Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. 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. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.

IRAQ

Iraq: After the bombs, the tomatoes -- [AFP]
..."It's the first time in three years I am able to work in my lands," said Ammar Wadi, a 30-year-old vegetable farmer who also runs a small dairy herd.
His lands, on the banks of the Tigris, are thriving. Besides tomatoes, he also grows ochre and wheat, while some of his 30 acres is devoted to pastures.
"When Al-Qaeda was here it was impossible to farm," said the jolly-faced farmer from under an orange cap while taking time out from his labours to visit his cousin's newly-reopened grocery store on a dusty rural road.
"They cut the power so we couldn't pump water," said Wadi. "We couldn't buy fuel. They would shoot at anyone they saw in the fields. They kidnapped and murdered many people. They destroyed life here."
..."Al-Qaeda are the worst criminals on earth," he said standing before large posters of his slain relatives displayed among others killed by Al-Qaeda at a memorial set up at the local community centre.
"I hope they never come back. We now just want to farm in peace. I hope the Americans stay here for a long, long time," he said.

Greetings from Camp Phoenix -- [Cheese's MilBlog - in Iraq]
This place is surprisingly similar to my expectations. As I anticipated, Kabul is the safest place in the world! The traffic is out of this world, though, and I hope to post pictures of it soon. The people are amazing, though...vastly different from Iraq. They are the most industrious and creative people I have ever seen. Again, pictures will be up soon.
Our living conditions are great, too. I have internet in my room now...how insane is that, especially when you're used to Midland, Iraq? We don't have a lot of down time right now, but we're working furiously to get all of our equipment ready. Things should calm down soon.

Iraqi PM to neighbors: 'We've passed the crisis' -- [AP]
KUWAIT CITY (AP) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is trying to persuade his Arab neighbors in a meeting in Kuwait that his country has "passed the crisis" and is much better off than a year ago....

Al-Qaeda in Iraq: Determined but Desperate -- [PJM - Omar Fadhil (Iraq the Model)]
The latest three messages from al-Qaeda addressing the Sunni community uncover the depth of the crisis that al-Qaeda is facing in its former host community.
The threatening tone of the missives from the alleged Abu Omar Baghdadi and Aby Ayyub, and the insulting tone of the second by Zawahiri, reflect mistrust, anxiety and a dire need to retrieve what was lost.
Death threats do not represent a serious call for cooperation on an achievable objective. This “work-for-me-or-I-kill-you” tone is completely different from the usual recruiting slogans that have focused on the ideology of fighting for absolute truth against absolute evil.
Those slogans have failed, which is why they have been discarded and replaced by threats and an effort to seek out third parties to render verdicts on disagreements, which is what Baghdadi alluded to when he proposed that some (not all!) Sunni clerics come forward to mediate between al-Qaeda and the public.

Fox, 2/24 unearths massive weapons caches -- [Fearless 1st Marines’ blog - dispatches in Iraq]
HABBANIYAH, Iraq (Apr. 18, 2008) – Marines of third platoon, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, can thank the local Iraqi people for the numerous weapons caches found from Apr. 7-11.
The Marines are grateful for the intelligence given by a local Iraqi, which lead to unearthing 6.5 tons of ordinance, ammunition and an abundance of enemy weapons from several cache sights; taking away an enormous amount of possible threats to coalition forces from the enemy.

Iraq News (21 April) -- [LT Nixen - in Iraq]
The Good: Arab Jabour is located south of Baghdad and was once safe-haven for terrorists and other undesirables. This made life a living hell for its residents. Due to the surge strategy of US/Iraqi combat operations followed by a rigorous "Sons of Iraq" program, the place has completely turned around. AFP has been running some interesting stories on what has taken place and here's one about a butcher. 40 militia fighters have been killed in combat operations in the southern Dhi Qar province...so much for the "uprising" there. Kuwait is thinking about opening an embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone.

I and My Brother Against My Cousin -- [Weekly Standard]
Is Islam the best way to understand the war on terror? Tribalism may offer a clearer view of our enemies' motivations.
...Culture and Conflict in the Middle East (Humanity Books, 224 pages, $34.95). It is a major event: the most penetrating, reliable, systematic, and theoretically sophisticated effort yet made
to understand the Islamist challenge the United States is facing in cultural terms. A professor of anthropology at Montreal's McGill University, Salzman specializes in the study of Middle Eastern nomads. He, too, is something of a last survivor of a once proud band. What Salzman has managed is to have preserved, nurtured, deepened, and applied to our current challenge a once-dominant anthropological perspective on tribal societies: the study of tribes organized into "segmentary lineages." It was one of the great achievements of modern anthropology. Yet, over the past 40 years, scholars have largely rejected and forgotten the study of segmentary lineage systems.
Nearly a century after Ishi's surrender, the United States finds itself locked in a struggle with fierce jihadi warriors shaped by the pervasively tribal culture of the Islamic Near East. Whether hidden in the mountain sanctuaries of Waziristan or in the fastness of the Iraqi desert, the heart of the jihadi rebellion is tribal. The classic tribal themes of honor and solidarity inspire and draw recruits to the cause--from among lowland peasants and educated urbanites as well. Yet tribalism has been vastly overshadowed by Islam in our attempts to understand the jihadist challenge.

Sadr threatens new uprising; Iraqi and US forces press attack -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The battle between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi and US forces intensified over the weekend. As the Iraqi Army took control of a Mahdi Army stronghold in Basrah, Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army, threatened to end the self-imposed cease-fire. Iraqi security forces have also stepped up efforts against the Mahdi Army in the center-south region of Iraq, and captured more than 40 of the Iranian-backed Special Groups, a Mahdi Army splinter group.

Muqtada al-Sadr Threatens War

2217 Dec 19, 2006. Baghdad, Iraq -- [Lumberjack in a Desert - injured in Iraq]
I woke up to the sound of my gunner screaming. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!” He was brushing and patting down his legs. I’m not sure if it was because he thought his legs were on fire, or if it was from the searing burn of hot copper shrapnel and bone fragments that had just entered his legs. Everything was suddenly very loud.
Our gun truck had somehow come to a stop on the MSR. The road through the windshield was unusually dark. Usually lit up like daylight with eight spotlights in front of our gun truck, it was now barely lit by a couple of surviving lights. The smell of burning copper, electronics, and flesh was thick in the air to the point of being nauseating. It’s a smell I will never forget, a smell that still permeates some of my surviving gear to this day. It still reminds me of death.
After a second or two of dazed confusion, I said out loud in a pleading, quiet, murmur to myself, “Oh Josie, oh Josie!” This was only my fourth mission out since I returned from my two week R&R back home. My young wife of 9 months was fresh on my mind, even if we had only spent a total of 3 weeks together as a married couple.
“I can’t feel my arm!” I groaned.

Of chow and mortars -- [From the Halls to the Shores - in Iraq]
It was a sound I wasn't used to. And so I froze for a second - a little "deer in the headlights" action - waiting to see what the protocol was. My first response was to head for the exits. I mean, the only thing I was familiar with that was close to the sound I was hearing was a fire alarm. And so - flashing back to being ten years old in school - line up and head for the exits. Right?
Of course, that would be monumentally stupid, which I realized before even a second passed. Why? Because there were shells falling outside... somewhere. Which the "big voice" on the PA system made abundantly clear, when - in between the whooping, dive klaxon-like sound I was hearing - it stated quite clearly, "Incoming. Incoming."

Iraqi Army Memorial Service -- [Miserable Donuts - in Iraq]
The Iraqi Army lost some men, including a Brigadier, during the recent fighting around Basrah. Yesterday began a three day period where a memorial/rememberance would be held for a portion of the day. I was invited to attend, and was allowed, even encouraged, to photograph any part of the event.
We came to the place it was held, where banners were hung announcing the mourning.

Rodeo, VBIEDs, and other life in the Grinder -- [The Alley - in Iraq]
VBIEDs -The last few days have brought us a dozen or so pretty severely injured national patients, many of them from this incident. You just shake your head every now and then at what suffering some will inflict on their fellow human beings, without remorse. This VBIED (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device), or car-bomb, was detonated in front of a crowded Baqouba restaurant, killing scores of men, women, and children. The pattern of injuries is gruesome, too, with a combination of fragment peppering and full-thickness burns. Given the number tallies on CNN, I think one of my Iraqi colleagues in Baqouba is pretty busy himself with more of the injured victims.

Day to Day -- [Vince's experiences - in Iraq]
It has been a busy couple of weeks but all has been quiet here for the past week. Starting Easter Sunday and for two weeks we received one of the
largest number of indirect fire (IDF) attacks in the past year...mainly 107mm and 122mm rockets (a few 240mm). Except for the IDF and IEDs, most
of the kinetic operations are in the north or south provinces. Kinetic operations was a new term for me and now I like to throw it around.
It means shooting and killing. Non-kinetic operations are the reconstruction efforts, engagements with the ministries, governance, and anything relationship or construction related. Engagements means coaching, teaching, mentoring the Iraqis.

Rice Backs Iraq's Government After "Open War" Threat.

The Secretary of State's visit to Iraq. Scenes include meet and greets, photo sprays, a sit down at the Iraqi Prime Minister's house and meeting with troops and State Department employees. Part 1 of 2.

Another Person Deserving a Pat on the Back -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
The military takes a great deal of flack for making decisions that might follow regulations, but some times seem to lack compassion. That is why I like to post things where the compassionate thing was clearly done. It if involves dogs, so much the better.
Late last sumer I published this about a dog handler and his dog that were killed here and then cremated and buried together.
Now we have this story.

House of the Holy -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
...My scout platoon has returned to the combat outpost from an all-night mission. Twenty men out, twenty men in. We are hungry. We are exhausted. We can smell the stench from our own bodies. What we want has made that dangerous evolution into what we need. Despite all of this, the dreamer in me – ignored for many hours, and desperate for attention - seizes my mind with ironclad resolve, forcing me stare off to the east, into the sun and towards the mosque. My soldiers trudge ahead of me, out of the motor pool and into the outpost, spurred on only by the hope that they’ll be left alone for a few hours. I promised them nothing in this regard, something they all seem to understand. The Frago gods enjoy smiting those that ignore their omnipotence.

Dust Storm in Baghdad -- [James Aalan Bernsen - in Iraq]
This week, the City of Baghdad was choked and covered with fine dust as high winds pushed in a sandstorm from the West.
I knew it was coming, since I get a weather briefing every day from an Air Force meteorologist, but it was nonetheless a surprise when I stepped outside and saw a dense, impenetrable fog cast about the horizon.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Army Making Progress; Police Force Needs Work, U.S. General Says -- [Defense Link]
WASHINGTON, April 18, 2008 – Afghanistan’s growing army is starting to take the lead in battles against Taliban insurgents, but the country’s constabulary still requires work, the U.S. commander in charge of training and equipping those forces said today.
The pace of Afghan Army development has been “quite remarkable in terms of their ability to field a force,” said Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, chief of Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan.
In addition, Afghan soldiers have been taking the lead in most of the major operations against the enemy over the past three months, Cone told Pentagon reporters from his base in Kabul during a satellite news conference.

Iranian, Afghan forces clash along border -- [MSNBC]
Kabul says Iranian patrol crossed border; civilian killed, 2 Iranians hurt
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan police clashed with Iranian forces at the southwestern border between the two countries, leaving one civilian dead and two Iranian officers wounded, officials said Sunday.
The incident in the village of Pul-e-Abreshum in Nimroz province happened Saturday after an Iranian patrol entered Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Afghan police dispatched a unit to the village and a gunbattle ensued. A teacher from the village was killed during the firefight, said provincial police chief Gen. Ayub Badakhshi.

International Doubts about the Afghanistan Campaign -- [Captain's Journal]
The Canadians are having misgivings about the Afghanistan campaign, even as Canadian Brigadier General Denis Thompson is preparing to take over head of NATO forces there. The disagreement is over the very nature of the mission and how to ensure the departure of Canadian forces as soon as possible.
Paras tread warily in Helmand province as they learn the skills of ‘going lethal’ -- [Times Online]
The British sniper lay on the rooftop of a compound within sight and range of about 20 Taleban armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenades in a dugout, and waited for the order to “go lethal”. He had already fired warning shots but the rounds from his long-range 338 rifle had failed to scare them from their bunker.
Overhead, a lone Desert Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), not much more than a polystyrene model plane but with a fancy camera on board sending pictures back to the commander, detected that the Taleban were preparing for a fight.

Small Rewards Program pays big dividends in insurgent weapons finds -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101 - in Afghanistan]
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – An Afghan man assisted Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces in uncovering more than 325 pieces of ammunition when he led them to a weapons cache in a cave in Northern Afghanistan, April 13. According to a Coalition soldier who participated in the ANSF-led mission...

2-82 Afganistan 82nd Airborne

Cash tender -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
...FOO stands for "Field Ordering Officer" and as an Embedded Training Team FOO, you get to spend between $10,000 and $15,000 every month helping and equipping the Afghan National Police. You have to account for all of the money spent, getting receipts and making sure all of the purchases are allowed.
Afghani is the currency here and that is how the monthly funds are issued. The exchange rate works out to about 1,000 Afghani being equal to $20.

Old home week -- [Voices from the War - in Afghanistan]
My team finally reached Afghanistan. We are in the capitol for inprocessing. It's really great to see all the guys from Buffalo. It's like old home week for me.
I received news that the team is moving out to the Southern region in a few days. There is a mix of excitement and melancholy. I am always excited to get to new places and people, but here I already know so many people and have such a support network in place; so i am divided.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Geopolitical Diary: Syria and Israel Consider a Deal -- [Stratfor]
Rumors are circulating once again that Syria and Israel are engaged in serious peace talks. Syrian President Bashar al Assad announced April 19 that he had exchanged back-channel messages with Israel about possibility of resuming talks, adding that Israel knows well what Syria will and will not accept, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported on Sunday.
In a similar vein, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday that the two countries have been engaged in talks, stating “They know what we want from them, and I know full well what they want from us.” Stratfor sources also say that an undercover meeting took place between April 17 between Syria and Israel.

Bush: U.S. Will Maintain Troop Levels in Korea -- [Defense Link]
The United States will keep its current number of troops -- roughly 28,000 -- deployed to the Republic of Korea, President Bush said during a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart President Lee Myung-Bak.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Al-Qaida No. 2 says 9/11 theory propagated by Iran - [AP]
CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden's chief deputy on Tuesday denied a theory that Israel carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and blamed Iran and Shiite Hezbollah for spreading the idea to discredit the Sunni al-Qaida's strike against the U.S. The comments in a recording posted on an Islamic Web site reflected the increasing criticism by al-Qaida's No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri against Iran. Al-Zawahri has accused Iran in recent messages of seeking to extend its power in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and through its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

Al Qaeda No. 2: Attacks on Western nations in works -- [CNN]
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al Qaeda still has plans to target Western countries involved in the Iraq war, Osama bin Laden's chief deputy warns in an audiotape released Tuesday to answer questions posed by followers.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, seen in 2006, said in a recent tape that Iran and Hezbollah sought to discredit al Qaeda.
The voice in the lengthy file posted on an Islamic Web site could not be immediately confirmed as al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri's. But it sounded like past audiotapes from the terror leader, and the posting bore the logo of As-Sahab, al Qaeda's official media arm
The two-hour message is billed as the second installment of al-Zawahiri's answers to more than 900 questions submitted on extremist Internet sites by al Qaeda supporters, critics and journalists in December.
Responding to a question of whether the terror group had plans to attack Western countries that participated in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and subsequent war, al-Zawahiri said, "My answer is, yes.

Al Qaeda in Yemen: mercenaries or terrorists? -- [LWJ - Jane Novak]
Yemen is a hotbed for al Qaeda activities in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. The current government fosters and deploys Islamic extremists as mercenaries and as a tool of foreign policy, according to Yemeni observers.

Terrorist State: Majority of Palestinians Support Suicide Bombings -- [Jawa Report]
The number of Palestinians who support terrorist attacks against Israel continues to rise:
Palestinians who support bombing attacks against Israeli civilians rose from 44.8% in June 2006 to 48% in September 2006 and to 50.7% now.
At the same time, confidence in Palestinian leaders is at extremely low levels:

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Resiliency Center: Guidelines for Listening to War Veterans -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
The main problem for many war veterans and survivors of torturous experiences is not what they went through. Their problem is that very few people have the emotional strength to listen to them talk about what they went through. The poor relationships that survivors often have with spouses, children, relatives, neighbors, employers, and co-workers are not merely a result of delayed reactions to stress. The feelings of isolation and poor relationships with others are, in part, from having bad experiences with people who are poor listeners.
Pictures of the war in Iraq did not show the gruesome carnage caused by the bombing. "Most people would go weird," one combat veteran says, "when they hear about what I saw."

iTunes Gift Cards and iPod Shuffles -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The Soldiers' Angels have adopted the Combat Support Hospitals in Iraq and all the Military hospitals worldwide. Soldiers’ Angels Germany supports the patients at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. See About Medical Evacuations to Germany.
Almost all service members these days have iPods. Unfortunately, they can get left behind during a medevac to Germany or destroyed during the incident in which injury was sustained. Without music, a hospital stay can be very boring for a young Soldier or Marine, and the medevac flights are long.

Help a Fellow Milblogger -- [MilBlogs - Andi ]
Many of you remember the story of Reid Stanley, a milblogger who lost his beloved wife Ellicia to cancer. Reid wants to honor his wife by participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Reid needs a total of $1800 in pledges to qualify as a walker. He's only $330 away from that goal. Let's put him over.

Soldiers' Angels Unveils the Silver Star of Hope, an Exquisite Jewelry Piece Designed by Anne Dale -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Soldiers' Angels Unveils the Silver Star of Hope, an Exquisite Jewelry Piece Designed by Anne Dale
April 18, 2008, Pasadena, CA- Soldiers' Angels is proud to unveil the addition to the Soldiers' Angels Store with the exquisite piece of jewelry called the Silver Star of Hope designed by Anne Dale. The Silver Star of Hope brings together two great American traditions; the silver star and the yellow ribbon, in a design that combines the valor and heroism of a soldier with the longing to reunite with family, friends and community. The Silver Star of Hope is available as a pendant or a pin and a portion of each Silver Star of Hope is donated to Soldiers' Angels.

President Bush Brings Luck To Army Captain -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Did President George W. Bush bring luck to a soldier who was a contestant on the television game show "Deal or no Deal?" Stay tuned.
Bush taped a "surprise good luck video" in the White House Library on March 17 for Army Captain Joe Kobes who served in Iraq and was a contestant on the NBC show "Deal or No Deal," the White House said on Friday.

Honored by a Scout -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
I've likely opened my last care packages in Afghanistan and many of them have included Girl Scout Cookies.
We've received several boxes of all varieties. We are thankful for them all. Even our terps are chowing down on the cookies.
But one special little Brownie in St. Louis did something extremely special.
Katie, a second-grader in Girl Scout Troop 1012, sold cookies this year but then had the gumption to ask people if they would like to buy extra boxes to send to the troops. Apparently she's quite a salesperson because she had several people take her up on her offer.
We are among the proud recipients of Katie's and her customers' generosity

Dad calls from Iraq, son gets suspended -- [GOE]
Master Sgt. Morris Hill is serving his country in Iraq, a long way away from his beloved sons back in Texas. Luckily, these days, we have the means for people on opposite sides of the planet to talk to each other in real time, almost without regard to where they actually are. We have cell phones.
Unfortunately, the only time Hill could call his son Brandon was during the school day — a time when students are generally forbidden from using their cell phones. It would seem, however, that this situation would count as extraordinary circumstances and an exception could be made, but administrators disagree. Brandon was suspended for taking the call.

MILITARY

Screwing Private Ryan -- [Strategy Page]
April 21, 2008: Once again, the U.S. Army shot itself in the foot by doing the right thing, then screwing it up. In this case, a soldier, one of three brothers, was released early from his enlistment because of the 60 year old "sole survivor" rule. This regulation allows for the sole survivor of a group of siblings to be released from service. In this case Specialist Jason Hubbard had two other brothers killed (one by a roadside bomb, the other in a helicopter crash), and he decided to take advantage of the sole survivor rule. But another rule, introduced after the sole survivor rule, prohibited soldiers who got out before their enlistment was up, from receiving veterans health and education benefits.

A Suit with Agenda -- [Dadmanly]
The Associated Press ran a story today reporting on a class action lawsuit that’s been filed against The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). According to the AP, the lawsuit was filed by two “non profit groups representing military veterans.”
...MILBLOGGERS have long recognized this line of criticism against our military, the VA, and the Bush Administration. Much of what’s been written and press-released for the public has been filled was misinformation and distortions, if not outright fabrications. There’s been no “epidemic of suicides” in the military, and the suicide rate for the military is actually lower than the rates for non-military when like data sets are compared.

Interviews -- [FBL]
...I keep getting bumped off MG Lynch's schedule, but the PAO swears she'll fit me in before they redeploy. I'm also hoping to have a one-on-one with someone working MITT in 3ID's AO who can talk about their Iraqi mentored units' experiences in Basra. In the meantime, here are all the interview reports I posted over at The Castle, in chronological order:
Live from Iraq I - COL Mark McKnight, Chief of Staff
Live from Iraq II - CSM Jesse Andrews, Division Command Sergeant Major
Redevelopment and Reconciliation - BG Edward Cardon, Asst. Division Commander
On Iraq's Economic Development - Ambassador Charles Ries
No News is Good News - BG Jim Huggins, Deputy Commanding General
A Canadian In Iraq - LTC Darryl Mills, Deputy Chief of Staff

The Military Judgment Rule -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
I have found the adoption of the "Military Judgment Rule" to be of benefit in my military career. Obviously those of us that are in the military are legally compelled to follow lawful order, but in my view the military judgment rule transcends that mere legal obligation. The military judgment rule invites the subordinate to give their superior their best informed advice about a particular course of action to take when asked for that perspective.
Sometimes however the person asking your advice may not take your recommendation in its total form and even more obviously many decisions are made without ever consulting you. The question the service member should ask them self, aside from legality of course, is "is this decision reasonable." Given that somewhat objective standard my experience is that 99.9% of the decisions made by my higher commanders have been reasonable.
That is why I find this story so puzzling.

IN MEMORY OF...

Steven Vincent, RIP -- [Villainous Company]
...How many people remember that Steven was the first American journalist to be attacked and killed during the war? Before his death, several journalists (most notably Michael Kelly of the Washington Post) had died in vehicle accidents or from illnesses.
Vincent was the first to suffer a violent death at the hands of the enemy. This was, perhaps, fitting for a man whose outlook on life would not have been unfamiliar to anyone in the armed forces:

WELCOME HOME

Applause Of A Nation -- [Zen Traveler - home from Iraq]
“Announcing the arrival of a military flight from the middle east with 263 of America’s finest men and women on board”. These were the words that came across Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s public address system, the busiest airport in the world, while I waited in baggage claim. Down the escalator emerged a snaking line of tired looking uniformed soldiers and Marines, daypacks slung over their shoulders, smiles on their faces, all happy to be back home to the “land of the free and the home of the brave”. The applause started as a ripple and grew to a sustained, heavy crescendo as the hundreds of passengers in the terminal, US Customs agents, flight crews, and airport personnel recognized the job that these men and women had done for the past 15 or so months of their lives.
I was happy and deeply touched to witness the welcoming that this country, or at least the Atlanta airport, gave to its returning heroes.

POLITICS

Democrats seek to avoid Iraq funding vote this fall -- [AP]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats in Congress, seeking to avoid a vote on funding the Iraq war during the fall campaign season, are considering combining President Bush's two pending requests into a single bill to be voted on this spring....

Huffington Post & MoveOn.org Caught in Major Afghan War Lie -- [Gateway Pundit]
After the audio was released this weekend of Hillary Clinton slamming the Far Left Obama-supporting MoveOn.org for not "even wanting us to go into Afghanistan," the Executive Director of MoveOn.org responded:
... "Senator Clinton has her facts wrong again. MoveOn never opposed the war in Afghanistan, and we set the record straight years ago when Karl Rove made the same claim.
...unfortunately for the Move-On nuts, Tom Maguire at Just One Minute , via Instapundit, found the actual MoveOn.org petition against the Afghanistan War, via the Wayback machine:

What Newsweek Didn't Tell You About Obama & Nadhmi Auchi -- [Gateway Pundit]
Obama says he can't be "swiftboated" according to Newsweek Magazine today.
(Nice slam on 250 Vietnam vets and POW's, Barack!)
The article focuses on only two of Barack's curious links-- His links to the terrorist Ayers and his link to Saddam's frontman Nadhmi Auchi.
Here is what Newsweek reported on Obama's ties to Auchi:

Don't Recruit Me -- [Iraq: The Purgatorium - in Iraq]
I have no place on any more bandwagons. This includes IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War). I have no problem with them whatsoever and I commend them for doing what they feel is right, but that ain't me.
...I don't want your sweatshop petitions or dates of when your next rally is. Don't want to protest anything. Don't want to read about your Scientology. Don't want to know where mankind came from or even where it's going. Don't want to hear about evil political agendas. Don't want to fight "the good fight", don't even want to fight the bad fight.

The Webb amendment -- [Foreign and Domestic]
Freshmen Senator Jim Webb has been making headlines with his bill on 'dwell time' for the US military. In short, it would limit active duty units to one year deployed for every one year at home. Guard and reserve units would be limited to one year deployed for every 3 years at home. Sounds great, right? Who could be against it?
Well, me, for one.

Marines demonstrate against Code Pink -- [American Thinker - Thomas Lifson]
Today I attended a demonstration of Marine veterans against Code Pink, held in front of the group's headquarters, on Solano Avenue in Albany, CA, just over the city line from Berkeley. Needless to say, it was quite a sight, and I took a few pictures, which more or less speak for themselves.
The mood was ultra-calm. A cop I spoke to was mellow as he confirmed there were no incidents. The Code Pinkos were absent, but left a couple of signs
Code Pink does not relish having to face critics. They prefer to yell and disrupt hearings, but are not interested in real communcation face to face with people who disagree.

Iraq After U.S. Withdrawal -- [Iraqi Pundit]
While Hillary Clinton (within 60 days) and Barack Obama (in 2010) argue about who would withdraw U.S. troops faster, al-Qaeda announces its plans for a post-US Iraq.
Ayman Zawahiri, OBL's number two, says this about the U.S. withdrawal: "This is a stupid drama to cover up the failure in Iraq and for Bush to escape from the decision of withdrawing his forces, which would be considered an announcement of the defeat of the Crusader invasion of Iraq, and to pass the problem to the next president."
In today's tape Zawahiri says Bin Laden is "healthy and well." He also tells Muslims to "make Iraq a 'fortress of Islam' and railed against Shia Iran for siding with the US against Iraq – a plot which he said would lead to an explosion of violence in the Middle East."

Shirley Phelps of Westboro Baptist on Obama Pastor Wright, 2008 Elections

Shirley Phelps Roper interview on Obama's pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright and who she's not voting for in the 2008 Presidential elections. Filmed at Pope Benedict visit to New York City April 18 2008.

Phelp and Radical Islamists Have a lot in Common -- [Jawa Report]
Apparently this "God" worshiped by Fred Phelps & the Westboro Baptist Church hates the Pope.

THE MEDIA

What about Sami? NY Times Buys Into American Ikhwan Lobbying on Behalf of Convicted Terrorist -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The New York Times today became the latest tool in an aggressive lobbying campaign aimed at sabotaging a terror investigation in northern Virginia.
The campaign to free Sami Al-Arian started last year, led by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim American Society (MAS), and other American Islamist groups after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operative was held in contempt of court for refusing to comply with consecutive grand jury subpoenas. He now is defying his third subpoena to testify in a terror finance investigation involving a Virginia-based network that provided Al-Arian's organizations with tens of thousands of dollars in the 1990s.

All the News that’s… -- [SWJ - Robert Bateman]
An editor somewhere at the New York Times should probably be very worried for his job right about now. Not because he or she missed a comma splice, or permitted a run-on sentence, that is actually the job of people called copy editors. No, that editor should be worried because today, on page A1 and above the fold, he or she failed in their job to present a logical and intellectually coherent article. In short, they let a reporter run wild with an a historical collection of claptrap which displays both a stunning ignorance of the military as well as the even more unforgivable sin of being ignorant of how the Pentagon press corps (to include the Pentagon correspondent for the Times) works.
Here is the short version of the thesis: The political appointees in the Pentagon try to counteract adverse news stories and also try to increase what they believe are positive news stories.

What The Times Was Up To -- [Commentary Mag - John Podhoretz]
Max Boot’s post earlier today about the preposterous New York Times story on the relationship between the Pentagon and former-military men-turned-war-pundits was spot on. I think, based on many years of experience working at various newspapers, that there is an explanation for the extreme length — 7800 words — of the story and the fact that it manages to find nothing more than an effort by the Pentagon to get good coverage. The Times thought it was on to something very big, ended up with something very small, and then took what little they had and tried to make a silk purse from the sow’s ear that was reporter David Barstow’s investigation.

Miami Herald’s “major debacle”: a lack of journalism -- [Hot Air]
The Miami Herald reports on a study at the National Defense University that it claims calls the war in Iraq a “major debacle” with the outcome in doubt. However, what the Miami Herald didn’t report was that the study looked at a specific time period and has little bearing on the current status of the conflict. How do we know that? A blogger decided to do what the Herald couldn’t — journalism.

Conservatives Have It Rough in Hollywood -- [PJM - Burt Prelutsky]
The WGA hosted a reunion lunch for all the “MASH” writers. There were two large tables filled with us old duffs. Over coffee, one of the fellows at my table announced that he had recently canceled his subscription to the L.A. Times. That grabbed my attention, and I said, “Really, Gene? I always thought you were a liberal.”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
“Well, I’m a conservative, so it would make sense for me to cancel that rag. But why did you?”
“Because the Times has gotten too damn conservative!”
Two interesting things then took place. First my jaw hit the floor. Next, the writer who had been seated between us for the entire lunch turned to glower at me, and said, “You’re really a conservative?”
As soon as I admitted I was, he got up and walked away so quickly, you might have thought I’d acknowledged being a leper. But his glower was nothing compared to the sneer I was getting from Gene. “How can you be a conservative?”
I wasn’t sure if what confused him the most was how I could possibly be a conservative if I was Jewish or a humorist or a former “MASH” writer or simply dare to be in his immediate proximity. But all I said was, “It’s easy. I think conservatives are right and liberals are wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” ...

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

Benny Hill Troops in Qalat, Afghanistan

Comedy spoof by the soldiers. Some pretty funny bits along the way.

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