Previous Poll Results

Well, it looks as though nine people, including my Mom, read this blog or else one person is voting nine times (again, thanks mom)

A terrorist attack on US soil in the next year is...

Extremely likely 11% (1 vote)
Very likely 44% (4)
Could happen 44% (4)
Not gonna happen 0% (0)

The Truth Hurts

Rolling Stone published this entertaining briefing in last month's magazine;

When Senate Republicans claimed that a member of the British Parliament personally profited from the sale of Iraqi oil, the right honorable MP turned the tables on his accusers. Testifying before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on May 17th, George Galloway blasted Republican Sen. Norm Coleman for basing the charges on documents that had already been proved to be forgeries. "You are trying to divert attention from the crimes that you supported," Galloway declared in his blistering rebuttal. "Have a look at the fourteen months you were in charge of Baghdad when $8.8 billion of Iraq's wealth went missing on your watch. Have a look at Halliburton and other American corporations that stole not only Iraq's money but the money of the American taxpayer." Galloway observed that he had warned that Iraq possessed no WMDs and had no connection to Al Qaeda. "Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong," he noted. "One hundred thousand people paid with their lives; 1,600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies." The Republicans seemed unaccustomed to being spoken to in such a tone. Sniffed a spokesman for Coleman, "We do things a little differently here in the United States Senate."

See ya later Shawn

The Rockies did what they are best at these days. Trading a player who the fans actually knew and cared about for some prospects. Shawn Chacon went from the basement of the Major Leagues to the Evil Empire. The Yankees were in desperate need of a starting pitcher, and Chacon could end up being quite a pick up for them. He went to high school in Greeley, CO and has pitched in the rarified air of Colorado for his entire career. Looking at the past performances of some Rockies pitchers who left for greener pastures (than Coors Field), he should do alright. Good luck Shawn (but I will still be rooting against your team in the post season).

Casualties of War

"A Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005" published by Iraq Body Count in association with Oxford Research Group

Who was killed?
-24,865 civilians were reported killed in the first two years.
-Women and children accounted for almost 20% of all civilian deaths.
-Baghdad alone recorded almost half of all deaths.

When did they die?
-30% of civilian deaths occurred during the invasion phase before 1 May 2003.
-Post-invasion, the number of civilians killed was almost twice as high in year two (11,351) as in year one (6,215).

Who did the killing?
-US-led forces killed 37% of civilian victims.
-Anti-occupation forces/insurgents killed 9% of civilian victims.
-Post-invasion criminal violence accounted for 36% of all deaths.
-Killings by anti-occupation forces, crime and unknown agents have shown a steady rise over the entire period.

What was the most lethal weaponry?
-Over half (53%) of all civilian deaths involved explosive devices.
-Air strikes caused most (64%) of the explosives deaths.
-Children were disproportionately affected by all explosive devices but most severely by air strikes and unexploded ordnance (including cluster bomblets).

How many were injured?
-At least 42,500 civilians were reported wounded.
-The invasion phase caused 41% of all reported injuries.
-Explosive weaponry caused a higher ratio of injuries to deaths than small arms.
-The highest wounded-to-death ratio incidents occurred during the invasion phase.

Who provided the information?
-Mortuary officials and medics were the most frequently cited witnesses.
-Three press agencies provided over one third of the reports used.
-Iraqi journalists are increasingly central to the reporting work.

These figures cover violent deaths. Johns Hopkins University also published a report that studied the mortality rate in Iraq during the first year of the war. It showed 100,000 more Iraqis died than would have been expected had the invasion not occurred. Can you believe that children died from diarhea due to a lack of clean drinking water? In certain cases, the lack of clean drinking water was due to coalition bombing of water treatment plants. Appalling.

Oh yeah, the number of U.S. soldiers killed has reached 1,700. While we enjoy the comforts of our lives and bitch about things like traffic and the 100 degree temperatures in Denver, let's not forget about the men and women serving in Iraq.

Bagdhad

You might have noticed a link on the sidebar of this page to a blog run by an Iraqi woman living in Bagdhad. It is fascinating and saddening to read about her family's life. Lately, her posts are sounding more and more frustrated with the current situation in Iraq. Her June 21st post blew me away. It makes you feel embarrassed and helpless, knowing that you live in the most powerful country in the world, but we cannot supply basic necessities such as electricity and water. All I can do is inform others about her blog to raise awareness - Bagdad Burning.

The Homeland

Last month, the little lady and I headed across the pond to Ireland to visit family and friends, drink lots of Guinness, see the sights, and catch a U2 concert. We arrived in Dubllin (advice - do not fly through Toronto airport), rented a car, and drove up to the North. Fortunately, Cherilyn slept for most of the drive up, and didn't have to experience the sheer horror of my driving on the left hand side of the road. We stayed with my Great Aunt Val in Coleraine, and also had a chance to see my Uncle Willie and Aunt Valerie. We toured the Antrim coast, stopping off at locations such as the Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, the Musenden Temple & Downill Estate, and the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge


Mussenden Temple


Dunluce Castle


We then headed down to Dublin, and stayed with our good friends Victoria and John in their new home. We had a wonderful time with them, and they were quite the hosts. One day we were total tourists and took a double decker bus tour of Dublin. I have visited that city a least six times, and I think I learned more about its history in one day, than all the other trips combined. The bus also stopped at the Guinness brewery, allowing us to take the brewery tour and sample some of the divine dark nectar. Mmm...there is nothing like Guinness in Ireland. The last night, we went to the second U2 show at Croke Park (more to come on that later) and then flew back the next day.

Fresh Guinness at the Gravity Bar

I'm Back

I am back from my extended absence. I have lots to say about my trips to Ireland and Tucson. I will post more soon.