MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Iraq's Sunnis Register to Vote in Droves -- (Washington Post)...Ellen Knickmeyer and Bassam Sebti
BAGHDAD, Sept. 7 -- Voter registration soared in some Sunni Arab parts of Iraq as Sunnis mobilized to try to vote down a draft constitution they believe will divide the country, according to figures released Wednesday at the close of registration for the Oct. 15 referendum.

The results of the Sunni registration campaign came on a day of violence in the predominantly Shiite south. ...

U.S. Hostage Freed After 10 Months in Iraq -- (AP)...STEVEN R. HURST
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military, acting on a tip, raided an isolated farmhouse outside the capital Wednesday and rescued an American businessman held hostage for 10 months. The kidnappers, who had kept their captive bound and gagged, escaped without a gunbattle. The rescue came on a day that saw two deadly bombings around the southern city of Basra, fueling fears the bloody insurgency was taking deeper root outside Sunni-dominated territory. A roadside bomb killed four American security agents. And an Interior Ministry official said 16 people were killed and 21 were injured in a car bombing at a restaurant in a central market.

Hallums Family Elated by Rescue in Iraq -- (AP)...JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
LOS ANGELES -- When former hostage Roy Hallums called his daughter early Wednesday from Iraq with news of his rescue, he apologized for causing her so much grief and pain....

Saddam Reportedly Defends Attack on Kurds -- (AP)...ROBERT H. REID
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein acknowledged ordering deadly retribution against Kurds in the north of the country and boasted that the killings were legal and justified, an official of the Iraqi Special Tribunal said Wednesday....

Iraq set aside $15 million to bribe UN leader -- (Reuters)
UNITED NATIONS - Iraq set aside $15 million 10 years ago to bribe or otherwise influence then-U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to shape the oil-for-food program to Saddam Hussein's liking, investigators said on Wednesday.

AFGHANISTAN

Women Candidates and Their Problems -- [Afghan Warrior - an Afghani in Afghanistan]
Afghan women candidates fac majore problem to run their electoral campaigns, particulary in the south and southeastern provinces. Poor security and financial difficulties are the main problems that the female candidates are suffering from. In some rural areas of the southern and southeastern provinces they can not even attend public meetings because the areas still have a patriachal and traditional systems which are far from the Islam religion because in Islam there is equal rights for men and women. So in these areas the female candidates are facing problems. In some rural areas, women give their speeches via their relatives such as their brother or cousins. Some male candidates are armed and they carry weapons for their security. They have influence. Also they have a police force with them to pull security for them while they run their campaign. But female candidates don't have as many facilities as male candidates to afford security guards and money for their expenses. So therefore campaigning is more difficult for the women candidates.

Losing Afghanistan's friends: Are we doing enough? -- [Afghan Reality - an Afghani in Afghanistan]
Many natives of Afghanistan consider their land as 'one of the most hospitable' countries on the face of the earth. Is it really?

Earlier this month, two Japanese teachers, technical arts teacher Jun Fukusho, 44, and female English teacher Shinobu Hasegawa, 30, were found dead in Southern Afghanistan.

...But, do these incidents portray the genuine identity of Afghans? For many of you who have visited Afghanistan, known Afghans and/or been touched by the personal stories of Afghans, the answer most likely is NO.

Subscribe to Fortunate Son -- [Fortunate Son - in Afhanistan]
Good news for all the web-savvy folks that want to keep up with what's going on with my adventures in Civil Affairs in Afghanistan. I've added the Atom, XML-based subscription service for those who use newsreaders.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Shakespeare plays in Kabul encourage peace and love -- (USA Today )...AP
KABUL, Afghanistan ? Shakespeare has come to Afghanistan. Four centuries after the famous bard's death, one of his plays has been adapted for the local culture in an effort to help revive a once-thriving theater scene and to promote peace in a country riven by ethnic hatred and still wracked by violence after decades of war.

Military, civilians to wear pin symbolizing solidarity with Afghans -- (Stars & Stripes)...Jason Chudy,
Military officials say that troops in Afghanistan have a new weapon in their fight to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people ? a small lapel pin with the crossed flags of the United States and Afghanistan. And it?s not just servicemembers who will be wearing these new arms; they?re also mandatory for all civilians working under Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan.

AFGHANISTAN: CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ARRESTED JOURNALIST -- (AKI)
Kabul, 7 Sept. - The Reporters Without Borders organisation has called for the immediate release of an Afghan journalist who has been detained in Jalalabad, to the east of the Afghan capital Kabu,l since September 2. Two days before his arrest, Ezatullah Zawab, editor of the fortnightly magazine Meena, contacted the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) warning them that the governor of the Nangarhar province was out to punish him over satirical articles he had published.

Afghan opposition leader eyes up to half of seats -- (Swiss Info) -(Reuters)...Robert Birsel
KABUL - The head of Afghanistan's opposition said on Wednesday President Hamid Karzai was a weak leader and a new parliament, to be elected on September 18, would h...

Afghanistan car blast kills four -- (BBC)
A car has exploded in south Afghanistan killing three people inside and a civilian in what seems a failed suicide attack on US forces, officials say.

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Sludge -- [NEW MILBLOGGER!- Way Down In Kosovo]
The countryside here is so remarkably beautiful...if you ignore the garbage,and the blight, and the things that people do that can make things ugly, such as the tanker truck full of oil that overturned on the road to Kacanik about a week and a half ago. 5,000 gallons of oil come burbling out of this thing, streaming across some hapless farmer's field in a river of black ooze, and nobody did much of anything about it. Well there was the guy who built some little levees to halt the flow across the field. This, of course, soon resulted in the creation of a large pool of oil. Not quite a lake, just a nice, black, gooey pool in the middle of a field. The Kosovo Protection Corps (Formerly the Kosovo Liberation Army) are kind of the FEMA of Kosovo these days.

My Life's First Political Rally [The Big Pharaoh - in Egypt]
The place was crowded especially since the area in front of the moqama isn't that huge. My rough estimate is between 2000 to 3000 attendees including the journalists (excluding the huge number of security personnel of course!!)

Elections Update -- [The Big Pharaoh - in Egypt]
So far from what I've heard, the turnout of those who have a registration card is OK. Hani (see previous post) who is in a polling station in downtown told me that he heard stories of fighting over votes going on in Bab El Shaariya, Ayman Noor's district.

This morning someone told me that I can vote with my ID card. I don't want to repeat what happened to me during the referendum last May when I went to the station only to get turned back because I don't have a registration card.

End Islamic Torture -- [Pepple Pie - Blue Star Mom]
Help Iranian, Canadian, and USA Citizens
The systematic use of torture and terror, as instruments of domestic and foreign policy employed by the Islamic Clerical regime in Tehran, is no doubt a crime against humanity. It is time for a collective and decisive action by the Canadian, G8 governments, and the international community to support the freedom-loving Iranian People, to put an end to such horrific crimes against humanity and to pave the way for freedom.

First Night -- [Reflections in A Polar Icecap - in Greenland]
Photo: Lana, an American television news broadcaster living overseas, who travelled 6500 miles to document the stories that are our strange and adventurous lives.)

The Defense Minister of (European nation) made for a very nice trip, with a very cordial entourage in tow. He gave me his business card with a personal message on the back so that if I run into difficulty with citizens from his country, I could display the card so they'd know I'm rolling with his full support.

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Hospitalized Chirac Skips Cabinet Meeting -- (AP)...ANGELA DOLAND
PARIS -- President Jacques Chirac skipped a weekly Cabinet meeting Wednesday for the first time since taking office in 1995, as authorities kept France in suspense for a fifth full day about what exactly ails the hospitalized 72-year-old leader....

Ophelia Has Some Worried Along Fla. Coast -- (AP)...RON WORD
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - Brisk wind and forceful rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia moved through this beachside community Wednesday, sending tourists scurrying inland and driving surfers out of the churning Atlantic. The tropical depression off the coast strengthened into a tropical storm early Wednesday and could bring strong winds and heavy rain to central and northern Florida over the next few days.

Transatlantic Divide Deep, Not So Wide, Poll Finds -- (La Times)...Sebastian Rotella
PARIS ? Europeans and Americans have often starkly different views of each other and the world, but agree on some major issues such as promoting democracy and avoiding war with Iran, according to a survey being released today.

KATRINA

Katrina: Major Garrett Exposes Faults of Louisiana and Governor Kathleen Blanco (VIDEO) -- [Political Teen]
On Brit Hume this evening, FOX News correspondent Major Garrett explained that FEMA/Red Cross had a truckload of water and other necessities , however the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security DENIED it. Why? Because they didn?t want to attract more people to the Superdome or the convention center, they want to get them out.

Only 13% Percent of the American Public Blame Bush for Katrina -- [Roger Simon]
... at least according to the new poll from some of the mainstays of of the mainstream media. That number seems surprisingly low considering the hammering Bush took in the press and the percentage of people who would probably blame him if they ran out of toothpaste. It's a kind of a weird projection syndrome these people are in. Mother Nature wreaks havoc. Got to find someone to blame. Oh, yeah... there's Bush. He likes to play golf. Get him!

Mayor Nagin on Oprah - Politics Was Reason for Delay -- [Blackfive]
I'm sooo relieved that Mayor Nagin was on Oprah. While I agree with her that we owe a lot of people an apology, I was stunned that the mayor was on her show. The fact that he has time to meet with "the O" must mean that everything's okay. Right? She also talked to the police chief who must now have everything under control...

US Troops Seeking to Help Katrina Victims -- [Andi's World]
From the battlefield to the disaster-zone.
The following e-mail was received from Chaplain Craig Combs - author of "The Iraq Journals" that are published here at WBAP.com.
Dear friends and supporters,

As with all of you, I have been struck with the reality of the incredible devastation and heartache caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Reliance...Dependence -- [Froggy Ruminations]
Everybody in this world has to rely on something or someone in order to survive. The choice that each of us makes when deciding who or what we do put our trust in is an important one. In the Gulf Coast this decision has proven to mean the difference between life and death.

New Orleans was declared a disaster area by President Bush days BEFORE the storm even made landfall, and it was at his urging that the Mayor of New Orleans declared a MANDATORY evacuation of the city.

Day 229 - Say What? -- [Wayne's World 2005 - Blue Star Mom]
Families everywhere are in transition.
Reporting from Najaf, AP reports say the 3,300-strong Mississippi National Guard unit in Iraq will finish its mission although some soldiers are heading home early to help take care of their families in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Rap stars may set up blacks-only relief fund -- [Riding Sun]
If you're looking for instances of flat-out racism in disaster relief efforts, here's one for you, from Billboard: ...

BlogBurst Member Hard At Work For Katrina Relief -- [Stop The ACLU]
The Stop The ACLU BlogBurst (link withheld intentionally) has members of many professional backgrounds. One of which is a nurse. Kathy from Is It Just Me and Crosses aCross America is hard at work vaccinating evacuated people from the flooding and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. She is doing so as a Red Cross Volunteer in Oklahoma.

DOD REPORTS ON KATRINA

Displaced Military Families Can Seek Safe Haven Within United States -- (American Forces Press Service)...Donna Miles HT: [A Soldiers Mom]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2005 ? Military family members ordered to evacuate military installations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama due to Hurricane Katrina are now authorized to select an alternate safe haven anywhere in the continental United States, defense officials confirmed today.

MSM REPORTS ON KATRINA

U.S. Offers Katrina Families $2,000 Each(AP) ...DAVID ESPO
WASHINGTON - Dispossessed families of Hurricane Katrina will receive debit cards good for $2,000 to spend on clothing and other immediate needs, the Bush administration announced Wednesday, working to recast a relief effort drawing scant praise from Republicans and scathing criticism from top congressional Democrats. President Bush is "oblivious, in denial, dangerous," when it comes to the plight of the storm's victims, charged House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Her Senate counterpart, Sen. Harry Reid, asked pointedly whether the chief executive impeded relief efforts by remaining at his Texas ranch last week while the storm churned toward the Gulf Coast.

Bush to request $51 bln for relief -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush plans to send Congress a request for $51.8 billion for relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, the second such request since the storm devastated the Gulf Coast last week, the White House said on Wednesday.

Stylish seized clothing headed to refugees -- (Reuters)
HOUSTON, Sept 6 - Three truckloads of fashion clothing seized by government agents for violating import quotas arrived at Houston's Astrodome on Wednesday so Hurricane Katrina refugees there can put it to use.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection delivered about 100,000 items of summer clothing, with an estimated value of $2.3 million, and said much more is on the way to evacuees elsewhere.

Police, Soldiers Warn New Orleans Holdouts -- (AP)...SHARON COHEN
NEW ORLEANS - Using the unmistakable threat of force, police and soldiers went house to house Wednesday to try to coax the last 10,000 or so stubborn holdouts to leave storm-shattered New Orleans because of the risk of disease from the putrid, sewage-laden floodwaters. "A large group of young armed men armed with M-16s just arrived at my door and told me that I have to leave," said Patrick McCarty, who owns several buildings and lives in one of them in the city's Lower Garden District. "While not saying they would arrest you, the inference is clear."

On Patrol -- (Newsweek)...Andrew Murr
California National Guard soldiers find heartbreak, prayer?and some racism?during their deployment to hurricane-battered New Orleans

Dean: Race Played a Role in Katrina Deaths -- (AP)...DENISE KALETTE
MIAMI -- Race was a factor in the death toll from Hurricane Katrina, Howard Dean told members of the National Baptist Convention of America on Wednesday at the group's annual meeting....

Europeans Wonder About Slow Katrina Relief -- (AP)...KARL RITTER
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- For four days, a C-130 transport plane ready to lift supplies to Katrina victims has stood idle at an air base in Sweden. The aid includes a water purification system that may be urgently needed amid signs deadly diseases could be spreading through fetid pools in New Orleans....

Wrong Priorities? -- (Newsweek)...Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Angry state officials accuse the White House of ignoring warnings that its focus on terror left the nation unprepared to cope with natural disasters.

Newsview: Governors Worry Over Katrina -- (AP)...RON FOURNIER
WASHINGTON -- No strangers to bureaucratic bungling and turf wars, the nation's governors watched in horror as government agencies handled Hurricane Katrina with glaring incompetence - and now worry that the next disaster could deal their states the same ugly fate....

Hurricane Katrina to Reduce Employment -- (AP)...MARTIN CRUTSINGER
WASHINGTON -- Hurricane Katrina will have a greater economic impact than previous killer storms, though the energy price spikes, slower growth and job losses will not be enough to push the country into a recession....

Survey: Economy Expanding Before Katrina -- (AP)...JEANNINE AVERSA
WASHINGTON -- Factories were chugging, cash registers were busy and jobs were growing in the late summer - fresh proof that the economy was in fine fettle before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, spreading death and destruction....

Katrina telethon draws stars, questions -- (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES - Recording stars Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Neil Young and the Dixie Chicks will headline a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims slated to air this week on six major U.S. networks and around the world, producers said on Wednesday.

But it was not clear whether they or any of the other celebrities booked for Friday's event, including comedian Chris Rock and movie star Jack Nicholson, will be permitted to freely express their opinions during the show or required to stick to the script.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS

THANK YOU -- [A Soldier's Thoughts - in Iraq]
I have been informed today that my address will soon be changing. For everyone that has sent me a package I want to say thank you so much, and for those who have just sent one, fear not, it will find me. Now for those of you who might have been thinking of sending one I recommend that you wait until I can post my updated address for you. Again thank you all so much, for the mail, and ESPECIALLY for all the support that you have given me.

POLITICS

Labor Union fighting Native Americans -- [Lance in Iraq - in Iraq]
Wonder where Democrats stand on this one:
A labor union is reporting significant security problems at seven Army bases where federal contractors are guarding the gates, freeing up soldiers to serve in Iraq...

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Republicans say hurricane won't stop budget cuts -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON - Republicans in Congress on Wednesday rejected calls by Democrats to suspend work on tax cuts, that would mainly benefit the rich, and spending reductions on social programs because of the huge costs of hurricane relief.

Schwarzenegger Vows Gay Marriage Bill Veto -- (AP)...STEVE LAWRENCE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday he will veto a bill that would have made California the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through its elected lawmakers....

Dems Blast Bush Over Hurricane Response -- (AP)...TOM RAUM
WASHINGTON -- Democrats, divided over President Bush's handling of Iraq, are coming down hard on his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina....

Bush Choice on Nominee 2 Not Expected Soon -- (AP)...DEB RIECHMANN
WASHINGTON -- Maybe President Bush was just joking around to fuel speculation, but conservatives aren't laughing about the president's playful glance at Attorney General Alberto Gonzales when he described the list of possible nominees for the second Supreme Court vacancy as wide open....

Hawaii Gov. Lobbies Senate on Secession -- (AP)...ALEXANDRE DA SILVA
HONOLULU -- A delay in a U.S. Senate vote on a bill that would grant federal recognition to Native Hawaiians is giving Hawaii's governor a chance to lobby senators who fear it could lead to Hawaii's secession from the union....

UN probe paints Annan's son as big-spending liar -- (Reuters)
You can choose your friends but not your family.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan escaped charges of corruption in a report on the Iraqi oil-for-food program released on Wednesday, but evidence was presented that his son Kojo brandished his father's name to avoid paying taxes on a luxury car and lied repeatedly while under investigation.

BLOGGING

Blogger Beignet Bash, New Orleans, 2006? [One Hand Clapping]
I?ve already mentioned that my wife and I spent some pleasant hours sipping hot chocolate and eating beignets at Cafe du Monde in the the French Quarter on our 1980 honeymoon, and we?d like to return someday. Now I have been struck with a PBI (Partly Baked Idea):...

Moving! -- [Neptunas Lex]
Well, I think we're up and running over here.
My intention is to leave this url behind as a kind of archive (my machine-based blog client, iBlog, has resolutely withstood my best efforts at exporting previous content) and move all "fresh" content to the www.neptunuslex.com domain. We're not entirely ready for visitors over there, with some broken links, etc. but we'll make do somehow. I suppose.

See you over there!

CONGRATS

Sludge -- [NEW MILBLOGGER!- Way Down In Kosovo]
By the way, today is my birthday.

WELCOME HOME

Duke Has Returned Home -- [Broken Masterpieces - dispatches from Iraq]
I'm happy to announce that Duke has returned home from his 4 months in Iraq.

A Marine Plans His Return
Early this week I spoke with a Marine who had just returned from 7 months in Iraq. He is an infantry company commander, so his unit, saw some real action. He lost 2 Marines from his company and had 18 wounded, and based on my limited knowledge of the area where his company was operating, his unit dealt some significant death and destruction to the terrorists and militants seeking to prevent the spread of freedom in Iraq.

He has 2 priorities.

HUMOR

Fraud Charges Mar Egypt's Sham Election -- [ScrappleFace]
Allegations of widespread fraud in unmonitored polling places threatened to mar the credibility of Egypt's sham presidential election today which pitted four-term President Hosni Mubarak against nine opponents whose actual names will be revealed to the public after the polls close.

(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)