Americans Tell It Like It Is To the Iraqis
posted by storiesinamerica @ 8:34 PM
4 comments
Stories in America
I host a daily public affairs radio show in San Francisco called Your Call. It airs from 11 am - noon PST on KALW 91.7 FM. I am also happy to report that I recently got a book deal with PoliPoint Press to write about my road trip through the heartland and the interviews I did with people about why they vote the way they do (or not). It's scheduled to be out in September.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Cost of the War in Iraq
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- Name: storiesinamerica
I'm currently writing a book about my recent six-month road trip to the so-called "red states." I also report for KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco, AlterNet and Bay Area BusinessWoman.
4 Comments:
Meanwhile, in non-comic-world...
(From The Times today)
"Young women are daring to wear jeans, soldiers listen to pop music on their mobile phones and bands are performing at wedding parties again.
All across Iraq’s second city life is improving, a month after Iraqi troops began a surprise crackdown on the black-clad gangs who were allowed to flourish under the British military. The gunmen’s reign had enforced a strict set of religious codes.
Yet after three years of being terrified of kidnap, rape and murder – a fate that befell scores of other women – Nadyia Ahmed, 22, is among those enjoying a sense of normality, happy for the first time to attend her science course at Basra University. “I now have the university life that I heard of at high school before the war and always dreamt about,” she told The Times. “It was a nightmare because of these militiamen. I only attended class three days a week but now I look forward to going every day.”
She also no longer has to wear a headscarf. Under the strict Islamic rules imposed by the militias, women had to cover their hair, could not wear jeans or bright clothes and were strictly forbidden from sitting next to male colleagues on pain of death.
“All these men in black [who imposed the laws] just vanished from the university after this operation,” said Ms Ahmed. “Things have completely changed over the past week.”
In a sign of the good mood, celebratory gunfire erupted around Basra two nights ago and text messages were pinged from one mobile phone to another after an alleged senior militia leader was arrested.
Raids are continuing in a few remaining strongholds but the Iraqi commander in charge of the unprecedented operation is confident that his forces will soon achieve something that the British military could not – a city free from rogue gunmen.
...
For the first time in four years local residents have been emboldened to stand up to the militants and are turning in caches of weapons. Army checkpoints have been erected across Basra and traffic police are also out in force.
...
The contrast could not be more stark with the last time The Times visited Basra in December, when intimidation was rife."
Meanwhile, in reality:
Reuters reports political violence for Friday:
' * BAGHDAD - The U.S. military said on Friday it had killed 10 fighters in helicopter missile strikes and ground battles in eastern Baghdad overnight.
* BAGHDAD - The U.S. army said on Friday that a U.S. soldier was killed by a road side bomb south of Baghdad on Thursday.
* HILLA - Gunmen shot dead a man near his house overnight in Iskandariya town, 40km (25 miles) south of Baghdad and police said they arrested six people in connection with the attack.
* MOSUL - Gunmen shot dead a fisherman and wounded another while they were fishing overnight on the Tigris river where it runs through northwestern Mosul, 390km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, the Iraqi army said.
* MOSUL - A roadside bomb wounded a civilian in Tal Afar, 420 km ( 260 miles) north of Baghdad, the Iraqi army said.
* BASRA - Gunmen shot dead a news broadcaster working for al-Nakheel TV and Radio station run by a Shi'ite faction in the Qurna area, 80km northern Basra, the station's director Adnan al-Yasiri said.
* HILLA - US and Iraqi forces conducted a joint operation and arrested six people on Thursday in the Mahwaeel area, 75km (45 miles) south of Baghdad, arresting two suspects after gunmen shot and wounded an Iraqi policeman, police said.
* FALLUJA - A bomb implanted beneath a Friday prayers preacher's seat exploded in al-Raqeeb mosque in al-Julan area, northwestern Falluja, 50km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, wounding 4 people including two policemen, police said.
* ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen killed two people in al-Qariya al- Asriya in Iskandariya town, 40km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* YUSUFIYA - A roadside bomb killed a civilian and wounded another in Yusufiya town, 15km (9 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The U.S. military said on Friday it killed two gunmen and detained 18 suspects during operations targeting al-Qaeda in central Iraq on Wednesday.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded in Adhamiya neighbourhood, northern Baghdad, on Thursday night, wounding three people, police said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi police found three bodies on Thursday overnight in different areas of Baghdad, police said.
MOSUL - Iraqi police found two bodies in Mosul, one of them was beheaded, on Thursday, police said.
MOSUL - Gunmen shot dead a policeman in western Mosul, police said. '
McClatchy has late news from Thursday evening:
' Baghdad
- Thursday night, The American planes bombed the Husseiniya neighborhood (north Baghdad) .Two people were killed and 8 others were injured.
- The American army bombed Sadr city around 11 pm and 1 am .Iraqi army said 11 people were killed and 32 others were injured.
- Around 4pm, five gunmen riding a Kia mini bus opened fire on an Iraqi check point when they tried to stop them. Three Iraqi soldiers were injured .Then, the Iraqi army killed those gunmen when the soldiers in the check point opened fire on them .The gunmen’s car exploded at once as it was carrying roadside bombs and rockets .
- Police found two dead bodies in west Baghdad (Karkh bank): 1 in Saidiyah and 1 in Bayaa.
Diyala
- Around 9:30 pm, gunmen attacked an Iraqi army patrol at Al-Wajihiyah (20 km east of Baquba).One officer was killed and three soldiers were injured in that incident.
Kirkuk
- Thursday night, Iraqi army soldiers wounded a gunman who was planting a roadside bomb at Safra village of Riadh (west of Kirkuk).Then, the Iraq squad defused the bomb and the gunman ran away .
- Thursday , a roadside bomb targeted an Iraqi army patrol at Al-Utheim (south Kirkuk).One officer was killed in that incident .Another roadside bomb targeted another patrol in the same area with no casualties recorded.
- Thursday, a roadside bomb targeted a police patrol at Hajaj neighborhood in Kirkuk city. One policeman was injured with a civilian who was at the site of the incident.
Salahuddin
- Around noon, an officer was killed by a bomb planted in his car while he was about to start the car’s engine inside the police Academy in Tikrit.
- In the afternoon, American planes bombed a site at Jalam (25 km north east of Samarra ) killing four gunmen of Qaeda members including a Saudi Arabian leader in that location, police said .
Anbar
- Around 11:30 am, a bomb planted under a chair in Al-Raqeeb mosque at Al-Jewlan neighborhood in downtown Falluja .The target was the orator Khalid Himoud who replaced the former orator who was killed 9 months ago. The orator survived ,but one person was killed with four others injured. '
I see you've included the deaths of terrorists as well....Yeah, really sad news there.
Fact is, things are massively improving. Deal with it.
Oh, and did you catch this AP story?...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iDjMOLSNXltH3_3ACdJgHr0ivfNgD90741H00
“9 killed in 36 shootings over weekend…”
Baghdad? No. Chicago:
"Nine people were killed in 36 shootings over the weekend in Chicago, reflecting what some community leaders say is a deadly breakdown in discipline among gang members after a crackdown over the past few years put many of their leaders behind bars.
“The older guys in the past looked out for the little ones. Now they’re all locked up,” said Nick Stames, a social studies teacher at Crane Tech High School on the city’s gang-ridden West Side. “There’s no sense of discipline in the projects. Everybody’s doing their own thing.”
Now there is growing fear that Chicago could be in for a long, bloody summer."
Quagmire! Think Barry will propose an immediate withdrawal?
Update:
Chicago -- Looks like it's up to 12 dead and 40 shot now at weeks end. Wow, Obama's hometown is making most of those Iraqi cities look pretty damn inviting.
All together now....
NO BLOOD FOR DEEP DISH!
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/915238,CST-NWS-page1edit25.article
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