News – War Gets Dirtier

I plan to use a few of these articles in another entry today that looks at just how poorly the Military planned this Iraqi incursion and looks at how I would have done it from the start. Yeah, I’m no military planner, but I don’t underestimate my enemy either, unlike some people(glances at Donny Rumsfeld).

Iraq Diaries: Two thought provoking entries. First, With the Troops, where Burhan Wazir muses events ten years ago as he and his group bed down in an abandoned airfield. Second, the Human Rights Campaigner, with some startling information. Attacks on farms? I’ll be talking more about this one in an entry today.

An assessment of civilian casualties and dead includes accusations of US bombs hitting civilian targets and indication that more and more troops are destined for Iraq.

As we continue into week two of action in Iraq, other world hot spots are only getting hotter. India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine, North Korea and lastly Russia are all sources of contention that remain unresolved. I worry most about the conflict between India and Pakistan and North Korea. All hot spots that could cause serious and dire problems for the world. Yet as we play in the sand of Iraq with our bombs, these concerns continue to go unmet.

Ah well, on to the details.

A missile landed in a civilian market, killing many. US officials say it might have been an Iraqi missile, not a US one, used as a deliberate tactic. Yet in the battlefield of world opinion, that might not matter. Personally, I find either explanation equally plausible. It all comes down to who you trust most. Bush or Saddam. Tough choice. There has been a call for the UN to investigate the human rights issues in Iraq, but it was denied, citing that the Security Council was already on that.

I’ve come to have more respect for Reuters today. Their articles aren’t inordinately biased either way, including this interesting musing on pre-emptive vs. preventative war.

On the Thank Goodness front, the Senate passed a budget for the next year, with Bush’s insane tax plan chopped by over half. That’ll be a few less billion we have to make up over the next ten years of eternal deficits. Unfortunately, with the possibility of quick war long gone, stocks are likely to dip once more and compound problems.

US Officials have suggested they believe US POWs might have been killed. But they are still gathering evidence to prove this.

On the Poor Plan Front, we have Reuters stating the obvious, that the long supply line that is lifeline to the frontline troops is a considerable chink in the US war plan. Delayed convoys of supplies could considerably weaken forward troops and cause greater casualty figures. US officials are in a hurry to deny that they said the war was supposed to be quick, but Slate takes them to task and looks at some potential background on the sources of current military planning.

Looking at international papers, we can see that, by and large, African Papers are harsh on the US over the Iraq war. National Papers are arrayed here for you to consider. Reports of a timetable now in the months range, more troops headed for Iraq and denied reports of supply problems due to long supply trains and guerrilla strikes from Iraqi forces paint a picture less optimistic than when this all started. The quick conflict we all(pro and anti-war) hoped for won’t be manifesting.

Wondered why US forces are wearing dark green camo in the desert? Explainer lets you know that the Pentagon goofed in anticipating demand for desert camo. But it is a mistake others have made before, including the Canadian Military during the Afghanistan campaign. 😉

You want to know how dissent makes America stronger? Read this and recommend it to Hawks you know who seek to cajole peace talkers into silence.

Lastly, Truthout offers an article that considers the dirty streetfighting that may well be in the US Military’s future.