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

HOLIDAY -- [One Marine's View - in Iraq]
We were out and about out west and visited some Marines and Soldiers living large, NOT. Their morale was high and they walked with their chest out knowing everyone did good with the accomplished elections. However they had No running water, bad chow and pooping in a 55 gal drum that gets burnt once a day, Yea that?s right you commie cry hole bed wetters out their in lolly liberal land, these are the warriors stomping mud holes in terrorists butts!

Saddam Hussein... -- [Phil and Becky - Phil's in Iraq]
We watched briefly today as the former president of Iraq graciously educated us on the illegitimacy of his trial and then informed us that he is not guilty of the charges before him. Given this groundbreaking information, it is clear that we must recognize the error of our ways and release the former president immediately. My recommendation is that we move immediately to release Saddam Hussein into, say, a crowded Basra marketplace.

The Trial of the Century -- [Hammorabi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The reason we chose this title for the trial of Saddam Hussein is not because of he is important person but because of the magnitude of his crimes. He and his regime committed the worst crimes in the recent history of mankind. He used countless and unprecedented means to perpetrate his crimes. On the extent these crimes were not limited against the Iraqis but it extended to involve other peoples in different countries, the environment, and more over it is continued until now.

Let justice be served. -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
While Baghdad?s streets were nearly empty, most Iraqis were glued to the TV and I bet many Arabs were as well.
Our place was full of full of friends today as we decided we would watch the trial together just like we lived what led to this day together; the first thing we noticed was that electricity was much better today and I don?t know if that was an exceptions made to allow more people to watch the awaited show but anyway we already prepared for outages and stored enough fuel for the generator.

This steams me.... -- [Kurdistan Bloggers Union - an Iraqi in Iraq]
I am going to comment on someone else's blog today...

Truth Teller from A Family from Mosul has been posting recently some articles about the validity of Saddam ordering the bombing of Halapja. News stories blaming the Iranian government for the gassing of Kurds is nothing new, but they seem to resurface over and over. Truth Teller has posted two stories in the past few days, here and here, and of course my favorite entitled No Proof Saddam Gassed the Kurds. Rather than paraphrases each post, please read what he wrote (which is mostly articles written by other people) and let me know what you think.

Why Saddam might go free -- [Riding Sun]
Well, the first of Saddam Hussein's trials is under way. The case at hand currently concerns his execution of just 143 men, but subsequent charges may address his gassing of thousands of Kurds.

Iraq Pictures - Thursday, October 20, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
Iraqi voters head to a polling site in Haswah to cast their ballot in the Iraqi constitution referendum election. Note the spacing of people to prevent criminal bombers from killing them. Unknown to them - criminal bombers go to hell.

Thoughts from the Ground -- [They Call Us, "Doc" - in Iraq]
By now, you should know that the Iraqi voting went very well, as the people of Iraq voted on their proposed constitution. Voter turn-out was high in our Area of Operations as I believe the Iraqi security forces and local governments were successful not only with distributing copies of the constitution but also with securing polling sites and making the citizens of Iraq feel safe. I don?t have ?hard? numbers to post, but the Commander of the Iraqi Army battalion here told me that, ??at least 70 percent of the people voted.? It was cool to see the soldiers come back from voting day operations with their index fingers inked purple, from voting themselves. Again, the 278th RCT has humbly played a very small part in the history of the world.

Day 277 - Away from Home and Around the World -- [Waynes World - Wayne's in Iraq]
?Well, the night went by, voting day came, voting night came, but not a mortar, artillery, machine gun, or personal weapon was heard. It was surreal how quiet it was. Here we were, expecting it to be the liveliest day and night since we had been there. Instead, we got the extreme opposite. Totally quiet. No cars anywhere. No weapons being fired, even from the marines on the other side of the river. Just total peace.?

Good News -- [PARTAMIAN REPORT]
Here is an excerpt from an e-mail I received from one of my OCS buddies in Iraq. I have taken out some stuff for OPSEC.

Where Do I Plug it In? (Roger in Iraq) -- [ROFA Six]
Many enjoyed Roger's earlier missive from Iraq which I posted here, "A Fobbits Tale - Roger in Iraq," which provided a detailed and vivid image of what life on his FOB was like. This time he takes a more personal turn. Here he points out that despite all the benefits of technology which he and his family will use to communicate during his deployment, when it comes to staying close to ones you love, there is nothing more special than the going away gift his wife presented him ... a special surprise that doesn't need electrons to stay connected with each other. It is a softer side of the tough men who do hard things for our country in Iraq. Stay safe Roger!

Life -- [365 and a Wake Up - in Iraq]
Last night a grain of hot metal tumbled through the air, a swift manmade meteor crashing through the heavens. The statistical chances of this solitary round impacting one the scattered buildings was negligible, and the chances of it actually injuring someone were almost infinitesimal. But in stark defiance to all known laws of probability, this small sliver of dead steel plummeted downward, downward, downward? until its path intersected a house. And then it continued on, tunneling its way into a little girl sitting down for the celebration of Ishtar.

Striving to Fail -- [Hurl's Blog - just home from Iraq]
Once again, Democrat politicians reveal their stupidity and jaw-dropping ignorance. Or perhaps it's malicious partisan politics. - Or both?

Senator Joe Biden (D-Del) took the lead in voicing the desire of Democrats to have a "Plan" revealed for US withdrawal from Iraq. While questioning Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, he asked, "I'm not looking for a date to get out of Iraq, but at what point, assuming the strategy works, do you think we'll be able to see some sign of bringing some American forces home?" Referring in general to the Bush administration, he asked "What's the plan, Stan?"

DOD REPORTS ON IRAQ

U.S. SOLDIERS STOP BOMBS BEFORE THEY EXPLODE -- {CENTCOM}
BAGHDAD, Iraq ? Task Force Baghdad Soldiers found and destroyed terrorists? bombs and weapons caches during combat operations Oct. 19 in and around various Baghdad districts.

The U.S. Soldiers found at least eight improvised explosive devices before they could be detonated by terrorists.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Professor of Death -- [TIME Online]...APARISIM GHOSH
EXCLUSIVE: An Iraqi insurgent leader reveals how he trains and equips suicide bombers and sends them on their lethal missions
"Daddy, I want to be a martyr. Can you get me an explosive belt?"

When Abu Qaqa al-Tamimi's 9-year-old son asked for his help in becoming a suicide bomber, he was, to say the least, taken aback.

Reporter for British paper kidnapped -- (Houston Chronicle)
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - The Iraq reporter for the British newspaper the Guardian, Rory Carroll, 33, was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad on Wednesday after venturing out to talk to Iraqis about the trial of Saddam Hussein, family and colleagues said.

26 Iraqis And 5 G.I.'s Killed; Reporter Missing -- (New York Times)...Edward Wong
At least 26 Iraqis, 5 American soldiers and a British soldier were killed in attacks late Tuesday and Wednesday, officials reported Wednesday. Rory Carroll, a reporter working for The Guardian, was believed to have been abducted in Baghdad, the newspaper said.

Iraqis Nab Alleged Top Terror Financier -- (FOX News)
CAIRO, Egypt ? Iraqi police on Wednesday arrested Saddam Hussein's (search) nephew in Baghdad, charging that he served as the top financier of Iraq's (search) rampant insurgency, senior Iraqi security officials said.

IRAQ: WE ARE FIGHTING FOR AN ISLAMIC STATE, SAYS AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ -- (AKI)
Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the terror group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has released a new statement in which it explains the reasons for its terror campaign and states that they are not fighting the US occupation of Iraq, but to create "an Islamic state which is part of the caliphate and the Muslim territory."

Saddam Pleads Innocent, Gets Into Scuffle -- (AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A defiant Saddam Hussein quarreled with judges and scuffled with guards at the opening of his long-awaited trial Wednesday, rejecting the tribunal's right to judge him and insisting he is still the president of Iraq. Sitting inside a white pen with metal bars, Saddam appeared gaunt and frail and his salt-and-pepper beard was unkempt as he pleaded innocent to charges of murder, torture, forced expulsions and illegal detentions. He wore a suit with a white shirt and no tie.

Law Experts Divided Over Legitimacy Of Tribunal -- (Los Angeles Times)...Henry Weinstein
When Saddam Hussein declared Wednesday that the Iraqi war crimes tribunal had no right to put him on trial, he was not the first to raise questions about the panel's legitimacy.

Props and Puppets -- {Military .com}...Opinion -Wade Sanders
It remains to be seen just how far George Bush is willing to go in exploiting the members of our uniformed services to compensate for his own lack of substance. Pretending to be a pilot at the controls of an airplane he is not qualified to fly, then strutting about on aircraft carrier deck wearing the uniform of a service he did not serve in; gathering together the willing and unwilling to provide a tapestry for his speeches. However, I must say that his recently staged ?spontaneous and unrehearsed? live from Tikrit, with carefully screened soldiers already sworn to obey him under pain of courts-martial, may set a new benchmark. (By the way, hold the presses on the body armor, we need to get better Teleprompters for our troops, they had a tough time reading those cue cards and actually seemed coached.)

AFGHANISTAN

CENTCOM condemns desecration of bodies, says investigation is forthcoming -- [A Healthy Alternative to Work]
MacDill AFB, FL -- Recent media reports out of Afghanistan have alleged that U.S. forces were involved in an incident involving the desecration of the bodies of deceased enemy combatants.

New American GI Muslim Abuse Allegations - Watch the Arab Media Spin This One -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
There are allegations out of Afghanistan, made by a cameraman working for an Australian network and embedded with the 82nd Airborne, that U.S. soldiers burned the bodies of two killed Taliban fighters and then broadcast "an inflammatory message over loudspeakers to taunt and bait the enemy." Both the alleged burning and the alleged taunting would be severe violations of military rules and grounds for tough disciplinary action.

Comedy, Canadians, lamers, wantabe heros and kids. -- [Going Down Range - in Afghanistan]
We had a few comedians drop by to help us forget that we are here for a few minutes. They were both funny and one even made a diary online of his adventures here while [he] did his comedy tour. His comments about ?Burka boy Thursday? and the ramp ceremony are spot on, sick and funny. You [have] got to be here to understand.

Mass Shipping Information--Pledges Coming In! -- [Operation Flintstone - in Afghanistan]
As promised, I have further information on doing a mass shipping for "Operation Flintstone- Afghanistan" through Healing Hands, an organization specializing in international shipments of educational and medical supplies.
For the purposes of "Operation Flintstone," both educational and medical supplies will be welcomed.

Following the Afghan road? -- [Orlando Sentinel blog - in Afghanistan]
...the Afghans seemed like a pretty sharp unit. The Americans advising them noted they took up good positions around the checkpoint and seemed to know what they were doing. And their commander was very active -- continually walking their perimeter and shifting them where needed.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

US soldiers said to burn dead Taliban in TV footage -- (The Boston Globe)
Australian television aired video yesterday showing US soldiers in Afghanistan allegedly burning two dead Taliban fighters and using the charred bodies in an attempt to taunt other enemy forces in the area.
...The broadcast prompted the US military to order an immediate criminal investigation. Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the region, issued a statement decrying any desecration of enemy combatants as contrary to US policy and the Geneva Conventions.

Joy, fury as Iraqis watch Saddam trial -- (Reuters)
DUJAIL, Iraq - Some Iraqis watched with relief as Saddam Hussein's trial began on Wednesday, bringing to account the man who brutalized them for three decades. Others, particularly among the Sunni minority, angrily dismissed the trial as a U.S.-manipulated kangaroo court, declaring they did not recognize the case against a man who still proudly styles himself "the president of Iraq."

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

And People Wonder Why Americans Dislike the UN -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
Our buddies the French are at it again:

A French-led cultural diversity pact transparently designed to stem U.S. cultural hegemony is likely to be ratified by an overwhelming majority at UNESCO's 33rd plenary meeting opening this Friday. But in an echo of the Kyoto treaty on climate change, the U.S., which rejoined the UN cultural agency only two years ago, is miffed because it believes the pact would allow countries to erect trade barriers against lucrative American exports like Hollywood blockbusters.

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Bush To Meet Palestinian Leader -- (CBS News)
(CBS/AP) Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas wants President Bush to pressure Israel to dismantle illegal outposts, allow free elections and reverse a newly imposed policy of keeping Palestinian motorists off main West Bank roads, officials say.

Iran 'punishes' Britain with a ban on imports -- (Telegraph)
Iran has imposed an undeclared embargo on British imports as it steps up accusations that Britain is behind a series of bombings near the southern border with Iraq.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS OR NOT...

Soldiers Angels on Snopes.com?? -- [Holly Aho - A Soldier's Angel]
For those of you who don't know, Snopes.com is a website dedicated to Urban Legends and their validity (or lack thereof). If you ever get an email that contains information you consider questionable (remember the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier email?) you can visit Snopes.com to find out if the email is bogus or not. Well anyways, this is a story that is tracked by Snopes.com as a true story, and not an urban legend. It seems that the email was just too amazing to be true, and therefore people questioned its truthfulness - hence the article at Snopes - referencing it's validity.

Cliches -- [Six More Months in Iraq - in Iraq]
I received this email last night:
Greetings!I've been follow troops morale and deployments and developments since the war began, and I've felt very upset about the ideas this country has about how best to "support the troops"...
...I followed the link and watched Kaz?s little clich頯f an anti veteran film. It purports to be a psychological evaluation of a combat vet charged with murder. I?m sure they think they are being clever with the not so subtle ways that they make the vet look ignorant and brainwashed, but the effort was laughable. In the first few moments of the film, the ?vet? refers to the president as ?George Bush Jr? (because vets are too stupid to know the presidents real name). It heads downhill from there. I checked out the ?learn? link on the page and was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find a page full of anti war links, running the gamut from MoveOn.org to Poets against the war.

Disgusting...But Not Suprising -- [ WarriorsVoice - in Iraq]
Someone sent me these pictures. I'll be the first to say that these type of people are not the majority of individuals who represent American citizens who are against the war on terror. However, one should ask themselves why would the anti-war movement allow these scumbags to be a part of their protests.

MILITARY

Bonus issues? -- [Steven Kiel - in Iraq]
I came across this article today and kind of laughed:
When a bonus isn?t a bonus, Murray fires

Basically it's saying that the bonuses that were given for reenlisting earlier this year are no longer valid. Here's a quote from the article, "A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, confirmed the bonuses had been canceled, saying they violated Pentagon policies because they duplicated other programs."

POLITICS

There's a First For Everything -- [Banter in Atlanter]
Looks like Jabba the Hut Ted Kennedy has conquered his fear of saving people who are drowning in a body of water.
"The Cape Cod Times reports the Massachusetts Democrat was walking his two Portuguese waterdogs on the shore at about 11:15 a.m. when he spotted the men cut off from the shore by rising waters.

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Arrest warrant issued for DeLay -- (Seattle Times)
AUSTIN, Texas ? A state court issued an arrest warrant yesterday for US Rep. Tom DeLay, requiring him to appear in Texas for booking on conspiracy and money-laundering charges. The court set an initial $10,000 ...

Sheehan thrashing 'war hawk' Hillary
Cindy tears into Clinton for Iraq support, compares her to radio's Rush Limbaugh -- (World Net Daily)
Cindy Sheehan, the so-called "peace mom" on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict.

THE MEDIA

Staged?? THIS Is Staged! -- [They Call Us, "Doc" - in Iraq]
On the Today show this morning, Katie Couric was promoting a segment that would talk about the apparent staged inteview with soldiers in Iraq. A few moments later the show went to correspondent Michelle Kosinski, reporting on location about the floods in New Jersey.

E-Mail Trail -- [Right in Raleigh]
I will include the whole e-mail trail of this remarkable exchange with the public editor of the regional paper here in Raleigh, the N&O. Remember, this guy is hired to represent the readers and root out problems at the paper like political bias.

Big Media Disappointed Over Success In Iraq -- [Open Fire]
I found a small nugget that, once again, points out liberal media bias.

At blogwidow, Mark Kilmer cites an AP story about the likely passage of the Iraqi constitution. In his post he accurately points out the glass-is-half-empty tone of the AP story. You can clearly read it in the excerpt he uses:

MSM Anti-war Bias - What Milbloggers Have Been Saying All Along! -- [Some Soldier's Mom]
The Media Research Center says the coverage by ABC, NBC and CBS is biased against the war and the soldiers and doesn't tell the good news! I think I mighta heard that somewhere before...

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

Another Iraqi Blogger joins the blogsphere -- [An Average Iraqi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
On other news, my efforts to convince some of my college friends to get a blog has finally paid off. Today my best friend Samy has finally started a blog. However his blog is going to be mostly in Arabic, since his English is not very good. I will translate some of his posts if I think they are worth it. Go say hello to him, even if you can't read the post.

Programming Your Blog or Website - Part 2 -- [Holly Aho - A Soldier's Angel]
Anything anyone is trying to charge you for you can install for free on your webhost. Want e-commerce? Forums? Traffic analyzers? Want to know which of your outgoing links are most popular? Want a blog? If a webhost is asking you for an extra charge to add a service you can almost guarantee that you can get it for free by installing the program yourself. Why would someone pay a MONTHLY fee for traffic stats? Your webhost simply installs a program for you on your website and gives you a link to view the analysis. They do this ONCE...and it works forever. You however, pay for it monthly. They aren't even doing anything! The programs run themselves (automated). The same goes for anything else.

MSM REPORTS ON MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

Instant and intense, troops' online journals multiply -- (Sacremento Bee - Free Subcription required) HT:Who's your Baghdaddy?
Immediate and intimate, revealing and raw: For firsthand, unflinching accounts of life in a war zone, look no further than milblogs.
Short for military blogs, milblogs are personal online journals being kept by hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WELCOME HOME

Going to California -- Major K - on leave from Iraq]
The day has finally arrived! I am in Kuwait, witing for my flight back to the US for my two week mid-tour leave. I get to finally see my lovely Wife and witness the birth of my Son. I cannot wait. I am restless with anticipation. I will probably not post for a while...

KC's Infantry Marines are Home -- [JD's Blog - Faces from the Front]
With lights flashing and sirens wailing, the Police escort sped down I-435 and two buses of Infantry Marines followed.

The Marines of Fallujah's Silver Platoon met up with their Kansas City brothers in Camp Lejeune, N.C. on a rain soaked morning, that turned into a beer soaked night of swapping war stories.

Help 4th Recon! -- [Help 4th Recon Site]
10/18/05 UPDATE: As of 7:00 PM CST, the 4th Recon are meeting with their families and friends who are greeting them at the airport. They are home safe now, but don't forget that Help 4th Recon will still be continued.

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