I just had to post this....

That's Michael Yon's photo from his book "Moment Of Truth In Iraq" The little girl was named Farah and was killed by a suicide bomber. The major holding her took Farah and her family to the hospital where she died.

Michael Yon has his own blog where he reports from the front lines from the soldiers point of view.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

Ironically, we have an almost exact echo of it domestically, from the Oklahoma City bombing, with (as I recall) one firefighter handing a dead baby over to another.

But then we live in a world where people kidnap and torture children, then kill them, with far more precision than the "collateral damage" of a bombing. So this might fit in the grim category of "ordinary horrors".

this photo reminds me of how bad things are nowadays....

Things have gotten better in Iraq. The citizens now have banded together and have there own patrol's to protect themselves. One of the major problems was the Iraqi police force killing alot of it's own people for various reason's. After arresting a lot of the police force the majority of the killings on the civilians and american troops stopped. Now Afghanastan is getting much worse. Personally I don't think we should have ever went to Iraq. But it seems our way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

quote:

Originally posted by miss stone:
I just had to post this....

exactly why did you HAVE to post this?

Perhaps to show the true reality of war?

quote:

Originally posted by Robert Kim Photography:
Perhaps to show the true reality of war?

Ironically enough, even though we disagree and slam each other a lot, I can often count on Robert to understand the important issues at hand and the need for certain posts.

Its so nice to know that too liberals can stab each other in the back one minute and fight about everything but unite when its good for them . OH PLEASE! Just out of curiosity have either of you to know it alls ever been to war that you know so much about what it looks like?

Many of my high school buddies went to Vietnam in the sixties.

Half of them never returned. The one's that did were never the same. Unable to cope with society after the horrors and atrocities they encountered, most of them are now drug addicts, alcoholics, and homeless.

That war, much like George Bush's Big Joke was also illegal, immoral, and unwinnable -- exactly like the one in Iraq. Too bad you don't remember it. All those young men died in vain, just like the ones spilling their blood in the sands of the Middle East as we speak. And for what? Terrorism? The American Way? Al Qaeda didn't even exist there until we "liberated" Baghdad. Yet another perfect example of CIA blow-back in all its jingoistic, blood-stained glory. And the price tag? Easily over one trillion dollars. The young men and women now fighting there will be saddled with that bill for the rest of their lives, and their children and grandchildren. What a trade-off.

I never fought in a war, but I know that it DOESN'T look like "The Green Berets" starring John Wayne -- a glossy, comic book, cleaned-up, sanitized piece of Hollywood garbage that sought to turn that war into another means of supporting another Military-Industrial Complex misadventure gone horribly wrong. If you've noticed, all photos of dead Americans returning from Iraq in flag-draped coffins have been systematically censored by the US government, thus the absolute need for us to see the photographic reality of the continuing carnage in Iraq. War is never pretty. War is never kind. While politicians talk and talk about ending this insane war, millions of innocent people on both sides have died, and many more die grisly deaths every day, out of sight of network news and television cameras. Neat and clean.

Yes, I disagree with Miss Stone on a variety of subjects. But in case you didn't know, what every American soldier who ever fought in a foreign war died for, "starry9," is our inalienable, God-given freedom to disagree.

Your post is a slap in the face to all of those true heroes who died for that right.

First of all how arrogant and ignorant of you to think anything discussed on this board is in anyway important enough to have anything to do with the heroes that fight for all of us. I would never disrespect any of our brave men and women it is you and the rest of your democrats that stand in lines protesting everything they are fighting for. they didnt start the war so how bout all of you supporting them while they are over there. Send food and money to there families instead of to Angelina Jolies future children in other countries. And I didnt have "high school buddies" that went to war I have and had family that went to war my father, my 3 uncles, my grandfathers.... Should I go on about their medals for their bravery or would that be a slap in someones face?

I have no money but I got together a whole stack of DVD's and mailed them over, as per the troops request. And you?????

quote:

Originally posted by starry9:
I would never disrespect any of our brave men and women it is you and the rest of your democrats that stand in lines protesting everything they are fighting for.

I'll bite, "starry9."

Exactly what is it that we're fighting for in Iraq?

What are they fighting for? I guess they are fighting to come home. They are fighting for your respect. No one wants war. I dont want war but they are there and they are fighting for America. Believe me I know this war has gone on way too long but there is no easy way out now we cant raise the white flag. We need to finish what was started. We are too strong a country to back out carelessly. And the men and women there are too proud to give up. Personally I could care less what happens to Iraq but unfortunately they are a threat as are many countries and we cannot come off looking and acting like cowards who give up. We were once a very well respected high powered country and I guess we are trying to gain that respect back. I dont think this war will gain any respect but backing down will definately defeat us completely in the eyes of many.

We were "defeated" the moment we invaded a sovereign nation without just cause.

If we have any chance to regain any of the status that we have lost among the rest of the world, we must admit our mistake and get the hell out of Iraq before anymore damage can be done to innocent lives, then attempt as best we can to repair what's left of our soiled and tattered image abroad.

We got our butts kicked in Vietnam and we got it handed to us once again in Iraq. Instead of "welcoming us as liberators" as your lord and master Dick Cheney prophecized, we are the now the pariahs of the entire world, having lost the respect and backing of all our friends and allies long ago.

Look what happened to the Russians in Afghanistan. It virtually destroyed what was left of the Soviet Union. The Russians laughed as we marched in to Bin Laden's mountain stronghold like Yankee Doodle Dandy. They knew exactly what would happen. The same thing that happened to them. The very same STINGER missiles that we provided the Afghanistan rebels are the exact same missiles that they are now using against us. Yet another perfect example of CIA "blow back" -- when our own flawed foreign policies come back to bite us in the ass. Payback is a bitch.

And by the way, what happened to George Bush's biggest lie of all, his promise to capture the mastermind of 9/11, Osama Bin Ladin, "dead or alive"? John Wayne rides again. Right into oblivion.

Worse still, we are no more safe from terrorist threats than we were on September 11, 2001. In fact, we are many times more threatened, having incited the wrath and hatred of the entire Muslim world. By eliminating Saddam and replacing him with Mac Donald's and Pizza Huts, we inadvertently opened the flood gates for Al Qaeda to fill the gaping void we ourselves had created. Warfare doesn't stop terrorists, it only creates more of them.

And now we hear the rallying drum beats of flag-waving, career politicians asking us to shed yet more innocent blood in Afghanistan, possibly even Iran. BUT WITH WHAT ARMY? Our armed forces are already stretched to the breaking point, and beyond. How many more family members are you willing to sacrifice on the altar of George W. Bush?

Perhaps Alan Greenspan, the ex-head of the Federal Reserve Bank and architect of the financial meltdown that we all must now shoulder, said it best when he noted: "Doesn't everyone know by now that the only reason we're in Iraq is for the oil?"

In the interests of precision:

quote:

“I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil,” he says.

UK Times on Greenspan bio

Kudos to Robert and Jim for pointing out the obvious. I can't believe there is anyone naive or foolish enough left to really think the war is about anything other than greed and oil. My own relatives voted on Bush the second time as well- they actually were heavy campaigners. Even THEY think little of Bush now. You would have to be an alien living on another planet to NOT realize and be aware that this war is about OIL and MONEY. The politicians do not care about anyone but themselves. Jesus, open your eyes and look around!! READ the newspaper, watch the goddamned news for God's sake. But wake up and smell the coffee and stop living in a bubble. This is the reality. They do not care about YOU at ALL. They care about $$$$$$$$$$$.

I just found this..

Taxpayers in NEW YORK CITY, New York will pay $21.9 BILLION for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

4,042,207 People with Health Care for One Year OR
41,037,290 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
OR
423,048 Public Safety Officers for One year
OR
333,816 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year
OR
3,576,892 Scholarships for University Students for One Year
OR
124,600 Affordable Housing Units
OR
7,659,580 Children with Health Care for One Year
OR
2,497,344 Head Start Places for Children for One Year
OR
253,878 Elementary School Teachers for One Year
OR
329,426 Port Container Inspectors for One year


Puts things in perspective, if you ask me.

CURRENTLY, THE WAR IS AT THE RAPIDLY INCREASING AMOUNT OF $563,392,900,000. LOOK IT UP IF YOU DOUBT IT.

Try this link unless you are afraid of reality and the truth.

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home

It just cost another 3 MILLION or so in the last 15 minutes alone.

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home