Civilian Deaths As High As 50,000
Airstrikes In The 20-Year 'Forever War' Also Hit Non-Combatants
Also On Today’s Menu:
No Way To Close Pandora’s Box Now
Labor Day Means Fair Season
London-based Airwars, an organization that compiles statistics from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Nation, and the volunteer project Iraq Body Count, reports that civilian deaths in the so-called “war on terror” could total almost 50,000 in the 20 years since the United States launched its counter-attacks following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America in New York and Washington, D.C.
U.S. actions likely killed at least 22,679 civilians, and as many as 48,308, according to Airwars, and take into account civilians that died during occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as bombing campaigns against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis), and targeted strikes in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen.
The deadliest year was 2003, when at least 5,529 civilians were reported to have been killed by alleged U.S. strikes, almost all occurring during the invasion of Iraq.
No Way To Close Pandora’s Box Now
As the probe into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol continues, the nine-member select committee has made numerous records requests to various administrative agencies, seeking communications between Trump, members of his inner circle, and key Capitol Hill allies in the lead-up to the deadly riot.
House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the Jan. 6 committee, said panel members have discussed and debated their requests for GOP lawmakers’ records, but there was clear precedent for the requests: Trump’s Justice Department had seized the metadata records from Schiff, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), and their top aides in a 2017-18 leak probe. “We looked at the historic precedent and there is precedent for seeking records relating to members of Congress, most often in the context of ethics investigations,” he said. “Participating in an insurrection, an armed insurrection against the government is among the most serious ethics violations you could imagine.”
Among the targets is Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), who has said, “As the Capitol was being overrun, I called the president and … I explained to him what was going on right now, and I asked him to go and speak to the American public, speak to these individuals, and tell them to stop.” McCarthy has refused to provide other details of that conversation, after which President Trump instead tweeted that his vice president, Mike Pence, “didn’t have the courage” to block the certification of Biden’s victory.
Labor Day Means Fair Season
Agricultural fairs have been Labor Day traditions in Lancaster and Hopkinton since 1902 and 1915, respectively, and, despite mixed weather forecasts, the crowds showed up again this past weekend.
Lancaster Fair has opened for 149 years in succession, if one counts the early years when it was known as the Coös and Essex Counties Agricultural Society Fair.
Hopkinton Fair missed a year due to the pandemic, but it was back in business for the holiday weekend.
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