A Million Iraqi Dead?

[stang56k]

Glad a million people had to die so we could up root a "ruthless" dictator that had no WMD and was not part of AQ. Small price to pay? huh? :salute:




A Million Iraqi Dead?
The U.S. press buries the evidence

By Patrick McElwee


The Iraq War was sold to Americans in part as an intervention that would benefit Iraqis, "liberating" them from the despotic rule of Saddam Hussein. In retrospect, after no weapons of mass destruction were found and the alleged links to Al-Qaeda were debunked, this supposed humanitarian mission became the central justification for the invasion. Today, it is a major pillar of what support remains among the U.S. public for continuing the occupation.

If Americans are to make informed judgments not only about the invasion of Iraq and whether the occupation should continue, but also about future wars our government may wish to start, then we need to have good information about the war's impact on Iraqis.

But the major U.S. press rarely considers a most basic measure of that impact: how many Iraqis have been killed. When they do mention the toll, they consistently ignore or malign two major statistical studies, the first conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and published in the prestigious British medical journal the Lancet (10/11/06), and the other released by the British polling firm Opinion Research Business (9/07). Both indicate that over a million Iraqis have now been killed. Yet an Associated Press poll in February (2/24/07) that asked Americans how many Iraqis have died received a median response of less than 10,000.

The Johns Hopkins study estimated that, as of July 2006, 655,000 Iraqis had been killed, about 600,000 of them violently and at least 30 percent directly by coalition forces. It updated an earlier study (Lancet, 10/29/04) that estimated that 100,000 Iraqis had died during the first year of the war. An extrapolation of the Johns Hopkins estimate of violent deaths done by Just Foreign Policy (9/18/07) currently stands at over 1.1 million.



http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3321

[stephanie]

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." --President Bill Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." --President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." --Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." --Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton, signed by: -- Democratic Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others, Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." -Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." --Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." Letter to President Bush, Signed by: --

Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), and others, Dec 5, 2001 "We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them." -- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." -- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." -- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002 "He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" -- Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." -- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..." -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

[Gaffer]

Do they count the ones killed that were from foreign countries, such as saud's, jordanians, yemen and others? How many iraqi's were killed by iraqi's? How many iraqi's were killed by foreign jihadists?

Why didn't our forces find any WMD's in iraq? If it was the big excuse to go in then why wouldn't Bush have planted them throughout the country to display that he was right?

AQ was in iraq. Some were being wined and dined in baghdad while a few hundred were at a base in the north. While saddam was no fan of AQ he would certainly be willing to hand over weapons and support to them for use against us. Just because he didn't like someone didn't mean he wouldn't use them.

Keep up the work on the Bush bashing. He's bound to lose the next election if you just keep at it.

[Yurt]

1/25th of the population has died? and it is the american press who keep this a secret?

[stang56k]

Do they count the ones killed that were from foreign countries, such as saud's, jordanians, yemen and others? How many iraqi's were killed by iraqi's? How many iraqi's were killed by foreign jihadists?

Why didn't our forces find any WMD's in iraq? If it was the big excuse to go in then why wouldn't Bush have planted them throughout the country to display that he was right?

AQ was in iraq. Some were being wined and dined in baghdad while a few hundred were at a base in the north. While saddam was no fan of AQ he would certainly be willing to hand over weapons and support to them for use against us. Just because he didn't like someone didn't mean he wouldn't use them.

Keep up the work on the Bush bashing. He's bound to lose the next election if you just keep at it.


No, but I would like to see him hang for war crimes and treason.:finger3:

[stephanie]

No, but I would like to see him hang for war crimes and treason.:finger3:

Well........go arrest his ass..
Or better yet, get the Democrat party to Impeach him for all the "war crimes"..it is THEIR DUTY, you know.:poke:

[stang56k]

Well........go arrest his ass..
Or better yet, get the Democrat party to Impeach him for all the "war crimes"..it is THEIR DUTY, you know.:poke:

Democrats... What a joke.. When have they done anything usefull except provide everyone with false hopes, Kind of like what your avatar means.

[Yurt]

No, but I would like to see him hang for war crimes and treason.:finger3:

how in the world you believe that the MSM would keep this a secret is beyond belief...

[stang56k]

how in the world you believe that the MSM would keep this a secret is beyond belief...

What are you talking about?

[PostmodernProphet]

personally, I am disappointed....at the rate the left inflates figures, I would have assumed it to be at least 3.7 million by now......

[Yurt]

What are you talking about?

did you even read the article you posted?


A Million Iraqi Dead?
The U.S. press buries the evidence

the MSM would be all over this for it makes bush look bad. and don't you think that hiding a million deaths in a country of only 25 million is a bit of stretch?

[stang56k]

personally, I am disappointed....at the rate the left inflates figures, I would have assumed it to be at least 3.7 million by now......

So, being anti-Iraq war is being leftist?

[stang56k]

What Have We Learned From the Embargo's Lessons?

May 28, 2003

On May 22, 2003, the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 1483 finally lifting the 12-year embargo on Iraq. The United Nations had imposed a comprehensive ban on trade with Iraq on August 6, 1990, under resolution 661, amounting to a complete siege on the country. The embargo was then enforced by a military land, air, and sea blockade. This blockade continued until the end of the recent 2003 war, with land border checkpoints in Jordan, naval interdiction of ships, and no-fly zones imposed in the north and south of the country.

After the imposition of the embargo, a devastating bombing campaign against Iraq in 1991 destroyed the country's civilian infrastructure (water, sewage, and electrical power infrastructure, among other sectors). Much of the diseases rampant in Iraq are due to the destruction of the civilian infrastructure and lack of spare parts in the 1991 war. Some of which was modestly repaired between 1991 and 2003, was destroyed again in the 2003 war. Contaminated drinking water and lack of electricity for hospitals are a major cause of the suffering for Iraq’s twenty five million people today.

In addition, the depleted uranium (DU) shells used in both the 1991 and 2003 wars have caused a significant increase in radiation-related cancers and birth defects. Iraq still does not have the necessary tools (primarily due to the embargo) to clean up the DU contamination.

What Was Destroyed in War

The 2003 war can only be a continuation of what happened in 1991, since the 12-year embargo did not allow the rebuilding of what was destroyed then. The 1991 war destroyed or severely damaged the following sectors of the civilian infrastructure, and the 12-year embargo prevented its the proper reconstruction:

1) Drinking water infrastructure

2) Sewage system

3) Electrical power grid

4) National healthcare infrastructure (more than 100 hospitals and healthcare centers destroyed)

5) National education system (over 4,000 schools, institutes, colleges, universities destroyed)

6) Transportation sector (air traffic banned, sea vessels damaged, railroad cars & trucks crumbling)

7) Telecommunications (telephone exchanges and transmitters destroyed)

8) Textile and other light industries (factories destroyed)

9) Pharmaceutical sector (factories destroyed and components and ingredients banned by embargo)

10) Social fabric and modernity (modern society reduced to sufficing with obtaining food and medicine only)

Summary of the Effects

According to the humanitarian reports, the ongoing embargo imposed in 1990, coupled with the destruction caused by the 1991 Gulf war, has in turn directly caused the following:

1) As of March 2003 (just prior to the war), between 1.7 and 2 million Iraqi civilians have died due to malnutrition and disease, about 700,000 of them are children. Health Ministry documents under-5 and over-50 deaths due to disease and/or malnutrition at 1.7 million. If over-5 and under-50 age sectors are added, which is well over 500,000 deaths, that makes the total number of deaths over 2 million. Estimates of deaths due to the 2003 war range from 10,000 to 100,000.

2) Prior to the 2003 war, 1.5 million children were made orphans.

3) Prior to the 2003 war, 10,000 Iraqi civilians were dying every month (half of which were children). That amounted to 333 deaths a day, or 14 deaths an hour. An Iraqi civilian died from malnutrition and disease every 4 minutes. Since the 2003 war caused even more destruction of the civilian infrastructure (water, electricity, etc), coupled with the extensive of anti-personnel cluster bombs dropped on Iraq, and the mass lootings of hospitals and pharmacies, this average will be greatly skewed for the initial months after the 2003 war, until such a time when the civilian infrastructure is properly rebuilt.

4) The combination of the destruction of the water pipes and the water pumping stations in the 1991 war and the looting after the 2003 war, coupled with the lack of chlorine and electricity to re-activate the pumps for over 12 years due largely to the embargo, all make clean drinking water widely unavailable today in Iraq, and thereby creating a dangerous recipe for a rapid spread of infectious diseases and possible epidemics. Prior to 1990, over 90% of Iraqis has access to clean drinking water, whereas it was between 33-50% just prior to the 2003 war (1999 UN Report).

5) The destruction of the national medical healthcare system has been one of the largest single contributors to the death and disease in Iraq. Over 100 hospitals and healthcare centers were destroyed in the 1991 war. Prior to 1990, over 90% of Iraqis had access to high quality medical care, free of charge, whereas as the majority of Iraqis lack it now (1999 UN Report).

6) The destruction of the national school system in the 1991 war has caused a sharp decline in the overall literacy rate. Half of Iraq's schools (4,000 out of 8,000) were bombed. The remaining schools (4,000) sharply decayed and became dilapidated due to the 12-year embargo. This lack of enough schools coupled with Iraq's growing population, made the problem even worse. When Iraq had over 8,000 functioning schools in 1990, the country's population was about 18 million. Now that Iraq's population is well over 25 million, the number of functioning schools is less than a quarter of what it was in 1990. This severe shortage of schools has caused a sharp increase in the illiteracy rate and led to children wandering in the streets. Prior to 1990, over 80% of Iraqis could read and write, whereas now the school attendance is almost 50% (1999 UN report).

7) Prior to the 2003 war, the local Iraqi currency (dinar) had been decimated as a result of U.S. counterfeiting efforts, the 1991 destruction of the civilian infrastructure, and the 12-year embargo which banned foreign (hard) currency from legally entering the country. The combination of the counterfeiting, bombing, and embargo has caused the value of the dinar to drop from its original value of just over three dollars to being worth 1/20th of a cent (20 dinars makes a cent), just prior to the 2003 war.

8) Prior to the fall of the former government, Iraq was essentially a massive welfare state. The state employed over a million people and provided food coupons for over 80% of Iraq's 25 million people. The fall of the government meant the effective end of this welfare state. In addition, the U.S. administration's firing of hundreds of thousands of paid state employees has made the situation even worse. The government employees, who were barely living above the starvation level, are now unemployed and income-less.

9) Clearly the most short-sighted decision taken yet by the U.S. administration in Baghdad was to totally dissolve Iraq's military, leaving its employees with no compensation at all. That decision meant that over half a million ex-military men were left to starve, along with their families. Since the typical Iraqi family is made of at least five members, that meant at least 2.5 million Iraqis were left to starve. What would prevent these starving men from armed revolt to avoid starvation? Anyone with some common sense would have devised a plan to either retire these men with some type of retirement income to prevent them from starving and revolting, or offering them new jobs as policemen or the like, similar to what the U.S. military did with the former Japanese soldiers after World War 2. This decision is indeed a recipe for disaster.

http://www.ilaam.net/War/IraqEmbargo.html

[mundame]

So, being anti-Iraq war is being leftist?


This thread reminds me of a site my husband told me about. There's a photo of George Bush, and underneath, it says ---

George Bush

Love him or hate him -----------

But he did kill a shitload of Arabs!



http://macg.net/emoticons/grin10.gif

[MtnBiker]

Glad a million people had to die so we could up root a "ruthless" dictator that had no WMD and was not part of AQ. Small price to pay? huh?


or not



New survey of Iraqi death toll: 151,000
Conducted jointly by the Iraqi government and the World Health Organization, its finding is lower than the 600,000 arrived at by John Hopkins University.
By Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar
posted January 10, 2008 at 10:17 am EST

A new study conducted jointly by the Iraqi government and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 151,000 Iraqis died in the years following the US-led invasion of Iraq. The survey, the latest of many different estimates of Iraqi mortality during the war, is a quarter of the toll calculated by an earlier study by Iraqi and Johns Hopkins University researchers, but much higher than some other estimates by independent groups and US military.

The study suggests that "roughly 9 out of 10 of those deaths were a consequence of U.S. military operations, insurgent attacks and sectarian warfare," reports The Washington Post. In addition, there was a 60 percent rise in nonviolent deaths, including those attributed to disease.

Iraq's population-wide mortality rate nearly doubled, and the death rate from violence increased tenfold after the coalition attack. Men between 15 and 60 were at the greatest risk.

The Post also notes that figures provided last month by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, between January 2006 and December 2007, "indicated that some 40,000 civilians had died in the past two years in Iraq."

The authors of the WHO study, which covers the period between 2003 and 2006, said the new figure could be anywhere "between 104,000 and 223,000 allowing for misreporting," and "points to a massive death toll in the wake of the 2003 invasion and represents only one of the many health and human consequences of an ongoing humanitarian crisis," reports the Guardian.

The survey from the Iraqi Family Health Survey Group was carried out by trained employees of the health ministry who visited 10,860 households – 10 from each of more than 1,000 clusters across the 18 provinces of Iraq. Because of the insecurity, 115 (11%) of the clusters could not be visited – mostly in Anbar and Baghdad – so calculations were made to account for the probable number of deaths in those places. Researchers asked heads of households if there had been any deaths in the two years before or three years after the invasion in 2003.

Account was taken of under-reporting of deaths, which is usual in household surveys, not least because families often move when somebody dies. The survey also allowed for the out-migration of up to 2 million people between March 2003 and June 2006.

The study is the latest of many attempts to "come up with realistic numbers of civilian deaths," reports The New York Times.

The estimates have varied widely. The Iraq Body Count, a nongovernmental group based in Britain that bases its numbers on news media accounts, put the number of civilians dead at 47,668 during the same period of time as the World Health Organization study, the W.H.O. report said. President Bush in the past used a number that was similar to one put forward at the time by the Iraq Body Count.


http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0110/p99s01-wome.html

[jr88]

Cool, a million dead ragheads! :laugh2: