IT'S AS THOUGH MICK JAGGER AND KEITH RICHARDS HAD THE DALIBAMI IN MIND WHEN THEY WROTE:
YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE A CLEVER GIRL
GIVING UP YOUR SOCIAL WHIRL
BUT YOU CAN'T COME BACK
AND BE THE FIRST IN LINE
OH NO
YOU'RE OBSOLETE MY BABY
MY POOR OLD FASHIONED BABY
I SAID BABY, BABY, BABY YOU'RE OUT OF TIME
THE SHUTDOWN HAS NOT ONLY MADE BARRY O OBSOLETE, IT'S HARMED HIS SOCIAL LIFE.
HE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TRAVEL AND HAS JUST LEARNED THAT BLACK TIE EVENTS ARE OUT AS WELL.
"DAMN IT!" THE CELEBRITY IN CHIEF EXPLODED EARLIER TODAY IN FRONT OF THESE REPORTERS. "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! A GIRL LOVES TO DANCE AND WHAT DID I BUY ALL THOSE DRESS SHIELDS FOR IF NOT FOR SPECIAL EVENTS? I HATE THIS CRUMMY WORLD!"
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
National Iraqi News Agency reports an armed attack in Tikrit left 2 police officers dead and a third injured, a Ramadi car bombing left one police officer injured, a Falluja roadside bombing left two police officers injured, a Falluja sticky bombing left a couple (wife and husband) injured, 3 Tikrit suicide bombers took their own lives and that of an Iraqi army colonel and 2 police officers (seven more police officers were injured), retired military colonel Maan al-Hayali was shot dead near his Mosul home, the Mosul homes of 2 Shabak families were blown up leaving one person injured, a Tikrit suicide bomber took his own life and that of 2 bystanders (five more were left injured), and the Falluja home and three cars belonging to a soldier's family were set fire today (the family fled to safety during the attack).
That violence falls under October. September ended yesterday. Iraq Body Count notes the death toll for September from violence is 1220. UNAMI's count was a little lower in the statement they released today:
Baghdad, 1 October 2013 – According to casualty figures released
today by UNAMI, a total of 979 Iraqis were killed and another 2,133 were
wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in September.
The number of civilians killed was 887 (including 127 civilian
police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,957 (including 199
civilian police). A further 92 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were
killed and 176 were injured.
“As terrorists continue to target Iraqis indiscriminately, I call
upon all political leaders to strengthen their efforts to promote
national dialogue and reconciliation,” the Special Representative of the
United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG), Mr. Nickolay
Mladenov, said. “Political, religious and civil leaders as well as the
security services must work together to end the bloodshed and ensure
that all Iraqi citizens feel equally protected," he added.
Baghdad was the worst-affected governorate in September, with 1,429 civilian casualties (418 killed and 1011 injured), followed by Ninewa, Diyala, Salahuddin and Anbar. Kirkuk, Erbil, Babil, Wasit, Dhi-Qar and Basra also reported casualties (double-digit figures).
Baghdad was the worst-affected governorate in September, with 1,429 civilian casualties (418 killed and 1011 injured), followed by Ninewa, Diyala, Salahuddin and Anbar. Kirkuk, Erbil, Babil, Wasit, Dhi-Qar and Basra also reported casualties (double-digit figures).
Investors Business Daily notes that the UN figures mean that 2013 has already surpassed "last year's deadly count." AFP's WG Dunlop Tweets:
W.G. Dunlop
Sept. the deadliest month for Iraq recorded by @AFP this year, with 880 killed; over 4,700 dead in violence in 2013 http://u.afp.com/JSL
Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) reports, "Using numbers from various sources, Antiwar.com compiled a total of 1,271 deaths, up slightly from last month and down from July. In September 2012, Antiwar.com counted 444 dead and 1,233 wounded. This difference dramatically underscores how much attacks have increased this year." Antiwar.com and AFP are the only press outlets keeping their own monthly toll. Investors Business Daily notes that the UN figures mean that 2013 has already surpassed "last year's deadly count." Matt Brown (Australia's ABC) emphasizes, "The UN says nearly 2,000 were injured with terrorists attacking people indiscriminately."
It's an important number. Maybe more important the death toll. The dead are gone. Those left behind mourn them. The wounded from the violence? They have to carry on in a country still at war. They carry physical and mental scars. And they may have a lost limb or a lost sense. That's not easy to manage in any country but especially not in a country at war.
Last week, retired US army Col David Sutherland (The Hill) noted the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (which the Senate is scheduled to consider this month):
As the commander of the U.S. combat brigade in Diyala Province, Iraq from 2006 – 2007, I fought for a rule of law that would be based, in part, on the high standards of the United States. While in Iraq, I passed through villages caring for children injured by the conflict and children who were born with disabilities. These children were loved, but the villages could be doing so much more. There were no schools for Downs Syndrome kids or ramps and access for amputees. This treaty, which Iraq has ratified, would open the dialogue so that such support might become a reality.
Noting the September death toll, Fits News observes:
A total of 4,486 American soldiers died in Iraq from 2003-2012. Thousands more were wounded and/ or returned home suffering from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
And for what? Seriously … what did these troops fight and die for?
Meanwhile U.S. taxpayers shelled out $1.7 trillion in borrowed dollars to fund the war effort – and owe an additional $500 billion in benefits to veterans (a figure which is expected to skyrocket in the coming years).
Again … why? What did we spend all of that money for?
Also pointing out the failures is SP Seth (at Pakistan's Daily Times), "The prime justifications for the US invasion of Iraq that it had weapons of mass destruction and links with al Qaeda were found to be untrue. As we now know, the laudable objective of liberating and making Iraq into a model regional democracy has turned out to be a cruel joke played on the Iraqi people. Surely, Saddam Hussein was a tyrant and his overthrow by the Iraqi people would have been a welcome development. But the US invasion only compounded Iraq’s tragedy. " Cathy Otten and Jacob Russell (USA Today) review the violence and we'll note this on Erbil:
A car bomb blew up Sunday in the region's capital, Irbil. Two vehicles loaded with explosives were detonated at the entrance to the Directorate of Security, and attackers armed with assault rifles and grenades opened fire.
"When I saw there had been an explosion there (in Irbil) something changed – I felt like I'm still in a dangerous place," Abid said. "Zakho is far from Irbil, but I worried it was the wrong decisions to come to a place that could turn out to be same as Baghdad."
Sunday's attack was the first attack of its kind in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2007, but its scale worries authorities.
Press TV reports, "Officials from Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region have offered support to fight terrorism following Sunday’s bombings in Arbil. The Iranian diplomats have visited some of the terror victims in hospital. The al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham has announced responsibility for the violence in unconfirmed internet posts." Yerevan Saeed (Rudaw) offers these thoughts:
One could ask why, despite many other soft targets such as ministries and government buildings, the attackers chose to target the Asayish headquarters.
The answer could be that Asayish was attacked for doing too good a job: The agency has defused multiple planned attacks over the past several years. Sunday’s attack was the first in the Kurdistan Region since 2007, when the same Asayish facility was attacked in a similar fashion.
Many potential attackers have been killed by Asayish. Therefore, Sunday’s attack could be revenge against the intelligence service and an attempt to tarnish its good image.
RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
"Iraq: 1220 die from violence in September"
"The illegal spying (and the lying) continue"
"Jesse Jackson, shut up"
"The Mindy Project meets Happy Endings"
"What shutdown?"
"revenge (the good parts)"
"Thoughts on shutdown"
"The Simpsons"
"Revolution: It's all White, er, right"
"Harvard, kiss my Black ass"
"The chemical weapons"
"The US mafia (aka federal government)"
"Barry O loses snow day"
"THIS JUST IN! WHAT WILL HE SAY? WILL HIS ASS ALSO SPEAK?"
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