KEVIIIIIIIIIIN! The Home Alone home is up for sale… for a mere $2.4 million.

17 people are dead after a 6 hour gun battle in Iraq.

France gave us the Statue of Liberty. They’re now giving New Zealand a mummified head. I think we got the better end of the deal.

Thanks to Wikicommons.

The UN sanctioned no fly zone has met little resistance from Colonel Qaddafi’s forces. In fact mechanical failures have downed more US planes than Libyan loyalist forces.

However, that doesn’t mean our newest air war (and its Commander in Chief) isn’t under fire.

While the rebels in Libya may be celebrating, American reaction is much cooler with a majority not supporting involvement. Congress is also questioning whether whether President Obama could act without their official support.

Voicing this worry, Andrew Sullivan fears that involvement in Libya, like Iraq, is driven by a perfect storm of

the neocons who want to see the US military deployed across the globe in the defense of freedom and the liberal interventionists who believe that the US should intervene whenever atrocities are occurring. What these two groups have in common is an unrelenting focus on the reason for intervention along with indifference to the vast array of unintended consequences their moralism could lead us into.

It is this specter of Iraq and Afghanistan that is driving much of the opposition to Libya: America is already at war with two Middle Eastern nations do we think we’ll suddenly find success in a third?

Over at Democracy in America, M.S. thinks this won’t be like our other two desert escapades as

Things are different in Libya in great measure because Egypt, Tunisia and their Arab League fellows don’t want to see Muammar Qaddafi win; they’ve never much liked the guy, even before the revolt, and they don’t want to have an unstable, post-civil-war pariah state in North Africa.

…the fact that they’re spontaneously committing to the intervention, that the regional attitude is friendly towards a popular revolt to overthrow Mr Qaddafi and towards UN-approved intervention to protect that revolt, makes a huge difference.

Of course even if the climate is more favorable to positive results that doesn’t mean things will turn out the way we want them to. Using the US air war over Kosovo as an example Peter Beinart notes that by only having forces in the air we have little control on end results and

If we’re lucky, the Libyan rebels will soon be a much more powerful force, and if we’re really lucky, they’ll be a powerful force capable of unifying Libya behind a reasonably humane regime. But the latter will be mostly out of our hands.

So what is the take away? Libya could end up like Afghanistan, or it could not. The rebels could form a peaceful democracy, or they could not. President Obama could go down as humanitarian, or he could not. Thusly, in conclusion we’re as in the dark as you are.

We at US Democrazy love pranks; the Iraqis it seems love them more.

The clip above is from the Iraqi show “Put him in [Camp] Bucca” where a hapless Iraqi at a fake checkpoint is told a bomb was found in his car.  Furthermore the victim is then told he’ll be arrested and executed as a terrorist.

HILARIOUS!!!!

We’ll let the source of the clip above provide an explanation (no subtitles sorry).

The first 90 seconds, where we descend into the madness of the premise, and then another minute or so at 11:10 when the “joke” is revealed. (In case you’re confused, as I was originally, the guy in the striped shirt and jeans is in on the prank. It’s the guy in the dark shirt who’s the target.)

Enjoy.  Who knows this could be America’s next hit show [Hat tip to BLACKFIVE].

However, they risk more than just that.  Even those who escape physically unscathed can have wounds to deep for others to see.

It is hard for us living in the comfort of our homes to understand, as conflict blogger Tim Lynch describes, that

The amount of responsibility placed on the shoulders of 21, 22 or sometimes younger men who lead fireteams, squads, and platoons exceeds by several orders of magnitude, that placed on their peers in the civilian world.

In this same post Lynch promotes the recent war documentary Restrepo (a must see with a limited theatrical release) which provides an incredible look into the fears, challenges, and deaths faced by American soldiers in what was the deadliest place in Afghanistan.

Combining stressful environments with multiple tours of duty has placed an incredible strain on the mental health of American Service men and women.

For the first time since the Vietnam War the suicide rate for soldiers, 20 out of every 100,000, is higher than that of the civilian population.

This problem has been aggravated, according to a military report, by commanders disregarding warning signs and substance abuse within their units.

This disregard is not due to a commander’s lack of care for his unit but rather

Unprecedented operational tempo has dictated that leaders remain primarily focused on preparing for their next deployment. As a result, enforcement of policies designated to ensure good order and discipline has atrophied.

In the past this issue has received far less attention than the lives and limbs lost by our soldiers; it is now beginning to receive the attention it deserves.

As said by President Obama in his remarks to the Disabled Veterans of America:

PTSD is a pain like no other — the nightmares that keep coming back, the rage that strikes suddenly, the hopelessness that’s led too many of our troops and veterans to take their own lives.  So today, I want to say in very personal terms to anyone who is struggling — don’t suffer in silence.  It’s not a sign of weakness to reach out for support — it’s a sign of strength.

It appears that President Obama and the Pentagon are following up on this call to care for those suffering mentally from war.

In an interview on This Morning Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff and head of a task force to reduce suicide in the armed forces, stated:

We’re looking for new ways to be able to deliver behavior health, such as virtual behavior health where we literally bring up a network using the internet, using the network of doctors, say 200, from all over the United States who can, in fact, provide a good, good look at our soldiers when they return.

With increased attention to the mental wounds faced those who need care will hopefully find it.  This is important because as the conflict in Iraq draws down and the soldiers who have served return home many will have scars some of which won’t be physical.

We’ve all been caught in compromising situations before, but hopefully they haven’t been released to the Internet. This time, the U.S. military isn’t so lucky.

A video was just released showing two Apache helicopters opening fire on people in Baghdad, killing 12. One of the dead was a photographer for Reuters. The military maintains that the soldiers were facing a “hostile force,” but the video just shows people walking around, the Reuters photographer in the crowd. The soldiers, mistaking the photographer’s camera for a gun, started shooting.

What do you think? Was the incident an unfortunate accident or something much worse? (Caution: this video is not for the lighthearted.)

Iraq, last weekend, held its national election for parliament.

How did the election go?  Despite threats of violence, car bombings, and other risks estimates show that voter turnout was around 62% (a respectable amount about equal to America’s turnout for the 2008 Presidential election).

As seen in the video above, President Obama has called the election “an important milestone in Iraqi history.”

Some pundits are calling the elections a HUGE success.  Marc Lynch, of Foreign Policy, notes that this year’s election was protected by Iraqi security forces, not the US Army, and that

The election campaign (as opposed to the results, which we still don’t know) showed clearly that Iraqis are determined to seize control of their own future and make their own decisions.

Writing for The National, Nir Rosen agrees, noting that

regardless of the outcome, the elections will not precipitate a return to the civil war. The state is too strong, and there is no longer a security vacuum in Iraq.

…

The framework in which Iraqis address existential issues is now the political arena.

Michael Hastings, over at The Daily Beast, has a darker take on the Iraqi election wondering if the winner may become the new Saddam, or a victim to a rival’s coup, as

the presence of all the different armed factions almost ensures continued violence for years to come—therefore, the quickest way to stop the violence is to lock up, kick out, or kill your enemies.

The blog Musings on Iraq provides examples of flaws in Iraq’s democracy, such as lack of due process in the justice system, but notes:

That doesn’t mean that Iraq cannot eventually establish a working democratic system, but that claims that it has already arrived are premature, and that it will be a long and arduous process that can see reversals, and even be cut short.

Whose outlook on Iraq is correct?  Only time will tell (although feel free to speculate in our comments section) as election results come out and the real messy business of running a national government falls into the hands of the newly elected.

Thanks to blog.creativethink.com!

We here at USDemocrazy know all about consequences.  Like that time that we didn’t study and failed, or that time we slept in and were late to class…

or that time we tried to say “Hello, have a good day” in Thai to our neighbor and, well… let’s just say that it wasn’t pretty.

But these examples seem trivial compared with the news we heard this week.

It seems that since the US invasion of Iraq there has been a huge influx of birth defects in that country.

Fallujah, a major Iraq town only about 40 miles from the capital of Baghdad that has suffered the most damage during the war, has experienced a serious increase in birth defects.  Although Iraq’s official statement on the issue is that the rate of defects at birth in Fallujah is about equal to the national average, the story on the ground seems completely different.

Pediatric specialist Dr. Samira al-Ani was brave enough to speak up against the government.  She said that she sees two or three new birth defects every day.  And, she does not mince her words about how important this issue is:

I am a doctor. I have to be scientific in my talk. I have nothing documented. But I can tell you that year by year, the number [is] increasing.

This is something that has to be documented over time.  But the birth defects recorded so far are serious.

And we’re talking, more serious than that failed exam or being late to class.

Thanks to BBC News

Although most of the defects are cardiac, meaning heart problems, other children suffer from paralysis or brain damage, and the BBC reporter even stated that he saw a baby that was born with three heads, and …

another girl with a spinal condition so bad I asked my cameraman not to film her.

Officials have warned women to not have children.  Much of the rubble contaminated

He adds that he heard many times that officials in Fallujah had warned women that they should not have children.  Much of the rubble in the city, contaminated by radioactive weapons, has been pushed to the river that women and children drink from.

To add to the troubles, the best doctors have left the city.

Our best doctors fled the city for fear of being detained by American and police forces just because they helped civilians during the two sieges of 2004… They are now considered terrorists or at least terrorist supporters, when they should have been decorated with medals for their heroic work in helping their people.

This leaves Fallujah in a dark place.  Hopefully, one more consequence of the war will be that the world will take notice and help these children desperately in need.

Got You Too… FDIC advances a proposal to penalize banks for risky practices.

I feel like I’m forgetting something…

Florida Grandmother Forgotten in Jail for 15 Days

When employees of a Des Moines Kmart store finally opened a red tin can that had been sitting on the customer service counter for four days, they got a $10,000 surprise.

Everybody in unison… Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and General Stanley McChrystal both urge troop plan.

Coordinated attack terrorizes Baghdad.

We at US Democrazy love to guess the future, sadly we’re almost never right.  Luckily we can usually count on experts to give us guidance.

Recently however we’ve been receiving mixed messages.

It seems Iraq is an issue on which no one can make their mind up.    Bloggers have turned against fellow bloggers on where the troubled country is headed.

For example… recently things seemed to be getting better in Iraq.  The US was reducing its military presence and there were signs of economic growth.

Suddenly, “BOOM” almost 150 people are killed in two car bomb explosions.

Almost instantly the Internet was aflame with discussion of Iraq breaking down.

Stephen M. Walt, at Foreign Policy, considers the bombs proof

that the oft-heralded “surge” was not the success that its architects and advocates like to claim.

Of course not everyone is agreeing with this gloomy view.

The blog, Musings on Iraq, notes that

Monthly deaths are still at their lowest levels since the 2003 U.S. invasion.

and that militants are getting weaker as

They are only able to launch large attacks every other month.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) seems to agree, stating that the attacks will not affect the US troop withdrawl.

Of course once again someone had to have a different opinion.  (Don’t you sometimes get tired of free speech?)

Andrew Sullivan, blogger extraordinaire for the Atlantic, believes

This is not over… many (troops) may still be needed in Iraq for a decade or more …

So who knows what the future holds, the experts sure don’t.  If you can predict the future, your expertise would be welcome (like which horse to back in the fifth race at Pimlico).

For further confusing entertainment stay tuned for Part 2!