"Even if I got rid of all my problems, I'd just go out and get new ones..."

It's another sunny day in Iraq, wish you were here...
12:34 p.m. on 2004-04-30

I would not want to be a member of the Coalition Forces in Iraq right now.

If you haven't heard yet, check here:

Meanwhile, in the States, the Sinclair Broadcast group, one of the US's largest tv broadcasters, has forbade all its ABC stations from showing tonight's edition of 'Nightline.'

In the show, the presenter Ted Koppel will read the names of the US soldiers killed in Iraq since the war began.

The Sinclair Group accuse the show of 'being motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.' Newsnight claim that they are honoring the dead.

Personally I suspect it is a little of both. However, the greater concern here is the attitude of certain groups in the American media and government. Refusing to show a media anchor reading the names of the dead? Uproar at the sight of coffins on the news? And to top it off, the Coalition has yet to produce an estimate for Iraqi deaths, independent organisations estimate figures to be between eight and eleven thousand.

ELEVEN THOUSAND.

Including women and children.

What exactly must the Iraqis be thinking? Are there any Iraqis left, except the Kurds, who believe that the Occupation is a Good Thing?

PS: All 10 terrorist suspects arrested in Manchester last week have been released. It is now apparant that there were no specific threats on Old Trafford or the Trafford Centre. A number of the suspects were Iraqi Kurds, who barely oppose the occupation of Iraq and have little affinity to Al-Qa'ida. The things labelled as 'items which could be used aggressively' included an alarm clock.

The story of their arrest was front page news. The story of their release takes up half of page 7.

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