US military occupation forces in Iraq suffered at least 181 combat casualties in the week ending May 8, as total casualties reached at least 54,811.The total includes 28,002 killed or wounded by what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and 26,809 (as of six weeks ago, March 24) more casualties from "non-hostile" causes such as accidents, suicides and illness serious enough to require medical evacuation. US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb by routinely reporting only the total killed (3,378) as of May 8 and rarely mentioning the 25,245 wounded in combat. To further minimize public perception of the cost, they cover for the Pentagon by ignoring the 26,188 military victims who suffered "non-hostile" injuries and illness (only through March 24) although the 3,378 reported deaths include 621 (up one from last week) who died from those same causes. http://democracyrising.us/content/view/909/151/
MAJORITY OF IRAQI LEGISLATORS SIGN PETITION OPPOSING U.S. OCCUPATION
On Tuesday, without note in the U.S. media, more than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country. 144 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal, according to Nassar Al-Rubaie, a spokesman for the Al Sadr movement, the nationalist Shia group that sponsored the petition. http://democracyrising.us/content/view/913/164/
HOUSE VOTES MORE FUNDING FOR THE WAR, DIVIDES THE FUNDING IN TWO PARTS – OPPOSITION TO WAR INCREASES
The U.S. House of Representatives took several votes Thursday on the Iraq War. The vote on the McGovern Amendment, which would have ended the war, received more votes than expected, 171, and the vote on the supplemental picked up two more who oppose funding.The last clear anti-war vote was on the Woolsey Amendment in May 2005 when 128 voted to end the war.
SURVEY BY ARMY FINDS U.S. SOLDIERS ADMIT ABUSE OF CIVILIANS IN IRAQ
A survey of U.S. military serving in Iraq conducted by an Army mental health advisory team for a report on the mental health of soldiers and marines in Iraq found that mistreatment of civilians is something common to many in the U.S. military, that half would not report a killing of a civilian and nearly 40% approved of torture. Two-thirds of Marines and half the Army troops surveyed said they would not report a team member for mistreating a civilian or for destroying civilian property unnecessarily. The survey also found depression, anxiety or stress exists in one out of five soldiers. And, that the problems are worse than soldiers suffered in World War II and Vietnam. http://democracyrising.us/content/view/905/151/
IF CONGRESS VOTED ON PUBLIC OPINION, WE'D HAVE A VETO-PROOF WITHDRAWAL PLAN
If members of Congress voted on a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq based on whether more people in their districts favored or opposed such a timetable, it would pass the House by a margin of at least 418-17, and the Senate by a margin of 98-2. If only those members voted yes who represent districts where at least 50% of the public supports such a timetable, it would still pass with a margin of at least 329-106 in the House and 78-22 in the Senate, a three-fourths majority in both chambers. This conclusion is based…by matching national poll data on a timetable for withdrawal, where the party affiliation of respondents is known (the Pew poll in March) with data on the partisan breakdown of individual districts (the 2004 Bush/Kerry result.) http://democracyrising.us/content/view/907/151/
BOTH PARTIES ATTEMPT TO SHIFT THE BLAME TO IRAQIS RATHER THAN ACCEPT THEIR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE IRAQ QUAGMIRE
The 2008 elections for Congress and the presidency seem to be the dominant domestic factor in determining the outcome of the Iraq War. The Democrats are using the war to position themselves to win the presidency and expand their majority. The Republicans are trying to keep their base happy until it is too late for incumbents to be challenged. And, the president is using his veto power to show he is still the “decider” not Congress. http://democracyrising.us/content/view/912/151/
