Wrecking Iraq: One Million Dead, 2 Million Wounded, 3 Million Displaced

[fishman3811]

By MIKE FERNER

Two elements are necessary to commit the crime of genocide:

1) the mental element, meaning intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, and

2) the physical element, which includes any of the following: killing or causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births; or forcibly transferring children to another group.

Considering that such clear language comes from a UN treaty which is legally binding on our country, things could start getting a little worrisome -- especially when you realize that since our government declared economic and military warfare on Iraq we've killed well over one million people, fast approaching two.

This summer will be one year since researchers from Johns Hopkins University collected data for a study which concluded 655,000 additional deaths were caused by the military war, and things have only gotten worse since then. Then consider that the economic war killed an additional 500,000 Iraqi kids under the age of five during only the first seven years of sanctions which were in force for a dozen years, according to a 1999 U.N. report.

Based on the Johns Hopkins estimate of Iraqis killed in the war, one could conservatively estimate that another 2.6 million people have been wounded. The U.N. estimates that between 1.5 million and 2 million Iraqis are now "internally displaced" by the fighting and roughly the same number have fled their country, including disproportionate numbers of doctors and other professionals.

If you are sitting down and possess a healthy imagination, try conjuring up similar conditions here in our land. Start with the fact that few people buy bottled water and what comes out of the tap is guaranteed to at least make you sick if not kill you Three times as many of our fellow citizens are out of work as during the Great Depression On a good day we have three or four hours of electricity to preserve food or cool the 110-degree heat No proper hospitals or rehab clinics exist to help the wounded become productive members of society Roads are a mess Reports of birth defects from exposure to depleted uranium have begun surfacing around the country. Reflect for a minute on the grief brought by a single loved one's death. Then open your heart to the reality of life if we suffered casualties comparable to those endured by the people of Iraq.

In the former cities of Atlanta, Denver, Boston, Seattle, Milwaukee, Fort Worth, Baltimore, San Francisco, Dallas and Philadelphia every single person is dead. In Vermont, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, Kansas, Mississippi, Iowa, Oregon, South Carolina and Colorado every single person is wounded.

The entire populations of Ohio and New Jersey are homeless, surviving with friends, relatives or under bridges as they can. The entire populations of Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky have fled to Canada or Mexico. Over the past three years, one in four U.S. doctors has left the country. Last year alone 3,000 doctors were kidnapped and 800 killed. In short, nobody "out there" is coming to save us.

We are in hell.

Of course our government didn't intend to commit genocide, it just sort of happened. The Iraqis kept getting in the way while we were trying to complete the mission. Mistakes were made as we were building democracy, but surely no genocide was intended. After all, we are the international deciders of what is and what isn't genocide, and we know full well that intent is a requirement.

It was only "collateral genocide" and lord knows we did our very best to avoid it

[Psycho4Bud]

Dude, you really need to pull that squirell off our head...........LOL

Have a good one!:s4:

[fishman3811]

lol what the truth hurts?

[Psycho4Bud]

lol what the truth hurts?

What truth? If the people that ARE NOT Iraqi's would quit blowing their asses up in the middle of a market with women and children that would be a +. This insinuates that WE are committing this act of genocide.

We're the ones trying to stop this and now it seems that the Sunni tribes have had enough of the middle eastern foreign fighters that bow to Al-Queda. One million dead? Another stretch of numbers according to any and all reports that I've seen........even from the left!

Have a good one!:s4:

[medicinal]

What truth? If the people that ARE NOT Iraqi's would quit blowing their asses up in the middle of a market with women and children that would be a +. This insinuates that WE are committing this act of genocide.

We're the ones trying to stop this and now it seems that the Sunni tribes have had enough of the middle eastern foreign fighters that bow to Al-Queda. One million dead? Another stretch of numbers according to any and all reports that I've seen........even from the left!

Have a good one!:s4:

Whoa big fella, if it weren't for us, The USA, none of this would be happening. We are entirely to blame for every death in Iraq that wasn't from natural causes, and there arent too many of those, like old age. you don't have to worry about dying from old age in Iraq, Just take a stroll down to the market place once in a while. This was a war of choice for Bushco and even now he trys to make us like it, Bah humbug. He is a liar and a crook and an international terrorist.

[RamblerGambler]

16 knowingly false words were all it took. That and a dedication to invade Iraq that predated the events of 9/11.

[Psycho4Bud]

Whoa big fella, if it weren't for us, The USA, none of this would be happening. We are entirely to blame for every death in Iraq that wasn't from natural causes, and there arent too many of those, like old age. you don't have to worry about dying from old age in Iraq, Just take a stroll down to the market place once in a while.

Well with that logic then the death count isn't our fault either........it's Saddams. IF he would have abided by the U.N. resolutions immediately after "91" none of this would have happened at all.

That's like trying to say that gun manufacturers are guilty of murder when some dumb ass gang banger kills someone. "If it weren't for them....."

Have a good one!:s4:

[fishman3811]

P4B Saddam had U.N inspectors in his country looking for WMDs just months before the start of the war so dont go blaming Saddam.Actually Saddam and his sons were ready to leave the country and was going to announce it to the world on AL-Jaezera the night before the invasion but the CIA cut the power to the news station so it was never broadcasted i saw that on 20/20

[Psycho4Bud]

P4B Saddam had U.N inspectors in his country looking for WMDs just months before the start of the war so dont go blaming Saddam.

I posted the last U.N. inspection report and they stated that Saddam was playing a game of cat and mouse with them. Also, why didn't he disclose underground facilities that we found after the invasion. What was in there I wonder?

Actually Saddam and his sons were ready to leave the country and was going to announce it to the world on AL-Jaezera the night before the invasion but the CIA cut the power to the news station so it was never broadcasted i saw that on 20/20

LMAO! PLEASE provide some type of link to that story from a CREDIBLE news source.

Have a good one!:s4:

[memoryburner]

P4B Saddam had U.N inspectors in his country looking for WMDs just months before the start of the war so dont go blaming Saddam.Actually Saddam and his sons were ready to leave the country and was going to announce it to the world on AL-Jaezera the night before the invasion but the CIA cut the power to the news station so it was never broadcasted i saw that on 20/20

HAW! that has to be the most b/s thing ive ever read.

[skatin_foo15]

Wow i guess we all forgot about the 5000 people he killed with gas. Or the many people he executed just for opposing his rule. Yeah im pretty sure it would have been better if we left him in power...you people really need to remember history. And woopty doo about everyone killed in iraq, what about all the drive bys and people killed by drunk drivers every day?

[fishman3811]

Well we do remember history because wasnt it the U.S that provided Saddams ability to gas his own people and as far as comparing the drive by shootings and drunk driving accidents youve got to be kidding.

[RamblerGambler]

There was a time that Saddam, like so many third world dictators, was useful to republicans. Back in those Glory Days of yesteryear during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Like "Uncle Joe" from World War II, "Good Saddam" offered economic opporunity in the region. Just look who we would send to make nice: CNN.com - Regime change - Sep. 30, 2002 (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/09/30/sproject.irq.regime.change/)

The execution of Saddam has come and passed, and still there is no sign of the WMD's. Regardless of what reasons exists now after the fact, that is the Great Fear that Shrub's administration offered as reason for war. Now our military is stuck in the midst of a civil war while being used for a purpose it was never intended. Perhaps if "intelligence" might have been better... but all signs point to another reason- Downing Street memo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downing_Street_memo)

[fishman3811]

Rambler Bush new that Iraq wasnt a threat as you may already know and his neocon advisors thought that taking down Iraq would be easy and that they would all get rich doing it.They all thought it would cost next to nothing to invade Iraq and the rewards would be unimaginalble.These guys may have went to the best schools around had the best education money can buy but their not very wise.Now the U.S is stuck there in the middle of a civil war they cant leave and they cant stay so what do you do?The neocons want the oil and they aint leaving till they get it,but if they leave now then all of this would of been for nothing except for getting rid of a two bit dictator that cost 500 billion dollars and counting,shit a one dollar bullet could of done the job.

[Psycho4Bud]

the U.S that provided Saddams ability to gas his own people

Kids just love to sit and spin.........stories that is. WHY did we provide the ability to gas again? Does Irans Basij army ring a bell? Come on now dude, your playing the same game here that you denounce the "neo-cons" of doing.

Have a good one!:s4:

[medicinal]

The fact is, Iraq and the region would be better off with Sadam still in power. He held the crazies at bay with his "brutal" dictatorship. A lot more Iraqis have died and more of the country is in squalor than it ever has been, since our unilateral invasion. We are the country (Bushco) that is totally responsible for the horrible situation in Iraq. No matter how you spin it, it is the USA that screwed the pooch. Tell me how we and the world are better off since we invaded Iraq, please be elaborate with you explanations......

[RamblerGambler]

Of course there were reasons for providing weapons and training. At the time I'm sure it seemed logical, though clearly there was no thought to later repercussions. We trained Osama when he fought against the Soviets, when Afghani militants viewed as "freedom fighters" rather than "terrorists." We supported Saddam as a stopgate for Iran. But look how well those plans turned out.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are over. Mission Accomplished. Now this is an occupation. The US Generals, both retired and active, warn of the state our Military is in. Small wonder why. This administration is using the military for something it is ill suited for: nation building. One problem, the governed countries democratically elected represenitives want us gone.

[Psycho4Bud]

One problem, the governed countries democratically elected represenitives want us gone.

Iraq president hopes troops can stay

President Jalal Talabani told students at Britain's Cambridge University that all Iraq was safer because of Saddam Hussein's ouster and that many people were living normal lives.

"I think within one or two years, we will be able to recruit our forces and prepare our armed forces and tell goodbye to our friends," he said.
Iraq president hopes troops can stay - The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/05/12/iraq_president_hopes_troops_can_stay/)


More spin without a link...............sorry but I couldn't find anything pro or con from the Afghanistan President regarding troop pullout.

Of course these people would like to see us gone as soon as things are more stable but NOT until then.

Have a good one!:s4:

[RamblerGambler]

I'll be sure to limit my spin then, and include links more often. Perhaps I should have phrased my response as "rising popular anger." Like here- Afghanistan Afghan senate calls for direct talks with Taliban - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070508/wl_nm/afghan_dc)

Or Iraq- AHN | Iraqi Parliament Drafts Law Setting Timetable For U.S. Troops To Withdraw | May 13, 2007 (http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007316112)

There are more, but we'll go from there

[fishman3811]

So the president or Iraq wants one or two more years isnt that what they said two years ago?In two years time they will want another two years and so on.That country will never be stable until the U.S gets out.

[Psycho4Bud]

So the president or Iraq wants one or two more years isnt that what they said two years ago?In two years time they will want another two years and so on.That country will never be stable until the U.S gets out.

These people were just elected in two years ago and it took longer for cabinet positions to be filled. They have NEVER stated any "timeline" up until recent.

Have a good one!:s4:

[Psycho4Bud]

By the way, get that squirrel under control!

Have a good one!:s4:

[fishman3811]

LOL thats your fucking psycho rambo squirrel isnt it?My squirrel just likes to fuck and smoke dope.

[mrdevious]

I find the original post of this thread highly exagerated, pretty much rediculous really, and sadly lacking in citation. That being said...


Wow i guess we all forgot about the 5000 people he killed with gas. Or the many people he executed just for opposing his rule.

I don't even understand this reasoning man. This, as opposed to, say..... hundreds of thousands of people? Saddam was an evil son of a bitch with evil intentions, thus several thousand people dead. Now we have questionable leaders, with good (albeit foolish) intentions, and we have HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS dead. How did we save all those lives again? (maybe when the forces of saddam invaded America and slaughtered us all).



And woopty doo about everyone killed in iraq, what about all the drive bys and people killed by drunk drivers every day?

Hope you don't mind if I come over and murder you then. I mean so what, what about the thousands of people murdered every day? It's all cool as long as I stick to your logic right?

[medicinal]

To quote my old school chum, Harry Reid, The war is lost, get over it and get on with pulling out our troops, Viet Nam ring any bells? It took 54,000+ American deaths in Viet Nam to learn the lesson, will it take that many in Iraq?

[fishman3811]

MED i hope it doesnt take 54000 dead before they get out.But if it wasnt for all the medical advances since Vietnam the 3300 American dead could be triple.