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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
Our Valour-IT team leaders are dressing up for holloween this year. We're representing our teams branch of service in costume.
To start off with, we have little Holly Aho our team leader for the Marines. Looks as though she's been workin out. Semper Fi!
Blackfive is team leader for the Army and boy does he reprezent. Hooah!
He's calling in the Air Force for cover.
Navy Team leader, Chaotic Synaptic Activity is styling with his anchors. Don't let that shy grin fool ya, he's ready to kiss all the dames awaitin at the docks.
Now, I'm sporting the sexiest of all uniforms of course, The Air Force uniform.
Trick or Treat boys who wants to fly with me, come on, just touch me. I won't bite...much.
I have no shame.
The Force behind the Force, One over All. Go Team Air Force!
Patti, founder of Soldiers' Angel, will be talking live about Project Valour-IT on My Point Radio this morning at 10:30 AM ET, TODAY.
This would be a good time to call in and thank Patti for all she does for our troops. The Call-in Number: (347) 996-5948
Beth at Fuzzylicious Thinking and I will be on two different radio shows, First one TONITE on The Andrea Shea-King BlogTalkRadio show, at 9 p.m. ET and again this Sunday on AM 580 WDBO Radio, Orlando, Florida, 9:30 PM ET on Nov. 4th.
We'll also be promoting Project Valour-IT and discussing other interesting things. Call-in Number: (646) 478-4604 so please join us.
And I want to thank Andre Shea-King and Dave Logan the Producer for giving us the opportunity to promote one of my favorite military causes.
Dave blogs here at ThirdWaveDave
and
Andrea blogs here at The Radio Patriot
Our goal for Valour-IT this year is $60,000. This sounds ambitious, but each year we're surprised at how we meet and surpassed our goal. It is the generosity of you out there, tapping the paypal buttons, donating items to auction, that has made it possible to give many adaptive laptops to our wounded service members.
So the time is NOW DONATE TO PROJECT VALOUR-IT, no change is too small!!!
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.
An Act of Kindness from Iraq -- [Michael Totten - in Iraq]
Sending a thousand dollars to California will be about as helpful as throwing a glass of water into the firestorm. It’s the thought that counts here. And what surprising thought it is. How many Americans expect charity from Iraq?
As Lowry points out, “most Americans do not consider Iraqis as people.” He’s right. Most of us only know them from sensational media reports about masked insurgents, wailing widows, and death squads. Most of us may instinctively understand that the majority of Iraqis are just regular people, but it’s hard to keep that in mind when the only thing we get Stateside is war coverage. I’ve met hundreds of Iraqis myself during trips to their country as a reporter, so it’s a bit easier for me to see them as just people. I’m still surprised that anyone in that broken impoverished land would even consider donating hard-earned money to Californians.
Baghdad's Doura Neighborhood
Street and trash improvement
Ramadi parade celebrates unity, security -- [MNF-I]
RAMADI — The last parade held in downtown Ramadi was by insurgent forces in the fall of 2006 when the city was gripped in daily violence.
Times have changed now as government officials and city locals recently held a parade down Route Michigan here. Capt. Aaron Southard, Information Operations officer for 1st Brigade Combat Team, said the parade speaks volumes when considering the former violence that plagued Ramadi.
Iraqi citizens take stand against insurgents; aid National Police to discover cache -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD – Iraqi National Police, with the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division discovered a weapons cache based off a resident’s tip in the southeast district of New Baghdad in the Iraqi capital Oct. 28.
The tip led the policemen to discover eight 80mm mortar rockets, seven 60mm mortar rockets, nine rocket propelled grenade rounds with three launchers, one explosively formed projectile, three grenades, one mortar tube with base plate and tripod, 300 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, two sets of body armor and copper wire.
IED Emplacement Insurgents Team get caught by US soldiers in Iraq
Watch what the US soldiers found in insurgent's car.
Coalition Forces Free Hostage from al Qaeda -- [Jawa Report]
BAQUBAH, Iraq – A 19 year-old man was rescued from an al Qaeda-in-Iraq prison in the village of al Hammadi, 10 miles southwest of Baqubah, by 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, during an air assault Oct. 28.
Airing Now: Mike Moseley’s “Our Enemy” -- [Pat Dollard]
...The enemy has attack our soldiers with words that are met to wound his pride, damage his honor, and question his integrity. Our men of honor have volunteered to cross the world to fight an enemy that is viscous and hides behind women and children. Al-Qaeda doesn’t have a uniform and never will. Al-Qaeda knows in a fair fight they do not stand a chance. The most dangerous enemy to the American soldier doesn’t where a uniform, fire a AK-47, plant IED, live in Iraq or Afghanistan. The most dangerous enemies are the one’s that ambush their own. America’s finest have taken wounds not from the front, the known enemy Al-Qaeda, but from the ones that have sent them to fight half a world away. The enemies have said that “the war is lost”calling for defeat. They have called our soldiers “Soviet gulag guards”, the butcher “Pol Pot’s finest.” A great cheer is raised from the camp of Al-Qaeda, and their brothers in terror as America’s men of honor have been betrayed by a fellow marine, that fool called our soldiers “cold blooded murders”. America’s enemies have called Gen David Petreous dishonorable, and Gen. Peter Pace ” incompetent”. To call these men dishonorable and incompetent is without reason and thought. For it is the liberal’s attack on the battlefield soldiers that bring Al-Qaeda and the left together as allies in the war on terror.
Iraq is looking better month by month. But at the current rate, surely we shall fail in Afghanistan:-- [Michael Yon]
A great deal of flak came in for my 2006 reporting from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, that on-the-ground reporting is proving correct nearly to the letter. The following three-part report summarizing my observations and experiences in Afghanistan more than a year ago, warned of the growing threat of a narco-fueled Taliban increasingly able to challenge a national government overgrown with incompetency and choked with corruption.
12 Mechanized Brigade:They Beat The Taliban And They Beat Them Well.
Six months ago the town of Sangin was controlled by the Taliban and the small ISAF unit there was under siege. But as 12 Mechanized Brigade’s six month deployment to Afghanistan came to an end yesterday, the town is thriving once again with a Governor and Chief of Police, and throughout Helmand the Taliban have been put on the back foot.
BOOM! -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghansitan]
We don't get to see many of them in the nation-building missions we're doing today. So when one of our district teams made arrangements to destroy some mortar and rocket rounds taken from the Taliban and the Afghan National Police, I exercised my rank and made sure I was along for the ride.
We attended our first shura today -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghansitan]
Actually, it was the second one for me, but the last time I was working with the police on perimeter security and never got to go into the actual shura itself, so this was the first one I attended.
Many schoolboys brought Afghan flags to the shura.The shura is like a town hall meeting in which everyone - every male anyway - in a given area attends. This shura was in Dih Yak, one of our districts in Ghazni province.
173D brave Taliban, rugged terrain in Afghanistan -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
...Last week, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment descended a mountain peak well over 7,000 feet tall after spending six days encamped along a ridgeline.
They had been on the offensive against Taliban militants holed up in the Pech River Valley, which meanders and winds throughout the volatile Kunar province.
They had all of their gear, guns and ammo — and water. Each man’s backpack was between 60 to 100 pounds.
Suicide bomber kills seven outside military headquarters in Rawalpindi -- [LWJ]
...The attack was confirmed as a suicide bombing, as his head of the bomber was recovered at the scene. Two senior Pakistani government officials are downplaying the attack as an attempt on Musharraf and other Pakistani political and military leaders.
"It was a suicide attack. The area is sensitive -- we don't know what the exact target was," said Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid. "It appears to be an attack targeting police," said Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Cheema.
The chief of police for Rawalpindi said otherwise. "He wanted to get past our security cordon but we were successful in stopping him," said Saud Aziz.
Somalia: Captured ship crew "overpowers" pirates, sailing to safety -- [EagleSpeak]
The crew of a captured ship fights back and gains their freedom, it is reported here:A group of pirates that hijacked a cargo ship in the waters off Somalia have been overpowered by the ship's crew, according to one official. ...
Did Syria Have Visible WMD Program Prior to US Invasion of Iraq?-- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The New York Times has published a remarkable piece on October 27 suggesting that satellite imagery which is now available commercially showed the construction of a nuclear facility in Syria that was well-developed as early as the summer of 2003, and which had been initiated as early as 2001.
A Disturbing Pattern that Benefits Terrorists -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
There is a disturbing story in today's Washington Post on the role the U.S. weapons market plays in arming Mexican drug cartels.
"You're looking at the same firepower here on the border that our soldiers are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan," Thomas Mangan, a spokesman in Phoenix for the ATF.
The army of "ants" described in the story, carrying weapons south through the same routes they use to bring drugs north, is not new. What appears to be new is ...
Target: Jamal al-Badawi -- [The Captain’s Journal]
The mastermind behind the USS Cole bombing has either been released by authorities in Yemen, or is soon to be released.
...It is a truism that the best developed plans will come to naught at times when the predicate for the plans is the honor of other men and nations. The U.S. must negotiate and purchase and obtain agreement and all of the things that the State Department works at, but in the end, we must be prepared to be alone in the pursuit of our own national security interests.
Pissing Contest -- [Exile in Portales]
I find the following exchange hard to believe, Gentle Reader. Just as background, Lori (my Good Friend of 30 years) asked in comments yesterday if I would send my VALOUR-IT post to the USAF Radar Sites Veterans and the Fortuna Air Force Station Vets groups on Yahoo! (I’m a member of both). A great idea, that, so I did as she suggested. Well, the Fortuna AFS group put the post up with no questions asked. The USAFRSV group was an entirely different story. And it isn’t a good story either. Here, for your amusement bemusement and amazement, is the sum total of my correspondence with one of the group's moderators:
Talking With Heroes In Baghdad, Iraq - Clip 1
Combat Paratrooper, Physician Tapped to Head VA -- [The Tank - W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
President Bush will today announce his nomination of Lt. Gen. James B. Peake, former Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, to become the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Lastovicas Welcome Home Troops
Career Army man to challenge Murtha -- [The Tribune-Democrat]
After nearly three decades in the military, William T. Russell’s latest mission has brought him to Johnstown.
The career Army man, just two years short of retirement, has left the service and moved to the Flood City in order to mount a political campaign against veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha.
As a Republican and first-time candidate facing a powerful congressman in the sprawling, Democrat-dominated 12th Congressional District, Russell faces a tough challenge.
Both CNN and the WaPo Play Up ‘Bitter’ Soldier’s Words on Iraq -- [NewsBusters]
The mainstream media’s long march against the Iraq War continues unabated. On October 27, the Washington Post ran a front-page story with an attention-grabbing headline taken from a quote by an American soldier serving in Iraq: "I don’t think this place is worth another soldier’s life." Two days later on October 29, CNN’s Jack Cafferty on "The Situation Room" used the same quote in his "Question of the Hour:" "What does it say about the conflict in Iraq when troops there are saying things like, 'I don't think this place is worth another soldier's life.' Our soldiers are saying that stuff."
'60 Minutes:' U.S. Military as Bad as Taliban -- [NewsBusters]
In a segment on Sunday’s "60 Minutes," anchor Scott Pelley described how "The enemy has killed hundreds of civilians this year, but surprisingly, almost the same number of civilians have been killed by American and allied forces." Pelley focused on U.S. air strikes citing a statistic from the liberal group Human Rights Watch: "So far this year, 17 air strikes have killed more than 270 civilians, according to the humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch."
Whereforartthou Bruce Willis?? -- [Charlie Foxtrot]
It has been two years since I read with great anticipation, Michael Yon's ongoing saga of embededment (Hey, new word!) with the "Deuce Four" in Mosul, Iraq. Better vivid depictions of men and battle cannot be found in any other media source, IMHO.
...Alas, two years have passed and doing a brief search I can find no evidence that any "Deuce Four" movie project is on Willis' radar scope.
Instead, I read today that one thing that Willis will be doing is starring in an Oliver Stone picture called 'Pinkville', a 'drama' about My Lai.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
What explains the New York Times’ ten-day delay in reporting that U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy would be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor? The short answer is some people never change. Thirty-five years ago, when the Times’ Arthur “Pinch” Sulzberger Jr. was asked by his father about his preference should an American soldier run into a North Vietnamese soldier, antiwar activist “Pinch” responded, I would want to see the American get shot. It’s the other guy’s country.”
Today’s Times has its heroes: the mere names of the dead — their deeds left unsaid — with their words parsed, the anguish of their families, and the predisposed antiwar rhetoric of a very few. Before October 11, 2007, the day the White House announced Lieutenant Murphy’s award, the Times had already written all of what it wanted to say about him. They have “fixed” the news about the War on Terror’s fallen heroes and misrepresented them in their commentaries to further the long-held political agenda of the newspaper’s chairman and publisher. This dates back to the early days of the fights in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a May 25, 2002, article entitled U.S. Review of a Deadly Afghanistan Battle Finds Lapses Eric Schmitt slipped in the fact that John Chapman and Jason Dean Cunningham “died” yet they were not the story; the story was “lapses” had resulted in the deaths of seven Americans. Yet nothing in that report supported such an allegation. Here is how one senior officer put it:
It’s very difficult, sitting in an air-conditioned environment with good lighting, to fully appreciate all that happens on the battlefield,'’ said Gen. Peter Pace, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who commanded a marine platoon in Vietnam. ‘’It is an enormously complex, chaotic environment — people shooting at you, things going ‘bang,’ vision obscured, and there’s a lot of things that you don’t even know about.
Those who get their “news” about the War of Terror from the Times will likely never learn that several months later Technical Sergeant John Chapman and Senior Airman Jason Dean Cunningham were both posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for their actions that day.
While there are literally thousands of untold stories, the Times has named (or alluded to) one fallen soldier many times without ever mentioning his support for the war in Iraq and sacrifice in the service of others. An advanced search of their archives using the keywords ‘Cindy+Sheehan’ reveals 155 entries. Read them and you will discover that her son “died in Iraq,” “was killed in Iraq,” or “was killed in an ambush in Iraq.” What you will not read there about Specialist Casey Sheehan is he volunteered to rescue fellow soldiers who were pinned down by enemy fire, replied, “Where my Chief goes, I go,” when told he did not have to volunteer, and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his valor.
<...> Since 9/11, on all battlefields, more than 4,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have earned and been awarded the top six medals for valor, the Bronze Star with ‘V’ device and higher. Conversely, the Times has written and published but four straight stories about the battlefield heroics of the War on Terror’s most highly decorated troops — and not one time has even their heroism made the Times’ front page.
Posted by Greyhawk at 03:40 PM | Comments (3)
Or: "How many media reports on the failure of the media to report the horrors of Iraq will we need to see before realizing the magnitude of their failure?"
Stray thought. A quote from a recent WaPo piece:
"This is a dangerous place," said Capt. Lee Showman, 28, a senior officer in the battalion. "People are killed here every day, and you don't hear about it. People are kidnapped here every day, and you don't hear about it."I've discussed the broader implications of the piece elsewhere, but wanted to point out something specific (and specifically annoying to me) here. Whenever the media takes a break from broadcasting the horror/quagmire/failure/mistake/death toll that is Iraq and instead publishes a quote from a GI that they will insist supports their view of Iraq as horror/quagmire/failure/etc., the story will invariably include a quote from said GI to the effect that the media doesn't ever report what a horror/quagmire/failure Iraq is. This may even be in the stylebook. If not, it's an unwritten but inviolable rule*. And apparently there's no limit to the number of times some people can hear/read that without catching on.
<...>
The American people don't fully realize what's going on, said Staff Sgt. Richard McClary, 27, a section leader from Buffalo."They just know back there what the higher-ups here tell them."
While reasonable people can argue the degree to which Iraq is any of those things, it's absurd to argue Americans are ignorant of the issue due to some failure of the media - an absurdity compounded when included in the latest in a long line of stories arguing an extreme view. One is entitled to his or her opinion, but not to his or her own facts.
*Greyhawk's rule of media reports from Iraq: Whenever using a GI quote to support the view that Iraq is every bit the disaster we say it is, always include a quote implying that said GI resents the media failure to report it as such.
On Saturday, Iraq was page one news, with a headline quote from a sergeant in Baghdad: 'I Don't Think This Place Is Worth Another Soldier's Life'.
On Sunday, the Iraq news returned to page 17:
Sunni Violence In Baghdad Called DisruptedPetraeus Says Al-Qaeda in Iraq Strongholds Are Cleared, but Insurgents Remain 'Lethal'
BAGHDAD, Oct. 27 -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, said Saturday that the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has been disrupted and no longer operates in large numbers in any neighborhood of the capital.
"In general, we think that there are no al-Qaeda strongholds at this point," Petraeus said. He added: "They remain very lethal, very dangerous, capable at any point in time, if you will, of coming back off the canvas and landing a big punch, and we have to be aware of that."
Ok folks time to get down and dirty, the blogosphere is uniting today to kick off the 3rd annual Valour-IT Fundraiser.
If you're unfamiliar with Valour-IT, them let me introduce you to one of the military's most worthy causes. Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled and adaptive laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field. The experience of MAJ Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops can be to a wounded service member's recovery.
Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops for severely wounded service members. As of October 2007, Valour-IT has distributed over 1500 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country. You can find more about it here.
Now that's a pretty damn fine worthy cause I'd say, so you'd like to help? Here's how.
Valour-IT is an IRS-certified non-profit (donations are tax-deductible) and is non-political.
Regardless of ideas about how/why war is being waged, the fact is that people are wounded and need our help. Valour-IT is about supplying that help, not about endorsing or opposing the reasons why it's needed. Need evidence? I hear Moveon.org is signed up under Navy in supporting the fund drive.
EEEGADS those scurvy dogs! All the more reason to join or donate thru Team Air Force. Those squids are fraternizing with the enemy!
Let's face it we want to be the winning team this time around. Let's show those jar heads, squids and grunts what the Zoomies can do. So let's get some birds in the air! Go Team Air Force!
Mike Yon reviews six months in Iraq, in the New York Post.
October has been a fine month in Iraq. The heat of summer has gone and the rains and mud of November are still a ways away. Oddly enough, while that's good weather for combat there's been very little of it thus far. Hot spots have gone "warm", and warm spots have grown cold - I suppose it's that time of year...
Cheers erupt on the Left side of the Blogosphere*, as after months of no notice the Washington Post finds an Iraq story worthy of their front page. 'I Don't Think This Place Is Worth Another Soldier's Life' - it's a quote from an actual sergeant on the ground in Iraq. And he's talking about one of the shittiest little corners of Baghdad.
Though like everywhere else in Iraq, before the invasion it was a place of butterflies and rainbows...
Before the war, Sadiyah was a bustling middle-class district, popular with Sunni officers in Saddam Hussein's military.But those halcyon days of sunshine ended forever the moment an elected government replaced Saddam's dictatorship.
Under a headline declaring it a "district torn by mounting sectarian violence" the WaPo reporter actually acknowledges that violence is down and decreasing, but that "...the soldiers' experience in Sadiyah shows that numbers alone do not describe the sense of aborted normalcy -- the fear, the disrupted lives -- that still hangs over the city."
So there.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of violence metrics either. But if the numbers were actually going up I'm not sure the WaPo reporter would have been quite so eloquently dismissive of their significance.
But after 14 months in hell there are good reasons for the troops to be tired, and bitter, and skeptical. Find any unit that's been here a while and you'll find guys who will give you great quotes to fit any headline you want - from page one to page 18. But this Brigade's been particularly rocked. At home they've been depicted as thugs and criminals (yes, this is Scott Beauchamp's Brigade) and in Iraq - when not investigating issues of alleged animal rights abuse - they're playing death match for keeps in a Mad Max neighborhood uniquely situated between Sunnis, Shiites, and hell.
It has become strategically important because it represents a fault line between militia power bases in al-Amil to the west and the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Dora to the east. U.S. commanders say the militias have made a strong push for the neighborhood in part because it lies along the main road that Shiite pilgrims travel to the southern holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.Last year they had partnered with an Iraqi police unit known as "the Wolf Brigade", an effort that proved to be a failure - in fact, an unmitigated disaster.
"We were so committed to them as a partner we couldn't see it for what it was. In retrospect, I've got to think it was a coordinated effort," Timmerman said. "To this day, I don't think we truly understand how infiltrated or complicit the national police are" with the militias.Really, you can follow the link to see just how big that failure was. It can't be overstated. But then came the change in strategy commonly called "the surge". And now,
In September, after Glaze led an eight-month campaign to kick out the Wolf Brigade, soldiers from the Iraqi army's Muthanna Brigade, which has clashed with Sunni volunteers in the Abu Ghraib area, arrived in Sadiyah.And late in the summer, another element of that strategy was added - building on the success experienced by other units elsewhere in country in spite of opposition from elements in the national government:
Over the past two months, the U.S. soldiers have recruited more than 300 local residents, most of them Sunnis, into a neighborhood defense force.And that "bottom up" approach is proving successful everywhere, including one of the darkest corners of Baghdad:
The Iraqi army's arrival and the emergence of the Sunni volunteers have coincided with some positive signs, the soldiers said. Some of the shops along the once-busy commercial district of Tijari Street now open for a few hours a day. The number of violent incidents has dropped, although it rose again over the past two weeks, officers said.In fact, that could have been the focus of the piece, and a different quote could have been used for the headline.
But then it wouldn't have been on page one, would it?
The narrative on Iraq - the one you see in the media, that is - is changing. Claims that "we've lost" and that American soldiers have been beaten by opponents who are righteous heroes or nine-foot tall and bullet proof are being quite subtly shifted to arguments that no potential victory (if even grudgingly acknowledged) could be worth the price. This argument may prove irresistible to those who've invested heavily in defeat.
But the men profiled in this brief and focused story will soon head home (ironically, to Germany - where we've been for over 60 years now) and others will take their place here in Iraq. The war will continue to wind down. That next unit will write the story of what Sadiyah becomes, but only these few men of the Big Red One will own the story of what it took to make it so.
Notes:
*Cheers: they've scored amazing debate points against imaginary opponents who claim that Iraq is now a land of butterflies and rainbows.
...to our friend, fellow MilBlogger and Iraq vet Buck Sargent and wife - proud parents of a brand new baby boy.
Bobby Calvan's web page is back on line. I hope he continues to update frequently. Honestly I think it will be a worthwhile read.
But Bobby Calvan wasn't the first reporter to try and "throw his weight around" in Iraq, and probably won't be the last. So I offer some post-Calvan advice for reporters in Iraq.
Once upon a time, on my last visit to Iraq, an unauthorized vehicle accessed and attempted to cross the airfield that is the center of a very large military installation here. This caused some degree of concern among folks whose job it is to kill people who do things like that. However, instead of killing them from a nice safe distance, they elected to intercept this non-descript vehicle and force it to stop.
I suppose I should explain the key word "airfield" in the above paragraph. This doesn't mean a "field full of air" that Republicans have designated for their own private use, it's actually a "field" where airplanes land and takeoff. It may not seem fair, but we generally don't let cars share this pavement even though it's quicker to drive straight across than to go around and this hurts women and children the most.
Anyhow, there were two passengers within, who claimed to be in the employ of a very famous television news organization which I will not identify beyond saying it's named after a small furry animal. One (henceforth "the talent") was, in addition to being exceptionally qualified, a fabulous babe - what we used to call a "Fox". But I honestly can not recall her name. (If anyone can tell me the identity of a fabulous babe reporter for a news network named after a small furry animal who was in Iraq during the late fall/early winter 2004-2005 that would prob'ly be her.) She sat quietly and behaved herself during the ensuing adventure. (I mention the fabulous babe part because although I can't confirm it I suspect that her sitting there quietly being a fabulous babe might have saved her companion from eating sand. Life is funny like that.)
The other (henceforth "shotgun" though he was actually driving and unarmed) who worked for the same organization as the fox talent chose to play the role of designated jerk (that might even be his job - or perhaps he thought this would help him score with the talent) in this story. He informed the ignorant, uneducated but uppity sunsabeyatches who had the audacity to halt his progress that by God they had a deadline to be on the other side of the compound for A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT FILLED WITH VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE and that driving around the airfield rather than straight across it would make them late and by the way do you have any idea who I am and who I know because the answers are "somebody" and "everybody" and now get the hell out of my way.
It would be fun to say he woke up a few seconds later face down in the sands of ancient Mesopotamia, but that didn't happen. He was allowed to strut and mutter and explain to some of the lowest ranking enlisted GIs in Iraq how he was going to make their lives miserable as they verified via radio contact whether he should be shot or arrested. For some reason, the process took an extraordinary long time to complete. But ultimately they were identified as relatively harmless twits, then they were politely escorted off the flightline and pointed in the right direction for the long trip around the perimeter.
Anyhow, moral of the story: Do not attempt to convince a low ranking GI in Iraq that you have life or death power over him. In addition to the fact that the reverse is true, there are at least two other reasons to avoid this approach:
1. Somewhere behind him is a guy with one more stripe than he has who actually has that power, and that guy loves nothing more than clobbering people who eff with his troop. This is true up the chain of command. He knows this. He is laughing at you.
2. Even if there was some weak link in that chain where your influence is that great, the low ranking guy is in Iraq. In fact, there's a saying here: "What are they gonna do? Send me to Iraq?"
Still, I suspect that as they drove away, dipstick was probably bragging to the talent (and making a mental draft of a letter to the suits) about how he had delivered them from the morons.
And by the way, don't even think about threatening me to get me to reveal the name of the news network involved in my story. It ain't gonna happen.
Love to spread good news on a Friday afternoon.
In the wake of this week's Medal of Honor ceremony, the story of a warrior has actually made the top seller list at Amazon:Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Believe me, authentic works on the war do not burn up the best seller lists.
This one is a rare exception.
Robert Redford, on the war on terror:
The problem is not with the people that started this. The problem's with us.We've discussed this Fall's spate of Hollywood anti-war movies here - and are heartened by their failure to attract a significant number of viewers. Still, in years to come, those movies will be seen as "defining" the conflict in Iraq.
There are counters to this message. While lacking Hollywood money or perspective, others have taken it upon themselves to actually travel to Iraq and document the real story of the war.
Want to help preserve that story? Take the money you aren't going to spend on Redford's latest and make it happen. Click here.
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams: The ‘Civilian Surge’ -- [MNF-I]
The recent surge of troops and embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams (EPRT) to Iraq is providing unprecedented opportunity for Iraqi citizens, a Coalition commander said today.
“It really wasn’t until the EPRT, the ‘civilian surge’ … and the surge forces arrived that we began to make what I will call measurable progress along our lines of operations,” Army Col. Mike Garret told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, south of Baghdad, shortly after he provided a televised operational update via satellite.
Civillian Tip Leads To Cache Discovery - Concerned Iraqi Citizen
Coalition forces degrade al-Qaeda in Iraq network; 3 terrorists killed, 11 detained -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 11 suspects Wednesday and Thursday during operations to disrupt terrorist networks in central Iraq.
Coalition forces conducted an operation west of Tarmiyah Thursday, targeting an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader operating in the Fallujah area. During the course of operations, Coalition forces observed four individuals emplacing objects believed to be improvised explosive devices into the ground near the target area. When the ground force approached, they were engaged by small-arms fire.
An Iraqi Parade Against al-Qaeda -- [Live Leak]
Osama bin Laden's latest call for Iraqi insurgents to unite against Americans fell on deaf ears this week in Ramadi, the city that al-Qaeda leaders once declared the seat of a new Islamic caliphate and capital of the Iraqi insurgency.
Rather than rise up against them, the people of Ramadi Tuesday invited U.S. forces to watch a massive parade — albeit one so tightly secured that no pedestrian traffic got close to it.
The almost surreal, two-hour martial procession was led by the city's children to commemorate the martyred leader of a tribal revolt that has virtually silenced al-Qaeda in Anbar Province.
"The darkness has become pitch black" - Osama bin Laden on Iraq situation -- [LWJ]
Bin Laden addresses a tactical failure of al Qaeda in Iraq's IED cells. He clearly is unhappy with their performance, and indicated the failure to employ IEDs efficiently against U.S. forces is due to "negligence." He is also concerned about the infiltration of Iraqi and American spies.
Usama Bin Laden... Message To The People Of Iraq
Waiting For A Miracle To Show Up -- [Strategy Page]
October 24, 2007: The sharp drop in violence (about 70 percent nationwide versus a year ago) is being seen as the result of the Sunni Arab terrorist organizations collapsing in defeat. Most of the Sunni Arab tribes have turned against the terrorists, and the al Qaeda organization, which is responsible for most of the suicide bomb attacks, has been torn apart. Most al Qaeda leaders are dead, captured or spending most of their time trying to avoid that fate. The system of safe houses and skilled technicians (bomb makers, trainers, supervisors) has been disrupted or destroyed. At the same time some U.S. commanders want to declare al Qaeda defeated in Iraq,
25 Oct 07: Rocket Attack [Update 0930 Baghdad time] -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
...There is very little al Qaeda left in this area. One known al Qaeda operative was found dead last week, shot in the head. Despite these attacks, violence continues to decrease.
Sounds -- [Those Wacky Iraqis - in Iraq]
No movie can make incoming fire sound right. It does not matter if it is artillery, mortars, rockets, or small arms, it just never sounds right. It may be because the film crews who conduct the Foley effects have never been under fire, then again live music always sounds different from recorded so maybe you just can't get it right, you get it close.
There is a marked "Crump" sound when a mortar lands. Sometimes you hear the tubes when they launch. That is a far away "POP" and you know it's coming.
Hunting al-Qaida in Iraq -- [Matt Sanchez - in Iraq]
Terror and anonymity go hand in hand. It's hard to be a terrorist when everyone knows who you are. An attack takes a certain detachment, stealth and a craven willingness to kill people you've probably never met. Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad – one by one, as neighbors learn who lives next to them and repel those who mean harm, terrorists have moved out of the cities and into the outskirts, the areas that have had little or no authority.
Operation Snake was slated to begin at 0200, 2 a.m.
Commandant Downplays A Shift Of Marine Mission From Iraq To Afghanistan -- [On Point]
Some widely reported speculation about the motivation behind a proposal to shift Marine Corps responsibility to Afghanistan is blatantly wrong, the Marine Corps commandant told local service members and retirees Wednesday.
...But, he said, the idea that the Corps is looking to take over a four-star general billet in Afghanistan is "absolutely untrue."
"It has been said that we want to leave the Al Anbar province (in Iraq) while the leaving is good," he said, but that is also wrong.
"In many ways, this is not about Afghanistan," he said, but rather about Iraq.
Cav Country 49 - Newscast 1st Air Cavalry
The New Iraqi Air Force -- [Dude, where's the beach? - in Iraq]
Putting the 'Kinetic Hurt' in Counter-Insurgency Operations (COIN)
Mi-17 - All new aircraft, but it's the 'Old Faithful' helicopter the Iraqis have used for decades. They're good at flying it, fixing it, and it'll be bringing some pain to the bad guys very soon thanks to some outstanding IqAF-Coalition team work. (Patting self on back)
Inshallah -- [Sergeant Grumpy - in Iraq]
...Anyhow, during our first meeting, the Major was discussing some issue the Iraqis want our help with, and he was saying we would do what we can to look into it, being careful not to make any promises. Major M thought he would show a little cultural sensitivity and threw in “Inshallah”, which means God willing, and is used to avoid taking any accountability for your commitments, since if you fail to deliver it was God’s will. And who are you to question God.
Of course, this is not the Iraqi’s first rotation – he has been here dealing with Americans since we arrived. His response:
Is that an American Inshallah or an Iraqi Inshallah?
Operation Rock Avalanche In Afghanistan -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, along with Afghan forces, are conducting offensive operations in the Korengal Valley of northeastern Afghanistan bordering Pakistan. An unknown number of Taliban fighters - by some reports up to 20 - were killed in the battle.
Jihad Commander in Afghanistan Sheikh Al-Ustadh Yasser in New Al-Sahab Video: -- [MEMRI]
'The American is an Infidel Fighting the Muslims – Hence, the Muslims Must Fight Him Everywhere'
On October 21, 2007, the Islamist website Al-Ekhlaas, hosted by Layered Technologies, Inc. in Texas, USA, posted a 90-minute video, produced by Al-Sahab, featuring an interview with Afghani jihad commander Sheikh Muhammad Yasser (known as Sheikh Al-Ustadh Yasser). The sheikh was released from an Afghan prison in March 2007 in exchange for an Italian journalist abducted by the Taliban. According to the video, he served as a minister in the three governments that preceded the rise of the Taliban, and later resigned from politics to become a lecturer at the Da'wa and Jihad University in Peshawar. The video further states that he supported the Taliban when it came to power. The following are the main points of the video:
Shoes!!! -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
These photos were sent along by my friend Bob Connolly, whose wife Cynthia knitted and sent about 40 caps to our Soldiers for the children in Afghanistan. Photos of the kids with their new caps to follow in another post.
But first, the shoes...
NATO in Afghanistan - part. 1/2
Canadian and British soldiers in Afghanistan. Canadian forces in Shah Wali Kot district are seen firing artillery at distant Afghans ... all » 'suspected' of spying; firing warning shots at motorcyclists and vehicles, which causes a bus to crash. British troops mentoring Afghan National Army call in close air support against insurgents; captured Taliban suspect will be 'abused' by ANA, says British officer.
NATO drums up more troops for Afghanistan -- [Murdoc Online]
...I can see why several NATO nations are unwilling to do much to assist with the campaign in Iraq. I don't agree, but I can understand. The general lack of interest in doing anything in Afghanistan continues to baffle me, however.
NATO commanders are hoping to double the number of training units in Afghanistan, but it's slow going.
NATO in Afghanistan - part. 2/2
Canadian and British soldiers in Afghanistan. Canadian forces in Shah Wali Kot district are seen firing artillery at distant Afghans ... all » 'suspected' of spying; firing warning shots at motorcyclists and vehicles, which causes a bus to crash. British troops mentoring Afghan National Army call in close air support against insurgents; captured Taliban suspect will be 'abused' by ANA, says British officer
Army Helping Attack Wildfires -- [
Army National Guard helicopters were attacking southern California's ferocious wildfires Tuesday as Soldiers on the ground were manning traffic control points and were prepared to provide people who had lost their homes with ...
National Guard helicopters carrying big Bambi water buckets were trying to bring under control the firestorm that has forced some 500,000 residents to flee the devastated, seven-county region since last weekend.
"This is true and pure homeland defense. This is my home. I live here. This is what I joined to do," said California Army Guard 1st Lt. Robi Yucas, who was coordinating the Guard's aviation assets even as his wife and daughter and dog were preparing to evacuate their fire-threatened home in Oceanside, Calif.
Bill Richardson: Outrageous And Absolutely Incorrect -- [Riehl World View]
You'd think politicians would be mindful of living in the new media age. This from Gov. Bill Richardson at the Huffington Post, calling the Iraq War lost and blaming California's shrinking National Guard on the war. He should have called ABC first - see below.
Thank you Gubernator!!!
Additional nuclear sites in Syria? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
While proof of a Syrian nuclear site is trickling down, including in this Washington Post article, the question now remains: what exactly do we know about the Syrian nuclear program?
Morality in counterinsurgency: Coercing the desperate -- [TigerHawk]
Humans rights NGOs have their panties in knots over the Israelis pressuring sick Palestinians to rat on the militants in their midst:
Exclusive: Bin Laden’s Frustration with His Lieutenants -- [The Family Security Foundation]
Yes, Bin Laden’s latest audiotape aired on al Jazeera is unique. Not in its ideological party line or in the Salafi doctrinal roots; they haven’t changed nor are they expected to. Surely, in a previous speech he inserted some neo-Marxist and Trotskyite rhetoric but that was part of his “American” discourse, and possibly at the request of his Gringo advisers.
...Incredibly, the leader of al Qaeda said the “Mujahidins” in Iraq committed “mistakes.” This was the first time the man used these words in this context: self criticism. In fact he criticized the emirs for the recklessness of their Jihad in the land of the two rivers. If one reviews the public statements of Bin Laden, at least since 1996, this is the first time he has mentioned the Jihadists’ mistakes, not the errors by Muslim rulers in general. Now, these are his own fighters who are at fault.
Usama Bin Laden... Message To The People Of Iraq
Al-Qaida Distributors Accuse Al-Jazeera of Distorting Bin Laden's Message on Iraq
Al-Qaida's official online distribution network responsible for disseminating messages from Usama Bin Laden--known as the "Al-Fajr Media Center"--has issued a new statement strongly criticizing the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera satellite television network, which it has accused of "deceitfully manipulating" the latest audio recording from Bin Laden regarding the growing infighting within the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. According to the Al-Fajr Center, "Aljazeera editors in chief have counterfeited the facts by making the speech appear as exclusively targeting the brothers and sons inside Al-Qaeda organization. It looked as if it was an acknowledgment of their mistakes, a renunciation of their jihad and their loyalty to it." The letter went on to condemn the directors of Al-Jazeera for "shamefully choosing to back the crusaders’ side, and the defenders of hypocrites and the thugs and traitors of Iraq.”
U.S. Announces New Sanctions Against Iranian Military, Banks, Leaders -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Today, the State Department designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) for their proliferation activities. The Treasury Department also designated numerous Iranian parties for proliferation concerns: nine IRGC-affiliated entities and five IRGC-affiliated individuals; two state-owned banks, Bank Melli (its biggest) and Bank Mellat; and three individuals affiliated with Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO). The Treasury Department also designated the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) under for providing material support to the Taliban in Afghanistan and other terrorist organizations, and also designated Iran's state-owned Bank Saderat as a terrorist financier.
Collateral Damage -- [Castle Argghhh!]
In prior wars, children of soldiers and Marines killed in action would have medals, stacks of letters, perhaps a few photographs or, if they were very lucky, a faded clipping from the local newspaper to help keep the memory of a lost loved one alive. To such meager artifacts would be added endless quiet recountings of birthdays, vacations, holidays and the thousand shared moments - trivial, poignant, or hilarious - that make each family happy in its own unique way.
But the children of today's fallen warriors are growing up in a digital age, surrounded by often disturbing images and multimedia Is it too much to ask that when these smallest Americans look for traces of their missing fathers or mothers, the first image to spring to their minds should comfort, and not horrify?
Knock, knock... who are you??? -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Here's a good one. Several Soldiers' Angels have been receiving lovely thank you emails from soldiers to whom they never sent anything directly. One of the Angels finally fessed up and told the Soldier she didn't know who he was...??
Marine’s Father Sues Church for Cheering Son’s Death -- [New York Times]
...The Westboro protesters, whose church is in Topeka, Kan., frequently picket the funerals of military officials and soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan because church leaders assert that God is killing soldiers to punish America for condoning homosexuality. The lawsuit, which is being tried in Baltimore, is believed to be the first against the church by the family of a fallen serviceman.
Code Blue for Code Pink? [The Tank - Steve Schippert]
Many will enjoy reading Eli Lake's latest at the New York Sun, End of a Movement.
The Freepers who stand regular watch outside Walter Reed surely will take particular pleasure in Ms. Benjamin's lamentations and exasperations. The way they see it, she and her crews are owed some anguish for what they do to the troops on a regular basis. And they are, of course, absolutely right.
Welcome home, Dan! -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
About 15,000 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers are beginning to come home to Ft. Bragg, and here's the first 267 at Pope Air Force Base last Friday.
This group is mostly from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team’s support and special troops battalions.
Dagger Brigade Soldiers start coming home -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — After spending most of the last 15 months in one of Baghdad’s most dangerous neighborhoods, 126 members of Task Force 1-26 got to go home Sunday night.
The task force is among the first wave of Schweinfurt, Germany-based troops expected back from Iraq this week and throughout October and November.
Axe: Disband the Air Force!
Fed up with unnecessary gold-plated fighter jet programs, the service’s impatience with counter-insurgency and its anti-China rhetoric, back in August I proposed the disbanding of the U.S. Air Force. The air service’s missions could be folded into the Army, Navy and Marine Corps without any loss in national power -- and we’d benefit from cuts to Pentagon overhead.
Now Robert Farley over at The American Prospect has taken up the cause in a new piece, “Abolish the Air Force.” To complement the piece, Farley has solicited input from a number of bloggers, including yours truly.
Chairman Asks Straight Questions, Gets Hard Answers -- [Defense Link]
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen yesterday heard some hard truths when he asked hundreds of soldiers about their service.
“We need something better. That’s just not good enough,” another captain said of the 12-month home-station time between deployments.
Still another young officer said he was planning to end his military service, not because he was ready to be finished, but because his family was.
...“I think we’re going to change everything about the military,” he said, including how the force trains, recruits, educates and develops its troops.
Bill Richardson: Outrageous And Absolutely Incorrect -- [Riehl World View]
You'd think politicians would be mindful of living in the new media age. This from Gov. Bill Richardson at the Huffington Post, calling the Iraq War lost and blaming California's shrinking National Guard on the war. He should have called ABC first - see below.
Stark apologizes for saying troops die for Bush's 'amusement' -- [Jake's Life]
It's not the blatant stupidity and insensitivity of this remark that is getting my blood boiling, its Starks' blanket assumption that everyone fighting in Iraq A)is a political pawn of President Bush B) doesn't know what they are fighting for C) somehow didn't volunteer for the ALL VOLUNTEER MILITARY and D) doesn't want to be over there.
Code Pinkos run wild on Capitol Hill again -- [Michelle Malkin]
Update: The White House smacks the Dems over Code Pink.
The Democrats refuse to rein in the Code Pinko thugs and vandals who continue to disrupt hearings on Capitol Hill. Earlier today, it was an unhinged protester who attempted to smear red paint on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
I Do it so can you! -- [Northern Disclosure]
For those of you that didn't know, I was invited to speak at Brown University for a Watson Institute forum involving frontline media, writers and filmakers. I was honored by the invitation but it was hard to attend since I am over here. I did participate via webcast and found that in itself very entertaining.
I was able to watch the panel before the one I spoke on which had Colby Buzzell, a kid that was a specialist in the same unit I was in the first time over, and also Matt from "Blackfive". They spoke of military blogs and how they have changed.
Crunch Time -- [Outside the Wire - JD Johannes - in Iraq]
We are hearing that the violence in Iraq is decreasing.
And we all hear the phrase 'The Surge.' But what is the surge? How has it worked to decrease the violence?
In my upcoming movie, the viewer will get to see the surge from the inside, riding along with an Army infantry company in Baghdad's West Rashid district. An infantry company that is a true 'Surge Unit.'
But this may movie may never be completed. I am tapped out.
I need $3,000 more dollars to complete this DVD.
Ted Rall: Death of 'Idiot' Soldiers Raises U.S. IQ -- [NewsBusters]
I don't normally follow Ted Rall's work. But when J.M., a member of our military serving in Iraq, wrote NB about Rall's recent column and cartoon, I had a look. I'd say our soldier was being restrained in describing Rall's work as "particularly offensive."
Beauchamp and the Rule of Second Chances: Pass it Along -- [Michael Yon- in Iraq]
...I was at a reconciliation meeting between Sunni and Shia in the West Rashid district of Baghdad on 24 October, and it happened by complete coincidence that I was with Beauchamp’s battalion. In fact, I was with his old company commander for much of the day, although I had no idea for most of it that I was with Beauchamp’s old company commander.
At the reconciliation meeting, Beauchamp’s battalion commander, LTC George Glaze, politely introduced himself and asked who I wrote for. When I replied that I just have a little blog, the word caught his ears and he mentioned Beauchamp, who I acknowledged having heard something about. LTC Glaze seemed protective of Beauchamp, despite how the young soldier had maligned his fellow soldiers. In fact, the commander said Beauchamp, having learned his lesson, was given the chance to leave or stay.
That Took Foerever: Beauchamp Story Collapses -- [Weekly Srandard]
The Drudge Report has posted a a series of documents that reveal the lengths to which the New Republic’s editors, specifically Frank Foer and Peter Scoblic, went to cover up the truth about the Scott Beauchamp stories. This is the end of the road, and a long road it's been.
When we started looking into Beauchamp's stories back in July, we believed that the New Republic had simply been taken in by a huckster--that despite being over-eager to publish a story that cast our troops in a negative light, TNR's editors had done so good faith, believing the stories to be true. So we emailed Frank Foer, who agreed to provide us with some of the corroborating details in order to demonstrate his author's credibility.
Foer, TNR accuse the *military* of "selective leaks" of information they tried their best to suppress -- [Jeff Emanuel]
Said TNR's Franklin Foer, "It's maddening to see the Army selectively leak to the Drudge Report things that we've been trying to obtain from them through Freedom of Information Act requests," Mr. Foer said. "This fits a pattern in this case where the army has leaked a lot of stuff to right wing blogs."
Knight Ridder, Night Rider you got some ID Chump? -- [Uncle Jimbo - BlackFive]
...The Americans, however, are the absolute worst. I had a testy exchange Tuesday with an American soldier at an entry checkpoint into the Green Zone.....
Remember Iraq? Who can forget? -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
Remember when Paul Krugman worked for Enron, Maureen Dowd was a pouty little girl, and Thomas Friedman was a respected writer? Me too. Then the New York Times created Times Select and those of us unwilling to fork over money were then deprived of their musings. Sadly Times Select was apparently a colossal failure and they are back and available to us, the unwashed masses.
During that two year public hiatus Mr. Friedman must have started channeling Ms. Dowd as his column today demonstrates.
New Tape: Bin Laden Calls Insurgents ‘Pack of Sissies’ -- [ScrappleFace]
In a newly-released audiotape, al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden spoke directly to Muslim insurgents in Iraq, calling them “a pack of sniveling sissies for collapsing in the face of the recent U.S. military surge.”
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Bobby Calvan has "disappeared" his entire web site. And the post about harrassing a guard in the green zone might not have been the reason why.
Since the site has gone, I can't comment on the accuracy of what this commenter at LGF says - but apparently Calvan had confessed to shaping stories to fit his own version of events:
...the story that was already being composed in my mind. I was after vivid descriptions that could, if warranted, paint a scene of chaos, anger and grief.More evidence of Calvan's arrogance here.
<...>
Jenan, a Shiite member of our staff of local reporters, went to work to track down witnesses. She spoke to at least two by telephone. But I pressured her for more. I wanted an interview with a doctor. I wanted quotes from some of the injured, maybe even words that captured the anger and grief of the family of the dead.
Update: I agree with Charles:
...even though he’s now pulled the entire thing offline, what it revealed about mainstream media reeporting from Iraq is actually quite important.The fact that he's deleted the whole thing now that he's been "discovered" is the most telling bit of evidence of all.
Bobby:
As a GI in Baghdad, please let me extend a warm welcome to Iraq.
As a blogger, please let me say welcome to the blogosphere.
U.S. troop fatalities in Iraq, from the Brookings Institute's Iraq Index:
Can you see the steady upward trend of the past four years?
If so, you're seeing an optical illusion.
The deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq (thus far) was 2004, and the numbers actually decreased slightly in each of the following two years.
Actual numbers as reported by Brookings:
2004: 848
2005: 846
2006: 823
If you squint at the graph, you'll also see that December, 2006, was (at the time) the third highest monthly total of the war. So even as 2006 closed out as the second consecutive year with fewer deaths than the previous the media could ignore it and instead write headlines about that monthly total.
I'll repeat something I said about monthly totals at that time:
The variability of the numbers are chaotic, graphed they resemble nothing more than a saw's edge. Anyone who touts the peaks or valleys as representative is a fool. The media looks only at the peaks and declares them "trends". When the death toll plunged (predictably) after this year's Ramadan surge the media ignored it. When it rose again in the past month the death toll became headline worthy again. When the annual totals turned out to be lower this year it was reported under a headline about the monthly total being almost as high as it was back during my first tour.Notice I said "peaks or valleys". All around the blogosphere - or at least half of the blogosphere - folks are celebrating the fact that American military deaths in Iraq for October have fallen nearly to pre-Mary Mapes levels. (That last bit was hardly fair in that the majority of the celebrants probably have no clue what the Bloody Mary reference means.)
That's certainly something to celebrate, but if recent history is any indication, next month will probably see an upturn (a bus crash would do it). And even if numbers continue to fall, this year will eclipse 2004 as the deadliest of the war. At that point, an amazing thing will probably happen - the headline writers will ignore the monthly totals* and discover the annual. Increases are newsworthy, decreases are not.
*And likely ignore the increase in combat troops, too.
...with the WaPo's David Ignatious.
July 20, 2007 - Iraq is an inferno that will spread through the region:
The Bush administration is groping toward a diplomatic firewall strategy that might help keep the inferno in Iraq from spreading in the Middle East.July 27, 2007 - too bad we don't have a government like Englands, then we could dump that idiot Bush and get out of Iraq!This approach has two basic components: pushing harder for negotiations to establish a Palestinian state and creating a standing "Iraq neighbors' conference" to prevent states in the region from taking advantage of Iraq's chaos or being infected by it.
<...>
To make real progress on either front -- Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations or a concert of Iraq's neighbors -- will require an intensity and deftness in diplomacy the administration hasn't yet shown.
<...>
Rice and Gates seem to agree that this diplomatic push is an essential response to the continuing violence in Iraq. In an administration often marked by intense disagreement between State and Defense, their alliance will help focus thinking about how to stabilize a region that is dangerously out of control.
This is a moment when America would be better served by a parliamentary system. The Bush administration would have lost a vote of "no confidence" after November's congressional elections, and the Democrats would now have responsibility for overseeing the tricky process of extracting American forces from Iraq without doing even more damage.August 24: Progress? Hah - it's all in Anbar where the Sunnis are playing us for stooges to get arms to fight the Shiites after we leave, and you'll never see al Qaeda in this discussion, brother.
What modest progress the United States has recently made in Iraq has largely been in Sunni areas, such as Anbar province. It's an alliance of convenience: The Sunnis increasingly see U.S. troops as their best ally for containing the power of Iran and its proxies in Ira
