Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)

IRAQ

Sunday Sundae!!!!! --[Long Strange Trip - in Iraq]
These pictures are of my newest creation/landscape project! PDHA Bridge! This might be about it, because I have finally used all the rock that had been piled up for months. Perhaps my proudest achievement is the smaller tree you can see in the pic of me to the left just on the edge of the pic! 2 months ago there was NOTHING there, and now that thing is growing like mad, and you can see the new bridge, and the nice green weeds along the creek valley! That was the goal to get something to grow! PARADISE?????????? (pic)

PUMP REPAIR BUSINESS --[2005 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
This is as good as it gets in a rural area. I am standing in front of a water pump, generator repair store. I asked if he had any problems with getting repair parts and he said only if it was Chinese. He specialized in water pump repair... (pic)

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'... --[Fun With Hand Grenades - in Iraq]
In my last entry I documented why we've been depressed and constantly at each other. I think another reason has been because every time something cool happens around here, something to lift us out of our depressed, unmotivated, and agitated mood... something shitty happens to bring us right back down.
This week started out on a bad note...

A tough test for Iraqis --[Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
You have probably heard that Zarqawi has recently declared war on the Sheat in Iraq, that's 50-60 % of the people in a country of 27 millions, i.e. more than 13 million people are considered enemies by Zarqawi and they deserve to die! Of course this is not something unexpected from Al-Qaeda as this terror network hates nearly everyone on this earth except the ones who appease and apologize for what Al-Qaeda does.

and so it begins --[It's a living..sorta]
It's official. I have been altered by my experiences in a combat zone.
Yesterday started quite well. We went to Glen Ivy for some much needed time for just the two of us. The original plan was to stay up there overnight and then go to the mall today. However, Jen's mom couldn't stay with the kids that long, so we modified the schedule to do both at once. After we left the day spa we went to dinner and then hit the mall... and that's when it happened.

I'd never had a panic attack before and I still don't know what caused it, but I could not get out of that place fast enough...

Three More Months(?) --[My Vacation in Iraq - in Iraq]
I think today marks the 3 month count down for us leaving this country. With any luck we could be demobilized and home before Christmas, but that is not a guarantee. With my luck we will probably not get home until after the new year. I know my Company command will try to get us home before then if there is any way that is possible but something always comes seems to come up.

CBIED --[Phil and Becky]
I heard a story today about a patrol that came upon a cow behaving suspiciously by the side of the road. On further examination, they discovered that the cow was chewing on PE-4 (plastic explosives) with blasting caps stuck into it. Given that the cow was still chewing and hadn't gotten its head blown off, I surmised that it hadn't chomped down hard on any of the blasting caps.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Two Britons detained in Iraq for firing at police --[Reuters]
Iraqi authorities detained two British nationals in the southern city of Basra on Monday for firing on police, a senior Iraqi official said.
The official said he had been informed by the British military that they were undercover soldiers in civilian clothes.

"They were driving a civilian car and were dressed in civilian clothes when a shooting took place between them and Iraqi patrols," the official told Reuters.

Iraqi Shi'ites descend on holy city despite threats --[Reuters]
Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims descended on the holy city of Kerbala in their hundreds of thousands on Monday as they prepared to celebrate a religious festival under threat of war declared by Sunni Arab radicals.

On the main road from Baghdad to Kerbala, eight people were killed in two car bomb attacks, police said. It was not clear if the killings of seven police and one civilian were related to the festival.

Relentless Rebel Attacks Test Shiite Endurance --[NY Times]
The rooms of the dead are mostly empty now. Their meager belongings are all that remain: A small pile of pickles wrapped in plastic. A bag of salt. Pairs of old shoes. Work shirts and towels draped on a coat rack in the corner.
The items, left in a hostel in the Kadhimiya neighborhood of Baghdad, belonged to poor Shiite day laborers who were killed Wednesday in a suicide bombing. The attacker lured them to his van with promises of work, then blew himself up, killing 114 people. It was this city's deadliest bombing since the American invasion and, it seemed to many, one of the cruelest.

U.S. Claims Success in Iraq Despite Onslaught --[Washington Post]
Using enemy body counts as a benchmark, the U.S. military claimed gains against Abu Musab Zarqawi's foreign-led fighters last week even as they mounted their deadliest attacks on Iraq's capital.

But by many standards, including increasingly high death tolls in insurgent strikes, Zarqawi's group, al Qaeda in Iraq, could claim to be the side that's gaining after 2 1/2 years of war. August was the third-deadliest month of the war for U.S. troops.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan Parliamentary in picture --[Afghan LORD - afghan in Afghanistan]
U.S.A Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann at his visit in the ministry of women affairs today on 18th of September Parliamentary election day which held for the first time after three decades in Afghanistan. He called the parliamentary elections as success in Afghanistan future. (pic)

Karzai: The end of 30 years of pain and suffers --[Afghan LORD - afghan in Afghanistan]
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai cast his vote at a polling station at the sprawling presidential palace today early morning after polling opened in landmark parliamentary and local elections.
While he threw his vote on the ballot box, he pointed out:
"I am very happy that the people of Afghanistan are able, after 30 years of pain and suffering, to elect their representatives," said the president, who viewed Afghans' participation in the first legislative vote in 30 years as a matter of pride.

MILLIONS OF AFGHANS HEAD TO THE POLLS --[Publius Pundit]
This post will serve as a comprehensive roundup for the elections in Afghanistan. It will include links to news article, analysis from international organizations, and commentary from bloggers. Of course, don?t forget to check out the Afghanistan archive, which is pretty limited, but has some essays you might find really interesting. All additional resources will be at the bottom and updated as more become available.

Force Protection Delivers Humanitarian Aid (Doing Great Things IX) --[A Soldier's Perspective]
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan ? Back-to-school shopping for students at Kandahar Airfield couldn?t be simpler. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jarrod Gozy delivered toys, school supplies and a backpack for every student on the first day of school Sept 5.

Gozy, of the 173rd Support Battalion, is an ordained deacon at the Cameron Baptist Church, Cameron, N.C., whose organization, ?Give Children a Chance,? raises money to donate locally purchased materials to schoolchildren here.

Election coverage --[Riding Sun]
You're the New York Times. You're running a wire story by the Associated Press about the big, landmark election in Afghanistan, a key step in that country's development of a democratic tradition.

This is just the kind of story that, in untrained, unprofessional hands ? in blogger hands! ? could give people the wild idea that there might be some good coming from Bush's plan to spread freedom through the Middle East, after all.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Afghan ballots boxes make way to count centers --[Reuters]
Across Afghanistan on Monday donkeys, camels and trucks carried sealed ballot boxes to counting centers where the results of Sunday's landmark elections will be determined.

With Violence Muted, Afghans Go to Polls For Historic Election --[Washington Post]
Hundreds of thousands of citizens flocked to schools, mosques and tents across Afghanistan on Sunday to vote in this war-weary nation's first legislative elections since 1969, as militants largely failed to follow through on threats to disrupt the balloting with violence.

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Will Germany Pick a New Chancellor? --[Baldilocks]
It appears as though Germany?s conservative Christian Democratic Union (Christlich-Demokratische Union; CDU) is set to squeak out a victory against Chancellor Gerhardt Schr??s Party?the liberal Social Democrat Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands; SPD) in today?s Bundestag election. A win for the CDU would make its leader--Angela Merkel--the first-ever female Chancellor of Germany.

Culture of death? Palestinian girl's murder highlights growing number of 'honor killings' --[ROFASix]
More evidence of sick people, in a sick society, practicing a sick religion. ABU QASH ? Rofayda Qaoud ? raped by her brothers and impregnated ? refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder.

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Merkel under pressure after German vote debacle --[Reuters]
German conservative leader Angela Merkel will be fighting for her political life in difficult coalition negotiations in the next few weeks after her party's disastrous showing in Sunday's election.
The crushing disappointment of the result, which saw an apparently invincible opinion poll lead fade to a wafer-thin advantage of three seats in parliament over the next biggest party -- and no governing majority -- has badly weakened her.

German Election Is Inconclusive; No Clear Winner --[NY Times]
After a bitterly fought campaign that many people in this country had believed only a few days ago would produce a historic vote for change, the German electorate failed Sunday to give any party or candidate a clear majority.

North Korea Says It Will Drop Nuclear Efforts for Aid Program --[NY Times]
North Korea agreed to end its nuclear weapons program in return for security, economic and energy benefits, potentially easing tensions with the United States.

IAEA Chief Urges Talks on Iran Nuke Plans --[AP]
The chief U.N. nuclear inspector on Monday urged an end to confrontation over Iran's atomic program and suggested talks over differences should take precedence over U.S. and European threats to send Tehran to the U.N. Security Council.

TERRORISM

FAST-Tracking Naturalization While US At War With Terrorists?Is That A Good Idea? --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
In January 2004, I wrote an article published in FrontPage magazine concerning the issue of terrorist aliens slipping through the Government?s national security immigration net and becoming naturalized US citizens. That had been a problem going on for many years, due in large part to the inefficiencies and mismanagement inherent in the old Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the lack of communication and coordination among the various Intelligence and law enforcement agencies involved in counter-terrorism matters. Notwithstanding those problems, a few good cases were made, with successful investigations and prosecutions being realized.

Chemical Games --[The Fourth Rail]
The successful assault on the northern city of Tal Afar brought the prospect of chemical warfare in Iraq to the fore. Two al Qaeda linked groups claimed to have conducted successful attacks using chemical weapons last week. The Army of the Victorious Sect stated they attacked the Interior Ministry with rockets equipped with chemical weapons, while the Islamic Army of Iraq also took credit for firing a chemical mortar round. No proof of a successful chemical attack was found nor were any unusual injuries reported.

Shortly after the purported attacks, an al Qaeda linked web forum praised the attacks and discussed the prospects of the terrorist group being in possession of chemical weapons.

Cindy Sheehan's Freedom Fighters --[GOP Vixen]
When Cindy Sheehan had her proverbial fifteen minutes of fame, she described the terrorists fighting the United States troops and those of the elected Iraqi government as "freedom fighters." Colonel H.R. McMaster offers some details about Cindy's freedom fighters...

MSM REPORTS ON TERRORISM

Leaders at U.N. Seek Anti-Terror Treaty --[AP]
Having already agreed to condemn terrorism, leaders at the U.N. General Assembly urged quick adoption of a comprehensive global treaty that would put the words into action.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Salt Lick to the Rescue!!!!!!!! --[Those Wacky Iraqis - in Iraq]
The Salt Lick is a famous Texas BBQ place located just outside Austin, Texas. It has wonderful BBQ and terrific sauce. I contacted the owners and while they could not send us any BBQ they were kind enough to send a case of sauce. We had a big ole Texas style cookout and even invited some Texas National Guard troops to the cookout. Every bit of this sauce was either soaked into meat or sopped up with bread. This small gesture by the owners will cause years of good will with all the Texans who work, live, and fight here. Thank you Salt Lick!

Some times the little things from home go a long, long way. If any of the readers know people over here they should send them some small taste of home.

The Desecration Continues --[Andi's World]
Unfortunately, the weekly reports from Walter Reed continue. CodePink doesn't appear to be backing down, they are still preying on our wounded heroes. Friday night brought more of the same.

The "Quiet Zone" sign made another appearance, which reinforced the state of disarray that CodePink find themselves in of late. On one side of the street you could hear two guitar-strumming Pinkos and a chorus of singers belting out their beloved 60s tunes, while on the other side of the street the "Quiet Zone" sign was unveiled. It was enough to confuse even the sharpest of minds.

MSM REPORTS ON SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS...OR NOT

Anti-war activist Sheehan brings protest tour to NY --[Reuters]
Peace activist Cindy Sheehan brought her "Bring Them Home Now Tour" to a Brooklyn church on Sunday, where she was greeted by hundreds of cheering supporters.

POLITICS

Two Presidential Addresses --[Dadmanly - in Iraq]
Who would have guessed, as the crisis with Katrina and New Orleans unfolded, that the Fourth Act of the Drama would culminate in a serious debate about the limits, philosophic basis, and hidden dangers of Big Government intervention in human affairs?

And even if you had guessed it would come to that, would you ever have guessed that President George W. Bush would make an impassioned argument for the Big Government position, and a popular satirist would be sounding the warning clang of the serious danger such intervention can pose?

Becoming More Convinced By The Day --[Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
More and more, I am becoming convinced that direct election of senators is one of the worst changes we ever made to the Constitution. Reading this AP story convinced me to write this post. In it, Arlen Specter talks about the likely confirmation of Roberts as Chief Justice and what President Bush should do with the second Court nomination coming up.

The Falling Man --[GM's Corner]
My heart breaks everytime I see this photograph. Today I came across this story that I had never seen before titled "The Falling Man" and my heart broke all over again. But, I am not sad with a broken heart. My heart is broken and I am angry. Very, very ANGRY! Angry that OBL thought he could intimidate America, angry that many said that we deserved the attack, angry that too many Muslims cheered and danced over the death of so many Americans, angry that there is enough hatred in the world that this kind of thing can happen. Read the story by clicking on the photograph. (pic)

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Key Republican sees Roberts approved by September 29 --[Reuters]
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted on Sunday that John Roberts will be approved as the next U.S. Chief Justice when the full U.S. Senate votes on his nomination by Thursday, September 29.
Asked if he agreed with those who say Roberts will be confirmed, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter said: "I wouldn't dispute that."

Specter Seeks Another Roberts-Like Nominee --[AP]
Predicting an easy confirmation for John Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he hoped President Bush's next Supreme Court nominee will share Roberts' conservative credentials.

Former Ill. Gov. Goes on Trial for Fraud --[AP]
Although his former campaign committee, campaign manager and chief of staff have been found guilty of racketeering, former Gov. George Ryan vows he'll be acquitted when he goes to court to face 22 charges stemming from a federal probe.

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