25,000:
By on Dec 21st, 2007 at 6:38 pm
25,000:
Average number of Iraqi children displaced per month from their homes “as their families fled violence or intimidation” in 2007, according to a report from Unicef. Some 75,000 children had resorted to living in camps or temporary shelters, and only 20 percent outside Baghdad had working sewerage in their community.
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If this happened to one american family, this country would be up in arms yet we sit back and continue to condone this behavior in Iraq. Not only Incomprehensible but appallingly disgraceful that our occupation is resulting in this carnage and destruction of the Iraqi family unit.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:42 pmHopefully, if Andrew Horne and Rick Noriega get elected to the Senate this next year, a change of course will finally start in Iraq. Thus far, outside of Webb, Murphy, and Altmire, no one in congress seems too interested in Iraq.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:42 pmIs there any wonder what these 75,000 displaced kids will grow up to become? American haters is a given – they will fight to their death to take their revenge upon us for what we have done to their country, their families, and their lives.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:43 pmThis is the breeding ground for the next generation of Iraqi warriors against america. How these morons in Congress fail to see that our actions will have dire future consequences is beyond me. I’m beginning to think that the congressional office buildings are filled with toxins which are finally affecting their brain.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:45 pmBarbara Bush thinks it’s all working out rather nicely for them.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:45 pmAgain, it’s the GOP mantra of “As long as I get everything I want and desire, to hell with the next generation”. Every damn GOPher in Congress needs to be pitched out on their ear.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:45 pmBarbie Bush is in her cups all too often.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:46 pmWe’re displacing Iraqi children there, so we can welcome them here.
Nah, just kidding. We don’t want any war refugees littering our landscape.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:48 pmAfter four years there, what do we have as far as a functioning government? We train their soldiers for four years, and yet they are not able to take over their security. The average Army infantryman gets 4 months of training. There are 12 powerstations in Iraq, NONE of which are run by the Iraqi government. Their parliament just decided to take another 30 day recess. Again. And the Shiite government is so anxious about trying to engender the Sunnis back into the government that they are releasing tens of thousands of Sunni prisoners from Iraqi jails.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:49 pmSometimes, when I am putting my kids in bed, I try to imagine the sheer agony an Iraqi father must be going through, when trying to feed his family, and keep them out of harm’s way.
I imagine them dodging bullets and bombs, putting up with house searches, surviving the lack of food and medical services in these shanty towns aka camps or “temporary shelters”…
I hug my kids and kiss them goodnight hoping that, someday, Iraqi fathers will be able to do the same with their children in the comfort of their home, free of the brutal occupation of a foreign army.
My best bet is that these fathers don’t care too much for this “liberation”, Bush style.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pmIraqis of all sectarian and ethnic groups believe that the U.S. military invasion is the primary root of the violent differences among them, and see the departure of “occupying forces” as the key to national reconciliation, according to focus groups conducted for the U.S. military last month.
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=280
December 21st, 2007 at 6:51 pmBushco couldn’t care less.
He want’s their oil.
And they have brown skin.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:51 pmAnother liberal post about “the children”. I can taste the vomit already.
Iraqis are returning to their homes, now that the surge worked.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/world/middleeast/04iraq.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
December 21st, 2007 at 6:54 pmBenchmarks..reminder
Those benchmarks are about to have their birthday on January 10;
To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq’s provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country’s economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs. To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year. And to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation’s political life, the government will reform de-Baathification laws, and establish a fair process for considering amendments to Iraq’s constitution.
George W. Bush
So far, none of these benchmarks have been met – and the Government of Iraq (GOI) is kicking off another 30 day recess.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:54 pmWhat will happen to these children?
More about the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis:
What can be done:
Learn more at Refugees International
December 21st, 2007 at 6:56 pmComment by EuroTrash — December 21, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
####
How did the surge work? I served in Iraq, for over a year. I still have numerous friends still there that I talk to DAILY. No one, including our own military commanders, is saying that the surge is a success. Only politicians who are willing to kill more soldiers so they can score more points with their political base. The ONLY OIF veteran serving in congress right now is a Democrat. He will soon be joined by two more, though, once Horne and Noriega win.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:57 pmBush and the other giggling murderous neocons view this back door torturous genocide as progress in meeting their goals.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:58 pmhttp://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=169
The GOI process, plain and simple.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:59 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPnFGVejIsY&NR=1
December 21st, 2007 at 7:02 pmChris L, yes the surge has worked stupid. Even the NY times had to admit it. Try to pay attention and pull your head out of your ass.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:02 pmIf you read into the article, it says:
The figure represents a fraction of the estimated 1.5 million Iraqis who fled to Syria in recent years to escape the sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing in Iraq.
Fraction means “a very small part or segment of anything; minute portion…A disconnected piece; a fragment.”
Again, according to Refugees International:
Period end of story.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:03 pmIs this part of the “good news” our resident trolls keep babbling on about? This is the real story of Iraq. I don’t care if there are fewer deaths, the country is in shambles and is not going to get better as long as we are occupying Iraq. The people want us out, they think that we are doing more harm than good. So why are we still there? They are not going to give us their oil as a reward for destroying their country, being in Iraq has nothing to do with the so-called “war on terror”, and being there is bankrupting this country. So, why are we there?
December 21st, 2007 at 7:03 pmChris L, yes the surge has worked stupid. Even the NY times had to admit it. Try to pay attention and pull your head out of your ass.
Comment by EuroTrash — December 21, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
####
Typical, another republican insulting the troops. OK, genius, how has the surge worked? Give me examples.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:04 pm2007 – the deadliest year for our troops so far.
Thanks to large amounts of ethnic cleansing, violence is down in Iraq. You can only burn down so many trees in a forest before the fires die out – because there are no trees left to burn.
Moqtada Sadr has called for a six-month cease fire, while he is studying for the rank of Ayatolla. However, senior military commanders believe that once the Mahdi Army is active again, violence will resurge tremendously no matter how many troops we have there.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:07 pmIraqis are returning to their homes, now that the surge worked.
Comment by EuroTrash
No asshat, Iraqi’s are returning to their homes because they have run out of money to support themselves in the country they fled to. Here’s the part of the article you ignored:
The agency said the recent widespread drop in violence in Iraq had drawn some refugees back, though it added that many had also run out of money. Recent visa restrictions were forcing people back too.
The vast majority of the returning refugees, roughly 20,000, came back to the capital, Baghdad, where their well-being is far from assured. The agency said many had found squatters in their homes and had had to seek sanctuary elsewhere, leading to a rise in the number of people displaced within Iraq.
And look at what they are returning to. A country that is pretty much destroyed, neighborhoods that have been ethnically cleansed and no work for them.
Yeppers, things are looking up in Iraq.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:08 pmAnyone not ashamed of that reality – one that we have caused, unnecessarily – is not someone human.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:09 pmThe Washington Monthly has an article in its latest issue about the crisis of captains leaving the Army. The article blamed 15-month deployments, repeated deployments, and the Iraq War as causes. Go figure.
Here’s one interesting fact about West Point from the piece:
Of the nearly 1,000 cadets from the class of 2002, 58 percent are no longer on active duty.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:10 pmThis Iraqi refugee crisis is going to take decades to fix:
“It’s a problem that everybody can grasp,” said a senior U.S. diplomat here. “You move back to the house that you left and find that somebody else has moved into the house, maybe because they’ve been displaced from someplace else. And it’s even more difficult than that, because in many cases the local militias . . . have seized control and threw out anybody in that neighborhood they didn’t like.”
The vast population upheaval resulting from Iraq’s sectarian conflict has left the country with yet another looming crisis. At least one of every six Iraqis — about 4.5 million people — has left home, some for other parts of Iraq, others for neighboring nations.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:12 pmChris L, yes the surge has worked stupid. Even the NY times had to admit it. Try to pay attention and pull your head out of your ass.
Comment by EuroTrash
Coming from the “head-up-the-ass” expert.
And how many refugees fleed since? Maybe you should read more than one source, idiot?
Surge success???? AS IF.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:12 pmWell who cares right? I mean their not me. Things like habeas corpus, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment and many other rights are great for me, but why should they apply to anyone else.
Does anyone else think that maybe its things like this that the US does that helps create the hatred that leads to terrorism? Whats more believable that people are mad about the US bombing their homes, invading their countries, preventing them from having clean water or that they “hate our freedom”.
Do you know what is really disgusting, many of the same people who are supporting this and all of the other actions condoned by the Bush white house are the same people who love the claim the moral high ground on things like abortion and gay marriage.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:13 pmFreedoms on the march.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:13 pmComment by EuroTrash
EuroTrash! Yeah that fits you to a tee. How smart is it to announce your status in life and call yourself a name at the same time?
December 21st, 2007 at 7:14 pmChris L, yes the surge has worked stupid. Even the NY times had to admit it. Try to pay attention and pull your head out of your ass.
Comment by EuroTrash
Your moniker is very well chosen. You certainly are trash. How about a link to a NY Times article that says the surge has worked. Not one that says that there is less violence in Baghdad, but one that says it has accomplished something other than there being less violence. Because less violence means nothing without changes in the government. Also, tell me, if the “surge has worked”, how come the Iraqi people want us the hell out of there? How come the Iraqi people think that the surge did nothing to improve their situation.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:14 pmWell, Merry Christmas to everyone here at TP. Here is a little bit about Christmas for the Bush Administration
The most extravagant gifts were inevitably from the Saudi Arabians. King Abdullah gave Mr Cheney the most expensive present on the list: a $55,000 18-carat white gold, ruby and diamond jewelery set. The King also gave Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, a white gold-and-diamond necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring, worth $20,000. Mr Bush’s most expensive gift was an $11,000 Cartier Santos-Dumont watch – inside an $18,000 white gold case – from the Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He was toppled by the military in September 2006 and has since taken over Manchester City Football Club.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:16 pmThe most extravagant gifts were inevitably from the Saudi Arabians. King Abdullah gave Mr Cheney the most expensive present on the list: a $55,000 18-carat white gold, ruby and diamond jewelery set. The King also gave Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, a white gold-and-diamond necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring, worth $20,000. Mr Bush’s most expensive gift was an $11,000 Cartier Santos-Dumont watch – inside an $18,000 white gold case – from the Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He was toppled by the military in September 2006 and has since taken over Manchester City Football Club.
Comment by Chris L
What nice rewards for playing the part of the dog whose tail got wagged.
CRIMINAL A$$HOLES, ONE AND ALL.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:19 pmRepublicans Don’t Even Talk About Iraq
December 21st, 2007 at 7:19 pmnothing like a little “hey, thanks for pretending those other guys did 9/11″ gift, huh? one hand, and the other, and the washing, and so on…very nice, very congenial…
December 21st, 2007 at 7:19 pmComment by DieNowForPeace — December 21, 2007 @ 7:19 pm
###
Where were the 9/11 terrorists from again? Oh yeah – Saudi Arabia
December 21st, 2007 at 7:20 pmHey Chris,
Post some quotes from your links, makes ‘em more appealing.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:20 pmHey Chris,
Post some quotes from your links, makes ‘em more appealing.
Comment by DieNowForPeace — December 21, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
Sorry. Was I doing that too much?
http://www.misspoppy.com/catalog/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16346
December 21st, 2007 at 7:22 pmOf course the surge has been a success. Iraqis have flooded back into Bagdad now that its much safer. If you aren’t able to admit this to yourself, then you’re clearly not a serious individual interested in facts. Its all about hate with you people, and you just can’t stand it that the surge worked despite all you naysayers. The military surge has been an overwhelming success as reported in LA TIMES, NY TIMES, CNN, and the rest of the liberal rags. Now, the political situation in Iraq wrt Iraq’s corrupt government remains a failure. That’s how it is, whether Chris L and other libtards like it or not.
You leftists extreamists are so marginalized, so anti-american that people pay no attention to your constant whining. Hell, your own party doesn’t even respect you, hence they haven’t defunded or stopped the war in spite of controlling congress. Essentially, you and your silly little hate-sites like thinkprogress are worthless and innefective.
Chris L, you still owe me an appology for your lies about me insulting the troops. I did no such thing and you are clearly not a truthful person.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:34 pmComment(s) by EuroTrash
You’re-all trash…
December 21st, 2007 at 7:43 pmChris L, you still owe me an appology for your lies about me insulting the troops. I did no such thing and you are clearly not a truthful person.
Comment by EuroTrash — December 21, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
###
No, it is you who owes the apology. And yes, you did insult at least one troop. You called me stupid and said I had my head up my ass.
By the way, the only Iraq war veteran currently serving in congress is a democrat. Two more OIF/OEF veterans are running for Senate – as democrats.
Still waiting for those examples …
December 21st, 2007 at 7:45 pmWe can sum up Eurotrash’s response in three words – the sociopath speaks. But really, before you get too carried away with your brilliantly circular arguments, please remember that the point of the surge, as explained by our President, was to provide an atmosphere in which political reconciliation in Iraq was possible. As there has been absolutely no political reconciliation of any kind in Iraq, it’s hard to understand how even a sociopath such as yourself could say “the surge has worked.” Worked for what? As an end unto itself? There is still no functioning government in Iraq, and as recent news has revealed, what government there is feels that reconciliation is impossible without a U.S. withdrawl of troops.
And every time a sociopath like you calls people who criticize the war “exteamists” (sic) or “marginalized” it simply makes you look crazier and crazier since every single poll shows that over 70% of the public is dissatisfied with what’s going on over there and wants us to get the hell out.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:46 pmMemo to EuroTrash: When you say “libtard” it’s like advertising you have the mind of an 11-year old.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:47 pmEuroTrash: “Another liberal post about “the childrenâ€. I can taste the vomit already.”
I’m sorry everyone. I’m very in favor of civil dialog, but this guy really does deserve a good, sound beating.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:49 pmComment by EuroTrash — December 21, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Chris L, you still owe me an appology for your lies about me insulting the troops. I did no such thing and you are clearly not a truthful person.
You insulted the troops by lying to them that the surge worked, which it didn’t. And you know it didn’t work, you self righteous prevaricater.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:50 pmHe says worrying about “the children” makes him want to vomit and then, a few posts later, demands an apology. What’s the point in even arguing with an inhuman psychotic monster like this? I’m sorry I even acknowledged him. He’s less than human. Hell, he’s less than animal. My dog has more brains and decency.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:52 pmRush limpdong,Billo O’liely now calling themselves ‘EuroTrash?’
December 21st, 2007 at 7:53 pmYou rightwingers are irrelevant.
Rightwingers are marginalized on the war: 68% of Americans oppose the war.
Rightwingers are marginalized on health care: 64% want universal coverage.
Rightwingers are marginalized on reducing carbon emissions: 85% believe global warming is occurring.
Irrelevant.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:56 pmThis feeble excuse for a war was lost with the first bomb of Shock and Awe. Illegal, unjust war of aggression against an already beat down country is a loss before it starts. Trashy can kill and render homeless as many children as the might of the USA will allow, but the “war” will still be a loss for the USA. Thanks greedy GOP scum.
December 21st, 2007 at 7:57 pmComment by Billy Hill
Were children educated in Iraq before we invaded? Does the right suddenly think the UN is a worthy organization? Inquiring minds want to know.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:19 pm“ALL B.S. ASIDE………..”
Baloney.
You couldn’t care less about the children. They’re just political props to your side. We didn’t invade to free these kids – we invaded because we thought their country was a threat to us.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:23 pmThe threat was a posed excuse to invade and loot the US treasury in an experiment in privatization of war and the Iraqi national oil.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:27 pmBut you are correct about the Right not caring about children. Except for possible sex or cheap labor to bolster profits.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:29 pmwe invaded because we thought their country was a threat to us.
Nonsense. Bush invaded because his poll numbers needed a boost. Period. When did the Bush White House ever do anything for reasons other than purely political??
December 21st, 2007 at 8:32 pmHow to celebrate Christmas with this shit going on.
City food banks here in the US need our help this holiday season, which is where I just came from. Donate as much as you can to make up for the fat power crazed jerks who don’t care, aka our current Federal Government.
Guess the suffering doesn’t bother BushCo much. Sleep well, Fearless Leader, in your coccoon.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:45 pmIt is not that hard to do something nice.
Comment by Billy Hill —
I already did.
My SSI money (I’m a grandfather, so, you’re far off the mark) is going toward this little experiment in democracy. Perhaps some of that missing 7 billion dollars would have gone a long way towards educating these kids. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t trying to use them as political props. The only folks I hate are those who think invading a sovereign nation (and torturing their citizens) is acceptable because of an “imminent threat.”
If that includes you, so be it.
And I know you as well as I want to, toady.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:48 pmOf course, it never occurs to the average troll, or the exceptional ones for that matter, that the best ting one can do “for the children” is to vote against the neocons and any who have supported them.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:08 pmThis is not the American dream that has been lost sight of. Blame will not fix it. Hate is of no consequence. I do not know the answer but there is one and it ain’t Democrat or Republican but there is one. This country is way past due for a revolution of some sort, not necessarily a war but a major overhaul that will be of great pain to many.
Comment by Billy Hill
Thanks for giving up on your incoherent pseudo liberal rants, and actually posting something that has some reality to it. I’m even going to give you an attaboy.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:35 pmComment by Billy Hill — December 21, 2007 @ 9:23 pm
I might agree with you if our country hadn’t been seized by criminals. And, please note I said “neocons”. Despite some of the rhetoric there are honorable people in each party.
However, I am convinced, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the most important duty of our times is to destroy the neocons. They are the enemies of humanity. Not the first. Not the worst. But they are here and now and must be stopped. And I’d vote for a potted plant, or the great Satan, if they opposed a neocon.
You see? To me, a vote against a criminal is a vote for truth, justice, and the American way (I don’t mean to be corny, but, it fits.). Heck, there may even be a few self-described neocons who aren’t criminals. But, I would still vote for their opponents. I just don’t see how anyone could swim in that sewer without getting stinky.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:45 pmExcept the “violence and intimidation†they are fleeing isn’t that of the occupation forces.
Just like ending the occupation won’t do anything to improve this trend.
Comment by Kilo — December 21, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
It is a direct result of the occupation, a direct result. Your parsing and lies don’t improve this thresd either.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:32 pmomment by Kilo — December 21, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
how many times do you need to emphasize your lack of interest in the fate of American troops? you hate the troops, we get it.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:43 pmand here comes capt handjob with some other irrelevant, foolish, ignorant diversion to cover up his bushite cocksucking. what a tool.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:44 pmThe post you are quoting refers to the prospects for citizens targetted in an ethnic cleansing campaign, not US troops.
No doubt we’ll hear you claiming the same thing anytime someone proposes an interventionist force in Sudan.
Comment by Kilo — December 21, 2007 @ 10:51 pm
and the point is still the same, idiot. without the illegal, savage invasion and occupation, this scenario doesn’t exist. your back must be hurting from all the time you keep your head up your ass.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:58 pmGuess the suffering doesn’t bother BushCo much. Sleep well, Fearless Leader, in your coccoon.
Comment by And Yet.
I worked for the food bank here in Corvallis and learned that the federal government’s contributions to food banks around the country have fallen every year Bush has been in office.
He doesn’t give a rats a$$ about anyone but himself and his fat cat rich friends. May he rot in hell (if there is one).
December 21st, 2007 at 11:02 pmThose statistics are from 2005! When you go to the other information on the UNICEF web site, it shows the following:
* Only 28 per cent of Iraq’s 17 year olds sat their final exams in summer, and only 40 per cent of those sitting exams achieved a passing grade (in south and central Iraq).
* Many of 220,000 displaced children of primary school age had their education interrupted, adding to the estimated 760,000 children (17 per cent) already out of primary school in 2006.
* Children in remote and hard-to-reach areas were frequently cut off from health outreach services.
* Only 20 per cent outside Baghdad had working sewerage in their community, and access to safe water remains a serious issue.
* An average 25,000 children per month were displaced by violence or intimidation, their families seeking shelter in other parts of Iraq.
* By the end of the year, approximately 75,000 children had resorted to living in camps or temporary shelters (25 per cent of those newly-displaced since the Samarra shrine bombing in February 2006).
* Hundreds of children lost their lives or were injured by violence and many more had their main family wage-earner kidnapped or killed.
* Approximately 1,350 children were detained by military and police authorities, many for alleged security violations.
In short, we find that in just fourteen months (2003-2004), the CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) burned its way through nearly $20 billion in the Iraq Reconstruction Funds, but no-one can account for where it all went.
Bottom line, Iraq’s infrastructure is worse than ever before. Today you find operating theaters are flooded with sewage, new-born babies are dying for lack of basic equipment and simple medicine and treatment like B-12 shots and penicillin.
You cannot compare a war zone to a developing country, unless of course you need a pair of oars.
Learn More….
December 21st, 2007 at 11:03 pmExcept the “violence and intimidation†they are fleeing isn’t that of the occupation forces.
Just like ending the occupation won’t do anything to improve this trend.
Comment by Kilo
That’s not what the people in Iraq think and since they are there and it is their country, I will believe them over believing you. A large majority of the Iraqi people feel that our presence is fueling the violence in their country and that things won’t get better until we leave. Take a look at Basra. It is probably the safest place in Iraq right now and they are taking care of business by themselves now that the British have pulled out.
I don’t believe for one instant that you think we should stay in Iraq to help the people there. You want us to stay for the same reason the other Republiscums and Bush want us to stay, in the vain hope that some day you can get your hands on their oil.
December 21st, 2007 at 11:07 pmMany of the stats are similar. Either the unicef data is errant or your take on the situation in Iraq is clouded.
Comment by CaptainMantastic — December 22, 2007 @ 12:03 am
India and Iraq are both developing countries with massive internal ethnic, religious, and linguistic conflicts. Both have issues of massive inequality, extreme poverty, and inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure.
Instead of looking at a single data point from 2005, why not try looking at trend data from 1990-2005? You’ll see that in most indicators of human development, India is trending up whilst Iraq is trending down.
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:27 amHmm, lets see, my take on the situation clouded?
According to the UNICEF web site referenced:
* Only 28 per cent of Iraq’s 17 year olds sat their final exams in summer, and only 40 per cent of those sitting exams achieved a passing grade (in south and central Iraq).
* Many of 220,000 displaced children of primary school age had their education interrupted, adding to the estimated 760,000 children (17 per cent) already out of primary school in 2006.
* Children in remote and hard-to-reach areas were frequently cut off from health outreach services.
* Only 20 per cent outside Baghdad had working sewerage in their community, and access to safe water remains a serious issue.
* An average 25,000 children per month were displaced by violence or intimidation, their families seeking shelter in other parts of Iraq.
* By the end of the year, approximately 75,000 children had resorted to living in camps or temporary shelters (25 per cent of those newly-displaced since the Samarra shrine bombing in February 2006).
* Hundreds of children lost their lives or were injured by violence and many more had their main family wage-earner kidnapped or killed.
* Approximately 1,350 children were detained by military and police authorities, many for alleged security violations.
I don’t think my understanding is clouded, I can read and it looks like the real losers are the children. I wonder what your neighborhood would look like after four plus years of war, violence, death?
Just remember, the good book teaches “what you sow you will reap”, in other words, CAUSE AND EFFECT, the Universal Law!
What will we, as a society reap from our actions in Iraq?
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:47 amComment by toasterhead — December 22, 2007 @ 12:27 am
Sorry, I did not mean to include you in the last post, but since I did, what you said is 100% correct. India is trending up whilst Iraq is trending down.
Could be all the IT jobs we shipped over there, where as all we have done in Iraq is to loot and steal, pillage and rape, wound and kill.
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:51 amThe troll’s arguments are, well, hollow and full of lies and unsupportable presumptions.
Speaking only for myself; I do care where gas comes from. That’s why I walk or take public transportation. Plus, I enjoy walking and “people watching” on the bus. I rarely drive.
As for Iraq. WE WEREN’T INVITED AND HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LEAVE. It’s just that simple. I strongly believe (keeping in mind the possibility of error and many misgivings) that if we simply announced our intention to leave and stopped “offensive operations”, while providing needed support to Iraqis during transition, things would improve. The Iraqi government, police, and military would be motivated to clean up their act. And, maybe, our remaining forces could actually accomplish lasting results. I don’t see how our present policy, of keeping the Iraqis as “second stringers”, can bring anything but ongoing disaster. And, if a real transfer of power results in increased problems; that, as they say, is “the price of freedom”. If the Iraqi people are willing to take the risk, as they plainly are, so am I. Those of us with consciences will be forced to live with the shame no matter what.
If asked to intervene, in Darfur, I would support such intervention. I have few qualms about using military force to aid allies or innocent third parties. However, until a dramatic change in Iraq and Afghanistan, such intervention is logistically impossible. Our “glorious leaders” can’t even express a desire to intervene. They would then be forced to admit our inability to provide military forces above our current commitments. Heck, If Cuba decided to seize the Florida Keys tomorrow? I’d probably bet on them.
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:59 amAt the end of the day, we need an open honest dialogue in this country. We need to allow for divergent opinions and we need to respect a person’s right to that opinion. We need to put an end to assigning blame, and polarizing rhetoric.
We either come together as a people, or we face a certain future devoid of civility and our common humanity. We either lead the planet to genuine freedom or we denigrate into the abyss of an unstoppable nightmare; which will rob future generations of the grand dream of our Founding Fathers.
We are now at a crossroad in our history; regardless whether we recognize it or not, we must ask, where do we go from here, the choice is ours.
December 22nd, 2007 at 2:03 amFunny how the Bush loyalists cannot stop touting this “surge” as a success. I still remember the pre-”surge” times when these Bushbots used to tell us the war was being won. Because it was being won, dammit!
And then, out of the blue, even though the war was “being won” there was this pressing need for a “surge”. The loyal Bush followers couldn’t get their tiny minds around it, but it was obvious at that point the war wasn’t being won as they claimed.
Several months and many billions dollars later, they still haven’t changed their tune. The war is still being won, even though the main stated goals of the “surge” haven’t been met: Pres Bush’s set the bar at political reconciliation, something that seems as far from reach as it was before the “surge”.
December 22nd, 2007 at 2:44 am“To Bad you dems are so invested in defeat huh?”
Too bad you Republicans are so selfish and unfeeling that 25,000 children being displaced per month doesn’t even register on your radar. I hope you don’t have kids and NEVER have kids.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:00 amComment by BERT CONVY — December 22, 2007 @ 2:55 am
I am not sure if your posts are supposed to be sarcastic, annoying, or simply purposefully stupid.
The “you Dems’” routine is as old as it is tedious. One does not need to be a “Dem” to realize the monumental disaster this administration has proven to be.
There is a “moonbat” in this thread and it is not me.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:05 amOh, and Bert, I suggest you work on your reading comprehension skills. You could start by looking up “to tout”.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:11 amIf only the Islamic militants cared enough about their own people to quit murdering them.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 22, 2007 @ 8:36 am
Well, they were given free reign and free weapons by George Bush, so take your little complaints to the White House. A tiny bit of research and a smidgen of competence would have told the invaders that this would be the result, but, either they decided not to do the research, or they decided to foment genocide. Either way, they’re inhman, mass-murdering monsters, and they’re all your, bigfoot. You somehow seem very proud to be in the company of Hitler, stalin, Pol Pot and Mao. Everybody who repeats the lie “the world is better off with;out Saddam Hussein” should understand very clearly by now that the world would be better off without the bush family, and that they should have been driven from power with their first acts of treason in the 1830s. But, instead, Republicans celebrate the supporters of Hitler. that can only be because they admire Hitler, and want to be like Hitler. is that your goal, bigfoot? Too bad you don’t have the courage Hitler did, you don’t even measure up, he actually fought for his country.
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 amO. Bigfoot just snapped.
December 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 pmSo why do you see Sudan being any different than Iraq ?
Comment by Kilo — December 22, 2007 @ 7:50 am
Sudan is different from Iraq in that we haven’t invaded them and probably never will.
Did i miss a “trick question”?
December 22nd, 2007 at 2:40 pmhttp://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/14/183855/745
____
Suffer The Iraqi Children
Fri Sep 14, 2007
Tens of thousands of Iraqi children uprooted by the war in Iraq and forced to flee their country started classes in Syria this week. For many, it is the first time in more than two years that they have been able to attend school.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Syrian Ministry of Education have been preparing since the beginning of 2007 to increase the number of Iraqi children enrolled in Syrian schools to 100,000 during the 2007-2008 school year, from 38,000 last year. But many more Iraqi refugee children in the region remain unable to attend school for lack of space, teachers, and funds.
The UNHCR estimates that more than four million Iraqis, equivalent to the entire population of Kentucky, have left their homes since the beginning of the war in March of 2003. More than two million remain internally displaced. Another two million have fled to neighboring states, most ending up in Jordan and Syria, countries already with limited resources. Humanitarian agencies estimate that over 500,000 Iraqi children are now living in neighboring countries, a scattered and unseen generation hiding in plain sight.
____
The other question is, “Is a free, independent, democratic Iraq by definition a pro-Western democracy?”
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:22 pmEveryone in the middle-east watched our reaction to the Palestinian elections, certified free and fair, and made their conclusions.
O. Bigfoot just snapped.
Comment by alpuz3
Yeah, I missed the Multi Mega Propaganda MOment.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:35 pmKilo, on topic.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:35 pmIn the meantime, the rest of us will carry the water for you, and keep the pressure on our government to fight this battle against Islamic radicals to victory, for a more peaceful and stable world.
Merry Christmas!
Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 22, 2007 @ 11:22 am
the rest of you. The one in five that have no idea what is happenong in Washington? The one in five that hev refused to see that George Bush is a much biggerdanger to freedom and democracy than a handful of religious nuts who have no way of getting here short of George Bush’s incompetence and laziness. bigfoot, we will never be fighting then over here unless we distribute free tickets and hotel chits to them, you idiot. What we are fighting is encraoching fascism, totalitarianism, and completely out-of-control capitalism. an oligarchy with monarchial tendencies is being created with y8our help, and you think I need to atone? You haven’t the faintest idea of what an American is, does, or thinks. You are either the biggest tool in the box or a full-out traitor to your country. either way, you are a Good German in the most classic sense.
December 22nd, 2007 at 7:08 pmI hope someday soon you will see the error of your ways, and side up with your nation in this fight. We would welcome your passion and resolve on the side of good, after atonement of course.
In the meantime, the rest of us will carry the water for you, and keep the pressure on our government to fight this battle against Islamic radicals to victory, for a more peaceful and stable world.
Merry Christmas!
Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 22, 2007 @ 11:22 am
You’re not the nation, tinyfoot. Not even close. George Bush is not America, the Republican party is not America. Our country is the Constitution, not the cult of personality in which you worship. ThinkProgress: where the twenty-percenters go to relive shattered dreams of majority.
December 22nd, 2007 at 11:38 pm