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Bad apples -- [Major K - in Iraq]
There are many things that I have to post about, but this is the elephant in the room that I must get out of the way. We have apparently found evil in our midst. I cannot comment on the ongoing investigation save to say that I am disgusted by the actions of a few that have tarnished the good work of so many others. I am not involved in this situation, and for that I am thankful. Morale has taken quite a hit, but the NightStalkers will bounce back, and be stronger and better for it. The Battalion is currently under a microscope, and many people have been relieved or moved. I, although not involved, got moved as well. I think that someone found out there was an infantry officer in charge of the intelligence section when there should be an intelligence officer doing that job - ...
Moving On [MOAB - Journalist in Irag]
The fear felt during that attack wasn?t just my own. One young Marine in the back of the 7-ton with me looked particularly ashen after the mortars stopped. He stood up as the truck cleared the scene and threw the only punch he could at his faceless enemy. "I hate this f-----g country!" he yelled at the top of his lungs into the rushing air, arms stretched outwards with clenched fists.
Why are Citizen-Soldiers in Iraq? -- Six More Months - in Irag]
Reading this OP-ED Piece in the NYTimes by Stanford history professor David Kennedy, claiming that today?s Army does not reflect the mainstream of America, brings to mind a conversation I had while I was home on leave.
Calm before the storm -- [ Phil and Becky - Phil's in Iraq]
The month of July has been one of the quietest in terms of enemy activity since we've been here. That is not necessarily a good thing, however, because long lulls in enemy activity often precede spectacular attacks. We count on this happening and one of the challenging (practically impossible) jobs of our S2 folks is to try and predict when and where (and how) those attacks will happen.
This month, it happened the day before yesterday,...
Death is Too Good For Them [Graham's Journal - in Iraq] (pics)
We've passed by the Sadeer Hotel several times while on missions. This day was different however, because the day before a minibus packed with explosives pulled up to the checkpoint and detonated, destroying several homes and businesses and killing twelve people. The target was the Sadeer Hotel, which is sometimes used by American contractors. But the stupid bastards couldn't even get through the gate. So instead, they killed a bunch innocent bystanders outside the hotel's fortifications who were just trying to get on with their lives. (pics)
new pictures and video [Boots in Baghdad - in Iraq] (video and lots and lots of awesome pics)
New pictures have been posted at Boots In Baghdad Photographs.
I have posted two video clips at Boots In Baghdad Films and am working on getting more up. Check back in a day or two and more should be up.
WE GOT SANDBLASTED BY CHINOOK HELICOPTERS LAST NIGHT -- Dixie Sappers - Kevin Kelly - in Iraq]
Last night as I was watching a DVD, I heard a helicopter coming in. It sounded like it was coming from the opposite direction than normal flights and it sounded big. It was big. It was a Chinook. I thought that it was going to land on the building at first. I told you ...
Sharing Gifts [A Soldier's Blog - in Iraq]
I want to thank every family member, friend, acquaintance, and blog reader for sending items to me to hand out. The adults and children thoroughly enjoyed receiving each and every item. I am not sure who enjoyed it more, me or them, who knows? Also, each guy in my platoon who went out on the missions got a chance to help the US give to the average person here. The farmer who got some toys for his three children, the mother who received four goodie bags with school supplies for her kids, the old man who waited patiently for a winter coat, and all the children who received beanie babies, pencil, candy, school supplies,>>> THANK YOU SOO much for your generosity.
IRAQ: The Unsavory and Popular Alternatives to Democracy -- [Strategy Page]
July 29, 2005: It's out in the open now. American commanders are making plans to reduce troop levels next year. That all depends on Iraqi security forces being able to get sufficiently trained and organized to deal with the political and criminal gangs. Over two years of recruiting and training new soldiers and policemen, coalition military advisors believe that the Iraqis can do the job. But the problems the Iraqis face are more than dealing with criminals, it's dealing with a criminal (to Western eyes) mentality that pervades much of society.
MOVE TO TIGERLAND -- [2005 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
As my old CSM use to say "the only thing constant is change". I packed up my gear and moved to Tigerland. It was a good move. Now I am closer to work only 7 minutes away instead of 15, which means I get an extra 7 miuntes of sleep time and an extra minute to dress. (Pics)
Riverine forces in action!! -- [CDR Salamander]
Having bad flashbacks to my Midshipman days, I just received and email from a Marine Gunnery Sergeant (AKA Gunny or GySgt) in Iraq who took me to task for my poor research in my FEB post, and he is right on target. I should have mentioned the great work being done by the Army and Marines more in my second post, but was too blinded at my anger at my own service for letting others do our job. I can't stand it when some have to unnecessarily pick up the slack of others....
Anyway, here is a quick summary of what GySgt and his Marines are doing to bring the fight to the enemy
Saddam's Friends and Family Sell Him Out -- [Iraqi Expat - an Iraqi in London]
I bet he thought they were loyal to him because he was the "great hero"! I am sure there are lowlife stupid shameless people who love Saddam and are loyal to him because they think he is the "great hero"; however, I am also sure that members of the rotten Baath regime only loved him and were loyal to him because of their shameless selfishness, greed for power and money, and fear of the devil.
Are we going to let them win? -- [ Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Did Syria and Iran win in their indirect war on Iraq?
This question has been occupying my thoughts in the last few days and to reach an answer, we should first know the goals of the US in the region and whether these goals have been failed or they're merely witnessing slow progress?
And are we going to see some determination on reaching these goals or are we going to see strategic changes from offense to defense in the plans?
I think the changes in the Middle East do not originally represent an American desire but they're more like a need that imposed itself on the US and the world as instability in this region negatively affects many parts of the world.
Million signatures claimed for Iraq troop pullout petition -- [Drudge Report]
Radicals within Iraq's Shiite majority community said Friday that they had collected one million signatures demanding the withdrawal of US-led troops.
"We obtained the Iraqi signatures demanding the withdrawal of the occupation troops as asked for by Sayyed Moqtada Sadr," said Sheikh Abdel Zahra al-Suwaidi, an aide of the Shiite radical leader.
Military Mission In Iraq Extended -- (Miami Herald)...Unattributed
El Salvador's Congress has approved the extension of the country's military mission to Iraq, agreeing to send a fourth group of soldiers to the troubled nation.
When Will It Be OK To Use The 'Q' Word Regarding Iraq War? -- (Arizona Daily Star (Tucson))...Andrew M. Greeley
The Big Muddy is deeper and darker. Two Pentagon reports this week show just how muddy. In a survey of the morale of soldiers in Iraq the Pentagon found that more than half said morale in their units was either "low" or "very low."
Bush's Jane Fonda-Esque Mistake -- (Los Angeles Times)...Rosa Brooks
...To U.S. military leaders, one lesson of Fonda's escapades was that preventing war crimes is not only a matter of law and morality, but also crucial to preserving military morale and public support for the troops. In the three decades since the Vietnam War, our armed forces have worked hard to integrate material on the Geneva Convention into every soldier's training, and to develop internal procedures to prevent and punish violations. Members of the Judge Advocate General's Corps work with service members at every level to ensure the mistakes of Vietnam are not repeated.
Colonel Offers a Helping Hand -- (LA Times ...David Zucchino)
On Oct. 7 in central Iraq, mortar shrapnel tore into Maxwell's skull, causing severe brain damage and lacerating the left side of his body. Seventeen days later, a rocket exploded near Ferguson in western Iraq, shredding his lower left leg.
The two Marines had never met before the 40-year-old colonel sought out the 22-year-old corporal in the physical therapy ward of the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune this month. Their encounter was part of an extraordinary endeavor by a Marine officer with a faulty memory and a speech impediment, in which the walking wounded helped care for injured comrades.
Even as Maxwell recovers physically and psychologically, he patrols military hospitals and barracks to comfort and counsel a handful of the U.S. service members injured in Iraq, which number about 14,000.
5 Moons and Counting (pic) -- [Firepower Forward - in Afghanistan]
Since our move to Metropolis I haven't been as cognizant of this as in Salerno, but we have now been in Afghanistan long enough to witness the waning and waxing of 5 full moons. Here in BAF all the nocturnal celestial bodies are fairly well neutralized by the plethora of lights. Having not had to use a flashlight for 2 full months now, It takes a conscious effort to remember how much of this country lives and dies, sometimes literally, around the phases of the moon
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Forced to Recruit Kids to Keep Going -- [Stategy Page]
July 25, 2005: The Taliban have lost over 500 fighters so far this year, and these defeats have not only reduced the number of active fighters, but made it more difficult to recruit replacements. As a result, surviving Taliban are recruiting kids as young as 14. These kids are often from the family of dead Taliban.
Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (44) -- [Miserable Donuts - back from Afhanistan]
The leaders of the village of Rogmati. We met them at an important town facility...no, not a mosque, but the pharmacy. When we came into town, 3 of them whipped out cell phones and called the others to come meet us. No matter where you go, you cannot avoid cellphones... (pic)
Six militants killed in Afghanistan; earlier report contradicted -- (Middle East Times)
US-Afghan forces on July 29 killed six insurgents and captured 10 more after coming under fire in southeast Afghanistan, the US military said.
U.S. Helicopter Crashes In Afghanistan, 2 Hurt -- (Reuters)
A U.S. Apache helicopter crashed during a routine training mission in Afghanistan, injuring the two crewmen aboard, a military statement said.
Dust Blamed In Chopper Crash -- (Honolulu Advertiser)...William Cole
An investigation into the CH-47D helicopter crash on April 6 in Afghanistan that killed two Schofield Barracks soldiers and 16 others found that the aircraft ran into a severe dust storm with winds topping 45 knots and the pilots became "spatially disoriented."
They Expected An Easy Ride, Then The Enemy Struck Back -- (London Times)...Catherine Philp
Soldiers hardened on the battlefields of Iraq were looking forward to a spot of peacekeeping in Afghanistan. They got much more than they expected.
Corsi: Horrifying evidence of mullahs' rule of terror -- [Regime Change Iran]
Dr. Corsi, WorldNetDaily:
Kurds in Iran's western city of Mahabad are rioting against the Iranian government after the torture and brutal death of activist, Shovaneh Ghaderi, at the hands of the police. Shovaneh was a member of the Revolutionary Union of Kurdistan. His crime evidently was to call for autonomy in Kurdistan.
U.S. Evicted From Air Base In Uzbekistan -- (Washington Post)...Robin Wright and Ann Scott Tyson
Uzbekistan formally evicted the United States yesterday from a military base that has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday.
The Fools Around Us Will Be Nigh The Death Of Us! -- [GM's Corner]
Stupidity comes in all forms, shapes and sizes. There are lefty fools, commie fools (low may their numbers be), righty fools (although to my way of thinking far fewer of them than of the lefty variety). There are libertarian fools, socialist fools (a whole lot of that variety) and then there are the PC fools. Oh, I know, some of you folk will say "Hey, wait, PC is a product of the right." And you'd be wrong to say that. As a therapist, I've heard time and time again from my peers: "Don't be judgmental." What a load, wrapped in PC and expressed as an escape from making a decision.
London Attacks Should Remind Us of ?Blackhawk Down? -- [Counter Terroism Blog]
As the investigation into the 7/7 and 7/21 terror attacks in London continues to make headway, we are now learning that at least some of the suspects have links to and are from Somalia. This really should not be surprising, as we have known Somalia has been a hotbed of Islamic radical violence for many years, and has been an African base of operations for al-Qaeda in the past.
re: "If Kerry was president . . ." -- [Consul-at-arms]
"You and all the other decent people in the military are too good (both as human beings and as soliders) for this current administration. They treat soliders like toddlers with a toy: mangeled and banged around until they break then discarded. "
Think about this - UPDATED (again) - Michael Graham & Islam -- [My Right Wing Conspiracy]
If the Boy Scouts of America had 1,000 scout troops, and 10 of them practiced suicide bombings, then the BSA would be considered a terrorist organization. If the BSA refused to kick out those 10 troops, that would make the case even stronger. If people defending terror repeatedly turned to the Boy Scout handbook and found language that justified and defended murder ? and the scoutmasters in charge simply said ?Could be? ? the Boy Scouts would have driven out of America long ago
How Can Muslims Say That They Are Against Terrorism When Their Leaders Are Not? -- [Mr Minority]
There are some Muslim organizations that now coming out and denouncing Islamic Terrorists, but then you have diplomatic leaders from Muslim nations that will NOT admit that suicide bombers are Terrorists or that it is wrong to kill innocent people in the name of religion.
Captured - all five 21/7 bomb suspects -- (Times Online - Daniel McGrory, Stewart Tendler and Sean O?Neill)
EVERY suspected member of the July 21 suicide bombing team was under arrest last night after an extraordinary day of police operations stretching from a West London housing estate to the backstreets of Rome.
'I was Osama's bodyguard' -- (Independent Online, South Africa)
London - Haroon Rashid Aswat, the Briton held in Zambia linked to the London terror attacks, has told his captors he was once Osama bin Laden's bodyguard ...
Rocket Alert -- (Washington Times)...Michelle Malkin
...But not everyone is fighting the War on Terror blind. Some U.S. military personnel have been given a very clear and un-politically correct mission: Be on the lookout for Middle Easterners carrying rocket launchers
Seven French 'died for al-Qaeda' -- (BBC)
At least seven people from France have been killed in Iraq and elsewhere fighting for al-Qaeda, the French interior minister has told a newspaper. | "At least seven people from France have died
Soldiers Angels in Germany -- [A Soldier's Angel - Holly Aho]
I received this great email today from one of our soldiers angels in Germany. (They have their own blog too which you can find here - Soldiers Angels Germany). Here's the email:
"Hello Angels,
....In the next week I am in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) by a meeting from the KONTAKT Club (German/American friendship club). Since last month we have now a new KONTAKT Club in Landstuhl and Kaiserslautern. Natalie Behrens, a Soldiers Angels, too, is now the manager from the KONTAKT Club Landstuhl. We both are interested to support each other, to cement the German and American friendship here in Germany. Please excuse my english I am not perfect."
Web of Support, Colonel North and Wired Mag -- [A Line in the Sand]
The Web of Support Tour around the country continues to be one of the most heartwarming experiences of my life. You can read all about it, as well as see some of the pictures from the road trip, at www.webofsupport.com. In the meantime, I have been fortunate enough to have some coverage of the project by Oliver North, as well as an excellent story to raise awareness for milblogs in Wired Magazine. The article from Colonel North can be found here, and includes the wonderful quote in an open letter to Jane Fonda...
See Your Soldier is Live! -- Truth Lies & Common Sense]
Free live voice and video chat connecting those deployed with those at home.
Get the word out to our deployed military and their spouses! This is such a great idea I'm jealous that I didn't think of it first. I wish this group the best of luck and many successes supporting our soldiers and sailors.
A LOOK INTO THE NATIONAL GUARD -- [Current events and news from the right ]
Many of us have some kind of an idea what the National Guard is? You train on the weekends, and are called up in an emergency, right? In this article I would like to honor the brave men and women serving our country in the National Guard, and offer some additional information that the reader may not have seen.. First of all, a little background on the National Guard
San Diegans Fight to Keep Vet Memorial, Cross -- [New MilBlogger! - Beast7's How it ought to be]
One more instance of an atheist wackjob seeking to assert a perceived right to freedom from the proximity to religion took a damaging blow in left-coast California Wednesday. Demonstrating that they have a far better grasp on what right looks like than the liberal activist judges responsible for 15 years of adverse court rulings, 75 percent of San Diego voters decided yesterday to transfer the city-owned site to the Federal government, to be designated as a war memorial. (pics)
Why is it that the only ones who want to bring back the draft are liberals? -- [KadNine]
Could it be because their heyday, their crowning achievement, their day in the sun was during Vietnam? Could it be that they're feeling just wee bit miffed that they're out of power these days?
This commentary in the New York Times is so egregious as to be offensive. And I'm going to fisk it line by line.
In other news, the Air Force acquires submarines? -- [Intel Dump - Jonathan Caverley]
According to a favorite source of Defense Department gossip, Defense Weekly (subscription required), the Navy is considering the development of its own combat battalion:
The U.S. Navy may create an expeditionary combat battalion of sailors, a force that could execute commando-style raids ashore, maritime interdiction operations and other combat missions similar to those of Marines or SEAL commandos.
U.S. To Pull Out Of 13 German Bases -- (Los Angeles Times)...Associated Press
The U.S. Army will pull out of 13 bases in southern Germany as part of its repositioning of American forces around the world, its European headquarters said Friday.
The ACLU Needs A Curfew of Its Own -- [Stop the ACLU]
KNIGHTDALE ? While the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina described its visit to Knightdale on Thursday night as a community forum to discuss the town?s new curfew, many residents clearly thought the group was there to start trouble. Source
So the ACLU shows up to the party as an univited guest, and tries to run the show. With complete disregard to the democratic process, as always. It seems the concerned crowd was a large one for such a small town, with enough citizens concerned that it had to be moved from the library to the town hall.
Is Anti-Immigration the New Mercantilism? -- [Outside the Beltway]
I have to wonder if the anti-immigrant people are not some sort of new version of Mercantilism. Mercantilism was a view that a country could achieve economic prosperity via economic regulation, primarily of trade. Right there a red flag should go up. How can every country have a favorable balance of trade at the same time? The idea is that by putting tariffs in place for our markets we protect them from foreign competition and at the same time our industries will be able to sell in foreign markets. A great theory is you assume the politicians/policy makers in other countries are complete dolts.1
Lets kick the pants out of an article -- [Making Tomorrow Military Today]
"Military recruiters aggressive with teens"
....None of this is aggressive. These journalists do not know what aggressive is. The kid in the last paragraph was promised a 4,000 bonus for enlisting AND completing his initial training, known as A-School for the navy (AIT for the army, etc). OF COURSE he has not received the money.
News: Truth or Fiction from Fact ... or Both? -- [Sisyphean Musings]
...I consider the next step in journalism an infusion of news story telling with such modest admissions of inescapable fallibility. This is an important step in line with the change in the noetic field. From "journalism as lecture" to "journalism as conversation" and "my readers know more than I do".
<...>
If an outcome of the Carnegie-Knight project is curricula to teach journalists to write news stories in accordance with, and moving forward, the change in noetic field - that would be progress.
DeFede Update-O-Rama -- [Florida Cracker]
Where am I today? Focusing on updates to the Jim DeFede firing.
From the reaction of journalism community, nobody has ever been fired before for poor judgement, ethics violations, or breaking the law. It's quite fascinating to follow this groundbreaking event as it unfolds.
Take a good, close look at this champion of intellectual diversity: -- [Brain Shavings]
She's cleaning out a newspaper rack full of the latest issue of The Sentinel and dumping the papers in the trash. The Sentinel is Ohio State University's student conservative newspaper, and its fine writing obviously continues to anger campus leftists in Columbus ... because it has the perplexing quirk of disappearing from the racks before leftists in training students get a chance to read the latest commentary from the right. Happily, this Thought Policeperson got caught on camera by the paper's staff.
Ice on Mars --[Smash - Indepundit] (pic)
THE ABOVE PHOTO, taken from the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, shows a giant patch of water ice in a crater on the surface of Mars. The crater in which the ice patch sits is approximately 23 miles wide.
This find raises the intriguing possiblitity that some form of primitive life may still exist on the Red Planet...
Astronomers Claim Discovery of 10th Planet -- (New York Post)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's icy, rocky and bigger than Pluto. And according to scientists who found it orbiting the sun, it's the newest planet on our solar system's block. The planet - the farthest-known object in the solar system
Guardsman Punished After Criticizing Iraq War -- (Arizona Republic - Joseph R. Chenelly, Army Times)
...Clark violated Article 92 by "releasing classified information regarding unit soldiers and convoys being attacked or hit by an improvised explosive devices on various dates, discussing troop movements on various dates," according to the statement.
He also was found to have released tactics, techniques, procedures and rules of engagement, MCF-Iraq said.
The two Article 134 specifications had to do with releasing specific sensitive information "that the enemy forces could foreseeably access . . . such that with that information it was likely that the enemy forces could cause death or serious bodily harm to U.S. forces engaged in the same or simi- lar mission," the statement said.
Clark and his site's Webmaster did not return several e-mails and phone calls seeking comment.
Happy 16th Anniversary Tina -- [Siegrist Blog - in Afghanistan]
Happy Anniversary Tina. Its hard to belive that we have been together for 16 years already. As they say time flys when you are having fun, and these last years have went by at ludicrous speed I would not trade these last 16 for anything in the world. I'm sorry that I could not be with you this year or the many that have come and gone due to deployments.
Papa Sarge -- [My Army Life]
...Flash forward to July 27, 2005. At 332pm, central time, my daughter Katie gave birth to my first grandchild, Eleanor Louise Gordon, in Oklahoma City. Due to my current active duty situation, I wasn't able to be there for her birth. I won't get to see her until August 12 when I get back from Belgium. But I am sure that my memories of that first meeting will be ones that I carry for a long, long time, right up there with the other first time meetings. I won't get to be there every day for her like I did for Aimee and Katie since she will be in Oklahoma City, or Japan, or Germany or Alaska depending on where Travis will be stationed, and I'll be in Florida.
Happy Anniversary! -- [Law and Ordnance]
One year ago today, God cut me a break and gave me the most amazing, beautiful woman in the world to be my wife. Without her, I don't know what I'd do. Happy Anniversary, sweetie! I love you!
Army Chaplain Corps Birthday -- [The Ammo Crate]
From its establishment on July 29, 1775 by the Second Continental Congress, the Army Chaplaincy has had a long and inspiring record of service for God and Country. The Army Chaplaincy is the oldest of the American military Chaplaincies, predating the Declaration of Independence by almost a year.
Friday Fripperies -- [Argghhh!]
happiness on natal anniversary to youuuu,
happiness on natal anniversary to youuuu,
happiness on natal anniversary, big-tribble-with-leeeeggggssss
happiness on natal anniversary to youuuuuuuuu!
...Heh. All Denizennes, Denizens, Visitors and Lurkers are invited to stop in for the party. Just don't stand too close to the cake when we fire up the candles--the halon extinguishers all went off last year and Just this guy's been fiddlin' with the deluge sprinkler sensors...
Viva Laaas Vegas -- [Ramrod Blog - Iraq]
I'm at Doha right now, waiting to get on the plane to go home for my R&R. Good god. It couldn't have come at a better time. Weather's at an All-Time shitty. Things are starting to get on my nerve. My patience is starting to dwindle, which in turn, makes me an asshole. So ya, going home is good.
Frist: Stem Cell Study May Cure Tax-Dollar Addiction -- [ScrappleFace]
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist today announced his support for expanding federally-funded stem cell research in hopes of finding a cure for his own addiction to tax dollars.
Welcome Aboard -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
Mosul, Iraq
Across Iraq, I keep running across American troops who are not Americans. Many of these soldiers and Marines are working towards attaining U.S. citizenship while in uniform, under fire, in Iraq.
I was privileged to witness the award ceremony for 12 new American citizens in Deuce Four recently. I hope America makes them feel welcome. If the folks at home could see what these people are doing in Iraq, they would make these special troops feel as honored guests. But now, better yet, they are honored citizens, giving life to the concept of active citizenship.
Typical day on the ground -- [ American at heart - in Iraq]
We?ve been busy, busy, busy. Early mornings, long days, and hot weather (135F on Sunday) were my companions these past few days. We are now going on missions with the IA. They do raids with coalition forces help, and we watch them to make sure they don?t mess up. Our goal is to approve them as ?ready to go on their own? so that coalition forces can leave the country to the Iraqi security forces. We performed around 4 raids these past few days, back to back. We searched around 12 villages, some as large as 8,000 people. We cordoned them off and searched each and every house. We found LOTS of stuff. I?m sure we have prevented countless deaths throughout the country.
An Iraqi Shia Editorial: ?They think that religion is only a matter of having a beard? - [Austin Bay]
The first post from ?The Iraqi? drew an interesting array of comments. ?The Iraqi? is a brave and honest man. A commenter asked to read something with ?Shia and Kurd perspectives.?
The following editorial from Al Adala was emailed to me this morning. I read it and thought, okay, here?s a Shia. I can?t vouch for the translation?s accuracy, but I?ve very good reasons to trust the emailer. Al Adala is a newspaper published by the Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. I?ve looked for a link but can?t locate one. Al Adala?s editor, however, does have a yahoo email address.
An emergency conference... -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Iraq's constitution drafting committee called for an emergency summit for the leaders of political parties and religious factions in Iraq in order to override the remaining obstacles that are hindering finishing the final points of the constitution....
This piece of news was mentioned this morning on several Iraqi newspapers and this call for a big conference obviously came after the semi-complete draft was released last Tuesday which was faced by a lot of disagreement and objections in the Iraqi street and from several political parties especially those of minorities.
The Night Time is the Right Time -- [Lost in Iraq - in Iraq]
No news is good news right? There?s no news, so here's some insight into one of the minor differences between home and Iraq. It?s the nighttime. At times, it gets really dark here. We don?t have streetlights, or flood lights outside our building to brighten our 100-degree evenings. We simply have to rely on flashlights or the moonlight to move around at night.
Over time a strange phenomenon has developed.
12 November: Broken Arrow....or Something Like It [Armor Geddon - back from Iraq]
Something to jog your memory
I looked at my crew and recalled, ?You know something. I remember being back in Vilseck in the freezing snow in January. We were standing in the parking lot in front of Company. And SGT Meadows was giving that stupid IRT(individual readiness training) with the mine probe.? The mine probe was this fiberglass rod with a rubber handle. And if you were ever stuck in a minefield, you were supposed to poke gently at the ground at a 45 degree angle about 30 times per square foot. Make sure there were no mines in the ground. And then you could take a step forward.
Combat Medic signs up for Thrird Tour -- [Echo9er]
Here is a Soldier with a mission. He has already been deployed for a year, and has begun a second consecutive tour, and in February 2006, he will start a third consecutive tour. At present, he is talking to his leadership to see if he can stay until his ETS in 2009.
Be thankful you are an American *very graphic* -- [Big Al's Army - Al's in Iraq]
As you guys probably remember, Al's MOS in the National Guard is the same thing that he does in civilian life ---> he's a nurse. At his location, he's not really needed to treat soldiers very much because he is in a relatively 'safe' area - and they let the medics run the clinic primarily - unless somebody is super sick and then they call in a doctor.
One thing that Al has gotten to do while he has been there though is to do several "Medcap" missions. This consists of them getting together humanitarian aid of all kinds, food, medicine, personal care items, ceiling fans, etc. - and then going to a remote, rural location and providing assistance to the Iraqi nationals. He has sent me videos of the missions and they are very hard to watch.
CMOC Kids --[5th CAG's Experience - in Iraq]
Here are some shots of the children out front this morning. The chaplain's assistant came out today and we helped hand out shoes, coloring books, and stuffed animals. These kids are just so cute that it breaks your heart not to be able to do more for them.
I hope that by the time they're teenagers this country will be well on its way to being a Middle Eastern powerhouse.
Bomber Kills 25 Iraqi Army Recruits (AP- Yahoo News)
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide attacker detonated an explosives belt in a crowd of Iraqi army recruits Friday in a town near the Syrian border, killing at least 25 and wounding 35, a police general said. The U.S. military put the toll at 20 dead and 25 injured.
Officials said the attack in Rabiah occurred in the midst of recruits training in a secured area, and they speculated some of the guards might have allowed the bomber to enter the post about 230 miles north of Baghdad.
Security costs slow Iraq reconstruction -- (MSNBC)
Efforts to rebuild water, electricity and health networks in Iraq are being shortchanged by higher-than-expected costs to provide security and by generous financial awards to contractors, according to a series of reports by government investigators released yesterday.
Taken together, the reports seem to run contrary to the Bush administration's upbeat assessment that reconstruction efforts are moving vigorously ahead and that the insurgency is dying down.
Iraq Affects Troops' Mental Health (Military .com)
WASHINGTON - Thirty percent of U.S. troops surveyed have developed stress-related mental health problems three to four months after coming home from the Iraq war, the Army's surgeon general said Thursday.
In Jordanian Case, Hints Of Iraq Jihad Networks -- (New York Times)...James Glanz
...Estimates of how many foreign fighters are in Iraq have been hazy, but a Western diplomat said a variety of analysts had concluded that hundreds of Jordanians had gone to Iraq to fight since the beginning of the war. A common route, they say, is over land through Syria and across Iraq's porous and still violent western frontier, the same route Mr. Horani and his friends are said to have used.
Iraq Can Survive This (Washington Post)...David Ignatius
...Iraq is in torment, but the Lebanon example suggests that with patient help, its institutions can survive this nightmare.
Confronting Complacency (Washington Times)...Rep. Jim Saxton
Like it or not, every U.S. citizen is engaged in the Global War on Terror. This war was forced upon us on by cowardly terrorists on September 11, 2001. It seems apparent some members of Congress have not yet grasped that the U.S. and its allies are at war to defend our freedoms and way of life.
The Truth About Abu Ghraib -- (Washington Post)
FOR 15 MONTHS now the Bush administration has insisted that the horrific photographs of abuse from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were the result of freelance behavior by low-level personnel and had nothing to do with its policies. In this the White House has been enthusiastically supported by the Army brass, which has conducted investigations documenting hundreds of cases of prisoner mistreatment in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but denies that any of its senior officers are culpable.
Mixed Signals On Bringing Troops Home (Baltimore Sun)...Jules Witcover
...General Casey's conditional prospect of some reduction in the 138,000 U.S. troop level and Mr. Rumsfeld's refusal to set a timetable send mixed signals - but hardly the only ones in this war of controversial decision-making.
Live-Blogging "Over There" -- [Reasoned Audacity]
"Over There" tonight at 10 EST. The new television series about the Iraq war. I'm skeptical. So I've decided to live-blog it. If you're watching, too, send comments.
Live Blogging "Over There" -- [The Middle Ground]
First thing I see is a soldier smoking pot. Not that I think that soldiers are perfect but that is definitely some left over 60's post Vietnam imagery.
Second thing, woman soldier saying good-bye to her kid.
Third thing, which seemed pretty accurate, was guys taking fire from a mosque and they are yelling about al jazeera reporters inside and they are not able to return fire. There is a really pissed of sgt that is angry he's been stopped loss, angry that he has a bunch of FNGs and just freaking angry.
Forgive Me for Lack of Interest in 'Over There' -- [The Word Unheard]
...Last night I received final confirmation that 'Over There' was bunk. I happened to be in the same room with a TV tuned to MSNBC's Hardbull with Chris Matthews as he was interviewing the program's creator/producer. I looked up reluctantly from reading the Pentagon's Congressional Report, "The Military Power of the People?s Republic of China 2005".
"Over There" met with some hostility -- [A healthy Alternative to Work]
...Well, I guess I'm not completely surprised, by the content of the show or by the reaction of the MilBlogosphere. [N.B.: Wouldn't it be more fun to call it the Blog-O-Sphere? Or the Blog O'Sphere?]
Anything less than a glowing account of professional soldiers going into a tough situation and consistently doing the right thing was going to draw fire from military supporters around the world, and that's understandable. But it seems a lot of people are upset with the depiction of soldiers falling into hackneyed archetypes. I think I know why this might have happened.
"Over There" -- [Smash]
...Mrs. Smash recorded it for me. It was like a bad Vietnam movie, filmed in what was clearly the Mojave desert filling in for Iraq. I even spotted a Joshua Tree in the background.
Simple, stereotypical characters. Not much depth.
Over There -- [BlackFive]
Okay, I've been getting a few emails every minute or so with negative reactions to the FX show "Over There". I had checked the site a few days ago and found the characters to be cartoonish and stereotypical. I figured it wouldn't be very complimentary or truthful or real.
"Over There", Report by Ry -- [Argghhh!]
Okay,"Over There" report: It's pretty bad. Has just about all the old war movie cliches
"Over There" -- [Target at Centermass]
I?ll admit, I went into tonight?s premier of FX?s Over There with much trepidation. Simply put, I generally don?t trust Hollywood.
More thoughts later, but I?d like to throw out a few initial observations.
It just wouldn?t be Hollywood if we didn?t quickly show drug use and racial tension in the ranks
Over where? -- [CDR Salamander]
Yep, I saw it. Last night I forced myself, against my better judgement, to watch the new FX show "Over There."
I'm not an Army guy so I won't comment on the ground details, but this show just didn't make it.
Over There -- [Eric Grumbles Before the Grave]
"Over There" debuted, a TV "drama" about Iraq. As has become my norm for twenty years now, I basically ignored yet another piece of what I deemed to be Hollywood trash that would not reflect any sort of military reality and would have a political agenda to push. Let's quickly distinguish here between works of historical fiction, like "Patriot" or "Gladiator". I recognize these for what they are and watch them as entertaining fictional dramas.
"Over There" TV series on FX.... [Singaleer]
I Tivo?d it. I lasted less than 10 minutes before I deleted it.
Made it through the introduction of characters (of course none of them could be well-adjusted) and to an NCO berating his troops about how put-upon he was for having to lead them while doing nothing and receiving fire.
So now I know it isn?t worth my time.
"Over There" -- [Air Force Pundit]
The new tv show by Steven Bochco finally premiered last night. I had been really psyched to see it from the previews over the past few months. Then, in the last week I started to read reviews and became much more hesitant. Anything that the lamestream media is going to praise about a military show means that it is going to pretty much suck. I have to agree with my brothers in the USArmy- this show sucked. The dialogue was
Over There -- [The Daily Brief - Sgt Mom]
A lot of the criticism centers around the details: The Taster?s Choice slam, for instance, was excellent. Other details, like the buried IED, with a little flag on the trigger, where down-right idiotic. Bochco certainly needs some qualified technical consultants involved in production.
The most prevalent negative opinions though, seem to center around the stereotyping of the characters, and the matter of good taste, over producing an entertainment program while people are fighting and dying.
"Over There" -- [Watch Your Six]
I just watched the first episode of "Over There" on F/X. I'm not impressed. It's certainly not this generation's "Platoon."
The acting was thin (I've seen better acting in Army training films), the plot (if you could even recognize one) was random, and everyone had a dorky nickname.
Over There -- [Fixed Bayonets]
The new Fox series "Over There" premiered last night. The best that can be said is that it was an embarrassment but, also, that there is no where to go but up.
Steven Bochco, creator of the new series, claims that the show is "not about politics." Inasmuch as nothing was said for or against the war aims per se, I'll agree with that statement in a minor way but, only in a minor way. Though not discussed, politics was a definite undercurrent via the use of age old stereotypes.
Over There: Under Fire (more Video Clips) -- (Military.com)
FX Networks presents the epic original series, "Over There." Here is one of two short clips from the show.
Finding Reality in Fiction: 'Over There' (NPR news)
Commentator Leroy Sievers, a former Nightline producer, says Steven Bochco's new TV drama about the frontlines in Iraq raises an important question: Can a fictional account of war do a more effective job of showing the public the realties of life for soldiers and Iraqi civilians than the news can?
Baghdad Blues -- (New York Metro)
Stephen Bochco?s Over There, about the war in Iraq, struggles to capture a conflict that?s still going on.
Steven Bochco ought to have been the perfect executive producer for a dramatic series about something as problematic?something as post?Light Brigade?as the American war in Iraq. Bochco?s Hill Street Blues, after all, was the first post-liberal, post-social-worker, wised-up eighties cop show.
How will 'Over There' go over over here? -- (Miami Herald)
At a press conference in an air-conditioned tent on a hill overlooking the show's set, one reporter wondered out loud if a military action at the end of the third episode had a political underpinning. (I would disagree.) Another asked Bochco and Chris Gerolmo, the co-creators of the show, how they felt about the real Iraq war.
"I'm not even going to answer the question," Bochco said. "I don't want to politicize the show in any way.... I think the moment you take a political position, you're not doing what art is supposed to do, which is to ask provocative questions.
These soldiers say 'Over There' is 'bogus' -- (M.L. LYKE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER)
A truck tire hits a flagged wire, a roadside bomb explodes, a handsome private with shredded leg screams in agony. In the bloody chaos of the moment, his soldier buddies panic. One pukes.
Stop the cameras! Sir!
Over There? takes the offensive -- (Kansas City Star -AARON BARNHART)
Bochco smashes complacency with drama from Iraq People have already begun asking producer Steven Bochco why he was so gung-ho to make a TV show about the war in Iraq.
War out of harm's way -- (Newsday... DIANE WERTS)
War is hell, everywhere. It's hell in the trenches American soldiers dig in the sands of Iraq as enemy rounds pound their position. It's hell in the hospitals where amputees lie screaming after the morphine wears off. It's hell back home as spouses left behind struggle to cope with kids, infidelity, uncertainty.
Licking and Salting War's Open Wounds -- (New York Times)
This show doesn't have a lawyer plunging to her death down an elevator shaft. It doesn't have a foul-mouthed cop making broadcasting history by mooning more than 20 million viewers. What it does have - and what makes it unmistakably a Steven Bochco production - is plenty of button-pushing. It's called "Over There," and it's a television drama that takes direct aim at the single most polarizing subject in the United States right now: the war in Iraq.
TV's Iraq War Drama Profiteering To Some -- (Washington Times)...Jennifer Harper
The war in Iraq has gone Hollywood. Street fights, improvised explosive devices, roadblocks -- they've all become bloody plot devices for a new TV series on the ongoing conflict. "Over There" debuted on the FX cable network Wednesday, courtesy of Steven Bochco, producer of "NYPD Blue" and other dramas. He is not apologetic for tapping into the war for material.
'Over There' brings battlefield home -- (MSNBC)
Producer Stephen Bochco, the brains behind such hits as "NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues", has put a new spin on soldiers in action. "Over There," a hard-hitting new show on FX, follows the exploits of a fictional Army platoon. With politics aside, the show explores the dueling forces of carnage and courage while at war.
Bochco joined 'Hardball' host Chris Matthews to discuss how the series reflects these complexities that U.S. soldiers currently face in the Middle East.
'Over There' pulls 4.1 mil for FX duty -- (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Over There" has won its first key battle.
Producer Stephen Bochco's Iraq war drama got off to a good start Wednesday, drawing 4.1 million viewers in its 10 p.m. premiere on FX, the night's most-watched show on cable, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Of the total, 2.4 million were aged 18-49, also No. 1 for the night in that coveted demographic, Nielsen said. An 11 p.m. repeat attracted 1.7 million total viewers.
Politics hard to avoid in "Over There" -- (Seattle Times)
...But that is absurd. "Over There," which debuts tonight at 10 on FX, cannot help being full of opinion. It starts with the material put in or left out. The content here is both stunning and grating. In its frantic desire to make viewers sit up and pay attention, "Over There" has the least organic feel of any Bochco show in memory ? an opera just short of the soap. Yet I know I'll watch to the end.
The show's urgency is understandable and perhaps laudable. FX president John Landgraf, who first had the idea of a weekly wartime series, perceived a growing void in attention to the lives of soldiers in Iraq.
War (in a General Sense) Is Hell -- (Slate)
Over There, the Steven Bochco-produced drama about the war in Iraq that premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET on F/X, is being hailed everywhere as a groundbreaking television experiment ? the first American series to fictionalize a war while that same war is actually going on. There's a sense, in much of the press coverage of the show, that its mere existence is somehow salutary.
Over There ? Hollywood Joins the War Party -- ([Anti-War.com])
... It isn't about Iraq, it's all about the Americans ? their feelings, their class and ethnic divisions, and their endless narcissistic banter.
Tying it loosely together is an overarching view of soldiering as an inherently noble and valorizing activity, one that is not necessarily tied to country or ideology.
Letter from a soldier -- [Sunday Morning Coffee]
... I'd like to press on to July, more than two months subsequent to my last long e-mail. Life in Iraq isn't fun. Since my last, we have moved twice, been shot at a few times, responded to 3 or 4 bombings, and almost got bombed again. We (my platoon) were stationed a goodly ways north of Baghdad, but we moved in the beginning of June and re-joined our company in Rustamiyah. We stayed there for nearly two weeks then moved to this, our present location. A few noteworthy incidents which occurred while still up north were an accident and a bombing. I was involved in the former, but we merely responded to the latter.
Almost there...and my one and only editorial -- [Martin in Afghanistan]
We went out for lunch today with one of the local officials we have been dealing with for the past six months. We have done a lot of projects in his area and the people of his area have really appreciated it. I cannot remember what the name of the food was, but it was lamb cooked in a pressure cooker with onions and tomatoes. We had a different kind of bread with it this time. I will be getting all the names of the foods from our interpreters, before we leave. I did give the Dogh another try. I felt I had slammed the drink pretty hard the first time I tried it - mainly because I was already sick and dehydrated at the time - and since then was told that it is better ice cold, etc. One of our interpreters chopped up some cucumber and mixed it with the yoghurt or sour milk (not sure which) and I tried a bit again. I have to say that it was actually quite good. I could see the potential, even though the guy making it pointed out that he didn't have half the proper ingredients. I will try it again, if we can get the proper stuff to make it.
Chinook Destroyed By Fire In Afghanistan -- (New York Times on the Web)...Associated Press
A Chinook helicopter carrying six U.S.-led coalition crew and 25 Afghan troops was destroyed by a fire after making a hard landing near the Pakistan border, the U.S. military said Thursday. No one was hurt.
Afghan Women Put Lives On Line To Run For Office -- (Washington Post)...N.C. Aizenman
The note slipped under Mahmoud Shah's front gate was written in a tidy, graceful hand. But the message brimmed with venom: "If you don't stop campaigning for Noorzia Charkhi, your life will be in danger. Also tell Noorzia Charkhi that she should give up her candidacy. Aren't you ashamed to put up posters of your family's women in the bazaar?"
Over 400 Louisiana Guard Soldiers Re-enlist -- [Jack Army]
More significant than the number of soldiers who simultaneously extended their service to the military is that these National Guard soldiers did so in a combat zone.
Sulphur, LA, is just down Interstate 10 a few miles, literally, from where I live. Little tidbit for your noggin. Anyway, he said what many feel: I love the Army and I can't imagine not staying in. Sure, many others don't share that love, but that's ok, doesn't mean they don't care.
Adios, Jim -- [Florida Cracker]
There's one less sob-sister at the Miami Herald today.
Jim DeFede was fired for illegally taping a telephone conversation with Art Teele, who commited suicide in the Herald's lobby last night.
Reporter Finds U.S. Sniper in Iraq Who Shot Knight Ridder Correspondent -- [Toni - My View]
This story is disturbing to me. To be honest, I don't know if I had heard about this event and it appears from this particular article it occurred in June of 2005. I am also thoroughly amazed that a reporter would actually investigate anything since that appears to be a lost art among reporters today. But I guess when it comes to one of their own finding the truth makes a difference or at least the truth which satisfies their perception.
Next is the fact that this "reporter" LIED to get into the US Military embed program. Hmmmm. So, the Media wonders why people in the military don't trust "Reporters"?
REPORTER VOWS TO 'KILL SELF' IF CHENEY RUNS FOR PRESIDENT -- [Drudge Report]
Veteran wire reporter Helen Thomas is vowing to 'kill herself' if Dick Cheney announces he is running for president.
The newspaper HILL first reported the startling claim on Thursday.
Nancy Pelosi - Lunatic? -- [Balance Sheet]
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (bio), House Minority Leader, was furious on a Fox News clip over the CAFTA vote. She stated that Republicans were out to prove their manhood. I don't think Nancy was mad about her lack of a twig and a pair of berries. It must have been something else.
Pelosi, in a statement straight out of junior high school related...
Hilly versus Howie- Democrats duel -- [Uncle Jimbo - Madison.com]
There is currently a battle underway for the heart of the Democratic Party. The two factions have widely differing ideas about how to make the Dems competitive again. Having lost control of both houses of Congress and two Presidential elections in a row, they know they need a change but the question is moving left or right.
Nancy Pelosi: CAFTA Contra -- (Forbes ...Rich Karlgaard)
This week our dunce's cap gets passed to Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader, U.S. House of Representatives. In coming out against the Central America Free Trade Agreement, which passed the House this week, Pelosi made the familiar (and disingenuous) left-wing case: CAFTA, written by greedy capitalists, fails to include protections for labor and the environment. Otherwise she'd have voted for it.
Texas Republican Switched Vote on CAFTA -- (AP- Yahoo News)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - For weeks, Rep. Robin Hayes (news, bio, voting record), R-N.C., was colorfully adamant in his opposition to the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
"What does CAFTA sound like? NAFTA," Hayes declared. "It's not in the best interests of a core constituency I represent. Every time I drive through Kannapolis and I see those empty plants, I know there is no way I could vote for CAFTA."
State Dept admits Bolton gave inaccurate answers -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department reversed itself on Thursday night and acknowledged that President Bush's U.N. ambassador nominee gave Congress inaccurate information about an investigation he was involved in.
Bush to Senate Judiciary: Release Your Own Records -- [ScrappleFace]
(2005-07-28) -- The White House today called for members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to release all of their tax records and other personal documents so Americans can gain insight into the judicial philosophy and character of those who will help choose the next Supreme Court Justice.
Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! Thumb! Finger! -- [Baldilocks]
The leftists are in an uproar because some of them think that the president flipped off the press. Not that they don't deserve it, but, for the record, I saw this on TV;
Happy anniversary -- [Chrenkoff]
Best of the Web is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Congratulations to James Taranto, and thanks for half a decade of news and commentary delivered with just the right dose of wry humor.
News from Iraq -- [Long Time Gone - US Civ. in S Korea]
I had the honor of working with a Colonel during my first couple of months in Korea. He volunteered for Iraq and recently sent the following email:
A little slow today (not necessarily a bad thing), so I?ll try to bring you up to date on what we are doing over here. Apologize for the length.
Was up in Kurdistan in northeastern Iraq two weeks ago on a recon for future operations. It is quite different from the desert part of Iraq. It is rolling, grass covered hills that turn into mountains as you approach the border with Iran. The Kurdish people also have a different approach than the general Arab population. They are much more direct in their dealings, and have more drive to get the task done. Because of this, and the fact that we did not do much fighting in that region, their infrastructure is well ahead of what we find in most of the rest of Iraq. It is also one of the issues the Iraqi Constitutional Committee will have to resolve as they struggle with the concept of federalism. We had a little down time before our meeting with the Kurdistan Minister of the Interior, so our interpreter took us to the site of the former Ba?athist police HQs and prison, which...
Perspectives on Tragedy -- [Duke in Iraq]
The other night I was asked to come to the ER to clear a patient for aerovac. As I entered the section of tent that is the emergency room, I could see immediately who I needed to clear. Lying on an elevated cot, the tent version of a hospital bed, was the wounded warrior. He had multiple injuries and I asked him what had happened. He was very calm as he described the incident that had brought him down this road. He was riding on a helicopter, not inside but on the outside standing on the narrow piece of metal tubing that is the ?landing gear? for this type of helicopter. They were flying very close to roof tops outside of Baghdad and a blanket on a roof was sucked up and somehow wrapped itself around part of the helicopter. The helicopter was momentarily out of control. During this time the warrior fell from the helo and landed on the roof breaking a leg in numerous places, then as the helicopter spun out of control the tail rotor swung by and cut off the other leg just below the knee. He looked down ...
Face in the Mirror -- [Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum - in Iraq]
...Yesterday I was more sad than angry, (I was oh so angry), so my sadness was tremendous, and there is of course fatigue. We are all tired, and today was no different. This morning the extent of my patriotism was putting my boots on, and going back to it. The day was nothing out of the ordinary, then as dawn spread across Los Angeles news of ?the article? began to spread, and the usually empty Internet cafe was full. The hunting and pecking was hypnotic, those who don't normally type were giving it one hell of a college try, some were responding to emails others were angrily hitting backspace to correct a spelling error, others were hitting enter to address a chatroom slight. A soldier asked me if I'd seen the article. I hadn't, I really didn't need to. I am here in the middle of it. For those of you who don't know this BN was in the Los Angeles Times (yet again), and our woes are now quite public.
Gunner Palace -- [Bloviating Inanities]
My brother did the soundtrack to this movie. The good news is it's mentioned in today's NRO. The bad news is that fatboy Michael Moore is using it in his bullshit film festival in Michigan. Apparently he's using it to show "the boring hopeless" that is Iraq.
Obviously I saw Gunner Palace and let me tell you, it's not an anti-war film by any stretch. It's a film...
Warning Shots -- [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio ]
Syria?s involvement in hosting and facilitating foreign terrorists and elements of the Iraqi insurgency has been common knowledge for some time now. While the Asad regime claims to continue with the arrest and deportation of foreign terrorists entering Iraq, the Iraqi government appears to be losing patience. Iraq?s Minister of the Interior Bayan Jabr has stated he has have made specific requests to Syria to turn over wanted members of the insurgency. Predictably, Syria responds by using the Israeli card.
Meet ?The Iraqi? -- [Austin Bay]
I?ve known this man for several years. A native Iraqi, he has friends throughout Iraq and the Middle East. Last January, prior to the Iraqi election, I asked him to contribute a post to this blog, but he demurred. He would still send me comments about the Arab press, perceptions of US politics, and reports of what was going on in his home town. (I won?t name the town, but I can say I have visited it. Folks don?t realize that there are indeed many pleasant places in Iraq. When the place is blessed with peace, I intend to go back as a tourist.)
But a few days ago...
July 26 RR Podcast -- [Reverse Retna from the Sandlot - in Iraq]
This is the second of my podcast. After talking to my wife I realized that not everyone reading this may be aware of what a podcast is or how to use it. A podcast is basically an MP3 placed on the internet for download using RSS/XML technology. Without getting too crazy the best way to listen is to use a program that you tell to go and get the new feed.
Engineers Work to Complete Repairs
At Baghdad Power Plant -- [Centcom - Mr. Norris Jones, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]
QUDAS, Iraq - A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers repair project at the Qudas electric power generating station 25 kilometers north of Baghdad is 85 per cent complete.
Going Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -- [Ma Deuce Gunner - in Iraq]
Leave. R&R. A Break. Call it what you wish. I am getting out of here for a few weeks.
My bag is sitting packed by the door, a brand new clean uniform neatly folded inside. Just the basics for traveling...books, shaving kit, candy and stuff for the flights. I got my tentative flight time, just counting the hours.
IRAQ: AL-ZARQAWI ISSUES VIDEO-HISTORY OF HIS TERROR GROUP -- (AKI)
Baghdad, 27 July- In the propaganda war waged in parallel to the bloody attacks by Jihadi terrorists around the globe, the Internet and video images are paramount. The latest salvo from Jordanian terror chief, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is a 46-minute video, of which Adnkronos International (AKI) has a copy.
Ill-Equipped Soldiers Use Excess Force -- (Washington Times)...Rowan Scarborough
U.S. Army soldiers have used "excessive" and "unauthorized deadly force" in Iraq to defend supply convoys because they did not have the proper weapons, according to a commander's secret internal memorandum.
Video shown of new Saddam interrogation -- (Middle East Times - REUTERS)
EVER DEFIANT: Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein speaks during his initial appearance before the Iraqi Special Tribunal in Baghdad on July 21.
Iraqi ousted president Saddam Hussein was shown on July 21 being interrogated by an investigating judge over crimes against Shia Kurds.
2 Panels Cite U.S. Problems In Stabilizing After Combat -- (New York Times)...Thom Shanker
Two new studies by independent panels are harshly critical of the way the United States government prepares for stabilization missions after major combat, such as in Iraq, and they place the blame on an interagency process that does little to harness the various departments and agencies for unified action.
The Ambassador's Own Scorecard -- (Boston Globe)...Daniel Serwer
The new American ambassador in Baghdad has given the public an unusual opportunity to gauge his success. Based on his widely lauded work as US ambassador in Kabul, the new envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, has developed a checklist for the United States when it undertakes nation-building after a conflict.
In Web Posting, Terrorist Group Says Algerian Diplomats Were Slain -- (New York Times)...James Glanz
Two Algerian diplomats who were kidnapped in broad daylight less than a week ago have been killed after receiving a death sentence from what was described as a religious court, a group led by the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said in an Internet posting on Wednesday.
Labor Resolution Urges Pullout Of Troops In Iraq -- (Philadelphia Inquirer)...Jane M. Von Bergen
Pushed by Philadelphia labor leaders, the traditionally hawkish labor movement called on the Bush administration "to level with the American people" on the Iraq war and to bring U.S. troops home quickly. "Our soldiers... deserve a commitment from our country's leaders to bring them home as quickly as possible," said the resolution passed overwhelmingly at the AFL-CIO's convention.
Baghdad Residents Criticize Living Conditions -- (Detroit Free Press)...Leila Fadel
...The Iraqi capital of Baghdad is crumbling around angry residents. Narrow concrete sewage pipes decay underground and water pipes leak out more than half the drinking water before it ever reaches a home, according to the U.S. military.
Guard Unit Tied To Elite Iraqi Force -- (Los Angeles Times)...Solomon Moore and Scott Gold
Members of a California Army National Guard company that was placed on restrictive duty in Iraq after being implicated in the latest detainee abuse scandal have trained and conducted joint operations with Iraqi police forces, including an elite unit accused of brutality.
Iraqi Boy, After Dream Trip To U.S., Hates To Go Home -- (New York Times)...Jeffrey Gettleman
After two fairy-tale weeks of pampering, shopping, top-notch medical care and limitless Pepsi, Ayad al-Sirowiy, the 13-year-old Iraqi boy who came to the United States to get the tattoo of war removed from his disfigured face, is going home.
Chinook Reported Down in Afghanistan -- [ROFASix]
As you have probably noticed this website has a bias for helicopter related stories. Hence, when I saw the headline flash across the AP wire, ?Chinook Copter Destroyed in Afghanistan,? it go my immediate attention.
New CDR -- [The Siegrist Blogs - in Afghanistan]
Here is a pic of Ed and the CO. We had the Afghan Air Force fly in a few days ago and set up a static display. They brought along two HIPs and two Hind's. When they arrived they hovered into parking on Steel Beach one at a time. The last Hind had to hold over Foxtrot Taxi way, where they proceeded to brown them selves out. Everyone was waiting for the parts to start flying. When the dust settled the helo was...
BBC Responds to Kabuli's Charges -- [Commitee to Protect Bloggers]
CPB received a note from Mike Gardner, Head of Media Relations at BBC World Service, in response to our inquiry about the charges made by Sohrab Kabuli the Afghan blogger. He alleged that he received death threats sent from a BBC computer.
Here is Mr. Gardner's response.
After Riot, U.S. Forces Hand Over Afghan Suspects -- (Philadelphia Inquirer - News in Brief)...Associated Press
The U.S. military moved to defuse tension after a riot outside its main base in Afghanistan by handing six villagers accused of being bombmakers over to local authorities, officials said yesterday.
An Honor, And Then Tragedy For Soldier -- (Miami Herald)...Phil Long
When Army Sgt. Michael Schafer called his folks in Spring Hill from Afghanistan last weekend, the 25-year-old soldier was thrilled that he'd just been promoted to staff sergeant.
Iranian Elections and Shoe Bombers -- [The Universe and Other Things]
Here are some interesting tidbits for you.
One of my Persian Professors from the University of Arizona wrote a piece on the elections in Iran. He was not able to write about them while there, but has some news now that he has returned to the safety of the United States. Check it out at...
I May Have Visitors -- [GI Korea Blog - in S Korea]
North Korea is reported to be asking the United States to remove all it's nuclear weapons from the peninsula before the North Koreans would get rid of theirs. The United States has no nuclear weapons currently in Korea because the US can destory North Korea quite easily with nuclear weapons from forward deployed submarines. The US does not need fixed sites in South Korea.
However,...
Britain - The last days of 'Londonistan' -- [USS Neverdock]
Not if Mr Blair's wife, Cherie Booth, a lawyer, has her way.
She told a conference in Malaysia that Britain should not take measures that would "cheapen our right to call ourselves a civilised country".
Mrs. Blair fails to understand that Britain is at war and in times of war civil liberties may suffer temporarily so that the "civilized country" can survive.
There's more, lots more.
Colombia wants to meet rebels to talk hostage swap -- (Reuters)...Hugh Bronstein
Colombia has offered to meet Marxist rebels at a time and place of their own choosing to negotiate an exchange of about 70 hostages -- including a former presidential candidate and three Americans -- for guerrillas held in state prisons.
About 300 people fall ill from heat (AP)
BOWLING GREEN, Va. ? About 300 people, most of them Boy Scouts, were sickened by the heat Wednesday while waiting for President Bush to arrive at a memorial service for four Scout leaders who were killed while pitching a tent beneath a power line.
North Korea Seeks U.S. Aid Before It Halts Its Nuclear Program -- (New York Times)...Jim Yardley
North Korea on Wednesday criticized an American plan to defuse the nuclear crisis, saying the proposal demands too many steps toward dismantling the country's nuclear program before providing any corresponding aid or energy assistance, a senior United States official said in a background meeting with reporters.
Bush Is Facing Reality On India -- (Los Angeles Times)...Jacob Heilbrunn
The notion that President Bush blundered in promising to help India develop its nuclear energy program is understandable, widespread ? and wrong. With the Pentagon warning in a new assessment of the long-term threat posed by China's military buildup, and a Chinese general huffing about lobbing nuclear weapons at the U.S. (although Beijing officially and predictably said he wasn't speaking for the government), Bush's move is long overdue
Nine Arrested in Failed London Bombings -- (New York Times)...Assoc. Press
LONDON (AP) -- Anti-terrorist officers arrested nine men early Thursday in connection with the botched July 21 attacks on London's transit system.
Scotland Yard police headquarters said the men were arrested under the Terrorism Act at two properties in the neighborhood of Tooting, south London.
Good News: We're No Longer In A "Global War On Terror" -- [Scott's Conservative News & Commentary]
No, the times of global war on terror are over. Now were are in a "global struggle against violent extremism," as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers say. General Myers told the National Press Club on Monday that he had "objected to the use of the term 'war on terrorism' before, because if you call it a war, then you think of people in uniform as being the solution." Well good God, man! Jim Bob Stanton down the street in his jeans and wife beater isn't squaring off in the circled sandbox against the terrorists!
THE TERRORISTS' LITTLE HELPER: JUDGE JOHN COUGHENOUR -- [ Michelle Malkin]
Reckless judicial arrogance was on display in Seattle earlier today during the sentencing hearing for al Qaeda operative Ahmed Ressam, the would-be Millennium bomber.
A War By Any Other Name -- (Los Angeles Times)...Juliette Kayyem
...But the White House should be prepared for the possibility that its new catchphrase ? the global struggle against violent extremism ? may not bring the same benefits that GWOT once did.
U.S. Muslim Scholars To Forbid Terrorism -- (Washington Post)...Caryle Murphy
An organization of top American Muslim religious scholars plans to issue a formal ruling today condemning terrorism and forbidding Muslims to cooperate with anyone involved in a terrorist act, according to officials of two leading Islamic organizations.
Scaring Us Senseless -- (New York Times)...Nassim Nicholas Taleb
...It is hard to avoid feeling vulnerable to this invisible enemy who does not play by known or explicit rules. Of course, that is precisely the anxiety that terrorists seek to produce. But its opposite - complacency - is not an option.
A Picture of You -- [via email]
Hello....Mrs. Greyhawk.....I have a website which features a military support video that you may like.
The currently released single Picture of You? is dedicated to our troops and military families who fight to protect freedom and liberty throughout the world.
A Liberal and His Breakfast Table -- [Froggy Ruminations]
Perusing John McIntyre?s fare over at RCP this morning, I noticed a peculiar headline, ?Bus search must have bin Laden smiling?. Bill Johnson, the author of the column, refers to a picture of the NYPD investigating a terrorist threat by searching a bus with bomb sniffing dogs and proning out 5 suspects in a fortunately unfruitful search for explosives. His reaction...
CNN seeks Pulitzer for discovering overworked sergeant's editing mistake! -- [Quill News]
...I went to the CNN webpage to see if the story was anywhere to be found and instead became distracted by an item from Baghdad that was the second most popular story on the CNN site. (CNN) Apparantly some (no doubt) overworked staff non-com in the 3rd ID press office messed up in the editing of a routine news item. CNN decided to make it international news. This is cheap shot score settling ? a routine press operations glitch that does not deserve more than a shout across the news room: ?hey did you guys know you messed this one up?? (Update:..
Jacques Brunson: Leaving kids ?pained him? -- [The 48th Goes to War -(AJC) - Charles Yoo]
Sylvester ? Before his 30th birthday last month, Spc. Jacques ?Gus? Brunson asked his family not to send him any presents in Iraq.
Instead, he requested coloring books, crayons, pencils, sunglasses and toys for the Iraqi children he would see while on combat patrols. ?He was caring and he would do anything for you,? said Jennifer Hunt, 24, Brunson?s youngest sister.
Brunson, 30, was one of the four members of the Georgia Army National Guard?s 48th Brigade Combat Team killed Sunday by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
The Coveted Patch -- [Fire Power Forward - in Afghanistan]
Well, I feel as though I have achieved the apex of my career and have been tangibly recognized for all my long hours, hard work, dedication, and devotion to duty. In a moving ceremony rich in heritage and tradition, myself and 5 others were officially presented with the coveted "Good Dude" tab by LT Tucker Mahoney and all the Good Dudes of his Operations Section. Other "Good Dude tab recipients included Major Short, Lieutenant Giera, SFC Ramerth, SFC Wilson, and Specialist Rashawnda Stogner.
Safe And Somewhat Sound -- [Pass the Brass - back from Iraq]
Guess who?s back?back again?.
Well, I have arrived at my appointed place of duty?finally rid of that wretched place. And to all my fellow warfighters that I left behind??Here?s to the homies?. I?m currently working on a nice little piece in regards to my journey back, but I wanted to jump on here and just give you all the thumbs up for arrival.
Paradise [A Day in Iraq - in Iraq]
I haven?t posted anything in the last month or so for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we?ve been busy moving. We, meaning my Battalion, have moved from the somewhat friendly confines of Baquba to the ?restive? city of Ramadi. Restive is the term I most often see in the news describing this beautiful place. What the hell does restive mean anyway? Actually, I know what it means, but I just don?t think the term accurately describes this place. I looked it up in a thesaurus, curious as to what other words are synonymous with it. I found edgy, fidgety, high-strung, jittery, jumpy, nervous, nervy, overstrung, uneasy, uptight, in suspense, wound up, and aroused. Maybe it?s just me, but I?ve been here for two weeks and haven?t found anything remotely arousing about Ramadi. I think shitty would be a more appropriate description of this city, since it?s probably the biggest shit hole in Iraq, maybe in all the known universe. ?Two high profile targets were captured today in the shitty city of Ramadi.....?
THE POLITICS OF "OCCUPATION" THE CATCH 22 OF POST ?MAJOR COMBAT? IRAQ [Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum - in Iraq]
...My roommate, LT Irish, has been nearly killed for a third time today. The Durkas are tossing TNT at us now. A stick bounced off of LT Irish?s HMMWV, he told me that the first thing he thought as it bounced less than a foot from him, the only thing between him and it was thick armoured glass. He said he wondered why they were tossing road flares at him in daylight. Using them for signaling in broad daylight didn?t make sense. Then he realized what it was. Irish, is one of the most decorated soldiers in this BN, and to the chagrin of the Infantryman here, he is a Field Artillery Officer, (his Military Occupational Specialty is desperately trying to find relevance in post ?major combat? Iraq. He works as a pseudo politician, dealing daily with local Iraqi politicians. Dealing daily selfish, self-interested, local politicians. He by default is an ?ambassador? if you will. Yet he is allowed to make no official statements. I am also considered an ambassador of good will, and deal on a continuous basis with Kurds, their director of Intelligence, and various Sheikhs, and Imams. Yet ...
Village South of Bayji [Lost in Iraq - in Iraq]
Here are a few pictures from the other day when a few of us went into one of the poorer villages outside of Bayji to setup a medical tent for the medics to provide medical attention to people that may not be able to receive medical attention otherwise. This was a joint operation including Coalition Forces and elements from the Iraqi Army unit located here in Bayji with us. The medics saw a variety of different patients and treated kids with burns or other ailments. Afterwards we all passed out clothes, shoes and toothbrushes for everyone. It was personally rewarding
Castpost [MaDeuce Gunner - in Iraq]
I recently opened a CastPost Media Blog, which allows users to host video and audio for free. Go check it out.
Comrades in 48th, families mourn 4 [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
At midnight Monday, 200 soldiers from the 48th Brigade Combat Team gathered at Camp Stryker in Iraq to salute the caskets of their fallen comrades. Back home in Georgia, the families of four citizen soldiers killed over the weekend in the deadliest attack on the unit since it arrived in Iraq absorbed the heartbreaking news and began planning funerals. Family members released the names of two of the dead Tuesday...
One more drip [Six More Months - in Iraq]
The most rewarding part of my job here is the occasional opportunity to participate in Civil Affairs missions. Our unit is currently refurbishing a school near the base, and we are using some of the civilian expertise of our soldiers to help plan and execute infrastructure repairs to several villages in the area. I got to roll out on one of these missions today as part of the security element for several officers who were meeting with local village leaders to discuss their needs and how we can help. It was a...
If this is going to be the final draft, then I'm going to say "NO". [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
This morning, Al-Sabah had the exclusive right to publish the current draft of the constitution.
This draft will be submitted to the national Assembly to get the Assembly's approval before putting it to the October referendum.
Of course the draft is tool long to fully translate and it would've taken me a few more days to do that so I have chosen the most important parts of it and translated them.
Here are they for you to read...
Back in Iraq [A Soldier's Thoughts - in Iraq]
Some of you are now relieved that I am back on the net blogging, others are perhaps angered, others still are excited and would like to know what will come next, and the rest are probably just sad that I am still around. To all of you, those w
