So now we're starving them...

[autorank]

So now we’re starving them. Saddam provided more food with less money. Who takes credit for this fiasco. We invade based on lies, then occupy by starving the population. Congress passes the "violent radicalization" bill and blames the internet for intense anger against the government. Well, they ought to blame themselves. Starving people tends to piss them off.

IRAQ: Saddam Provided More Food Than the U.S

"No security, no food, no electricity, no trade, no services. So life is good," said one resident, who would not give his name.

Inter Press Service
.
By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail*

BAQUBA, Dec 27 (IPS) - The Iraqi government announcement that monthly food rations will be cut by half has left many Iraqis asking how they can survive.

Iraq's food rations system was introduced by the Saddam Hussein … The sanctions killed half a million Iraqi children, and as many adults, according to the UN. They brought malnutrition, disease, and lack of medicines. Iraqis became nearly completely reliant on food rations for survival. The programme has continued into the U.S.-led occupation.

The cuts, which are to be introduced in the beginning of 2008, have drawn widespread criticism. The Iraqi government is unable to supply the rations with several billion dollars at its disposal, whereas Saddam Hussein was able to maintain the programme with less than a billion dollars.

The report said that "43 percent of Iraqis suffer from absolute poverty," and that according to some estimates over half the population are now without work. "Children are hit the hardest by the decline in living standards. Child malnutrition rates have risen from 19 percent before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 28 percent now."

Snip

"The food ration still represents a big part of the domestic budget," Muneer Lafta, a 51-year-old employee at the health directorate told IPS. Without the ration, she said, families have to go to the market. Because Iraqi families are large, usually six to 12 people, shopping for food is simply unaffordable.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Time to repost this great video:

Life in Iraq since Shock and Awe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELjgVq6GtPA

[autorank]

8. There you go....

...the elite officials who sanction and invoke terror against entire nations feign shock when
confronted with the product of their deeds. The blow dried commentators in their employ feign
disapproval. They all know what's going on...lots of dead people due to a commercial rationale.
Thanks for the video.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak, GO

Her name is Dahlia Wasfi. Most incredible public speaker I think I have ever heard. Just blew me away.

[emlev]

25. Thank you for posting that. I hadn't seen it. n/t

[pberq]

49. Great testimony! - that video should be required viewing n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. I posted it everywhere when I first found it

And boy did it ever piss off the war mongers. LOL

[Whisp]

2. k&r. the deliberate killing of a nation. nt

[autorank]

9. Not much left is there? n/t

[sk8rrobert2]

3. Just as the War has paid for itself we have also

helped the people of Iraq to increase their lively-hood and day to day lifes...Right

[stevedeshazer]

4. Geez.

:(

[autorank]

10. New neocon low...

...if that is even imaginable.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

5. One line says why we have failed in Iraq

"Child malnutrition rates have risen from 19 percent before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 28 percent now."

The children are starving. Slowly.

:grr:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. K&R to be sure. What a terrible thing we have allowed gw to do. n/t

[Kurovski]

7. K&R. (nt)

[LWolf]

11. K & R n/t

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

13. Desperate people take desperate measures. It isn't "al qaeda" fighting US.

It's those upon whom we have delivered, desperate circumstances.

Not the war or the destruction, the injuries or suffering, the deaths or starvation have been done with MY permission or my acquiescence. Still, I am sorry, so sorry for all of it.

:cry:

[spanone]

14. 'you're gonna fucking love democracy if it KILLS you'

love, the U.S.

[autorank]

17. Question for Bush

"Mr. Preznit, how will the dead enjoy democracy if they can't vote."

More than 1,000,000 Iraqis murdered

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Read Naomi Klein's book... this is CLASSIC Disaster Capitalism

Not surprising at all

[autorank]

18. She's got guts...

...these are the facts that need to be considered and acted upon, period. Enough screwing around.

Thanks.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

19. She throws out common sense consequences,...and NO FUCKING BODY has the guts,...

,...to acknowledge them. Well, except a handful of politicians and journalists.

Yet, the STOOPID NYT hires billy kristol, the fool for the corporacrats.

Geez. All I can do, these days, is just shake my head. That's ALL I can do in response to 'what is'.

[autorank]

26. Kristol, an idiot and failure; Wolf, a genius and patriot....

...figures the paper that suppressed the domestic wire tapping story, from mid October 2004, to save the election for Bush would make this choice.

If you sleep on the floor, you can't fall out of bed;)

You are sooooo right. And so is the NYT... right of center for quite a while.

[jwirr]

32. Yes, they starve them and then when the world starts to see what

we are doing then we send Helliburton in to feed the starving, which they do in a half ass way so that they get most of the money as profit. Disaster Capitalism = profit from disasters. Did you know that the GDP rose because of 9/11. The cleanup work and any rebuilding done to replace the old buildings will be profit for those who do it.

Not to say that disaster relief should end - it cannot because of obvious reasons but accountability should be the first requirement of agencies doing the work. We must KNOW that the money we invest in cleanup goes where we want it to go.

[truedelphi]

16. K & R'ed n/t

[Orwellian_Ghost]

20. Bury my heart

at Wounded Knee

or Fallujah

or.....

K&R

[mod mom]

21. If we had a true opposition party, this would never happen.

DESPICABLE! George bush-winning the hearts & minds of the world-at a barrel of a gun.

[TankLV]

34. But, but, but - "BIPARTISANSHIP"! is what we need we're told!

See other thread on front page...

[autorank]

60. I've got some of that for you...;)

The Money Party is a small group of enterprises and individuals who have most of the money in this country. They use that money to make more money. Controlling who gets elected to public office is the key to more money for them and less for us. As 2008 approaches, The Money Party is working hard to maintain its perfect record.

It is not about Republicans versus Democrats. Right now, the Republicans do a better job taking money than the Democrats. But The Money Party is an equal opportunity employer. They have no permanent friends or enemies, just permanent interests. Democrats are as welcome as Republicans to this party. It’s all good when you’re on the take and the take is legal.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0709/S00549.htm

Happy New Year!!!

[siri2k]

22. K&R. n/t

[Me.]

23. K & R

[tuckessee]

24. Meanwhile the Occupiers chow on Taco Bell & Pizza Hut back at their bases. n/t

[Kurovski]

27. Kick. (nt)

[NNN0LHI]

28. In a country with its huge oil wealth 43 percent of Iraqis suffer from absolute poverty

Mission Accomplished! God Bless The Troops And George Bush! Bring 'Em On! Burp!

Don

[autorank]

59. These guys could go broke with a Papa Johns in a college town.

It's both outrageous and shocking.

Happy New Year!

[NNN0LHI]

29. Getting fat in Iraq: Mess hall meals a recipe for disaster

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071225/LIFESTYLE/712250335

ASAD, Iraq -- Across Iraq, in dining halls the size of football fields, under glaring fluorescent lights, the array of food assaults the senses.

Pastries fill a glass case -- and troops can have all they want.

Servers scoop ice cream every day at lunch and dinner.

And good luck fitting a vegetable on your plate after asking for a pork chop and receiving two, followed by a fist-sized heap of mashed potatoes or hush puppies.
If there is room for that vegetable, butter drips from the broccoli and carrots shine in sweet sauce.

Breakfast? You can have omelets, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, grits, French toast -- or all of the above.

As Army Capt. Jeremy Brooks sat in the dining facility at Al Asad Air Base in late July, watching such piled plates float past, he mourned the chain of events that led to his position at 399th Combat Support Hospital: nutritionist.

[dysfunctional press]

35. as a country- we deserve the wrath of the world, and whatever the terrorists decide to dish out.

at this point, it seems that the world would be much better off without us, and they may have come to realize that.

[greyghost]

46. And like the Roman Empire we will be done away with. eom

[Kurovski]

30. Kick. (nt)

[AtomicKitten]

31. And here I thought I had reached the nadir of disgust ...

K&R.

Happy New Year, Mike. Thanks for all the great work you do.

[autorank]

61. Can you believe this. I've got one to top it tomorrow or the next day.

How do you starve a nation with all that money.

Time for a HUGE change.

Now which candidate was it who opposed the war...;)

Happy New Year to you :toast:

[Didereaux]

33. The surge works if you starve the bastards into submission! Cheney MUST have said that sometime.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

36. The damage we have done,

and the havoc we have created there, is beyond criminal. Words cannot express the sorrow and shame I feel for the injurious campaign we wage in the name of "democracy".

[Didereaux]

37. Petraeus Plan: Phase II starvation!

[harmonicon]

38. but they said they were sorry!

Mention the responsibility for this by those who would seek to be our president, and be told it doesn't matter - they said they were sorry. Some how I don't think "sorry" covers it.

[CrispyQ]

39. There are no words to express the shame I feel at what my country has done

in the name of democracy.

[Usrename]

40. doublethink

who cares about them, they are the enemy -- we are there to help them, they should be grateful for our sacrifice

[libodem]

41. This makes me ashamed all over again

I wish there were a way to help but Bush, has made any charity a crime by providing material aide and comfort to the enemy.

[Junkdrawer]

42. "Sign ze papers...how can ve give you food if you don't sign ze papers?"

They won't give our oil companies the oil "sharing" law we want. It's their own dam fault...

[Amonester]

43. The kristol-like corporatists... have the same plan ready for the

US

[Karenina]

44. Bingo!

[valerief]

45. Just wait till it happens here. nt

[greyghost]

47. That's EXACTLY what's coming...

Only the very naive believe that it can't happen here.

The smoke and mirrors that make up the US economy is the only thing that's prevented it so far.

[Kurovski]

48. Kick. (nt)

[Genanderson]

51. Not sure about this article

"The Iraqi government is unable to supply the rations with several billion dollars at its disposal, whereas Saddam Hussein was able to maintain the programme with less than a billion dollars."


...maybe that's why half a million children died under Saddam???

Really, there are a lot of assumptions here. It is assumed that there is no difference between the amount of rations distributed now and under Saddam, therefore if there is a cut now that must mean there is less food than under Saddam. Big assumption that is not addressed in this report. For all we know, 3 billion dollars compared to Saddam's 1 billion means there is 3 times the food there was under Saddam, meaning a cut of 1/2 will still mean there is 1.5 times the amount of food than under Saddam.

It is assumed that increased malnutrition rates result in less food. That's not necessarily true either. They could have an infinite supply of food, but if all that composes that food is rice, for example, then clearly their malnutrition rate will still be high even though they are not going hungry. Saddam's children might have had better food to eat, but not enough of it to prevent so many deaths.

I wonder what the death rate of children is now? How does it compare? What about the amount of food comparatively? Or are we just supposed to take the assumptions in this article without question?

Anyone have any stats?

[NOLALady]

56. I thought the deaths were caused by the sanctions.

"maybe that's why half a million children died under Saddam"

[ScooterFibby]

57. The article itself has more information...

According to an Oxfam International report released in July this year, "60 percent (of Iraqis) currently have access to rations through the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS), down from 96 percent in 2004."

The report said that "43 percent of Iraqis suffer from absolute poverty," and that according to some estimates over half the population are now without work. "Children are hit the hardest by the decline in living standards. Child malnutrition rates have risen from 19 percent before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 28 percent now."

What I found shocking was the list of subsidized foodstuffs was being reduced.

The trade ministry is now preparing to slash the list of subsidised items by half to five basic food items, "namely flour, sugar, rice, oil, and infant milk," Hanoun said.

The imminent move will affect nearly 10 million people who depend on the rationing system. But it has already caused outrage in Baquba, 40 km northeast of Baghdad.

"The monthly food ration was the only help from the government," local grocer Ibrahim al-Ageely told IPS. "It was of great benefit for the families. The food ration consisted of two kilos of rice, sugar, soap, tea, detergent, wheat flour, lentils, chick-peas, and other items for every individual."

I guess we have to starve them over there so we don't have to starve them over here.

[Hydra]

52. "Bringin them freedom!"

Freedom from food, water, electricity, sewers...freedom from living.

I bet the Native Americans know ALL about that.

[Joe Chi Minh]

53. I think a new lexicon of wickedness is needed. So much purposeful cruelty,

it goes right off the scale. Too harrowing and enraging for me to spend long on, I'm afraid.

[autorank]

58. Have you heard about the 5 million orphans.

Yep, in addition to the million dead and million injured, Iraq now has 5 million orphans.

It's simply not comprehensible.

Good to see you Happy New Year!!!

[spanone]

54. the US media has no interest in the refugees we have created nor those we are 'liberating'

i watched the cable news channels for two hours this morning and heard NOTHING about the iraq war.

[Joanne98]

55. The market is deciding who eats now!

:sarcasm:

[riverdeep]

62. The way a right winger would look at this is to say, ' so you want Saddam back?'

As if that's the line that will end discussion. Well, compared to this, actually, yes, I would. I would want Saddam back if the only choice is that and the way we've handled it.