Buy Iraqi Dinar-U.S. Cities Are Just As Dangerous As Iraq

"Take Him To Detroit!!!!"

By: Dave Gibson

April 6, 2009

The Iraqi government reported that during 2006, a total of 16,273 soldiers, police officers, and civilians were murdered in that country. In 2007, a total of 16,425 murders took place in the United States. In 2008, more than 17,000 murders took place in this country. While the deaths of U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq as well as the murder of innocent civilians in that country have received unprecedented media attention, our own press all but ignores the crushing violence now becoming just a fact of life in our own country. While the majority of Iraqi homicides have been the result of that nation’s many Muslim factions fighting one another for political control, a large number of U.S. murders can be attributed to drugs and gang violence.

Considering that sad comparison, Americans could easily face a more bleak future than will the Iraqis.While the mainstream news media is very quick to announce the deaths of U.S. troops serving in Iraq, they largely ignore the rising death toll in this country. We have lost 4,266 soldiers since the start of the Iraq War in March of 2003. During that same time period, more than 104,000 Americans have fallen victim to murder inside the borders of their own country (Figures for the first three months of 2009 are based on the number of murders occurring in major cities and past FBI statistics).

The death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq, pales in comparison to the annual number of U.S. murders. The loss of every soldier is certainly a tragedy and represents a life-changing loss to that soldier’s family. However, those 4,266 families can take some comfort in the fact that their loved-one died in the service of his country and was in control of his own destiny. In contrast, tens of thousands of American families can find no comfort because their loved-one died a senseless death at the hands of a murderer...For them there will be no taps, no folded flag, no heroic sacrifice, only a violent and untimely death.Since the start of the Iraq War, U.S. news casts have been filled with images of violent Iraqi streets.

However, the press has failed to report that many of our own cities have become lawless war zones.

Consider the following number of murders in major U.S. cities which occurred in 2008 alone:

-Philadelphia, PA…332

-Chicago, IL…508

-New York, NY…522

-Baltimore, MD…234

-New Orleans, LA…179
-Columbus, OH…108
-St. Louis, MO…167
-Los Angeles, CA…376
-Detroit, MI…344
-Washington D.C…186

On April 27, 2007, New Orleans recorded its 62nd murder of the year. At that time, the city’s population was 223,000. On that same day, Iraq had recorded their 6,523rd murder for the year in a country with a population of 29,267,000. Analysis of those figures gave New Orleans a murder rate of 1 in every 3,597 people, while the murder rate for Iraq is much lower with 1 in every 4,486 people…So where is the non-stop media attention and protests for those being slaughtered in New Orleans?

For over five years, we heard President Bush and his surrogates often justify our involvement in Iraq by telling us that our troops are saving Iraqi women from Saddam’s infamous ‘rape rooms.’ Though Bush may have made saving Iraqi women from rape a priority, he never even commented on the large number of American women raped in this country annually.

In 2005 alone, 92,837 rapes were reported in the U.S. Considering that rape is an incredibly under-reported crime, the actual number of American women raped is much higher ( Most experts believe that only about 1 in 10 rapes are reported, the actual number occurring annually in this country is believed to be closer to 920,000).The press and our politicians do not like to talk about sobering U.S. crime statistics for a number of reasons.

The left-leaning press does not like to delve too deeply into the subject due to the fact that minorities commit a disproportionate amount of crime. Politicians tend to shy away from the subject for that same reason, but also because high crime rates make elected officials appear useless and ineffectual. In the case of Presidents Bush and Obama, their refusal to defend the U.S.-Mexican border has left many Americans victims of violent crime at the hands of illegal aliens. In fact, illegal aliens now account for 29 percent of this nation’s prison population.

The reasons why someone turns to a life of crime are numerous, but a child without two parents who lives at or below the poverty level, is much more likely to go to prison than to college. With out-of-wedlock births sky-rocketing, a worsening economy, and illegal aliens (and drug gangs) continuing to stream across the border, we can expect the violence in our beleaguered cities to continue unabated.Whether you are killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq or a drug dealer in the United States, dead is dead.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

BAGHDAD, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Tax revenues in Iraq jumped 16 percent in 2008 to around $430 million, the government said on Wednesday, but taxes still account for just a tiny fraction of government revenue in a nation almost entirely reliant on oil.

Tax revenues from various sources totalled more than half a trillion Iraqi dinar, around $430 million, an increase of 16 percent from the previous year, Talib Muhsin Abu Jaela, head of the Public Tax Commission, said in a statement.

That amounts to just over $15 a person, a puny tax take for a middle-income country.
He said expectations for 2009 tax collection would be determined by not only internal production and monetary and economic conditions but also Iraq's security situation.
After almost six years of war, violence has dropped sharply in Iraq, but suicide bombs and other attacks are still routine.

The International Monetary Fund warned earlier this month that plunging oil prices pose a threat Iraq's economic outlook as the country struggles to rebuild and create jobs.
Prices of oil, exports of which account for over 90 percent of government revenue, have tumbled from a high in July above $145 a barrel to under $38 a barrel on Wednesday.
The government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has already slashed spending plans, and may have to do more.

Do you feel any different now that we are coming to the end of an Era?

Do you feel differently about the policies of George W. Bush if the New Iraqi Dinar appreciation goes through the roof and you have invested in it?

Iraqi officials say thousands of refugees return home - CNN.com

Is the start of a turning point in Iraq? And what are the implication for the Iraqi Dinar?

Iraqi officials say thousands of refugees return home - CNN.com: " BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Some 46,000 Iraqi refugees returned to their war-torn country last month, a sign of hope that the massive population flight since the 2003 U.S. invasion could be reversed, an Iraqi commander said Wednesday."

John B. Taylor - The Empty Chair at the Iraq Hearings - washingtonpost.com

John B. Taylor - The Empty Chair at the Iraq Hearings - washingtonpost.com: "We have been working with Iraqi economic officials, including the governor of the Central Bank of Iraq. He has a very tough job conducting monetary policy, perhaps tougher than the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board has here in the United States, even with our current market turmoil. I am happy to report that the central bank has implemented the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton commission in this area. It has raised the interest rate all the way to 20 percent to control inflation, and through such actions the inflation rate has come down sharply. The new Iraqi dinar, which was introduced in 2003, has proved popular and has appreciated nicely in the past year. The Central Bank of Iraq now has $21 billion in reserves, many times more than it had just after Saddam Hussein stole a billion dollars from its vaults in March 2003. This summer the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened to foreign investors, rose 85 percent in July and held its own in August. As the closely watched Grant's Interest Rate Observer noted Sept. 7, 'Iraq has turned into a capital magnet. . . . Money is sometimes misinformed, but it is never insincere. Something is afoot in Iraq.' So there are measurable signs of economic and financial progress. "

Uh Oh!

Is a new war in Iraq looming on the horizon? Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:42:04 Daryoush Bavar, Press TV, Tehran

The catastrophe of the Iraq war has been detrimental to the Iraqi people and consequently the entire region. The US-led invasion opened a Pandora's Box, leading to a non-ending cycle of insecurity and violence as well as mounting tension between the country and its neighbors. With Turkey now at the brink of attacking Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels based in northern Iraq, is a new war in Iraq looming on the horizon? Turkey is poised to launch a massive cross-border raid on Northern Iraq, where an estimated 3,000 PKK rebels use the region as a base to launch attacks against Turkish troops. Ankara has continually demanded that Washington and Baghdad take measures to prevent the attacks and expel the separatist rebels. Although Baghdad has promised to address the problem, it has effectively done nothing. And US military commander in northern Iraq, Major General Benjamin Mixon, has announced that he has no plans to make moves against the PKK. As patience wears dangerously thin, Ankara has given both the US administration and Iraqi government a stark warning against their inaction. Tensions have escalated further in recent weeks, following a series of PKK attacks that left dozens of Turkish soldiers dead. Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said that, "Turkey will exercise its rights under international law to strike at the terrorist organization, the PKK, if Iraq does not act on its promises to eliminate the presence of the group from northern Iraq." The terrorist group has been blamed for thousands of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and acts of sabotage over the past two decades. Formed in late 1970s, the PKK launched an armed insurgency in 1984 in its quest for separating the Kurdish regions from Turkey. In the 1990s, the group, which is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by both the US and EU, dropped independence demands, but has since been seeking greater autonomy. Over 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began its insurgency. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Kurds have been able to form a semi-autonomous regional government, under the protection of US forces. The PKK rebels have found Iraq's Kurdistan a safe haven where they have access to valuable logistic support. The group ended a five-year ceasefire in 2004 and stepped up its attacks inside the Turkish territories. Turkish newspapers have slammed NATO for its alleged support of the PKK, while saying that US forces are arming the militant group in Iraq. They say this is part of a US plot to hinder the democratic process in Turkey and prevent the election of a popular government in the country. According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, published in October, the Kurdish guerrillas, and their sister group, PJAK, are also being funded by the US to wage a clandestine war in northwestern Iran. Turkey, a NATO ally of the US, has grown frustrated with the protection and support that the US and Israel are giving to the PKK. The US, EU and NATO have been urging Turkey not to launch military attacks against the PKK. However, Ankara is under increasing domestic pressure to act. Turkey's President, Abdullah Gul, has stated that, "Even though Turkey respects the sovereignty and unity of Iraq, her patience has come to an end and will not allow Iraqi soil to be used for terrorist activities. " The local government of Iraq's Kurdistan, on the other hand, has warned Turkey that it would resist any Turkish incursion. The Iraqi government has made efforts to crackdown on the PKK and called for a political solution. Washington has condemned the PKK attacks, and promised to do everything possible to prevent their activities in Iraq. White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, has said that the United States continues to urge the Iraqis and the Turks to exercise restraint, amid escalating tension. However, these calls for restraint, while simultaneously pressuring Pakistan into attacking Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants on the Pakistani border regions, only highlight the US hypocritical foreign policy. Egemen Bagis, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Turkish Prime Minister, has said "The US crossed the Atlantic in the name of fighting terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkey is helping the US in Afghanistan. And yet it doesn't allow Turkey, a NATO ally, to cross its own border for the same reasons. What sort of a friendship is this? This is how enemies behave. " A recent poll by the Pew organization found that only 9% of Turks have a positive view about the US, while over 75% are concerned that the Americans could pose a military threat to their country.

Is it really worth it?

Is there anything more controversial than the iraq war right now?

Is it ethical to buy dinar when there is bloodshed in the streets?

Should the US pullout?

And if it does what happens to the Iraqi Dinar?

Iraqi Dinar has appreciated 20% over the last year

SO here it is...I hear from a lot of people what a scam Iraqi Dinar is. Hmmmm...war torn country in the middle of sectarian violence, but it appreciates 20%. So does this mean anything or not.

You make the call.

Iraqi Dinar has appreciated 20% over the last year: "Iraqi Dinar has appreciated 20% over the last year Hugo Mann Published 10/25/2007 - 4:03 p.m. EDT The Central Bank Of Iraq (CBI) has had some success at appreciating the Iraqi dinar as suggested by the International Monetary Fund IMF. The CBI has appreciated the dinar hoping to curb inflation. The U.S. department of state says that the year to date inflation through August is 11.2%. The year on year rate of inflation dropped 20%. The Iraqi dinar was worth 1470 dinar per U.S. dollar in November of 2006 and has appreciated against the dollar to 1230 dinar per dollar according to the CBI."

US urges Iran to join Iraq talks

It is about time that these kind of regional talks occur over the situation in Iraq. Well I guess four years late is better than never.

US urges Iran to join Iraq talks

By FT reporters
Published: April 22 2007 22:21 Last updated: April 22 2007 22:21

Condoleezza Rice is urging Iran to join her at a high-level conference on the future of Iraq next week, signalling that Washington is now ready for a serious exchange of views with Tehran after several months of resisting Iran’s advances in the region.

In an interview with the Financial Times, the US secretary of state said it would be a “missed opportunity” if Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran’s foreign minister, did not attend the minister-level meeting to be hosted by Egypt.
Ms Rice denied that the Bush administration’s Iran policy had ever been directed at regime change, insisting that the aim was to “have a change in regime behaviour”.

Washington’s need to secure the right regional environment for its eventual withdrawal from Iraq is growing ever more acute as its “surge” of extra troops is failing to contain the violence.

Last Wednesday alone nearly 200 people died in bombings, and on Sunday 17 Iraqis were killed.
That “hostile forces” would respond to the US security plan was to be expected, Ms Rice said, blaming al Qaeda, not Iran, for the suicide bombings. She said two more US brigades were still to be deployed, adding the US needed “a little time” to judge the “trend lines”.

Ms Rice’s attempts to draw Iran into the conference – which will include Iraq’s neighbours as well as the permanent members of the UN security council and the G8 industrialised nations – contrasted with her previous resistance to such talks.

Since then there had been a “rebalancing”, she said, particularly after President George W. Bush’s speech on January 10 announcing the extra troops and a more aggressive response to Iran’s perceived role in arming and training Iraqi Shia militia.

Analysts said it remained to be seen whether the US had achieved what Robert Gates, the defence secretary, said in January was the “leverage” it needed before engaging Iran.

Iran says it will decide on its attendance at the May 3-4 conference after meeting Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s foreign minister, this week. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman on Sunday noted a “softening” in Ms Rice’s rhetoric. But he added that any “shift” should be put into practice.

Reporting by Guy Dinmore, Lionel Barber and Ed Luce in Washington and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007