“Mysterious pneumonia-like illnesses and breathing problems appear to be striking U.S. troops in greater numbers than the military has identified in an investigation — including more deaths, according to soldiers and their families.

Some of the soldiers were deployed to Iraq and died but are not part of the Pentagon’s investigation. Others who got ill told United Press International they suffered a pneumonia-like illness after being given vaccines, particularly the anthrax shot.” UPI [via CommonDreams] I have written here before about this plague—sorry to sound Biblical— on the occupying forces. Beyond the anthrax vaccine, exposure to depleted uranium is another suspected etiology. Let’s see—lethal toxic exposure or mandatory fatal and likely needless inoculations, pay cuts, open-ended commitment with no return home in sight, constant targeting by enraged Iraqis and foreign terrorists the occupation is drawing like flypaper, frequent fatal accidents from faulty undermaintained equipment because of fiscal skimping, central betrayal by their commander-in-chief’s lies about the rationale for being there at all. What isn’t a Biblical affliction about the situation?