From United for Peace and Justice:
The human cost of the U.S. war in Iraq is staggering:Actions and demonstrations are planned all over the world this weekend, including a few blocks from me in Mississauga. I hope you'll join with other peace-minded people in saying no to war.
Over 2,300 U.S. military men and women have lost their lives in Iraq.
Over 30,000 -- and possibly as many as 100,000 -- Iraqi civilians have been killed since the invasion.
Over 16,500 U.S. military men and women have been wounded in combat.
Over 4,000 U.S. military men and women have been seriously maimed in combat.
Over 4,000 Iraqi police and military men and women have been killed.
The war in Iraq has already cost the United States $251 billion.
The estimated long-term bill for Iraq will exceed $1 trillion.
The infrastructure of Iraq has been devastated with no rebuilding in sight.
The Iraq war has created "a training and recruitment ground (for terrorists), and an opportunity for terrorists to enhance their technical skills." (source: U.S. National Intelligence Council), and led to "accelerated recruitment" for Al Qaeda (source: International Institute for Strategic Studies)
For something simple you can do from home, click here to sign a petition calling on Congress to stop funding this immoral war.
I have one request. If you feel signing a petition is worthless and choose not to do it, I don't need to know. I'm aware of the challenges we face, the deaf ears of Congress and who profits from this war. I still believe in the value of raising our voices in protest. If it's all we have, we'd better use it. Your mileage may vary, but I'd rather not argue about it. Thanks in advance for respecting this.
5 comments:
February 10, 2006 (my bold emphasis)
One-Third of Iraq Vets Suffer From Post-Traumatic Stress
Escaping the attention of the mainstream media at the end of January was a panel held by mental-health professionals at the National Press Club in Washington, in which it was revealed that up to one-third of Iraq war Veterans will suffer from some degree of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Speaking on the panel was Antonette Zeiss, deputy chief consultant for mental health services at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who said that up to 40,000 soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan show symptoms of PTSD.
Zeiss said 120,000 soldiers have sought health care, and that 31 percent of them are being reviewed for possible mental health disorders, with the prevailing diagnosis being PTSD. A big difference from previous wars, she said, is that 13 percent of those soldiers are women. ...
A Brief Primer on the Mental Health Impact of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by the National Center for PTSD, reports that "the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam War, and initial signs imply that these ongoing wars are likely to produce a new generation of veterans with chronic mental health problems associated with participation in combat." ...
The National Center for PTSD also reports the following alarming statistics that map directly to increased rates of PTSD among Iraq war Veterans:
94 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported receiving small-arms fire
86 percent reported knowing someone who was seriously injured or killed
68 percent reported seeing dead or seriously injured Americans
51 percent reported handling or uncovering human remains ...
Finally, the report concludes that the Iraq war will create a whole new generation of mental health problems in America due to the unique conditions of this war – including that much of the conflict in Iraq, particularly since George W. Bush made his false claim that major combat operations had ended, has involved guerilla warfare and terrorist actions from ambiguous and unknown civilian threats. ...
Meanwhile, most of these revelations receive absolutely no publicity in the mainstream media and, if you do a search on Google News, you'll find that the Washington panel on January 27 received almost no coverage.
Off topic: Missouri Republicans make their move against contraception.
"If you hand out contraception to single women, we're saying promiscuity is OK as a state, and I am not in support of that," Phillips, R-Kansas City, said in an interview.
I don't know if you saw the Globe and Mail weekend edition, but Paul William Roberts wrote a fantastic essay about the anniversary of the war, and future implications. Also, there was a terrific piece on the lack of an effective protest movement, and those fighting to establish one.
If you haven't seen them, the articles are online on G&M, but in subscriber form only. However, if you stop by - you guessed it -your local library, the weekend paper will be there.
PS I saw your essay in G&M last week, but didn't get around to sending an email or commenting on it - so I will do that here - well done and wonderfully written! That was an excellent description of Canadian values, one I could not have said any better. Thank you for that!
Thank you, G! I really appreciate that.
I did see that story in Saturday's G&M, but didn't take much notice. I was so dispirited about this war anniversary, I was avoiding news of it. Now I'll go back and read it. Thanks for the tip.
I sign whatever shows up in my mailbox. I don't know if they help or not just as I don't know if our tiny weekly vigil makes any difference but it sure beats doing nothing.
Been out of town forgetting about everything and enjoying myself for two whole days (with kids).
Photos on blog but know you're busy.
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