A reminder

As America comes toward the end of the holiday insanity, and some 300 million of us get ready to sit down to Christmas dinners (or, for some, do without), some 160,000 U.S. troops continue to occupy Iraq, as well as somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 "private security contractors"

The ongoing result of the presence of these hundreds of thousands of heavily armed Americans in Iraq:

so far in 2008:

406 children dead from war related violence.

That's about one a day. Imagine how that must feel--picking up a national newspaper each day to read about another violent war-related death of a child in your occupied nation.

72 of these have been killed by U.S. soldiers in "the line of duty". Here's to freedom, duty, and the American Way.

So far in 2008:

9,000 civilian deaths due to war related violence. That's almost 200 per week. How about picking up the New York Times every Sunday to read about another 200 civilian deaths in your occupied nation?

On Christmas day, the U.S. will spend about 340 million U.S. dollars to continue the carnage. And the same amount today, and tomorrow, and on New Years day.

Meanwhile the guy who threw his shoes at George Bush is facing charges. Bush faces no charges whatsoever. Here's to justice, and "joy to the world". It's nice, isn't it, to be the "Christian" nation--to be the ones on the side of the right and the good--of "freedom". Americans should do something to wish a merry Christmas to the tens of thousands of young female Iraqi Refugees living in surrounding nations who have been forced into prostitution due to economic hardship. Maybe send them some of the $700 billion bailout pie or something.