Cross posted at SilencedMajorityPortal
Today, one day after newspapers announced a grim milestone of 4000 U.S. deaths in Iraq, a protest occured in front of Senator Norm Coleman’s office in St Paul, Minnesota. But this photo essay isn’t just about today’s protest. It’s about 5 years of the U.S. government funding killing and calling it freedom.
Shortly after the war began, 5 years ago, we couldn’t imagine that the public would let this war continue for so long.
Back then, we could write all of the U.S. deaths on one sign (note the modified “bus stop” sign).
We knew that the casualties were much higher among Iraqis.
But the deaths kept rising, until we reached the first milestone that Americans could identify with.
We continued our vigils, but the government didn’t change its course.
With only a small proportion of the population, a group of “volunteers” affected by the war, the deaths were not big a problem.
One reason they were not a problem is because the returning coffins were hidden from sight.
Cindy Sheehan and other mothers of fallen soldiers challenged the status quo, but they were labeled extremists.
While Bush stayed the course, the carnage continued to pass more milestones.
We learned of torture, natural rendition, and brutal killings. But the deaths continued to mount with no action by the government.
We reached 3000 U.S. deaths and were shocked by several studies that estimated Iraqi deaths between 1/2 and 1 million or more.
and the war machine kept killing. Some had hopes when democrats took control of the house and senate, but the killing continued.
As does PTSD and other problems associated with returning veterans who have lived through hell.
Returning soldiers are now joining the vigils, as this one did today.
Citizens don’t identify with Bush’s culture of life. We want the killing to stop.
But when I took the photo below, at a vigil marking 1000 U.S. deaths in iraq, the sign “no end in sight” was indeed true. Just as it’s true today.
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