here is Josh’s story (warning some is graphic)
http://joshua-omvig.memory-of.com/

Julie..Josh’s Aunt

Rumsfeld’s Epiphany
December 6, 2005

Rumsfeld usually spit out bromides for his excuses for failures but since last Wednesday Rumsfeld been choking back on some. In “Rumsfeld calls for clear rules on U.S. troops lacing Iraq torture” by the Washington Post describes Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is ready to flail about in a fog of his own making called the Iraq war. Last Wednesday (Nov. 30), Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace, publicly contradict Rumsfeld’s allowing U.S. backed Iraq forces to torture Sunnis and others with impunity. Now Rumsfeld ordered military commanders to come up with rules in what should our troops do when they witness the mistreatment of detainees. This is typical of Rumsfeld: it’s his job to come up with that answer. That’s what he’s paid for. Apparently, passing the buck is the only technique he had perfected as Secretary of Defense and then have the consequences of it dumped on our troops in the battlefield. Thus it’s no surprise that Rumsfeld hasn’t opposed the campaign of torture and murder against the Sunnis by the U.S. trained Shiite militia. Again, the consequence of failure isn’t in Rumsfeld’s universe, but the price of war is ours.

This Season Turkey
December 8, 2005

Again, at the Council on Foreign Relations, President Bush spew out another bromide, thus failing Americans once again. Bush is never going to have any credibility with Americans until he levels with us. Bush’s staying power in “staying the course” is losing steam: the American public isn’t any safer since Bush started the Big Fat Lie known as the Iraq war. It’s time for Bush to really level with us for a new course for an endgame for Iraq. To begin with the Iraq war has not paid for itself. This holiday season Bush’s turkey has cost Americans over $277 billion and is expect to grow $100 billion more—over 2100 American lives. Again, Bush has no choice but to come clean with the American public: we can’t have a national consensus without an honest debate, which Bush is constantly running from. We need to know the true costs of the war and how Bush intends to pay for it; how he’s going to lay out some benchmarks for success; but more importantly, the American people need to see some signs that the Bush administration has a plan for Iraq that goes beyond “stay the course.” To me, the American public can not, will not stand for any more of this psychotic posture: see you at the 2006 mid term election, George.

Do pay attention to the Backstabber behind the Curtain
December 9, 2005

A week ago top Republicans and Democrats exchanged sharp words over the Iraq war as President Bush dismissed Democrats as “pessimists,” those raising questions about his strategy and calling for a troop withdrawal. Bush condemned Howard Dean’s remarks at a San Antonio, Texas, radio station when Dean said “the idea that we’re going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong.” The president referred Dean’s words as “Oh, there’re pessimists, you know, and politicians who try to score points and our troops need to know that the American people stand with them, and we have a strategy for victory.” House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert quickly weighed in, saying that Dean had “made it clear the Democratic Party sides with those who wish to surrender.” Vice President Dick Cheney toss his two cents in, supporting the administration’s determination to resist a withdrawal of troops as “unwise in the extreme” to leave prematurely. “To leave that country before the job is done would be to hand Iraq over to car bombers and assassins,” Cheney said. Well, enough is enough. The Bush/Cheney Duet doesn’t have any plans to secure America or Americans. They have no tangible benchmarks for success and fail to provide an honest assessment of the reasons for the increased violence on Iraq, and then ignore the real challenges of securing a lasting peace and combating global terrorism. The Bush administration has no effective strategy for victory in Iraq. Unless Bush is willing to put aside all his “rose-colored scenarios” the mess and the carnage will continue. And ignoring the increase insurgent attacks on US forces occurring at an all time like 100 per day according to the Pentagon the size of the insurgency is likely to increase at a lethal pace as well. Since the administration has not given us a credible reading on the actual number of trained Iraqi security forces the impact of our prolonged occupation will determined the degree of Iraq’s uncertain future. Bush’s refusal for a benchmark of success is a sure fire for failure. Recently the Senate overwhelmingly endorsed an amendment calling the Bush administration to create a timetable to complete this war. Bush flat-out refused; wasn’t he who once demanded President Clinton a timetable when he was at war with Bosnia? And Bush along with the rest of the war happy Republicans had the temerity to call Howard Dean a “pessimist?” All the above proves that the Bush administration isn’t really interested in providing security for our nation. Bush and the pro-war Republicans and the right-wing talking heads are only interest in draining the resources of our nation and the life’s blood of our citizens and our troops abroad. The recent 2100 plus deaths of our troops and the fiasco of the Katrina Hurricane are but small examples of Bush’s lack of compassion and cynical nature to bleed this nation dry and then some.

Kabuki by Bush
December 13, 2005

In “Bush says war killed 30,000 Iraqis” by Nedra Pickler present President Bush as a character in a Japanese movie called Rashomon: Bush wants to be seen in a positive light while everyone else sees him differently. Desperate to reverse his sinking approval rating, Bush attempts an unscripted presentation Kabuki-style, trying to come “clean” about the true estimation of Iraqi casualties. At the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia Bush pops up the minimum body count of 30,000, hoping that public will be content with. Unfortunately, no one brought up The Lancet, the prestigious British medical journal, who estimated that about 100,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed in Iraq since it was invaded by a United States-led coalition in March 2003. It’s no surprise that Bush’s figures are way off since he had appointed Karen Hughes, undersecretary of state, to dispel anti-American sentiment around the world; she’s good company with Condi Rice. His Iraqi government progress has also come into question: the Pentagon’s paid journalists and news reports. For his last Kabuki pass, Bush stated that if he knew what he knows now he would have still made the same decision to invade Iraq. Where’s the trapdoor lever?

The Kiss of Death
January 8, 2006

Again, President Bush has expressed his undying devotion for our troops in Iraq. Michael Moss’s “Up to 80% of Marine deaths tied to light body armor” revealed that extra body armor have been available to our troops in Iraq since 2003. But since it wasn’t made available 80% of the deaths in U.S. Marines could have been avoid, and it wasn’t until last September that the Marines procurement unit began ordering them. What was the hold up: President Bush’s mandate to privatize anything that wasn’t nailed down. Privatization screw up the efficiency for our veterans in Iraq with constant delays in cost disputes and in spending priorities. From October 2003, one-quarter of our troops serving in Iraq weren’t issue ceramic-plated body armor and up to early 2004 where soldiers and their families were still buying their own body armor despite assurances from the military that the gear will be in hand. The latest failure is no surprise from this administration particularly when VP Cheney said: Our troops would be given the resources they need and the respect they deserve. Such mushy talk is the kiss of death to our troops in Iraq.

Breakfast of Champions
January 12, 2006

In “Bush: War critics may help enemy” by Jennifer Loven reveal an American President who’s backed against a wall, feeding the American public such tiresome mush while to the mainstream media it’s the breakfast of champions. Bush’s bursting confidence is blasting his critics, those who give “comfort to our adversaries.” At a Veterans of Foreign War in Washington, Bush spouts that victory in Iraq is a certainty. But he failed to mention what Jack Murtha stated that the attacks against American troops have gone up 20 times in two years. That the Sunni population in Iraq has yet to be equally represented by the Shiite controlled government, paving the way for more instability and bloodshed. The Shiite element in the Iraqi government has extreme close tie with Iran; the country that Bush seriously planning to invade. Also with the shortage of recruitment at an all time high Bush still refuses to institute a draft. And to top it off our arm forces aren’t decently equipped; both in material and personnel. These are just some of the problems and there’s much more but that will surpass the word limit for this editorial.

Dollars and Sense
January 14, 2006

Someone is peeking under the hood here. In “Cost of Iraq war could reach $2 trillion” by Knight Ridder Newspapers propped up that hood even higher: The entire cost of the Big Fat Lie known as the Iraq war is going to be two trillions dollars. And that is no lie. Ridder’s persuasive article makes clear the cost of the war very effective. Assessing all the war appropriations, the dollar effects on our economy, soldiers’ cost in medical and protracted tours of duty, effects from the sky-high oil prices and the interest on government debt run of the war and so on proved convincing. Yet the estimated cost is questioned: the authors of this report are accused of being liberals, otherwise how can you explained this outrageous amount when a scholar from the conservative American Enterprise Institute concluded it will only exceed $300 billion? The AEI stated that the greater cost is motivated by the authors’ position against the war, not for it. Therefore, the AEI believes its estimation is more correct since it’s for the war. “The president doesn’t approach defending America as an accountant” said spokesman Duffy. Now that makes sense instead of dollars.

Pain but no Gain
January 16, 2006

In the article “U.S. finding to rebuild close to running out” by Dough Smith and Borzou Daragahi only tap the surface of the iceberg; it’s that unrevealed 90% that’s going to sink the U.S.S. Economy. The authors make clear the U.S. commitment in Iraq’s reconstruction sways on the teeter-totter of political necessity for the Bush administration. But one must go beyond the Republicans, the U.S. Embassy, the National Assembly of Iraq, and the Iraq Army Corps of Engineers’ talking points to get the real dirt in this Iraqi landscape of reconstruction. Despite Bush’s demand for accountability in reconstruction, the spending isn’t being monitored at all. A recent report by the Congressional Research Service found confusing Pentagon accounting procedures had complicated the legislative branch’s ability to track billions that have been spent on military contracts and operations, not in reconstruction. The missing 9 billion dollars under Paul Bremer’s watch is an example. CRS said the Defense Department hasn’t provided any oversight of these funds. It is time for the Bush administration to come clean about their failure to provide proper oversight on Iraq spending before Iraq’s and the U.S.’s economies sink to the bottom.

Tummy Water
January 23, 2006

Halliburton made a new splash over the same old infraction: Poisoning our troops in Iraq. In “Halliburton hit over troops’ exposure to tainted water” by Larry Margasak Halliburton is accused of poisoning U.S. soldiers with contaminated water last July and had done its best not to inform the troops. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the Democrats are pushing for an investigation since the Republicans had done their best to stonewall any oversights. The Republican created Halliburton had time after time abused its trust and responsibilities in servicing the needs to our troops. But when will our military organizations in this country will rise up in ire to confront President Bush and Halliburton former CEO, Cheney, to the destructive and degrading treatment of our troops in Iraq? Worse, why allow Bush to speak in their organizations such as the VFW in Washington last Jan.12 when the Bush administration have allowed rotten food, refused to provide body armor, rip off of their health benefits, and then extending their tour of duty over and over of our troops? Will Bush take a sip of that Halliburton’s water? We know the answer to that, don’t we.

Fumbling Rumsfeld
January 26, 2006

I have one question: is this really news? In “Rumsfeld denies Army is overtaxed” by Richard Whittle shouldn’t be a surprise whether the military is overtaxed or that Donald Rumsfeld denies at it is. Now here’s a news flash (an old one, in fact): two years ago the news that our military being overtaxed was made public. Rumsfeld’s dream of leaner and high-tech operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought victories as well as defeats. Since September 11, this problem was destined to be exacerbated by Rumsfeld’s mismanagement and President Bush’s postwar transition of Iraq and the inability of the United States to get substantial troops from other nations. Other problems put the troops, who have been deployed without proper training and their tour of duty extended, through a series of stop-loss measures, disrupting their life and economics on the home front. Thus began the recruiting problems which still exist today more than ever. Along with the lack of proper body armor, shoddy equipment, benefits being rip off, and the poor medical care in the past two year only exacerbated this persistent problem and that of Rumsfeld’s continual denial.

defeat our enemies, –the Iraqi people, consisting of the disgruntled Sunnis, the Iran-aligned Shi’ites, and the independence-minded Kurds, many of whom we have killed, injured, detained and tortured, and Afghanis as well,

and stand behind the American military in its vital mission.”–by sending them out on Iraq’s mean streets in unarmored vehicles, with sub-standard body armor, on repeated involuntary tours, led by incompetent officers, used to commit mass murder and mayhem among civilians, directly contributing to PTSD, and when they are killed, boxing them up and shipping them home under cover of darkness.

THAT’S THE NOBLE CAUSE THAT PEACE GODDESS CINDY SHEEHAN GOT ARRESTED (AGAIN) FOR PROTESTING.

What they heck is wrong with them.

APPLAUD NOTHING.

Just sit there. Don’t even listen.