More Reporting Caption Contest

This is going to be a long running series...

"I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."

Outstanding! Continue to stand there while readers click you.

Oh, and don't buy into your press releases, Senator. Steer clear of the commoners.

Update: And unless three fingers is enough for you, don't try this at your local Wendys...

By the way, it's caption contest time. Have at it.

Why Worry?

Found this image while visiting blogs. Guess someone missed the convention message:

In the interest of maintaining balance in the blogosphere and countering the message of the "Eowyn Voters League" I offer this.

After all, don't we have enough to worry about?

Reporting?

"I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."

Great. For now your duty is to sit there and let readers click you.

Zarqawi Captured?

Al Jazeera says:

Reports in Kuwait on Friday said a man assumed to be Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi has been captured near the Syrian border.

I won't speculate on accuracy, but I wonder how many Americans know who the guy is.

Update: If not well known, at least he won't be lonely:

Iraqi police have arrested 270 terrorist suspects, mostly from neighboring Arab countries, in recent raids, the interim interior minister said in remarks published yesterday.

The Reviews Roll In

Lefty blogger Matt Yglesias has invited every blogger on the right of the aisle to link his post on Kerry's speech. Says Matt:

To put it politely, I thought that was crap.

A widely held opinion, if not widely stated. Reasons are varied; Mr Yglesias is disappointed in what he saw as a lack of substance. But he's young and an idealist, and substance is not the stuff of candidates speeches from convention floors. You can bet on that.

Two days ago, here: ...if you could take the stage and outline your plan, tell us what you'd do, you'll have my vote.

I didn't specify a plan I could agree with. I just said a plan.

Now you'll have to earn my vote some other way, Senator.

Though I'll bet Matt's still going with NotBush.

Signaleer

Hook's not the only MilBlogger in the 'Stan. From beautiful downtown Phoenix (Camp Phoenix, that is) welcome Signaleer to the MilBlogs Ring.

The Distance from the Farm

Via Roger Simon and Charles Johnson (who credits Baldilocks); expect this article from Esquire to be heavily linked and quoted. There's a reason for that.

THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE a straight line between Bush's moral absolutism—between his penchant for calling our enemies "evildoers" or even, well, "enemies"—and Guantánamo, and then between Guantánamo and the case of Jose Padilla, and then between Padilla and the depravities of Abu Ghraib. More than a mere demonstration of cause and effect, the line is supposed by those opposed to a second Bush presidency to function as a geometric proof of the proposition that the American position in Iraq is not only untenable but ignoble. It's supposed to prove that victory in any such enterprise is not worth the taint and that withdrawal is tantamount to victory, because it will save the national soul. In fact, it proves something quite different: It proves that just as the existence of the animal-rights movement is said to depend on the increasing American distance from the realities of the farm, the liberal consensus on the war in Iraq depends on the increasing American distance from the realities of soldiering. All Abu Ghraib proves is what Lincoln made clear in his writings, and what any soldier has to know from the moment he sizes up another soldier in the sight of his rifle: that war is undertaken at the risk of the national soul. The moral certainty that makes war possible is certain only to unleash moral havoc, and moral havoc becomes something the nation has to rise above. We can neither win a war nor save the national soul if all we seek is to remain unsullied—pristine. Anyway, we are well beyond that now. The question is not, and has never been, whether we can fight a war without perpetrating outrages of our own. The question is whether the rightness of the American cause is sufficient not only to justify war but to withstand war's inevitable outrages. The question is whether—if the cause is right—we are strong enough to make it remain right in the foggy moral battleground of war.

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, and historians today applaud the restraint he displayed in throwing thousands of American citizens in jail. By the middle of 2002, George W. Bush had declared two American citizens enemy combatants, and both men are still in jail at this writing, uncharged. Both presidents used war as a rationale for their actions, citing as their primary constitutional responsibility the protection of the American people. It was not until two years later that Congress took up Lincoln's action and pronounced it constitutionally justified. Our willingness to extend Bush the same latitude will depend on our perception of what exactly we're up against, post-9/11. Lincoln was fighting for the very soul of this country; he was fighting to preserve this country, as a country, and so he had to challenge the Constitution in order to save it. Bush seems to think that he's fighting for the very soul of this country, but that's exactly what many people regard as a dangerous presumption. He seems to think that he is fighting for our very survival, when all we're asking him to fight for is our security, which is a very different thing. A fight for our security? We can handle that; it means we have to get to the airport early. A fight for our survival? That means we have to live in a different country altogether. That means the United States is changing and will continue to change, the way it did during and after the Civil War, with a fundamental redefinition of executive authority. That means we have to endure the constitutional indignity of the president's declaring Jose Padilla an enemy combatant for contemplating the still-uncommitted crime of blowing up a radioactive device in an American city, which seems a constitutional indignity too great to endure, unless we think of the constitutional indignities we'd have to endure if Padilla had actually committed the crime he's accused of planning. Unless we think of how this country might change if we get hit again, and hit big. In defending his suspension of habeas corpus, Lincoln sought to draw the distinction between liberties that are absolute and those that are sustainable in time of war. Bush seems to be relying on the same question, and the same distinction, as an answer to all the lawyers and editorial writers who suggest that if Jose Padilla stays in jail, we are losing the war on terror by abrogating our own ideals.

Losing the war on terror? The terrible truth is that we haven't begun to find out what that really means.

Read the whole thing. At least twice.

Dude, Where's the Love?

Hugh Hewitt offers a text of Michael Moore's recent Boston speech. Moore, in town for the Democratic National Convention, apparently wanted to express his solidarity with the troops:

But I know it was rough. I know in those first days of the war, I know. I stood on an Oscar stage five days into the war. I know what the mood was like. It was not easy to say we are being led to war for fictitious reasons, right? (applause) And those of you who felt the same way at the beginning of this war?remember what it was like at work or school? You had to be kind of careful, right? And if you expressed any opposition to the war, you had to immediately say but, but I support the troops, right. But, but I support the troops. You didn?t need to say that. Of course you support the troops! You?ve always supported the troops. Who are the troops? The troops are those that come from the other side of the tracks. The troops are the people who come from families who?ve been abused by the Bush Administration! You?ve always supported them! You?ve always been on their side! (applause) No one should question that! The way that you don?t support the troops is to send them into harms way when it isn?t necessary. The way that you hate the troops is when you send them off, some of them to their deaths, so that your rich benefactors can line their pockets even more. The Halliburtons, the oil companies, that is anti-American. That is unpatriotic. You do not support the troops when you do that! (applause)

I can only imagine the sheer terror Moore must have felt on that Oscar stage. We should all admire his unflinching bravery. What do you guys think?

From Digital Marine

No Moore?

Michael Moore was a no-show for a screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 in Crawford Texas. Rumor has it as consolation for the despondent crowd the movie was projected onto a screen made from one of his old t-shirts.

Meanwhile, here in Germany:

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" opens in Berlin on Wednesday. German film and movie theater executives expect it to break Moore's own record for the most-shown documentary ever in the country.

<...>

His first Bush diatribe, "Stupid White Men," sold nearly 1.1 million copies in German -- comprising an astonishing one-third of the book’s total global sales. And more than a million Germans turned out to see his Oscar-winning indictment against US gun laws, "Bowling for Columbine".

But in Iraq (Note: Permalinks not available. Scroll to July 27 entry):

Another scene I had a problem with was one that many critics seemed to praise. When Moore presents the murders of 9/11 at the World Trade Center, and displays only a black screen with the sounds of destruction and pain all around, I couldn’t help but think he employed what has become a popular self-imposed censorship. We were not allowed as viewers to see the horror of that day, not allowed to be reminded of people jumping from buildings, bodies on the ground, destruction everywhere. We just saw a black screen, and heard some awful familiar sounds. We did however, see images of Saddam’s Iraq, peaceful and enjoyable, and of the destruction left in the wake of US soldiers. For me, it was just another example of eclipsing from our minds the images of that day, while turning the camera on the “havoc” that we have brought to the world.

On Trial

An update

Three Fort Carson soldiers charged in the drowning of an Iraqi man last January may argue today that their actions were caused by an anti-malaria drug. . . .

The drug is being investigated to determine whether it is linked to panic reactions, rage, aggressive behavior and other mental and physical problems, said Steve Robinson of the National Gulf War Research Center. Violent behavior by other soldiers has also been blamed on the drug.

Via Instapundit, who adds

Lariam has, in fact, been linked to psychiatric symptoms -- some quite severe -- but the likelihood that several soldiers would all suffer from those simultaneously seems quite low to me.

Indeed, as they say. But the chances of it being used as defense of any OIF vet accused of anything might be high.

As with this defense:

Soldier Testifies Unit Was Ordered to Throw Iraqis Over Embankment

An historic line that's failed often, from Nuremberg to My Lai.

Sgt Mom's Book

Sgt Mom says:

In answer to the many readers who have asked about “The Book"— it will be available very soon...

In the Spirit

In the mail today, my new threads:

Yours truly will be sporting this outfit as he galavants about Europe this summer. I think it'll wear especially well in France.

They made that statue, you know.

More here.

The Stage is Set

Iraq, today:

Scores of people were killed in Iraq today in a suicide car bomb attack and in a gunbattle, making it one of the worst days of violence since the handover of official sovereignty in Iraq last month.

The car bomb exploded in Baquba, a town about 40 miles north of Baghdad, killing 70 people and wounding 56, according to the Iraqi Health Ministry, in the deadliest such attack since the United States-led coalition passed some power to the Iraqi interim government on June 28.

A statement from the United States military put the death toll at 45 Iraqi civilians killed and 98 wounded, and a spokesman for the military could not explain the discrepancy between the death toll figures.

Que the Senator. After your cruise, sir, if you could take the stage and outline your plan, tell us what you'd do, you'll have my vote.

I expect slogans and chants. Surprise me.

Update: Did the invitations say casual? Someone didn't get the memo...

Update 2: This doesn't impress me as a big deal - but I will read the book, and I think that's Drudge's real point. But after all, even MacArthur carefully staged the landings in the Philippines for the cameras (and lost a bid for the presidency too).

Now here's a slogan: "They're not patriots," Moore said (of Republicans) . "They're hate-triots, and they believe in the politics of hate-triotism. Hate-triotism is where they stand, and patriotism is where real Americans stand."

He's probably tired of them censoring him.

Wondering out Loud...

Why are so many otherwise successful people such utter failures at child rearing?

Cancelling Your Olympic Plans?

Think twice before choosing Baghdad as an alternate vacation spot. Three stories for your consideration, without additional comment:

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Baghdad Becomes Captive Of Extremists More than 60 people from 20 nations have been kidnapped, threatening the interim rulers' bid for international support. BAGHDAD - A new wave of kidnappings has sent shock waves through the diplomatic and business communities in Baghdad, virtually shutting down most embassies and thwarting Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's efforts to drum up international support for his fledgling government.

The Christian Science Monitor:

Abductions Surge In Iraq

BAGHDAD - In the past week, car bombings and other insurgent attacks against US and Iraqi forces have returned to pre-June 28 handover levels. But kidnapping, too, is emerging as one of the most effective weapons for eroding confidence in the interim Iraqi government and slowing reconstruction.

And the London Sunday Telegraph:

Away From The Bombings And Bloodshed, Some Fun Is Slowly Returning To Baghdad

Iraqis are cautiously resuming their social lives in defiance of the mullahs and threats from insurgents.

Abdel Halaf slaps a cold beer down on the 80-year-old mahogany bar at the Alwiyah, Baghdad's oldest members' club. The veteran barman is delighted: he looks like a man who would die happy if serving the drink was his last act.

He has a bar full of customers, beer on tap and shelves packed with wine and spirits. Baghdad's upmarket watering holes are back in vogue as Iraq's elite shrug off threats of violence and criticism from fundamentalist mullahs.

By day, an unmistakable vitality has returned to Baghdad and with it a semblance of normal life. The capital is still restless, stalked by the fear of the next car bomb, but Iraqis fed up with staying at home in sweltering temperatures - in the high 40s - are venturing out for fun.

A Ferris wheel pokes above the palm trees in the affluent district of Zaitoona; at neighbourhood funfairs, parents usher their children on to the rides, slides and merry-go-rounds. Thanks to American grants to Baghdad city council, a derelict patch of ground near the Tigris river has been transformed into a playground, complete with football pitch and basketball courts.

Once the heat of the day has passed and the sun starts to set, a steady trickle of excitable youngsters drag their parents and grandparents to the banks of the river. For adults, there are options for more mature entertainment.

Relax, Sports Fans!

From the AP and the International Herald Tribune:

Peacekeepers Accused Of Failure In Kosovo

Group says Serbs weren't protected

PRISTINA, Kosovo - In a scathing report, a leading human rights organization on Monday blamed NATO and United Nations police for failing "catastrophically" to protect minorities in Kosovo during ethnic violence earlier this year.

In a related story:

BRUSSELS (AP) ? NATO has agreed to provide extra forces under alliance command to help Greece protect next month's Olympic Games from potential terror attacks, officials said Monday.

Hope they don't take all the hotel rooms...

Conventional Wisdom III

Something there is about a convention that lends itself to great quotes from the pundits. A target rich environment? Perhaps. Here's some favorites from day one convention coverage:

First up, three from The Corner:

Best Military-related quote: If you want to get these delegates to applaud a military-related line, tell them men and women need ?the benefits they're entitled to,? the way Hillary just did. Benefits? Entitlement? YEEAAAH!

The "ouch" award: As they say over at the Archives, the past is prologue, Walter Mondale randomly said while being interviewed on the floor by Fox. Rabid Clinton hater me automatically flashed to Sandy Berger stealing papers.

Jonah wins the "groaner" prize: Sure there's dishonesty and spin in Clinton's speech, but that's the norm when his lips are moving.

But Hugh da man: "Unbelievably, Gray Davis is here. He acts as a sort of dementor upon the gathering of otherwise happy delegates and media types. Some folks survive political smash-ups. There was a big party for George McGovern last night, for example, and all the Dems love him. He lost with --in their eyes-- honor. But some, like Gray, had such bad exits that they ought to exile themselves for the good of the general mood.

Glad he's on our side. (Buy the book.)

Conventional Wisdom Part II

The DNC Convoluted quote de jour award today goes to white-haired former President Bill (S'cuse me, did he just say he was from N'yaorkansaw?) Clinton:

"Thank you. I am honored to share the podium with my Senator, though I think I should be introducing her. I'm proud of her and so grateful to the people of New York that the best public servant in our family is still on the job and grateful to all of you, especially my friends from Arkansas, for the chance you gave us to serve our country in the White House."

Working the crowd for cheers? If so, did he get any for this later reference:

Their opponents will tell you to be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won't stand up to the terrorists -- don't you believe it. Strength and wisdom are not conflicting values -- they go hand in hand. John Kerry has both. His first priority will be keeping America safe. Remember the scripture: Be Not Afraid.

Must admit I fealt like a heathen there, because I wasn't sure of the full quote. So I looked it up on Bible Gateway.com. Got no responses to queries for "Kerry/Edwards", but had 26 hits (KJV) for "be not afraid". Since I'm not sure which one he meant I offer a few possibles.

Here's a possible Saddam reference:

Jeremiah 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

No - couldn't be. Next up...

Joshua 11:6 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

Which I suppose could mean that the platform will contain some rather harsh threats directed towards the Palestinians... but probably not.

2 Chronicles 32:7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him

A veiled threat to the Syrians? Probably not what he meant...

Jeremiah 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Now I've heard some folks make fun of Kerry's face (Lurch, Gomer...), but I don't think Clinton meant to join in... Could it be a New Testament reference? Here's a contender:

Matthew 17:7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

But I'm not looking for Messianic quotes from my candidate. Are you?

Back in the OT we find this:

1 Samuel 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

Let's hope not. (See previous.)

Here's a good one:

1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

Hard to argue that's not a line that would aid the Democrats this year - you just fergit them ol' terrorists -! - but I really hope not...

Maybe this is it:

Ezekiel 2:6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

But I'd really like to know for sure.

Anyone?

Conventional Wisdom Part I

Looks like it's "Is Bush a Criminal?" Day in Mudville. Saddam Hussein says yes, and Michael Moore says yes, so what do the rest of America's Democrats have to say?

Apparently not much, and that's an order! At least according to Andrea Mitchell:

As the Democratic convention gets underway today, the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee are trying to soften any edges that might offend swing voters.

So the word is out: the liberal wing of the party is being told to avoid any harsh rhetoric. That could already be affecting tonight's headliners: last night, Al Gore's speech was basically torn up, according to two sources, and is now being rewritten, presumably to fit more closely with the party line.

We'll leave alone the implication that there is something other than a "liberal wing" in the Party (yes, I know - Joe Leiberman) and take a look at the aftermath of Gore's edit, in search of a "party line":

Friends, fellow Democrats, fellow Americans, I'll be candid with you. I had hoped to be back here this week under different circumstances, running for re-election.

But you know the old saying: You win some, you lose some. And then there's that little-known third category.

Joking! Hard to tell from a written transcript, (should have used an emoticon?) but it was in jest, okay? Gore didn't come to talk about the past. He continues:

I didn't come here tonight to talk about the past.

In the same sense that Anthony came to bury Caesar, not to praise him, Gore didn't come to talk about the past. Because most of the remainder of his speech was about the past. Some highlights:

In all seriousness, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve America. I want to to thank you as Democrats for the honor of being your nominee for president four years ago. And I want to thank the American people for the privilege of serving as vice president.

Later:

I love this country deeply, and even though I always look to the future with optimism and hope I do think it is worth pausing for just a moment as we begin this year's convention, to take note of two very important lessons from four years ago.

The first lesson is this: Take it from me -- every vote counts.

Then later:

By the way, I know about the bad economy. I was the first one laid off. And while it's true that new jobs are being created, they're just not as good as the jobs people have lost. And incidentally, that's been true for me too.

And finally:

To those of you who felt disappointed or angry with the outcome in 2000, I want you to remember all of those feelings. But then I want you to do with them what I have done: focus them fully and completely on putting John Kerry and John Edwards in the White House.

The "stolen election" meme is unfortunately no surprise, and perhaps fair game in American political discourse as defined by the Dems in 2004. But what acounts for the compulsion to state "I didn't come here tonight to talk about the past"?

Perhaps the missing part about the future is what the DNC snipped as "harsh rhetoric"?

"Soft edge" Party Plank one (two parts): A: Don't talk about the past and B: Bush stole the election!!!!

What we meant to say was...

The NY Times offers a correction:

A front-page article on July 2 about the opening of criminal proceedings against Saddam Hussein in Iraq omitted two words in a translated comment from Mr. Hussein about the legitimacy of the court. Mr. Hussein said, "You know that this is all a theater by Bush the criminal to help him win his election. " (He did not say just "theater by Bush.") This correction was delayed for a check of various unofficial transcripts.

Wasn't that an old Chevy Chase bit on SNL?

Springtime for Hitler?

From page one of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Omar Masood is no religious extremist from the provinces. He is a well-dressed, impeccably coiffed, university-educated 27-year-old who co-owns a computer and video business in Iraq's capital.

As he tells it, his cousin was executed for drawing a political cartoon that lampooned Saddam Hussein's regime. Yet he now calls the fallen leader a symbol of Iraqi pride and reveres the resistance fighters who kill Americans.

"Saddam Hussein made his mistakes," Masood said. "But I can justify to you most of the mistakes."

Most people probably can't relate to the dilemma of having someone who killed your cousin turn out to be an OK guy, but seriously, how can you stay angry at the man depicted in this Newsday story?

There is a small palm tree in a garden surrounded by walls near the airport in Baghdad. An elderly bearded man who has turned to writing poetry and reading the words of God in recent weeks goes out to the garden for an hour and a half in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon. He tends to the tree, putting small stones around the base and making sure it has enough water to survive Iraq's midsummer.

When his hour and a half is over, Saddam Hussein goes back to his cell.

Once, he had dominion over all of Iraq. Now, like Voltaire's Candide, he is stripped of all the riches and delusions of his Eldorado; all he has left is a little time each day to cultivate a garden that isn't even his.

No mention of Haiku, but surely he'll be trying his hand at that sometime soon.

Or perhaps political cartoons?

Mrs Major Zotz?

If you've seen this bit of tripe from Reuters

The U.S. Army has long lured recruits with the slogan "Be All You Can Be," but now soldiers and their families can receive plastic surgery, including breast enlargements, on the taxpayers' dime.

Be sure you don't miss the thorough de-bunking from an Army Doc:

Jonah,

I apologize for the anonymity, but as I am a military doc I would prefer to lay a bit low. If you want, I can provide bona fides separately.

However, there are some points of contention regarding the fact impaired New Yorker-via-Reuters story you referenced. I don't have access to the New Yorker article, but have seen it summarized on line. From these, I would like add some facts that make the story pretty dang benign and hardly the shocking waste of taxpayer dollars the spin of the article seems to be. The tenor that Sergeant Baggadonuts and/or Mrs. Major Zotz can just waltz over to the nearest military hospital and get nipped, tucked, vacuumed, or pumped up, is both bogus and irksome. I am a little weary of lies and misdirection regarding the military.

As are we all.

Click through to read the whole thing - and pass it on.

(And kudos to the doc for not using "Mrs Major Yabos" - 'cause I sure couldn't resist.)

Climate of Fear

The Washington Post apparently thinks you might be wondering what Egyptians think of America:

Arab views of the United States, shaped largely by the Iraq war and a post-Sept. 11 climate of fear, have worsened in the past two years to such an extent that in Egypt -- an important ally in the region -- nearly 100 percent of the population now holds an unfavorable opinion of the country, according to two polls due out today.

Well then, I guess we're screwed.

"In 2002, the single policy issue that drove opinion was the Palestinians; now it's Iraq and America's treatment, here and abroad, of Arabs and Muslims," said James Zogby, who commissioned the report with the Arab American Institute.

<...>

And when asked what the United States could do to improve its image in the Arab world, the most frequently provided answers were "Stop supporting Israel" and "Change your Middle East policy."

Emphasis added.

From Under the Rock

The International Herald Tribune apparently thinks you might be wondering what child molesters who had movies financed by the UN Oil-for Food program have to say about the current situation in Iraq.

Wonder no more.

Saddam's people are winning the war

Misunderstanding Iraq

Scott Ritter

WASHINGTON The battle for Iraq's sovereign future is a battle for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. As things stand, it appears that victory will go to the side most in tune with the reality of the Iraqi society of today: the leaders of the anti-U.S. resistance.

Update: Recover here.

You can, however, make this stuff up...

The New York Times reports:

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 21 - A former member of the United States Special Forces, charged here on Wednesday along with two other Americans with running their own vigilante war on terrorism, said he had been on a secret mission approved by the Pentagon at the highest level - even as an Afghan prosecutor said the men had maintained under questioning that they had no connection with the government.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday before the court session began, the defendant, Jonathan K. Idema, said that he had been in direct contact with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld's office "five times a day, every day" and that he had e-mail messages, correspondence and tape recordings to prove it.

We'll be eagerly awaiting confirmation from Seymour Hersh.

You can't make this stuff up!

In the wake of this entry comes this:

Musicians' Call-Up Is Not Playing Well In Congress

Some lawmakers doubt the necessity

When the Army announced recently that it was going to tap into its rarely used Individual Ready Reserve to fill vital slots for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, top military and civilian personnel said the activation was a proper response to a temporary manpower crisis.

But among the tasks included in the 5,674 jobs deemed critical to the war on terrorism are slots for two trumpet or cornet players, two French horn players, one trombonist, four clarinet players, three saxophonists, one electric bass player, one percussionist and one euphonium player.

Whoops - actually this sounds like a classic Army screw-up - but probably an administrative error vs an intentional action - remind me to tell you about my North Vietnamese buddy soon - but I could be wrong! (Ed note: By the way, didn't we change them to freedom horns? Ans: No, we didn't.)

But there's always someone out there looking to spoil the opportunities for patriotism from the symphonically inclined:

"This call-up of French horn players, among others, is just the latest consequence of the Pentagon's outrageous and inexcusable poor planning," Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., says. "Average Americans continue to pay the price for the Pentagon's failure to do what it should have: adequately plan for the right number of active-duty troops in Iraq and refuse to deploy National Guard and Reserve members at length while breaking promises about when they will return."

That's not me, that's not ScrappleFace, that's directly from the USA Today story. Like I said above...

A Slice of Military Life

You're a First Sergeant, deployed to the Stan for at least a year and your three year old son back home is in need of diagnosis for a truoublesome lump on his chest.

How do you pass the time?

By accomplishing your mission and caring for your troops, of course.

And sharing humor with the world.

Just read everything at Hook's.

Not an Update

I linked to a great post from the Stryker Brigades a couple of days back. Today I (and Blackfive) got this e-mail

Guys,

Thanks to both of you for linking to the "Heroes" entry. I wanted to let
you know that in an interesting twist, Ben Stein visited our site and left a
comment.

"What an awesome letter about awesome guys. Please tell me what I can do to honor these amazing men and women.

What can I send them, for example?

Best, Ben"

It's legit. I put him in touch with the soldier's parents, so hopefully he
can connect with Dave, the CPT that wrote the email. No need to update the
entries, just wanted to give you a heads up.

Todd

I agree Todd - there's no need to update when a new post is in order.

Here's the Stryker's link with Ben in the comments section.

Update to this non-update: A quote from the original Ben Stein composition:

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament. The policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive. The orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery. The teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children. The kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse.

Now you have my idea of a real hero.

Last column, I told you a few of the rules I had learned to keep my sanity. Well, here is a final one to help you keep your sanity and keep you in the running for stardom: We are puny, insignificant creatures.

We are not responsible for the operation of the universe, and what happens to us is not terribly important. God is real, not a fiction, and when we turn over our lives to Him, he takes far better care of us than we could ever do for ourselves.

Do yourself a favor, take some time and read the whole thing here, and the Stryker entry linked above.

Hey Joe, Where you goin' With That...

Joe Wilson cries out:

For the last two weeks, I have been subjected — along with my wife, Valerie Plame — to a partisan Republican smear campaign. In right-wing blogs and on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal and the National Review, I've been accused of being a liar and, worse, a traitor.

But the good folks at National Review say

Tim Graham: Joe Wilson's borrowing a page from Richard Clarke's drama-queen routine. Who called him a "traitor"? I suppose someone in the blogosphere did, but it doesn't have the whoomp of the Los Angeles Times or New York Times, where he hangs his columns out. I never called him a "traitor." I don't think the Wall Street Journal called him a "traitor."

Cliff May: "Certainly, I never called him a traitor."

Which, if true, means that Joe is a... mistaken.

Googling (as of this posting) Joe Wilson Liar Traitor returns 2,020 results - but cutting the responses down to those in the "News" category returns one. (Yep, that one.)

Perhaps Mr Wilson feels that The Christian Science Monitor is part of the conspiracy?

I've been plowing through 196 pages of a report on prewar intelligence-gathering on Iraq that few Americans will ever read.

Sandwiched between the US Senate Intelligence Committee's report earlier this month, and the 9/11 commission's report due to be released Tuesday, is the official British report on the accuracy of the intelligence that they gathered on the eve of war to assess the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

The British commission is as sharply critical of many of the MI6 spymasters' flawed conclusions as US investigators have been of the CIA's. But there is one striking departure: The British commission, chaired by Lord Butler, suggests that there is more substance to the story of Iraqi efforts to buy uranium from Africa than has hitherto been suggested. The British report says evidence "was not conclusive that Iraq actually purchased, as opposed to having sought, uranium." But it documents visits by Iraqi officials to the uranium-exporting nation of Niger, and says that British intelligence from several sources indicating that the purpose was to acquire uranium "was credible."

This conclusion has political implications. On Sept. 24, 2002, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons that "Saddam has been trying to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa, although we do not know whether he has been successful." On Jan. 28, 2003, in his State of the Union speech, President Bush said: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." The Butler commission concludes that both statements were "well-founded."

Now keep that key 16-word quote from the President in mind as you ponder this Joe Wilson support piece from the Philadelphia Inquirer

So it still boggles the mind that the White House included the discredited reference to Iraq and African uranium in the State of the Union. Maybe Iraq did want to purchase African uranium, but there's still no solid evidence to back this up.

In other words - you can't prove anything! So there - neener neener neener.

Hope the whole thing is clear now.

No Nukes is Good Nukes

No nukes in Iraq?

The daily al-Sabah newspaper Wednesday had quoted sources as saying three missiles armed with nuclear warheads were discovered in a trench near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

A U.S. military spokesman in Tikrit told United Press International that the report was untrue.

Confused? Don't worry, the UN weapons inspectors are returning!

Iraq's new government has asked U.N. weapons inspectors to return to the country, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Tuesday.

''The return of U.N. inspectors to Iraq is an urgent necessity; not to search for weapons of mass destruction but to write the final report about the nonexistence of (such) weapons ... in Iraq, which will enable the lifting of sanctions,'' Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Cairo.

<...>

The inspectors will be sent in the next few days, ElBaradei said.

So don't worry, they'll sort the whole mess out. But when, exactly, will they arrive?

The inspectors, who would continue their work to ensure that Iraq adheres to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, would leave as soon as safety arrangements had been made, agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said from IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Outstanding! However, hopefully they're aware of this related story:

...the United Nations has been unable to secure enough troops to protect a U.N. contingent headed to the country to help with elections and rebuilding.

When the U.N. Security Council voted six weeks ago to authorize a protective force, it expected contributors to step forward. But countries have balked at taking part in a force expected to include 1,000 troops and several dozen bodyguards. Diplomats said many nations were hesitating because of the dangers — including a wave of kidnappings — and costs as well as the continuing unpopularity of the U.S. invasion.

"It's a difficult problem for these countries, especially at a time when other countries [with troops in Iraq] are pulling out, or planning to leave ahead of schedule," a U.N. diplomat said. "Discussions are continuing. So far no one has stepped forward."

(Note: the LA Times piece quoted above actually began with "In another setback for U.S. efforts in Iraq, the United Nations has been unable to secure enough troops...)

Update: More here (via GR)

The Butterfly Effect

Or "If Wishes were Horses we'd all Wish for Cars"

From chaos theory to a movie theme to a possible title for the upcoming 911 commission report. According to the WaPo

The final report by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks details as many as 10 missed opportunities by the Bush and Clinton administrations to detect or derail the deadly terrorist hijackings, but the panel stops short of saying the attacks should have been prevented, according to government officials and others familiar with the document.

The report, to be released publicly tomorrow, includes a list of 10 "operational opportunities" that the government missed to potentially unravel the Sept. 11 plot, said a government official who has read the document. Six of the incidents listed came during the Bush administration and four were during the Clinton years, this official said.

But the nearly 600-page report acknowledges that many of the opportunities were long shots and that others would have required a lucky sequence of events to alter the outcome, said sources who declined to be identified because the commission wants the document kept secret until its release.

In other words, the butterfly effect. And those who haven't seen the movie should consider doing so and ponder the implication for various 911 "what if" scenarios.

After all, the movie was demonstrably profitable, and a DVD can be bought for 20 bucks or so, and rented for less. That's certainly less costly than the 911 inquiry that (assumingly, the report isn't released) refrained from developing "speculative fiction" scenarios in detail beyond that in the final paragraph quoted above.

Need help firing up the imagination? Try here, here, here, and here

My personal favorite is this one, because it includes this excerpt that has stuck in my mind for some time:

Mohammad Atta was a confused young man, his aspirations torn between the houris of the Koran and the showgirls of the Las Vegas Strip. He had not yet reached the last stage of his personal jihad. Perhaps, if left free, he would have resolved his inner conflict on September 11, 2001, and that resolution might have been one that we Westerners would not have understood or approved. Nevertheless, there is nothing that he could have done to a small number of New York-bound airplane passengers that would have been more shocking to the American sense of justice than what George W. Bush's, Richard Cheney?s and John Ashcroft?s American government did to him and his comrades.?

Of course, fiction aside, we can only speculate that the real 911 commission had all possible info...

(Hat tip Instapundit for some of the above links)

Solved Murder

I suppose it's true crime day in Mudville - the entry below followed by this blurb for a documentary about teenage lesbian satanist killers.

Unsolved Murder

Found this e-mail on returning home today:

My blog partner and myself (Seven Inches of Sense) are trying to get the word out about the murder of his son in hopes of finding new information.

Burke O'Brien, was murdered in New York, shot through the heart, in front of 75-79 Orchard Street on January 12th 2003.

The murder goes unsolved to this day.

The ABC documentary series, NYPD 24/7, will feature solely Burke's case during the July 20th airing. It is the only one in the series that remains unsolved.

We are trying to get as many of you big boys of the blogging world as possible to post something about the case and the ABC broadcast. The only real hope of solving this case is someone coming forward with new information. And you just never know where it will come from.

Also included was this link to a post from Michele at A Small Victory with more details.

Home Again

"In life, as in baseball, it's the number of times you reach home safely that count"
--Unkn

Score one more for me.

On the Move

Traveling again. At journey's end I'll have much to say. In the meantime, here's a must read from the front lines via the Stryker Brigades.

The Layover

My upcoming return to Germany includes 4 lovely hours Monday afternoon at JFK.

Any suggestions on what to do for four hours in that vicinity will be appreciated.

Finished!

Finished Hugh Hewitt's new book. Didn't want to recommend it until I did so - haven't time now for an in-depth review but have to say it's a must read and a must read now. Given it's focus on strategies for the upcoming political campaigns it should be obvious that this isn't a book you want to delay reading.

You won't find it at Wal Mart or most major chains - but that plus Blogs have made it a top seller on Amazon.

Get a copy via Hugh's site today.

More on Moore

Some folks claim that there's no such thing as bad publicity. If that's true, then there must be exceptions to the rule.

From John McCaslin's July 12th Inside the Beltway column in the Washington Times

The family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was shocked to learn that video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Maj. Stone was killed in March 2003 by a grenade that officials said was thrown into his tent by Sgt. Hasan K. Akbar, who is on trial for murder.

<...>

The movie, described by critics as political propaganda during an election year, shows video footage of the funeral and Maj. Stone's fiancee, Tammie Eslinger, kissing her hand and placing it on his coffin.

The family does not know how Mr. Moore obtained the video, and Miss Gallagher said they did not give permission and are considering legal recourse.

She described her nephew as a "totally conservative Republican" and said he would have found the film to be "putrid."

And this follow-up from July 16:

Outrage from across the country after Inside the Beltway wrote this week about the family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone being shocked to learn video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11."

The mother of the major labeled Mr. Moore a "maggot that eats off the dead."

<...>

"If the family wishes to seek a suit against Michael Moore ... I will donate $100 toward legal fees and will solicit my friends to do the same," promises Manny Gagliardi of Arlington, Texas.

"Mountain States Legal Foundation was founded in 1977 by the late Joe Coors," writes William Perry Pendley, foundation president and chief legal officer, of Lakewood, Colo. "It has litigated many cases, including many against President Clinton's abuses. Could you forward MSLF's information to the family of the Air Force officer whose burial was used without permission by Michael Moore?"

Given that Mr McCaslin has included that bit of correspondence in his follow up I'd speculate that the family might be pondering the offer.

While there may be very few "fence sitters" remaining on the issue of Michael Moore's credibility, there's still no reason not to shine a bright light of truth on the murky world Moore presents in his films.

Not to mention his actions are simply wrong.

Should you wish to contact Mr McCaslin to encourage him to continue to pursue this story he can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.

If the Mountain States Legal Foundation does join this effort, expect to see press releases on their web site.

Polka for the Troops

Perhaps I was wrong in a previous post regarding military recruiting difficulties, accordi-ing to this there may be problems after all:

There's a great job out there awaiting an accordion player. The catch: six weeks in boot camp.

The Air Force is looking to replace the accordion player of its band's Strolling Strings music ensemble; the last one retired two years ago. So far, the search has been fruitless.

<...>

So, since the accordion players aren't coming to the Air Force, the Air Force is going to the accordion players. Sgt. Bockenek is recruiting at the 66th annual American Accordionists Association festival this week in and around Boston.

She is looking for more than an accomplished musician.

"They have to be under age 35, they have to fit our weight and fitness requirements, and they have to be able to get a security clearance," she said. "We are looking for someone who's not just qualified to do the job but who fits the parameters of the United States Air Force."

Security clearance? Yes - they'll be playing the secret songs.

An' a one, an' a two...

Ooops (Part 20?)

Lots of folks are gloating about the "breaking" Joe Wilson story (see here and numerous other posts on this guys blog). Of particular interest is this:

... this "Restore Honesty" website by the now-discredited Joe Wilson is mostly of comedic value now. But wait, there's more -- scroll to the bottom and you'll see that it's "Paid for by John Kerry for President, Inc." Quite an embarrassment.

As long as we're discussing Kerry embarrassments burried in stories on page A47 of the local news, here's a surprising bit from Reuters via the NY Times:

Senator John Kerry, whose campaign demanded to know on Wednesday whether President Bush had read a crucial intelligence assessment on Iraq, did not read the document himself before voting to give the president the authority to go to war, aides later acknowledged.

Whoops! Actually, seems all around like "no way to run a country" - but we are talking about busy people here, right? Of course, no one actually claims anywhere whether the President read it or not...

The Kerry campaign stepped up the attack on Wednesday, sending out an e-mail message with the headline, "Did anyone in the White House read the full National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq?"

Certainly a follow-up e-mail will explain all.

Panama Fred

Almost missed this! The always-insightful Fred Shoenemen has authored a book on his experiences in Panama (during the invasion, mind you, not MTV Spring Break weekend) and has shipped said volume off to an agent. So if you're a publisher or otherwise in the industry, you may want to check this out. (Note to such folks: The Blogosphere sent Hugh Hewitt's book into the top 10 on Amazon.)

And if you're a combat vet, you may want to check this out (same link):

...if there are any veterans out there who'd still like to a look, email me and I'll send it to you. I'd especially like feedback from former Infantrymen/Airborne infantry/Rangers/Marines/SEAL's -- basically, anyone with experience at the squad level in a combat arms unit.

Let me emphasisze, that's Fred's offer, not mine! Go visit Fred!

Speaking of Fear and Loathing...

An unedited story from a soldier in Iraq:

The temperature was way over 100 today and my PLT had a patrol in the afternoon, which I was supposed to go on, but my Squad LDR told me I had to stay back because the Command SGT Major wanted to talk to me at 13:00. That's not good. That usually means you fucked up and are on your way to an article 15 and some extra duty. I racked my brain on what I could have possibly done wrong out here, I couldn't think of anything that I've done recently that could have possibly gotten me into trouble. What I found out at 13:00 was that the Command SGT Major, who is pretty much the top of the food chain in the NCO ranks here, wanted to present me an award (!) for, as he said, "Going above and beyond what is expected of me here in Iraq." He said my PLT selected me for this award, because they wanted me to be recognized for all the hard work I've done out here. And he presented me a Command SGT Major Award Coin (Note: A coin is not a big deal, it's not a medal of honor or anything like that. It carries the came weight as say, a "thank you" card) and shook my hand. I thought that was kinda cool. I've been out here busting my ass doing a thankless job and I'm being recognized for it and thanked by higher. That was a huge moral boost for me today.

You gotta love it - because that's the sort of hero America loves - the guy that doesn't even have a clue that he's a hero.

I had an interesting conversation with a non-military relative here in the States the other day. He may have briefly forgotten what I do for a living, and I can't give a direct quote now, but the gist of his (inaccurate) comment was that the military is having a tough time recruiting these days, and that they are seeking and accepting increasingly less qualified candidates, and generally lowering standards for enlistments.

A concern for us all if true, but as I have seen no evidence of such I have to wonder if I had heard a recitation of a new talking point. Seems likely to me (more so than his unsupported claim) that if the troops are generally in favor of what's going on in the world these days, then it might behoove certain elements in our society to depict said troops as something other than the heroes they've been depicted as recently.

Or stated differently, lets say those who have been proclaiming "Support the troops - bring them home!" are realizing the troops aren't supporting them. What can they do? They can claim the troops are different now.

There was a time when service in U.S. military was honorable and professionally rewarding. But because of politicians who use the military to pump up corporate profits instead of defending us, that was a long time ago. Americans with personal integrity should boycott the volunteer military and discourage everyone they care about to do the same. "They come from parts of the country where jobs are hard to find," an acquaintance condescendingly excuses the enlistees. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I'd rather sleep under a bridge, eating trash out of a Dumpster, than murder human beings for Halliburton.

<...>

Until military service becomes less of a scam, no one should sign up. Those who have should not reenlist.

Who will defend the United States if attrition shrinks the volunteer armed forces? If we're attacked by a foreign power, as we last were in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, Americans will line up to volunteer. World War II, won six decades ago by a storied generation of draftees and volunteers, was fought to defend American freedom. But we haven't fought an honorable war since.

Get the message? It's Ted Rall's latest screed. (Via Michele - and don't miss her commentary here) Ted's a creepy sort of guy, of little consequence, and most Americans would rightfully dismiss him as a member of the extreme and loony left, and not mainstream.

Others might hail him as a visionary, a trendsetter.

Think about the Seattle area -- Bainbridge Island to be exact -- and you think scenic views and liberal-minded tolerance.

At least the killer views are still there.

The bucolic island's deep reputation for civility got a gut check this week during the annual Grand Old Fourth of July celebration.

That's when Jason Gilson, a 23-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, marched in the local event. He wore his medals with pride and carried a sign that said "Veterans for Bush."

Walking the parade route with his mom, younger siblings and politically conservative friends, Jason heard words from the crowd that felt like a thousand daggers to the heart.

"Baby killer!"

"Murderer!"

"Boooo!"

To understand why the reaction of strangers hurt so much, you must read what the young man had written in a letter from Iraq before he was disabled in an ambush:

"I really miss being in the states. Some of the American public have no idea how much freedom costs and who the people are that pay that awful price. I think sometimes people just see us as nameless and faceless and not really as humans. ... A good portion of us are actually scared that when we come home, for those of us who make it back, that there will be protesters waiting for us and that is scary."

On the Fourth, Jason faced his worst fear.

It was such a public humiliation -- home front insult after battlefield injury.

(Via Chief Wiggles)

Did I mention talking points?

Here's apologist Kevin Dwyer, executive director of the (presumably Bainbridge Island) Chamber of Commerce:

Dwyer added: "I believe (Jason's) mom when she said her son was called 'a murderer.' But I'm sure it wasn't so much directed at the kid as it was the president. A soldier with a sign represents that."

An interesting echo of this quote from Rall:

"When Bush launched an illegal war," a European reader wrote to Time magazine after the Abu Ghraib scandal broke, "he created an atmosphere that led some Americans to believe that anything goes. Please, America, don't blame the soldiers. Blame Bush, and hold him responsible in November."

The left is struggling with itself as it stumbles towards blaming the troops, a subset of the population it desperately wants to believe supports them. (Some do, most don't.) But that desperate lefty cling is starting to slip. The tidal shift was first hinted at here, followed by a flood of Abu Ghraib coverage. Ironically, it's the Abu Ghraib story that prevents the left from turning all-out against the troops. For now they need the accused of that crime to be hopeless victims, and they need the administration to be the real bad guys.

But they are getting tired of waiting for the troops to revolt.

They don't want to accept that the troops might actually support the mission in Iraq, but they are beginning to prepare quotes for that moment when they can no longer deny it.

The blogger at Fear and Loathing generally leaves politics out of his posts. Here, for instance, is a conclusion to a recent entry:

I had to pull radio watch in the War Room last night, and somebody left a copy of the April edition of People Magazine there. So on radio watch, I read how Survivors Rob and Amber are in Love, Kelly Osborne is in Rehab, Omaarosa has a suprising past, and how Reese Witherspoon and hubby Ryan Phillippe bought a house in Los Angeles for 4.9 million. And you know what, after reading that magazine, for a split second, I was glad I was here in Iraq, and not back in America.

Hopefully he'll never have any more serious reasons to feel that way.

Homecomings

Cpt Patti's return home from Iraq got me thinking. A few months ago there seemed to be 24/7 coverage on television, newspapers, magazines, and blogs of the announcement and impact of the extension of many GI's tours in Iraq. Countless relatives were shown, upset and teary, having just received the news that their loved ones were not coming home next week after all.

Has there been similarly extensive coverage on the happy homecomings for these troops? How about interviews with them to see how they feel about what they've accomplished - and the cost of that accomplishment?

I may have missed the stories - TV hasn't been my top priority while on leave - but I suspect the images and voices of the returning heroes from Iraq have not been amplified by national media coverage.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Cpt Patti is Home

Tim says:

AFTER 427 days...she's HOME!!!

Cpt Patti, of course - home safe and sound.

And the don't miss post is here.

Welcome home Cpt Patti!

In the Service

From the WaPo:

The Lions Club has given itself a new mission: helping Iraqis receive adequate health care.

It is time for service-minded individuals to chip in where "the government just can't seem to get started," says Emory Harmon, 87, a retired postmaster from Greenbelt and Lions Club member since 1955.

Harmon has faxed Iraq's ambassador-designate, Rend Rahim Francke, to propose establishing a Lions Club chapter in Baghdad. Harmon said the president of Lions Clubs International, Clement F. Kusiak, of Linthicum, Md., has also sent a fax promoting the idea to Iraq's Washington embassy from the headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill.

Eighty-seven.

Of course, he's just following the lead of the Optimists and Dick Cheney's Boy Scout cronies in the takeover of Iraq, don't you know.

Researchers say Boy Scouts have been active in Iraq for decades, with some placing the establishment date at 1921. Troops were repressed under Saddam Hussein's regime, however, and are only now getting re-established.

Now who besides a murderous dictator would suppress the Boy Scouts?

More Fear and Loathing

So... how are you spending your Bastille Day?

We had an IED Sweep for a mission this after noon. An IED (Improvised Exploding Device) Sweep is when we drive around town for hours until we hit an IED speed bump, or until one of us visually finds an IED along the road. No lie, that's how we find IEDs on IED Sweeps out here, we drive around until one literally blows up on us or if one of us visually finds one. Today was a successful sweep, we found 3 rocket launchers, two of them with rockets in them. We found them right there next to the road, not even hidden, in front of a playground.

You probably had less dangerous things to do, but if you haven't visited My War - Fear and Loathing in Iraq yet then your day is not complete. (Note: quoted post is here.)

Bastille Day

Bonjour! Hope your Bastille Day is a happy one. For all the latest on the country that made beheading chic, be sure to stop by Merde in France, and No Pasaran!. These blogs and David's Medienkritik keep me in touch with Europe as I enjoy my vacation here in the good ol' USA.

Lawyers, Guns, and Money

If arguments were water, Iraq would be the deepest well on earth. Here are a few more bucket lo