed for oil and lies. How many decades if not centuries will it take for it to return to its former state?

And most people forgot that this was the reason behind this violent invasion. So many deaths for a lie?

Since then, I don't believe mass media unless they really do have proofs or some real reporters (like the late Robert Fisk) were actually there to report it. Reading about how most of the press got their information in recent conflicts and how many footage were made up (now with AI images it's even more uncanny)... I just shrug when I read the news (except from sources who have proven to serve truth). And I refrain from looking at images. At best, it's to preserve my heart and maintain the dignity of the dead; at worst, I would rather not be emotionally manipulated by fake images.

What about Afghanistan? Nobody wants to think about them because the word taliban dehumanizes them. They took the brunt of the rage resulting from 9/11. They had nothing to do with it. I have no idea how this nation is still standing. Forgotten, bereft of their own money (sanctions which affect the people more than the governement) and yet still standing.

Why am I writing this? Maybe I should have kept this for my diary... but this is why I am not as vocal as I would have been 20 years ago on horrors like the genocide happening in Gaza. Yet i cannot be completely quiet.

I do what I can through donation, prayer and speaking rather than screaming in the void (posting online). Condemning without falling into hate fueled rage.

Rage and hate will not solve anything... instead it will feed this never ending cycle of violence. It's a luxury and duty we have; We who are not directly affected by this genocidal violence. ( I have no right to lecture the people of palestine who are suffering in a way I cannot describe. Please do not misunderstand the purpose of this post.)

We must condemn what is happening, we must move our goverment to oppose this violation of human rights. We must calmy educate those who have no idea about the historical roots of this occupation. We must do what we can to help the opressed people of Palestine.

But I refuse to fall into the trap of hate.

Hate never solves anything.

Most people will scroll pass that. I just wanted to share where I stand on the issue and how it makes me feel and think.

[hiphuman2020]

Mister, Mister will make you squirm. Relentless in style and purpose, Guy Gunaratne delivers a harsh and enlightening story.

Sometimes truth must be blunt to make its point.

As a reader, you stand accused. Though he’s supposed to be confessing to aiding Islamic terrorists, Yahya Bas shapes the story of his life into an accusatory finger, pointing it directly at his interrogator, and at his readers.  “Because deep down, I think, you understand, Mister, that there have been things done in your name that have been unforgivable.” English mother and Iraqi father, Yahya…

[willpollock]

Your assumptions about 9/11 attacks are about to turn on a dime [BLOG SERIES]

"a new filing in a lawsuit brought by families of 9/11 victims against Saudi Arabia alleges that al-Qaeda had significant, indeed decisive, state support for its attacks" https://t.co/1OPAtmvxZg pic.twitter.com/uEaA6PSYbn — Will's Media Reform School #DoBetter ⚖️ 🌻 (@bywillpollock) May 26, 2024 This is Part 1 of a 3-part blog series, exclusively on CrankyYank.com Conventional wisdom is rarely…

[rashmeerl]

[gameofthrones2020]

Why Were There no Mass Style World War II Tank Battles During the Ukraine War

For the reader unaware of the Ukraine war, it has been taking place since 2014 until the present day. This is a conflict being waged by the Russian Federation led by Vladimir Putin against the free peoples of Ukraine.

For the reader unaware of the Ukraine war, it has been taking place since 2014 until the present day. This is a conflict being waged by the Russian Federation led by Vladimir Putin against the free peoples of Ukraine. The war is being waged for many reasons, such as the expansion of NATO since the end of the Cold War in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet…

[syruckusnow]

The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld

[reginaldstroudus]

Should George W Bush Go To Trial For The Iraqi War?

[carolkeiter]

‘War Made Easy ~ How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us To Death’ film within | Corporate Media has Colluded, Acting as Stenographers for the Pentagon

Startling, frightening, no Hollywood horror movie could be more chilling than this political documentary. A Brown University study reveals that the USA has engaged in conflicts with 100 countries. The corporate media has colluded in all the conflicts, acting as stenographers for the Pentagon, rather than questioning and investigating. “20 Years After Iraq Invasion: “War Made Easy ~ How…

[nando161mando]

People's Defense Forces (HPG) statement on the current war in South Kurdistan:

Turkish occupation army is trying to gain a foothold in Metîna with the support of KDP collaborators: Airborne troops were dropped on Girê Şehîd Ezda (Mountaintop) At the same time, shovel excavators were moved from the KDP-controlled town of Qedîşê to Golka.

HPG: "There are currently occupation troops on the hills of Şehîd Hesen, Şehîd Sorxwîn, Şehîd Ezda and Şehîd Dilbirîn, which belong to Golka. The occupation operation in Metîna, which was launched on April 16, has thus been expanded and entered a new stage."

Regarding the situation in the Heftanîn region, HPG announced that Iraqi troops were stationed in Girê Pîrbila, Neqeba Şabanîkê & Şeranîş.

The move of Iraqi troops close to Guerrilla held territories comes after Turkey and Iraq signed Security cooperation agreement last week. Turkey is using economic pressure in an attempt to pull Iraq into open confrontation with the PKK Guerrillas.

[suujatan]

Horrible, but not a surprising development, much to my ire.

Back in late October of 2023, Occupation Forces dropped missiles on Jabalia refugee camp that killed and injured hundreds of people, allegedly to take out a Hamas commander and destroy tunnels.

The flour massacres of this year also establish precedence in my eyes, as does the so-called "tragic mistake" that was the strike on the refugee camp in Rafah this May.

The fact they disguised themselves as humanitarian aid workers to carry out a Trojan horse operation feels like a twisting of the knife.

The fact that US special forces were involved just seems to confirm what some Palestinians on the ground were already reporting months ago, that American troops are operating in Gaza, not just American dual-citizens enlisted in the IOF.

And of course, outside of these horrifying atrocities that make the news, there is the more subtle horrors in between that we don't get to see, the day-to-day stress of trying to survive with little-to-no food or clean water, of never knowing when the next attack may occur, of when reception will go out, whether or not a missing loved one is dead or being detained in Abu Ghraib-type of prison camp (judging from their social media posts, I almost get the impression that a lot of IOF enlistees looked at the Abu Ghraib photos and thought "anything you can do I can do better!").

Israeli government has announced that their intent is to "completely wipe out" Hamas from the Gaza strip. Their official media accounts have been posting ads that state there to be no innocent civilians in Gaza, implying that everyone there is Hamas. Therefore, I am forced to conclude that they intend to wipe out the Strip's entire population.

Long term plan? Probably to plant settlements in the ethnically cleansed land, repeat the Gaza campaign in the West Bank, stick the tiny remnant Palestinian populations on a few small reserves, and basically whitewash the history of events. Maybe in 100 years, they'd do landback acknowledgements like we do in the US for the indigenous populations we genocided (and whose descendants are still struggling against marginalization)

Anyway, I'm documenting the stuff currently happening, the stuff that has happened, and the crap that politicians and spokespersons keep spewing. A lot of people now expressing horror at the Nuseirat Massacre were pretty adamant in defending the Occupying State's right "to defend itself" months ago and are just trying to save face as public opinion shifts.

A lot of politicians and media personalities who supported the Iraq War during the Bush administration were able to turn around and rehabilitate their image after the fact and continue having successful careers. I do not want to see that repeated here.

279+ Palestinians killed

698+ Palestinians injured

4 Israeli hostages recovered

I’m speechless

[deadpresidents]

The reasons Mr. Hussein failed to clarify that he had no weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to 2003 are embedded in his tragic, decades-long conflict with Washington: his furtive, mistrustful collaboration with the C.I.A. during the 1980s; the Gulf War of 1990 and 1991; the U.N.-backed struggle over Iraqi disarmament that followed; and the climactic confrontation after Sept. 11. Shortly after the Gulf War, he secretly ordered the destruction of his chemical and biological arms, as Washington and the United Nations had demanded. He hoped this action would allow Iraq to pass disarmament inspections, but he covered up what he had done and lied repeatedly to inspectors. He did not tell the truth to his own generals, fearing that he might invite internal or external attacks. His decision to comply with international demands but to lie about it to U.N. inspectors defied Western logic. But Mr. Hussein would not submit to public humiliation, not least because he thought it wouldn’t work. “One of the mistakes some people make is that when the enemy has decided to hurt you, you believe there is a chance to decrease the harm by acting in a certain way,” he told a colleague. In fact, he said, “The harm won’t be less.” Mr. Hussein believed the C.I.A. was all but omniscient, and so, particularly after Sept. 11, when Mr. Bush accused him of hiding weapons of mass destruction, he assumed that the agency already knew that he had no dangerous weapons and that the accusations were just a pretense to invade. A C.I.A. capable of making an analytical mistake on the scale of its miss about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was not part of his worldview.

--Steve Coll, "Why Authoritarians Like Saddam Hussein Confound U.S. Presidents," New York Times, Feb. 28, 2024.

[thenib]

Jen Sorensen.