Loss of Privacy » Iraq

The blame for 9/11 keeps shifting

Irene — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:11:20 +0000

When 9/11 first occurred, many people were devastated. Speculations ran around in the early days, but the American government assured us that it was masterminded by Osama bin Laden who had hired and trained Saudi nationals to complete the task. Eventually, it was claimed that Saddam Hussein was also involved and that we needed to invade Iraq, leaving us fighting two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A few years later, after we’ve captured Hussein, we’re told bin Laden isn’t all that important and that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is the evil mastermind behind 9/11. He was, apparently, part of al-Qaida, so there was still a need to capture bin Laden, but Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is the person who is responsible for the entire mess we have gotten ourselves into. He has now confessed to numerous plots ranging from the Daniel Pearl murder to the Richard Reid shoe bombings.

Read the rest of my article at The Daily Censored.

WikiLeaks Julian Assange on Freedom Watch

Irene — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 11:36:55 +0000

PART ONE

PART TWO

Daniel Ellsberg at the Wikileaks press conference

Irene — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:22:09 +0000

American soldiers continue to commit atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq

Irene — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:37:04 +0000

If you’re a typical American, you probably read the big American newspapers and maybe a local paper or two. Most Americans don’t read newspapers from overseas, which means that they have missed a huge story about the disgusting treatment of people at the hands of American citizens. Two stories have recently come to light about just how inhumane the American soldiers have been. It is the story of rape and random killings.

We saw the photos of Abu Ghraib that the government wanted us to see, but there were worse photos to be seen. These were deemed so terrible that our fragile little “America is the best nation ever” eyes could not see. At least that is how the government thinks. If we had seen, heard, read about the rape and torture, particularly women, in Abu Ghraib, the nation would have turned against the government and demanded all troops return home immediately. Instead, we’ve been kept in the dark about what really happens there.

Read the rest of my article at The Daily Censored.

We must honor those who serve, unless they’re gay

Irene — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:44:50 +0000

Yet more hypocritical speeches, this time from President Obama.

“As we mark the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq,” President Barack Obama said this week, “a grateful America must pay tribute to all who served there.” He should have added “unless you’re gay,” because, despite his rhetoric, weeks earlier the commander-in-chief fired one of those Iraq vets: Lt. Dan Choi. Choi is a West Point graduate, an Arabic linguist and an Iraq war veteran. He was fired under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. We talk to him about his life, his coming out and his military service.

Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks

Irene — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:42:35 +0000

Another great TED talk.

The controversial website WikiLeaks collects and posts highly classified documents and video. Founder Julian Assange, who’s reportedly being sought for questioning by US authorities, talks to TED’s Chris Anderson about how the site operates, what it has accomplished — and what drives him. The interview includes graphic footage of a recent US airstrike in Baghdad.

These are the people we continually put on a pedestal

Irene — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:29:50 +0000

It is absolutely disgusting how people continue to say that we should support the troops and contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can’t and won’t. This video aptly explains why so many people believe as I do.

There may have been men and women who had good intentions when they joined the military, but they are just as guilty as their superiors for not refusing illegitimate orders and for violating international laws and committing vile acts of rape and murder.

Why we’re broke

Irene — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:51:26 +0000

In 2003 Donald Rumsfeld estimated a war with Iraq would cost $60 billion. Five years later, the cost of Iraq war operations is over 10 times that figure. So what’s behind the ballooning dollar signs? Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilme’s exhaustedly researched book, “The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict,” breaks down the price tag, from current debts to the unseen costs we’ll pay for years to come.