Old news

[Because of its extraordinary force, I'm printing this piece by colinb in full, edited slightly for space. --Alna Dem]

The Downing Street Memo may be old news
But this is new news:

Jay grad killed by bomb is S.A.'s latest loss in war

When Jonathan Flores returned to Jay High School, his alma mater, he talked to students in the Junior ROTC.
Flores, 18, was killed Tuesday in Iraq by a roadside bomb near Fallujah, said retired Air Force Col. Dennis LeVan, one of Flores' ROTC instructors at Jay....

The fact that George Bush told his ghostwriter in 1999 that, if given the chance, he would invade Iraq so that he could gain "political capital" may be old news
But this is new news:

Henderson Marine Killed in Iraq

It's the second time in a week that a Southern Nevadan has died, fighting the war on terror. Marine Corporal Jesse Jaime was killed Wednesday when the vehicle he was riding in hit an explosive device. Jesse Jaime enlisted into the Marine Corps following in his twin brother Joel's footsteps....

The fact that Bush was planning to invade Iraq during his first month in office may be old news
But this is new news:

21-year-old Henderson Guardsman dies in Iraq

Sitting on a sofa in his Henderson condominium Thursday, Joe Cometa wondered: "When is it going to end?"
"It's got to stop," he said. "I sound bitter because I lost my kid, but bring these kids home. ... I don't want other families going through this." ...

The fact that Dick Cheney's energy task force was mapping out Iraq oilfields in March of 2001 may be old news
But this is new news:

Marine killed in Iraq

The explosion of a roadside bomb in Iraq has sent waves of grief and shock through Northwest Pasadena and Altadena.
Lance Cpl. Dion Whitley of Altadena was one of five Marines to die in a predawn attack on Wednesday. The convoy in which he was riding hit an improvised explosive device near Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad. Whitley, 21, was a machine-gunner. He had been in Iraq for three months….

The fact that Bush diverted $700 million, without the permission of congress, to Iraq war preparations in the summer of 2002 may be old news
But this is new news:

A Kentucky Guardsman was killed in Iraq this week during a rocket propelled grenade attack.

All who knew him had nothing but praise for 29-year-old Specialist Michael Hayes of Morgantown….

The fact that former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter stated in July of 2002 that Saddam had no WMDs, but was ignored, may be old news
But this is new news:

Librarians Honor Fallen Central Ohio Soldier

Staff at a community library in Sunbury said they will still send Fourth of July cards to Spc. Anthony D. Kinslow, who was killed this week in Iraq, NBC 4's Nancy Burton reported.
The Westerville soldier died when his military vehicle came under a grenade attack while conducting combat operations in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
Kinslow's mother regularly visited the community library in Sunbury twice a week with his 7-year-old brother.
His mother visited staff at the library Tuesday to personally tell them about her son's death.
Library staff members said they will still send the cards, because that's what Kinslow's mother would have wanted, Burton reported.
Staff at the library said they will never forget the expression on her face.

The fact that the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate of Iraq's weapons capabilities was purposefully stripped of doubts and dissenting opinions may be old news
But this is new news:

Jacksonville Marine dies in Iraq blast

Nathan Clemons grew up on Alderman Road in Jacksonville, received his diploma through Terry Parker High School and was active in the youth group and band at University Boulevard Nazarene Church before joining the Marines early last year.
On Tuesday, the 20-year-old private first class was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq while serving with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force….

The fact that Sen. Bob Graham received a 25 page report from the CIA in the summer of 2002 that stated evidence of Saddam's WMD was inconclusive, but Graham was roundly ignored, if not outright mocked, may be old news
But this is new news:

Marine killed in Iraq recalled as 'angel,' 'jokester'

Joshua Klinger joined the Marines to serve his country, but also to prove to himself that he could do it.
He was ''the goof-off, the jokester,'' who liked to keep busy. He didn't talk much, but when he did, it would make his brother and sister crack up. He was a hero to his younger brother and his 8-year-old cousin, who wrote a school essay saying as much. He played the piano and taught himself the guitar. His sister called him the family's ''angel,'' watching over the family.
All of those memories came flooding out of Klinger's family members in Williams Township as they struggled Wednesday with the news that their son, their brother, a 21-year-old Wilson Area High School graduate, was killed by shrapnel from a roadside bomb in Iraq. The family said the attack happened Tuesday at 1:07 a.m. Iraqi time, or 5:07 p.m. Monday locally….

The fact that chief Iraq war architect Paul Wolfowitz admitted that WMDs were just a convenient excuse to convince the country to go along with the invasion of Iraq may be old news
But this is new news:

Two Ohioans serving in Iraq killed in grenade attack

Sgt. Larry Kuhns Jr., 24, had three more weeks to serve in Iraq, shooting heavy artillery.
Three more weeks, after 18 months there, until he would rejoin his wife and toddler at their Fort Carson apartment in Colorado.
The Ohio native died Monday in a grenade attack on his Humvee.
It's better it happened that way. He didn't know what hit him. He didn't linger," his father, Larry Sr., said Wednesday.

The fact that coalition forces drastically stepped up bombing runs during the summer of 2002 in order to goad Saddam into war may be old news
But this is new news:

Antigo Marine died Monday

A Marine who was the president of his class three out of four years in high school in Antigo died Monday from wounds he received in Iraq last week, the Department of Defense said.
Lance Cpl. John J. Mattek Jr., 24, suffered the injuries in a June 8 explosion as part of combat operations against enemy forces in Anbar province, the Pentagon said.
Mattek is the 39th Wisconsin service member to be killed in Iraq….

The fact that 25 former CIA officers accused the President of manipulating intelligence may be old news
But this is new news:

MS guardsman killed during tour of duty in Iraq

Sgt. Larry R. Arnold Sr., a Mississippi National Guardsman, was killed in Iraq this past weekend when an improvised explosive device went off about 25 miles west of Baghdad.
In addition, Spc. Terrance Lee, of Moss Point, was killed in the blast that occurred near their vehicle while the two men were on patrol.
Arnold, 46, and Lee, 25, were part of Company B 150th Combat Engineer Battalion of Lucedale and deployed to Iraq with the Mississippi National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team….

The fact that in 2002 the White House killed Pentagon plans to strike Zarqawi's camp in Northern Iraq in order to maintain the White House's claim that Iraq has ties to terrorists may be old news
But this is new news:

A family recalls son, soldier and friend

For Gaye Lapinski, her son was a gentle human being, her best friend, one who got all her bad habits, she jokes. She hoped he would one day get married and give her a grandchild.
For Stanley Lapinski, a World War II Marine veteran, his namesake was the epitome of dedication and personal responsibility. He talks proudly about his son, the Army specialist who could imagine doing nothing greater than giving his life defending his country.
On Saturday, Stanley "Stash" Lapinski did. On patrol with his unit in Iraq, Lapinski died instantly after suffering head injuries when a roadside bomb exploded nearby, his father said. He was 35….

The fact that the White House Silenced Experts Who Questioned Iraq Intel Six Months Before War may be old news
But this is new news:

Brownwood Marine killed in Iraq

A 20-year-old Marine from West Texas died in an explosion in western Iraq.
Military officials say Lance Cpl. Mario A. Castillo of Brownwood died Friday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.
Castillo was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division of the Second Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Castillo's family said he decided to join the Marines when he was a junior in high school.
He wanted to enlist before he graduated, but his parents wouldn't sign the papers.
His sister, Julia Rodriguez, told the Brownwood Bulletin her brother's dream was to be a Marine.

The fact that Vice President Cheney made numerous unprecedented trips to the CIA in order to pressure analysts may be old news
But this is new news:

Louisiana soldier killed in Iraq

A Louisiana solider died last week while serving in Iraq.
Sgt. David J. Murray, 23, died Thursday when a bomb exploded under his armored personnel carrier as he and other soldiers of the 1088th Engineer Battalion patrolled in the Baghdad area, his mother and stepfather said….

The fact that our tough guy of a President said in March of 2002 "Fuck Saddam, we're taking him out" may be old news
But this is new news:

Iowa Guardsman Killed in Iraq

National Guard soldier from northwest Iowa who volunteered for a second tour of duty overseas was killed over the weekend when insurgents detonated a bomb under his armored Humvee, a military official said Monday.
Spc. Casey Byers, 22, of Schleswig, the father of an infant daughter, died about 8 p.m. Saturday south of Ramadi, said Lt. Col. Gregory Hapgood, the Iowa National Guard's public affairs officer. Also killed in the attack was Sgt. 1st Class Neal Prince, a regular U.S. Army soldier based at Fort Carson, Colo. He is not an Iowan.
Last fall, Byers volunteered for duty in Iraq and arrived there in January with the Iowa National Guard's 224th Engineer Battalion. Before his deployment, he had worked for Casey's General Stores at the company's Ankeny warehouse.
Byers was the fourth soldier from the Guard's 224th Engineer Battalion, based in southeast Iowa, to be killed in Iraq this year.
Byers' survivors include a daughter, Hailey; his mother and father, Ann and William Byers; a brother, Paul; and a sister, Jennifer. Funeral arrangements are pending.
In Schleswig, a town of 833 people in Crawford County, residents reacted with stunned sadness. Word spread around the city on Sunday after worshippers were notified at Schleswig United Church of Christ, which the Byers family attended.
"I think everyone is shocked. It hit very close to home," said the Rev. Chris Burtnett, who was called early Sunday morning to be with the Byers family. "There was visible shock. A lot of tears, just disbelief."