Currently, there are almost 120,000 US Troops occupying Iraq along with well over 100,000 expensive and unaccountable mercenaries.

US law now says that all of our troops must be out of Iraq, but not until all the way to the end of 2011. Who knows if even this will happen? Some government officials are using political disputes in Iraq to try to justify putting off the partial withdrawals that are supposed to lead up to all of our troops taken out of that country.

Meanwhile, more US troops will be killed and wounded, a lot more Iraqis will be slaughtered, and hundreds of billions of dollars in US government funds will be wasted on this corrupt and senseless venture. Yet, the corporate media, many bloggers, and even much of the peace movement are ignoring Iraq. I urge you to join me in resisting this trend. Here are a couple of important news items on Iraq that are too important to let go.

Big Oil Gets Big Contract in Iraq
From Democracy Now! 11/05/09:

In Iraq, the oil giants Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell have been awarded a contract to develop a southern Iraqi oil field. It’s first major deal for an American-led bid since the US invasion of 2003 and the latest in a series of deals awarded by the Iraqi government.

This is a reminder of why we went to war in Iraq. It also is interesting to note that the Dutch government sent troops to Iraq despite popular opposition. British involvement in the war had been rewarded with a big contract for British Petroleum a couple of days before.

Parents of Iraq War Soldier Who Committed Suicide Speak Out
Soldier suicides have gone up dramatically since the Iraq War started as have suicides of veterans after people started coming home from the Iraqtastrophe.
From Democracy Now! 10/27/09:

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: We turn now to a Democracy Now! national broadcast exclusive. Gregg and Jannett Keesling are the parents of Chancellor Keesling, a US soldier who took his own life on June 19th of this year. Chancellor was on his second [tour of duty] in Iraq. During his first deployment, he suffered mental health issues so severe he was placed on suicide watch. After getting back to the United States, Chancellor had turned down a bonus offer to return to Iraq in the hopes he wouldn’t be redeployed. But he was called back in May. One month later, he took his own life.

AMY GOODMAN: Since Chancellor’s death, Gregg and Jannett Keesling have yet to receive a letter of condolence from President Obama. After making inquiries, they discovered this was not because of an oversight. Instead, it’s because of a longstanding US policy to deny presidential condolence letters to the families of soldiers who have committed suicide.

Gregg and Jannett Keesling join us now from Indianapolis, where they live. This is the first time they’re sharing their story in a national broadcast.

We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Gregg, let me go first to Jannett. Tell us about your son. Tell us about Chancellor. Tell us why he joined the military, his first tour of duty, and then ultimately deciding to go back, or being called back.

Read what they have to say or watch below.