A DAY IN THE LIFE...AND DEATH

For nearly six years, President George W. Bush bragged about freeing 25 million Iraqis from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and giving them a US imposed democracy. Bush never mentioned the millions of Iraqis that were killed, wounded or forced to flee their homes, neighborhoods or country altogether to gain this US sponsored import. The carnage and chaos that accompanied Bush's gift to the Iraqis is cleverly hidden from a US populous struggling to find work in a broken economy; broken in large part from our bankrupting and senseless wars.

A snapshot of just one day, Monday, October 11, should give us pause and revulsion over Bush's and America's legacy in Iraq:


Assailants wearing military uniforms stormed the homes of several Awakening Council members near Yusufiya in Haswa before dawn this morning. They dragged the men out of the homes, killing four and wounding two of them before fleeing.
In Baghdad, a bomb targeting a senior Iraqi official killed his driver and wounded three others, including the official. Five people were killed and three more were wounded during a robbery at a money exchange on Rashid Street. A bomb wounded four people near al-Shabb Stadium. A bomb in Karrada left no casualties.

Eight people were wounded when a bomb targeting a police patrol exploded in Abu Ghraib. A sticky bomb wounded a photographer. No casualties were reported when bombs demolished a home.

In Fallujah, a bomb killed a man and wounded his wife. A security official was killed during a home invasion.

A car bomb in Garma killed a police officer and wounded two others.

A policeman was killed and another was wounded in a blast in Saqlawiya.

In Mosul, a bystander was wounded during clashes. A blast at a Ninewa Electoral Commission officer’s home left no casualties.

A bomb wounded four policemen in Qaim.

A physician was wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Kirkuk. He was driving to work in an ambulance to conceal his identity as a doctor.


Meanwhile back in Texas, former President Bush is back in the public eye enjoying World Series contender Texas Rangers from his front row box seats. Life after launching murderous, criminal war sure is good.

ROSKAM ENDORSEMENT MISSES ESSENCE OF ROSKAM RECORD

While not surprising, it disappoints nonetheless that the Daily Herald endorsed Peter Roskam for a third term as 6th District Congressman.

Your opening comment that "We haven't always agreed with Rep. Peter Roskam's hawkish stands on war..." is a nice way of saying the Congressman never met a bankrupting war of choice he didn't love, and is actively working with the "Attack Iran first" crowd to ignite another destructive war in the Middle East. Such policies put me, my family and everyone in the 6th District in peril.

Expressing mild disagreement with "his staunchly conservative views on social issues" is a tad generous to a legislator who denies reproductive rights to women and relegates gays to endless second class citizenship, during a time when gay bashing is on the rise due to hysteria fomented by the anti gay crowd.

And how about a little candor on the jobs issue. Roskam's political base is the fabulously wealthy corporate elite which has outsourced millions of jobs to pad their bottom line while the formerly great US middle class sinks to the...bottom. For that kind of destructive governance, the Congressman should hold a job fair every day of the year. Holding job fairs is a gimmick Roskam borrowed from character challenged independent gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen, and it's somehow fooled the Herald.

The corker may be your praise of Roskam's effort on behalf of the 30 million medically uninsured because he was "looking for ways to lower insurance costs". To the folks facing bankruptcy or even death due to our heartless medical insurance system, that must be very reassuring. At the top of Roskam's agenda for his third term is repeal of the first real hope these previously forgotten millions have been granted.

I've met challenger Ben Lowe, and if he's learned one thing in his short, but rich journey through life, it is not to govern like Congressman Roskam.

Also published in the Daily Herald, October 25, 2010