get real

You get no argument from me there, DQ..in addition to the cost (in lives, limbs, injuries, etc.,etc.) borne by our own troops performing their duties…

Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja

Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.

The extraordinary rise in birth defects has crystallised over recent months as specialists working in Falluja's over-stretched health system have started compiling detailed clinical records of all babies born.

Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects – which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumours, and others with nervous system problems – are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.

There is the real cost of war… Once again borne by the innocent…

The piece, “Let's Roll”, by Neil Young, was awesome. Thanks for the link.

In the various pieces I have written related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I hope it has been totally clear that I have fully supported our attacks on the Taliban and AlQaeda, as in fact those groups were responsible for the 9/11 attacks the cost of which as you so rightly state “was quite high.” (This, in contrast to our invasion and occupation of a country that–regardless of whatever else it may have been guilty of, was not responsible for the cowardly attacks that killed over 3,000 of our citizens.)

My piece above—even the title, “The Cost of War: More than the “Billions Spent on Guns and Bullets–laments that the cost of the Afghanistan war can not be measured in just dollars and bullets–”not just the more than $200 billion spent so far but also the thousands of lost futures both here and in Afghanistan.”

Many, many of my other posts have illustrated how I feel about the human cost of war (and of dastardly attacks such as occurred on 9/11), both to civilians and our troops doing the fighting.

Sorry if my mention of the cost of the war in Afghanistan in dollars confused the issue and the intent.

Dorian

http://loverev.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/twin…

$231,572,620,435

Not sure why a mutual admiration society is necessarily something to void.

Hiding the fallen from the public does both they and us a disservice. We should know them, and honor their sacrifices.

At the same time, the risk of amplifying and politicizing is very real. Witness the absolute zoo that the Vietnam coverage became.

I vastly prefer this middle ground. I salute Barack Obama for embracing this very difficult and exceedingly important aspect of his job.

Thanks for this — nice post.