 |
|
 |
Prev | List | Random | Next |
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email.
Original content copyright © 2003 - 2005 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed.
Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com
The St. Petersburg Times updates the story of a neighborhood battle:
TAMPA - Stacey Kelley isn't sure what to do anymore about the "Support Our Troops" sign that has brought an endless flow of news cameras to her door.Original story here.That's because the sign is gone.
"I guess someone didn't like it," Kelley said.
The sign was apparently stolen out of Kelley's yard in northwest Hillsborough's Westchase subdivision. The ribbon-shaped sign violated the community's deed restrictions. In February, Westchase officials told Kelley to take it down, but she refused.
Kelley said the sign was up on April 21, when she and her husband, David, an Army private who is home on leave from Iraq, left to spend the day at Busch Gardens. When they came home that night, it was gone.
Via reader email - unbelievable - but true:
Mayor Won't Give Dead Marine's Money BackI guess he figured dead Marines don't fight back.FORT LUPTON, Colo. -- The mother of a U.S. Marine was grieving for her dead son when she found that his savings account had been claimed by the director of the funeral home.
It was money that he had no right to and despite a court ruling, the funeral director refused to pay. What's even more puzzling is that he's not just any debtor, he's the mayor of the small town and a member of a City Council that has financial responsibility for the city's budget.
7NEWS also found that he has other debts as well, something his constituents may want to know.
Jason Sepulveda, a Marine, was training at Camp Lejune in North Carolina, preparing to go to Iraq, when in an evening off-base, he was killed in a car accident.
"My son died instantly and the other Marine died approximately two weeks after," said Elis Sepulveda, Jason's mother.
His parents, who spoke with him weekly, knew he had been saving his money for a long weekend when they would all be together.
"We were going on vacation for the Fourth of July to visit him," Sepulveda said. "I know he had been sacrificing because they don't get paid very much."
Jason's body was returned to Colorado for burial. Records show that the funeral was paid, in full, by the Marines. But after closing out her son's accounts, Jason's mother realized that the probate court had sent the proceeds of Jason's savings account to the funeral home, which is run by Jim Bostick.
"I called Mr. Bostick and I said, 'Well, the courts sent you my son's savings account.' He just kind of really blew me off a lot," Sepulveda said.
She said he didn't give her any receipts or bills and just kept the money.
In addition to his duties as mayor and member of the Ft. Lupton City Council, Bostick also owns two funeral homes. In his role with the city, he is heavily involved in overseeing the finances of the town.
Sepulveda took Bostick to court over the money he wouldn't return to her family. The judge's order in the case was final.
"She gave damages, interests, court fines, everything, and I assumed that if you go to court that you pay it," Sepulveda said.
But despite the judgment of more than $7,500, Bostick has refused to pay.
More details at the link. He won't have to worry if the town kicks him out as mayor - the Hilton would probably hire him the next day.
...please turn out the lights. The Washington Post on the final Friday at Fran's:
A fiercely beloved military tradition came to a close in downtown Washington last night when Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse reluctantly served its last thick steak with a side of laughter and dignity to soldiers recovering from war injuries in the area.In the same article, hotel general manager Brian Kelleher tells the Hilton's side of the storyBut the veterans -- many of whom made their first, cautious forays in public with prosthetics, scars and skin grafts during the Friday night dinner tradition -- did not go down without a fight.
Hundreds of soldiers began online campaigns to preserve the weekly dinners, save the steakhouse and shame the Capitol Hilton, at 16th and L streets NW, which houses the restaurant and declined this month to renew its lease.
The restaurant, a staple among the power-dining set, is losing its lease Monday. That might be sad for steak lovers everywhere, but the real tragedy, many supporters said, is the end of the 2 1/2 years of Friday night veterans' dinners.
Hotel general manager Brian Kelleher said it was simply a business deal, a lease negotiation that broke down after restaurant owners were asked to spiff up the "dated" look and didn't comply and then were late on their rent.Other reputable sources suggest that once overdue room service bills are subtracted from rent due, the Hilton actually owes Fran's over eight thousand dollars.The hotel asked the owners to update worn upholstery, install new carpeting, replace an aging canopy and polish the brass outside, but the owners refused, Kelleher said.
<...>
"This has had absolutely nothing to do with the veterans," Kelleher said.The Hilton has offered to help take over the Friday night dinner tradition, which had been funded by the restaurant's owners and then by corporate donors. Management has suggested the dinners could move to a ballroom or to the hotel's other restaurant, Twigs.
<...>
"We can use the back of my other restaurant," he said, or he can screen off part of a ballroom.
But even without that considerable amount, Fran's was hardly without funds:
At a ceremony hosted by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Finmeccanica SpA, presented a check for $75,000 to the Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in support of a program for wounded American soldiers. The Friday "steak night" has become a valued part of the soldiers' recovery from injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan.Other supporters have contributed too. In fact, the Aleethia Foundation was established just for the purpose of supporting the dinners. And although they may no longer be held at Fran's, I'm assured those dinners will continue elsewhere with full involvement of the guys who started it all. But with that kind of money rolling in it's no wonder that the Hilton was eager to move the dinners to their own restaurant.
Likewise, it's no surprise the Hilton is furiously practicing damage control:
I also met Ramona Joyce, an Army veteran and volunteer who is intimately familiar with the goings on at Fran O'Brien's. She and I had a long chat and I enjoyed talking to her. On this evening, she was more than perturbed with Brian Kelleher. According to Ramona, while the cameras were rolling, Brian Kelleher greeted the troops. So what? Well, she says that it was the first time that he's ever done that.It ain't over, as they say. And if someone with some responsibility at the Hilton doesn't act fast it never will be.
Our previous coverage is compiled here. The Washington Post is right about "hundreds of soldiers" involved in this issue, but they represent just a fraction of a very large group comprised of people from all walks of life and otherwise divergent political views. (Hilton officials have shut down their email as a result of the volume of complaints.) And with coverage in the Times of London, the exposure is now international.
Probably. For now I'll just offer this picture for all the Hilton management folks who believe it will all be soon forgotten.
Update: And you most definitely want to read this account of last Friday at Fran's
The young man introduced himself as a Staff Sergeant, saying he’d been wounded in Iraq and had been attending Friday Nights at Fran’s for about two years. With a voice like a sergeant addressing his unit, then later choked with emotion, he told us about Hal Koster and Marty O’Brien and how the soldiers felt about them. His words were punctuated with Hoo-ahs and Ooh-rahs, and boos when appropriate. I remember some of his speech word-for-word, but some of the following is paraphrased a bit:Read on.“Hal and Marty are the two greatest men I’ve ever known,” he began. He then explained about the dinners, for those who might not know. “Not only have they given us food and a place to kick back, but they care about us, they ask us how we’re doing, they listen to us talk. And most importantly… most importantly, they give us the strength to recover, the motivation to keep going. This place is a part of our therapy.” He never stopped pacing the interior of the square bar as if addressing his troops, taking time to make eye contact with the crowd on all sides and waving his beer for effect. He admonished us to continue to support Hal and Marty. People cheered.
Then he paused and after a moment said, “Now to the f***ers upstairs,” with a look to the ceiling. The crowd murmured and muttered, boos and growls erupted. The next few minutes he spoke with anger and even more animation.
More, via email:
Dear Sirs:Previous entries compiled here.I recently read an article on line about the Hilton in Washington D.C. stating that the Hilton hotel refused to have reasonable access for disabled vets. Several years ago my husband suffered a stroke during a simple surgery. The stroke left him paralyzed. I must admit that before his stroke, I never paid much attention to curb cuts, handicap access, support bars in bathrooms, etc. However, since my husband’s stroke, these issues have become a major part of my life.
At the age of 58 my husband wasn’t ready to retire in a rest home for the rest of his life. Outside of not being able to walk, he is quite able to travel, go to town on his own, eat in restaurants, and do all the other things a person without disabilities can do. However, in the real world, that is not the case. It has not been easy to function in a world that is indifferent to disability issues. We have to fight for every inch of mobility. A simple curb might as well as be a ten foot wall if you are in a wheelchair.
How many times do you use a public bathroom during a week’s time or even in a day’s time? Something you might take for granted, but to my husband and others with disabilities, it can be a major problem. Not too long ago, we were at a luxury hotel and because we could not find the bathroom that was accessible and because the restaurant staff wasn’t aware of its location, (it was located four floors up from the restaurant), we, subsequently, had to leave the family function and go home without finishing our meal. My husband has sat outside a glass doors for 20 minutes in the rain waiting for someone to open the door because it was too heavy for him to pull open from his chair. We have entered rooms through allies and back doors; we’ve waited with embarrassment while the staff, in restaurants, fumbled around trying to figure out where the portable ramp was or until guests were disturbed and furniture moved as they realized there was not enough space for a wheelchairs to maneuver through the space; and we even have been turned away from restaurants not because of race or ethnicity but because there was no access. At one special event function, they carried my husband up the steps, but had to leave his motorized chair on the first floor, so he was confined to one area of the room all evening. We have taken train rides where they packed my husband away with the luggage.
Consequently, every time we plan to leave the house, we have to figure out where we can go that will accommodate a wheelchair down to the last detail and even that doesn’t always work. Sometimes it is just a matter of a door sill that is too high for his chair to cross over. For instance, in the case of your D.C. Hotel, I am sure your staff is trained to say that you have access. Going through back doors, kitchens, etc. is not access! It is time for big corporations to realize that the disabled are tired of being treated as third class citizens. We are tired of the sighs, raised eyebrows, and secret thoughts of you are making so much more work for us. We are also tired of phrases as “we didn’t know”, or “we are grandfathered in and don’t have to comply”.
After years of humiliating experiences, my husband and I decided, we were not going to stand for it any longer. We have become proactive and major advocates for the disabled. Before my husband’s stroke, we were involved in the Meeting Planning Business for 20 years in the Anaheim area. We have many contacts still with people in the industry. We have made it our task to make meeting planners take notice that accessibility is a major concern when planning any event. We have been urging party planners not to hold functions at facilities that do not meet ADA requirements. We have also organized an Orange County Chapter of the Californians, for Disability Rights that actively fights for the rights of the disabled. We have also pursued legal matters against those establishments that choose not to make changes. The disabled person is no longer content to “go away”. We have gone before city council meetings and we even have gone as far as to file lawsuits. It is sad that it comes down to cash…..however…. that is all that most businesses nowadays seem to understand.
I was alarmed when I read this article. This is our country’s capital, and instead of having our best foot forward as an example for the rest of the nation, we have a major corporation playing games with the ADA Laws. Is the Hilton Hotel chain that insensitive to the needs of our own disabled soldiers? This article reported that not only did the hotel not have public areas accessible, but that the hotel went out of its way to circumvent remedying the problem by not renewing leases. Then there were the statements that you plan to carry on some one else’s tradition after you kicked him out in the cold. If all of this wasn’t bad enough, the real question remains, “What is being done to make that area accessible?” Moving one event to another area does not remedy the accessibility problem. So in my eyes you are batting 100%.
I am hoping that this was not a “true” story and I am waiting to hear from you your side of the Hilton in D.C. restaurant incident before our organization plans a course of action against the Hilton chain here in Anaheim.
Sincerely,
Marilynn Pike,
Secretary of the Orange County Chapter of Californian for Disability Rights
That means Major John's weekly news from Afghanistan is here.
...is an interesting concept. Once achieved, the US goal of handing control over to a stable Iraqi government with security provided by indigenous forces will allow many sides to claim "victory" - and every side will certainly declare the enemy defeated.
That point is still a bit further down the road, but this news from Iraq might have brought it a bit closer
BAGHDAD — Iraq's senior Shiite Muslim religious figure Thursday called on the country's controversial militias to disarm, marking one of the most overt forays into matters of politics and policy by the influential cleric.The LA Times story goes to great lengths to explain that some Sunnis are concerned that Sistani has too much influence, and that his call for disbanding militias and unification of Iraqis could be perceived as a threat. In spite of the Times efforts, it's difficult to see this as anything other than a positive development (though it's impact is obviously yet to be determined).Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, regarded as the moral voice of Iraq's Shiite majority, called for a government of technocrats rather than political loyalists or sectarian interests and said that only government forces should be permitted to carry weapons on the streets.
"Weapons must be in the hands of government security forces that should not be tied to political parties but to the nation," said the Iranian-born Sistani in a statement released by his office in Najaf after he met with the newly designated prime minister. "The first task for the government is fighting insecurity and putting an end to the terrorist acts that threaten innocents with death and kidnapping."
Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal (unavailable to non-subscribers) quotes a named Iraqi government source:
Iraqi Official Expects Start Of U.S. Exit, With A Big Pullout This YearProgress in Iraq this spring threatens to derail several budding political campaigns - those who've built their strategy on US failure will have a hard time finding other issues. But they may choose not to. Any US withdrawal will be done "under fire". As long as US troops are in country there will always be someone willing to launch a rocket into a FOB or park a car bomb along a convoy route. Like Saddam Hussein in 1991 the enemy will declare victory, and while most of us will have to live with that, others will celebrate, and it's very likely that those who follow John Murtha's strategy (ensure no US withdrawal can be called a US victory - in his own words "I worry about a slow withdrawal which makes it look like there's a victory") will still get substantial credibility from the media, a small junta of retired generals, and those politicians who've bet the farm on an insurgent victory over US troops.BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A senior Iraqi official said there would be a substantial withdrawal of U.S. troops this year, with the rest leaving within the next two years.
Speaking to senior U.S., Iraqi and British security officials, Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak Rubaie said the Iraqi government was working to formalize a "conditions-based transition agreement" with the U.S. that would govern the pace and scope of a U.S. military withdrawal from the country. Such an agreement would detail a timeline for turning U.S. military facilities over to the Iraqis and leaving Iraqi forces with primary security responsibility for growing portions of the country.
"Certainly at the end of the year there is going to be a sizable gross reduction in U.S. troops," Mr. Rubaie said as he stood beside Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "At the end of next year, we will hope, or the next couple of years, we will hope that most of the coalition forces will go back home safely."
Mr. Rumsfeld declined to comment on the timing of a drawdown of the 132,000 U.S. troops, as did his aides. During his visit to Iraq, Mr. Rumsfeld has declined to address the possibility of a withdrawal, but other U.S. commanders have confirmed that one is likely to begin this year.
Yeah, you'll definitely want to wear boots for that.
But for now we're back. Our back-up site is always here, should the lights go out again. Might want to bookmark it.
The "anti-war grannies" story has gotten more than it's share of coverage; the lure of promoting a group of blue-haired protestors taking time out from baking cookies to speak truth to power is obviously irresistible to certain elements in the media. Cracking angry voices make great sound bites, but this page-one NY Times coverage contains a telling paragraph:
The trial was extraordinary, if only because it gave 18 impassioned women — some of whom dated their political activism to the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg — a chance to testify at length about their antiwar sentiments and their commitment to free speech and dissent, in a courtroom that attracted reporters from France and Germany.Google Ethel and Julius if you need to, fellow travelers - I'm not giving that part of the history lesson today. But small wonder the supporters of the team that helped hand the A-bomb to the Russians are against America today. Many, if not all of the "grannies" are simply remnants of a bygone era, revitalized by new threats against a nation they can't bring themselves to support. If any of them actually have children who also have children it's less a validation of their wisdom and more a reminder that four or more decades of supporting a failed ideology does not of itself grant credibility to the cause.
I celebrate their "victory"...
The women — from 59 to 91, many gray-haired, some carrying canes, one legally blind, one with a walker — listened gravely and in obvious suspense as Judge Neil E. Ross delivered a carefully worded 15-minute speech in which he said his verdict was not a referendum on the Police Department, the defendants' antiwar message or, indeed, their very grandmotherhood....as I celebrate the right to non-violent free speech anywhere in the few countries that allow it today. But I cheer loudest for those who used that space they left available to enter the recruiting office and join to actually defend free speech too. In a way I truly pity those who wasted a life lived in freedom leading cheers for those who would end both life and freedom were they ever to be successful in their cause.But, he said, there was credible evidence that the grandmothers had left room for people to enter the recruitment center, and that therefore they had been wrongly arrested.
Expect more from these intrepid grannies, they aren't likely to be content to go back to making brownies. These age of Aquarian septuagenarians have achieved a first - the first generation to protest their parents and their kids.
Back in the "good old days" they popularized a slogan: "never trust anybody over 30". They were wrong then, and they're wrong today.
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Signs of independence -- [The Will to Exist - in Iraq]
There have been obvious signs over the last few days that the Iraqi government intends to do more of its own heavy lifting from now on. Assets appear to have begun being shuffled already.
I’m doubtful that my unit or I will be affected, but it’s fairly clear that the Iraqi government is quite interested in Iraqis taking care of their own problems. This is as it should be.
Island Style -- [The Babylon Blog - in Iraq]
Part of my job includes walks through the town to visit projects we are working on. These trips can be the best part of being here because it allows me the chance to get out and see the town and its people. Yesterday we walked out to an island that sits in the middle of the Euphrates River. We needed to inspect some repairs we had done to a primary school there.
A Good Day -- [a mobilized year]
I sat there with one of my men’s blood-soaked IBA (body armor) in my hands. It was the end of a long day and I was exhausted. Although, I had a very strange feeling come over me. It was the feeling of having a good day. A damn good day.
Earlier that day, I received a dreaded message. I was summoned to the TOC because of an emergency situation involving one of my crews. The three minute trip ...
Electronic Blackouts and Fearing the Worst -- [Reporting for Duty - in Iraq]
A blackout occured after our aircraft crashed -- and it probably saved many family members unnecessary grief. If one or two soldiers had been able to call home after the crash, their own families would have been reassured. But the families would have called other families in the unit and told them about the crash -- and those families might have begun to fear the worst.
Since all of the crew members were okay, families would have been alarmed for no reason.
Iraq Pictures - 28 April 2006 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
Locals from Al Harza Village, near Numaniyah, stand in line just to meet U.S. troops during an operation conducted by the 48th Brigade Combat Team. People don't stand in line to meet the criminals such as Al Queda who violate Islam and Muslim brotherhood and law.
...Local contractors work to restore an water pumping station in the southern Baghdad area. Restoring water, electricity and repairing sewage lines has become an essential part of rebuilding Iraq.
Cordons -- [Just Another Thunderhorse Roughneck - in Iraq]
I can’t stand them. I guess I should like them because it means that we’ve found an IED. The reason I hate them is because we have to ensure the safety of everyone else. That means that we have to secure the area and make sure that Iraqi civilians and other coalition forces doesn’t enter the danger area. Well, we ran into one today. It wasn’t our cordon but we still had to wait. It’s worse than waiting for a train to cross an intersection.
We stood by for just over an hour. It sucks because we can’t do anything else but wait.
Detrius of War -- [Those Wacky Iraqis - in Iraq]
...These are two Soviet made BMP armored personnel carriers and a Soviet made T-55 tank. It is early 60's technology and was trying to fight 21st Century warfighters. These Iraqis were smart. They saw what was coming and DD'd outta there!
The detrius of war was all over in 2003 and up until last year. It is all being cleaned up and everyone who comes now does not get to see the sights we saw. It is not sad but it is a change in the way we look at the place and does change the historical perspective.
Local al-Qaida Leader in Iraq Killed -- (AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi forces killed a local al-Qaida in Iraq leader and two other insurgents in a raid north of Baghdad on Friday, and roadside bombs killed an American soldier and an Iraqi policeman, officials said....
Cleric Calls For End To Militias -- (Los Angeles Times)...Borzou Daragahi and Bruce Wallace
Iraq's senior Shiite Muslim religious figure Thursday called on the country's controversial militias to disarm, marking one of the most overt forays into matters of politics and policy by the influential cleric.
US military sees Iraq edging away from civil war -- (Yahoo News/ Reuters)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Thursday Iraq was moving away from the risk of civil war and insurgent and sectarian bloodshed would fall dramatically when a new government of national unity is formed.
Iraqi Official Expects Start Of U.S. Exit, With A Big Pullout This Year -- (Wall Street Journal)...Yochi J. Dreazen
A senior Iraqi official said there would be a substantial withdrawal of U.S. troops this year, with the rest leaving within the next two years.
Iraqi Oil Gangs Syphon Off Billions -- (London Daily Telegraph)...Jim Muir
A new class of grand mafiosi sucking billions of pounds out of Iraq's vital oil sector is crippling efforts to rebuild the nation, according to an official report published in Baghdad.
The Iraq pipeline fiasco -- (International Herald Tribune)
The Bush administration's promise that Iraq's reconstruction could be paid for with the country's own oil revenues was one of the many false assertions and assurances that ushered in the invasion. But...
Rebuilding of Iraqi Oil Pipeline as Disaster Waiting to Happen -- (The New York Times)
When Robert Sanders was sent by the Army to inspect the construction work an American company was doing on the banks of the Tigris River, 130 miles north of Baghdad, he e...
Iraq war set to be more expensive than Vietnam -- (The Independent)
The Iraq war has already cost the United States $320bn (£180bn), according to an authoritative new report, and even if a troop withdrawal begins this year, the conflict is set to be more expensiv...
Air Force Rescue Teams Go Mainstream -- [Strategy Page]
More reliable, and effective warplanes, has resulted in very low losses. That has left the U.S. Air Force combat rescue teams without work. No problem. The greater use of Special Forces and commandoes, especially in Afghanistan, gave the rescue teams plenty to do.
Coalition talks security, reconstruction with village leaders -- [Centcom]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE ASADABAD, Afghanistan – Coalition, Afghan National Army and village leaders discussed regional anti-terror efforts, security and reconstruction at a meeting in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar Province on April 14.
About 50 village elders and townsmen from Ali Abad, Korangal, Arawara Bandeh and Babiel met with Afghan National Army Brig. Gen. Zamari, commander of the 3rd Brigade, 201st ANA Corps, Army Col. John Nicholson, Task Force Spartan commander, Army Lt. Col. Chip Bierman, Task Force Lava commander, and other Coalition leaders as part of Operation Mountain Lion.
Afghan resident turns in terrorists -- [Centcom]
JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Coalition forces used an anonymous tip from a local villager to ambush two enemy fighters in the Pech District of the Kunar Province on April 19.
Coalition forces were notified that enemy fighters were threatening the local villagers and their families if they provided Coalition forces with their location.
Back from the field... -- [AfghaniDan - in Afghanistan]
My thanks to those who asked where I've been, and my sincere apologies to all who actually want to hear my ramblings! I'll have much more up soon, but wanted to drop a quick note to say I'm back online, at JAF. The last couple of weeks required me to take hundreds of photos, so I've begun the painful process of sorting/editing, and have actual work to do besides. But never fear, I'll tell my tales of Operation Mountain Lion...
Suspected U.S. Spies Targeted -- (Los Angeles Times)...Paul Watson and Zulfiqar Ali
Taliban militants and their allies are waging a dirty war in Pakistan's unruly tribal areas, kidnapping and executing people suspected of spying for U.S. forces across the border in Afghanistan.
Corruption Eroding Afghan Security -- (Christian Science Monitor)...David Montero
Nearly five years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan's security situation continues to be dragged down by endemic corruption, roving militias, and a growing nexus between narco-warlords and remnants of the Taliban, officials and analysts say.
Rolling Along -- [SGT Hook]
Your Army continues to go rolling along:
1,700 Soldiers in Kosovo
1,700 Soldiers in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
200 Soldiers in Saudi Arabia/Bahrain
680 Soldiers in the Sinai
18,000 Soldiers in Afghanistan
180,000 Soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait
1,700 Soldiers in the Horn of Africa
And they are busy, serving you well and making you proud…
Korea Feeling the Pain of High Oil Prices as Well -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
Americans aren't the only ones feeling the effects of high oil prices. Korea is feeling the pain too:
...High fuel prices are a big issue in America right now, but I can't help but think how much more expensive oil is in other countries like Korea where they are paying approximately $2 more a gallon than people in the US
The Iran Plan: Lather, Rinse, Repeat -- [ThreatsWatch]
No News on the Iranian Nuclear Crisis, But Plenty of Recycled Rhetoric as the UNSC Deadline Looms
With the Security Council’s deadline for Iran’s compliance expiring Friday, the sense of urgency can be felt all the way from the UN building at Turtle Bay in New York to the deli across the street. Its range of influence extends nowhere near Tehran, as the regime remains defiant with little difference from any other point in the last three years of heightened international attention on the Iranian Nuclear Crisis.
Thanks for the laughs -- [Counter Column]
Not sure where they came over from, but I'd like to thank everyone who came over to this thread and called me a Chickenhawk.
To wit: You, sir, are a true chickenhawk. The living breathing embodiment of privilege without principles, logic without sincerity, rhetoric without wisdom.
You have no sense of what it means to fight and, therefore, your very claims of needing a war are base out of dangerous ignorance.
...Best laugh I've had in a long time.
...I suggested also targeting Iranian industry as well.
Iran has a parliament. They have local rulers with local interests and local constituencies. They have a lot of practical people, even if their current president is a nutcase (though the nuclear program seems to predate him.)
These people do not want to see industry in their provinces destroyed. They ...
War Clouds -- (Los Angeles Times)...Rosa Brooks
LET ME TELL YOU about the next war. It will start sooner than you think — sometime between now and September. And it will be precipitated by the $700-million Russian deal this week to sell Tor air defense missile systems to Iran.
U.N. Agency Finds Iran Noncompliant -- (Washington Post)...Dafna Linzer and Molly Moore
Despite a formal request from the U.N. Security Council, Iran has not provided international inspectors with new information about the country's nuclear program and has accelerated, rather than curbed, uranium-enrichment activities, according to sources familiar with a report the inspectors plan to issue today.
Pakistan Official: No Force Against Iran -- (Guardian Unlimited)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pakistan notified the Bush administration on Thursday it would not support the use of force to halt Iran's nuclear programs.
"We are against any resort to force,"...
Musharraf insists: I'm not George Bush's poodle -- (The Guardian)
· General says US air strikes infringe sovereignty
· President denies running military dictatorship
General Pervez Musharraf, facing a surge of anti-American sentiment, yesterday warned that covert US air strikes against al-Qaida inside Pakistan were an infringement of national sovereignty
US Considering Nuclear Accord With Russia -- (Boston Globe)...Carol Giacomo, Reuters
The United States is discussing the possibility of a civilian nuclear energy agreement with Russia that could help wean Moscow away from cooperation with Iran, according to US officials.
Al Qaeda Admits Defeat -- [Strategy Page]
April 27, 2006: Some interesting trends in the war on terrorism. Trends are often difficult to make out in this murky conflict, but the recent release of an audio message from Osama bin Laden on April 23rd, and a few days later, a rare video from Abu Musab al Zarqawi delivered the same message. Both sent out signals that failed to connect.
Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of Terrorism -- [Yankee Sailor]
The end of the Cold War brought about an initial euphoria that the threat of nuclear annihilation had dissipated and dramatic changes in the deterrence postures of the major powers could be enacted. Time, though, has shown that prevailing doctrines of nuclear deterrence are essentially unchanged between the major powers. The change that has created a need for further development of nuclear deterrence doctrine in the last fifteen years, however, is the appearance of nations with small nuclear forces (SNF) and non-state actors pursuing nuclear capability.
Al Qaeda Wields Press As Terror Weapon, Report Finds -- (Washington Times)...Jennifer Harper
Terrorists use the press and public relations as weapons, said a study released Wednesday by Arizona State University.
Attacks Signal Stepped-Up Qaeda Effort -- (Boston Globe)...Bryan Bender
A pair of terror attacks in Egypt this week are the latest sign that Al Qaeda is successfully exploiting the war in Iraq to win new adherents and is outsourcing its wider struggle against the West to home-grown militant groups in other Arab countries, according to US intelligence officials and terrorism specialists.
Questions by the Dozen for Moussaoui Jury -- (AP)
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Only one question matters in the end for Zacarias Moussaoui: the life-or-death one. But to get to a death sentence, the jury now determining the fate of the al-Qaida operative must consider dozens of questions. Each question is a piece of the puzzle about who this man is, what he did and whether he deserves execution or the only other choice, life in prison, for his part in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
A Tribute To Our Fallen Warriors -- [2/28 BCT Iron Soldiers]
Nature’s reverential silence inspired the hearts of comrades gathered for the dedication of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (2BCT) Fallen Warriors Memorial on April 16th at Camp Ramadi. 57 names grace the new plaque, and 57 dogtags hang within the obelisk, above the 21st century “Bloody Bucket” of the 28th Infantry Division.
Colorado State Frat Hosts Benefit for Naval Special Warfare Foundation -- [Froggy Ruminations]
If you're in Colorado on April 29th, CSU's chapter of Gamma Beta Phi is hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Naval Special Warfare Foundation at 1900 at the Colorado Springs Marriot.
Morons attack UNC, N.C. State ROTC Buildings -- [Eagle Speak]
Vandals sprayed anti-war messages early Wednesday on ROTC buildings on the campuses of North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, authorities said.
An Army ROTC building near Reynolds Coliseum at N.C. State bore the message "ROTC trains murderers" and asked people to resist "the racist war." The vandalism was reported to campus police at about 7:30 a.m.
Marines -- [SandGram]
I have found that some people look at you in a different light when they find out that you are in the Military. It's some foreign concept that you would WANT to be doing this as a job occupation. But I am here to tell you that coming from a long line of Military service, and growing up a Navy Brat were some of the best times in my life. I look back at those days in Little Creek Virginia on the Amphibious base there as the standard that all kids should have. The following are stories of joining the Marines and life as a pilot.
Staffer's Hard Sayings Log -- [The Stupid Shall be Punished]
Excerpts from this quote log have been popping up all over the blogosphere, but I haven't seen the whole thing (at least the whole thing as of when I retired in late 2004) posted. A little background -- this "virtual green book" was kept by a Navy pilot at EUCOM J-5, who was working with all the staff pukes in D.C. and Tampa (CENTCOM, where I was) during the run-up to the Iraq War and the aftermath; it mostly has to do with the thoughts and frustrations of staff officers involved in putting together a Coalition in the brave new One Superpower world. Some of them you've heard before, others you won't understand at all unless you've been a staff puke. One of them is even my very own invention. Sit back and enjoy
Bush Set To Approve Takeover Of 9 Military Plants By Dubai -- (New York Times)...Jim Rutenberg and David E. Sanger
President Bush is expected on Friday to announce his approval of a deal under which a Dubai-owned company would take control of nine plants in the United States that manufacture parts for American military vehicles and aircraft, say two administration officials familiar with the terms of the deal.
Soldier A Casualty Of Life As A Civilian -- (Chicago Tribune)...Colleen Mastony
Army didn't prepare Michael Torok for homefront stresses; he killed himself a year after discharge.
Pentagon Bills Injured Soldiers $1.2 Million -- (Los Angeles Times)...Associated Press
After suffering paralysis, brain damage, lost limbs and other wounds in war, nearly 900 soldiers have been saddled with $1.2 million in government debt because of the military's "complex, cumbersome" pay system, congressional investigators said Thursday
Students Suspended For Marine Recruiter Protest -- (Seattle Post Intelligencer )
Five high school students in Frederick were suspended after staging a "die-in" in front of a Marine Corps recruiting booth during an on-campus job fair, a school official said.
Your new national anthem -- [Hot Air - Michelle]
I’ve been blogging over at mm.com about the upcoming Spanglish-ization of the Star-Spangled Banner by a group of activist Latino musicians. They’re rewriting the national anthem in a show of solidarity for illegal aliens and pushing for Bush White House-endorsed amnesty.
A Washington Shuffle -- [Dadmanly]
A short reflection on why busting pork in terms of earmarks -- member items, pork barrel spending, supplemental appropriations, etc. – is only one battle in a bigger war. (The occasion of this reflection is the Senate Proposal to reorganize the FEMA Portion of Homeland Security.)
An Anthem's Discordant Notes -- (Washington Post)
Spanish Version of 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Strong Reactions
Oh say can you see -- a la luz de la aurora?
The national anthem that once endured the radical transformation administered by Jimi Hendrix's fuzzed and frantic Stratocaster now faces an artistic dare at least as extreme: translation into Spanish.
Spanish 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Ire -- (AP)
MIAMI (AP) - British music producer Adam Kidron says that when he came up with the idea of a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem, he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life. But in the week since Kidron announced the song - which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon - it has been the target of a fierce backlash
Running for Senate, and Against the War -- (Washington Post)
Area's Democratic Candidates Find Support in Calling for U.S. to Leave Iraq
From a cocktail party of liberal contributors in Baltimore to the ball-cap-wearing crowd in a conservative town in southwest Virginia, wherever Democratic loyalists gather, there are five words sure to prompt applause for a Senate candidate:
Schoomaker Calls Retired Generals' Comments 'Inappropriate' -- (Mideast Stars and Stripes)...Lisa Burgess
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker on Wednesday criticized retired generals who have come out against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other defense leaders, calling their comments “unfortunate” and “inappropriate.”
War Game Exposed Rumsfeld's Incompetence -- (Salt Lake Tribune)...Joe Galloway
...The general made it clear he is no antiwar crusader. 'We have to stay,' he said of Iraq this week. 'We have to finish it, but let's do it right.' Van Riper told Knight Ridder that in looking at Rumsfeld's leadership he found three particular areas of inability and incompetence.
Katrina Report Rips the White House Anew -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate inquiry into the government's Hurricane Katrina failures ripped the Bush administration anew Thursday and urged the scrapping of the nation's disaster response agency. But with a new hurricane season just weeks away, senators conceded that few if any of their proposals could become reality in time. The bipartisan investigation into one of the worst natural disasters in the nation's history singled out President Bush and the White House as appearing indifferent to the devastation until two days after the storm hit.
Even MSNBC Contributor Doesn't Want to Watch MSNBC -- [Media Blog]
Washington Post reporter Jim VandeHei provoked quite a discussion yesterday by "officially complaining" that the White House TVs are always tuned to Fox News:
THE HIJACKING OF UNITED 93...AGAIN? -- [Michelle Malkin]
... there is a side of the marketing of United 93 that hasn't been exposed yet or confronted. Watch the latest episode of Vent to find out how jihadist rhetoric is being echoed by the official United 93 discussion site run by Universal Studios.
When Hollywood Makes History -- (Washington Post)
Invented Details in 'United 93' Raise Real Questions
"United 93," Hollywood's first big-budget film about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, is faithful to the major aspects of the tragic morning it depicts. The movie tracks the key events detailed in the 9/11 Commission Report, the most definitive source on the subject: the commandeering of the United jet by four terrorists, the panic of the passengers and the heroic rebellion that ended with the plane crashing in a field near Shanksville, Pa.
At the Station -- [Sgt Hook]
As a follow up to my No Tears In Heaven post, I offer this…
The dozen or so Soldiers were all smiles as they walked through the colorful and patriotically decorated station, having just arrived on the overnight. Stepping from the train, dressed in the standard issue desert camouflage uniform, a light layer of dust still on them, they were all caught by surprise at the welcoming that awaited them. Throngs of people lined the terminal, clapping, cheering, waving, and shouting their thanks and praise. The hand shakes and pats on the back raised the hair on the necks of some, brought tears to the eyes of others, and swelled the hearts with pride of all.
Many of you are already familiar with the work of soldier/songwriters JR Schultz and Nick Brown (if not, click here - you don't want to miss this story.) We got an email update from JR this week:
Hey, just wanted to drop a line to say hello and thanks for leaving our link on your site. The Dallas Songwriters Association held a contest for military songwriters and 3 of our songs won prizes. They will be re-recorded professionally and put onto a compilation CD and then performed live in concert at Ft. Hood on June 10. Anyway, thanks again,If you've never heard the Iraq Unplugged CD - recorded with a laptop and microphone in Baghdad - here's your chance. There are samples of the songs on the site, and I'll bet you can't get past "I am a Patriot" without ordering the disc. (The top link in the left column on their page is the order button.)JR Schultz
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Thursday, April 27, 2006 -- [Hints...Allegations - in Iraq]
OK, so this has been a negitive web page lately...so I want to tell a story about something that happened to me the other day...as you guys may know recently a friend of mine passed in Iraq a few days after I had left to come back to Kuwait...I flew up North so I could render honors...yet again...here's where the story come's in.
As I was leaving the pavilion where the ceremony was at, I walked up to a smoking area and lit a red. I was sitting with my head down thinking and smoking when a local national came walking up to me..."Mister..." I looked up and gave my normal hello in their local language, according to their customs..."What was that, that all those soldiers were doing over their a few minutes ago...I saw some of them crying"
........and with the most out of nowhere perfect English Lathe put his hands on me and said "things will be better for you Matthew (I had only told him my name was Matt) because you are good man, and you have a good heart....and soul...you are crying, but you make me very happy...I'm not worth the heart hurt you feel...I'm sorry...maybe no one is....but Thank You....I just want to say thank you" and he kissed me on the cheek, and walked away...leaving me their...broken...yet finally thanked by a person I had been looking to be thanked by since the first time
Terrorists Murder Civilians in Iraq on Video -- [The Jawa Report]
A new video released by the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah shows insurgents in Iraq committing attrocities contrary to the Geneva Conventions. The video shows three Arab civilians being murdered by the group.
The terror organization calls the murders 'executions' after condemning the three for 'apostasy'. The maximum penalty for apostasy under Islamic, or Sharia, law is death.
Ramblings of The Online Chaplain -- [The Online Chaplain - in Iraq]
...I rejoiced because a soldier got to go home for a daughters wedding and mourned with a soldier who received a “Dear John” letter, and visited with a soldier whose mother recently died. I have laughed, mourned, taught, listened, prayed, confronted, counseled, been counseled, and preached. I have rejoiced with those who have been rejoicing and mourned with those who mourn.
I have learned that intimacy has little to do with location and everything to do with your heart. I learned that families can grow closer through separation, and that I married above my station in life. But, mostly this week I experienced the sense that God is in control. I learned that even at war, you can be at peace. I know more about the “peace that surpasses all understanding” today, then I did a week ago.
Sandbags, Sheiks, & Cigarettes -- [The Babylon Blog - in Iraq]
On a dusty brown day in the western Iraqi desert, nineteen local sheiks, city councilmen, and local leaders gathered with Coalition Forces to discuss the issues of the day.
...I have a Masters Degree in Intercultural Studies and am trained in cross-cultural communications, but as I soaked up the scene that day I was amazed at what I saw. No amount of schooling could prepare me for this. Meetings like this are difficult under any circumstances. But here were three different groups: local Iraqis, out-of-town Iraqi soldiers, and completely-out-of-country American Marines attempting to find some common ground. The non-attending members may have had the biggest input of all: the insurgents.
It was a clash of cultures that was doomed to fail. But it didn’t.
BAGHDAD AIRPORT
It's been three years since I once stood at this site. This was my former home in 2003. Now the airport is cleaned up and has regular flights. It is quite a change from 2003.
...My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. I even found a jet plane to send me home. This is the new Iraqi Airways. The only problem I did not have a ticket to board. Maybe next time...
ATTACKING THE ENEMY & REMEMBERING THE WARRIORS -- [One Marines View]
To follow the milblog conference, Ive been pretty busy and almost couldn’t attend the conference itself. Its all good as Im already back in DC and taking care of business once again. Recently Abu Musab al-Zarqawi released a video where he dismissed Iraq’s new government as an American "stooge" and called it a "poisoned dagger" in the heart of the Muslim world. He continued to tell about how he has been beating the coalition forces there from his directed attacks and such. Granted there are attacks going against us, but not all are directed from him. Some are chance encounters others are planned deliberate attacks.
What Extremists Say -- [Centcom]
ü Zarqawi resurfaces now because the real political progress occurring in Iraq marginalizes him and other terrorists.
ü His poisonous and violent message is being rejected by the overwhelming majority of people in Iraq and in the region.
ü "The answer to the Zarqawi video is not anything that the United States can say; it's what the Iraqis are saying in having formed this government of national unity despite all the threats and all of the violence." (Secretary Rice)
New Zarqawi video online -- [Back to Iraq 3.0 - journalist in Iraq]
...But this video’s audience is not primarily the West. Many people think the insurgents produce videos and stage attacks in sight of western media to influence the populations back home. This is only partially true. By creating the impression — and the reality — of chaos, they can undermine support for the U.S. presence in Iraq among Americans. But the real purpose of these videos is recruitment. Instead of scared westerners, the real audience is the disaffected and angry young men of the Muslim world. They will download this video, like they do all the others, and pass it among their friends and watch it at Internet cafés in Jakarta and Riyadh over and over again.
Rumsfeld, Rice visit Baghdad -- [The Will to Exist]
...Reviews of the surpise visit by our Secretary of State and Defense Secretary were mixed but that is to be expected.
I try to read between the lines whenever these types of events happen, to figure out if anything truly noteworthy might result from such visits. I think the most hopeful development I heard out of yesterday’s visit was this:
He (Donald Rumsfeld) said as a practical matter, one of the first things he wants to do is address a long-standing irritant for ordinary Iraqis: the poor quality or lack of electricity.
Now that would truly be progress. For three years, Iraqis in Baghdad, the capital city, have suffered with spotty, erratic electricity.
A Staff Visit -- [Wordsmith at War - in Iraq]
Life in Iraq can be pretty surreal. As I write this, I’m just outside the city of Ramadi, Iraq, which is the southwest point of the infamous Sunni Triangle in the Al Anbar Province. I am a first lieutenant in the Utah Army National Guard, currently serving as the signal officer (SIGO) of a field artillery battalion. When the enemy shoots mortars or rockets at the thousands of soldiers, marines, and civilian contractors living on our F.O.B. (forward operating base), we shoot back. We’re a lot better at it. The enemy doesn’t usually hit what he’s aiming for – we rarely miss.
I’m on my battalion staff, which means I advise the commander regarding all communications (commo) issues, and maintain C2 (command and control) on the battlefield. Staff officers are not required to leave the F.O.B. all the time on combat missions – they’re planners. But here in Iraq everyone is an infantryman first and foremost.
Soldiers Cannot Fight Against Backstabbing from Home -- [The Foxhole Philosopher - in Iraq]
...All I am saying is this: we are in a fight to the death with Osama and his ilk, and actually most people seem to realize that. This is a fight that the army cannot win alone. I am a soldier, and frankly I do not want amateurs and draftees fighting with me. We do just fine on the battlefield as professionals. But is it too much to ask that these industries contribute what they are good at to the war effort. If the media and academia are so worried about losing the freedoms that America provides for them, is it too much to ask that they do their part to defend them, by telling the world how great those freedoms are, and what they need to do to get them? I can fight terrorists ‘til the cows come home, but I have no idea how to fight hatred of America, especially when it comes from Americans.
107 Degrees, In April -- [189th Transportation Co - in Iraq]
Okay, so most of us have never seen an April quite this warm, that would be an understatement. The temperatures have been doing a gradual increase, and will continue to do so. Thankfully we have ample water to drink and take many safety precautions when working in this sort of hot weather. It’s a little different from Nebraska heat in that there is very little humidity. That is actually a good thing. 107 here is more likely to feel like maybe 95 with the humidity back home. But, this is 107 in April, so who knows how high the temperatures will creep, that remains to be seen.
Another day in Paradise -- [Doc in the Box - in Iraq]
First month is over with and most our the bugs have been shaken out. My medical team is all set on their schedule and life doesn’t seem all that bad. I’m working a swing shift so I never get to seem my room with the lights on. My rack is a cave covered with poncho liners that lets in no light (and hopefully bugs too). It has it’s good points and bad,
Spiders -- [Basic Training Blog - in Iraq]
Im back at Camp Slayer from the month in Abu Ghraib and happy about it. Ill be going there again for another month in about a month.. Had to go to the medic to get an insect bite checked out. He figured it was a spider and he could see the 2 holes from the fangs, which I hadnt noticed. Anyway, later that night I found 4 other bites
Sister of Iraqi Vice President Killed -- (AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A sister of Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi was killed in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad Thursday, police said. Mayson Ahmed Bakir al-Hashimi was shot by unidentified gunmen as she was leaving her home Thursday morning in southwestern Baghdad, said police Capt. Jamel Hussein.
IRAQ: BAATHIST EXPERTS BEHIND ROADSIDE BOMBS -- (AKI)
Baghdad, 27 April (AKI) - Behind the deadly roadside bombs in Iraq, which in three years have killed more than 800 foreign soldiers and countless Iraqis, is the hand of the M-21 of the Mukhabarat, the Baathist intelligence service, according to military experts. The knowhow for construction of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) - like the one which Thursday morning killed three Italian soldiers and one Romanian in Nasiriya - is provided by the M-21, a recent assessment...
Blast at Italian Base in Iraq Kills 3 -- (AP)
ROME (AP) - A bomb blast rocked an Italian convoy at a base in southern Iraq on Thursday, killing two Italian soldiers and a Romanian, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The bombing targeted a four-vehicle convoy on its way to relieve troops at the local Iraqi police station in the city of Nasiriyah, the statement said. One of the vehicles was destroyed, killing the three soldiers and gravely injuring at least one more passenger.
Wrong body sent to family mourning Iraq death -- [MSNBC]
Australia probing cause of casket mix-up involving military's 1st Iraq death
SYDNEY, Australia - The grieving relatives of an Australian soldier killed in Iraq were distressed to learn that the wrong body accidentally was sent home, the defense minister said Thursday.
Stuck in the Hot Zone -- [Newsweek]
Don't dream about full exits. The military is in Iraq for the long haul.
Maj. Micah Morgan fondly pats the nose of his Predator drone, much as a cavalry officer of old might have stroked the muzzle of his prized horse. "This is the future of the Air Force," says Morgan, a former B-1 bomber pilot. It is a glorious day in the Sunni Triangle. Outside the "wire" of Balad Air Base the insurgency still rages and sectarian war looms, but the sky above is a deep azure and, no small thing, wholly American-owned.
No Reports... short supply of Afghanistan MilBlogs
Army Moving to Secure Data at Afghan Base -- (LA Times)
After reports of thefts, the chief of staff says troops are being trained in the proper use and protection of computer memory drives.
WASHINGTON — The Army's chief of staff said Wednesday that he was frustrated by security lapses at Bagram air base in Afghanistan that led to the loss of potentially sensitive data, and that the military must learn how to be more careful with new technology.
Czech anti-terrorist unit deployed in Afghanistan -- (PakTribune.com)
PRAGUE: A part of a Czech anti-terrorist unit has been newly operating in remote areas of Afghanistan for several days, preparing conditions for the arrival of ...
The Second Front, Camp Contamination -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
The first front in the anti-US hate groups' agenda to get rid of USFK is of course the violence at Camp Humphreys against the camp expansion. The second front in the hate groups' agenda is the fabricated and exaggerated accusations about contamination on the vacated USFK camps that is holding up their hand over to the Korean government. General Bell recently addressed this second front in the anti-US hate groups' agenda
General Bell Beginning to Feel General LaPorte's Pain -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
It looks like the current USFK Commander, General Bell is beginning to feel the same frustration that I'm sure the former USFK Commander, General LaPorte felt when he was in command:
The CIA and Iran -- [TigerHawk]
My esteemed co-blogger Cardinalpark observed a couple of days ago that the CIA's quite obvious bureaucratic war against the policies of the elected President of the United States is at least as much the product of that agency's seemingly dismal track record -- particularly with regard to al Qaeda and Iraq -- as its heartfelt belief in truth, justice and the American way. The fact of that history of error and the effort that a certain faction within the Agency seems to have expended to distract our attention from that history causes one to worry about how well we understand Iran. Indeed, the CIA's experience in interpreting threats from that country is none too comforting.
Bell: N. Korea upgrading force -- (Army Times)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is modernizing its missiles and aggressively conducting tests to bolster their capabilities, the top U.S. military commander in South Korea said in an interview published Tuesday.
Army Gen. B. B. Bell also said allies Seoul and Washington need better defenses against the threat of missiles from the North, in his remarks to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
Iran Leader Warns U.S. Against Attacking -- (AP)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader warned the United States on Wednesday that his nation would hit back twice as hard if America attacked its nuclear sites....
Iran has missiles that put Europe in range: report -- (Reuters)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran has received a first shipment of missiles from North Korea that are capable of reaching Europe, Israel's military intelligence chief was quoted on Thursday as saying.
Get Up Stand Up -- [T.F. Boggs - in Iraq]
...Our very way of life is under attack and the longer we wait around to do something about it the harder it will be to defeat. ...
Many people would have you believe that you cannot prove a terrorist’s intent until after they commit an attack like 9/11. But lets think about this for a minute. If a burglar breaks into your house but has yet to steal something then are you able to discern his true intent by his mere presence in your house, or do you need to let him steal something and then leave before you understand completely what his true intentions were? Of course not!
Bin Laden's Latest Rant: The Darfur Genocide as Holy War -- [Strategy Page]
Last week, on a tape aired by the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera, a voice claiming to be Osama bin Laden declared war on the world.
The geographic range of the 21st century caveman's rambling verbal jihad should impress Rand McNally.
EU Lawmakers Allege Numerous CIA Flights -- (AP)
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The CIA has conducted more than 1,000 clandestine flights in Europe since 2001, and some of them secretly took away terror suspects to countries where they could face torture
Four More Days for Fran's -- [Fuzzilicious Thinking]
Have you done all you can for Fran O'Brien's and the family they've developed to support severely wounded troops?
Rumor has it there are still conversations going on between lawyers, so not all hope is lost. What we need right now is to help Hilton understand it is to their benefit to give Fran's enough time to find and establish a new home so that Fran's can make a smooth transition for the sake of the wounded soldiers, and for the employees and volunteers who have been trained in supporting the wounded and have established relationships with them. For example, Fran's employees were given cell phones and have been "on call" for anyone who needs a ride, an encouraging word, or anything else that can be offered.
Nancy Pelosi's Comments on Oil Prices -- [The New Editor]
We have two oilmen in the White House.... The logical ... follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. There is no accident. It is a cause and effect.... a cause and effect.
...let's see that matched in your separating yourself from your ... patron, Big Oil. Cut yourself off from that anvil that is holding ... your party down and this country down. Instead of coming to Washington and throwing your Republican colleagues under the wheels of the train, which they mightily deserve for being a rubber stamp for your obscene, corrupt policy of ripping off the American people.
Senate Democrats launch investigation into the 12 largest oil companies -- [The Gun Toting Liberal]
More “smoke and mirrors” anybody? Before I launch into my tirade over this news, allow me to first remind the readers of this blog that I am Liberal, but I am NOT a partisan Democrat. I despise ALL “snow jobs” (not a preemptive potshot at Tony Snow, by the way) by all politicians, when they are perpetrated by the Republicans (especially) and also when they are perpetrated by the Democrats. The latter would apply here:
Fidel Castro May Drill Off Florida's Coast -- [Wizbang]
Fidel Castro is looking into drilling for oil only 45 miles off Florida's coast. Yet, our own country's environmental regulations prevent us from doing the same thing.
...I would like Leader Nancy Pelosi to explain this one to the American people.
Senate Panel Recommends Abolishing FEMA -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Hurricane Katrina's latest fatality should be FEMA, the nation's disaster response agency, a Senate inquiry concluded in calling for a government overhaul to avoid future failures like those the devastating storm exposed. Eighty-six recommendations by the bipartisan panel indicate the United States is still woefully unprepared for a storm of Katrina's scope with the start of the hurricane season little more than a month away.
'We Know What's Best For You' -- (CBS News)... Dick Meyer.
For several weeks in a row there have been headlines like "Bush Approval Rating Hits New Low." This week, it was CNN's turn to break the news, with a poll showing just 32 percent who like the president's performance and 60 percent who do not.
November will be the last time that voters can punish George Bush and I expect they will.
Privately, Bush Says He Favors Citizenship -- (Washington Post)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush generally favors plans to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at U.S. citizenship without leaving the country, but does not want to be more publicly supportive because of opposition among conservative House Republicans, according to senators who attended a recent White House meeting.
Arizona senators vote to divert Iraq war money to border security -- (The Business Journal)
The U.S. Senate -- including Arizona Republicans Jon Kyl and John McCain -- Wednesday voted to divert some Iraq war spending to border security.
The Senate approved a measure Wednesday that shifts $1.9 billion from a Bush administration Iraq war request to increased border patrols to help curtail illegal immigration and drug trafficking from Mexico.
Senate Panel Demands Oil Co. Tax Records -- (My Way/AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Responding to an election-year spike in gasoline prices, Senate Republicans on Wednesday drafted legislation providing $100 rebates for taxpayers as key lawmakers sought access to Big Oil's income tax returns
From A Canadian Forces Widow -- [Small Dead Animals]
...The reason I am emailing you is the issue of banning the media from the base when the soldiers' remains are returned to their families. While my husband was not overseas, I will share with you my personal experience with the media and a very public death.
Thankfully the media had yet to discover my house when I had to go see my husband for the first time. They found me by 6 AM the following morning. My parents had driven up immediately after my frantic phone call. My father stepped outside to get the papers and he was besieged (to say it lightly) with media camped out in my driveway! They were knocking at my door, putting the cameras on us as we opened it. There was always their cars there, with them sitting in them, waiting for someone to come or go. Phone call after phone call to the house when the lines were needed for more important issues. Our grief was made very public. I was asked if I wanted media at the funeral and I agreed to have them there. I wanted the people of Canada to know that even when Canada's sons and daughters do not go overseas, lives are put on the lone on a daily basis for the safety and security of every Canadian. To show them how the phrase "military cut backs' translates into real life in the forces. I had insisted that there not be a close up on any family member. I was sure Joe Blow watching the news did not need to see my tears, or those of my children to know we were distraught. Yet this rule was broken.
A Typical Politician Masquerading as a Journalist -- [Celestial Junk Blog - Canadian Forces]
Everyone who values liberty understands that a truly free press is one of the key corner stones of any free society. From book publication, news dissemination, to the expression of opinions, it is critical that free societies maximize the flow of ideas and facts. One of the key elements of open expression and exchange of ideas is the News Media. Democracies depend on receiving local, national, and international news in a factual and efficient manner. Journalists are therefore burdened with one of the most vital rolls in keeping free societies free. It falls to journalists to deliver to free societies the “facts” as purely as possible.
'PROGRESSIVE' MEDIA STALLS: 'AIR AMERICA' IN AUDIENCE PLUNGE NYC, 'DAILY KOS' BOOK SELLS ONLY 3,600 COPIES. -- [Drudge Report]
Left-leaning new media has hit turbulence at the marketplace, newly released stats showA book hyped by major media as documenting a progressive revolution of "blogs" and political power, DAILY KOS 'CRASHING THE GATE,' has sold only 3,630 copies since its release last month, according to NIELSEN's BOOKSCAN.
[NIELSEN claims only 2,062 copies of DAILY KOS have been purchased at the retail level; the rest coming through 'discount' outlets. The NIELSEN figures do include online sales from AMAZON.COM, and others.]
MediaNews Buys 4 Papers From McClatchy -- (AP)
NEW YORK (AP) - Six weeks after it agreed to buy Knight Ridder Inc., the second-largest newspaper publisher in the country, McClatchy Co. said Wednesday it has reached a deal to sell four of the 12 Knight Ridder papers it doesn't plan to keep to MediaNews Group Inc. for $1 billion. Once the deal closes for the San Jose Mercury News, the Contra Costa Times, the Monterey County Herald and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, McClatchy will have eight other Knight Ridder newspapers to sell.
The Proposal -- [Tyler Hernandez]
(pics, pics, pics, pics)
The Quarter-Century Mark -- [Fuzzilicious Thinking]
Yesterday afternoon Fuzzilicious Thinking received its 25,000th visitor in just under nine months of operation.
Six Generals Shot Down By The Internet -- [Strategy Page]
The recent flap over six retired American generals publicly calling for the Secretary of Defense to resign, also brought out opinions, via the Internet, from lower ranking troops (active duty, reservists and retired.) The mass media ran with the six generals, but got shot down by the troops and their blogs, message board postings and emails. It wasn't just a matter of the "troop media" being more powerful.
Home at Last -- [AubreyJ.org]
Turn the volume up and say thanks to our men and women of the United States Military
Busy day. Many unanswered emails that will remain so til tomorrow (but aren't being ignored) if you've sent one, rest assured I'm on it.
Sounds like science fiction, but it's reality (or very close to it):
In their quest to create the super warrior of the future, some military researchers aren't focusing on organs like muscles or hearts. They're looking at tongues.I foresee "information overload" becoming a significant battlefield problem.By routing signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other equipment through the tongue to the brain, they hope to give elite soldiers superhuman senses similar to owls, snakes and fish.
Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition envision their work giving Army Rangers 360-degree unobstructed vision at night and allowing Navy SEALs to sense sonar in their heads while maintaining normal vision underwater turning sci-fi into reality.
But the "Brain Port" technology, pioneered over three decades ago by a University of Wisconsin neuroscientist, has already been used for other purposes:
In testing, blind people found doorways, noticed people walking in front of them and caught balls. A version of the device, expected to be commercially marketed soon, has restored balance to those whose vestibular systems in the inner ear were destroyed by antibiotics.Military developments often find their way into civilian applications. Although advances in medical science are perhaps most comon (from advancements in treatment of traumatic injury to ultrasounds) other technologies have found their way to civilian use too (GPS is a recent example). Hopefully the "Brain Port" technology will soon be improving quality of life for a significant number of people.
They noticed this story over at Ariana Huffington's "Huffington Post" blog too. Here are some representative comments from their readers:
And cloning is an unacceptable idea to the Christo-Fascists? I guess as long as you don't mess with the soldiers genes, it's ok to morph them into just
