What Does Ringworm Look Like Healing?

The End of Another Year ...

your country is known to have problems:
1. The UN has to open a special section just to get information about the chaos and bloodshed, UNAMI
2. The above section can not be run from your country
3. The politicians who worked to make your country in this sorry state, and are not found within its borders or anywhere nearby.
4. The only thing that America and Iran can agree is on the increasingly poor state of your nation.
5. An 8-year war and a blockade of 13 seem the "Golden Years" of the country.
6. Your country is purportedly 'selling' 2 million barrels of oil a day, but you make a queue of 4 hours for black market gasoline for the generator.
7. For every 5 hours without power, you get an hour of public electricity and then the government announces it will stop providing that hour.
8. Politicians supported the war spend tv time debating whether the question of "sectarian killing" or "civil war."
9. People consider themselves lucky if they can really identify the body of his relative who has been missing for two weeks.

A day in the life of an average Iraqi has been reduced to identifying corpses, avoiding car bombs and try to maintain contact with family members detained, of whom some have been banished and other hostages.

2006 was decidedly the worst year yet. No, really. The magnitude of this war and this occupation is now when it hits with full force into the country. It's like having a large piece of hard, dry earth you are determined to destroy. You put the first blow in the form of an infrastructure damaged with missiles and the latest in weapons technology, the first cracks begin. Followed by several small strokes in the form of politicians like Chalabi, Al Hakim, Talbani, Pachachi, Allawi and Maliki. The cracks slowly begin to multiply and spread through the once was a solid piece of earth, reaching their ends as many skeletal hands. And apply pressure. Surround him everywhere and strips and push. Slowly but surely, begins to separate, a chip here, a bit more over there.

That is Iraq today. The Americans have done a good job to break it. This past year has nearly everyone convinced that that was the plan from the beginning. To them have been too many failures as they have been simply failures. 'Errors' were too catastrophic. The people who elected Bush administration to support and promote were openly and publicly terrible, from the "conman" and embezzler Chalabi, to the terrorist Jaffari, or the militia man Maliki. Decisions, such as dissolving the Iraqi army, abolishing the original constitution and allowing militias to take charge of Iraqi security were too damaging to not be intentional. The question now

is: but why? It really took the last few days asking this. What can you win America damaging Iraq to this extent? I am sure that only genuine idiots still believe this war and occupation have had to do with WMD or an actual fear of Saddam.

"Al Qaeda? Produces laughter. Bush has effectively created more terrorists in Iraq for the past 4 years than Osama could have created in 10 different terrorist camps in the distant hills of Afghanistan. Our children now play games shooters and 'jihadi', pretending to give an American soldier between the eyes, and it becomes a Humvee.

This year especially has been a turning point. Virtually every Iraqi has lost so much. Too . There is no way to describe the loss we have experienced with this war and this occupation. There are no words to reflect the feeling that makes you know that are daily almost 40 corpses in various states of decay and mutilation. There is no compensation for the dense, black cloud of fear hanging over the head of every Iraqi. Fear of things so far from one's hands, that borders on the ridiculous, such as your name is 'too Sunni' or 'too Shia'. Fear of greater things, as the American tank police patrolling your neighborhood with black bandanas and green banners, and Iraqi soldiers in black masks carrying control.

Again, I can not but wonder why he has done all this. What is the reason to destroy Iraq and, most beyond repair? Iran appears to be the only winner. Their presence in Iraq is so established that publicly criticizing a cleric or ayatollah verges on suicide. Do they have done so out of hand the United States the situation is now irretrievable? Or it was part of the plan from the beginning? My head hurts just asking questions.

What has me more confused on this now is: why add fuel to the fire? Sunnis and moderate Shia are being chased out of the South's largest cities and the capital. Is tearing Baghdad with Shia leaving Sunni neighborhoods and Sunni-Shiite neighborhoods abandoned some under threat and fear of other attacks. People are openly fired at checkpoints or on the road ... Many universities have suspended classes. Thousands more Iraqis no longer send their children to school - not safe.

Why make things worse now insisting on the execution of Saddam? Who gains if they hang Saddam? Iran, of course, but who more? There is real fear that this execution is the latest blow to Iraq to pieces. Some Sunni and Shia tribes have threatened to arm their members against the Americans if Saddam is executed. The Iraqis in general are watching closely to see what happens next, and preparing for the worst.

This is because Saddam no longer represents himself or his regime. Despite the constant insistence of American war propaganda, Saddam is now a symbol for all loa Sunni Arabs (never mind that most of their governments are Shiites). The Americans, despite his speeches and newspaper articles and Iraqi Puppets, have made it very clear that they consider that he represents the Sunni Arab resistance against the occupation. Simply, with this execution, what the Americans say is: "Look, Sunni Arabs, this is your man, we all know. We are going to hang up, he symbolizes you. " And make no mistake, this trial, the verdict and the execution are 100% American. Some of the actors were Iraqi enough, but producing, directing and editing were pure Hollywood (though low budget, by the way).

This is, of course, why Talbani does not want to sign his death penalty-not because they have suddenly grown a conscience in the mafia but because they want to be the author of the hanging-could not reach far enough if you did this.

Maliki's government could not contain his joy. They announced the ratification of the execution order before the competent court to do. A few nights ago, some American news program interviewed the head of Maliki's office. Basim Al-Hassani who was speaking in English with an American accent on the next run as if waiting for a carnival. Sitting, looking sleazy and more than a bit ridiculous, his dialogue interspersed "gonna", "gotta" and "want to" ... Whatever happens, I suppose, when only people with whom you mix are American soldiers.

My only conclusion is that Americans want to withdraw from Iraq, but would like to leave behind a civil war with all of the law because it would be good if they withdraw and things started to go better, does not it?

We reached the end of 2006 and I'm sad. Not only for the situation in the country, but by the situation of our human values \u200b\u200band Iraqis. All of us have lost something of the compassion and civility that I felt made us special four years ago. Nearly four years ago I was embarrassed every time I heard an American soldier had died. They were occupiers, but they were also human beings and they know that death in my country gave me sleepless nights.

If it had not stirred feelings expressed in this blog, I do not believe now. Today, they are just numbers, "3000 Americans killed in nearly four years? Really? That is the number of Iraqis who died in less than a month. "Americans had families? Too bad for them. We too. Also dumped in the streets and waiting to be identified in the morgue.

Is the American soldier died today in Anbar more important than my cousin who was shot last month on the night of his commitment to a woman he wanted to marry during the last six years? I do not think so.

Just because the Americans die in smaller numbers, that does not make them more meaningful, right?
- posted by river @ 1:00 PM

Forgot My Combination To My Brinks Lock

When all else fails ... The Lancet study

... Execute the dictator. It's that easy. When American soldiers killed dozens, when the country you are occupying is threatening to break into smaller countries, when militia and death squads roaming the streets and have put in power a group of mullahs - execute the dictator
Everyone expected this verdict from the very first day of trial. There was a brief interval in which the first judge, it was believed that it might be a coherent trial where Iraqis could hear explanations and see what happened. That soon ended with the first false witness for the prosecution. The events that followed were so ridiculous that even today are hard to believe.
The sound suddenly disappeared when the defense or one of the defendants got up to speak. We could hear the witnesses but could not see them - hidden behind a curtain, their voices were changed. People who were supposed to have died in the Dujail incident were found to be very much alive.
Judge after judge was called to court because the court was seen as too fair. Not immediately condemn the defendants (even if it was in the interest of the media). The brightest jewel was the final judge they brought. His reputation rivaled only by Chalabi, a well known thief and murderer who fled to Iran to escape not political condemnation, but the wrath of his father after he stole to the restaurant he ran.
So we all knew the result would (Maliki was on television 24 hours before the verdict telling people that "they did not rejoice too much"). I think what surprises me right now is the absolute stupidity of the current Iraqi government. The timing is ridiculous, "just before the congressional elections? How convenient for Bush!, Iraq today is at its worst since the invasion and occupation began in April 2003, now looks like a honeymoon. Is it really the time to execute Saddam?
I am more than a little worried. It is Bush's last letter. The elections came and went and put in power a group of extremists and thieves (no, no ...! I mean Baghdad, not Washington). The constitution, which appears to have drowned in the river of Iraqi blood since the elections has been forgotten. Only dig up when one of the Puppets wants to tear the country. Reconstruction is an aspiration from another time. I swear we no longer want buildings and bridges, security and an undivided Iraq are more than enough. Things must be deteriorating beyond imagination if Bush needs to use the letter "Execute the Dictator."
Iraq has not been this bad in decades. The occupation is a failure. The various governments pro-American or pro-Iran government have failed. The new Iraqi army is a deadly joke. Is it really time to turn Saddam into a martyr? Things are so bad that even the Iraqis for the occupation retract his initial frenzied "WE LOVE AMERICA." Laith Kubba (who looks like Mr. Catfish for his big mouth and constant look stupid) was recently on the BBC saying that this was just the beginning of justice, people who today is responsible for the loss of life also face justice. Seems to have forgotten that he was one of those who supported the war and occupation, and an important member of one of the murderers pro-American governments. But history will not forget Mr. Kubba.
Iraq saw demonstrations against and for the verdict. The pro-Saddam demonstrators were attacked by the Iraqi army. That's how free our media is today: the channels showing the pro-Saddam demonstrations have been closed. Iraqi security forces promptly raided. Welcome to the new Iraq. Here are some images from the Salahiddin and Zawra channels:


Zawra Chain. The caption says: Baghdad: Zawra satellite channel has stopped broadcasting by order of government.



Salahiddin green screen which appeared suddenly, says Salahiddin
satéite channel via


Sharqiya channel announcing the latest news: Two channels, Salahiddin and Zawra, closed. Security forces ransacked the offices of the stations.

not have to do with man (the presidents come and go, governments come and go). It is the frustration of feeling that the whole country and each of them and the Iraqis from inside and outside are at the mercy of American politics. It is the rage of feeling like a mere chess piece being moved forward and back at will. It is the aggravation of having a government so blind and insensitive to the needs of its people who do not even seem necessary to comply with formalities or pass a law. And there are the dead. The thousands of dead and dying, with Bush sitting there smirking and lying about progress and victory in a country where all Iraqis and outside the Green Zone is losing.
Again ... The timing of this is impeccable, two days before congressional elections. And if you do not see, sorry, you're stupid. Let's see how many times takes this as a "success" in his upcoming speeches.
One final note. I read somewhere that some families of dead American soldiers are visiting the north of Iraq to see "so that their sons and daughters have died." If that is the goal of the visit, then, "Ladies and gentlemen, to your right is the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, to your left is the refinery Dawry ... Each of you get this: a gift bag containing a color poster of Al 3 x 3 Sayid Muqtada Al Sadr (Long life and prosperity), the Ayatollah Sistani t-shirt and a map of Iraq at redrawn with the Islamic Republic of southern Iraq. Plus ... Hey, you! You, the woman behind! Would that I see is a lock of hair? Cover up or stay home! ".
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And that is why they have died.

- posted by river @ 8:25 PM