by Siun [courtesy of Firedoglake]

While reports so far today point to a ceasefire in Sadr City, Saturday night brought no relief to the residents as US forces continued a heavy bombardment of this community of over 2 million people. Meanwhile Maliki and US forces launch a "massive" attack on Mosul and Congress prepares to pass another supplemental.

by Siun [courtesy of Firedoglake]

This week we learned that the blogosphere has lost another good friend. Lurch of Main and Central passed away. A good man, a good soldier and a brilliant journalist, Lurch combined the most wonderful sense of the bizarre with such heart and brains. Lurch valued honorable service but also wrote with great honesty of the reality of our occupation in Iraq and the cost to US soldiers and to the Iraqi people. His insights will be missed as each passing day brings us more news of the human costs of our imperial mission.