Troops head to Iraq as gloom deepens

Source: The New Zealand Herald - 6/16/07

The final contingent of United States troops in the "surge" against Iraq's resistance deployed yesterday amid deepening gloom in Washington at the military's failure to reduce violence and defeat the insurgency.

The latest US troops took up their positions as the Pentagon released the first hard assessment of President George W. Bush's gamble in stepping up the war in Iraq.

The statistical analysis of the three months from mid-February to mid-May reveals failure on most fronts in Iraq and no overall decrease in violence the President had hoped for.

Over the past three months, fresh US troops have been pouring into sections of Baghdad and Anbar province, setting up fortified positions in the areas of fiercest resistance.



Read more: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10446040

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General David Petraeus is referred to later in this story as saying - "astonishing signs of normalcy" have returned to two-thirds of Baghdad. "I'm talking about professional soccer leagues with real grass field stadiums, several amusement parks - big ones, markets that are very vibrant..."

Several BIG amusement parks?

It is very hard to believe with all the civil war carnage, unemployment, lack of infrastructure, and no real police force that several "big" amusement parks are operational in Baghdad. Somehow, I just can't see ferris wheels and gun shots going hand in hand.

Of course, an amusement park in Baghdad may look much different then any county fair in the U.S.A. It seems like General Petraeus is desperate to put a positive spin into a totally fucked up situation.

Sure - it would be great if somehow in that mess, there are kids laughing, enjoying rides and games in Baghdad. I just think it's total bullshit. Please someone prove me wrong.

followed by Surge v1.5, v1.5.1, v.2.0 etc.

Each version is more f*cked up than the last....

Hey, Betrayus....where are the pictures?...Hmm?

Christ Almighty!! That is the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard! Think of it...where in Baghdad do they have reliable electricity, for one thing? I can see it now..stuck on top of the roller coaster for 8 hours waiting for the electricity to come back on. :silly:

Actually, I hesitate to be asking for pictures. Eventually they'll produce some, but they'll be PhotoShopped, for sure. Is there any way to reliably determine whether something is PhotoShopped?

Blurriness in weird areas, shadows where they don't belong, or no shadows at all...or else find a 12-year-old to examing the images. They're better pros than the adults are, LOL.

The final contingent of United States troops in the "surge" against Iraq's resistance deployed yesterday amid deepening gloom in Washington at the military's failure to reduce violence and defeat the insurgency.

Nothing works better than sending our best and brightest...over and over again :eyes:

Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject Shantytowns Springing Up In Iraq
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2882726#2882726
2882726, Shantytowns Springing Up In Iraq
Posted by Hissyspit on Fri Jun-15-07 07:12 PM

Source: CNN

Shantytowns springing up in Iraq
POSTED: 5:20 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2007

(CNN) -- Iraqis fleeing their homes because of sectarian warfare are starting to set up their own makeshift camps inside the country, a development reflecting the dire scope of the country's population displacement problem.

Andrew Harper, head of U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' Iraq support unit in Geneva, said that internally displaced people are setting up shantytowns because they haven't been able to find safe harbor with their relatives or friends and have been kicked out of public squares and government buildings in cities and towns.

"We're finally starting to see the creation of camps inside Iraq," said Harper, who spoke and provided detail to CNN via e-mail.

Iraq's displacement crisis is the most significant in the Middle East since the changes in population that occurred during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. There are believed to be 2.2 million Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries and 2 million displaced internally, according to the UNHCR.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/15/iraq.shantytowns/index.html

There is no way we will walk away unscathed from this disaster.

We are creating shanty towns where people have to struggle for their survival.

Filled with damaged goods unable to get mental health care,
VA assistance or jobs.
At the rate people are losing their ability to keep up
with house payments and the cost of living,
We'll ALL be living in Shanty Town USA.
Think they'll build us some amusement parks too?

BHN

kids will be paying for this, for what???? for this madman who sits in DC, he is a criminal and all the rest of the thugs who surfaced from under their rocks.