Stop Hiding the Toll of War

[seemslikeadream]

Published on Friday, March 5, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Stop Hiding the Toll of War
by Nancy Lessin and Gordon Clark

President Bush's rationale for taking us to war in Iraq has crumbled. The truth about supposed Iraqi weapons of mass destruction is being told. At the same time, another truth remains hidden by the Bush administration: the 550 troops who have returned from Iraq in caskets and the thousands returning with severe physical and psychological damage.

The military planes carrying human remains fly into Dover Air Force Base in Delaware under cover of darkness. Unlike Vietnam, when Americans could see the consequences of war, the media are now banned from Dover Air Force Base by military order, reinforced for the Iraq war by an edict from Mr. Bush.

One does not need to be a historian to know that the image of dead Americans, returning day after day in body bags, helped turn America against the war in Vietnam. This administration has gone to great lengths to prevent a repeat by keeping images of lifeless and broken bodies away from the cameras and the consciousness of the American people. Mr. Bush has not yet attended a single funeral for anyone killed in Iraq - not a single one. Spain and Italy held state funerals for their countrymen who died in Iraq, but the Bush Administration's policy for our own war dead is to hide them.

The media blackout extends to the legions of wounded who have returned from Iraq as well. Media stories on wounded troops often use Pentagon figures for those officially wounded in combat, numbering around 3,000. These numbers ignore the well over 7,000 troops who have been injured or made ill as a result of the war. According to the Disabled American Veterans, an additional 6,891 troops were medically evacuated between March 19, 2003 and Oct. 30, 2003, for everything from vehicle accidents to attempted suicides.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0305-02.htm

[ochazuke]

1. Robert Frisk reports from Iraq

JUST heard this BBC correspondent's report on the radio. He says there is no one (as he entered from Jordan) trying to prevent foreign terrorists coming in, poor people are worse off than unders Saddam (their cars getting stolen, doors broken down, dead bodies coming into the mourge all night), attacks on our troops continue. He mentioned 80 a day (just aren't reported unless someone is killed)

All in all, my impression is that we aren't hearing the truth of life in Bush's Iraq.

[montanacowboy]

2. On CBC the National

late Saturday night I was rather shocked by a short piece they did on the MASH units in Iraq. They talked to nurses and to wounded American soldiers and they are saying they were not prepared for what they are seeing there, and it's so much worse than expected.

Why are we not seeing this on our great American Whore Media? Why do we have to get our news from Canada?

America, please wake up.

[Mari333]

3. Right on Nancy

Ive spoken with her shes pissed off
and right on
shes the www.mfso.org mother whose pissed off and one of the thousands of families who have had it up to our eyeballs with the fucking lies.