Costs of Iraqi war are too high, unjustifiable (and ignites cultures of death)

Ray Tapajna Chronicles - News - Issues - Occupy All Streets - Occupy Economic Crisis

Costs of Iraqi war are too high, unjustifiable (and ignites cultures of death)

The Bush League Wars

By Ray Tapajna (click on pictures to see all of Ray's Art)

From Cleveland Plain Dealer Letters to the editor page by Kathy Ewing, 1/24/03

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In The Plain Dealer's excellent summary of the 1991 Gulf War (Jan. 12), one figure jumped out at me: the estimated 100,000 Iraqi dead, in a war that lasted for a little over a month. Statistics, however, can numb us, and so I looked up some records of other U.S. wars to put this figure in context.

*100,000 is more than 10 times the number of Americans who died in the Revolutionary War.

*100,000 is more than twice the number of American dead (on both sides) in the Civil War battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Victsburg and Spottsylvania combined.

*100,000 is the estimated number of those killed by the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

*100,000 is almost twice the number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War, which lasted more than 10 years. (about the same ratio died during the Korean war too.)

In only five weeks, America and its allies killed 100,000 Iraqis, many of who were civilians. Many other were retreating Iraqi soldiers, slaughtered by American weaponry as they fled. Now, we are poised to return to Iraq, prepared to kill many, many more thousands, and to sacrifice many more Americans than the 148 who died in the Gulf War. These deaths are justified. we say, because of something the Iraqi government might do.

Thanks are due to community leaders such as Joan Brown-Campbell, Rev. Mylion Waite, Rev. Otis Moss, Rev. Marvin McMickle, union leader John Ryan, Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Khalid Samad-Amir for speaking out at Antioch Baptist Church in the Voices Against War rally (Jan12). And thanks are due to Dick Feagler for asking hard questions about the hugh human cost of yet another war in the Middle East.

By Kathy Ewing

Post Notes: Ray Tapajna, Tapart News Editor and Artist, wrote against the first Gulf War for most of the same reasons. The elder Bush was the first one in modern times to announce "The New World Order" and during his period, the U.S.A. armed Iraq through BNL and other questionable ventures. In addition, there reportedly was covert approval for Iraq to invade Kuwait.

Rep. Henry B Gonzalez of Texas put much of this information in the Congressional Record in about 1992 before he died. Iraq had manufacturing facilities right here in the USA with one facility right in Cleveland Ohio and received $14 million with a loan from BNL to purchase technology and equipment. In the case of Matrix-Churchill Corp by Iraq in Nov 1987 The United States did not review the transaction for national security purposes. ( Much of this information can be now found by searching under Rep Gonzalez on the internet or in the Congressional Record.) (Can search under US Armed Iraq Through BNL- Rep. Gonzalez Special Order).

Also much can be searched out on the web regarding the massacre of retreating Iraqi soldiers. Reportedly up to 50,000 were buried in the sand by earth moving equipment while many were still alive. (Search under: Barry McCaffrey and The Massacre at Rumalia, www.militarycorruption.com/barry.htm or search on all or any: abcnews.go.com/sections/usDailyNews/gulfwar000614.html , Major Glenn MacDonald,SPC David Collart, Brasfield, Allen, James Manchester, LT Ware, John Pilger Article from Sydney Morning Herald, Retired LTG John Yeosock, Retired LTG James Johnson Jr.,MG Ronald Griffith, "That Was no War, it Was Homicide - And Still Iraqis Die" and one military person noted many times is Colonel Anthony Moreno with the Catholic Workers Newspaper noting his presence in the "killing fields" of the Middle East.

U.S. BURIED IRAQI SOLDIERS ALIVE IN (FIRST) GULF WAR. News Report September 1991

From THE CATHOLIC WORKER, Page Three, March-April 1992 edition - Poem by Denise Levertov

"What you saw was a bunch of trenches with arms sticking out."

"Plows mounted on tanks. Combat earthmovers." "Defiant." "Buried."Carefully planned and rehearsed"

"When we went through there wasn't anybody left."

"Awarded Silver Star." "Reporters banned" "Not a single American killed."

"Bodycount impossible." "For all I know, thousands, said Colonel Moreno."

"What you saw was a bunch of buried trenches with people's arms and things sticking out."

"Secretary Chaney made no mention."

"Every single American was inside the juggernaut impervious to small-arms fire."

"I know burying people like that sounds pretty nasty," said Colonel Maggart, "But..."

"His force buried about six hundred and fifty in a thinner line of trenches."

"People's arms sticking out." "Every American inside." "The juggernaut." "I'm not going to sacrifice the lives of my soldiers, Moreno said, it's not cost-effective."

"The tactic was designed to terrorize, Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins said, who helped devise it."

"Schwartzkopf's staff privately estimated fifty to seventy thousand killed in the trenches."

"Private Joe Queen was awarded a Bronze Star for burying trenches with his earthomover."

"Inside the juggernaut." "Impervious." "A lot of guys were scared, he said, but I enjoyed it."

"A bunch of trenches. People's arms and things sticking out."

"Cost-effective."

(Many references to Denise Levertov poetry can be found on the worldwide web.)

Enter content here

All the editorial art and cartoons from Tapart News plus Ray Tapajna's sports art can now be viewed in one place at http://arklineart.fotopages.com or see http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/a/arklineart

See http://tapsnewstory.filetap.com for top news story featuring The American Dream is Burning.

Clinton Years - American Dream Reversed is also at http://clintonart.filetap.com

Search under the title of our Clinton Art work and you will find millions of references, resources and sites searching under - Clinton Years American Dream Reversed.... Yahoo has the most .... See story at http://tapsearch.com/clinton

Occupy lost worlds - The American Dream Reversed

Click for story - search under clinton years american dream reversed for millions of references

Add your comment, message, ad, link etc and it will be seen on many pages in real time across the Tapsearch Com Network. Super-links Networks below. Note - Improper posts will be deleted / banned. ( Search under Tapsearch Com or Tapart News and you will find 1000s of resources and sites. )

...Click here for news feed every 5 minutes courtesy of September 11 News.Com with a different approach.

About globalization

Ray Tapajna Tapart news - issues

Tapsearch com Network site

Resources - Free Link Exchange

Add Comments View Comments

JMJ