A Nice Little War to Fill the Coffers

[LynnTheDem]

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are correct when they say things are not all bad in Iraq. It just depends on your perspective. Although the military campaign is in chaos, the economic campaign is moving along quite nicely, at least for U.S. corporations and the Republican Party.

Halliburton, far and away the largest recipient of Iraq reconstruction dollars with about $18 billion in contracts, has seen revenues increase by 80% in the first quarter of 2004 compared with the same quarter of 2003, according to the Financial Times. These revenues reflect "steep profits from their Iraq operations."

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1014-20.htm

October 1-14, 2004:

34 US troops killed, Iraq

One day in Iraq; October 14, 2004

10/14/04 ABC News: Injured Iraq Vets Come Home to Poverty
Following inquiries by ABC News, the Pentagon has dropped plans to force a severely wounded U.S. soldier to repay his enlistment bonus after injuries had forced him out of the service.

10/14/04 AF: Marine Officer Back In Court Over Iraqi Prisoner Death
A Marine officer who ran a jail in Iraq where a prisoner died is set to return to a courtroom for the first time since his case took a dramatic turn nearly a month ago

10/14/04 AFP: 8 Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad Green Zone
Eight civilians were killed and four wounded yesterday in a mortar or rocket attack on Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, home to the US embassy and the Iraqi government, a US army spokesman said

10/14/04 AFP: Iraq's spy chief accuses Iranian embassy of killing agents
Iraqs national intelligence chief Mohammed al-Shahwani has accused Iran's Baghdad embassy of masterminding an assassination campaign that has seen 18 intelligence agents killed since mid-September.

10/14/04 AFP: Jordanian hostage released in Iraq for 50,000-dollar ransom
Jordanian hostage Hisham Talab al-Ezza has been released in Iraq after 12 days in captivity in return for a ransom of 50,000 dollars and returned home on Thursday

10/14/04 AFP: Truce talks on Iraqi rebel city of Fallujah break down
A delegation from the rebel city of Fallujah cut off negotiations with the government Thursday to protest threats by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to invade the city if residents do not surrender foreign fighters

10/14/04 AFP: Two US soldiers killed in Baghdad attacks
A second US soldier was killed in an attack Thursday in central Baghdad after another was killed and two wounded by a homemade bomb on the eastern side of the capital, a military statement said.

10/14/04 AFPS: Injured Soldier Vows to Return to Full Duty
As long as you have heart, there's nothing to stop you," said Army Sgt. Joshua Forbess, one of just five soldiers who survived a fiery Black Hawk helicopter collision over Mosul, Iraq, last November

10/14/04 Air Force Times: Two Soldiers Die In Attack At Ramadi
In Ramadi, two soldiers were killed Thursday when their Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and caught on fire ... Their convoy had been on a combat mission, searching the city for weapons caches.

10/14/04 albawaba: Car blast, clashes kill at least nine in Iraq
A car bomb went off next to an American convoy west of Baghdad, killing at least one Iraqi and injuring eight, hospital officials said Thursday

10/14/04 AP: Blasts Kills 4 DynCorp Employees, 2 State Department officials injured
Four Americans killed in bombings in the Green Zone in Baghdad on Thursday were all employees of the private U.S. security firm DynCorp, two U.S. officials said Thursday.

10/14/04 AP: Car Bomb Explodes Next to U.S. Convoy
A car bomb exploded next to a U.S. convoy west of the capital, killing at least one Iraqi and wounding eight, hospital officials and survivors said Thursday.

10/14/04 AP: Connecticut civilian dies in Baghdad blast
A Conn. man working for a private security company was among several people killed Thursday when two bombs exploded in the ... Green Zone. Eric Miner, 44, of Brooklyn, was the first Conn. civilian killed since the war began last year.

10/14/04 AP: Iraqi President: Vote Could Be Postponed
Iraq's president said in an interview published Thursday that the Jan. 31 date for Iraqi elections is "not sacred" and the vote could be postponed if if a lack of security threatens the fairness of balloting.

10/14/04 AP: judge was shot dead
In an apparently unrelated shooting that took place less than a half-mile away just minutes earlier, a judge was shot dead, Abdul Rahman said. Judge Abdel Amir Kadhem was killed at 7:55 a.m. in the Shiite neighborhood of Azamiyah in Baghdad

10/14/04 AP: Marines launch attacks after Fallujah delegation suspends talks
U.S. marines launched air and ground attacks Thursday on the insurgent bastion Fallujah after city representatives suspended peace talks with the government over Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's demand to hand over terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

10/14/04 AP: North Branch Contractor Killed In Iraq
The DynCorp employees who were killed include John Pinsonneault, 39, of North Branch, Minn.; Steve Osborne, 40, of Kennesaw, Ga.; and Eric Miner, 44, of South Windham, Conn. Ferdinand Ibaboa, 36, of Mesa, Ariz., is missing and presumed dead.

10/14/04 AP: UPDATE - Explosions in Baghdad's Green Zone Kill 8
Two bombs apparently carried in by insurgents exploded at an outdoor market and a popular cafe in Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone on Thursday, killing eight civilians and wounding a number of others, a U.S. military spokesman said

10/14/04 AP: U-S forces trade fire with insurgents in Ramadi
Iraq Witnesses and hospital officials say at least eight people have been killed in gunfights between U-S forces and insurgents in the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

10/14/04 AP: Video: Kidnapped Turkish Driver Beheaded
A man identified as a Turkish driver kidnapped in Iraq was beheaded in a video shown on an Islamic Web site Thursday. The man's identity was not immediately apparent ...

10/14/04 Caledonian Record: Littleton Resident Killed In Iraq
Jeremy Regnier enlisted in the U.S. Army to better his life, and planned to make a career out of military service ... But his plans, and his life, were cut tragically short Wednesday when he was killed while on duty in Iraq.

10/14/04 Canadian Press: No Canadian troops to Iraq: PM
Prime Minister Paul Martin isn't ready to commit troops to Iraq despite growing pressure on world leaders to help ease violent chaos there. "There's a limit to our resources," Martin said today ...

10/14/04 CanadianPress: Martin won't send troops to Iraq
Prime Minister Paul Martin won't commit to sending troops to help rebuild Iraq despite growing pressure on world leaders to do more for the war-torn country

10/14/04 Capetimes: Bodyguard died in Iraq 'as he lived, living life to the fullest'
A South African is killed every month in Iraq, yet US dollar payments continue to lure thousands of locals who flock to the country to help restore "peace and order".

10/14/04 Centcom Confirms 2 Task Force Olypia Soldier Killed Oct. 13
Two Soldiers assigned to Task Force Olympia died following a car bomb attack on a Multi-National Force convoy Oct. 13 at approximately 2:20 p.m. The attack occurred in the northeastern area of Mosul.

10/14/04 CENTCOM: IED Kills One Soldier, Wounds Two Others
An improvised explosive device detonated in eastern Baghdad on Oct. 14, at about 11:25 a.m., killing one Task Force Baghdad Soldier and wounding two others.

10/14/04 CENTCOM: Task Force Baghdad Soldier Killed
One Task Force Baghdad Soldier was killed in central Baghdad when a patrol was attacked with small arms fire at about 1:45 p.m. today.

10/14/04 DOD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Christopher A. Merville, 26, of Albuquerque, N.M., died October 12th in Baghdad, Iraq, when his unit came under enemy fire during combat operations. Merville was assigned to 2nd Bat., 17th Field Artillery, 2nd Inf. Div., Camp Hovey, Korea.

10/14/04 DOD Identifies Marine Casualties
2nd Lt. Paul M. Felsberg, 27, of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Lance Cpl. Victor A. Gonzalez, 19, of Watsonville, Calif., died on Oct. 13 as result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

10/14/04 DOD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Wyatt, 22, of Calendonia, Wis., died on Oct. 12 due to enemy action in Babil Province, Iraq. Wyatt was assigned to Marine Corps Reserve’s 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division in Chicago, Ill.

10/14/04 kbcitv: Mountain Home Woman Injured in Baghdad Blast
42 year old Sara Latona suffered multiple wounds when a car bomb exploded next to the bus she'd been driving

10/14/04 local10: Florida Marine Killed By Mortar
A Florida family is mourning the death of a Marine. He was killed when a mortar fired by insurgents exploded at a U.S. base where he was eating with his unit in the Iraqi province of Anbar.

10/14/04 myrtlebeachonline: Georgetown, S.C. soldier injured in bombing in Iraq
Ramon Guitard was deployed June 15 to the Middle East and was injured during a bombing in Iraq.

10/14/04 news14charlotte: Injured soldier returns to Charlotte
Sgt. James Cooper...was hit in the face with bullet fragments. He nearly lost his eye, and spent a year recovering in a hospital overseas

10/14/04 Queen's Chron: Whitestone Soldier Becomes Queens’ 4th Fatality In Iraq
A 22-year-old Whitestone soldier became Queens’ fourth fatality in Iraq, when his military vehicle crashed on Sunday due to poor weather conditions. Pfc. James Prevete, 22, died in Habbaniya ...

10/14/04 Reuters: Two Americans Among Dead in Baghdad Green Zone Blasts
Two Americans were among eight people killed in two bomb blasts in Baghdad's Green Zone on Thursday... after one of the bloodiest attacks on the highly-protected compound. "We don't know if they were military or civilian," a spokeswoman said.

10/14/04 sundaytimes: Jordanian hostage released in Iraq
Jordanian hostage Hisham Talab al-Ezza has been released in Iraq after 12 days in captivity in return for a ransom of $50,000 and returned home today.

10/14/04 tass: Ukrainian peacekeepers completing rotation in Iraq
The rotation of Ukrainian peacekeepers in Iraq, started on September 22, is nearing completion.

10/14/04 thedailyreview: Ridgebury soldier injured while on duty in Iraq
Capt. Taber...was badly injured Sept. 8 in a truck accident while in a convoy traveling to Baghdad, Iraq. One was killed in the accident and four, including Capt. Taber, injured.

10/14/04 thedesertsun: 50th base serviceman dies
A Marine from Florida who died Tuesday in Iraq has become the 50th servicemember from the Twentynine Palms Marine base to die during the current war in Iraq.

10/14/04 thisweeknews: Pickerington Marine injured in blast in Iraq
The explosion left Lance Cpl. Jonathan Davis, 21, with a knee swollen three times its normal size and gashes to his knee and nose, said Davis's father, Jerry, who said he spoke with his son the following day and again Oct. 6.

10/14/04 WI Journal Times: Racine reservist killed in Iraq
A Marine reservist from Racine has been killed while on active duty in Iraq. Lance Corporal Daniel Wyatt, 22, died after an explosion, said Chief Warrant Officer Terry Bellis at the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Milwaukee.

10/14/04 Xinhuanet: 15 Iraqi national guardsmen killed in attack west of baghdad
Fifteen Iraqi national guardsmen were killed in an overnight attack in Qaim, the farthest town in Anbar province west of Baghdad, Iraqi police said Thursday.

10/14/04 Xinhuanet: 3 killed, 8 wounded in 2 US air strikes on Fallujah
Three people were killed and eight wounded in latest US air strikes on two neighborhoods in Fallujah on Thursday, witnesses and medics said...

10/14/04 Xinhuanet: Blasts rock Baghdad's Green Zone
Loud blasts on Thursday rocked the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, where the Iraqi interim government and the US and British embassies locate, said witnesses.

10/14/04 Xinhuanet: Iraqi TV journalist killed in drive-by shooting
A Iraqi female TV journalist was killed in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad on Thursday, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.

10/14/04 Xinhuanet: Two Iraqi army officers gunned down in Baquba
Unidentified attackers shot down two Iraqi army officers in a drive-by shooting Thursday in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said.

10/14/04 Xinhuanet: Two Turkish drivers abducted in Iraq
Iraqi police were quoted as saying that the Turkish drivers were abducted with their trucks on the highway near Samarra, some 100 km north of Baghdad.

10/14/04 ydr: Marine in Iraq: 'It's worse every day'
Since the Marines entered Babil Province, 102 of their ranks have been wounded. Four have been killed.

http://icasualties.org/oif/news.aspx

Yeah, I guess it does depend on one's "perspective".

[acmavm]

1. The country needs to see Iraq put into perspective like you have

done here.