IRAQ WAR, Looking in the Mirror

George W. Bush (alleged) self portrait as displayed by Towleroad.com

Ten years after America's illegal invasion of Iraq, here is the Balance Sheet.

IRAQIS DEAD: MORE THAN 110,000

IRAQIS WOUNDED: MORE THAN 800,000

IRAQIS EXECUTED BY AUTHORITIES: 447

US MILITARY PERSONNEL DEAD: 4,487

US MILITARY PERSONNEL WOUNDED: 33,183

TOTAL COST TO US DURATION OF THE WAR: $3 - $4 TRILLION

AMOUNT UNACCOUNTED FOR: $8 BILLION

Source: The Globe & Mail, March 19, 2013


While the above report puts Iraqi deaths at over 110,000, other reports suggest 150,000 to 200,000. In addition, three to four million Iraqis have become refugees, many of them professionals, causing a brain drain and severely hampering country's administrative capacity, leaving a rag tag bunch of mullahs and mediocre bureaucracy in charge.

Expenditure on this war alone is near 28% of US national debt. Strange that Republicans, who now are so adamant about cutting debt and expenses, were gungho about this war and never questioned or objected to this Bush/Cheney extravaganza.

More importantly, why is the International Criminal Court (ICC) silent and why have they not charged the alleged war criminals; Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice etc.? If they cannot indict them for war crimes, then they might as well pack up their court and go home.                                       
 

Benedict - Who Should Not Have Been Pope.

"THE Pontificate of Benedict XVI was controversial from the moment he stepped out onto that balcony in St Peter's Square to acknowledge the crowd on that fateful day in 2005. His reputation, fused from a combination of cliche and misinformation, as John Paul II's enforcer had done him little service as he faced into the challenge of leading the world's one billion Roman Catholics". 

Says the 'Independent.ie'. in their post of February 28, 2013, link below.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/benedicts-departure-shows-world-that-church-is-capable-of-change-29099855.html

Many Catholic are probably pleased to see the back of Cardinal Ratzinger - Pope Benedict, a man of  dubious background with suspicions of being a Nazi soldier in younger days.

As Cardinal and as Pope, he did nothing to route out sexual misconduct of Priest. Some say he even overlooked the actions of such errant priests.  The well publicised cases of child molestation in New York, San Francisco and Scotland are just a few that have come to light. It is possible that many priests have gone unpunished elsewhere. Pope Benedict probably fell on his own sword in the end, as a whiff of sex scandal in the Vatican probably nudged him out.

It is unfortunate that Benedict destroyed the good work done by Pope John Paul II, who was popular amongst his flock, especially amongst the youth. He built bridges with Jews and Muslims around the world by apologizing for the torture inflicted by Vatican several centuries ago in Spain and elsewhere.

Benedict's diatribe against Prophet Mohammad destroyed the relationship with 1.5 billion Muslims, built by the hard work of Pope John Paul II. It also endangered Christian minorities in some Muslim countries.  He may have done more harm than good to the Catholic Church.

Now that a new Pope is being elected, it is a great opportunity for the 1.18 billion Catholics to reform the management of Vatican. Enough damage has been done in the past by Vatican's banker found hanging from London Bridge and allegations of money concealed in graves and cemeteries to avoid payment to molested kids and so on. 

Nearly 45% of all Catholics live in South America, yet only 22 out of 125 Cardinal Electors (aged under 80)  are South American and 50% are Europeans. This obviously needs to change. It also defies logic that the Pope appoints Cardinals and in turn they appoint the Pope, who then suddenly becomes holy!

Catholics need a modern and a reformist Pope, who pulls Vatican out of the 13th century intrigues and mysteries and clean up its act and makes Vatican open to public scrutiny.