I think that was a Freudian slip.

Permission to die as opposed to simply dieing. I’m reminded of a mom who sat helplessly by while her son suffered incredible pain, begging, mom please let me die.

Some things hurt so, and some memories hurt almost as much. God I hate war!

No, you weren’t being picky, quite correct.

^ fill space?
Semantics:
1: the study of meanings: a: the historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development b
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Do you actually credit Bush with enough intelligence to play with semantics?  This is not possible; he is a liar.  You may play with his nonexistent “semantics” but I call it lying; pure and simple.  Nobody with an IQ above room temperature sees this as anything but lying.  Nobody can spin this any other way with any credibility.  Liar, liar, pants on fire……so there!

“...Many who ]may[ have died in previous wars are coming home, only to find down the road there are injuries undetected ...”

picky, picky . . . dead is dead, or did you mean to say MAY as opposed to “might”??? Oh hell, I think I know what you mean . . . and I’m the one being picky.

After reading your two replies on the statement from William Tecumseh Sherman , you seem to be the only source of confusion .
Do you even know who William Tecumseh Sherman was and his place in United States History ? I have never heard or read his name as simply “William Sherman “
Based on what I know of him - the good and not so good , I do believe that all the Four Star Generals alive today are comical fools in comparison to him .
“You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace.”

General William Tecumseh Sherman
to the Mayor and Councilmen of Atlanta

In the mind of General William Tecumseh Sherman, who made famous the phrase “War is hell,” there was no doubt as to the integrity of the North’s cause. Sherman was renowned as a fierce - some would say tyrannical - military leader, and in September 1864 he gave orders for the city of Atlanta to be evacuated and burned. Despite appeals from the citizens of Atlanta, including reminders that there were elderly and pregnant women whom it would be difficult and even perilous to move, Sherman’s decision was final. He explained himself to the mayor and council members of the city.

HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION of the MISSISSIPPI in the FIELD
Atlanta, Georgia,
James M. Calhoun, Mayor,
E.E. Rawson and S.C. Wells, representing City Council of Atlanta.

Gentleman: I have your letter of the 11th, in the nature of a petition to revoke my orders removing all the inhabitants from Atlanta. I have read it carefully, and give full credit to your statements of distress that will be occasioned, and yet shall not revoke my orders, because they were not designed to meet the humanities of the cause, but to prepare for the future struggles in which millions of good people outside of Atlanta have a deep interest. We must have peace, not only at Atlanta, but in all America. To secure this, we must stop the war that now desolates our once happy and favored country. To stop war, we must defeat the rebel armies which are arrayed against the laws and Constitution that all must respect and obey. To defeat those armies, we must prepare the way to reach them in their recesses, provided with the arms and instruments which enable us to accomplish our purpose. Now, I know the vindictive nature of our enemy, that we may have many years of military operations from this quarter; and, therefore, deem it wise and prudent to prepare in time. The use of Atlanta for warlike purposes in inconsistent with its character as a home for families. There will be no manufacturers, commerce, or agriculture here, for the maintenance of families, and sooner or later want will compel the inhabitants to go. Why not go now, when all the arrangements are completed for the transfer, instead of waiting till the plunging shot of contending armies will renew the scenes of the past month? Of course, I do not apprehend any such things at this moment, but you do not suppose this army will be here until the war is over. I cannot discuss this subject with you fairly, because I cannot impart to you what we propose to do, but I assert that our military plans make it necessary for the inhabitants to go away, and I can only renew my offer of services to make their exodus in any direction as easy and comfortable as possible.

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace. But you cannot have peace and a division of our country. If the United States submits to a division now, it will not stop, but will go on until we reap the fate of Mexico, which is eternal war. The United States does and must assert its authority, wherever it once had power; for, if it relaxes one bit to pressure, it is gone, and I believe that such is the national feeling. This feeling assumes various shapes, but always comes back to that of Union. Once admit the Union, once more acknowledge the authority of the national Government, and, instead of devoting your houses and streets and roads to the dread uses of war, I and this army become at once your protectors and supporters, shielding you from danger, let it come from what quarter it may. I know that a few individuals cannot resist a torrent of error and passion, such as swept the South into rebellion, but you can point out, so that we may know those who desire a government, and those who insist on war and its desolation.

You might as well appeal against the thunder-storm as against these terrible hardships of war. They are inevitable, and the only way the people of Atlanta can hope once more to live in peace and quiet at home, is to stop the war, which can only be done by admitting that it began in error and is perpetuated in pride.

We don’t want your Negroes, or your horses, or your lands, or any thing you have, but we do want and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and if it involved the destruction of your improvements, we cannot help it.

You have heretofore read public sentiment in your newspapers, that live by falsehood and excitement; and the quicker you seek for truth in other quarters, the better. I repeat then that, bu the original compact of government, the United States had certain rights in Georgia, which have never been relinquished and never will be; that the South began the war by seizing forts, arsenals, mints, custom-houses, etc., etc., long before Mr. Lincoln was installed, and before the South had one jot or title of provocation. I myself have seen in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, hundreds and thousands of women and children fleeing from your armies and desperadoes, hungry and with bleeding feet. In Memphis, Vicksburg, and Mississippi, we fed thousands and thousands of the families of rebel soldiers left on our hands, and whom we could not see starve. Now that war comes to you, you feel very different. You deprecate its horrors, but did not feel them when you sent car-loads of soldiers and ammunition, and moulded shells and shot, to carry war into Kentucky and Tennessee, to desolate the homes of hundreds and thousands of good people who only asked to live in peace at their old homes, and under the Government of their inheritance. But these comparisons are idle. I want peace, and believe it can only be reached through union and war, and I will ever conduct war with a view to perfect an early success.

But, my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for any thing. Then will I share with you the last cracker, and watch with you to shield your homes and families against danger from every quarter.

Now you must go, and take with you the old and feeble, feed and nurse them, and build for them, in more quiet places, proper habitations to shield them against the weather until the mad passions of men cool down, and allow the Union and peace once more to settle over your old homes in Atlanta. Yours in haste,

W.T. Sherman, Major-General commanding

Emperor Bullsh*t has HIS OWN LANGUAGE-call it BULL SH*T-ONICS.........

Louise, your comment on how surprisingly the victims support their oppressors is a form of the Stockholm Syndrone.

The problem, Louise, is that their insatiable greed is leading to the destruction of “our” Republic.

Sorry for the previous comment Gaber!

Actually at a second look I see the word “at” which I initially misread as “the”. Now the statement is linguistically correct, and my apologies to you and to William Sherman, with whom I concur! I guess I have to go and have my eyesight checked!

To Gabir:

“War is the best barbarism.”

I am wondering if this statement was really uttered by William Sherman as it is or you made a mistake in quoting it! Shouldn’t this be, “War is the worst barbarism.”?! If this was the actual statement of William Sherman, then this man must have had the same problem with language that Bush has. There is nothing good about barbarism, let alone having the best of it. Even if this was used as a metaphor, it’s still doesn’t make sense.

For example, I can say: “Occupation is the worst form of terrorism.” But I am wondering whether it’s linguistically correct to say, “Occupation is the best terrorism!”

Forgive me! I am a linguist and I know five languages. And though English is not my first language nor it’s my field of specialty, I have a feeling for what sounds right or wrong!

Kindly, respond if you have an explanation!

“Note, too, the constant use of words that begin with “re -”. Renew. Revive. And – incredibly – Bush also told us that “we actually re-liberated certain communities”. This, folks, goes beyond hollow laughter.”

“- Bush was really – really – telling the truth this time. But by putting “actually” in front of “re-liberate” – as opposed to just “liberate” – the whole grammatical construction falls apart. Rather like Iraq.”

***

Great article!

While we’re focused on re-ing, it’s important to remember there is no re-ing of George W. Bush. He is what he is.

Someone told him once, if he had good attorneys, he could do anything he wanted.

Someone else told him if he was president, whatever he said or did, no matter how irrational or untrue, would become official reality. A sane person would have questioned this, but we need to remember this man is a Bush.

How many generations of mind bending, reality altering and lying have been bred into this man?

Were talking about ancestors who wanted to push the United States into war with Cuba - possibly a nuclear war - because they wanted their alleged properties and business back.

It wasn’t about “communism.” It was about money and land and cheap labor.

Lest you think I’m unfairly targeting the Bush’s and their respective ancestors, I’ll readily agree they belong to a larger circle of equally amoral people. It’s not about right or wrong. It’s always and only about them getting what they want. And what they want is EVERYTHING!

So we need to remember and remind ourselves every single day. Whatever is said, and whoever says it really doesn’t matter, because the motive and the script will be rewritten as circumstance dictates.

While it is fun [sometimes] to try and keep track of all this idiocy, our motives - to make sense of it all - work against us. Because there is NO sense to it all. Or any part of it. It’s only and always to feed the machine that lines the pockets of the rich and powerful [and politically connected] no matter what.

Eventually their unbridled greed will lead to their destruction. And their victims, who suffer every single day in every single way, will suffer even more. But then I guess we have only ourselves to blame for that since we keep right on feeding their machine.

Amazing how often our elected officials and their appointed mouthpieces [like Petraeus and Crocker] spout absurdity couched in blind loyalty. Supposing I guess, to someday become part of that select group that controls it all.

Of course that only happens through birth and marriage which makes them look all the more foolish.

Even more amazing how regularly and predictably the victims support their oppressors. Just as they often vote against their own best interests!

And what’s that got to do with war casualties?

Nothing and everything. The casualties are an incidental to the need to have everything. The need to have everything drives the casualties. But, just as in all other conflicts the bottom line is the same. Who makes the most money, and who has the most power.

I suspect we see less casualties this time around because we have better medical care in the field. While arms manufacturers take careful note of kill rates and defense effectiveness, medical teams take careful note of best results from medical care in the field.

But there’s always a flip side. Many who may have died in previous wars are coming home, only to find down the road there are injuries undetected on the battle field. Just as following the Gulf war, thousands later died from depleted uranium poisoning.

And then there is the suicide.
Who keeps track of that?

And the corruption.
Who keeps track of that?

And the lies, endless lies contrived and delivered for personal gain. Lies that lead to corruption. Corruption that leads to more lies.

And the hidden casualties.

Moral men destroyed by the amoral men that command and lead them.

Who keeps track of that?

“Semantics Can’t Mask Bush’s Chicanery”

Mr. Fisk, don’t insult us by dancing around the truth: “Bush is a liar.”

Indeed he is the worst kind of liar, one whose lies cost hundreds of thousands of lives and worthy needs in America and around the world.

I agree Petraeus testimony left much to be desired.But we must filter through the majority of it to get to the heart of his point-’no light at the end of the tunnel’ ‘fragile and reversible’. I think these were his attempt to tell US this is going nowhere still. consider the mind set that has gotten so many troops to’re enlist’- a desire to spare their commrades from the added danger of a Rookie taking their place. could Petraeus have that same loyality. If he came out strongly against continued action- who would thye get to replace him, a mindless Rookie, who would put oursevice personnel in even a worse predictament? Petraeus may actually have more loyalty to the military personnel then this admin.
Honestly the entire ‘hearings’ was a Charade. The responsiblity and Decsion making rest solely on congress- Stop funding this War for Oil- this ‘hired Hitmen’ land grab for the Saudi’s. We needed “No Stinkin’ hearings- We told them to get out in ‘06. to me this was ot just Petraeus trying to save his job (poss. for honorable reasons), but Congress’ attempt to save theirs (Not for ANY honorable reasons). Nearly everyone who sat at the ‘big Table’ should not only be Fired- but very likely Prosecuted for Dereliction of Duty, if not Treason.

“War is at best barbarism . It is only those who have neither fired a shot or heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood , more vengeance , more desolation . War is hell . “

William Tecumseh Sherman addressing the graduating class at Michigan Military Academy in 1879 .

OOPS!  You got it wrong JimmyJam.  You posted figures from a spam email that have proven to be wrong.  I suggest you read the pdf link from your post.  The first page is a debunking of the very numbers you posted.

Here’s a quote from the Army:
“In reality, according to the CRS report, 7,500 service members died on active duty in the eight years from 1993 through 2000, compared to 8,792 in the six years from 2001 through 2006.”

“Comparative statistics are fine unless you happen to be one of them.”

So you’re saying that the U.S. should never take military action because it may result in casualties?

Ernest - Bush didn’t invent the “War on Terror”, though he did use the phrase.  You may recall that the U.S. has been the object of terrorist attacks for decades, prompting occasional but half hearted responses.  For example, Clinton’s 1998 military response to the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa.  Or his preemptive cruise missile strike on Baghdad that same year.

So while Bush did finally formalize a term describing a firming up of U.S. policy towards international terrorism, he was certainly not the first President to take action against terror.

Many of us disagree with notion that our involvement in Iraq is for imperialistic ends (that’s not a goal I would support), thus a discussion of the effectiveness of the surge is absolutely relevant - indeed necessary.  Not a single U.S. ally, including Arab countries, nor anyone in the military advocates an immediate withdrawal from Iraq - because all know that to do so would result in a far larger problem than we have now.

That’s very interesting - thanks for posting those stats.  They definitely differ with the perceptions you’d get from listening to mainstream media and certainly from left wing organizations.

Also interesting to note that our current 3.5% of GDP spent on the military is not high by historical standards; also something that flies in the face of liberal ideology.

There are two things to remember:
1. what Bush says or does or doesn’t do or say makes no difference because he never was an actual President and never makes important decisions. In short, BUSH IS A MORON.
2. The war is about oil and nothing else; you can’t control the oil if you do not have an army in Iraq, and so all talk of withdrawing troops is nonsense. In short, IT’S ABOUT OIL.

Forget either of those two basic facts, and you are stumbling about just like Fisk spouting irrelevancies and mouthing nonsense.

something interesting. lets look at the racial divide.... and yes I know we are up to 4000,but this only goes through 2006

Even one loss of American life is too much, but these stats are very revealing.

Quote:

Military losses, 1980 through 2006

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

These are some rather eye-opening facts.

Since the start of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, the sacrifice has been enormous. In the time period from the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 through today, we have lost over 3,000 military personnel to enemy action and accidents.

As tragic as the loss of any member of the US Armed Forces is, consider the following statistics: The annual fatalities of military members while actively serving in the armed forces from 1980 through 2006:

1980 ......... 2,392 (Carter Year)
1981 ......... 2,380 (Reagan Year)
1984 .......... 1,999 (Reagan Year)
1988 .......... 1,819 (Reagan Year)
1989 ......... 1,636 (George HW Year)
1990 ......... 1,508 (George HW Year)
1991 .......... 1,787 (George HW Year)
1992 .......... 1,293 (George HW Year)
1993 ......... 1,213 (Clinton Year)
1994 .......... 1,075 (Clinton Year)
1995 .......... 2,465 (Clinton Year)
1996 .......... 2,318 (Clinton Year) Clinton years (1993-2000): 14,000 deaths
1997 ............. 817 (Clinton Year)
1998 .......... 2,252 (Clinton Year)
1999 .......... 1,984 (Clinton Year)
2000 .......... 1,983 (Clinton Year)
2001 ............ 890 (George W Year)
2002 .......... 1,007 (George W Year)
2003 .......... 1,410 (George W Year)
2004 .......... 1,887 (George W Year) George W years (2001-2006): 7,033 deaths
2005 ............. 919 (George W Year)
2006.............. 920 (George W Year)

These figures mean that the loss from the two latest conflicts in the Middle East are LESS than the loss of military personnel during Mr. Clinton’s presidency; when America wasn’t even involved in a war. During the reign of President (Nobel Peace Prize winner) Jimmy Carter, there were 2,392 US military fatalities.

These figures indicate that many members of our Media and our Politicians will pick and choose. They present only those ‘facts’ which support their agenda-driven reporting, like propagating the notion that minorities do all the dying.

The latest census, of Americans, shows the following distribution of American citizens, by Race:

European descent ......................... 69.12%
Hispanic ......................................... 12.5%
Black ............................................. 12.3%
Asian ............................................... 3.7%
Native American .............................. 1.0%
Other .............................................. 2.6%

Now… here are the fatalities by Race; over the past three years in Iraqi Freedom:

European descent (white) .............74.31%
Hispanic ..................................... 10.74%
Black .......................................... 9.67%
Asian ........................................... 1.81%
Native American ........................... 1.09%
Other ............................................ 0.33%

The point here is that our mainstream media continues to spin these figures (for liberal political gain). Nothing more...its all about politics and the libs are famous for turning American against American for a vote.

(These statistics are published by Congressional Research Service, and they may be confirmed by anyone at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf )

Fadel, it is important to distinguish George Bush’s personal shortcomings, dyslexia and alcoholism, with the calculated deceit emerging from the Cheney-led regime.

No matter the subject, be it “the Clean Skies Initiative” designed to give free reign to polluters, the “Healthy Forest Initiative,” a plan to cut down the trees, the “surge,” the “pause” or the so-called “war on terror,” everything that emergences from this regime is Orwellian.  The object is not merely to deceive but to so thoroughly frame the discourse as to linguistically disable the opposition.

Take these recent Senate hearings.  When the focus is only on whether or not the so-called “surge” is succeeding, we lose sight of the basic issue--that the imperial conquest and occupation is the problem and that ending the occupation is the only rational solution.

Bush, with the help of Diebolt and crooks inc., stole both elections. He knows this. And don’t forget about his cocaine problem along with the alcohol.

A few weeks back, this indifferent cretin spoke at some bru-ha-ha and said that he sort of envied the soldiers on the front lines facing all fighting and, of course, he was to old to serve in HIS WAR, and that he finds it kind of romantic. Well if getting shot at in a war zone is romantic to him, by all means necessary, lets send him in on the front lines, and no, he really isn’t to old, as he has had 60+ year old women, whose fighting days were done with over 30+ years prior, called up to fight in Iraq in his first term. Besides, with Bush having the best health care the taxpayers money could buy, he is in much better condition to go fight HIS WAR than old women. What kind of a sick coward hides behind the skirts of women and his daddies coattails(when he served but didn’t really serve when he was supposedly enlisted in his misspent youth). He was AWOL* then, as he is AWOL* to not only America, but the rest of the world as well. He brings down the whole human population.

*AWOL-ASSHOLE WITH OUT LEAVE, as defined in a song written especially for George W.Bush and company and we once were able to view it, but can no longer be viewed at:www.filmstripinternational.com. Gee, I guess the government has decided to CENSOR what we can still view on the Internet. Thanks NSA and others. We really need to be shielded from the truth of this screwed up administration who thinks they know better what we should be informed about. Just like God forbidding Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge and thus remain ignorant, the American government is doing it darnedest to keep the population dumbed down and uninformed as it is easier to control them that way.

While Robert Fisk’s dwells on the logic and language problem Bush and his supporters suffer from, few have
focused or discussed Bush’s state of intoxication. In fact, Bush suffers from two types of intoxications. One is physical, related to his many years of being given to heavy alcohol consumption. This literally resulted in permanent brain cell damage, which can be confirmed by scientific research.

The other type of intoxication is a metaphorical one, not unrelated to the previous type. Let me explain: Bush is intoxicated with the power given to him twice through a defective if not stolen election. Bush is the type of person who even thinks lowly about himself, and that’s why he was heavily given to alcohol consumption, to hide his weakness and character defects. But this initial problem got further complicated by being elected twice in this so much-bragged-about-democracy. In his own petty-mindedness, Bush started to think like this: “If I was elected twice, this means I am the best and most powerful person this country ever produced.” So in a sense, the defective electoral system is responsible for further complicating the intoxication problem of G. Bush.

Well, I am not a fundamentalist Muslim making a case against alcohol. But facts and science are my friends. In a related Johns Hopkins University health bulletin commemorating April as being the month of sexual assault awareness, it is stated that every minute and a half a new sexual assault takes place in the US. One in ten Americans are victims of sexual assaults, mostly by people who know the victim or are related to him / her. And the highest percentage of victims are women and children. Furthermore, 50 % of the sexual assaults are directly related to alcohol intoxication. If we add to this the high percentage of car accidents killings related to alcohol, then this must help one understand the intoxication problem with Bush and his elk.

Yes, there is parallel between sexual violence and warmongering. In the case of sexual violence the victims are local and domestic and they are the most vulnerable segments of the society, namely children and women. But in the case of wars the victims are some other weak and vulnerable foreigners in a distant land who are not like us. This is the only aspect where sexual violence and war are different. But in essence, they are one and the same as far as projecting crude and sickly power through raping and violating the sacredness of what belongs to others as a birth right.

The problem isn’t Bush’s misuse of the language. The problem is that we continue to allow our country to be taken over by imperial cowards. The Constitution was written to help guide us in building a country. However it has been slowly sold to corporate America who now uses it to try and prop up a rapidly declining empire.
Hoa binh

Bush has a “Language Problem,” the whole country knew that, including all media pundits, yet he was elected.Look at the prizes all his ex -cabinet or axed cabinet members are getting. Powell, expert on warfare, making thousand of dollars as speaking fee, for telling all lies.Others, axed members, world bank president, fox news annalist, universities professors, lobbyist even preachers.It all boil down to language, some languages are better then other, specially when you speak “ENGLISH.” Country need solutions not statistics, we all know war brings fatalities, one, or one hundreed thousands.Their is no such thing is as “JUST WAR,” a war is a war, is a war. Declare it or not, should be the guide line.Elect a war monger, you get war or vice versa.

As usual, I enjoyed reading and I certainly learned new facts from the outstanding unequaled Robert Fisk.

The reason the war in Iraq and its continuation is very disturbing for peace-loving people is because they understand the evils of wars and the fact that in wars there are no real winners; everyone is a loser.

On the other hand, the reason that warmonger Bush and his supporters are at ease with the war and its continuing quagmire can be explained by the Arabic adage which states, “War through binoculars is easy.”

Cowardly warmongers, operating from the safety of the White House and the underground war-operating rooms, do not really experience the horrors of wars first hand, because they are watching bystanders whose real contact with war is always at a safe distance, through maps, charts, reports and binoculars. And binoculars are the old counterpart of modern selective and well-edited video clips that show the warmongers the so-called “victories” and “progress” while hiding the real truths about the horrors of war.

When you look at the wars our government engages in to win a prize of some sort, not sure what the prize was in Korea or Vietnam, but we know it is oil in Iraq. 

Interesting article, but not sure where it went, except to tell us the president has his own language, but Bill Clinton did that also.