General says N. Iraq most violent region

I discovered this story at CBSnews.com. The story itself originated from the Associated Press. I went and googled the story and found the same version on some of the major news sources in our country: USA Today, Yahoo! News, etc.

Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling has said that the most violent region in Iraq is in the Northern region of the country. That's where, he said, the al-Qaida cells still operate in key cities.

This is a quote from the AP Story.

"What you're seeing is the enemy shifting," Hertling told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from outside Tikrit in northern Iraq.

The following is actual tidbits from the story.
Hertling said militants have been pushed east to his area from Anbar by the so-called "Awakening Movement."

"The attacks are still much higher than I would like here in the north, but they are continuing to decrease in numbers and scale of attacks," Hertling said.

Hertling said 1,830 roadside bombs were placed in his region in June, compared with 900 last month.

The U.S. military says overall attacks in Iraq have fallen 55 percent since nearly 30,000 additional American troops arrived in Iraq by June, and some areas are experiencing their lowest levels of violence since the summer of 2005.

Hertling is adamant about breaking down the cells in Iraq.

"We're doing our very best on a daily basis to break those cells down," Hertling said. "We've had success, but it is still going to be a very tough fight to eliminate those terrorists and insurgents and extremists completely from those areas."

Hmmm. I find this story bittersweet to the max.

On the positive side, I'm glad to hear that the overall attacks in Iraq have fallen 55%. It's good to know we've definitely made some progress over there. I'm hoping our soldiers can take care of this situation safely and come home sooner.

On the down side, I worry about the boys up in the Northern Region of Iraq. It's good we know where the major problem areas are, however, it still is a worry about those soldiers stationed there.

That's all for now.

I found a website on information on how to send your support to a soldier! Check it out!

Iraq, Afghan War Costs are $1.6 trillion

I know I've already done a story on war costs, but this one is more current with the war today instead of a decade from now - and is including Afghanistan.

The original story I found is brought to you by The Associated Press.

The report has been compiled by the Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee.

The following information is directly from the story.
Apparently, it's the "hidden costs" that has increased the total amount spent on Iraq. These costs include: interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars, lost investment, the expense of long-term health care for injured veterans and the cost of oil market disruptions.

War costs are estimated at $1.6 trillion dollars for a figure from 2002 to 2008.

For Iraq only - the war costs have been estimated at $1.3 trillion. A good feature in the story is how it breaks down how much that costs a family of four. For Iraq - it's $16,500 per family.

I found another story on the topic in The Age. The following information is directly from the story.

Robert Hormats, vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs (International) and a member of the National Security Council staff under presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter, said the war was far costlier than the publicly stated cost.

"The wars will cost a lot more than the appropriated sums, and it's certainly true our children will be paying for this for a long, long time," he said. "I'm very critical of the way they have financed the war, but I always hesitate to try to quantify any of these things, to make these numerical judgements," he said.

So what do I think? I think that the media is using this dollar amount to spread the wrong image of the war in Iraq - and our boys fighting it. Typical. Like I said when I created this blog, it's not about the money, war, or issues... it's about remembering our soldiers.

I think it's important to bring up the monetary issues though. I think the economy is one of the most important things to focus on in this country. The Great Depression anyone? I just wish that when it comes to our soldiers... we shed it in a different light.

That's all for now. Support your troops!

2007 Deadliest Year in Iraq

Completely disheartened, I found this story in the New York Times.

Six American soldiers were killed Monday in three separate attacks. The total number of deaths this year is 852.

While reading the story in the NY Times, I found a link about Iraq.

Wow - that's terrible. I actually teared up when I read the story.

I found another story on the topic in The Sydney Morning Herald. However, their total number of deaths was 851.

I found a quote explaining the deaths of five of the soldiers. This is what Rear Admiral Gregory Smith told reporters in Baghdad.

We lost five soldiers yesterday (Monday) in two unfortunate incidents. Both involving IEDs (improvised explosive devices). There is still much danger out there.

The other death, a sailor, died from wounds sustained in an explosion in the Salaheddin province yesterday.

While still searching on the subject, I found a few other stories written that had the death total to be 853. One was on the page for AlJazeera.net and the other at the Guardian Unlimited, a website from the United Kingdom.

So after I found this out yesterday, I told it to my boyfriend, who is in the Army, and my friend Daniel, who is in the National Guard. At first they didn't believe me, but when I told them where I found the information - they were a little shocked. Two of their good friends are over there as we speak.

I'm definitely sad to hear this news. There's basically 2 months left in the year. I hope our boys stay safe while they do their jobs over there...

More to come. and SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

The future on the war that the media isn't reporting.

I found this piece at Foxnews.com.

Before I go into the details, I'm not really a fan of Fox News. After viewing, "Outfoxed" a special documentary on the network, I learned how "biased" the reporting can be.

The opinon piece in Fox News was actually written by a Lt. Colonel in the US Military. He's labeled as a "Fox Fan." His name is Oliver North. When I googled his name, I discovered he is a correspondent of Fox News, has a radio program, and has written countless books. He has his own website.

I was incredibly impressed that this "Combat Decorated Marine" is spreading the word that the Iraq war has brought positive changes to the country.

Ironic, the military is speaking out about the media... isn't that a clue that something is wrong. I also have to admit it did change my view on Fox News a little bit.

The story from Fox News describes how the Pentagon has released "official figures on how the dramatically the security situation has improved in Iraq."

However, it appears that the media isn't really focusing on this aspect of the war.

Apparently one of the main focuses this week was the lost of a soldier in the Phillipines.

Here's the story about the soldier in Yahoo!News.

So what do I think - I think that the story by Oliver North is great. Finally, a little piece of positive stimulation to the American public about our troops!

More to come!

Congress predicts war costs

I discovered this story in The Canadian Press after I Googled Iraq war today.

Congress is estimating the war costs in Iraq to hit $2.4 trillion by the next decade. Ok, I understand where this would stir up some issues with some of the American public. That is a lot of money.

The Democrats are saying the voters won't stand for the issue.

A direct quote from the story:

"That estimate is a far cry from the administration's original claim of a $50-billion price that the Iraqis could pay themselves," said U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives.

I found another story on the war costs from The Voice of America.

More than $450 billion has already been spent on the wars. President Bush has asked for another $160 billion for the fiscal year of 2008.

Again, the Democrats are angry. A quote from the VOA story.

"The truth is that this administration from its original $50 billion estimate on the cost of the war in Iraq right through the estimates being made outside this committee today, consistently low-balls, misstates to the American people the true cost of the dollars, and of course, the true cost in blood that we are paying for this go-it-alone misadventure," said Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas.


It's not the money thing that scares me. These estimates are assuming that there will still be 75,000 troops over in Iraq at that time - 2017. Are you kidding? That many troops ten years from now? Isn't that a bit more frightening than money!

It's interesting that I noticed this today. I was having a conversation last night with my boyfriend, who is indeed in the US Army, and he asked me what I thought if there was a World War 3 on our hands in the future. With 75,000 of our troops in Iraq in 2017 - doesn't that raise an interesting question. What if there is a World War 3 against terrorism on the horizon... what would come of it? What would happen to the Muslim community?

For another version of the original story visit CNN Money.



That's all for now...

Security shootings in Iraq

Two women were killed by private security contractors in Iraq. This is the second type of shooting of this nature this month. The women were members of the Armenian Christian community. The guards worked for the Unity Resources Group, which is an Australian-run security company that has its headquarters in Dubai.

The company said the neighborhood where the headquarters lie has been a target for suicide bombings. One of the women was driving a taxi cab that was unmarked. Below is part of a statement the Unity Resources Group released.

Fearing a suicide attack, only then did the team use their weapons in a final attempt to stop the vehicle.”
“We deeply regret the loss of these lives,” the statement said.

The story feature in the Herald Sun, an Australia daily, said the company is defending their actions.

The other shooting that occured by a security-type group was Blackwater USA that killed 17 people earlier this month.

This type of behavior, I fear, is a bit scary for our troops over in Iraq. These types of shooting is adding flame to the for Iraqis. Even though the United Resources Group is not a part of the United States military does not mean the Iraqi people will not blame us for this attack. The Blackwater USA attack was United States personnel.

I support our troops fully. Our boys are just doing their jobs. I would like them to come home. I fear that small issues and attacks such as these are prolonging their trip home to their families.

To view the story I found originally in full-length visit the following link in The New York Times.

This blog.

This blog will follow stories about the Iraq War. I think it's important for the American public to be informed about what's going on overseas.

I have friends and family in the military and I truly support our troops.

I just think it's important for people to remember that our boys are doing their jobs.

More to come...

Lindsey