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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Fresh food --[MREater - in Iraq]
We left after breakfast to drive to the far southern edge of our area, to meet with a sheik to discuss various matters. He was supposed to be around his home for about three days, so we drove out to see him.
REMINISCENCING THE GOOD OLE DAYS --[2005 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
While talking to this farmer he begin talking of another time and place in his past when life was much simplier and things were different. We traded stories of record crop years and I listened as he shared his vision of the future. (pic)
Building the Backbone --[Major K - in Iraq]
While visiting 1st Brigade a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Mini-NCO Academy that they had set up with the help of their MiTT Team. It was one of those experiences that really gives one hope.
Lines between crime and the insurgency --[Phil and Becky]
I wrote a little while ago about how sometimes the lines between criminal behavior and insurgent behavior can blur. We got an example of that recently.
Controlling Ramadi --[The Fourth Rail]
The situation in Ramadi is still unclear. Coalition and media reports are sparse on the subject of Ramdi, but it does appear operations are occurring, accompanied by an up tick in violence.
Car bombs in Iraq kill more than 110 --[Reuters]
Car bombs have killed more than 110 people, 25 of them children, in a surge of violence in Iraq ahead of an October 15 referendum on a new constitution.
Officials Fear Chaos if Iraqis Vote Down the Constitution --[NY Times]
Senior American officials say they are confident that Iraq's draft constitution will be approved in the referendum to be held Oct. 15, even though Sunni Arabs in Iraq are mobilizing in large numbers to defeat it.
Military Leaders Bring Mixed Message on Iraq to Capitol Hill --[NY Times]
An array of top American military leaders sought today to reassure Congress about progress in Iraq, but they made clear that American troops could begin withdrawing next year only if the country remained on its democratizing track and Syria and Iran stayed out of their neighbor's affairs.
Good News From Afghanistan vol.17: Sept 28/05 --[Winds of Change]
Anyone who has served or worked in Iraq and Afghanistan knows that it's a team effort. People step up, and we honor their service. Then they go, and others step up to take their place.
Ramp ceremonies, ISAF, and playing ball --[Going Down Range - in Afghanistan]
Over the past week I have been to three ramp ceremonies. One was for a French soldier who was killed right before the election. Soldiers from all the militaries on KAF lined up and rendered a salute as a coffin draped with the French tricolor was placed in front of the ramp of a French Armee de l?Air (Air Force) C-130.
Roadside bomb wounds four US troops in Afghanistan --[Reuters]
Four U.S. troops were wounded on Friday when their armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb blast in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, the U.S. military said.
Why Light Water Reactors Won't Work --[GI Korea]
Most people that follow the whole North Korea nuclear crisis know that North Korea won't give up their nuclear weapons just like we know the US won't build a light water reactor for the North Koreans as well.
UN Allows Kosovo War to Continue --[America's Liberty Security Force]
It has finally been reported that the conditions in Kosovo are not only bad, they are getting worse by the day. A whistle-blower from the UN, an ex-employee, has spoken to Sherrie Gossett of CNSNews.
EU Wants International Control of Internet --[AP]
The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance.
Abu Azzam al-Iraqi: In His Own Words --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
Given the controversy that has erupted--and in an attempt to shed more light on the precise role of Abu Azzam al-Iraqi within Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq--I am now making available a transcript of comments that Abu Azzam made during an Al-Qaida video recording released in December 2004.
Why Individuals Do and Do Not Matter in the Insurgency --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
The debate over whether the recently-killed Abu Azzam is really the second in command to Zarqawi in Iraq or an important figure in the insurgency, reminds me of how little we know of the internal structures of the enemy there, and, in a broader sense, of the al Qaeda network.
US warns of possible terror in China's northwest --[Reuters]
The United States has warned American travellers to be vigilant against a terrorist attack in China's restive northwestern region of Xinjiang after Beijing told police there to be prepared for danger.
It?s Over (230 Miles Of Fun) --[A Soldier's Perspective]
Big Bear was our release point where riders could stick around and enjoy BBQ or take off whenever they wanted. When we arrived at the Hot Spot in Big Bear I counted 52 motorcycles. We were able to raise over $600 on the ride. All $600 is being donated to three different groups that support our deployed soldiers and marines and their families...
From the bottom of my heart, I say THANK YOU! --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
I am writing to say thank you! Your beautiful eagle blanket made it's way around my fiance's shoulder!
Rodney is a medic, stationed about 50 miles north east of Baghdad. On the sixteenth of this month, his vehicle ran over a land mine. Rodney's injuries were mainly to his face....
Opportunities for you to support our troops (and their families) --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
Here are a few opportunities for you to help support our troops. Each one of these is important so pick one (or two) that you think best works for you.
We have a new Hero! --[This Soldier's Angel Journey]
Ok, so last night, put together a box for my newly adopted soldier David. Put the basics, cleaning wipes, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, washcloth and of course had to throw in some goodies to eat. Checked my email and have received an e-mail from one of our soldiers we sent a letter to from the Letter Writing Team. Here is what he wrote...
Successful Missile Defense Mission --[America's Liberty Security Force]
The Pentagon has successfully tested an upgraded surveillance radar in Alaska.
A long-range ballistic missile was fired across the face of the Cobra Dane radar on Shemya island in Alaska.
Army Faces Worst Recruiting Slump in Years --[AP]
The Army is closing the books on one of the leanest recruiting years since it became an all-volunteer service three decades ago, missing its enlistment target by the largest margin since 1979 and raising questions about its plans for growth.
A New Chief Justice --[Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
A few excerpts from his testimony before Congress should be interesting to those of us who believe the Constitution means what it says, not what we wish it said...
Gov. Blanco Sticks Up Senators: "No Questions. Hand Over Your Wallets" --[GM's Corner]
Director Michael D. Brown's charge that Louisiana officials were "dysfunctional" in handling the Hurricane Katrina disaster. She said that she wouldn't answer any questions, they said okay, and she asked for $40 Billion for job creation in her state. No questions, but where's my check?
The Indictment Was Earle's Finish Line --[Media Blog]
I?m going to write more later about this Tom DeLay interview with Wolf Blitzer, but I wanted to post the video and this comment from DeLay as soon as possible, because it?s important that people know what?s really going on right now.
Bush poll numbers improve in Rita aftermath --[Reuters]
Bush's approval rating climbed to 45 percent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken September 26-28, up from 40 percent in a similar poll taken a week ago.
Bush nearing decision on next Supreme Court pick --[Reuters]
With John Roberts installed as U.S. chief justice, President George W. Bush on Thursday appeared to be nearing a decision on who should fill a second Supreme Court vacancy, and an announcement was likely soon.
Liberal Times? --[ROFASix]
Am I too hard on the ?Times? or does it really have a bias in what it reports and how it reports it?
Here are the 10 Most Read Articles on NYTimes.com since Sept. 1...
Awright, take a chill pill! --[The Anchoress]
There is quite a testy little storm a-brewin? between CBS?s new media blog, Public Eye, and blogfather Hugh Hewitt....At the heart of both fights is the question: What - in these changing times - defines a journalist? While a journalist can also be a blogger, is it out of the question for a blogger to be a journalist?
Times Reporter Free From Jail; She Will Testify --[NY Times]
Judith Miller agreed to testify in the C.I.A. leak case after she obtained a waiver offered by her source, I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.
The.Worst.Callout.Ever? --[Mostly Cajun]
My cellphone rang. I didn?t recognize the number that showed in the display. I answered.
The voice was immediately and unmistakeably familiar. ?Hey. Where?re you at??
?I just left the firetrucks rolling up hoses. My house just burned down.? I wasn?t ready to deal with people just yet, and here was this PERSON. An old friend and a client, but still, I didn?t want to deal with anyone.
At Wit's End, a Town Dithers Over Its Millionaire Pest --[NY Times]
Known across Britain by his tabloid nickname, the Lotto Lout, Mr. Carroll won ?9.7 million (about $15 million at the time) in the national lottery three years ago and showed up to collect his prize while wearing a police-issued electronic ankle bracelet.
MG NOTE: You have to read this story - hilarious!
Followed by this story (do I see a weird theme here?)
British Lottery Rapist's Name Kept Secret --[AP]
Critics called on the British government Friday to stop paying to protect the identity of a convicted rapist who won a $12 million lottery jackpot.
Rep. DeLay Admits to 'All Specific Charges' --[Scrappleface]
The three page 'bill of indictment' contains the specific allegation that the Texas lawmaker waived his right to avoid prosecution under the law.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Operation Rhma: Final Mission --[Michael Yon - in Iraq]
Much world travel has convinced me that the ?average American? is a good person. But even a good person needs information in order to act effectively on their best impulses.
Come to his assistance, All you Saints of God... --[Soldier's Mom]
This hero was SSG Jason Benford. Our son "sat left seat" for the Sgt. on many occasions and was going to gun for SSG full time until our son was wounded... Noah said, "He was such a f*king awesome person, Ma... I wish you got to know him, especially like I did." I didn't know what else to say except, "Me, too, son. I know this is very hard for you... and I'm very sorry for the loss of another of your brothers."
September 28, 2005 --[Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Today, American forces in the city of Kerbala officially handed over security responsibilities to Iraqi army and police units in the city.
This makes Kerbala the second Iraqi province that undergoes this transition of power after a similar step was taken in Najaf nearly two months ago.
Fighting God's Will... --[Major K - in Iraq]
One of the greatest challenges that we face in training the New Iraqi Army is overcoming that sense of fatalism and replacing it with detailed planning and the use of explicit instructions to subordinates.
Keeping busy --[Phil & Becky]
Lately I have been a little busier than normal at work. As I alluded to in my last post, the companies are beginning to submit their soldiers for end of tour awards.
Look Mom! I'm on the radio! --[Who's your Baghdaddy]
I have been invited to do a guest interview on the Danny Fontana show, which is a radio talk show on the east coast. The show is not nationally syndicated, but you can listed to a live web cast here.
Where are the Iraq's Secrets archives of Saddam's regime ? --[A Free Writer - an Iraqi in Iraq]
U.S. troops arrived too late to take control of many of the 23 government ministries and other intelligence-rich sites in Baghdad. Local Iraqis carted off bags of documents and videotapes from secret-police facilities.
Operation Hunter Redux --[The Fourth Rail]
Last week, the Coalition announced that Operation Hunter (or Sayaid), designed to bolster Coalition forces in the region of Qaim on the Syrian border, was underway.
AS I look out the window --[Melissa-A Soldiers Angel and Army Wife's Blog]
Well, I made the mistake of looking at the casualty list yesterday, and finding a soldier from our brigade had been killed by an IED and the name was not being released pending notification of next of kin. I just lost it.
U.S. Forces Raid Homes of Sunni Officials --[AP]
U.S. forces raided the homes of two officials from a prominent Sunni Arab organization Thursday, arresting bodyguards and confiscating weapons, Sunni officials said.
Follow-on Grieving --[A Storm in Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Yesterday, we had a wake for the fallen crew. In the Chinook hangar, they played a montage of photos of the crew that had been contributed by the unit. Was long and an amazing variety showing the thrill for living that they'd exhibited.
First All-female Crew Flies Combat Mission --[Patriot Voices]
A crew of six Airmen at a forward deployed location climbed aboard a C-130 Hercules together recently for the first time in their careers. But something distinguished this mission from others they had flown --it was the first time an all-female C-130 crew flew a combat mission.
Afghani's sell their daughters --[ROFASix]
One of the sadder episodes of the US ?War on Drugs? becomes apparent in Nangarhar Province, in Afghanistan. Every autumn, sharecroppers take loans from drug traffickers to plant their poppy crops.
Experts Examine Body of Afghan Bomber --[AP]
Experts are trying to identify the body of a man who launched a suicide attack outside a military training center in Kabul, killing nine people and wounding 36...
'Endless' Gripes Expected in Afghan Vote --[AP]
The chief electoral officer in Afghanistan's election last week said Wednesday he expects "an endless stream" of complaints from losing candidates, and he urged them to respect the results.
The Magic Kingdom Coming to Seoul? --[GI Korea]
The Mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung Bak is reporting that the city government is in negotiations with the Walt Disney company to build a theme park here in Korea.
The Siren Song of Diplomacy --[A North American Patriot]
For those who continue to blather on about 'diplomacy' and 'UN Resolutions' as a method of dealing with the flagrantly volatile fascists of Iran, I want to ask -- What the hell are you thinking?
China Differs on N.Korea Nuke Issues --[AP]
A split between China and the four other countries that negotiated with North Korea on scrapping its nuclear arms could doom efforts to come up with a resolution welcoming the North's decision at a meeting of the U.N. nuclear agency, diplomats said Thursday.
U.S. Congressional Hearing Will Analyze Status and Future of Counterterrorism Strategy --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
The U.S. House International Relations Terrorism Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), will explore the status and future of US counterterrorism strategy at a hearing today.
Terrorist bank deals seen as "impossible to spot" --[Reuters]
Four years of intensive U.S.-led efforts to starve terrorist groups of funds have brought home the harsh truth that banks are virtually powerless to spot terrorists solely on the basis of their financial dealings, bankers, regulators and experts say.
US: EU Slow to Freeze Terrorist Assets --[AP]
The European Union is moving too slowly in identifying individuals and organizations suspected of links to terrorists and freezing their financial assets, a top U.S. counterterrorism official warned Thursday.
"We have an Angel on this Flight" --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
When Delta Flight 1880 landed late Saturday at Logan International Airport, the pilot went on the intercom to make a request of the passengers preparing to grab their carry-on bags: Sit for a moment and honor a fallen soldier.
IFC Plans Scrapped - A Win For The Good Guys! --[GM's Corner]
The so called "International Freedom Center (IFC) has been Scrapped. Governor Pataki (R-NY) announced that the IFC would be moved from the WTC memorial and moved elsewhere.
Fuhgeddaboudit --[Riding Sun]
New York's Gov. Pataki has ousted the Freedom Center from Ground Zero.
"Freedom Museum" at WTC site scrapped --[ROFASix]
Of course the 9/11 families were only a part of the critics. The blogosphere universally derided the plan to build an anti-American facility on that hallowed ground.
Governor Bars Freedom Center at Ground Zero --[NY Times]
The museum responded to Gov. George E. Pataki by declaring itself out of business, saying no other site was appropriate.
Museum Dropped From WTC Site for Now --[AP]
Bowing to pressure from Sept. 11 families, Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday removed a proposed freedom center from the space reserved for it near the planned World Trade Center memorial...
Are They Insane --[Balloon Juice]
Contained within a long WaPo piece on the process to choose DeLay?s successor (which, much to the chagrin of John Aravosis, had little to do with HAIRY MAN COCK and lots to do with the candidate?s conservative credentials) was this nugget that just left me aghast...
Earle's Record --[Media Blog]
We have an outgoing Democratic prosecutor staging a dramatic final act and trying to come up with something to show for an investigation that has lasted over two years and cost the taxpayers uncounted (to my knowledge) amounts of money.
House GOP Shaken Up After Delay Indictment --[AP]
Shadowed by scandal, House Republicans face an uncertain new era after a day of upheaval that left Majority Leader Tom DeLay under indictment...
More on Media Racism --[Baldilocks]
If this next passage is true--and, yes, we now have to say that about things we didn't personally witness--then why wouldn't the big media believe such things coming out of the mouth of the Chief of Police of the city?
Newsweek's speedy conclusions lead to analytical crash --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
An interesting Newsweek story this week -that references CT Blog among its sources- claim scoring a point against what it paints as a ?questionable Bush administration portrayal of Abu Azzam.?
A Joke For You All --[Balloon Juice]
The pink visitors? locker room at the University of Iowa?s stadium is making some people see red.
TimesReject: Frank Rich Can't Say the "R" Word --[Media Blog]
For those of you who still haven't subscribed to the new NY TimesSelect service, the only thing you've really missed was this hilarious moment in Frank Rich's "Meet the Columnist" video feature...
Bra Check Spurs Worker to Sue for $9 million --[ROFASix]
Sometimes when you read the news you are never sure whether you should laugh or just snicker. It seems that New York's Essex County has "county policy" that employees must wear a bra according to the AP report.
Defend your nuts: a parable on property rights and hippies --[Hamster Motor]
Suppose you were a squirrel. You would work hard to find the biggest nuts, and then stash those large nuts in secret places...Now suppose that a pack of liberal chinchillas, calling themselves the Friends of the Forest, came along preaching the evils of despoiling the forest by the secretion of nuts.
Danish Santa Paid for Reindeer's Death --[AP]
The Danish Air Force said Thursday it paid about $5,000 in compensation to a part-time Santa Claus whose reindeer died of heart failure when two fighter jets roared over his farm.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Pizza and heart rates --[MREater - in Iraq]
I have a wide variety of duties, and a couple of nights ago my duty was dumpster diving. We had an allegation of wrongdoing, the evidence of which was supposed to show up in the trash. It didn?t, but I was otherwise surprised by what I saw.
Email from Iraq --[My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy]
I think you would be amazed at the morale of the young military people here. I know I am. I?ve been in for over 28 years and I have seen good and bad. These youngsters are getting the job done in a way I would never have imagined...
Grief --[365 and a Wakeup]
Tonight our grief collapsed into a singularity, centered on a simple memorial in the center of a drab slab of concrete. A memorial to three fallen brothers; SSG Daniel Scheile, SGT Paul Neubauer, and SGT Michael Sonoda.
47. And the Horrendous Monster, All of a Sudden, Stirred (Part 1) & 48. And the Horrendous Monster, All of a Sudden, Stirred / Part Two --[Ishtarria - an Iraqi in Iraq H/T Iraq the Model]
Thickly moustached, as was common among the regime?s angels of punishments, he was somewhere in his thirties, tall, slim and good-looking with a fair complexion. He was dressed in what seemed to be a fashionably big-ticket suit that matched nicely his shirt and his tie. His accent instantaneously betrayed his Tikriti origin, and marked him as of the same hometown as the dictator and the majority of his retinue.
BAGHDAD, BEFORE AND AFTER ! --[Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Several great before and after pics in this post.
Washington Post Discovers Zarqawi?s Lead Role In Iraq --[Austin Bay Blog]
This story isn?t exactly news, but kudos to the Washington Post for reporting it. Zarqawi began ?hijacking? the Iraqi insurgency in the spring of 2004? to stir the Shia-Sunni civil war he mentioned in his infamous letter to his Al Qaeda seniors.
Iraqi woman bomber kills army recruits --[Reuters]
A female suicide bomber blew herself up outside a U.S. military office in the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar on Wednesday, killing herself and at least five other people and wounding 53, police said.
Iraqis call Lynndie England jail term travesty --[Reuters]
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis expressed fury on Wednesday over the three-year jail sentence for Lynndie England, the U.S. soldier notorious for holding a naked inmate by a leash in Abu Ghraib prison, saying it exposed American hypocrisy.
Denmark to Send Three Helicopters to Iraq --[Defense News]
The Danish military has decided to boost its presence in Iraq with three unarmed helicopters and 25 crew, after parliament gave the green light on Sept. 27, the military said.
Kabul Serena Hotel and The Reawakening of Afghanistan --[Frisko Dude]
It always amazes me when I hear about some new hotel under construction in a former war zone such as Afghanistan, but I was just pointed in that direction from an Afghan travel story in this week's New York Times.
Suspect in Afghan Italian kidnapping arrested again --[Reuters]
suspected mastermind of the kidnapping of an Italian aid worker is re-arrested weeks after being freed through the intervention of an army general.
At least six Afghan soldiers hurt in Kabul blast --[Reuters]
An explosion hit buses carrying Afghan troops leaving a training camp on the outskirts of the capital Kabul on Wednesday, wounding at least six soldiers, police said.
German Defense Minister: Troops Still Needed in Afghanistan --[Defense News]
Defense Minister Peter Struck said he expected the German parliament to extend the mandate of troops serving in Afghanistan by one year when it votes on Sept. 28.
?The situation in Afghanistan demands that German soldiers must remain there,? Struck told ZDF television.
That explains it --[Riding Sun]
We all know (if we listen to anti-war protesters) that President Bush invaded Iraq, and is eyeballing Iran, because he wants their oil. But why has he taken such a hard line on North Korea? The Japan Times has the answer...
The fifth anniversary of the second intifada --[Tiger Hawk]
The Palestinian Arabs launched their so-called "second intifada" against Israel five years ago today, on September 28, 2000, 348 days before al Qaeda attacked New York and Washington.
Israel launches new air strikes in Gaza --[Reuters]
Israel launched missile strikes that knocked out power to thousands of Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday as it pressed an offensive to halt cross-border rocket fire two weeks after its withdrawal from the strip.
Britain Rules Out Military Action on Iran --[AP]
Military action against Iran is inconceivable and diplomacy could still end the international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program, said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, whose country plays a key role in negotiations.
"Abu Azzam": Is He Really Al-Qaida's No. 2 in Iraq? --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
While there is no doubt that Abu Azzam is a relatively influential figure within Al-Qaida's local Baghdad network, there are several cogent reasons to question his purported title as "Number 2."
Jihad from Jail: Kevin James Pleads Not Guilty --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
Their targets allegedly included military bases and recruitment centers, synagogues, the Israeli Consulate, and El Al airline facilities. This case is significant for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it's the first alleged terrorist plot since 9/11 to be hatched in a U.S. prison cell.
Al Qaeda stalks the Paris metro --[Tiger Hawk]
Surely this is powerful evidence that opting out of Operation Iraqi Freedom doesn't earn a free pass from the jihadis...
Negroponte Says Terror Database Is Working --[AP]
New York City police were led to a possible al-Qaida associate last month after a search of a federal terror database during a routine traffic search, National Intelligence Director John D. Negroponte said Tuesday.
Training called key for finding biological terrorism --[Boston Globe]
The lesson of the 2001 anthrax attacks, when four patients were sent home without a diagnosis, has not been learned, Sisson said.
States and medical residency programs should require bioterrorism training for doctors, he said.
Honoring Military Families --[Andi's World]
I have never been hugged and kissed by so many strangers in all my life. Everyone wanted to make sure that our military families were truly honored. I can safely say, Mission Accomplished. (pics)
The Moronic Convergence Diverges --[Winds of Change]
My friends Rona and Mark went to DC and took photos of the pro-soldier counter-protest and the antiwar protest. Many inventive signs and t-shirts.
Not that evident from the DC event is that the antiwar coalition is beginning to fray at the edges just a bit.
Operator, operator, I'm so glad you found me home... --[Soldier's Mom]
I think back to the days before he was injured and was still in Iraq. Each hour that we didn?t hear -- whether the instant messenger was silent or the phone didn?t ring ? one drip from a faucet into a million gallon bucket ? not fast enough, not soon enough, not often enough. It?s a bucket that can never be filled. And we suffer these terrible addiction-like responses, too ? you crave and demand and NEED to hear from your soldier.
An Update on Kyle --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
I had the opportunity to talk with Kyle today on the phone. I hadn't had the opportunity to visit him the last 3 weeks due to the construction we are doing on our home, and it was driving me nuts not knowing how he is doing lately. So I gave Kyle's mother a call to check up on things and she was at the hospital visiting Kyle at the time. Now let me tell you, I'm learning new things every day.
Honor lines road for fallen soldier --[Lexington Herald-Leader]
HARLAN - Students from Cawood High School, hospital employees and others turned out to line the roadway as Sgt. Matthew L. Deckard's body was carried to its final resting place yesterday.
New Advertising Campaign For Marines --[Patriot Voices]
On October 1, the Marine Corps will debut its latest television commercial, ?Diamond,? in front of a nationwide television audience. (pic)
I don't normally do this . . . --[An American in Italy]
All I can say is that I'm disappointed to know that an army spouse holds this defeatist attitude. Yes, the Army world can sometimes be difficult to move through, but if you hold true to your own self esteem and beliefs you can make the system work for you, not against you.
Thoughts on a local discussion forum --[Eric's Grumbles Before The Grave]
I answered the points more or less in order. His points were:
-The free market failed in the 19th century.
-Government schools are good.
-Government protects us from evil doers
-Government provides a social "safety net" for citizens...
Brown blames locals for Katrina response --[Reuters]
The former head of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, who resigned under a hail of criticism over the slow response to Hurricane Katrina, blamed local officials on Tuesday and said his agency had done a good job.
Blanco Goes to D.C. to Answer Brown Charge --[AP]
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco will appear before a Senate panel this morning, but she's already come out swinging against former FEMA head Michael Brown.
GOP Hopes for Another Smooth Confirmation --[AP]
Now that John Roberts is assured of becoming the newest Supreme Court chief justice, Republicans are pointing to the conservative judge's confirmation process as the way future candidates should be treated.
Sen. Hillary Clinton Seeking Donations --[AP]
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is asking her backers to step up their donations, saying opponents of her 2006 re-election effort "will raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars against me."
"Those People at That Point Needed Help No Matter What Was True" --[Media Blog]
Now take that last statement apart from the particular circumstances of Hurricane Katrina and the Convention Center. Is it okay for a journalist to report things even if they are false or exaggerated, as long as the reporting helps needy people?
Matthews Plays Wiffle Ball with Sheehan --[Media Blog]
Chris Matthews just had Cindy Sheehan on "Hardball." This is Matthews' idea of a hardball interview, I guess...
A tip of the hat to CBS --[The Anchoress]
I can testify to the difficulty of being a nobody blogger trying to nail down facts, and the serious advantage a newsgatherer has when they can call Max Mayfield at the National Hurricane Center, declare they are calling from CBS news, and get someone credible on the phone to confirm or deny a rumor that is flying through the internet...But it is precisely because the MSM does have premier access to sources and the patina of professionalim on their side that any evidence of journalistic laziness, of expedition-over-firm-exposition is really inexcusable.
Libel Memorandum Attributed Falsely to Court Nominee --[NY Times]
Judge John G. Roberts Jr., nominated to be chief justice of the United States, was not the author of an unsigned memorandum on libel law that was the focus of an article published in The New York Times yesterday. The Times erroneously attributed it to him.
It's humor, folks, it's humor --[Tidewater Musings]
It's only a joke, folks, it's only a joke.
And if you don't have a sense of humor or feel that any humor directed at the Commander-in-Chief is inappropriate, read no further. (pic)
MG Note: It is a pretty funny picture
'Dead women' elected as councilors --[Reuters]
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Police in northwestern Pakistan have launched an inquiry after complaints about two dead women being declared elected in a local election held last month, election officials said Monday.
Cindy Sheehan Arrested, Forced to Live Indoors --[Scrappleface]
Washington D.C. police today arrested anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan, forcing her to live indoors, at least temporarily...A police spokesman said the perpetually-grieving peace icon would eventually "be released into the wild."
Fearless Nazi Hunter ?Supported Troops, Not Mission? --[Point Five]
Less well known, but certainly as important, another Nazi hunter was memorialized this week. Hans Schroder, whose stirring rallying cry was, "I support the Nazi troops, but not their mission," was remembered on the National Mall on Sunday by leaders and speakers at the anti-war protests sponsored by ANSWER and United for Peace and Justice.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
The Beginning Of The End. --[MREater - in Iraq]
Although our departure date is a ways away, we have begun preparing for it. Logistics, it is said, doesn’t win wars but it can certainly lose them, and logistics takes planning. For now, we’re packing up equipment that we can do without for a while. “Getting skinny”, as it’s called. I’ll probably see the gear again in about 6 months.
Milestones --[Who's Your Baghdaddy? - in Iraq]
The good news is that the busyness is being driven by our quickly approaching redeployment date (i.e. we’re getting ready to go home). We still have a couple of months to go here, but we are definitely within the window that necessitates planning.
About Those Allegations… --[A Soldier's Perspective]
I mentioned a few days ago that the media, but specifically Human Rights Watch, is trying to ignite the issue of detainee abuse in Iraq. And, of course, in an effort to waste even more of our money they are calling for an independent investigation into the matter…that occured two years ago.
The Demise of Abu Azzam --[The Fourth Rail]
Al Qaeda in Iraq’s leadership suffers another blow. Sheikh Abdullah Abu Azzam al-Iraqi, the organization's number two in command, has been killed by Coalition forces in Baghdad during a raid after the Coalition received a tip on his location.
Are We Winning The War? --[The Stupid Shall Be Punished]
This question's been asked a lot lately: in last week's Time cover story, and in various national polls. The perception among the left side of chattering classes, and a good portion of the American public, is that the War of Terror is not militarily "winnable". I've blogged on this before, and my thoughts haven't really changed -- the only way we can lose the war is if we as a country lose the political will to fight.
Man said to be Zarqawi's No. 2 killed --[Reuters]
U.S. and Iraqi forces have shot dead the second-in-command of al Qaeda in Iraq, dealing what a U.S. commander called on Tuesday a serious blow to the militant group at the heart of Iraq's insurgency.
Assistance Still Required --[Afghan Warrior]
Terrorism is still a threat in Afghanistan and it is hard for Afghan National Army and National Police to fight the terrorists without the corporation of coalition forces. So we still need the assistance of the US-led coalition forces to defeat the remainder of the of terrorists in Afghanistan.
US troop deaths take Afghan toll this year above 50 --[Reuters]
A U.S. soldier and a U.S. Marine have been killed in militant attacks in Afghanistan, bringing American combat deaths in the country this year to 51, the bloodiest period for U.S. forces since the fall of the Taliban.
The British in Basra: Confronting Iran --[Tiger Hawk]
I have not written on the problems in Basra, which surfaced about a week ago when the Iraqis a couple of British agents into the klink and the Brits busted them out...Today we learned that the troubles in Basra are the visible manifestation of the shadow war with Iran.
Iran Threatens to Resume Enrichment --[AP]
Iran on Tuesday threatened to resume uranium enrichment and block U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities unless the U.N. atomic watchdog agency stepped back from its resolution to refer Tehran to the Security Council for possible sanctions.
Awash in Liberal Racism and Exaggeration --[Froggy Ruminations]
Katrina didn’t just wash away hundreds of homes and businesses; it washed away the cheesy veneer of multiculturalism that the Left has been using to cover its own racist tendencies.
Col. Thomas Beron Discusses Exaggerated News Reports on "DaySide" --[Media Blog]
Col. Thomas Beron, the Louisiana National Guard officer who oversaw security at the Superdome during the worst of Katrina, just talked to FNC's "DaySide" about the exaggerated media reports during Katrina.
Still alive, but battered… --[Mostly Cajun]
This is my post-storm post…
I have lived through this one. We sat out the storm proper in a rural home in Ragley, Louisiana. As each rain band passed us, the winds howled and trees swayed.
Katrina Takes a Toll on Truth, News Accuracy --[LA Times H/T Drudge]
Rumors supplanted accurate information and media magnified the problem. Rapes, violence and estimates of the dead were wrong.
Small, Rural Towns Hit Hardest by Rita --[AP]
While much of Texas and Louisiana dodged the worst of Hurricane Rita, the damage to some small, rural towns was virtually complete - and the storm was being blamed for new deaths long after it moved away.
Mr. Galloway; Just Another Moron --[Warriors Voice - in Iraq]
Once again I've read of these liberals who believe that the terrorists in Iraq are "resistance" fighters and "Freedom Fighters". Gunmen kill Iraq school teachers ....now I ask you, what kind of "resistance and freedom fighters murder teachers?
SA Germany Fall & Winter Projects - Wounded Need Your Help --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
The primary mission of SA Germany is to support our wounded Heroes who are transitioned through Germany from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ru-dy! Ru-dy! --[Riding Sun]
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stated his opposition to the proposed Ground Zero "Freedom Center" yesterday.
9/11 KIN DESPISE REVISE OF FREEDOM CENTER --[NY Post]
A coalition of 15 groups representing 9/11 families has declared war on the International Freedom Center, just as the project goes before the public this week in a last-ditch bid to avoid being tossed from Ground Zero.
UPDATED: Should the US military take the lead in responding to natural disaster? --[Austin Bay Blog]
Unless we’re talking about fighting a war, a “let the military do it” idea is bad for a democracy. What the military can do is provide extraordinarily fine “special asset” coordination.
Domestic Militarization: A Disaster in the Making --[ROFASix]
The rumblings continue that the Posse Comitatus Act is passe. Even President Bush seems to have picked up the idea based upon his recent comment that, "It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces --
The US Military's Futuristic "Helicopters" --[Winds of Change]
This is a futuristic aircraft that would carry roughly the capacity of a modern C-130 Hercules Transport, but with the ability to take off and land like a helicopter. No current US military helicopter even comes close. (pic)
The Left, Right, And Liars --[Maxed Out Mama]
What I am speaking of here is the dropping of the concept of "tolerance" for the concept of "endorsement". It is no longer enough, in our wacky culture, to say that people who espouse strange religions, believe ardently in the redeeming and communion-like nature of promiscuous sex, campaign for polygamous marriage, etc, should not be actively discriminated against. Now discrimination is defined as expressing disapproval of their choices and speaking publicly about their bad consequences
Picture This: Ben Affleck, Senator From Va. --[Washington Post]
That's the hot new idea being tossed around by Virginia Democrats, who are desperately searching for a big name to challenge the reelection bid of rising GOP star Sen. George Allen next year, now that outgoing Gov. Mark Warner has ducked out.
Supreme Court May Hear Abortion Case --[AP]
The Bush administration is asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a national ban on a type of late-term abortion, a case that could thrust the president's first court picks into an early tie-breaking role on a divisive and emotional issue.
You Gotta Love the Media --[Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
So, in this AP article on the likely Roberts confirmation to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court we have some ...... interesting ........ ways of wording things.
Reuters finally gets a caption right --[Tiger Hawk]
The Reuters caption:
Police carry Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who has used her son's death in Iraq to spur the anti-war movement...
KKKatrina & Kennedy: Aquatic Expertise Nonparallel --[Atlas Shrugs]
Below is a pic of the senator being taken to the levee...(pic)
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU HEARD EVERYTHING, the BBC reports;
Cooing at new-born babies banned A West Yorkshire hospital has banned visitors from cooing at new-born babies over fears their human rights are being breached...
Our Visit to the World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial --[The Patriette]
The photo above shows my husband, Josh. When we arrived at the World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial [France], they were getting ready to take down the American flag flying over the cemetery and Omaha Beach that day. Our British guide stepped forward and asked the director of the cemetery if Josh, being an Army officer preparing for deployment to Iraq, could assist with folding the American flag....As we walked away, the director of the cemetery called after us into the crowd and caught up with us. Out of breath and with the American flag still in his hands, he extended it to Josh and asked if Josh would take the flag with him to Iraq - to fly it over his camp there in appreciation and remembrance of the soldiers that have given their lives for freedom and for those currently risking their lives in harms way.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
For those who missed an earlier announcement - you'll see a new name on the Dawn Patrol these days - Holly Aho. She's agreed to fill in while Mrs Greyhawk takes a vacation.
Holly's been doing outstanding work - and I know how much effort it takes to put that daily feature together. We literally can't thank her enough. Holly's also an artist, mom, wife, and a Soldier's Angel - and she runs her own blog too.
I highly encourage you to visit Holly's site - she's got some great posts and podcasts there, including interviews with Cpt Chuck Ziegenfuss (a wounded warrior/milblogger), and Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldier's Angels. Don't miss 'em.
Visit, bookmark, return: Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho.
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Pushing On --[365 and a Wakeup - in Iraq]
Grief has hit like a sledgehammer these last few days, leaving deep gouges in the collective memory of our battalion. A lifetime of anguish, bravery, loss and regret were compressed into a handful of days. I haven?t been able to chronicle the events in anything more then a cursory fashion because at some point my emotions slipped away, blanketed by a insensate numbness.
Creepy Humvees --[Akinoluna - in Iraq]
His staff sergeant told him that if he went anywhere to take the Humvee, so we did, even though I could have driven my beautiful, lovely, air conditioned Ford Expedition. As I was climbing in, he told me not to shut the door too hard or I wouldn't be able to open it again. At first I just thought, "Well that's a pain in the ass" but then I remembered the brand-new Humvees from last week with doors I had to kick open and doors I was unable to open at all from the inside.
New Video at MDG Video --[Ma Deuce Gunner - in Iraq]
I have a new clip posted over at MDG Video. It is from one of our sister companies practicing stacking and entering a building...a VERY SMALL building. Hope you get a laugh out of it.
Loss and Isolation... --[Major K - in Iraq]
I hitched a ride on a helicopter a few days a go to go back down to my old FOB. While it was good to see the Nightstalkers again, the reason that I was there could not have been any worse. Another Nightstalker had fallen, and I was there to attend his memorial service and pay my respects.
ONE DAY LESS --[Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum - in Iraq]
Our hearts are heavy, and thoughts of our own mortality have crept into our waking hours, fear attaches itself to the winds, whispering in our ears. So very close to home, yet so many unseen dangers that lurk in the darkened hearts of our enemies. Here in "this war" we have all peered into the heart of darkness, and all to often we have seen ourselves gazing back. Fatigue has once again set in, and black humor has mercifully albeit temporarily lifted our spirits.
The Anbar Campaign Continues --[The Fourth Rail]
The Coalition appears to be conducting a comprehensive operation along a segment of the Euphrates River. The area of operations appears to stretch from Ramadi in the east to Khan-Al-Baghdadi in the west.
Suicide bomb kills 10 Iraqis, violence spikes --[Reuters]
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber rammed his car into a bus carrying employees of Iraq's oil ministry as it passed a police academy on Monday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 30, police and witnesses said.
Around 1,000 to be freed from Abu Ghraib as gesture --[Reuters]
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 1,000 prisoners held at Abu Ghraib jail will be released this week after a request by Iraqi authorities for a goodwill gesture to mark Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, the U.S. military said on Monday.
At Least 25 Are Killed in Day of Violence Across Iraq --[NY Times]
A suicide bomber swerved his sedan across a highway median and detonated it into a police convoy in eastern Baghdad on Sunday. It was the worst of several attacks and gun battles that Iraqi officials said left at least 25 people dead and dozens wounded.
Chinook Crash --[The Siegrist Blogs]
Most of you may have heard of the crash over the weekend in Afghanistan. I got a call Sunday morning from the FRG here in Germany informing me that is was not a German based helicopter. The Internet for everyone down range was still down this morning so I was unable to get any more information on what the real deal is. I'm still worried because I still know a few folks that fly with our sister unit.
The War Marches On --[A Storm in Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
By now, I?ve seen it in the news about the Chinook going down in Afghanistan. Five Soldiers died. It was from our base. I knew one of the guys. He was in my unit. He lived two doors down from me.
Attack on U.S soldiers --[Afhgan LORD - an Afghan in Afghanistan]
On Friday Two US soldiers were wounded in Kandahar
The US soldiers injured when a roadside bomb exploded on a military convoy near the Kandahar City. The explosion was followed by firing from suspected Taliban hidden in the area, announced in a press release issued from US Bagram airbase.
Another Chinook down in Afghanistan --[Cali Valley Girl]
The news of the Chinook which crashed this morning in Afghanistan woke me from my post-R&R reverie. Although I received an email from the FRG stating that the helicopter was not from my boyfriend?s unit, I was also soothed by the knowledge that he was still in transit returning after mid-tour leave. My relief is someone else?s heartache. I can?t help but feel weepy, because the reality of the dangers of my boyfriend?s job are suddenly shoved in front of my face once again.
5 Die in Afghanistan as Copter Crashes --[NY Times]
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 25 - Five American soldiers were killed Sunday when their Chinook military helicopter crashed in the mountains of southern Afghanistan, the United States military said.
Building an Afghan Army and Learning a Lesson in Patience --[NY Times]
American and international efforts to train Afghanistan's security forces began in 2002, about a year before a similar program for Iraqi soldiers and police officers. Yet the Afghan model seems to have lagged behind the troubled Iraqi program.
U.S. Military: Afghan Rebel Tactics Change --[AP]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Heavy casualties inflicted by U.S.-led coalition forces have forced Afghan rebels to recruit younger fighters and change their tactics, but the insurgency is far from broken, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday.
The British have their own Cindy Sheehan --[TigerHawk]
A mother whose son was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra a fortnight ago broke down in tears yesterday as she publicly pleaded with Tony Blair to bring British troops home from Iraq.
A More Americanized ROK Army? --[GI Korea]
The ROK Army apparently wants to become more Americanized by relying on hi-tech weapon systems and volunteer forces to down size their military.
Muslim women, children shield terrorists in Thailand --[ROFASix]
Months ago, I wrote about the Islamic war against the Thai government and people. The Islamic goal is simple. The want to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Thailand.
France is adding to her CT arsenal --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
So, even though France has already one of the toughest anti-terrorism judicial arsenal in Europe, it is adding to it. Indeed, French newspaper Le Monde just revealed the clauses of the new anti-terrorist law due to be formally presented to the government on October 19.
Here is a rundown of the major changes...
Suspected al-Qaida Cell Leader Convicted --[AP]
MADRID, Spain (AP) - A suspected al-Qaida cell leader was convicted Monday of conspiring to commit murder in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States...
Soldiers in Iraq - care packages --[Steven Kiel - in Iraq]
Since I can no longer receive packages...
If you are a soldier in Iraq and are interested in receiving care packages for yourself or others in your platoon, or if you are interested in receiving things to hand out to Iraqi citizens or soldiers...
At Least I Know Where I Stand With The Muj --[Warriors Voice - in Iraq]
The subject of protesters came up the other evening as we were sitting around ?BS?ing. Every single one of us believes that it is the right of those idiots to protest whatever they want. We all were quick to recognize that those protesters area a loud minority who more or less blame the United States for everything. These protesters are the same people who call many of us serving fascists, brainwashed, hicks, baby killers or red necks. They pretend to support us, all the while cursing us since 76% of service members and their families voted for President Bush. We believe, at least those who were sitting around talking, that "Support the Troops" means supporting the troops not calling the Muj in Iraq and Afghanistan ?Freedom Fighters?...
Support Our Troops AND Their Mission --[Andi's World]
I've just returned from the rally to honor Military Families. It was a fantastic event, and very emotional. I'll bring you the photos and story tomorrow, but for now let's back up and take a look at what happened outside of Walter Reed on Friday night.
Support Our Troops Rally [update] --[A Soldier's Perspective]
Wouldn?t ya know it? I can?t find much about the soldier support rally in the news. As I reading about the largest anti-war rally since the Iraqi invasion occurred, I noticed a glaring bias on the part of most media outlets. Let the nerdy statistics fly...
Sights and Sounds --[Baldilocks]
Scenes from the underground: the ANSWER, etc. Anti-War, Anti-Bush Protests were conducted all across the country today to coincide with same in the DC area, so I went to observe some leftists in their natural habitat.
Antiwar Rallies in Washington and Other Cities --[NY Times]
Vast numbers of protesters from around the country poured onto the lawns behind the White House on Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Iraq, pointedly directing their anger at President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Hundreds Rally in D.C. for U.S. Troops --[AP]
Support for U.S. troops fighting abroad mixed with anger toward anti-war demonstrators at home as hundreds of people, far fewer than organizers had expected, rallied Sunday on the National Mall just a day after tens of thousands protested against the war in Iraq.
Anti-War Demonstrators March on Washington --[AP]
Crowds opposed to the war in Iraq surged past the White House on Saturday, shouting "Peace now" in the largest anti-war protest in the nation's capital since the U.S. invasion.
War Supporters' Day to Rally --[Washington Post]
It took more than 30 years to make it happen again, but yesterday Young joined hundreds of others on the Mall to support the nation's troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, among them his son, Croft, 32.
Jack Kelly, short -n- sweet! --[The Anchoress]
The Army exceeded its recruiting goal for August scoring 102 percent of goal for the month.
You have read no news story about this, because the Army exceeded its recruiting goal for August.
More Media Falsehood --[Dadmanly]
The Washington Post ran a story with some fraudulent "novice" protesters, that happened to be picked up by Stars and Stripes in the Saturday 24 September edition. This is highly reminiscent of the NY Times "man on the street" interviews when the same, randomly selected "man on the street" turns out to have a sideline career in giving interviews to NY Times reporters.
Jazeera reporter found guilty of terrorism. --[Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
This is not the first time where reporters and camera men are found to have connections with terrorists so it is definitely time to start questioning the networks themselves and the people in charge of choosing reporters and sending them to join terror networks, sorry! I mean to report the truth!
Not A Job I Would Want --[Balloon Juice]
I can think of a lot of things I would rather do with my life than be public editor of the NY Times, spending 8 hours a day (is this his only job? Not that I don?t think correcting the Times wouldn?t be a full time job.) trying to squeeze corrections and admissions of error from the NY Times staff. However, Byron Calame seems to be giving it the old college try...
He is also still pissed about Krugman making things up...
Reportage And The Iraq War ~ A View From The Home Front! --[GM's Corner]
There is a major difference between what is going on in Iraq and what the MSM is telling you is going on in Iraq. The MSM won't tell you that, I just did! ... And significant differences there are! Not just in the quality of the reporting, but in the focus. One tries to portray a quagmire, the other a quality of life missing in Iraq for decades, if not tens of decades and the difference is telling.
Losing In Iraq --[Pebble Pie]
There is proof this morning that the leftist media propaganda campaign over the war in Iraq is working.
I gotta Break Free! --[Assumption of Command - in Iraq]
This is my last post from the Fertile crescent. This is a good thing.
The following must be said...
A Roller Coaster --[Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
Our son was hit by a car on Friday afternoon on his way home from school. He was riding his bike, wearing a helmet and carrying his bike, the car was going about 20 miles an hour when it hit him. My wife saw the whole thing happen, just a couple of blocks from our home. After rolling up the hood of the car and hitting the windshield he was thrown to the ground. Before she could get to him, he tried to stand up, apparently. She called 911 as she ran to him...
Another Conspiracy Theory --[From My Position..On the Way!]
Okay...Tinfoil is firmly in place. The Mrs. and I got to talking yesterday about the next big thing that is going to be President Bush's fault.
Has anyone noticed how all of these hurricanes have passed through the Gulf of Mexico without so much as scratching Cuba?
Poll: Most Americans Not In Iraq --[Scrapple Face]
Hours after a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll revealed that fewer than half of respondents believe the U.S. can win the war in Iraq, a second survey showed that more than 99 percent of Americans are not in Iraq...
Lightning Strikes Two Planes on Takeoff --[Conservative Thinking]
(Honolulu, Hawaii) Even in paradise, there are occasional stormy messages from Mother Nature. Within one hour, lightning struck both Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines planes shortly after takeoff.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Author's note: This has to be one of the strangest Dawn Patrols I've done so far, with tons blogs covering events the MSM almost completely ignores and the MSM disagreeing with ITSELF. It should all be under 'News of the Weird'....
Bathroom Wars --[MREater - in Iraq]
An internecine war has broken out among soldiers on the FOB, and the battleground is the bathrooms.
the journey home, part 2 --[Blog Machine City]
You might think that sitting for three days in air-conditioned tents in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert would be terminally boring, but it was really in the vein of our entire deployment. And indeed, it was only preparation for the final bout of sitting that lay ahead.
A Eulogy for the Fallen --[Dadmanly - in Iraq]
We mourn just over 1,900 in Iraq, and there are those who would walk away from the sacrifices already made, dismiss the liberation of 50 million souls as collateral benefit of a nevertheless unnecessary war.
70 days (more or less) --[Tour of Iraq - in Iraq]
In about a week Ramadan begins, which will be interesting to say the least. We start cultural briefs this week to prep for any changes. The weather is cooling to the low 100s/high 90s during the day and 70s at night. No rain yet, but soon this place will be a massive mud pit like when we first got here.
Happy Days are Back in Baghdad!! --[Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Once, I went through a hard time. I was covering violence in Baghdad day after day and I was so depressed to the extent I was about to leave my job as a reporter. We kept emailing each other. She helped me a lot to pass that period and that hard time and made me understand that my country needs me, needs my power, my loyalty, my hope, my will, and my love.
All what I said is so little in comparison to what she gave me and still giving me. She is our Angel that came back to Baghdad.
Suicide Bomber Kills 4 in Baghdad --[NY Times]
In Baghdad, a suicide car bomber exploded his vehicle near an Iraqi army checkpoint Saturday morning, killing three soldiers and an Iraqi civilian, police said.
Bus Stop Blast Kills 6 Iraqis; 3 G.I.'s Die in Other Attacks --[NY Times]
An attacker detonated an explosive belt on Friday at a crowded bus stop in central Baghdad and killed six people...
82nd Airborne Soldiers Allege Iraq Abuse --[AP]
Soldiers in the Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division vented their frustration by systematically torturing Iraqi detainees from 2003 into 2004, hitting them with baseball bats and dousing them with chemicals, a U.S. rights group alleges in a new report.
AFTER YOU READ THAT, READ THIS...
American Held in Iraq Tells of Torture --[AP]
An American contract worker who was kidnapped in Iraq and held more than 10 months says in an interview that his captors kept him blindfolded and bound throughout the ordeal.
Afghans Enjoy Successful Election Day --[A Soldier's Perspective]
With President Bush busy creating hurricanes in the gulf and the media eager to publicize those outrageous claims, it?s not surprising that news of the Afghan election has gone unnoticed...
Two US troops hurt in Afghan roadside blast --[Reuters]
Two U.S. soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb in the Afghan south, while there were conflicting reports on the whereabouts of a Taliban commander earlier believed to have been surrounded, officials said on Saturday.
Spain and Germany Feud Over EU Arrest Warrant --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
Spanish judicial authorities have finally reacted to last July's decision of the German Constitutional Court to release suspected Madrid Bombing suspect Mamoun Darkanzali (see my earlier blog) rather than extradite him to Spain under a Spanish issued EU Arrest Warrant.
British Ambassador & LA Times Speak Out on MacArthur Controversy --[GI Korea]
British Ambassador to Korea, Warwick Morris has now spoken out in regards to the current General MacArthur statue controversy in Inchon by sending this letter to the Chosun Ilbo...
Nuclear Agency Expected to Back Weaker Rebuke to Iran --[NY Times]
Britain submitted the weaker of two draft resolutions proposing that Iran's nuclear program be reported to the U.N. Security Council.
Rita: Insult and Injury --[Baldilocks]
New Orleans, while lying far to the east of the eye of Hurricane Rita, is in for it again. Rain from Rita has caused the levees near the city?s Ninth Ward to be breached and is causing the district to be flooded once again.
CNN: Blown Away --[Media Blog]
MG Note: Hard time deciding whether to put this in 'Humor', 'Media' or 'Hurricanes'...it fits all three.
Todd looked like an extra from the "Black Hole Sun" video. At one point in the video I thought he was going to bash himself in the head with his own microphone.
Wolf Blitzer cautioned viewers: "Don't try this at home."
Whatever you say, Mister --[Riding Sun]
Via LGF, National Guardsman Jeremy Hall has photos taken during his post-Katrina deployment to New Orleans, including this one of a store owner's attempt to ward off looters (must see pic)
Bush skips Texas to avoid hampering Rita response --[Reuters]
President George W. Bush, still smarting over criticism for his slow response to Katrina, flew to a Colorado military base on Friday to monitor Hurricane Rita after abruptly canceling a trip to Texas to avoid interfering with relief operations.
Bush's Crisis Itinerary at Mercy of Weather, Even Nice Weather --[NY Times]
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 23 -President Bush was supposed to land here on Friday afternoon on the first stop of a tour intended to make clear that he was personally overseeing the federal government's preparations for Hurricane Rita's landfall. But the weather did not cooperate.
It was too sunny.
How about not? --[Winds of Change]
I'm not sure whether or not this is related to the recent resurgence of the US anti-war movement, but there have been two articles published over the last couple of weeks by academics (who else?) arguing that what we really need to do is negotiate with al-Qaeda.
Reality Bites - Peaceniks Show Their True Colors --[ROFASix]
These are the same folks who are organizing Saturday?s ?anti-war? rally in Washington. Interestingly, they claim ?solidarity? with the ?Iraqi fighters? and ?resistance.? In other words, they are all for those who kill American troops and innocent civilians in Iraq. If anything, what it shows is that this movement is really an anti-American pro-war organization that seeks to kill those struggling for freedom and democracy in Iraq and around the world.
Support the Troops Weekend Has Begun --[Andi's World]
I'm just back from the kick-off of the Support the Troops weekend. Tonight was a great night outside of Walter Reed.
Job was tested less than this... --[From My Position..On The Way!]
However, Carren I decided that we will still go to the Air and Space Museum tomorrow. We're not going to let a bunch of pansies keep us away. And, if we happen to see a Fighting Aces T-shirt out there, will be sure to stop and give them a hug. (If they are in the protest march (and not the protest the protest march) I will beat them to the ground, and rip the T-shirt off their body.) I say again, if you do not support our troops and their cause you do not speak for me.
Iwo Jima Memorial --[PebblePie]
On the last night of our trip we stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial...I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him that we were from Wisconsin. "Hey, I'm a cheesehead, too! Come gather around Cheeseheads, and I will tell you a story." (James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape.
MG Note: A MUST READ POST!
The National Guard need more backpacks and phone cards! --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
The ARNG Liaison Office asked me for more phone cards!
With our project ?Transitional Backpacks? the Soldiers Angels support wounded soldiers and marines here in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany! Today we brought 60 new backpacks to the National Guard and the Marines.
We ask all Angels and Friends for donation - to help us by the next backpacks!
Little Angels --[Whispering Wolf - new blogger]
Anyway - I told my two oldest girls (11 tomorrow and 7) that I was a Soldiers Angel. They asked what that meant and I explained my role. My seven year old looked at me very seriously and asked "Can I draw a picture for your soldier?"
Doing More Than Holding a Sign --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
Just a few thoughts on the anti-war rally this weekend and the support our troops demonstrators. Well, it's just me, and I don't know if my idea is even feasible, but as pro-troops demonstrator I think I'd have to put my actions where my mouth is and visit a few wounded soldiers instead of standing on the street looking at the Sheehan crowd.
Anti-War Protesters March in Washington --[AP]
Opponents of the war in Iraq rallied by the thousands Saturday to demand the return of U.S. troops, staging a day of protest, song and remembrance of the dead in marches through Washington, other U.S. cities and capitals abroad.
The City Responds to Me --[Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
And so, I received a response from the City of Elk Grove to this letter...I have their answer now. And the answer is politics as usual.
Ginsberg Usurps The Role of President and is stuck on stupid. --[GM's Corner]
Now she is telling the President WHO he must appoint to the vacancy caused by the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor.
Ginsberg has stated "...any woman will not do..." and this of course gives rise to more than one question. First, who says it has to be a woman, just because a woman is retiring?
Amid Many Fights Over Qualifications, a Bush Nomination Stalls in the Senate --[NY Times]
Senator Susan Collins of Maine is holding up the nomination of a lawyer with little background in immigration or customs to head the law enforcement agency in charge of those issues.
From Ghraib to Fallujah - Prisoner Abuse --[A Soldier's Perspective]
The media has lost its steam with trying to screw our servicemembers so they searched long and hard to find some 2-year dirt that they could stir up again. I?m going to talk in depth about this tonight when I get back from LA since I have that firsthand experience, but for now wanted to warn everyone not to believe the allegations just yet.
Weird Weatherman Resigns --[Media Blog]
That weird weatherman in Idaho ? who attributed Hurricane Katrina to a Japanese weather machine ? has resigned so he can spend more time unraveling the conspiracy.
Two Wives, One With Two Hubbies, Costs Cop --[AP]
A Sumter County sheriff's deputy was fired for being married to two women at the same time, and his second wife was married to another man at the time of their wedding...
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Fallen Friends --[365 and a Wakeup - in Iraq]
Today the soldiers of the Nightstalker Battalion closed ranks with the Tusker Battalion to say our final farewells to three fallen heroes. 1SG Alan Gifford, SGT Matthew Deckard, and SPC David Ford fought side by side with the Nightstalkers, and their unflinching courage earned them the respect and admiration of every man lucky enough to work with them.
Battle For Mosul III: Prelude --[Michael Yon]
?Deuce Four,? is on its way home.
I attended their departure ceremony, presided over by the much respected Brigade Commander, Colonel Robert Brown. Purple Hearts were awarded to soldiers wounded in action.
Where is the truth behind scenes ? --[A Free Writer - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The news coverage of Iraq frequently fails to convey the cumulative linkage of military events in this country.
Operations are often reported in a disconnected fashion, as if some troop's operations officer got up in the morning and asked 'what are we going to do today?', and then troops rush out to their vehicles ,whatever just occurred to them, and they are free to do anything they want until time passes and their patrol is over.
Bridge tragedy victims helped by efforts of U.S., Iraqi forces --[A Soldier's Perspective]
BAGHDAD - Coalition and Iraqi Forces teamed up with local officials in Sadr City to provide humanitarian aid to families affected by the events at the Khadamiyah Bridge. You may remember Sadr City as the place that soldiers dreaded due to its huge anti-American sentiment. It was the slum in Baghdad where Muqtada Al Sadr led his insurgents in ambushes and attacks against Americans. It is a place that used to be a symbol of resistance in Iraq.
Revisting Samarra --[The Fourth Rail]
Last week, Iraqi Defense Minister Dulaimi issued an ultimatum to delegates from the city of Samarra ? clean up the insurgent mess and prepare for the Iraqi government to enter the city peacefully, or become the focus of another operation on the scale of Tal Afar.
Our chance to humiliate al Qaeda in Iraq --[TigerHawk]
Iraq is turning into a geopolitical disaster for al Qaeda, but the Western press is so wed to its story of American failure that it is not reporting the humiliation of our enemy. That is not surprising, since the anti-war Left continues to propagate the opposite story.
Jailed US Iraq abuse leader says did no wrong --[Reuters]
The U.S. ringleader of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal said on Thursday that he did no wrong in putting a leash around the neck of a naked Iraqi or in stacking naked detainees into a human pyramid.
Baghdad car bomb kills at least five --[Reuters]
A suicide bomber in a car blew himself up at a bus station in central Baghdad on Friday, killing at least five people and wounding 17, police said.
Saudi Minister Warns U.S. Iraq May Face Disintegration --[NY Times]
Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said Thursday that he had been warning the Bush administration in recent days that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration, a development that he said could drag the region into war.
Touchstone --[Winds of Change]
MG NOTE: Warning - Slightly Graphic Photo
I recently ran across a five year old article called The Torture Place, about Abhaseen Barikzy, a Afghan communist who was tortured at the hands of the Taliban. I recommend reading it as a reminder of what we're up against in this war.
Female soldier focuses on her mission to women --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
UDEYKHIL, Afghanistan ? Sgt. Jennifer Collins received her orders recently to reach out to the Afghan women in this small village near Camp Phoenix.
Wearing her body armor and helmet, she was led on patrol to the town, where she was asked to visit with the women, who all wore veiled burqas.
Afghan Taliban commander said surrounded --[Reuters]
U.S. and Afghan forces have surrounded a Taliban commander in a central province, an Afghan official said on Friday, after fighting in which the U.S. military said 10 insurgents and an Afghan soldier were killed.
U.S. General Defends Afghanistan Tactics --[AP]
Responding to complaints by Afghanistan's president, a top U.S. general said Thursday that airstrikes have been decisive against insurgents and that American troops usually search homes jointly with Afghan soldiers.
China: a sick, backwards regime --[Riding Sun]
I don't like to read too much into any one news item. But you know, you see a story here and a story there, and they start to add up.
China Lectured by Taiwan Ally --[NY Times]
Li Ao, a politician and author who says that Taiwan should unify with Communist China, recently chided China's leaders for suppressing free speech.
China Rejects U.S. Call for Change --[Washington Post]
China on Thursday rejected a U.S. call to adopt democracy, telling Washington to respect its communist path.
This is all it takes? --[Mostly Cajun]
Thoughts on sitting in the middle of a pending disaster
This morning early I tried to make contact with both my Houston office and our Baton Rouge offices. Got right through to Houston, to the answering service. Our guys are out of there, taking care of family, which is as it should be. Trying to get to our Baton Rouge office, a bit later, the phone system (land-line, regular telephones) was hosed.
Hurricanes, Heat Waves and Global Warming --[Not a Desperate Housewife]
A few weeks ago I watched a special on the National Geographic Channel regarding hurricanes...Through all of their research they discovered that the number of devastating hurricanes will only be increasing in the future.
Fatal bus fire snarls Rita evacuation --[Reuters]
The evacuation of the U.S. Gulf Coast turned deadly on Friday when a bus carrying people fleeing Hurricane Rita caught fire a Texas highway, killing at least 20 people along a major escape route, local officials and news reports said.
As Texans Flee Rita, Forecasters Warn of Coastal Surges --[NY Times]
Forecasters warned of a possible coastal storm surge of 15 to 20 feet from Hurricane Rita, with large swells, battering waves and rain of up to 15 inches.
Cover Up? Doubtful --[Baldilocks]
When I last posted on the Able Danger situation, only one person, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer (USA), had come forward to confirm that Able Danger, a small military intelligence task force, had, in 2000, informed the DOD of the suspicion that Egyptian immigrant Mohammed Atta was a terrorist.
Dodging A Terrorist Bullet in Southern California --[ROFASix]
It looks like we may have ?dodged a terrorist bullet,? literally, in Southern California. The FBI has charged three men for planning a shooting rampage at Los Angeles-area military sites to retaliate for what they called the oppression of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Saudi Official Solicits Funds on TV For Terrorists - And Nobody Cares?! --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) regularly provides stunning proof of the explicit, shameless intentions of terrorists and their supporters through translations of tapes and writings.
London Suspect Faces First Court Appearance --[AP]
A man charged with attempting to bomb the London subway system had his first court appearance Friday, a day after being extradited from Italy.
New Indictment Comes in Calif. Terror Case --[AP]
A man already being held on charges of lying to authorities about attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan has been indicted on federal charges alleging he intended "to wage jihad in the United States."
Show Your Support for Our Wounded Heroes --[Andi's World]
KEEPING THIS POST ON TOP TODAY. YOU HAVE UNTIL 2:00 TO LEAVE YOUR MESSAGES FOR OUR TROOPS. AT 2:00, I'LL NEED TO PRINT, PASTE AND HEAD TO THE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS RALLY
Support the Troops Weekend --[Patriot Voices]
A weekend of events in which patriotic Americans and their friends will show their support for our nation's military personnel, honor their families and demonstrate their resolve that the missions of their loved ones fighting terrorism and protecting liberty in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world be completed with victory and honor.
Houses That Are Homes.... --{Soldier's Mom]
When the Rear Detachment for our son's unit called to tell us that Noah had been wounded in Iraq, one of the first questions we asked was whether we should make arrangements to go to Germany where we know seriously injured are sent first before being returned to the U.S.
Day 247 - American Gold Star Mother's Day --[Wayne's World 2005]
I'll never forget a moment last December standing with Wayne in front of St. Luke's Episcopal Church looking at the massive cedar tree decked with 24 red ribbons and three yellow ribbons.
"What's the difference between the red ones and the yellow ones?" he asked.
"The names on the red ribbons represent soldiers from Arkansas who have died in Iraq," I answered. "Your name is on a yellow ribbon."
Families of troops counter Sheehan --[Washington Times]
As Congress this week honored parents whose sons or daughters have been killed in Iraq, some families said Cindy Sheehan and her anti-war group do not represent them and are disrespecting the fallen soldiers.
Group seeks support for soldiers overseas --[The News Examiner]
The war in Iraq continues to keep soldiers from their homes and loved ones, but a local woman is doing her best to make a few soldiers? time overseas a little easier to bear.
Portland resident Jennifer Crispaldi is a member of Soldiers? Angels, which is a non-profit organization aimed at giving support and comfort to soldiers.
2005 U.S. Army Weapons System Handbook --[ROFASix]
The U.S. Army Weapons System Handbook provides an official overview of both new weapons systems which will equip the Army of the near-term future and those systems already in the force. (Click on Title to Access.)
Overtaking vs. Crossing -- Navigational Thoughts From An Engineer --[The Stupid Shall Be Punished]
As we learn more about the collision between the USS Philadelphia and M/V Yaso Aysen, I've been wondering how the "blame-apportionment" will turn out now that the Navy has relieved Captain Oxholm.
NO SPF FOR ME TODAY! --[Keep My Soldier Safe]
This is great. Well at least it is to me, because I don't talk to Michael on the phone very ofter, and this is a way for him to at least hear my oh so country voice.
LISTEN TO AUDIO POST IF YOU CAN! --[Erik Holtan]
And also with this audio stuff, I can predict already I am gonna get in trouble and offend someone sometime, or all the time! I'm honest though, so that is what you'll get!
Aside from that make sure to listen to my audiopost!
Say Hello to Chief Justice Roberts --[Balloon Juice]
It is, for all intents and purposes, all over except the hand-wringing:
The Senate Judiciary Committee strongly endorsed Judge John G. Roberts Jr. today to be the next chief justice of the United States, sending the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation next week.
Inexplicable McCain? Not at all --[The Anchoress]
It is a little mind blowing to me that Cindy Sheehan arrived in Washington with 30 supporters - Yes, 30 - and yet this pathetic media-creation is weilding enough power to get Hillary Clinton and John McCain to meet with her.
Senate panel backs Roberts --[Reuters]
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday brushed aside concerns of divided Democrats and backed President George W. Bush's nomination of conservative John Roberts to be chief justice of the United States.
Democrats Seeking Voice as Bush Struggles --[AP]
The dip in President Bush's popularity has Democrats dreaming of brighter days for their out-of-power party, but only if they show voters clear leadership and a fresh message.
Colorful but Pointless --[Media Blog]
CBS Public Eye blogger Vaughn Ververs responded to the Media Research Center's criticism that a CBS News report employed "sarcastic" language in a news report about Bush's recent visits to New Orleans.
The.Biggest.News.Ever. --[The Patriette]
I confirmed my suspicions at the clinic this morning: I AM PREGNANT!
I was able to tell my husband, Josh, this morning by phone. (He did make it to Camp Shelby, MS safe and sound.) We're both VERY excited. The deployment will be difficult and there's a 99% chance Josh won't be here when the baby is born in May or June (he will be in Iraq by then)...
My New Personal Hero --[Balloon Juice]
Move Over Ari Gold. I have a new personal hero:
An Omaha man mowed an obscenity into his lawn...after being warned by the city about excessive grass and weeds around his house. The phrase is about 30 feet long across his yard.
Do's and Dont's for Anti-War Rally This Saturday --[Daily Kos - H/T Balloon Juice]
MG Note - I just HAD to include this...roll on the ground, kicking your heels funny - although I'm not sure it was written to be humorous (which makes it even funnier).
As some of you may know, there are anti-war rallies to be held all around the country Saturday... All of the issues I bring up here have actually happened at different protests I've been too. For the sake of sanity, it has to stop.
Don't's:
Don't have a hippy drum circle:
Don't have a gothic pagan chorus on the stage talking about mermaids....
Author Weaves Violence Into Kid's Book --[AP]
As children's books go, this one is a bit of a departure: depictions of children running across a busy road with their eyes shut and a boy setting fire to his head.
In India, you may NOT kiss the bride --[Reuters]
An Israeli couple was fined 1,000 rupees after an Indian court found them guilty of obscenity for kissing during their marriage ceremony in a Hindu pilgrim town, newspapers reported Wednesday.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Notes on the Ride Back to the Sandbox --[Firepower Forward - in Iraq]
I know that the sadness will not overwhelm me tonight as those onslaughts did years ago, leaving me to repress sobs while a shower before bed hid my tears; today I gratefully fear that I am much too callous for such emotions. It serves to remind me though of the youth that surrounds me, and the obligations that I hold. It reminds me of the pain that Pam must feel without benefit of the years of emotional conditioning. I know it is incumbent of me to ease the suffering around me and push forward to those better days that are now just around the corner.
What?s happened here ? --[A Free Writer - an Iraqi in Iraq]
A suicide attack was committed against three civilian American Vans guarded by US armored vehicles, the attack was very heavy in a way that destroyed at least one Van completely ,from the news later we knew that four American diplomatic were killed in this explosion . The place for this attack was only 300 meters away from Mosul university in a public road passing across residential area.
A New Five-Star Hotel in Baghdad !! --[Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
While I was going over the local newspapers this morning, I read a shocking headline: "A 23-floor, 5-star hotel to be built inside the Green Zone". I read the whole article and I wished I did not.
On Iraq's political scene... --[Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The political scene in Iraq these days is full of events with the parties feeling that time for starting campaigning is approaching. However these campaigns took the form of exchanged attacks and accusations without presenting programs or platforms for development and reform which are much needed.
Action and Reaction in Iraq --[Austin Bay Blog]
?It?s never easy when the price of experience is lives lost.? In last week?s Creators column I looked at the hard process of overcoming mistakes and defeating enemy innovations in combat.
Recent Iraq Operations - A Flash Presentation --[The Fourth Rail]
The pace and tempo of operations in western Iraq have been increasing over the past month, indicating the Anbar Campaign is moving forward. The disclosure of Operation Sayaid signals the Coalition is now prepared to move on the towns and cities along the western branch of the Euphrates River. The following presentation highlights the significant operations in Ninawa and Anbar provinces from August 27 through September 17, 2005.
Iraqi Forces Show Signs Of Progress In Offensive --[Washington Post]
What happened next, commanders here said, suggested significant progress toward the goal of shifting security functions to Iraqi forces so that the United States can begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. When the clashes grew intense, the Iraqi soldiers did not shrink, American officers said.
Anger Grows in Basra After British Raid --[NY Times]
Iraqi police officers and politicians demanded an apology from Britain after British forces raided a police station.
NATO Reports All 26 Nations Are Aiding Iraq With Training --NY Times]
European countries have overcome their differences with the United States over Iraq, and all 26 members of NATO now provide training and equipment to Baghdad, the secretary general of the group said this week.
Big Media Ignores Afghan Election --[Austin Bay Blog]
Ralph Peters weighs in with a blast at Big Media?s failure to cover the Afghan election.
Apparently success and progress aren?t stories that appeal to producers and editors.
Afghan election blogging and counterinsurgency --[TigerHawk]
If there were, in fact, almost 30 prevented attacks on election day -- far more than the reported number of successful attacks -- then it is good news for several reasons.
Afghan Count Reveals Kabul Indifference --[AP]
Nearly two-thirds of registered voters in Kabul apparently stayed away from Afghanistan's landmark legislative polls, an election official said Thursday as workers counted ballots under the close watch of candidates' representatives.
Iran's bare-faced lie --[TigerHawk]
Iran celebrated the anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq war (itself a weird occasion for a celebration) today with a huge military parade. The propaganda should give us all pause.
Osan Lieutenant Gets 2 Years --[GI Korea Blog]
The site Military Corruption.com brings up some good points worth sharing. First of all that the court martial was executed during Chusok to avoid Korean press coverage was slick. Secondly, the fact that the Korean girl that Davis had a romantic relationship with that exposed his activities to begin with didn't testify I also found interesting.
EU backs down on Iran --[Reuters]
The European Union's three main powers dropped a demand on Thursday that the U.N. nuclear agency immediately report Iran to the Security Council over its atomic programme, following opposition from Russia and China.
London bomb suspect held on return from Italy --[Reuters]
A man suspected of being one of four bombers who launched botched attacks on London's transport system on July 21 arrived in Britain from Italy on Thursday to face charges of plotting murder.
Disappointed in President Bush --[Mostly Cajun]
I am really disappointed in President Bush.
First and foremost he failed to stop the hurricane Katrina before it hit the Gulf Coast. Even worse, he should have stopped it before it first hit Southern Florida. Since he failed to take this first action, one would have expected that he should have, as a second thought, moved the entire states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to central Texas before Katrina came ashore.
Irony Of The Chase --[Patriot Voices]
For the last few months I have watched the hurricanes come and go with my immediate family safely outside of the destructive paths of them all.
Hurricane Katrina displaced thousands of people; many were evacuated to Texas, and to our amazement, those folks may be displaced again by Hurricane Rita. We anxiously await the decided path.
Is this the test of all tests?
A politics-free hurricane? --[Riding Sun]
As Hurricane Rita bears down on Texas, Joe Malchow issues a plea: If the worst happens, could this one, please, not be political?...
Unfortunately, though, it looks like Bush is in a damned-if-he-does, damned-if-he-doesn't situation here.
Donations Found at La. Official's Home --[ROFASix]
After complaints that city workers were helping themselves to donations for hurricane victims, police officers searched Cedric Floyd's home and found cases of food, clothing and tools earmarked for hurricane victims. Floyd, who is a city manager for Kenner, LA was in charge of distributing the donations to hurricane victims.
A missed phone call and small town devastation --[Keep My Soldier Safe]
As I made my way through the back roads of Mississippi, I realized that a lot of the area that I was passing through still had no power. I saw power trucks everywhere. I was speechless as I saw most of the devastation. I don't think that I have ever in my life seen such. I stopped several times along the way to take several pictures, and even had the opportunity to speak with a lady, that seemed to be in her 70's. She was kind enough to let me take pictures of what was left of her beautiful yard, and even invited me in for a glass of luke warm water, as she put it. She was going on her 22 day without power and had just had her telephone restored on Monday. I just thought that we had it bad further north, but I was wrong.
I thought that I would share a few pictures of the oh so kind lady's yard.
MG NOTE: A must read post!
Texans flee as Rita approaches --[Reuters]
More than 1 million people along the Texas coast fled the approach of Hurricane Rita on Thursday as it developed into one of the most intense storms on record and threatened catastrophic damage.
Where Disorder Once Reigned, Efficient Evacuation Now Rules --[NY Times]
Catching a bus at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to evacuate for Hurricane Rita is a breeze.
Six soldiers greet each evacuee who trickles into the processing tent across the street. Those arriving have food, water, medical assistance if they need it and, once they board one of the buses idling in the parking lot, air-conditioning and television.
Katrina's Death Toll Climbs Past 1,000 --[AP]
Searchers looking for bodies smashed into homes that had been locked or submerged under Hurricane Katrina's highest floodwaters, pushing the overall body count past 1,000 as another hurricane threatens to prolong the hunt for the dead.
Tightening Up on Correspondent Accounts for Non-US Persons --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
Senator Shelby, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, used the Nomination Hearing for new Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorism Financing Patrick O?Brien to express his concern that the US is still not doing enough to stem the flow of funds to Iraqi insurgents and terrorist groups overseas.
Recruitment in Iraq --[TigerHawk]
Yesterday I noted that there was evidence that suicide attackers in Iraq were being coerced, and what that might say about their ability to recruit new soldiers.
ABLE DANGER HEARINGS UPDATE --[Dr Sanity]
I spent several hours following the hearings today and will attempt to summarize some of the more interesting aspects. Here are my rough notes...
Court set to rule in Europe's biggest al Qaeda trial --[Reuters]
Spain's High Court is due to deliver its verdicts on Monday on 24 people accused of al Qaeda membership, including three who face more than 70,000 years in jail each if convicted of helping the September 11 hijackers.
A Tale of Two "Vigils" --[Andi's World]
On Wednesday, an intrepid FReeper alerted me to this collection of propaganda. I spent a lot of time reading the reports and comparing them to both my versions, and to the accounts of the FReepers. The CodePink representation is so full of falsehoods and innuendo that it was difficult to know where to begin with a rebuttal. So, rather than attack the reports point-by-point, as I began to do, I'm going to bring you some of the more outrageous elements of these reports. I'll also link to each version so that you can do a side-by-side comparison and draw your own conclusions.
Letter From the Wife of a Soldier --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
This letter was sent to an angel (Soldiers Angels) and I really think it highlights how not only are the soldiers thankful for support from home, but their families are grateful for that support as well.
"I am the wife of a soldier currently serving in Iraq. He has mentioned to me via satellite phone that he has received letters and support from your website. He just shared a story of how he was working with electrical wiring and was accidentally thrown by electrical current....
Military Down On Soldier Blogger --[PebblePie]
SF (Sure Fire) over at "Pass The Brass" is in a sticky spot.... go there now if you can. Any soldier reading this, please stop and think when you blog, I don't want to lose anymore of you, nor do I want you to be in this kind of trouble.... Tell you true I can't figured out anything SF ever wrote that would get him into trouble... This is bad. You all please be careful.
Guide Aims to Help Bloggers Beat Censors --[AP]
A Paris-based media watchdog has released an ABC guide of tips for bloggers and dissidents to sneak past Internet censors in countries from China to Iran.
US soldiers' Iraq books show humor, horror and anger --[Reuters]
Two books that will be published in October began as blogs -- Internet diaries of writers in Iraq that by their very immediacy can lack the perspective that comes with time.
"If I had to write this book today, from scratch, it would probably be a completely different book," said Jason Christopher Hartley, whose book "Just Another Soldier" (to be published on October 4 from HarperCollins) was built around a blog of the same name.
Army Recruiting High School Dropouts without GED --[Outside the Beltway]
The Army is now allowing its recruiters to sign up high school dropouts who do not have a GED for the first time in years...When I saw the headline and read that introduction, my heart sank. Thankfully, I kept reading.
Harvard Will Cooperate With U.S. Military --[Jack Army]
Harvard has reversed, at least for now, its policy of barring the Pentagon from using the law school's career services office for recruiting. Harvard, like many other law schools, contends the Pentagon's "don't ask don't tell" policy on gays violates the guidelines on nondiscrimination that the school requires of recruiters on campus.
Dick Morris - wrong again --[The Anchoress]
You would think he would always be right - given how well he supposedly knows her, but I can?t remember the last time Dick Morris was correct about anything pertaining to Hillary Clinton - he predicted she would NOT run for the Senate from NY and that if she did run, she?d lose.
Bush Compares Responses to Hurricane, Terrorism --[NY Times]
President Bush on Wednesday for the first time linked the American response to terrorism and its response to Hurricane Katrina, declaring that the United States is emerging a stronger nation from both challenges, and saying that terrorists look at the storm's devastation "and wish they had caused it."
Judiciary Panel to Vote on Roberts Today --[AP]
Approval by the committee seemed assured, with the panel's majority Republicans united and top Judiciary Democrat Patrick Leahy on board. Another committee Democrat, liberal stalwart Edward Kennedy, said he would vote against Roberts.
Patterns of Analysis --[Dadmanly -in Iraq]
I had a very lively discussion tonight with the estimable Buzz Patterson. (If you don't know him you should become acquainted.) We touched on this subject of media reporting, and it got me to thinking about perception, and the "patterns of analysis" that I think causes different perceptions of the same set of circumstances.
Rather Pathetic --[Baldilocks]
What is your automatic thought when you hear these words strung together?
?Speak truth to power.?
My first one is: ?pinhead.? ...And, from now on, my third thought will forever be: ?Dan Rather.?
What Media Bias? --[Little Green Footballs]
An absolutely amazing example of naked, unrestrained bias, in a photograph from the Vietnam War dug up and republished today by the Associated Press with this jaw-dropping caption...
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
On Patrol --[MREater - in Iraq]
I went on a presence patrol into Kirkuk. After a little stutter-step getting going, we got off, though a bit late. That?s okay as we try to vary our routine anyway, so being late works toward that end. It was bad news for our interpreter, though. He just got married, in June, and his bride was expecting him by a set time.
Let's Focus on the Bad News in Iraq --[Graham's Journal - in Iraq]
Whatever you call them, the Cons, or Righties, or Reds complain about how the media never reports on the good news in Iraq. These people speak for half the country. And they've decided what the major issue should be. They've decided that this half of the country shouldn't focus on the bad news. Neither should they focus on the good news. Instead, they should focus on what the media is focusing on.
Meanwhile, the Libs, or Lefties, or Blues have focused on what is truly important to the people of Iraq today. The fact that no WMD's were found two years ago. They sound just like a broken record. WMD's. WMD's. WMD's.
The More Things Change... --[Soldier's Mom]
While our soldier son is home (unexpectedly) from Iraq, we still have the rest of Our Guys to worry about... Sent off packages late last week and have a few more ready to go... and we haven't heard from any of the Guys since last Monday when they called and spoke with Noah.. they haven't even been online so I'm worried...
A story from a Army journalist who was in Iraq! --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
What if you're an Army journalist and expected to put the war in Iraq in a good light ? no matter what you see? Between March 12, 2004, and February 2, 2005, I found myself in that uneasy situation....
Iraqi Success Story --[GreenZone - New Milblogger in Iraq]
I attended the Town Hall meeting for the IZ on Saturday. This is a monthly meeting for the contractors, civilians, foreign nationals and others who live in the International Zone.
Richard the Medic in Iraq --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
There is something to be said about the hospitality of the people here. Whenever we go anywhere, like to the FPS stations, here of late, the Iraqis there only want to feed us and give us chia tea to drink-of which I am a big fan.
I have noticed they have strange job qualifications at the Iraqi Police stations, and such places: like "station farmer." No kidding ya'll, this is a bona-fide official position at the Iraqi police stations all over the entire country of Iraq!
Attacks in Iraq Kill 9 Americans, Including State Dept. Aide --[NY Times]
In one of the most lethal stretches for Americans in Iraq in recent months, nine soldiers and security officers were killed in four attacks in the past two days.
Iraqi PM to meet Britain's defense chief after raid --[Reuters]
Iraq's prime minister was to meet Britain's defense secretary in London on Wednesday with both countries working to quell tension caused by a British military raid that freed two soldiers held by Iraqi militiamen.
Germany expands army presence in Afghanistan --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
The German coalition government (Social Democratic Party?SPD?and the Green Party) has decided to expand its military presence in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Peter Struck (SPD) wants to supplement the Bundeswehr (armed forces) contingent from 2,250 to 3,000 soldiers. A special sitting of the German parliament at the beginning of October will debate the necessary resolution.
Reason, flag, posters and Freedom Watch --[Going Down Range - in Afghanistan]
This is why I and many more are here in Afghanistan. I want to make sure that my children do not have to make this decision.
Today I was one of many raising the US flag above the Taliban Last Stand (TLS) building.
Japan to Extend Afghan Troop Aid Mission --[AP]
Japan intends to extend its mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan for another year, the government's spokesman said Wednesday.
Rumsfeld Applauds Afghan Elections --[AP]
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday acknowledged that Afghanistan is still battling a lethal rebel opposition but applauded the country's parliamentary elections as a historic step.
Gee, thanks, Ted --[Riding Sun]
Wolf Blitzer interviewed Ted Turner on Monday about the recent North Korean negotiations (via Radio Blogger, who also has audio.) In the course of the interview, Turner claimed that North Korea isn't much of a threat...
North Korea Renegs on Deal Already --[GI Korea Blog]
Not that this is a surprise or anything but the Norks are already back pedaling on the deal they struck 24 hours ago...
North Korea says US using talks as pretext for attack --[Reuters]
North Korea accused the United States on Wednesday of using diplomatic talks to try and take away its nuclear arms so that Washington could crush the reclusive state with an atomic weapons strike.
Faulty Towers --[Media Blog]
What did I say about most of what we thought we knew after week one turning out to be wrong?
Don't Get Stuck on Stupid --[GI Korea Blog]
Honore: "You are stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we've got to do it..."
Evacuees of One Storm Flee Another in Texas --[NY Times]
Hurricane Rita prompted a mandatory evacuation of this city's public shelters on Tuesday, emptying them as quickly as they had filled just three weeks ago and sending still-dazed survivors of Hurricane Katrina packing off to Arkansas, to the bus terminal, to the airport and, for some who considered themselves lucky, to paid and furnished apartments here in the Houston area.
Rita now Category 4 hurricane --[Reuters]
After lashing the Florida Keys, Hurricane Rita was upgraded on Wednesday into a more powerful Category 4 storm as it headed across the Gulf of Mexico on a course that could take it to Texas and dump more rain on Katrina-battered Louisiana.
Its time to Put Yasin Al Kadi Out of Business! --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
This note follows up on Doug Farah?s and Evan Kohlmann?s excellent posts concerning the US Treasury designation of Dr. Abdul Latif Saleh, a close business associate of Saudi billionaire Yasin Al Kadi (aka al-Qadi).
Australian's Terrorism Trial to Resume --[AP]
The Pentagon cleared the way on Tuesday for resuming the Guantanamo Bay terrorism trial of David M. Hicks, an Australian charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.
EU court says bloc can freeze terrorist assets --[Reuters]
The European Union can freeze assets of suspected terrorists, the bloc's second highest court ruled on Wednesday, dismissing complaints from alleged al Qaeda associates whose bank accounts were blocked by the EU.
U.N. Report Warns of More Terrorists --[AP]
Al-Qaida has spawned a so-called "third generation" of followers skilled in urban warfare and suicide bombings and U.N. sanctions need to be updated to keep up with the changing tactics, a report warned Tuesday.
Becoming an Angel --[Whispering Wolf - new blogger]
I recently joined Soldiers' Angels.
From the moment I first learned of the group, I knew I had to join. There was question in my mind.
There has always been a special place in my heart for military personnel...
Letter from another Angel's soldier --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
Coming back to my civilian occupation, I can say I have been changed. Yes, Iraq has changed me as uniquely as war changes all who take part in it. However, I have been humbled by the overwhelming support from strangers. From the many gifts and letters I have received from people I have never met; to all of those patriotic Americans I met coming off the plane on R&R.
Battle Lines Behind the Battle Lines --[Washington Post]
In military communities across the United States, a debate over the Iraq war is being waged by reluctant, neophyte activists. Their microphones chirp and squeak, or don't pick up their quiet voices at all. Their signs are too small. They forget the banners.
"This is my community. I don't want to offend people here. But my husband is a soldier; he can't say anything. So it's my duty as a citizen to speak up,"
More On The USS Virginia Deployment --[The Stupid Shall be Punished]
Earlier, I mentioned the USS Virginia (SSN-774) had deployed much earlier in their post-commissioning cycle than normal. We now learn more about the "deployment" from Bob Hamilton of The New London Day (who, along with Christopher Drew at the NYT, is a submarine military writer who makes it worth your while to get the annoying free registration required to read their work after a day or so -- a longer lasting version of the article can be found here, second article down...
Muddle in the Middle --[Molten Thought]
The most successful educational system in the United States is the basic training program employed by the U.S. armed forces. Over the course of just a few months they routinely take soft civilians and turn them into the most lethal soldiers the world has ever known. They do so by demanding unrelenting high performance, and by being brutally intolerant of failure.
Heroes --[Way Down in Kosovo]
In the past week two great heroes passed away, men as different in background as two men can be, yet both of them ultimately surrendering huge portions of their lives in service to others.
Military: Gitmo Hunger Strike Loses Steam --[AP]
The number of detainees on a hunger strike at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay has fallen by almost two-thirds since last week, a military official said Tuesday.
The War Within --[Dadmanly - in Iraq]
It?s perhaps inevitable that Government spending, and particularly money directed at poverty, is measured in quantity and not quality of effective results. Nevertheless, as Schulz points out a question that may be obvious, but rarely uttered in the corridors of public policy...
Tone Deaf or Brain Dead --[Balloon Juice]
For months I have heard Harry Reid fashioned as a moderate or centrist Democrat, so it simply makes no sense to me why he would be opposing John Roberts.
She's Baaack... --[Two Babes and a Brain]
Well it seems that Cindy Sheehan didn't like getting upstaged and pushed out of the MSM spotlight by Hurricane Katrina...
But she's not going after President Bush now. She's going after Hillary...with vengeance.
A Nutty Ex-President, But A Safe Bet? --[The American Princess]
Well, you just can't help but love Bill Clinton.
The man can barely accept irrelevance and resign himself to the million dollar speaking circuit for a few years before deciding that his opinion somehow matters to the rest of the world to a degree that he needs to air it, in public, on a nationally syndicated news program.
Reid seeks 'mainstream' nominee for US court --[Reuters]
U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he will ask President George W. Bush on Wednesday that his second nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court be "mainstream, not extreme."
Useful Idiot: Ted Turner --[GI Korea Blog]
Is there any doubt now that Ted Turner is a Useful Idiot? Check out this interview with Wolf Blitzer on the Radio Blogger...
'Ugly' woman sues TV show in death of sister --[Reuters]
A Texas woman has sued ABC's popular reality show "Extreme Makeover" for more than $1 million claiming among other things that an abrupt cancellation of her appearance on the program led to her sister's death.
Son lived with dead mother to keep pension --[Reuters]
A Frenchman in his sixties lived for five years with the body of his dead mother to keep receiving her 700 euros monthly pension, judicial sources said Saturday.
Condoms Are Named for Clinton, Lewinsky --[AP]
A rubber company in China has begun marketing condoms under the brand names Clinton and Lewinsky, apparently seeking to exploit the White House affair that led to the impeachment of America's 42nd president.
Artist died 'handcuffed to tree' --[BBC News H/T Drudge]
The skeleton of Richard Sumner - 47 when he went missing three years ago - was found in a remote area of Clocaenog Forest, Denbighshire, in April 2005.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Loss --[365 and a Wakeup - in Iraq]
As another day passed into memory the men of the Nightstalker Battalion gathered together to pay their final respects to SSG Alfredo B. Silva. In this world of growing shadows SSG Silva burned as bright as the morning star. Chamuco?s resplendent inner fire and fierce love for his men were beyond earthly measure ? he was the stalwart lighthouse whose radiance ensured others could navigate these troubled waters.
I wish with all my heart I had the ability to properly memorialize SSG Silva, but any words I could weave would be but a hollow echo of our fallen hero. Instead I will include part of 1LT Irish?s final respects.
On Killing --[A Soldier's Thoughts - in Iraq]
I remember back in Baghdad in 2003 when the 1st Armored Division had just arrived. I was in line at the PX (post exchange, it is the army's version of Walmart) and I overheard two soldiers from the 1st Armored Division talking about how they couldn't wait until they had killed someone.
AAV Armor --[Akinoluna]
I spent three hours this afternoon with four of our contractors tearing the armor off a busted up AAV, bolt by bolt. They had brought a generator and an air compressor to run some sort of tool thing that was supposed to help unscrew bolts quickly but the generator wasn't strong enough so we had to do it all by hand.
This was all during the hottest part of the day, out in the middle of nowhere, with no shade and I thought for sure the sun had roasted me red but I guess I got lucky because I only got browner.
ORIGINAL CYNICISM --[American Citizen Soldier]
(Must see pic here)
Fanbushed: Best of the Hotmail Hate Mail of the Week
Unsolicited Letter to the Editor in Chief Waves a White Flag, Opens Fire:
You are a beautiful and powerful writer. [Still], I have to ask.
What makes you sure that the good night's sleep you rough men leave us to enjoy is what we want? Because it is not your beautiful wives and lovely children who order you off to war, begging you to protect us and our way of life. It is your boss...
The Intrepid and ?Somewhat Fanatical? Buck Sargent Takes Cover, Returns Fire:
Thank you for the backhanded compliments. As for the rest of it, I find your lack of faith disturbing. You come across like a hybrid of my uber-liberal college professors and Cindy "America is not worth dying for!" Sheehan...
Mudville Gazette note - READ THE WHOLE POST!
the journey home, part 1 --[Blog Machine City - home from Iraq]
The journey began with a loud rap on my door, waking me from my nascent slumber. "We're leaving at 0200. Get packed up." I glanced at my alarm clock: it was about 2300 - three hours to get ready and move out. Luckily I was already mostly packed.
Response --[Ma Deuce Gunner]
I would like to respond to a comment left on my last post...
Anonymous said...
Do you think that what you are doing is worth the deaths of 25,000 Iraqis and 2,000 US soldiers, or, is this going to be like Vietnam - a completely pointless exercise?...
Assassination --[Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
"An Iraqi working as a reporter for the New York Times was found dead in the southern city of Basra on Monday after being kidnapped by masked men, family members and a doctor said...Are we going to be killed like this? Does it become so easy for armed men to kidnap reporters and then kill them? Everyday I go out to work, I pray to God to keep me safe, not for me, but for the sake of my family whom I don't want them to be hurt.
Interpreting the war on the Shiites --[TigerHawk]
It has been obvious for months that the rejectionist insurgency in Iraq was waging war against the Shiite Muslim majority. However, the various factions of the insurgency had somewhat different objectives in this.
Five Soldiers Killed in Three Separate Iraq Incidents --[Washington Post]
BAGHDAD, Sept. 20 -- The military announced the deaths Tuesday of five U.S. soldiers in three separate roadside bomb explosions, pushing the number of U.S. fatalities since March 2003 past the 1,900 mark.
Four of the soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad.
Reporter Working for Times Abducted and Slain in Iraq --[NY Times]
An Iraqi journalist and photographer working for The New York Times in Basra was found dead early Monday after being abducted from his home by a group of armed men wearing masks and claiming to be police officers, relatives and witnesses said.
Iraq denounces British rescue in Basra --[Reuters]
Iraq denounced British forces on Tuesday over a dramatic rescue of two undercover soldiers that could stoke hostility to the army in increasingly volatile southern Iraq.
The "Resurgence" of the Taliban --[The Fourth Rail]
After the Taliban failed to conduct successful attacks on Afghanistan's election day, the counting of ballots begins. al Qaeda?s number two in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, weighs in on the election. Apparently the will of six million Afghans is illegitimate.
Karzai Wants End to U.S.-Led Operations --[AP]
President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday challenged the need for major foreign military operations in Afghanistan, saying air strikes are no longer effective and that U.S.-led coalition forces should focus on rooting out terror bases and support networks.
Afghans count votes, al Qaeda rejects poll "farce" --[Reuters]
Counting of ballots from Afghanistan's landmark legislative elections began slowly on Tuesday after international observers praised the vote and al Qaeda's number two condemned it as a farce.
Quiet revolution underway in Afghan girls' schools --[Reuters]
A quiet revolution is going on in Afghanistan's schools, behind the high walls and the blue-uniformed police guards with their AK-47s.
NoKo Deal? Stay tuned for November --[Austin Bay Blog]
The headlines are large: North Korea agrees to drop its nuclear programs. This is great news, though a closer look suggests the real deal amounts to agreeing to agree on talks in November. Still, China has stepped up and used its political influence. NoKo has said it will end nuclear programs ? but note Pyongyang specifies nuclear energy programs. Getting China to nudge the North has been a US diplomatic goal, so perhaps China?s push is a small plus for Washington.
"Peace In Our Time" --[The Stupid Shall be Punished]
I think most people recognize that today's announcement of an "agreement" on nuclear weapons in the Six-Party Talks over North Koreans nukes has all the historical import of Clement Attlee's "scrap of paper", but it's better than spiraling towards war now. (Not that I think the Administration is "appeasing" North Korea, unless "not destroying them immediately" is considered appeasement.) ...To me, this agreement actually shows that if all the "great powers" stick together, they can convince even the most wacko world leaders that they'd better play nice.
Korea Times Advocates Moving MacArthur Statue? --[GI Korea Blog]
This editorial in the Korea Times began by giving the same government talking points about the MacArthur Statue, that it should stay in Korea, that MacArthur with his faults still is the one that lead the Inchon Landing, blah, blah, blah, etc.
"Weekend Update" --[Way Down in Kosovo]
It has been a couple of weeks since I wrote about the bombing in Vitina. I had originally assumed that the bomb was a small clap-trap device. Turns out it was actually pretty big.
N. Korea, U.S. Gave Ground to Make Deal --[Washington Post]
The unexpected agreement by North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, announced yesterday in Beijing, followed decisions by both the Pyongyang government and the Bush administration to compromise on positions they had clung to during nearly three years of crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
North Korea Demands Nuke Reactor From U.S. --[AP]
North Korea insisted Tuesday it won't dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the U.S. gives it civilian nuclear reactors, casting doubt on a disarmament agreement reached a day earlier during international talks.
Iran Warns Against U.N. Council Referral --[AP]
Iran on Tuesday threatened to reconsider its promise of allowing unfettered inspections of its nuclear facilities if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions over its atomic program.
After German Election, Deadlock Hardens --[NY Times]
Key party leaders rejected some of the coalition solutions that might otherwise lead to the formation of a new government and the selection of a chancellor in Germany.
Rotten Eggs --[From My Position..On The Way!]
If one out of every one hundred people that were displaced by hurricane Katrina are ass hats, that means that there are well over 1,000 ass hats we're trying to help. A ratio of 1 out of every 100 means at least $2 million was wasted. Go here to read more. Remember what I said about Girls Gone Wild being one of the few notable things that New Orleans is good for? Apparently some (okay a very few) of the displaced citizens are so addicted to the welfare state that they believe any money they get is ?free money? that is to be thrown away on luxury items, strippers, and other "bare necessities" (no pun intended).
Rita might be a problem --[Mostly Cajun]
So three weeks after Katrina, Rita has a bunch of eyes on her. Like mine.
I?m not worried about flooding. I?m thirty-one miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, in an area that didn?t flood from the storm surge of Audrey in ?57. So I won?t float away. I do have some big oak trees in the yard. Trees fall. Might be prudent to go buy a couple of those blue plastic tarps, just in case.
Rita Aims at Houston --[ROFASix]
The press is pushing the Hurricane Rita is gonna hit New Orleans angle. "The levees will never hold!" say the talking heads. It makes great sensationalisitic press stories, but does a tremendous disservice to those who are actually at risk.
Still trying to speak with one voice --[Tidewater Musings]
Turns out the various email addresses the Coast Guard had for Katrina information was too much.
Effects of Hurricane Katrina Felt in Minnesota --[Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
I went to the lumber store today (Menards...kinda like Home Depot) to purchase roofing supplies for our house and found this sign hanging everywhere, "Due to Hurricane Katrina all sales will be CASH and CARRY 'in stock' items. No building supplies will be ordered for the next several weeks. If we don't have it we're currently out of stock."
Rita Upgraded to Category One Hurricane --[Washington Post]
KEY WEST, Fla. Sept. 20 -- The National Hurricane Center upgraded Rita Tuesday morning from a tropical storm to a category one hurricane and projected that it would produce dangerous "battering waves" and flooding in the Florida Keys in a matter of hours before heading westward into the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days towards the region devastated by Katrina.
Bush Proposes Vouchers for All Displaced Students --[Washington Post]
Under President Bush's plan to cover most of the cost of educating students displaced by Hurricane Katrina, parents could enroll their children in a private or religious school this year at federal expense, even if they had gone to public schools back home, administration officials said yesterday.
Mayor Suspends Reopening of New Orleans --[AP]
Bars, restaurants and shops had just begun showing signs of life when the mayor suspended the reopening of the city and ordered nearly everyone to leave town again as a new hurricane headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. The call for another evacuation came after repeated warnings from top federal officials, including President Bush himself, that New Orleans was not safe enough to reopen.
Spineless terrorists --[Phil and Becky]
Yesterday morning, we sent a patrol down to the city of Narwan to attend their weekly city council meeting. Narwan is the site of a VBIED strike on September 17th that killed over 30 civilians. It was a terrorist attack, cut and dried -- no inkling of insurgency to be found.
The distinction between a terrorist attack and an insurgent attack, of course, lies in who the attack is directed against.
Al-Zarqawi declares "Total War" on Shiites & US --[ROFASix]
Watching Al-Zarqawi?s latest ?warning? audio on the sub-titled video, it is hard to decide whether what you are hearing is a desperate plea from a beaten man or a scene from ?One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest.? The fact that Al-Zarqawi is real, as is this transcript, gives you a surreal sense of how dangerous these zealots are.
Zarqawi Being Forced to Dig Deep --[Andi's World]
Think all is well for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his cowardly thugs? Think again.
Is the terrorist pool from Middle-Eastern countries running dry?
How ecumenical of him ... --[Winds of Change]
There was some discussion, primarily from Eric Martin over at Liberals Against Terrorism, as far as how Zarqawi's personal bigotry against Shi'ites (highlighted in his "total war" saber-rattling) is contrasted with bin Laden's more ecumenical view that sectarian conflicts are to be avoided in favor of a united front against the West. In the discussion that followed, I noted that even Zarqawi's "total war" rant appeared to distinguish between killing Shi'ites under the justification that they're collaborators versus killing them for sectarian purposes.
Translation of bin Laden Speeches Released --[AP]
The only way to defeat the enemy is to know the enemy. But in the case of Osama bin Laden, the public doesn't know enough, says the author of a new book on America's No. 1 nemesis.
A band from Alaska asks for help! --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
Following e-mail I received from ALASKA!
If anyone can help Becky by the tour please contact her directly!
High Desert Heroes Ride --[A Soldier's Perspective]
Anyway, in the few minutes I?ve had between missions I?ve been trying to organize support for the ride. A couple of days ago I had enough time to call the local papers and get them to cover the event. It was published in the Sunday edition of Barstow?s Desert Dispatch and Victorville?s Daily Press. I?ve been trying to get sponsorship so we could raise the $600 needed to purchase shirts for some of the participants, but I haven?t been around during business hours to call businesses directly.
All the money we?re raising from this ride is going directly to family support groups for the soldiers and marines: Blackhorse Association, the Family Wellness Center, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. I?ve been lucky enough to have some help from one of the Marine?s in Barstow. He?s taken a lot of the load off of something that was becoming a lot bigger than me. I had to go through extensive sessions with JAG, talked to more Colonels than I knew were on this post, and agonized over what the route would be (which I still won?t know until this Friday, since that?s when rotation ends). Either way, it?s finally happening and you can donate by clicking the image to the right.
A Personal Thank You --[Fortunate Son]
Click the link for the video. (pic)
We have been inundated with kindness and generosity from the folks back home recently. Last week I received nearly twenty care packages from my collegues at Noblestar, my family and from strangers through the AnySoldier.com program. I wanted to do something to show everyone back home who has been sending toys, school supplies and candy that their generosity is bringing smiles to the faces of the children of Afghanistan and directly impacting the lives of others. Thank you all, but especially my "Memaw", Ann and "The Happy Meal Lady", for your generosity...and I can't forget my mom and my wife.
If you feel like sending more, please do. We'll put it to good use. We're adopting a 1000-student girl's school down the road soon. We should have no problem giving away toys and school supplies!
Magic Johnson Visits BAMC --[Patriot Voices]
FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- NBA legend Earvin ?Magic? Johnson scored a slam dunk with wounded servicemembers during a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center Sept. 10, thanking them for their numerous sacrifices, courage and dedication.
SOFT fundraiser for Tuesday rail --[The Hawkeye Newspaper]
Supporting Our Families and Troops also will sell shirts, car magnets, jewelry and other patriotic items. In addition, Wendy's will contribute a portion of its food sale proceeds during that time to the organization.
Funds raised through SOFT are used to support troops and their families.
"Support Our Troops" Week --[WTAP News]
All week long, some local college students are paying special tribute to U.S. soldiers serving overseas.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg's Student Government Association is sponsoring "Support Our Troops" week.
Christmas for the Troops to hold fun fund-raiser --[Muscatine Journal]
MUSCATINE, Iowa - A Wilton organization is offering area residents a taste of military life in exchange for their support of a Christmas campaign designed to cheer U.S. service people in Iraq.
Groups plan troop support rally Saturday -[Lima Ohio News]
Two veterans groups will hold a rally Saturday to remind troops in Iraq they are supported at home.
Profiles: Cooks and Contractors [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
Much has been made of the ?outsourcing? of many military functions, and nowhere is that so pervasive as the current situation with Dining Facilities (DFAC) in Iraq. For Army cooks do not cook in Iraq and many other forward areas, they ?supervise? those who do. That means, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) contractors. Well, more precisely, foreign national (but not host country) subcontractors for KBR.
MOSBY MANIFESTO --[Jack Army]
This is a set of recommendations for improving the Army's personnel policies. I developed them based on my own experience as an infantry officer in the 80's and 90s, including the first Gulf War, as well as my experience in various civilian occupations, including defense contracting and law enforcement special operations. The guiding principle is that a 21st-century Army needs to rid itself of 18th-century habits while still providing effective senior leadership. I have tried to keep this as short as possible. Further debate is much encouraged.
Blogging Porkbusters --[Dadmanly]
In another dramatic prototype for the Blogosphere, Glenn Reynolds and N.Z. Bear of The Truth Laid Bare have teamed up on an excellent project attacking Big Government spending.
Porkbusters may very well change forever how Big Government operates, and represent yet another way that the Blogswarm can help restore "small d" democracy to governance.
Numbers Game --[Baldilocks]
USA Today Headline:
Bush's disapproval rating now at record 58%
Wait. A record? Doesn?t the headline indicate that the president?s approval rating has gone up? The last I heard, the approval rating had dipped below 40% in a poll taken just last week.
?Bush understands money?? --[The Anchoress]
Bogus Gold highlights a very, very interesting and unusual take on President Bush?s spending habits, posted by Nick at Red State.
Here I am going to spout heresy. I am going to argue that the fiscal policies being followed by President George W. Bush represent a breakthrough in conservative ? yes, conservative ? thinking. They represent good policy; and even better strategy.
Immigration Nominee's Credentials Questioned --[Washington Post]
The Bush administration is seeking to appoint a lawyer with little immigration or customs experience to head the troubled law enforcement agency that handles those issues, prompting sharp criticism from some employee groups, immigration advocates and homeland security experts.
Democrats Face Pressures on Roberts Issue --[AP]
Senate Democrats face conflicting pressures as John Roberts' nomination as chief justice advances, prodded by liberal groups to oppose the appointment yet considering whether a vote in favor might temper President Bush's choice for a second Supreme Court vacancy.
Specter backs Chief justice nominee Roberts --[Reuters]
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Monday he will vote for John Roberts to be U.S. chief justice even though it is uncertain what the conservative appeals court judge will do on the Supreme Court.
Broussard Episode: Readers' Respond --[The Media Blog]
First of all, credit to John from WuzzaDem for tracking this story and in all likelihood prompting the MSNBC investigation. Who knows how much bad information went uncorrected before the blogosphere?
A Marines last letter home --[Disgruntled Grunt]
Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Starr's last letter arrived home more than two months after his flag-draped casket.
It came unexpectedly, weeks after his parents had placed his dusty, worn combat boots on the fireplace ledge.
Kerry Slams Bush for Failure of 'Big Government' --[Scrappleface]
Sen. Kerry noted that in his own 2004 presidential bid, he garnered 78 percent of the vote in Orleans Parish where some 27 percent of the population lives below the poverty level.
"These people are so accustomed to losing in the game of life, that the vast majority naturally picked the losing candidate," Mr. Kerry said.
WHAT?S YOUR REDNECK ASTROLOGICAL SIGN? --[Mostly Cajun]
Some Rednecks are pretty skeptical of horoscopes and the people that read them. If we are to ever fully understand all the star signs and the people they represent, we need symbols that are true Rednecks.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
I don't know if it's just me, but blogger (blogspot.com) seems to be down this morning. I was told it's down/slow from 8am to 12 noon for updates. In any case, it's making my job to create the Dawn Patrol very difficult. So, I'll keep working on it, but the Dawn Patrol might just end up being the afternoon patrol today. I appologize!
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Sunday Sundae!!!!! --[Long Strange Trip - in Iraq]
These pictures are of my newest creation/landscape project! PDHA Bridge! This might be about it, because I have finally used all the rock that had been piled up for months. Perhaps my proudest achievement is the smaller tree you can see in the pic of me to the left just on the edge of the pic! 2 months ago there was NOTHING there, and now that thing is growing like mad, and you can see the new bridge, and the nice green weeds along the creek valley! That was the goal to get something to grow! PARADISE?????????? (pic)
PUMP REPAIR BUSINESS --[2005 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
This is as good as it gets in a rural area. I am standing in front of a water pump, generator repair store. I asked if he had any problems with getting repair parts and he said only if it was Chinese. He specialized in water pump repair... (pic)
Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'... --[Fun With Hand Grenades - in Iraq]
In my last entry I documented why we've been depressed and constantly at each other. I think another reason has been because every time something cool happens around here, something to lift us out of our depressed, unmotivated, and agitated mood... something shitty happens to bring us right back down.
This week started out on a bad note...
A tough test for Iraqis --[Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
You have probably heard that Zarqawi has recently declared war on the Sheat in Iraq, that's 50-60 % of the people in a country of 27 millions, i.e. more than 13 million people are considered enemies by Zarqawi and they deserve to die! Of course this is not something unexpected from Al-Qaeda as this terror network hates nearly everyone on this earth except the ones who appease and apologize for what Al-Qaeda does.
and so it begins --[It's a living..sorta]
It's official. I have been altered by my experiences in a combat zone.
Yesterday started quite well. We went to Glen Ivy for some much needed time for just the two of us. The original plan was to stay up there overnight and then go to the mall today. However, Jen's mom couldn't stay with the kids that long, so we modified the schedule to do both at once. After we left the day spa we went to dinner and then hit the mall... and that's when it happened.
I'd never had a panic attack before and I still don't know what caused it, but I could not get out of that place fast enough...
Three More Months(?) --[My Vacation in Iraq - in Iraq]
I think today marks the 3 month count down for us leaving this country. With any luck we could be demobilized and home before Christmas, but that is not a guarantee. With my luck we will probably not get home until after the new year. I know my Company command will try to get us home before then if there is any way that is possible but something always comes seems to come up.
CBIED --[Phil and Becky]
I heard a story today about a patrol that came upon a cow behaving suspiciously by the side of the road. On further examination, they discovered that the cow was chewing on PE-4 (plastic explosives) with blasting caps stuck into it. Given that the cow was still chewing and hadn't gotten its head blown off, I surmised that it hadn't chomped down hard on any of the blasting caps.
Two Britons detained in Iraq for firing at police --[Reuters]
Iraqi authorities detained two British nationals in the southern city of Basra on Monday for firing on police, a senior Iraqi official said.
The official said he had been informed by the British military that they were undercover soldiers in civilian clothes.
"They were driving a civilian car and were dressed in civilian clothes when a shooting took place between them and Iraqi patrols," the official told Reuters.
Iraqi Shi'ites descend on holy city despite threats --[Reuters]
Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims descended on the holy city of Kerbala in their hundreds of thousands on Monday as they prepared to celebrate a religious festival under threat of war declared by Sunni Arab radicals.
On the main road from Baghdad to Kerbala, eight people were killed in two car bomb attacks, police said. It was not clear if the killings of seven police and one civilian were related to the festival.
Relentless Rebel Attacks Test Shiite Endurance --[NY Times]
The rooms of the dead are mostly empty now. Their meager belongings are all that remain: A small pile of pickles wrapped in plastic. A bag of salt. Pairs of old shoes. Work shirts and towels draped on a coat rack in the corner.
The items, left in a hostel in the Kadhimiya neighborhood of Baghdad, belonged to poor Shiite day laborers who were killed Wednesday in a suicide bombing. The attacker lured them to his van with promises of work, then blew himself up, killing 114 people. It was this city's deadliest bombing since the American invasion and, it seemed to many, one of the cruelest.
U.S. Claims Success in Iraq Despite Onslaught --[Washington Post]
Using enemy body counts as a benchmark, the U.S. military claimed gains against Abu Musab Zarqawi's foreign-led fighters last week even as they mounted their deadliest attacks on Iraq's capital.
But by many standards, including increasingly high death tolls in insurgent strikes, Zarqawi's group, al Qaeda in Iraq, could claim to be the side that's gaining after 2 1/2 years of war. August was the third-deadliest month of the war for U.S. troops.
Afghanistan Parliamentary in picture --[Afghan LORD - afghan in Afghanistan]
U.S.A Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann at his visit in the ministry of women affairs today on 18th of September Parliamentary election day which held for the first time after three decades in Afghanistan. He called the parliamentary elections as success in Afghanistan future. (pic)
Karzai: The end of 30 years of pain and suffers --[Afghan LORD - afghan in Afghanistan]
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai cast his vote at a polling station at the sprawling presidential palace today early morning after polling opened in landmark parliamentary and local elections.
While he threw his vote on the ballot box, he pointed out:
"I am very happy that the people of Afghanistan are able, after 30 years of pain and suffering, to elect their representatives," said the president, who viewed Afghans' participation in the first legislative vote in 30 years as a matter of pride.
MILLIONS OF AFGHANS HEAD TO THE POLLS --[Publius Pundit]
This post will serve as a comprehensive roundup for the elections in Afghanistan. It will include links to news article, analysis from international organizations, and commentary from bloggers. Of course, don?t forget to check out the Afghanistan archive, which is pretty limited, but has some essays you might find really interesting. All additional resources will be at the bottom and updated as more become available.
Force Protection Delivers Humanitarian Aid (Doing Great Things IX) --[A Soldier's Perspective]
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan ? Back-to-school shopping for students at Kandahar Airfield couldn?t be simpler. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jarrod Gozy delivered toys, school supplies and a backpack for every student on the first day of school Sept 5.
Gozy, of the 173rd Support Battalion, is an ordained deacon at the Cameron Baptist Church, Cameron, N.C., whose organization, ?Give Children a Chance,? raises money to donate locally purchased materials to schoolchildren here.
Election coverage --[Riding Sun]
You're the New York Times. You're running a wire story by the Associated Press about the big, landmark election in Afghanistan, a key step in that country's development of a democratic tradition.
This is just the kind of story that, in untrained, unprofessional hands ? in blogger hands! ? could give people the wild idea that there might be some good coming from Bush's plan to spread freedom through the Middle East, after all.
Afghan ballots boxes make way to count centers --[Reuters]
Across Afghanistan on Monday donkeys, camels and trucks carried sealed ballot boxes to counting centers where the results of Sunday's landmark elections will be determined.
With Violence Muted, Afghans Go to Polls For Historic Election --[Washington Post]
Hundreds of thousands of citizens flocked to schools, mosques and tents across Afghanistan on Sunday to vote in this war-weary nation's first legislative elections since 1969, as militants largely failed to follow through on threats to disrupt the balloting with violence.
Will Germany Pick a New Chancellor? --[Baldilocks]
It appears as though Germany?s conservative Christian Democratic Union (Christlich-Demokratische Union; CDU) is set to squeak out a victory against Chancellor Gerhardt Schr??s Party?the liberal Social Democrat Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands; SPD) in today?s Bundestag election. A win for the CDU would make its leader--Angela Merkel--the first-ever female Chancellor of Germany.
Culture of death? Palestinian girl's murder highlights growing number of 'honor killings' --[ROFASix]
More evidence of sick people, in a sick society, practicing a sick religion. ABU QASH ? Rofayda Qaoud ? raped by her brothers and impregnated ? refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder.
Merkel under pressure after German vote debacle --[Reuters]
German conservative leader Angela Merkel will be fighting for her political life in difficult coalition negotiations in the next few weeks after her party's disastrous showing in Sunday's election.
The crushing disappointment of the result, which saw an apparently invincible opinion poll lead fade to a wafer-thin advantage of three seats in parliament over the next biggest party -- and no governing majority -- has badly weakened her.
German Election Is Inconclusive; No Clear Winner --[NY Times]
After a bitterly fought campaign that many people in this country had believed only a few days ago would produce a historic vote for change, the German electorate failed Sunday to give any party or candidate a clear majority.
North Korea Says It Will Drop Nuclear Efforts for Aid Program --[NY Times]
North Korea agreed to end its nuclear weapons program in return for security, economic and energy benefits, potentially easing tensions with the United States.
IAEA Chief Urges Talks on Iran Nuke Plans --[AP]
The chief U.N. nuclear inspector on Monday urged an end to confrontation over Iran's atomic program and suggested talks over differences should take precedence over U.S. and European threats to send Tehran to the U.N. Security Council.
FAST-Tracking Naturalization While US At War With Terrorists?Is That A Good Idea? --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
In January 2004, I wrote an article published in FrontPage magazine concerning the issue of terrorist aliens slipping through the Government?s national security immigration net and becoming naturalized US citizens. That had been a problem going on for many years, due in large part to the inefficiencies and mismanagement inherent in the old Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the lack of communication and coordination among the various Intelligence and law enforcement agencies involved in counter-terrorism matters. Notwithstanding those problems, a few good cases were made, with successful investigations and prosecutions being realized.
Chemical Games --[The Fourth Rail]
The successful assault on the northern city of Tal Afar brought the prospect of chemical warfare in Iraq to the fore. Two al Qaeda linked groups claimed to have conducted successful attacks using chemical weapons last week. The Army of the Victorious Sect stated they attacked the Interior Ministry with rockets equipped with chemical weapons, while the Islamic Army of Iraq also took credit for firing a chemical mortar round. No proof of a successful chemical attack was found nor were any unusual injuries reported.
Shortly after the purported attacks, an al Qaeda linked web forum praised the attacks and discussed the prospects of the terrorist group being in possession of chemical weapons.
Cindy Sheehan's Freedom Fighters --[GOP Vixen]
When Cindy Sheehan had her proverbial fifteen minutes of fame, she described the terrorists fighting the United States troops and those of the elected Iraqi government as "freedom fighters." Colonel H.R. McMaster offers some details about Cindy's freedom fighters...
Leaders at U.N. Seek Anti-Terror Treaty --[AP]
Having already agreed to condemn terrorism, leaders at the U.N. General Assembly urged quick adoption of a comprehensive global treaty that would put the words into action.
Salt Lick to the Rescue!!!!!!!! --[Those Wacky Iraqis - in Iraq]
The Salt Lick is a famous Texas BBQ place located just outside Austin, Texas. It has wonderful BBQ and terrific sauce. I contacted the owners and while they could not send us any BBQ they were kind enough to send a case of sauce. We had a big ole Texas style cookout and even invited some Texas National Guard troops to the cookout. Every bit of this sauce was either soaked into meat or sopped up with bread. This small gesture by the owners will cause years of good will with all the Texans who work, live, and fight here. Thank you Salt Lick!
Some times the little things from home go a long, long way. If any of the readers know people over here they should send them some small taste of home.
The Desecration Continues --[Andi's World]
Unfortunately, the weekly reports from Walter Reed continue. CodePink doesn't appear to be backing down, they are still preying on our wounded heroes. Friday night brought more of the same.
The "Quiet Zone" sign made another appearance, which reinforced the state of disarray that CodePink find themselves in of late. On one side of the street you could hear two guitar-strumming Pinkos and a chorus of singers belting out their beloved 60s tunes, while on the other side of the street the "Quiet Zone" sign was unveiled. It was enough to confuse even the sharpest of minds.
Anti-war activist Sheehan brings protest tour to NY --[Reuters]
Peace activist Cindy Sheehan brought her "Bring Them Home Now Tour" to a Brooklyn church on Sunday, where she was greeted by hundreds of cheering supporters.
Two Presidential Addresses --[Dadmanly - in Iraq]
Who would have guessed, as the crisis with Katrina and New Orleans unfolded, that the Fourth Act of the Drama would culminate in a serious debate about the limits, philosophic basis, and hidden dangers of Big Government intervention in human affairs?
And even if you had guessed it would come to that, would you ever have guessed that President George W. Bush would make an impassioned argument for the Big Government position, and a popular satirist would be sounding the warning clang of the serious danger such intervention can pose?
Becoming More Convinced By The Day --[Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
More and more, I am becoming convinced that direct election of senators is one of the worst changes we ever made to the Constitution. Reading this AP story convinced me to write this post. In it, Arlen Specter talks about the likely confirmation of Roberts as Chief Justice and what President Bush should do with the second Court nomination coming up.
The Falling Man --[GM's Corner]
My heart breaks everytime I see this photograph. Today I came across this story that I had never seen before titled "The Falling Man" and my heart broke all over again. But, I am not sad with a broken heart. My heart is broken and I am angry. Very, very ANGRY! Angry that OBL thought he could intimidate America, angry that many said that we deserved the attack, angry that too many Muslims cheered and danced over the death of so many Americans, angry that there is enough hatred in the world that this kind of thing can happen. Read the story by clicking on the photograph. (pic)
Key Republican sees Roberts approved by September 29 --[Reuters]
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted on Sunday that John Roberts will be approved as the next U.S. Chief Justice when the full U.S. Senate votes on his nomination by Thursday, September 29.
Asked if he agreed with those who say Roberts will be confirmed, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter said: "I wouldn't dispute that."
Specter Seeks Another Roberts-Like Nominee --[AP]
Predicting an easy confirmation for John Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he hoped President Bush's next Supreme Court nominee will share Roberts' conservative credentials.
Former Ill. Gov. Goes on Trial for Fraud --[AP]
Although his former campaign committee, campaign manager and chief of staff have been found guilty of racketeering, former Gov. George Ryan vows he'll be acquitted when he goes to court to face 22 charges stemming from a federal probe.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Honoring a fallen soldier --[MREater - in Iraq]
We held a ceremony today for a fallen soldier. He was 29 years old. Most of our large company was able to attend, along with a couple of generals, all the battalion commanders and their sergeants major, and even some Air Force representatives.
After an invocation and the national anthem, the soldier?s company commander spoke, followed by the soldier?s supervisor and his roommate. All the speakers knew the soldier, and spoke movingly of his dedication, love of service, how their lives were enriched by knowing him, and of how much he will be missed.
The soldier had volunteered to serve with our unit. Semper Fidelis.
A Country inside a Country! --[Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
"By the order of the Sadr office, no one is allowed to use this road," a policeman told me while I was going to cover the Friday prayer in Sadr City. I was shocked and said to myself, "What is going on?!"
Update on Security in Mosul --[A Free Writer - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The people of Mosul, are "absolutely sick and tired of the terrorists, the brutal acts against innocent civilians, and they want a brighter future for their children.
According to the statistical security numbers , telephone "hotline" for civilians to pass information about the terrorists to the coalition forces and/or Iraqi police received an average of just 40 calls per month before the elections but for the past six months has averaged 400 calls a month.
Follow Up on "Looking For Items for my Troops" & Update #2 on Stuff for my Troops --[Courage Without Fear - in Iraq]
I've recieved several emails and postings regarding people wanting to help me take care of my mechanics.
If you can find similar products to what are listed on the Amazon.com Wish List, please feel free to get those instead. Especially if you can find a better deal...
...Well it looks like my parents have come through on the gloves for my mechanics. My Dad spoke with the great folks at Cadillac Truck Service in Cadillac MI, my home town. The fine folks there are donating a 50 each large and extra-large gloves to my guys.
Emotional rollercoaster --[Fun With Hand Grenades]
Since we returned from leave almost two weeks ago everyone has been in a pretty shitty mood. For one, we're all depressed. The other day we had a class on IEDs and got to watch all sorts of videos of Humvees getting blown up and ambushed. And today we just had a guy in our company receive the news that his brother was killed in Iraq. I still don't think it's sunk in that we're going to a place where coming home is uncertain. But it's definitely becoming more apparent.
Rotten With Doubt --[Dadmanly - in Iraq]
At the beginning of the week, James Lileks posted a Bleat that included some very important thoughts about the September 11th anniversary...
You get it or you don?t, and if the passage of time has made the lessons indistinct, a picture of that September morning will look as remote as a screen grab from ?Tora Tora Tora.? As Mark Steyn put it, we are winning the war on terrorism, but perhaps we are losing the war about the war.
Lileks is right.
"Worth the Wait" --[My Life as a Soldiers Wife]
A little while back I was chatting with a lady online whose husband had just left for Iraq. I felt so bad for her. I hated the beginning, when there was still a huge amount of time before he was home. She asked me about my fears, about being scared of him coming home changed. I think that is the number one fear among wives. I was terrified about that. I thought about it all the time before he left. I just knew that if he were actually gone for that long there is no way we could just pick up where we left off and everything would be fine. But now that he is gone, and has been gone for quite some time, I am not afraid of that anymore. I will tell you a little about it I suppose.
Noah Had A Good Day --[Soldier's Mom]
The first time since August 23 that he has had a good day (ok, it's probably the first good day since August 22.) When he called today he said he had actually fallen asleep last night for the first time in many weeks and had stayed asleep through the night. He made it through his physical therapy session today without what he called "screaming" pain and he didn't think his one leg and lower back hurt as much today as they did yesterday, so he didn't think he was gimping as much today...
Day 238 - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing --[Wayne's World 2005]
Everybody needs a little help sometimes to sing during times of trouble. We?ve asked one of the best songwriters on the web to strut his stuff by writing a special Song to Wear Pants to. Don?t ask me WHAT that means. The songwriter's site claims he can 'make songs in any genre, for free or for money, based on instructions people send me.'
Well, here goes. We've requested a rally song, almost like a football fight song...something we?ll sing now and remember forever as the song that rebuilt the Gulf Coast!
(Feel free to suggest lyrics in the comment section!)
Sgt. Tracy Perfors relieves a lifetime of pain --[The Coll Blue Blog]
Injured Iraqi Girl Captures U.S. Medic's Heart
Hawra suffered severe burns when she was caught in a cross-fire between terrorists and coalition forces. As she recuperates, her spirit motivates injured troops at the aid station.
25 Are Killed as Insurgents Press Attacks on Shiites --[NY Times]
Insurgents staged a series of suicide bombings and ambushes on Friday that left at least 25 people dead across Iraq, including an attack on a crowd of Shiites leaving a mosque after weekly prayers. The strikes were the latest in a string of attacks on Shiites that began Wednesday, when 150 people were killed in at least a dozen bombings in Baghdad.
Insurgents Attack Around Abu Ghraib Jail --{AP]
A suicide car bomb wrecked three vehicles in a U.S. convoy near Abu Ghraib prison Saturday, and insurgents fired seven mortar shells at the jail and used grenades to damage three armored vehicles in another American convoy in the area, Iraqi police said. The U.S. military issued no immediate casualty reports in any of the incidents.
US predicts big Afghan turnout; 10 die in clashes --[Reuters]
The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said he expected a big turnout in Sunday's landmark elections, but guerrilla attacks on police patrols overnight underlined the security threat hanging over the poll.
Lieutenant-General Karl Eikenberry said on the eve of the vote that Taliban insurgents would not hesitate to attack unarmed election workers at thousands of polling stations around the country.
Deadly Attacks Continue as Afghans Prepare to Vote --[NY Times]
With two days to go until Afghanistan's parliamentary election, a seventh candidate was shot dead.
12 Killed Ahead of Afghan Elections --[AP]
The United Nations on Saturday urged Afghans to defy rebel violence and turn out in large numbers to vote in landmark legislative elections. Fierce battles near the capital and elsewhere killed nine militants and three policemen. Security forces said they thwarted three huge rebel bombings, underscoring fears for Sunday's vote that many hope will marginalize insurgents and bolster a fragile democracy.
Buddhist Canine --[GI Korea Blog]
A Buddhist temple on Jindo Island in southwestern Korea has a new unlikely convert, a dog:
Hama -- Korean for hippopotamus -- follows monks into the temple and bows in the same manner for prayer, a temple official said. Some local Buddhists, who believe in reincarnation, are wondering what Hama may have been in a past life.
US Congress Speaks Out on MacArthur Statue Debate --[GI Korea Blog]
The MacArthur Statue controversy has now taken a new twist with the US Congress now weighing in on the controversy and they are voicing their displeasure of the Korean government's handling of this situation.
Marines Adopt the Children of Djibouti (Doing Great Things VIII) --[A Soldier's Perspective]
Djibouti City, Djibouti- When a handful of Marines show up at a school in this African city equipped with tools, paintbrushes and building materials, their mission is clear: help the children.
Servicemembers stationed in Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa routinely take part in community outreach programs to help the local citizens. Their endeavors often involve schools and orphanages, but they help improve other aspects of Djiboutian life as well. Many volunteers work during their free time, and it can be a very rewarding experience.
China Proposes a Deal to End North Korean Nuclear Standoff --[NY Times]
China proposed a new compromise solution to the North Korean nuclear standoff and gave the countries involved in the talks one day to accept or reject the offer, but there were mixed signals on Friday about whether the United States and North Korea were prepared to come to terms.
Foundations in the French Quarter --[Jack Army]
An old gentleman and his daughter stopped by the yard sale and while she rooted around he sat on his cool walker/chair, drank ice water, and talked about various things with me...While we were talking about New Orleans, he asked me if I knew what the foundations of many of the building in the French Quarter were made of. Of course I didn't.
Bureaucracy Kills --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
A story posted yesterday at CNN.com provides a disgusting snapshot of how bureaucratic red tape and fears of legal liability actively thwarted volunteers' attempts to assist the relief efforts in New Orleans.
Plagarism --[From My Position..On the Way!]
I didn't write this, a friend sent it to me un-attributed. My comments are in italics.
If people haven't been learning the lessons from Katrina that they absolutely need to learn, then they haven?t been paying attention.
New Orleans bars get ready to open --[Reuters]
New Orleans' French Quarter cleaned up its bars and clubs on Friday to get ready for business as President George W. Bush promised to restore the hurricane-ravaged coastal region without raising taxes or shattering budgets.
Bush rules out tax hikes to pay for Katrina --[Reuters]
President George W. Bush, facing alarm from conservatives over the soaring cost of post-Katrina rebuilding, said on Friday the U.S. budget could handle the expense and he would not raise taxes to pay for it.
FEMA, Slow to the Rescue, Now Stumbles in Aid Effort --[NY Times]
Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Katrina cut its devastating path, FEMA - the same federal agency that botched the rescue mission - is faltering in its effort to aid hundreds of thousands of storm victims, local officials, evacuees and top federal relief officials say. The federal aid hot line mentioned by President Bush in his address to the nation on Thursday cannot handle the flood of calls, leaving thousands of people unable to get through for help, day after day.
The Terrorists Most Powerful Weapon Is The MSM --[WarriorsVoice]
One of the most dangerous weapons that the insurgents/terrorists have in their arsenal is also one that is cheap and very easy to use. There is no band against it, nor is this "weapon" regulated. That weapon is the media.
More Terrorism Indictments Linked to "Virginia Jihad" Gang in Washington, DC, Area --[The Counterterrorism Blog]
Ali Asad Chandia of College Park, a Maryland suburb of Washington, was arrested Wednesday and has been indicted along with Mohammed Ajmal Khan, who is being held in Great Britain, on four charges brought by the U.S. Justice Department.
A sudden interest in flying planes --[TigerHawk]
A university student from Egypt was ordered held without bond after prosecutors said they found a pilot's uniform, chart of Memphis International Airport and a DVD titled "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" in his apartment.
The FBI is investigating whether Mahmoud Maawad, 29, had any connection to terrorists....
CIA director urged to release agency 9/11 report --[Reuters]
Senior Republicans in Congress have joined Democrats in asking CIA director Porter Goss to declassify and release an agency report criticizing the previous director and others for lapses on terrorism ahead of the September 11 attacks, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
Baghdad Bombings Raise Anew Questions About U.S. Strategy in Iraq --[NY Times]
The rash of car bombings in Baghdad this week has once again thrown into debate whether the American and Iraqi counterinsurgency strategy is working.
The explosions underscored how the loosely knit and elusive networks of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, former Baathists and other extremists still can recruit discontented Iraqis and foreign fighters to launch well-coordinated attacks, even as American and Iraqi forces stage offensives intended to root out the insurgents.
In 4-Year Anthrax Hunt, F.B.I. Finds Itself Stymied, and Sued --[NY Times]
Richard L. Lambert, the F.B.I. inspector in charge of the investigation of the deadly anthrax letters of 2001, testified under oath for five hours last month about the case. But Mr. Lambert was not testifying in a criminal trial. He and his teams of F.B.I. agents and postal inspectors have not found the culprit.
Life is good... --[There and Back Again - in Iraq]
I do have one issue that I could use some help with. There are a lot of people here from countries like India and Pakistan that provide the military with vital services. For the most part they cook and serve chow at the dining facility (DFAC). These people are sometimes treated like second class citizens. They are not allowed many privileges because of force protection issues and really have no way to entertain themselves besides the volleyball and basketball court that they built themselves. Also, they have to purchase their own personal hygiene items and make very little money. We, in the Mayor's Cell, would like to help out in this department. So if you would like to send care packages with these items in them we will ensure that these people get them. Myself and another captain spearheading this project and are taking up collections from around the camp to get this started but we need help from home to keep it going.
Christmas Stocking for wounded soldiers in Landstuhl --[Soldiers' Angels Germany]
This year we are looking again for christmas stocking for the wounded soldiers here in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) and Kleber Barracks in Kaiserslautern.
We need for the wounded and injured soldiers...
His one-man mission gives disabled Iraqis normalcy --[Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Al Radwaniyah, Iraq ? The gift from Staff Sgt. Joe Neely was nothing extravagant. Yet for the family of Hussein Ali Tamer, the gesture was life-changing.
The gift was a shiny new wheelchair purchased with Neely?s money by his interpreter in Baghdad.
It means Tamer?s disabled mother, Sabiha Mahawez, will not have to sit all day on a dusty mattress laid out on the small veranda attached to his sparsely furnished house. It means that his daughter, Iman, 12, will no longer have to stay home to take care of her grandmother ? she can go back to school...
USS Virginia Deploys --[The Stupid Shall be Punished]
Although I can't find it on-line yet, I hear from a reader that USS Virginia has gotten underway on her initial deployment. Coming less than a year after her commissioning, this is a really remarkable feat.
Farewell To Most Powerful ICBM --[PatriotVoices]
The era of the Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile, often credited with helping end the Cold War, is coming to its own close Sept. 19 with the final phase of the deactivation process.
The Peacekeeper is the most powerful, accurate missile ever deployed, said Lt. Col. David Bliesner, 400th Missile Squadron commander here.
The U.S. Constitution --[Where I Stand]
I grew up in a home where the U.S. Constitution was virtually canon, the word of God. At a young age, my parents took me to a seminar by Cleon Skousen on the Constitution. Skousen is a respected Constitutional authority and I learned much from this seminar about the constitution and our founding fathers.
Oregon Property Rights --[Austin Bay Blog]
just attended an hour-long discussion of Measure 37, Oregon?s ?property compensation? law. Last November, voters passed the measure 61 percent for, 39 percent against. Measure 37 went into effect sometime in December 2004 and it requires compensation of land owners for ?economic loss? due to regulations imposed since the landowners acquired the property. This is a complex issue.
Now, Can Casey Sheehan Rest in Peace? --[Baldilocks]
The sad thing is that losing her son has apparently driven Cindy Sheehan (even farther) around the bend. She has become a spectacle, a limelight addict; not caring how she gets on that stage. And having been eclipsed by a city-destroying perfect storm, she acts boldly to re-assert her place in the light even if it means evoking a vengeful God, spewing the nonsensical, and stating the exact opposite of the leftist talking points in order to bash and blame President Bush. No stinking storm and a bunch of homeless black people are going to steal her show, no sirree. At least not for very long.
Tales from the Left - Sheehan: New Orleans is an "Occupied City" --[GM's Corner]
When nuts from the left get vocal, their words alone are enough to make one just shake his head and walk away stunned. Well, here are recent comments about New Orleans from a post by Hero of the Left--Cindy Sheehan, who showcases the intelligence and logic of that side so well.
"One thing that truly troubled me about my visit to Louisiana was the level of the military presence there. But what I saw was a city that is occupied. I saw soldiers walking around in patrols of 7 with their weapons slung on their backs. I wanted to ask one of them what it would take for one of them to shoot me..."
Schwarzenegger says he'll seek reelection in 2006 --[Reuters]
In a widely expected announcement, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Friday he would seek reelection in November 2006.
"I am a follow-through guy; I learned that from sports. In every sport you learn about following through," the former bodybuilder turned Republican politician told an invited crowd in San Diego.
Bush to Meet With Senators Over Second Vacancy on Court --[NY Times]
President Bush plans to meet Wednesday with Republican and Democratic Senate leaders about filling the Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Senate aides from both parties said.
But conservative allies of the White House say they do not expect him to select someone until the full Senate votes on the confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice later this month.
Bush Turns Attention to 2nd Court Vacancy --[AP]
With Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts cruising toward confirmation, President Bush is turning his attention to a second vacancy on the nine-member Supreme Court. The president extended invitations Friday to key Senate leaders to meet at the White House next week to discuss the seat held by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Readers on Objectivity v. Transparency --[Media Blog]
As an occasional stringer for talk radio who has been through two Mideast embeds, I wanted to take your argument a step further. I was frequently asked by a variety of soldiers and sailors about media bias ? in particular against them ? but noticed that they often confused editorials or op-eds with the (heavy emphasis here) straight reporting.
Happy Birthday to Phil!! --[Phil and Becky]
Just wanted to let you all know that today is Phil's birthday!!! He's caught back up to me and we're the same age again. :) If you get a chance, wish him a happy day!
Happy Blogiversary To Me! --[The Stupid Shall be Punished]
This being the first anniversary of me starting this blog, I'm required by fortnights of tradition to write a long, self-absorbed post about "what it all means". When I started this blog a year ago, I really didn't know what to expect. My first post tells what I had hoped to accomplish.
mission complete --[Blog Machine City]
At last, home. Nothing more I can say, at least not for now.
SPF (16 Sep 05) --[A Soldier's Perspective]
With Halloween coming up in about 45 days, I set about looking for a costume....As I continued to surf, I came across the costume of my dreams and had to have it...So, I now present my Self Portrait Friday picture trying on the costume. Introducing?Fatbat!! (pic)
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Ok, I thought perhaps you would want to know when Mrs Greyhawk will be back to do the Dawn Patrols herself and just who the heck took over them in the meantime. Mrs Greyhawk is taking a vacation with her mom, to be joined later by Mr Greyhawk and the kids. Mrs Greyhawk will be back on October 5th, and while I'm not exactly sure what date Mr G is joining her between now and then, he will be back the same day. I guess if nothing else we'll know he's gone when he stops posting for awhile...lol.
Who the heck am I and why did Mrs Greyhawk pick me to do the blogging? I can honestly say that I'm honored to be able to post at the Mudville Gazette while Mrs G is away, and I almost died of a heart attack when she asked me to post here while they are on vacation. Mrs Greyhawk said she picked me because she likes my blog, and she likes me....I am still wondering how on God's green earth I deserve the privilage, but I'm going with it, and I'll do my best. I'm Holly Aho (from the blog Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho) by the way, if you missed that in today's Dawn Patrol.
Mrs Greyhawk told me to promote my blog and Soldiers Angels while I'm here, in fact she said to do that as much as possible. While I don't think I can sit here and promote myself shamelessly...I am more than happy to promote Soldiers Angels! So if you see several posts about Soldiers Angels and supporting our troops over the next 2 1/2 weeks...I'm just happily doing my job.
Well, now that you know how long you'll have to put up with me, I'll leave you to the reading and blogging!
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
The Greyhawks are on vacation, so I'm filling in as the guest blogger while they have a well deserved good time! While I'm at it I want to let you know how much work the Dawn Patrol is to put together. If you haven't yet hit the Greyhawk's tip jar I highly recommend you do so! This much work on a daily basis deserves a well rounded tip. So, without any further procrastination, and hoping I'm doing at least a satisfactory job at this, here's the Dawn Patrol.....
Looking for items for my troops -- [Courage Without Fear - In Iraq]
If you've visited my site in the past, you may have noticed the Amazon.com Wish List I had on the right side of the page...I've decided that instead of putting up a list of things I want, I should change it to a list of things my soldier's need. Currently the Wish List has some items on it that my mechanics really need.
New Kinds of Interaction -- [Dadmanly - In Iraq]
I wrote a few weeks ago about visiting the Iraqi Army. That was quite an experience, and I'm glad I had the opportunity while I was here. We really haven't had any contact with average Iraqis, we are in our own compounds, and the Soldiers of our unit don't have the kind of jobs that get them out into the villages or the city.
Samarra learning from Talafar... --[IRAQ THE MODEL -- an Iraqi in Iraq]
Yesterday, the minister of defense met delegates from Samarra in his office. The visit arranged for by the head of the Sunni mortmain department sheikh Ahmed Al-Samarrai came after the minister declared that that the government is going to send troops to other cities including Samarra.
The minister was straightforward in his speech and warned the delegates that if the city doesn't cooperate with the authorities in eliminating terror and criminal gangs, troops will have to enter the city and clean it up in a way similar to what happened in Talafar and the minister said that one month will be given to allow the city to take positive steps before power is used.
New Home --[Reverse Retina - in Iraq]
I'm moving locations...This is the last time you'll see the podcast here...Go to www.reverseretina.com to continue enjoying my lovely and wonderful outlook on things...
Allah Tahlize --[Sisyphus Today...]
In F.E. Peters' Course, One God, Three Faiths, Judaism, Chritianity, and Islam are compared and contrasted using themselves as their own perspectives. To clarify, Peters makes no judgment on the validity of the religions, merely pronounces what a subscriber to that belief would say about that religion. Each religion is evaluated in its own light, on its own merit. Historical context is also weighed against the religion as a framework to show the development and spread.
Here are 2 chapters that pertain to my points...
Change of Pace --[Stardotstar.org]
Here is my blog knuckle-ball. No rant no story. Just a question. What would be some appropriate gifts I could get for the people who work on base. Many of them are pretty interested in America, but could never afford to travel there. One guy has already asked me to get him some motorcross videos, so Mel is going to burn some to DVD using our Tivo. I?d like to get something that is distinctly from America, and can?t be bought here at the PX. It seems like so many popular American products are imported. Anyways, I?m asking anyone who reads this blog to submit an idea either by comment or email.
An Interesting Day... --[Warriorsvoice]
Sending a loved one off to Iraq is not easy to do (as some of you may know), but when hearing about instances like this, it makes it easier to deal with.
Below is a message sent from Jason this week.
Don?t Eat Yellow Snow --[MREater - in Iraq]
And watch what you?re drinking. We get Gatorade and Crystal Light packets to mix with water, as well as instant tea, and Kool Aid. Most soldiers just figure out the proper amount to pour into a half liter or one and a half liter bottle and mix the beverage in the bottle. You?ll see soldiers drinking red, green, orange, purple, yellow or brown liquid form the water bottles.
Of course, soldiers also use the bottles to spit in when they chew tobacco. And, the one and a half liter bottles are popular to use as, uh, chamber pots.
Suicide attack on Iraqi Shi'ite mosque kills 11 --[Reuters]
A suicide car bomber blew himself up outside a Shi'ite mosque north of Baghdad on Friday, killing 11 and wounding 24, the latest attack in a three-day surge of violence that has killed more than 200 people.
As Saddam's day in Iraq court nears, hiccups emerge --[Reuters]
Some predict it could be the "trial of the century" but bringing Saddam Hussein to justice has hardly gone smoothly and may get rockier still.
Deadly Toll Continues in Iraq, as Car Bomber and Gunmen Strike --[NY Times]
Insurgents continued their deadly week of attacks in Baghdad today, killing at least four people in drive-by shootings, including two men hoping to be hired as day laborers.
Latest Iraq Blast Targets Shiite Mosque --[AP]
A suicide car bomber hit worshippers leaving a Shiite mosque in a northern Iraqi town shortly after midday prayers Friday, killing at least 10 people. Twelve other people were killed elsewhere by militants as the Sunni-dominated insurgency pressed its "all-out war" against the government.
Long Trip To Germany --[The Siegrist Blogs]
After 2 days of total BS I arrived in Germany to start my R&R. The trip was long and hard when I spool down here I'll give you all a blow by blow, for now all I can tell those who are getting ready to head home, stop by the TMC and get a frontal lobotomy before you head out. Yes its that bad. More to follow....
Afghanistan Parliamentary elections in Picture --[Afghan LORD - an Afghan in Afghanistan]
Afghanistan Parliamentary Elections in Picture: Please go to my photo blog in Flicker or view as a slideshow (pic)
Candidate killed; Taliban urge Afghan poll boycott --[Reuters]
Suspected Taliban militants shot dead a candidate in Afghanistan's weekend elections, an official said on Friday, as the guerrillas warned voters they could be hurt unless they boycotted the polls.
Voting May Be Life-and-Death Choice for Afghans --[NY Times]
A newly emboldened insurgency in Afghanistan has stepped up a campaign of threats and thuggery on the eve of elections.
Press freedom suffers setback in Japan --[Riding Sun]
Japan Media Review has an amazing article by Tony McNicol about a Japanese magazine publisher arrested and thrown in jail on the suspicion that certain stories he ran legally constituted defamation...
Indian Submarine Fleet To Grow --[The Stupid Shall Be Punished]
Winds of Change has a good article, with lots of links, on the growing Indian submarine fleet, and in particular their recent decision to build six French/Spanish-designed Scorpene subs. The current Indian submarine force consists of either imported or indigeniously-produced Type 209 (German) or Kilo Class (Russian) boats; they got rid of their old Foxtrot-class boats a few years ago.
Of special interest is the stated Indian intention of constructing their own nuclear submarine.
Batebi: Political Prisoner on the Run --[America's Liberty Security Force]
Cyrus News Ahmad Batebi was a young student leader several years ago. He was attending Tehran University when the uprising of 1999 occured. He was imprisoned by the Iranian Guard and sentenced to death. With the outcries from all over the world, the sentence was reduced to 15 years.
During a temporary release, Batebi managed to escape about 4 months ago.
China draft raises hopes at North Korea talks --[Reuters]
The United States threatened to freeze North Korean assets if the reclusive state did not toe the line in talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program, but a new proposal from China raised hopes for progress.
Bush gives Iran-EU nuclear talks new life: Iran --[Reuters]
Comments by U.S. President George W. Bush underlining Iran's right to a nuclear energy programme have given fresh impetus to Tehran's talks with the European Union, a senior Iranian official said on Friday.
Two years of discussions between Tehran and the EU trio of Britain, Germany and France broke down last month after Iran rejected an EU proposal to resolve the nuclear issue and broke U.N. seals at a uranium conversion plant.
Iran Promises Proposals to End Nuclear Stalemate --[NY Times]
Iran's president said he would present "new proposals" to break the impasse with Western nations over his nuclear programs.
Sharon Tells U.N. It's Time for Palestinian Peace Steps --[NY Times]
The prime minister challenged Palestinians to demonstrate their commitment to peace now that Israel has withdrawn from Gaza.
N. Korea Rejects China's Nuclear Proposal --[AP]
North Korea rejected a Chinese proposal to end the stalemate over its atomic weapons agenda, repeating Friday it would not give up its peaceful nuclear program without concessions the United States is unlikely to grant.
One who was there? --[Mostly Cajun, All American and Opinionated]
This note is from a girl who I work with named Robin. She?s in Louisiana and amid all the turmoil there. When I read her story I got the chills; this is horrible. I?m sending this to all of you to spread the word, PRAY. There are local churches where she lives who will be housing the homeless. Here?s her note: ***
Looking at the the Press & Katrina --[ROFASix]
Is the Katrina story all over except the finger pointing and the shoveling of cash into the region? After watching the President?s speech this evening from New Orleans I was heartened that at least some of the ideas that I discussed in a recent posting may actually happen. Bush had a choice, he could either be part of the problem, or show leadership and take charge of fixing the problems that we saw arise with Katrina. Tonight, it looks like he choose the latter, to his credit.
The (current) President,FDR,and pay-per-view. --{From My Position..On the Way!]
I am mistaken. Thankfully, there is a person in charge of this country who set my thinking straight tonight. While everyone seemed to be grousing about who or what was to blame for the damage that Katrina wrought, our president focused his efforts on what can be done to help the people that were affected. I'm humbled by the amount of work that he has done, both asking Congress for relief and also coming up with plans to help the people that have had their lives turned upside down. Not just a plan to give them a hand out; or to say "here's some money go help yourself." Rather, he came up with a plan to help people start businesses back up, and to rebuild their houses and their city.
Bush Vows U.S. Gulf Coast Will Be Rebuilt --Washington Post]
President pledges unprecedented federal assistance for one of world's largest reconstruction efforts.
Poll: Some Won't Return Home --[Washington Post]
Two-thirds of New Orleans evacuees planning to relocate want to remain in the Houston area.
Mayor Announces Plan to Reopen New Orleans --[AP]
In a few days, residents will begin moving back into this city one ZIP code at a time, speeding the revival of the economy in places like the French Quarter - the bawdy enclave that suffered relatively minor damage in the hurricane but is still without electricity. Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced plans Thursday to reopen some of New Orleans' most vibrant and least flood-ravaged neighborhoods over the next week and a half, including the French Quarter.
French Quarter races to reopen --[Reuters]
New Orleans' famed French Quarter is racing to open its bars and clubs, spurred by President George W. Bush's promise to rebuild a city where rescuers are still picking up the dead of Hurricane Katrina.
Photographing jihad --[TigerHawk]
Don't you wonder how photographers get pictures like this? (pic) It seems that the insurgents would only allow themselves to be photographed if they believe that the publication of the pictures will serve the purposes of the insurgency. So either the person who took the picture was helping the insurgents at their behest, or they were unaware that their picture was being taken because the photographer was hiding from them at great risk to life and limb.
Americans on the Side of Terror --[Andi's World]
There have been a handful of times when I sat down to blog about something, but had to think long and hard before I did. This post is a perfect example of one of those times. As I mentioned here, my husband and I participated in the Freedom Walk which took place on September 11 in our Nation's capital. While the event itself was free of political overtones, we encountered a rather disturbing event during the walk.
While driving to the Pentagon, my husband looked at me and asked, "Will CodePink be there?". Without hesitation, I said, "No. No way. This isn't a political event, this is about 9/11, even they wouldn't disrupt this event." I was right, CodePink didn't show. But someone else did.
Come Out and Show Your Support for Our Troops --[Andi's World]
Move America Forward's pro-troop tour is underway. This a cross-country bus tour meant to show support for our troops. It began in California and will end in Washington, DC. You can find the schedule here. For those of us in Washington, tomorrow night will be the warm-up for the 23rd, when the tour comes to Walter Reed.
Long Lost Letter --[The Patriette]
WWII Soldier's Last Letter Makes It Home
It is indeed amazing that the letter reached the soldier's family after so many years - cheers for the man who found it and managed to track down the family and get it to them.
1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas ask for help! --[Soldiers Angels Germany]
Operation: A Bit of Home has been asked by the First Cavalry to help support the Heroes assisting in the Katrina Relief efforts, and they have asked Soldiers' Angels to assist them, and to help get the word out. Below is the request they received. If you would like to donate funds or items, please visit the Operation: A Bit of Home website. I've got a soft spot for the 1st Cavalry, as my first adopted Soldier is a 1st Cav Trooper.
Red Skelton Audio on Pledge and "Under God" Addition --[GM's Corner]
Many of you remember Red Skelton, a popular comedian, clown, actor, and television host. On a show in 1969, he explained the meaning of every word in our "Pledge of Allegiance." His presentation has touched many and has been read into the Congressional Record and received awards. Red Skelton ends the lesson by discussing the special meaning of "under God" in the pledge. This ties in with G.M.'s entry below and is worth taking the time to hear.
The Left's Tax Increase Catch-22 --[Molten Thought]
Another great Lefty idea: raise taxes in the wake of Katrina.
I love the Left---raise taxes when times are good because we can "afford" to pay more taxes, raise them when times are tough because it will "stimulate" the economy.
Amid the Ruins, a President Tries to Reconstruct His Image, Too --[NY Times]
George W. Bush introduced himself last night in an unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable new role: domestic president.
Chief Justice Nominee Speaks Volumes, While Saying Little --[NY Times]
Judge John G. Roberts Jr. made clear that his approach to interpreting the Constitution is varied and flexible.
Moonves: CBS News is "Back to the Drawing Board" --[Media Blog]
CBS honcho Leslie Moonves sees big changes ahead for CBS News. According to this story, Moonves told investors yesterday that CBS News had to go "back to the drawing board":
When asked about the progress of the revamp of the low-rated "CBS Evening News" prompted by the departure of longtime anchor Dan Rather in March, Moonves conceded CBS News isn't close to the radical makeover he has envisioned to boost the fortunes of the show.
Is the ?Bathroom Break? photo a set-up? --[The Anchoress]
I downloaded the photo and resized it to 800 pixels wide by 458 pixels tall. It is very clear that the comment ?I think I may need a bathroom break?? was written in block letters by a person other than the one responding to it in this photo. The hand in the photo, if it is President Bush?s, is clearly writing not only in script, but at a slightly different size, with a different amount of force than the person who wrote the block comment.
"He's rounding third and heading for the plate... Here comes the relay throw, it's gonna be a close play... and he's... SAFE AT HOME!"
We actually got home yesterday, but I was sure that you all would understand if the first thing I did when I arrived had absolutely nothing to do with the computer, the internet, my blog-friends, or anything like that.
I Have An African Brother!! --[A Soldier's Perspective]
I haven?t done a Nigerian-type scam in awhile and I?ve been holding this one until I could. I literally get about 5 of these things each day. It?s insane. Anyway, here?s the letter I got not long ago that I?m using as my next victim...And here?s my response email..
"Dearest Mr. Barrister Williams esq (I once knew a man named Bill S. Preston esq, a friend of Ted?s),
Your letter brings me much grief. Unfortunately not the way most people think. Brian was always the favorite in the family. My mom would always say, ?why can?t you be more like Brian?? My response was always, ?who?s Brian?? Personally, I think she was a little psychotic and imagined things, but since you say my brother has been spotted in Nigeria, he must be real. Good thing too, because Brian owes me money. I hope that the crash was a painful one and his thoughts were about the nonexistent brother he left back in America.
Anyway, I?d really like to help you, but..."
Bush Accidentally Delivers Rejected Draft Speech --[ScrappleFace]
The White House communications team scrambled this morning to explain how President George Bush accidentally delivered a rejected draft speech in New Orleans last night on national TV.
Rules of Thumb for Cleaning, Packrats and Slobs --[A Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
If you have packrat tendencies, or don't realize you're a slob....or perhaps are married to one and can't seem to keep up, here are a few guidelines and indicators that should help.
How to know if you are a slob...
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
"Dr. Jafari", thank you for the failure and the second fall of Baghdad! -- [Treasure in Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq](pics)
By eleven suicide car bombs today, more than 150 innocent people were killed in Baghdad which fell in the hands of the terrorists whom Jafari, the Prime Minister, said he is defeating. In today's post, I would like to thank him and thank all those in his government for their failure.
Thank you "Dr. Jafari" for keeping your promise in "protecting" us. ...
Al-Zarqawi declared his filthy war against the Shiites -- [Hammorabi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
There is a question for every righteous person: What is the relation between what is called resistance and killing of hundreds of laborers standing all the day under the hot sun in Baghdad trying to get a temporary hourly paid job for a day or less to feed their children?
Al-Qaeda avenging Talafar. -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Today Al-Qaeda carried out their threat and launched their "final battle" that has no apparent goal other than killing the largest possible number of Iraqis. Maybe Al-Qaeda wants to exterminate all Iraqis as a start for exterminating mankind!
The Grand Vision of the President -- [Dadmanly - in Irag]
Of Iraq, that is.
...President Talabani spoke eloquently of Iraqi and American militaries fighting side-by-side against these jihadists who so desperately want the Iraqi Democratic experiment to fail. President Talabani described his country, rightly, as the "world's youngest democracy." He also correctly identifies the enemies of Iraq and Coalition Forces as the enemies of humanity:
Stupidty -- [An Iraqi's Thoughts - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Iraqi lady whose family are known to have been agents and spies for Saddam:
Hey everyone tell me how is Iraq? I have been in England all summer? What's the news ? Anything new?
Bunch of brainwashed Iraqi women:
Are you serious?
Iraqi lady: Tell me how much land have the Kurds stolen from us?
Morale of this tale.....
O-3 Meets Five-O -- [Faces from the Front - JD's Blog in Iraq]
Khamel?s voice kept rising as the words flowed faster. Dressed in a yellow jumpsuit and sturdy flip flops, and with his ankles shackled by looped flex cuffs, he leaned toward the Investigatory Judge explaining his side of the story. When Khamel started running out of steam, the judge slowly opened a legal folder and then slapped a photo of Khamel down on the desk.
Baiting first responders -- [Phil and Becky - Phil's in Iraq]
Earlier this week, our guys foiled a fairly well planned attack that the bad guys threw at us.
...As our guys made their way to the IA soldier's house, we received a report of a suspiciously located car parked along the route that our guys had to take to get there. We passed the word, but learned that the platoon had already bypassed the vehicle. We then informed the follow-on platoon to treat the vehicle as a possible VBIED (vehicle-borne IED). It was in the perfect place to target first responders and we weren't going to take any chances.
Summer's End -- [365 and a Wake Up - in Iraq]
The burning torch that plagued our days has started to sputter ? the reign of summer has ended. The ebony ribbons of asphalt have lost their plasticity and solidified like black sheets of ice. Scorching fields of sand no longer send waves of heat rippling through the soles of your boots. And the shimmering blooms of heat that refracted light like dancing water have finally settled. The temperatures are still in the low triple digits, but after months of brutal summer heat that feels downright pleasant.
September 14, 2005 - NCOER after NCOER -- [Kevin Kelly - Dixie Sappers in Iraq]
We had a few missions go out this morning. Everything went pretty good. The ING keep complaining about not having enough water. When Americans take water buffalo somewhere, they can last on it about a week. It seems like the ING goes through one a day. If it gets half empty, they expect it to be filled. I know some people are getting tired of constantly catering to every need they have. It looks like they could do some of the stuff on their own. They are doing a good job at the checkpoint/Bottomline, but they always want something else. If you don't bring them hot food for breakfast or dinner they complain, but if you bring it to them, they don't eat it. It's a lose, lose situation. Well, only about 90 something more days before the 4th Infantry Division will take over the adoption of them. Several of us will gladly turn over that power.
Economic recovery in Mosul -- [The Cool Blue Blog]
Economic Hopes Soar in Ninawa Province
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers build a new air traffic control tower, and plans other improvements to help economic recovery, and increase employment
My eldest son - bound for war -- [One Hand Clapping](pics)
Yesterday my eldest son, Lance Cpl. Stephen Sensing, deployed with his unit to Iraq. His mother, brother, sister and I traveled to Camp Lejeune, NC, to see him of. Cathy?s dad, from Durham, went with us also.
Settling In -- [There and Back Again - in Iraq]
Right now I am settling in to my job here at Camp Slayer. I am the Facilities Manager for a base camp. This job is completely outside the scope of my job. I will be dealing with a lot of contractors and the contracting process. I will also finally be putting my hard earned degree to use. I will be doing environmental inspections and overseeing the energy and environmental connservation programs here at the camp. I will also have the chance to get involved in Hazardous Materials clean up. This is especially exciting since this is the field I think I might like to enter in a later career.
Duke Home From Iraq - Final Thoughts -- [Broken Masterpieces - Duke dispates from Iraq]
The flight to Dover lasted about nine hours. As soon as we landed the honor guard appeared to take the fallen soldier from the plane. The C-5 has a unique feature. Because it is so tall in order to load or unload cargo the front of the plane can be lowered. When the plane does this it is referred to as ?kneeling?. In order for the flag-draped casket to be removed from this plane, it would need to kneel. It seems fitting for such a solemn event that even the plane would kneel in reverence for the sacrifice of the fallen. As the door of the C-5 opened there was the honor guard, called to attention by their leader. I was excited to be back home; in contrast, the honor guard was somber as they performed the duty of honoring the fallen Marine. What a contrast indeed!
Iraqi forces to take over Shia cities soon -- (Financial Times)
Iraqi forces are set to take over military responsibility in three main Shia cities before the end of the year, following this month's handover of the holy Shia city of Najaf, according to Iraq's na...
Baghdad: The bloodiest day -- (The Independent)
A suicide bomber sparked Baghdad's worst day of slaughter since the fall of Saddam 30 months ago when he lured labourers desperate for work towards his van by offering them jobs and then detonated exp...
New Round of Iraq Violence Leaves 31 Dead --(AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two suicide car bombers struck within a minute of each other just a half mile apart in south Baghdad Thursday, killing at least seven policemen and raising the day's bombing death toll in the capital to at least 31, police said....
Terrorists unite to plot Iraqi civil war -- (Times Online)
A TERRORIST mastermind has united insurgent groups in Baghdad to target the Iraqi Shia Muslim community with the aim of bringing civil war to Iraq, The Times has learnt.
Afghanistan Parliamentary election -- [Afghan LORD - an Afghan in Afghanistan]
Only a few days are left before the historic parliamentary and Provincial Councils in Afghanistan. This is a great national event in which the Afghans are paying a great hope and expect that this should lay the foundation for a democratic society in their land. It is true because for the first time in its volatile history the Afghanistan nation is going to the polls to elect their representatives to the Parliament and the Provincial Councils in a democratic, free and fair manner.
In the name of security ! -- [Afghan Reality - an Afghan in Afghanistan]
Every effort is made to improve the security situation although with little success in many rural parts of the country. Additionaly, looking at the amount of international aid and resources devoted towards improving the security situation, one finds it rather astonishing and worth rethinking.
Lcpl Pete, USMC, Daily Commute -- [The Gunn Nutt]
Hooray! Photos from Afghanistan. (pic)
Pete on his way to work. Yes, that's an Army dude standing in the hatch. Maybe they picked up a hitchhiker.
Bin Laden ill -- (News24 SA)
Beirut - Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is ill and seeking medical attention, according to a US military commander in Afghanistan quoted by an Arabic newspaper on Wedne...
US military denies "bin Laden ill" report -- (China Daily)
The U.S. military in Afghanistan denied on Wednesday that one of its officers had told reporters Osama bin Laden was seeking medical attention, Reuters reported. The London-based Arabic newspaper al...
Afghans helped bin Laden flee to Pakistan, official says -- (Houston Chronicle)
Commanders got al-Qaida money or sympathized with its cause, he says KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Osama bin Laden was provided safe passage to Pakistan in 2001 by Afghan commanders who were paid by al-Qaida...
Kashmir troops cut to boost peace, Musharraf tells Bush -- (The News International)...Fahd Husain
NEW YORK: In a 30-minute one-on-one meeting, President Pervez Musharraf told his American counterpart George W Bush that India should take steps to reduce troops from specific areas in...
AFGHANISTAN: HOPES PINNED ON WOMEN -- (AKI)
Kabul, 15 Sept. - (by Marco Liconti) - In a country where culture and social conventions make it difficult for women even to go out shopping for food, the female participation in this Sunday's elections is both a gamble and a challenge. Some 580 female candidates - ten percent of the total - are running for office and in the Wolesi Jirqa (parliament) 25 percent of the seats are reserved for female candidates, under the new constitution. Even if women need...
The "Law of Unintended Consequences" --[Way Down In Kosovo - in Kosovo]
...This is where "The Law of Unintended Consequences" comes into play. The Law of Unintended Consequences holds that almost all human actions have at least one unintended consequence. Such is the case with the well intended cleanup of the "park" in Pristina. When the locals around the area of this..."park"...saw what UNMIK had wrought, they were most favorably impressed. Finally, finally, finally, someone would do something about the trash problem. Wonderful!
KOSOVO: ACTIVIST PREDICTS INDEPENDENCE OR BLOODSHED -- (AKI)
Belgrade, 14 Sept. - A leading political veteran in Kosovo, Adem Demaci, has said that the province, with its majority ethnic Albanian population, should be granted independence, or it could trigger new bloodshed which might spread to Serbia and surrounding countries. Demaci, who spent almost 30 years in jail in communist Yugoslavia for advocating Kosovo separatism told Serbian daily ?Gradjanski list? that ethnic Albanians, who make a 1.7 million majority in Kosovo against 100,000 Serbs, would settle for nothing short of independence and that the international community should be aware of it.
Japan may set up anti-terror unit at US base-paper -- (Reuters)
TOKYO - Japan and the United States plan to station a new Japanese anti-terrorist unit at a U.S. military base in Japan, another sign of closer military cooperation between the allies, a Japanese daily reported on Thursday
That's What Makes You Strong
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports as of Sunday, all MS National Guard soldiers' families had been contacted either by people in their communities or the soldiers themselves, according to Maj. Erby Montgomery, public affairs officer
Soldiers Never Complain -- [Pepple Pie - Blue Star Mom]
But they need us now, you'll never hear this from them....so
Military families needing assistance locating loved ones and finding support for their families should contact...
Day 253 - A Long Two Weeks. -- [Big Al's Army Life - Al's in Iraq]
One girl, whose name I was never told, will always stick in my mind. She was 13, with high cheekbones, pale chocolate skin and gorgeous gray eyes. She had an authentic "New Orleans accent" - and she had evacuated from the Civic Center. The things that she told me that people had experienced there were just horrifying (people getting raped and beaten, babies getting trampled, no food, no water for three days). And I listened as best as I could, and looked away when I thought that I couldn't swallow my tears anymore. It was hard enough to hear that stuff on the news, but to be confronted with it first hand was next to impossible to accept.
We have roughly 10,000 evacuees in Birmingham - and we are one smallish Southern metropolis...
La. Governor Takes Blame for Response -- (AP)
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Echoing the words of President Bush a day earlier, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco took responsibility Wednesday for failures and missteps in the immediate response to Hurricane Katrina and pledged a united effort to rebuild areas ravaged by the storm....
WRAPUP 1-Bush to announce new help for hurricane region -- (Reuters)
NEW ORLEANS Sept 15 - As U.S. President George W. Bush prepared to unveil plans on Thursday to revive areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the mayor of New Orleans said his own initiative could return 180,000 people to the city within two weeks.
Bush to Offer Hurricane Aid Package -- (AP)
WASHINGTON - Faced with the unprecedented destruction of a major U.S. city and communities across the Gulf Coast, President Bush is using an address to the nation to offer a package of new federal aid to help uprooted hurricane victims rebuild their lives. Bush was announcing his reconstruction plan in New Orleans on Thursday night during a televised address also aimed at mending his image as a strong leader in a time of crisis.
Govt. Credit Cards for Katrina Draw Fire -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers and watchdog groups worry that allowing federal employees to charge up to $250,000 on their government-issued credit cards for Hurricane Katrina-related expenses will lead to a repeat of past abuses....
The Patriot -- [A Soldier's Thoughts - in Iraq]
I remember when it used to mean something to have a flag. When it wasn't just the popular thing to do. Now you wear a flag lapel pin and it really doesn't mean much. Just go to your local supermarket for proof. There you can find things like Patriot's Choice bottled water and red white and blue chips.
Poll: Rebuilding New Orleans High Priority -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- Americans say rebuilding New Orleans is more important to them than cutting taxes or changing Social Security, a poll found. Cutting taxes and changing Social Security were both priorities of the Bush administration before the storm....
Newsview: 3 Crises Define Bush Presidency -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- It's August in Crawford, Texas, and President Bush is on vacation. His poll ratings are slumping. He hears warnings of a looming crisis that will soon change the course of his presidency....
Pledge of Allegiance said unconstitutional -- (Seattle Post-Intelligencer -(AP)
COURT RULING: A federal judge has declared that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional.
REASONING: The judge said the pledge's reference ...
Calif. Gov. All but Says He'll Run Again -- (Washington Post) -(AP)
CLOVIS, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger all but declared his intent Wednesday to run for re-election in 2006, telling a friendly audience that his job isn't finished and that he would announce his plans Friday....
NYT Can't Keep Death Story Straight -- [Dave's Not Here - US Civ.in Iraq]
In today's New York Times:
The death toll in today's attacks was among the heaviest yet seen in Iraq, and the worst death toll in a single day since the war began in 2003. At least two attacks today were directed against Shiites, the latest in a campaign by Sunni insurgents bent on exploiting sectarian divisions across Iraq.
The ABSTRACT from the "Paper of Record's" pages on 1 September 2005:
More than 950 people are killed and hundreds more injured when rumors of suicide bomber provoke frenzied...
The Beverly Kennedys - "Judgment Day"
Let me tell you a little story 'bout a man named Ted
A rich northern Yank drank so much his nose was red
And then one day he was judging a new judge
When he got upstaged by a dude who wouldn't budge
Biden, that is
Hair Club for Men
Joltin' Joe
Responsibility Missing from Gulf Coast, Bush Took It -- [ScrappleFace]
(2005-09-14) -- After two weeks of speculation about what happened to personal responsibility on the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, President George Bush finally admitted yesterday that he has taken it.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
After Action Report: Oil Spots and Tal Afar -- [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio]
There has been much debate in the past on the lack of an effective strategy to fight the insurgency in Iraq. In the September/October edition of Foreign Affairs, Andrew Krepinevich argues that to win, the U.S. must fight using an "oil spot" strategy, which is one of securing major cities, and working your way to the outlying areas, slowing gaining control of the region and establishing law and order. Two days ago, Pamela Hess reported that the oil spot strategy (or "ink blot" in her article) is working effectively in Fallujah. Yesterday, Col. H. R. McMaster, the commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, reports the oil spot strategy is being executed in Tal Afar.
Not Re-Inventing the Wheel...Just Fixing It -- [MaDeuce Gunner - in Iraq]
Sol was still fairly low in the eastern sky, its scorching rays tempered still, by a thin layer of clouds, yet to be burned off by the heat from the sun, and from the dust that rose into the air, kicked up from the convoy. We bump and bounce along a dirt road, tall reeds run the length of the rutted path, seperating the route from the irrigation canal on our left.
As my rippled soles of my boots hit the crust, I look around and survey my surroundings. The ground, baked hard from eons of desert sun, is sprinkled, seemingly uniformly, with black pellets.
Trust -- [365 and a Wake Up - in Iraq]
Baghdad is broken into sectors called muhollahs, neat geographic zones demarcated by streets and natural landmarks. Every muhollah has a regional powerbroker, an individual or group of individuals that serve as impromptu coordinators for regional projects. This semi chaotic form of local governance is hardly idea, but it seems to work in the densely populated regions in Baghdad.
But in the scattered settlements in Southern Baghdad there are no muhollahs, just...
Split it into two -- [An Iraqi's Thoughts - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Reason we or most of us stopped writing, is its not even worth it.
Saddam managed to create so many people who have the same mentality and backwardness that he had. Now who knows whose stealing whose not, whether Iran or Syria will keep their agendas the way they are.
Let Iraq be split in 2.
One for the Liberal secular pro-western iraqis of all races and religons. Second for those that support ...
Taxi !! -- [Treasure in Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Not in my way, I am sorry," said 15 taxi drivers whom I stopped this morning while I was going to work.
Waiting for an hour just to get a taxi drives me crazy in this country. What made this matter worse is the government's decision of the odd and even numbers which made the taxi drivers the Emperors of their age.
US Soldiers driving style -- [An Average Iraqi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
...In order not to make this post, a whine'n'blame kind of post, I have a few suggestions. It has been decided a long time ago that no military convoy is supposed to be patrolling inside the city, in any case there is nothing in the city that the National Guards won't be able to handle like the US strykers. Such fire power is only needed when fighting large groups of insurgents, or making assaults on their hiding, like the assault made on Tal Aafar, and even there, most of the NGs did most of the fighting, but simply patrolling the streets looking for terrorists is not the job of the US stykers to be doing. It is a war machine after all, not a peace keeping one.
Hello, goodbye, hello, goodbye -- [MREater - in Iraq]
Yet another group of Air Force has rotated through our FOB. The group here when we arrived last December was around for a month or so, then rotated out, replaced by a new group. That group was here for four months, then they left and another new group came in. That group just left, and now the fourth group of Air Force service members has arrived. Four Air Force units, and we?re still here. (Oddly, the unit name never changes. I don?t get that)
Brrrrr -- [Who's your Baghdaddy? - in Iraq]
I stepped out my tent this morning and was surprised by a very cool breeze. I looked at a themometer and it was 76 degrees. I can't remember the last time it was that cool. It's currently 9:30 am and the temp is only 90 degrees, and usually it has broken 100 by now. The forecast for today is
Bombs, gunmen kill over 114 in Baghdad -- (Reuters)...Mohammed Ramahi
BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber lured a crowd of Shi'ite day laborers to his minivan before blowing it up, killing 114 and wounding more than 156 in Baghdad's old town on Wednesday, in one of Iraq's deadliest single bomb attacks...
US, Iraqi forces target Tal Afar fighters -- (Aljazeera.Net)
Around 150 fighters have been killed and over 400 others arrested since US and Iraqi troops intensified their operations late last week against anti-government groups in the town of Tal Afar, US...
Insurgents Flee Iraq Town -- (CBS)...AP
Fighting eased Sunday, the second day of a U.S. and Iraqi sweep through the militant stronghold of Tal Afar near the Syrian border, as insurgents melted int...
Guess Who's Coming To Dinar(Subcription only) -- (Wall Street Journal)...Amir Taheri
...Iraq is paying 90% of its own expenditures, including the cost of economic reconstruction. Of the remaining 10%, the U.S. accounts for four-fifths, with the rest coming from other donors. The bulk of the money the U.S. spends in Iraq is allocated to military and security operations, consultancy contracts and administrative costs.
For The Record -- (Los Angeles Times)...Los Angeles Times
An Aug. 28 article in Section A about congressional critics of President Bush's Iraq policy reported that a poll had found that 15% of Republicans favored total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, 33% favored partial withdrawal and 64% favored maintaining or increasing troop strength. The correct poll results were: 15% favored total withdrawal, 18% favored partial withdrawal and 64% favored maintaining or increasing troop strength.
Withdrawal Key To Sovereignty, Iraqi Report Says -- (Miami Herald)...Nancy A. Youssef
In an attempt to lay the legal groundwork for asking the United States to withdraw its troops, an Iraqi National Assembly committee released a report Tuesday that said the presence of the American military prevents Iraq from becoming fully sovereign.
Iraqi Leader Rejects Deadline For U.S. Pullout -- (Daily Times)...Richard Benedetto and Judy Keen
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Tuesday that Iraq will not set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, backing away from earlier published remarks that the United States could pull out as many as 50,000 troops by the end of the year
Media evolution briefly in Afghanistan -- [Afghan Lord - an Afghani in Afghanistan]
The various political movements and regimes in Afghanistan have propagated their respective ideology and socio-political strategy through particular publications. Due to this fact, the World Press Day has often been marked with enthusiasm in the country with the publishing of a series of publicity materials.
The first and the foremost publication was release in the reign of Habibullah Khan called ?Shamsul Nahar? that basically aimed to enlighten the common people in Afghanistan. Later on,
U.S. Considering Troop Reduction In Afghanistan -- (Washington Post)...Bradley Graham
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 13 -- U.S. military commanders have drafted plans to lower the number of American troops in Afghanistan by roughly 20 percent next year if NATO-led troops from Europe continue to widen their role in securing the country, according to senior officers here.
Karzai urges rethink on terrorism fight (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)...Geoff Thompson
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the fight against terrorism by US-led forces in his country needs to be re-evaluated. | Just about anybody you speak to in Afghanistan...
Europeans Balking At New Afghan Role -- (International Herald Tribune)...Judy Dempsey and David S. Cloud
Germany, France, Britain and other European countries said Tuesday that they strongly opposed an American plan for NATO to become involved in counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan.
Pakistan offers to build Afghan security fence -- (The Boston Globe)
United Nations | Chafing under criticism Pakistan is not doing enough to counter terrorism, President Pervez Musharraf offered yesterday to construct a security fence to deter incursion of militants a...
Hyundai Tours to North Korea to End? -- [GI Korea Blog - in South Korea]
It appears that the Hyundai tours to different North Korean locations may end:
U.S. and North Korea to Meet One-On-One -- (AP)...BURT HERMAN
BEIJING -- The top U.S. negotiator on North Korea's nuclear program urged the communist nation Wednesday to focus on concessions already offered in return for a commitment to disarm rather than press new demands....
Chavez Extends Oil Trade Deal to Caribbean (AP)...CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has extended a preferential oil trade deal to 13 Caribbean countries in what he says is part of a plan to challenge U.S. economic domination of the region....
Ophelia strengthens into hurricane off U.S. coast -- (Reuters)...Gene Cherry SALVO
Thousands of people fled their homes in North Carolina's barrier islands on Tuesday as tropical Storm Ophelia strengthened into a hurricane again and wobbled toward the southeast U.S. coast...
Schroeder's Rival, and Opposite, Leads in Polls -- (La Times)...Jeffrey Fleishman
Even though many Germans regard Angela Merkel as aloof, the conservative appears poised to become their first female chancellor.
BERLIN ? Rising in the male-dominated beer-and-BMW politics of Germany, Angela Merkel is known less for eloquent speeches and charisma than for intellectual rigor and an unabashed quest for power that have intrigued this nation for years.
Wraith Hurricane Update -- [Alexander the Average]
(pics) I've been in contact with my soldier SSG B. He and his family are safe. Here are some pics of his house that he sent me. They have lost everything. We're working out the details on how we're going to help him. (pics)
Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions and support.
Another Katrina Myth: Aaron Broussard's "Emotional" Appearance on MTP
In yesterday's Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper called Jefferson Parish, LA president Aaron Broussard's tearful outburst, shown September 4th on Meet the Press, "One of the defining media moments of all the hurricane [Katrina] coverage":
..."Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday.' And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night."
There's just one problem: Aaron Broussard was lying.
BLOGOS BRINGS ORDER TO NOLA RESCUE OPS -- [Roger Simon]
Update to my post re The Time Picayune Forums Site, NOLA View, used by victims to summon aid.
The LA Times', "Column One" piece today (link below) is about The Times Picayune forum site. The article indicates that "officialdom" is beginning to watch/respond to these pleas for help.
Pictures from MS Beach -- [My Daddy is a Soldier in IRAQ ]
These pictures were taken in Gulfport, MS this past weekend during recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina. This the amphibious ...
Update on New Orleans - From a Louisianan -- [Daves Not Here - in Iraq]
I correspond off and on with the mother and father of a Captain who was stationed at Camp Victory during my time there last year. I had an opportunity to meet Captain Murphy (quite by accident) while in the DFAC, well after Roger and Judy contacted me about my blog.
Roger and Judy live in Louisiana and have been sending me the occasional update in response to Katrina and today's response definitely needed posting here on the blog:
Katrina--some answers. -- [From my postion on the Way - recovering soldier]
Hurricane Katrina conspiracy.
I'll start this post with a couple of questions; it tends to lead me back to my salient points and keep me honest.
Why would anybody want to live in New Orleans?
More American Heros -- [Hurl's Blog - in Iraq]
It's a shame that some politicians IMMEDIATELY jumped at the chance to score political points in the aftermath of Katrina. I'm not surprised at all - for it simply confirmed the type of people that I always knew they were. Hopefully people will see through their lies, stupidity, and insanity and remember in '06 and '08.
In the meantime, REAL American heros have been hard at work doing amazing things to help the victims in Louisiana and Mississippi...
Here are their stories: ...
Update from Belle Chase V -- [Miserable Donuts]
Just brought a little help to New Orleans police, the sherriff's office and others. There are many places like this one throughout the city where the various law enforcement, relief workers and others have a base of operations.
Missing bodies? What missing bodies? -- [Small Town Veteran]
...We need more bodies, fellow travelers. Five or six hundred just won't be enough to make sure the world understands how badly that evil, racist, elitist bastard Chimpy McHitlerburton screwed up. "Hurry! Hurry! Find more! We've been at war with Oceana for two hundred years and that's the best you can do?"
Bush Takes Responsibility For Failures Of Response -- (Washington Post)...Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Weisman
President Bush yesterday said he takes personal responsibility for the federal government's stumbling response to Hurricane Katrina, as his White House worked on several fronts to move beyond the improvisation of the first days of the crisis and set a long-term course on a problem that aides now...
President Says He's Responsible in Storm Lapses --(NY Times)...ELISABETH BUMILLER and RICHARD W. STEVENSON
The president suggested he was unsure if the country was prepared for another catastrophic storm or terrorist attack.
? Video: Bush's Remarks at White House
Military Lacked Critical Gear In Responding To Katrina -- (Newhouse.com)...David Wood, Newhouse News Service
The military response to Hurricane Katrina lacked two critical types of gear that would have cut through the confusion and perhaps saved lives: effective combat radios and unmanned spyplanes.
Homeland Boss Had Power To Deliver Help But Didn't -- (Miami Herald)...Jonathan S. Landay, Alison Young and Shannon McCaaffrey
The federal official with the power to mobilize a massive federal response to Hurricane Katrina was Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not the former FEMA chief who was relieved of his relief duties and resigned, federal documents reviewed by Knight Ridder show. Even before the storm struck the Gulf Coast, Chertoff could have ordered federal agencies to act without requests from state or local officials.
Guide to military... stuff -- [Fun With Hand Grenades - soon to be in Iraq]
This will be a list of commonly used military lingo and other essentials for your own reference. I've noticed that a lot of writing coming from bloggers in Iraq feels rushed; they don't have the benefit of being able to mull over their thoughts like I do here in the States. Things will be changing soon, and lord knows how much time I'll have to update ya'll on life in the desert. I figure this list may make reading easier as I won't have to sit around and define things as I write them. When necessary I'll update the list and it will be linked on the right side of my blog under my profile. If you have any requests add them to the comments section and I'll do my best to define the words you ask for. Enjoy.
The Future of the United States Marine Corps -- [The Adventures of Chester]
I have just finished parsing the 67 page transcript of The Future of the United States Marine Corps, a conference on August 18th, sponsored by The American Enterprise Institute.
What an action-packed day -- with a cast of great Marines, great foreign policy experts, and an audience that seems distinguished as well. There's something here for everyone: war stories from Bing West, reflections on small wars by Max Boot, all kinds of great insights by Mike Vickers (who has an innocuous position at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Analysis, but who is nonetheless famous to anyone who has read Charlie Wilson's War, because he was the CIA operations officer who planned the arming of the mujaheddin in Afghanistan) lots of laughs as we learn that the funniest man in the Marine Corps is Lieutenant General Sattler, Commanding General of I MEF, and in charge of the Second Battle of Fallujah.
New Sheep, Old Clothes -- [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
Many Republicans are expressing concern over a rising star in the Democratic Party, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. Charismatic, articulate, Sen. Obama is often described, as George Will points out over at Town Hall, "a new kind of Democrat."
Institutional Racism -- Where I stand]
We have heard plenty about institutional racism over the last couple of weeks and within this article I will show that it does exist and is well ingrained into our society.
For an initial illustration I would like you to tell me your initial gut reaction to the following questions. Should Congress designate a White History month? How about a White Congressional Caucus? Would you watch White Entertainment Television? Would any of these suggestions be considered racist?
Roberts grilled about Roe -- (CNN)
At his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Judge John Roberts deftly sidestepped the volatile issue of abortion but acknowledged legal precedent is "very important in promoting evenhandedness."
The Media and Leadership -- [Froggy Ruminations]
It occurred to me while reading Ben Stein?s piece in the Spectator that the MSM must see itself somehow as the self-appointed leader of the country. Notwithstanding those pesky elections we keep having, the MSM sets itself above all, castigating who it believes is not towing the line and elevating those who faithfully do so.
STARE DECISIS IN THE NEXT --[Montana Thunder - in Iraq]
This is my last night as a 27 year old man, by far the most challenging year of my life. I have made many decisions this year that will guide my life and future.
The Way Home -- [Ghraib Danger - just left Iraq]
...Noise is not stifled in the least, and the four engines of a C-130 are loud. But we manage. And we're shooting the shit over the roar, others are sleeping, when all of a sudden, and I mean all of sudden, like out of no where, like completely off guard, like no one on the plane had any earthly idea that what I'm about to describe was about to occur. The plane takes a hard dive left. I would guess the dive was at least done at a 60 degree angle. Everyone's stomach was in their throat. It was much worse than any roller coaster I've ever experienced, and I've been to Sand Point in Ohio. Needless to say everyone's scrambling to redon their helmets and grab the netting to hold on for whatever was coming next.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Chemical Weapons Alert! -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi In Iraq]
Al-Arabiya TV has breaking news about the operations in Tal-Afar saying that Al-Qaeda in Iraq is threatening to use chemical weapons!!
No details so far.
Update:
Al-Arabiya says...
Battle for Mosul: Progress Report -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
?Bad timing," explained LTC Erik Kurilla, lying in his hospital bed at the Madigan Army Hospital in Fort Lewis, Washington, recovering from gunshot wounds suffered in combat in Mosul on 19 Aug, 2005... "I wanted to be there with my soldiers until the end, keeping our boot on the enemy's neck and pushing his back up against a wall, right until the very last minute,"...
Always Watching -- [Faces from the Front - JD's Blog - in Iraq]
?They could be planting a dozen IED?s down there.?
The illumination grenade came out of Sgt. Nawrocki?s M-203 grenade launcher with a pop, and the flickering golden light sent the Iraqis scurrying.
WEEKLY ROLL-UP - Sunday, September 11, 2005 -- [NEW MILbLOGGER!- Weekly Newsletters from SSG Paul Farr in Iraq]
...Also this week, we attended a very important meeting with about 50 Sheiks and village representatives from all over our Area of Responsibility. The purpose was to address some security issues and concerns we have around our base camp. Many of you already know we were hit with mortar fire a couple of weeks ago. Not to mention we?ve had some IEDs (roadside bombs) targeting our patrols and convoys. The message conveyed to the attendees was that if they can?t get a handle on the insurgent problem and quit harboring them, there would be no more projects, to include shutting down the projects about to get started. And, we would be forced to conduct more aggressive combat operations, something the local villages surely would not enjoy, and something those of us who have been fostering a positive relationship would not enjoy. That point sunk in and a ?concerned citizen? warned our forces of an IED near one of our patrol routes. Thankfully, the IED exploded prematurely before any of our troops or Iraqi Forces stumbled across it. The team conveys the same message every time we go out; if you take care of us, we?ll take care of you.
Marine saved by combat protective gear -- [Live in Iraq]
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 12, 2005) -- Marines from Company A, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion were recently hit with a roadside bomb while convoying back to Camp Fallujah. Thanks to the protective gear the Marines wore, there were no fatalities.
How to Hide a Power Plant -- [Jon Jivan - in Iraq]
For eight years (1980-1988), the Iraq/Iran War ravaged the two neighboring nations taking away the lives of one and a half million people. Essential to the Iraqi strategy was the operation of Saddam Airbase in Northern Iraq: a base that housed many of Iraq?s MIG and Mirage fighter jets. Because of Iran?s ability to send in missiles and aircraft of their own deep into Iraqi territory, Iraq littered the base with hardened bunkers, hangers? and a hidden power plant.
The Silence of the Lambs -- [365 and a Wake Up - in Iraq]
...A minute later the cook wheeled out an enormous steaming pot ? his sweaty face beaming with the singular pride of a father bringing a Thanksgiving turkey to the table. He wheeled the pot over to CPT Mac and carefully placed the main course in the middle of the bowl. The cooks obvious pride in his culinary masterpiece did little to assuage CPT Mac?s shock when he realized his meal was staring back at him. To his credit CPT Mac didn?t let the Iraqi?s see his sudden wave of nausea, but in that instant all the Americans suddenly regretted asking their hosts for an authentic Iraqi dinner.
...By this point the Iraqis could no longer contain themselves, and the entire scene started to look like a clip from an Indiana Jones movie. The Iraqis used their bare hands to eagerly tear chunks ...
With the help of his interpreter -- [Weekly Newsletters from SSG Paul Farr in Iraq]
"SSG Farr with the help of his interpreter, explain to villagers the process for getting projects nominated by the Iraqi government. As I have explained in the past, the Coalition Forces were able to build schools or work on other projects without really including the Iraqi government in the process. Now with a legitimate government in place, we educate the people on how to use their government and make them work for the people. We also tell them if the people they elected can?t help them, then to vote them out of office. I?ve even encouraged some of the more vocal people to run for office?Central Iraq, 31AUG05"(pic)
Iraq Report, 12 Sep/05 -- [Winds of Change - Andrew Olmsted ]
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.
Good Help Is Hard To Find -- [MREater - in Iraq]
Walking along the gravel road near our CHUs, I saw the cleaning crew spread out and working in various bathrooms and showers. The crew is composed of locals, supervised by a civilian, and overwatched by soldiers, which the soldiers call TCN (Third Country National) duty. I walked by the civilian, who was saying to the soldier ?Look at ?em. Diggin' for gold. None of ?em got a damn thing.?
Militants put price on Iraqi PM's head -- (Reuters)
DUBAI - An Iraqi militant group has offered up to $100,000 for killing the prime minister and top officials who launched an offensive on rebels in a northern town, according to an Internet statement posted on Monday. Full Article
As Offensive in Iraq Continues, Troops Find Unexpected Quiet -- (The Washington Post)... Jonathan Finer
TALL AFAR, Iraq, Sept. 11 -- For the second day, U.S. and Iraqi forces mounting a large-scale offensive in this northwestern city had little contact with insurgents Sunday, as troops conducted house-to-house searches through largely abandoned neighborhoods and detained a handful of young men
More Than 150 Insurgents Killed in Iraq -- (AP)... JACOB SILBERBERG
TAL AFAR, Iraq - Insurgents melted into the countryside through a network of tunnels to escape an Iraqi-U.S. force that reported killing about 150 rebels while storming the militant bastion of Tal Afar. Following the classic guerrilla retreat on Sunday, the city has now been swept clear of extremists for the second time in a year. Iraqi and U.S. military leaders vowed to redouble efforts to crush insurgents operating all along the Syrian frontier and in the Euphrates River valley
Iraq's president sees Iraqi society united -- (Arabic News)
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says the vocal disagreement between different ethnic and religious communities in Iraq should not be interpreted as a sign of civil discord...
IRAQ: FALLUJAH TO GET 46 MILLION DOLLAR HOSPITAL -- (AKI)
Baghdad, 9 Sept. - The Iraqi government has set aside 46 million dollars to build a new hospital in Fallujah, the central Iraqi city destroyed in the US military offensive in November last year. "The building of this hospital has a strong symbolic value becase it is happening in a city which has suffered a lot of oppression and tyranny," said industry minister Asama al-Najafi at the ceremony to mark the placing of the first stone of the building.
Supporting the Provincial Elections -- [Fortunate Son - in Afghanistan]
The Afghan people are on the verge of yet another unprecedented and historic election on 18 September where they will elect their provincial leadership (think: Senators and Congressmen). Our team has been out in the streets of Nangarhar province polling the locals and handing out a paper called "Peace Radio" which promotes rule of law, Afghan nationalism and contains information about the elections.
Afghan vote a milestone but democracy fragile -- (Reuters)...David Brunnstrom
KABUL, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Millions of Afghans will vote next Sunday for a national assembly and provincial councils, a milestone in Afghanistan's difficult path to stability after the fall of the Taliban.
The vote will be a step forward to broadening representative government but analysts say the fledgling democracy remains fragile and many years of international support will be needed before it can stand on its own.
Koizumi Wins Japan Election by Landslide -- (AP)...HANS GREIMEL
TOKYO - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's triumph in parliamentary polls handed the leader a new mandate Monday to harness his revitalized ruling party and turn promises into action for a range of sweeping economic reforms. His landslide victory Sunday boosted his Liberal Democratic Party's standing in the lawmaking lower house by nearly 20 percent and gave ruling lawmakers a two-thirds majority - along with a coalition partner - to override votes in a still-hostile upper house.
MIDDLE EAST: ISRAELI GAZA OCCUPATION OVER AFTER 38 YEARS -- (AKI)
Gaza, 12 Sept. - The last Israeli soldiers left Gaza on Monday morning, bringing to an end 38 years of occupation on the Strip. The last military vehicle crossed the Kissufim pass shortly after 7am, and at 7.03am General Aviv Kochavi, commander of the Israeli forces in Gaza closed the Kissufim gate, saying at a brief ceremony: "The mission has been completed and an era has ended." The thousands of soldiers still in the Gaza Strip had been given the order...
Hurricane Katrina Memorial, Inspired by the Flight 93 Memorial --[Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
Inspired by the Flight 93 Memorial a call went out for a round-up of ideas for a Katrina Memorial. Despite heavy competition from over 1,000 architectual firms and private citizens, one stands out above the rest for its creative and meaningful design:
...When asked if he'd noticed that his design bears a striking and perhaps inappropriate resemblance to a hurricane he had this to say...
Day 233 - Good News Sunday -- [Wayne's World - Blue Star Mom]
For this week?s Good News, it doesn?t get much better than a preview of Rick Reily's column to be published in this week's Sports Illustrated.
...Sports? No, sports had absolutely nothing to do with the Gulf Coast's trying to survive Hurricane Katrina.
Except that while the fifth-ranked LSU football team practiced in Baton Rouge, about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, the coaches were hollering above the drone of helicopters, 20 in all, dropping off evacuees.
Except the infield of the outdoor track was being used as a heliport 24
hours a day.
Real Americans -- [Hurl's Blog - in Iraq]
A reader of this blog has been sending me numerous stories about the way Americans in Mississippi have been responding and working together to overcome the devastation of Katrina. The stories also tell of the Americans from all over who have joined together in helping and supporting these people.
These are stories you are not likely to read or hear in the main-stream print or TV media. This particular reader made the astute observation that, just like the MSM does not report the truth in Iraq, it appears they also are failing to report the truth in the aftermath of Katrina.
Lack of plan hurt Katrina-hit states' response -- (Palm Beach Post)...Dara Kam, Alan Gomez
HT: to reader Dave
TALLAHASSEE ? One thing Florida knows is hurricanes.
Florida emergency planners criticized and even rebuked their counterparts -- or what passes for emergency planners -- in those states for their handling of Hurricane Katrina. Gov. Jeb Bush, the head of Florida AHCA and the head of Florida wildlife (which is responsible for all search and rescue) all said they made offers of aid to Mississippi and Louisiana the day before Katrina hit but were rebuffed. After the storm, they said they've had to not only help provide people to those states but also have had to develop search and rescue plans for them. "They were completely unprepared -- as bad off as we were before Andrew," one Florida official said.
Sorry Mr President, Katrina is not 9/11 -- (The Guardian)
Slipstreaming behind the annual rituals of sorrow and reverence for 9/11, George W Bush has decreed that, five days later, on the 16th, there is to be a further day of solemnities on which the nation will pray for the unnumbered victims of Hurricane Katrina. Prayers (like vacations) are the default mode for this president who knows how to chuckle and bow the head in the midst of disaster but not, when it counts, how to govern or to command. If you feel the prickly heat of politics, summon a hymn to make it go away; make accountability seem a blasphemy.
Katrina Pushes Issues of Race and Poverty at Bush -- (The Washington Post)...Michael A. Fletcher
Hurricane Katrina has thrust the twin issues of race and poverty at President Bush, who faces steep challenges in dealing with both because of a domestic agenda that envisions deep cuts in long-standing anti-poverty programs and relationships with many black leaders frayed by years of mutual suspicion.
'I Don't Think I've Ever Had A More Surreal Experience' -- (The Washington Post)
Veteran Rescue Workers Surprised by Challenges in Louisiana
Firms with Bush ties snag Katrina deals -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON - Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President George W. Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.
Hopelessness Begins to Lift in New Orleans -- (AP)...BRETT MARTEL
NEW ORLEANS -- Though 50 percent of New Orleans remains flooded and teams are still working to recover the dead, there are signs that hopelessness is beginning to lift two weeks after Hurricane Katrina plowed ashore.
CT Blog Experts on the 9/11 Anniversary: Four Years Later, Are We Safer? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
On Thursday, the Counterterrorism Blog held a live panel discussion titled, "Four Years Later: Are We Safer?" Rep. James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, gave the opening remarks, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, ranking Member of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, provided written remarks for the event. On the fourth anniversary of the deadly attacks which changed the world, Contributing Experts Dennis Lormel, Michael Cutler, Michael Kraft, Victor Comras, and Douglas Farah share their written statements on the subject (Zeyno Baran's post below includes a portion of her presentation at the panel).
Tape Warns Of Attacks On Cities -- (The Washington Post)...AP
NEW YORK, Sept. 11 -- A tape delivered to ABC News in Pakistan this weekend features a masked man making terrorist threats against Los Angeles and Australia.
ABC News reported that the man is believed to be Adam Yahiye Gadahn, a Californian purported to be an al Qaeda member and wanted by the FBI. The CIA said Sunday it is aware of the report but had no immediate comment about the tape's authenticity.
Received Our Handmade Bracelets Today! -- [Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
If you missed this post in my blog about the soldiers making handmade bracelets from parachute cords and buttons from their uniforms go back and read it now! My mom ordered one for each member of our family, including each of my little boys, and they just arrived today. My bracelet is dark green and white, as is my mom's, and the boys' are light and dark green. They are beautifully made, great craftsmanship, and were a perfect fit. My mom had to give them sizes for my 2 year old, and my other small boys, and their tiny bracelets are so cute!! They fit perfectly!
Each bracelet is only $5, which includes shipping, and is made by soldiers currently stationed in Iraq.
Kilgore Can't Count On a Lift from Bush -- (The Washington Post)
President's Rating Lags Among Va. Voters
Reuters: Practicing what it calls journalism -- [TigerHawk]
From a Reuters photo caption from this afternoon:
Iraq closed its border with Syria on Sunday to stop what it calls foreign fighters entering the country, as a U.S.-backed military operation to wipe out suspected terrorists in the city of Tal Afar continued.
Reuters, practicing what it calls journalism,
Boycott Yahoo! -- [Pepple Pie - Blue Star Mom]
Dump their email addresses if you've got them, or fill them with junk, but for God's sake don't use Yahoo email addresses to send any kind of "real" or especially sensitive information as Yahoo will happily divulge your private information, location, IP address and even the original email message so that you would get deep, very deep in the shit.
Thank you Yahoo.
Information supplied by Yahoo ! helped journalist Shi Tao get 10 years in prison
MEDIA: ALJAZEERA TO SCREEN FAHRENHEIT 9/11 -- (AKI)
Doha, 9 Sept. - Arabic satellite broadcaster al-Jazeera is planning to screen the controversial video-documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, by American director Michael Moore, on Sunday, the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The film has been scheduled for prime time, with an 8pm slot.
Chat From the War Zone -- (LA Times)...Chris Gaither
With the hiring of blogger-journalist Kevin Sites, Yahoo is set to compete with TV news.
Yahoo Inc. has been talking like a major media company. Today it will start acting like one.
Ten months after Lloyd Braun, former chairman of the ABC television network, began plotting the company's content strategy, the Internet giant plans to announce today the first of many original programs expected to come from the Yahoo Media Group headquarters in Santa Monica
9/11 Hate Fest in South Korea -- GI Korea Blog - in S Korea]
The Korean media is now all over the violence in Inchon. What I find ironic is that the past week I have had many Korean people ask me how such violence can happen in New Orleans after a hurricane and say such a thing would never happen in Korea. Then I see violence like this; it just makes me wonder if Koreans are any different from the people in Louisiana:
9/11 -- [Major K - in Iraq]
...Four years ago today, we decided that we had had enough and were not going to take it anymore. This war has been raging for over twenty years. Four years ago, we started fighting back. This is bigger than Al Qaeda, Afghanistan, the Taliban, Iraq, Zarqawi and the Ba'athists. Everyone of them, however, is an indispensible part of this war. Today, I am glad to be here more than any other day.
Do you know what day it is? (or The Global War on Terror Generation) -- [Courafe without Fear - in Iraq]
September 11, 2005 is one of those days that people who lived through it will remember for the rest of their lives. Like Pearl Harbor was for my Grandparents generation, The Greatest Generation. Using that analogy, I guess we're the Global War on Terror Generation.
Most of 9/11 is still a blur for me. I recall seeing the TV on a break from a fire training class. I remember the instructors, both Vietnam Vets, not being able to talk much. I remember a hasty cell phone call to my National Guard Armory and CPT Bowser, my CO at the time. I remember hearing about the plane crashing in Pennsylvania, and...
"America Remembers" "Patriot Day" or "9/11" -- [Dave's Not Here - in Iraq]
In late 2001 President George Bush signed into law a bill proposing that 9/11 forever be known as a day of remembrance called Patriot Day.
I'm not sure I like the choice of names, and it's obvious that the people of the US haven't adopted the name. Some say it should be called "America Remembers," but is that name really any more fitting?
Lest we forget 9/11 -- [Two Blue Lines]
...Today, I remember why my husband has been separated from his family for the last 15 months. Today, I thank God that my family is safe and that my husband is honorable enough to help make that happen.
IN MEMORIAM: RESCUE 9-11 -- AMERICAN CITIZEN SOLDIER - in Iraq]
...Many wish to resume the policy of strategic retreat. To them, nothing is worth the specter of war, not even the wholesale slaughter of their fellow citizens. Terrorists counted on America to remain passive.
9/11 NOT FORGOTTEN -- [2005 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
The local baker made a cake in remembrance of the terrorist attack on 9/11. It also commended the brave police officers of the NYPD and courageous Fireman who served during the day of the attack. I thank all Americans for their continued support...
We Will Never Forget - A Sept 11 Video Tribute -- [Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
Ok, you know me and videos...I enjoy making them. I had no intention of making one for 9/11 until I started reading the blogs yesterday. You know, I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news on September 11, and I remember watching the news as the horror unfolded. But that is not a good enough retrospective look.
September 11, 2003 -- [Winds of Change - Joe Katzman]
9/11: Anniversary & Remembrance
N.B. (See also the 2004-2005 roundup, which is even more comprehensive and organized. Many of the links here that are still valid are also included there.)
Amidst the clamour and tumult of all the 9/11 related posts over the past 2 years, some in particular have deeply impressed me. Allow me to share a few with you...
Four Years -- [Neptunus Lex]
It?s hard to believe it?s only been four years.
Four years ago we stared at the television screens in shock and anger, teary-eyed, uncomprehending, lacking the vocabulary. We watched the endless loops of those buildings coming down, the Pentagon on fire, a field in rural Pennsylvania. Four years ago our children looked to us with questioning eyes, asking us wordessly how this could happen. Four years ago we did not quite know how to answer them.
Not Fearing the Reaper -- [Baldilocks]
Death. You?re thinking about it; so am I. How to stave it off, how not to die of a painful and/or debilitating illness and, most of all, how not to perish in a disaster, whether that disaster is of human or divine origin.
Surely, you can see the contradiction in that. We exercise, eat right, don?t smoke/quit smoking, use anti-aging potions and have work done to try to look good and keep our old age comfortable, but if we?re going to die young in some large- or small-scale disaster, we don?t have to worry about any of that anyway. Yet, we view dying young as incredibly tragic.
9/11 -- [Argghhh!]
Take a moment, ponder the event and the impact it's had on our lives - 9/11 echoes in the response to Katrina.
Remember the Day...(pic)
and that while we fight...(pic)
We also build - and in some cases, fight so we *can* build.(pic)
Sometimes, we ...
September 11, 2005 We will never forget
The following is reposted from last year with some new links at the bottom
On September 11th, 2001 my son was at Fort Sam Houston, Texas in Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) for his specialty as a Combat Medic. A month later, he was heading home for leave prior to his first duty assignment with the 1st Cavalry Division. We made arrangements to meet in NYC where we would spend the night before taking a plane home the next morning. I told him that he would soon be going to war and I wanted him to see what it was he would be fighting for. We would visit "Ground Zero", the site of the World Trade Center attack. We ate in Times Square and when we were done, we headed for the subway station to take the train downtown. On the way, we found a statue that was to be delivered to a fire station, abandoned for the time being in the street. It had been turned into a shrine; the first of many we would encounter on our trip into the heart of darkness.
Not yet...for me, at least -- [Cowboy Blob's Saloon, Smokehouse, and Shootin Gallery]
Tomorrow night I can finally feel right about commemorating Patriots' Day. You see, on that fateful day 4 years ago, I had just finished watching the Armed Forces Korea Network's taped broadcast of Monday Night Football on Tuesday night. I had a good beer buzz going, snug in my off-base contract housing apartment. The game had just finished and I changed the channel to get the news before bed, only to see an airliner crash into the first Tower. I don't know how old that footage was, but when the second airliner hit, it was live.
I knew we were at war. I knew I was going to get recalled to base shortly. When my phone didn't ring immediately, I turned off the TV and went to bed. Thankfully, the beer let me get some sleep. Whether it was through incompetence or wisdom, the powers-that-were didn't launch the general recall until early the next morning.
I awoke clearheaded and alert, knowing I was in for a long day. I was the last one into the office; most of my NCO trainers and their airmen trainees lived in the barracks on base. The big TV that usually displayed exercise messages was tuned to CNN and everybody was quiet, ...
It's That Date Again... -- [Fuzzilicious]
So much has been said and written about what happened in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania on that awful day. I have no great insights to add or new information to share. But I offer this: I did not forget what I knew and understood by the end of that day. And I will never forget. I will remember the heroes, mourn the victims, and ponder the lessons. I will never forget.
I wrote the following essay a couple days after the first anniversary of the attacks on 9-11-01. On the actual anniversary I...
Our After 9/11 site is online -- [Mr Snitch]
The 9/11 site & video clip are now up. No burning buildings, no rubble, no explosions, no speeches, no screeches, no Bin Laden, no bodies. Just a remembrance of some people whose lives were cut short through no fault of their own, with poignant candid snapshots from their lives, and music.
Heads in the sand...Or heads up their asses? -- [A North American Patriot]
On the Deranged Underground there was absolutely NO MENTION of 9/11, not even in the discussion forums except one snarky comment, calling the 9/11 Freedom March a 'fascist spectacle'...Clearly indicating that none of their commentators actually know what the word 'fascist' or 'freedom' really mean, in the English language.
The Daily Kos waited all day, before making a brief mention about the attack in a post written for the purpose of whining about 'Saddam having nothing to do with 9/11'...
...The great Arianna Huffington made it as a brief mention, in a sidebar..."On the fourth anniversary of 9/11, we look back at a week dominated by another tragedy..." and proceeds to list off posts relating to how Bush bungled the Katrina relief effort. That's it!
NEVER FORGET. NEVER AGAIN. -- [The Patriot]
The people below were sons, daughters, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, girlfriends, boyfriends, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, grandfathers, policemen, firemen, airline employees, brokers, soldiers, sailors, bankers, pilots, etc...
-human beings going about their day just like you and me-
and all of them were victims of the terrorist attacks
against America committed by cowards on
September 11, 2001:
Terror war all but forgotten on home front -- (Chicago Times)...Mark Steyn
Enduring a Kinship of Loss -- (The Washington Post)...Ceci Connolly
Sept. 11 Emergency Teams Mark Anniversary in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 11 -- Gerry McCarty lost 70 friends in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and to this day, the former New York City police officer cannot travel past Ground Zero.
"I don't go down there," he said Sunday, visibly steeling himself for questions he'd rather not contemplate. "I don't drive by. I don't walk by."
Pentagon rally mixes remembrance, Bush support -- (USA Today)...AP
It was a demonstration unlike legions of others in the capital. The T-shirts were Pentagon-approved, signs were banned and Cabinet secretaries, usually the target of protest, cheered on the throngs.
TARA -- [A Soldier's Thoughts - in Iraq]
Five years ago today was the day I was married to the most amazing woman. There were many things that I didn't know about her then that I do know now.
I didn't know that I would love her more now than I could ever love her then.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (Note: Trackbacks currently not functioning - we're working to correct the problem.)
Sacrifice -- [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
..."Family separation is the hardest thing about this mobilization and deployment to Iraq, for me and mine. Far worse than any dangers or risks, far harder than any grueling training, more uncomfortable than Iraqi heat or dust, more austere than General Orders or an isolated FOB."
...A few weeks ago, Little Manly just lost it, sobbing uncontrollably, crying out, "Why does my Dad have to be in Iraq? Why couldn't he stay home?" I think that was the start of a more difficult time for Mrs. Dadmanly. This sacrifice is a great one, but it is far greater on the more vulnerable soldiers in this fight: the children of all of us in Iraq.
IN HIS EYES: An Average Iraqi meets a not so Average Iraqi --[An Average Iraqi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
This is a real story that happened during the years Saddam was in power. I was telling it yesterday to my friend Mad Canuck, and that was when the idea of turning it into a post evolved, he was the one with the suggestion to make it an IN HIS EYES post, I really liked the idea, and here it is in a post. I hope you enjoy:
HI ALL! -- [Greg Notes - formally "Middle of Nowhere and Two Feet From Hell "]
...This is going to be the case for all of us. When we first arrived I saw a lot of young kids. They were immature and annoying. I know I am no Saint by any means. These guys have grown in more ways than they care to admit. The events that have taken place over the last 14 months would make any grow up.
As I look upon the Troop, I now see men. I see men that would have never thought they would see the things they have. I see men who have mellowed out. They have
A Normal Day for a Westerner in Baghdad!! -- [Treasure in Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Taking off her black scarf immediately as she entered the restaurant, the westerner felt entering a place that is not in Iraq. Invited for lunch with an Iraqi friend who used to be scared to take her in public places normally, she felt free for the first time in Baghdad since she came two years ago. This westerner had never been in public places without putting on her "bullet-proof" scarf which she never forgets. This time, it was different! The restaurant was for high class people and no westerner has visited it previously.
Al Qaeda in Iraq -- [Pepple Pie- Blue Star Mom]
It was so strange to hear the people at that protest the other day say that Wahhabis and the foreign fighters in Iraq are not members of Al Qaeda.
That?s strange,we?re not supposed to believe themSo let me try to bend my mind around what the peaceniks said. When members of Al Qaeda take credit for bombings, assassination attempts and murders of innocent civilians? we?re not supposed to pay attention? Don?t you think that?s a little bit nutty?
Communist? -- [MREater - in Iraq]
I guess in some minds, the cold war isn't over.
After washing my hands before entering the chow hall, I struggled with the paper towel dispenser. Large non-perforated rolls of single ply tissue, about 8 inches wide, hang on pipes by the sinks. Soldiers tear off a length of tissue to dry their hands. The tissue is about the same consistency as toilet paper, and little pieces tend to tear off and stick to your hand after you dry them.
I'll bet you all thought I went home! -- [American at heart - in Iraq]
...There are two separate hospitals here. The EMEDS clinic is run by the Air Force and is top notch. I?ve read it all over the blogsphere, and I can?t argue, the US military has the greatest surgeons we could ever ask for. It?s a relief, if not a small comfort to know when we go out, that if something bad happens we can rely on the people waiting here to care for us. It makes our job just a bit easier. Besides, the AF techs are a bunch of cuties, and what can numb pain better than a pretty face?
Speaking of that, there are not many females here.
Has it been a week? -- [Six More Months - in Iraq]
...The saving grace of the last week has been the temperature. We are starting to see perceptible dips, at last. Now I never in my life thought that I would be calling highs of 115 cooling off, but amazingly enough that is the case. It has been getting down into the low 70?s at night, and staying below 100 until late in the morning. Just a couple of weeks ago it would start at about 98 in the morning and head up into the mid 120?s by 11:00, and stay there until sundown. Hopefully in a few weeks the temperature will be bearable around the clock, and we can start to open windows, and get some of the summer funk out of our rooms. In Minnesota, we look forward to spring so we can throw open the windows and get some fresh air after a long winter, after surviving in heated spaces for 5 or 6 months. Here, the
USAID Administrator Natsios Announces Launch of IraqPartnership.org {USAID Press Release} HT: Haider
Detroit, MI ? In a speech today to the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, Andrew Natsios, Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced the launch of www.IraqPartnership.org. This web site will help American citizens learn more about official U.S. assistance for Iraq and make contributions to high-impact development projects.
IraqPartnership.org is a cooperative effort of USAID and GlobalGiving, a leader in online philanthropy ? USAID provides content for the site and GlobalGiving supplies their internet-based donation technology.
?IraqPartnership.org demonstrates the proud American tradition of private citizens working in partnership with government,? said USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios. "At the President's direction USAID will work even harder to engage the private sector to help Iraqis create an environment where democracy and economic opportunity can take root and grow."
Iraqi forces launch attack on Tal Afar -- (Reuters)... Nameer Nouredeen
TAL AFAR, Iraq - Thousands of Iraqi and U.S. troops launched an assault on the northern city of Tal Afar on Saturday to rid it of suspected insurgents and Iraq's government said it plans attacks on rebels in four other towns.
Supporting the Provincial Elections [Fortunate Son - in Afghanistan] (pics)(pics)(pics)
The Afghan people are on the verge of yet another unprecedented and historic election on 18 September where they will elect their provincial leadership (think: Senators and Congressmen). Our team has been out in the streets of Nangarhar province polling the locals and handing out a paper called "Peace Radio" which promotes rule of law...
Sieg Gets Gear!!!! -- [The Siegrist Blogs - in Afghanistan]
I would like to pass along a great thing that happened to me today when I picked up mail. I ordered a water proof wallet a few weeks ago from Action Gear also known as Brigade Quartermasters. Well the wallet was $20. When I opened up the envelope inside was a Cold Steel Recon 1 knife. (Retail Value $90) Seems they have a program called Goodies for Good Guys. What a great surprise it was for one knowing people have not forgotten us over here and two for scoring a $90 knife for free. I guess you could say it was a "Good Gear Day". Below is the letter I received from the president of Action Gear
U.S. forces in Afghanistan remember September 11 -- (Reuters)
BAGRAM, Afghanistan - U.S. forces in Afghanistan held a solemn ceremony on Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, remembering those who died then and in the U.S.-led war on terrorism that followed.
Afghan defense minister escapes assassination bid -- (Reuters)
KABUL - Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle belonging to Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak on Saturday after he had got out, and shortly afterwards a helicopter carrying the army chief crash-landed.
Egypt's Opposition Sees Democracy Hope -- (AP)...MAGGIE MICHAEL
CAIRO, Egypt -- Turnout was miserably low, voting irregularities were prevalent, and the result - President Hosni Mubarak's re-election - was known from the start. Still, some in the opposition said Friday that Egypt's flawed vote created momentum toward greater democracy.
Koizumi clings to lead on eve of Japan's election -- (Reuters)
TOKYO, Sept 10 - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling party held onto its comfortable lead on the eve of Japan's election, an opinion poll showed on Saturday, making the big question not whether it would win, but by how much.
Schroeder's SPD Rises in Poll; No Majority for Merkel's Union -- (Bloomberg .com)
Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Support for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats rose in a poll before the Sept. 18 election, leaving his challenger, Angela Merkel, and her Free Democratic Party ally without a majority.
155TH SOLDIERS NEED OUR HELP -- [Keep My Soldier Safe - Blue Star Mom]
The following soldiers had received no information about their families earlier this week:
? Staff Sgt. Terry Seals of Poplarville; hasn't heard from his wife or his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.B. Seals, also of Poplarville.
? Spc. Travis Hisaw of Pass Christian; hasn't heard from his wife.
? Staff Sgt. Stanley L. Peters of Sandy Hook.
? Spc. Billy T. Smith of Tylertown.
? Sgt. Arron M. Waldrop of Tylertown.
? Spc. Roderick B. Duckworth of Wiggins; hasn't heard from his wife, Chalesha, or his father-in-law, Shelby Kennedy.
? Pfc. Forest Reynolds of Long Beach.
? Sgt. Freddie J. Cagle Jr. of Gulfport.
? Sgt. Robert B. Hance of Pascagoula.
? Spc. Kimberly E. Garrett of Collins.
? Sgt. Paul Decoronado of Ocean Springs.
Our guys need our help, so if anyone has any information about the above family members, please contact the American Red Cross at (877) 272-7337 or the Hattiesburg American at (601) 584-3111 to have information forwarded to the soldiers.
Update from Belle Chase [Miserable Donuts]
The logistics build up is impressive to see. All 4 services and the Coast Guard are here and working. The above is a quick shot of the staging area we waited at by the flight line before moving out to our permanent area.
Shelter for Military Personnel Affected by Katrina -- [Banter Atlanter]
Our invaluble military men and women are at it again.
The only reason that the tide of NOLA lawlessness turned was because of the arrival and hard work of our military personnel. If it hadn't been for their work NOLA might still be a place where murders, rapes, and looting occur frequently. As soon as the choppers and humvees rolled in, thing began to change.
Now, the Navy announces that they are preparing to:...
Will this torpedo Bush?s trust factor, and should it? -- [One hand Clapping]
It seems to me the answer is yes, if true
And these allegations are not so complex that they cannot be easily verified. Glenn Reynolds cites a WaPo piece thus:
Al Gore Sets the Example -- [Major K - in Iraq]
Al Gore has done what every big-mouthed, deep-pocketed, well-connected politician should have been doing all through the Katrina disaster. Kudos, Mr. Gore!
FEMA Director Removed From Katrina Duty -- (ABC News)
Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, under criticism due to his management of Hurricane Katrina as well as reported discrepancies on his resume, has been ousted from disaster relief efforts.
And sources have told ABC News that Brown is also expected to be out as head of the agency very soon.
...Asked if Brown was being made a scapegoat for a federal relief effort that has drawn widespread and sharp criticism, Brown told The Associated Press after a long pause: "By the press, yes. By the president, no."
PLAN TO REOPEN FRENCH QUARTER IN 90 DAYS; SCALED-DOWN MARDI GRAS -- (Drudge)
The New Orleans business establishment-in-exile has set up a beachhead in a government annex building here, located across the street from the state Capitol.
God Bless the State of Texas -- [Firepower Forward - on home for R&R from Iraq]
Finally the doors opened, and we collected our belongings and made our way thourough customs. Aiport attendants asked each of us our final destinations and directed us towards our respective terminals and as I rounded the corner, to leave the terminal, I was greeted by a throng of cheering supporters. There was easily more than 100 people cheering and waving flags, reaching out to shake our hands and welcome us home. By the time I reached the terminal doors, I had bags of brownies, posters from the Dallas Mavericks Cheerleaders, bottles of cold water, and tears in my eyes.
Letters that make it all worthwhile -- [A Soldier's Angel - Holly Aho]
Last spring I wrote a letter to a soldier that was very lonely and sad. Here is the message she sent to Soldiers Angels when she signed up:
"My Unit arrived in Iraq in January of this year and I must say it has been a most trying time for me (and everyone involved).I have been quite lonely here.My friends back home I now realize are not as supportive as they pretended to be and I miss having people send letters.I have not heard from them.My mother was extremely unhappy with me for joining the military at such a tense moment and is quite bitter about my being here...she makes me feel guilty about my duties as a soldier.My father died the last day of January (a week after we got here) and ...
KATRINA and the MEDIA COVER-UP by FORGING STORIES to destroy America... -- [nodnc.com]
...Amazingly, the Democrat MAYOR of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, said that the Governor had been offered ?two options, I was ready to move today, the Governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision.?
...After this unbelievable admission, and with some LEADING QUESTIONS from the interviewer, the Governor and former FEMA director got back on message with their blaming of the Federal government. CNN's Soledad O'Brien, rather than pressing on one of the largest stories ever, helped to distract from the major issue, that the Democrat Governor was directly responsible for the stupid decisions that likely cost thousands of lives
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (Note: Trackbacks currently not functioning - we're working to correct the problem.)
The Sunnis are in -- [An Average Iraqi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
I was chatting with Treasure of Baghdad, he led my attention to an article posted by the Washington post, the article is titled Iraqi Sunnis register to vote in droves, that made me think. They are right, the last couple of times I went to the mosque, there were posters all over the walls, and they were distributing leaflets about the necessity of voting. Fact is that in the last voting, most Sunnis failed to vote, and I'm one of them, but this time is going to be different. Almost every Sunni I know has already registered to the voting, the Imam at the mosque tells at the end of each Friday sermon how necessary it is to go vote, although he gives other reason, like not letting US take control over Iraq, but the result is the same, people deciding their own future themselves, by voting instead of other means.
Alert: Talaafar -- [Hammorabi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
At least 130 terrorists have been arrested and others killed in Talaafar which is now fully under the control of the Iraqi forces.
Among the terrorists are Afghanis and Arabs some of them worked with Al-Zarqawi including one of his drivers.
The Battle for the Border IV -- [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio ]
The Coalition continues to maintain the tempo of combat operations in Western Anbar and Tal Afar.
She sings good! -- [Sooni - an Iraqi in Iraq] HT: Iraq the Model
...Here I was really shocked because I'm a big fan of Celine, I wasn?t shocked because she criticized Bush's policy but oh my god not in this naﶥ and superficial way. She can be against the war (I think too many are) but saying "to kill everyone" well who's everyone I'm still alive and many others in my country! And most of the killing in Iraq are done by the terrorist groups not by the American army, I'm not about to defend the American army way of acting or what I think about Bush and his policy maybe I will do this in another article. Dear Celine if you have a point and you what to say it say it but there is no need to tell lies about it or even saying something that u don?t know what it means just like the "planes that kill everyone".
A Salute to Baghdad College -- [Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Flipping through my photo album, I looked at my high school photos and remembered my friends and colleagues whom I miss a lot. Baghdad College, a high school that was founded by the Jesuits in 1932, was one of the most famous schools in Baghdad where appliers had to be subjected to a special IQ exam in order to join it. Graduating from this high school makes me feel so proud and grateful to all those who established it and taught and still teaching in it.
II MHG female search team finds role in duty -- [Live in Iraq]
FALLUJAH, Iraq -(Sept 9 2005) - Large operations in Al Anbar province continue as Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen endure the heat in Iraq to carry out insurgency-fighting missions. One group of service members remain in the international spotlight through it all.
Women Marines and Sailors are filling duties in Fallujah just as their male counterparts, despite global media attention. Many of them are serving in various billets without question or even at a moment?s notice.
Iraq Pictures - Friday, September 09, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
U.S. Army Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division scan the landing zone for possible hostile forces. The soldiers provided a security cordon so their unit could build a playset for a local school yard in northern Baghdad. The mission was aptly named Operation Jungle Gym. Pic: Tech. Sgt. Russell E. Cooley IV, USAF
The RUmor Tree -- [Lost in Iraq! - in Iraq]
Ok so here it is. Over here we have this small area of trees that provides some shade for us right outside some of the tents. This area became known as the Rumor Tree because if theres anything you want to find out about anything go to this place for like 10 minutes and you will more than likely hear something. It was said by someone out here that rumors are like crack for crackheads you cant wait to get your hands on the next one and i believe that is true. So anyways i figured i would let you all in on some of the latest rumors going around. remember these are just rumors dont take any of it seriously.
'They Are All So Wrong' -- (Opinion Journal)...Mark Helprin
...Perhaps this and previous administrations have had an effective policy just too difficult to comprehend because they have ingeniously sheltered it under the pretense of their incompetence. But failing that, the legacy of this generation's presidents will be promiscuous declarations and alliances, badly defined war aims, opportunities inexplicably forgone, ill-supported troops sent into the field, a country at risk without adequate civil protections, and a military shaped to fight neither the last war nor this one nor the next.
Saddam has not confessed, says lawyer -- (Middle East Times)...Randa Habib
Saddam Hussein's lawyer denied on September 8 that his client, awaiting trial next month over a 1982 massacre, had confessed to any crime and said that there is no hope of his getting a fair trial.
200 Suspected Militants Arrested in Iraq -- (AP)...JACOB SILBERBERG
TAL AFAR, Iraq -- A joint U.S.-Iraqi force punched deep into Tal Afar, a key insurgent staging ground near the Syrian border, and the Iraqi army said Thursday it arrested 200 suspected militants in the sweep - three-fourths of them foreign fighters.
US mulls "decisive" attack on Iraqi rebel town -- (Reuters)...Sebastian Alison
BAGHDAD - The United States is considering an all-out military attack in the coming weeks against the town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq, which it sees as a stronghold of rebellion, a U.S. general said on Thursday.
Arab Nations Say Iraq Unrest Halts Envoys -- (AP)...MAAMOUN YOUSSEF
Faced with Iraqi criticism, Arab foreign ministers said Thursday that their nations should send ambassadors to Baghdad, but several explained that continuing bloodshed in the country was preventing them.
Powell Says U.N. Speech a 'Blot' on Record -- (AP)...BARRY SCHWEID
WASHINGTON -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday his prewar speech to the United Nations accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction was a "blot" on his record.
"I'm the one who presented it to the world, and (it) will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It is painful now," Powell said in an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC-News
Navy: Former Iraqi Regime Knows Fate of Missing U.S. Pilot -- (Fox News)... AP
Navy says former Iraqi officials know whereabouts of pilot who was shot down in first Gulf War
UN raises alarm over death squads, torture in Iraq -- (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)
The United Nations has raised concerns about mounting violence in Iraq blamed on pro-government militias and urged the authorities to look into reports of systematic torture in police stations.
U.S. Forces Chase Ghost Fighters Amid Iraqis -- (Washington Post)...Jonathan Finer
The U.S. soldiers sensed something wasn't quite right when an ambulance carrying two dead bodies arrived Thursday morning at a checkpoint for people evacuating this city under siege.
S. Korea Signals Extension Of Iraq Troop Deployment -- (Korea Times)...Jung Sung-ki
The Defense Ministry has begun to recruit military personnel for the third contingent of South Korean troops to be stationed in Iraq, signaling a move to seek an extension of troop deployment for another year.
Imperial Grunts -- [Right in Releigh]
Robert Kaplan again does a great job of explaining how Special Forces operate and what we are doing in Afghanistan in particular. This article just came out in The Atlantic Monthly and is included in the book of the same name (Imperial Grunts).
Good News from Afghanistan -- [Signaleer]
...AID & RECONSTRUCTION
While expressing thanks to the international community for its contribution in rebuilding Afghanistan, Afghan President Karzai has called upon his country to move towards self-reliance in the reconstruction phase. "How long the foreigners should provide security for us and how long they build road for us? We ourselves should work and stand on our feet like other nations," he told an audience of 350 delegates from the National Solidarity Program at the Presidential palace. (Xinhuanet)
The Afghan government has announced an allocation of $20 million dollars to western Farah province for eradication of poppy cultivation and providing farmers an alternative source of living. (Pak Tribune)
Second Soldier Acquitted in Detainee Abuse -- (AP)...ALICIA A. CALDWELL
FORT BLISS, Texas -- A military jury acquitted a second Army reservist Thursday in the beating of a detainee in Afghanistan who later died.
Sunday Freedom Park Showdown -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
Anti-American hate groups are holding a protest Sunday demanding the removal of the General MacArthur statue located in Freedom Park in Inchon. This park has been the scene of prior protests for and against the statue and looks to be a battle ground again this weekend: ...
Ophelia Gains Hurricane Strength off Fla. Coast -- (Washington Post)...AP
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 8 -- Tropical Storm Ophelia strengthened into a hurricane 70 miles off the northeast Florida coast Thursday, churning up waves that caused beach erosion and drenching the Kennedy Space Center with rain.
Ukraine's Yushchenko fires government --(Reuters)...Olena Horodetska
KIEV, Sept 8 - Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko sacked his government on Thursday as the team which led the "Orange Revolution" less than a year ago broke apart amid infighting and accusations of mass graft.
Schroeder, Putin Complete Pipeline Deal -- (AP)...DAVID McHUGH
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin sealed an agreement Thursday to build a Baltic Sea gas pipeline aimed at boosting Russia's gas sales to Europe and securing uninterrupted energy supplies for Germany.
What I Can Do - Random Acts of Artistic Kindness -- [A Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
Random Acts of Artistic Kindness is a new project of my own, with the blessings of Patti Bader and Soldiers Angels, for raising funds for Soldiers Angels. I have three personal favorites for donating funds to SA, the SA general fund, Project Valour-IT, and SA's Operation Hurricane Katrina Soldiers Relief Fund.
I got to thinking the other day while reading suggestions on helping the hurricane relief operations that 'talents' was something you could share if monetary or other kinds of help were not an option for you. I want to help, but my ability to do so is limited. However, I do have a talent or two. And while artwork may not be of much help to those in need of a home, food and clothing....it can be used to provide the help that is needed.
Now I might not be a famous artist, but I'm a professional and experienced one with a fair selling record. So I thought of how to use this to provide help and this is where the project began. I want to include everyone who would like to participate, not just those with large pocketbooks, so this is how the project will work....and how you can get involved.
Hurricane Relief -- [Way Down In Kosovo - in Kosovo]
The government of Kosovo yesterday voted to allocate 400,000 euros for hurricane relief in the U.S. While this is comparatively a small amount, it is a huge sum of money relative to the meager size of Kosovo's budget. Compare this to oil rich Venezuelas paltry $1,000,000. Having Kosovo
General Russel Honore - Soldier Extraordinaire -- [GM's Corner]
People are demanding to know more about Lt. General Russel Honore, tagged "John Wayne" by some, but a Guardian Angle by others. In an earlier post which has generated some 2000+ hits on this little blog, his niece had this to say:
Just wanted to 2nd all of the kudo's for Uncle Russ. Yes, he IS my uncle and Yes he IS just as honest out of uniform. A real hero to our family too."
Real American Heros -- [Hurl's Blog - in Iraq]
While the race-baiting left-biased MSM continues to fan the flames of racism in America - spreading hatred, rage, and division, many are focusing on the TRUE nature of Americans. Sure Jesse, uncle Al, and the rest of the race hustlers out there get all the attention. After all, that's how they make their money - at others expense.
Here are some pictures of real Americans reaching out and helping one another. They are posted by MaryKatherineHam over at Townhall.com.
...While the left continues it's long-standing tradition of dividing our country over race issues, real Americans know the truth. I'm convinced that these pictures are just a glimpse of how Americans reach out to one another in times of crises.
The Survival of New Orleans Blog --[Pepple Pie - Blue Star Mom]
This paints both a very real and yet a very surreal picture of what it's like to be a survivor in New Orleans right now. Click Title.
Wrong Priorities -- [Alexander the Average]
Finally a good piece of analysis. From Newsweek:
...My take: Based on my own personal experience, this is right on the money. I never thought placing FEMA under DHS made much sense, and I?ve thought that DHS?s priorities have been wrong-headed from the start.
FEMA understands disasters, and many of its programs have been in place and effective for years. Since its inception, DHS has been ...
Katrina, Aftermath Galvanize Black America -- (AP)...JESSE WASHINGTON
NEW YORK -- To African-Americans, Hurricane Katrina has become a generation-defining catastrophe - a disaster with a predominantly black toll, tinged with racism. They've rallied to the cause with an unprecedented outpouring of activism and generosity.
..."You'd have to go back to slavery, or the burning of black towns, to find a comparable event that has affected black people this way," said Darnell M. Hunt, a sociologist and head of the African American studies department at UCLA.
Wife Says Criticism of Bush 'Disgusting' -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- Laura Bush described as "disgusting" comments by rapper Kanye West and Democratic chairman Howard Dean blaming her husband for the disproportionate number of black hurricane victims.
Celebs or saviors? -- (LA Times)...Paul Brownfield,
...On Thursday, by the time President Bush went on national TV to explain how the dispossessed could get their hands on $2,000 in FEMA funds, Oprah Winfrey and her star-studded Team Angel had already come through the Gulf Coast. On "Oprah" Wednesday, Julia Roberts was seen providing aid and comfort to evacuees in an Alabama Red Cross shelter. Matthew McConaughey helicoptered into a New Orleans hospital and helped a beleaguered doctor rescue dogs and cats.
Celebrities, in the end, beat the White House to the hearts-and-minds punch in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.
Poll: Majority Now Want Bush Focus on U.S. -- (AP) ...WILL LESTER
WASHINGTON -- Hurricane Katrina has made Americans heartsick. They're depressed about the images of destruction and despair they see from the storm zone and they increasingly want President Bush to shift his attention toward home, a poll released Thursday found....
Bush declares day of remembrance -- (Washington Times)...Bill Sammon
President Bush yesterday declared Sept. 16 a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Hurricane Katrina victims as the White House warned of a "very ugly scene" of death when the floodwaters are drained.
The thin veneer of civilization -- (LA Times)...Timothy Garton Ash
THE BIG LESSON of Katrina is not about the incompetence of the Bush administration, the scandalous neglect of poor black people in the United States or our unpreparedness for major natural disasters, though all of those apply. Katrina's big lesson is that the crust of civilization on which we tread is always wafer thin. One tremor and you've fallen through, scratching and gouging for your life like a wild dog.
Noblesse oblige? Not our president -- (LA Times)...Margaret Carlson:
AS PART OF HIS political damage control over the weekend, President Bush sent his staff to the Sunday talk shows and his parents to visit evacuees bused to Houston from New Orleans.
The administration officials fared poorly. On "Meet the Press," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff tried to spin a headline few saw ? "New Orleans Dodges a Bullet" ? into an explanation of why his department stood by for days as thousands sent to the city's convention center were trapped in their own filth, without food, water or medicine. He looked silly.
NATO Preparing to Deliver Katrina Aid -- (AP)...MATT MOORE
FRANKFURT, Germany -- The United States turned Thursday to its allies in NATO, which sent AWACs planes to patrol U.S. skies after the Sept. 11 attacks, to help bring in desperately needed food and supplies for the hundreds of thousands of Americans left homeless by Hurricane Katrina....
Red Cross: State rebuffed relief efforts -- (CNN)
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (CNN) -- Louisiana officials rebuffed American Red Cross requests to enter New Orleans with relief supplies last week because of concerns over logistical difficulties, Red Cross and state officials said Thursday
Many Chiefs in White House Recovery Effort -- (AP)...JENNIFER LOVEN
WASHINGTON -- There are an awful lot of chiefs around the White House these days when it comes to Hurricane Katrina.
There's nothing out of the ordinary about a White House having several people overseeing different portions of such an enormous effort - in which almost the entire half-million population of New Orleans has been relocated elsewhere, possibly for months or longer, and other Gulf Coast states look as though they were sent through a shredder.
But in this case, with the president under fire for a poor early reaction to the storm, the large cast of sometimes-changing aides being thrown at the response is contributing to a perception that the president has not taken complete control of the situation himself, said Paul Light, a professor of organizational studies at New York University.
"It's just reinforcing this image that the federal government doesn't know who's on first," he said.
Leader Who Rose in 9/11 Slips in Wake of Storm -- (New York Times)...RICHARD W. STEVENSON
Nine days after the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush stood before a joint session of Congress and rallied the nation to a new mission.
On Thursday, nine days after it became apparent that New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Bush stood in an auditorium across the street from the White House and directed storm victims to a Web site and a toll-free telephone number.
Brit Hume's GrapevineVIDEO -- (Fox News)...Brit Hoon
Before Katrina, money flowed for New Orleans' canal projects, but where did it go?
Democratic Leaders Reject G.O.P. Storm Inquiry Plan -- (New York Times)...CARL HULSE
...Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, her counterpart in the Senate, said they would not cooperate because the committee would be controlled by Republicans, would have uncertain authority and was created without consultation with Democrats.
Point Those Fingers -- (New York Times)...PAUL KRUGMAN
If the Bush administration isn't held accountable for its response to Hurricane Katrina, it will keep repeating its mistakes.
Political Issues Snarled Plans for Troop Aid -- (New York Times)...ERIC LIPTON, ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER
...As criticism of the response to Hurricane Katrina has mounted, one of the most pointed questions has been why more troops were not available more quickly to restore order and offer aid. Interviews with officials in Washington and Louisiana show that as the situation grew worse, they were wrangling with questions of federal/state authority, weighing the realities of military logistics and perhaps talking past each other in the crisis.
To seize control of the mission, Mr. Bush would have had to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows the president in times of unrest to command active-duty forces into the states to perform law enforcement duties. But decision makers in Washington felt certain that Ms. Blanco would have resisted surrendering control, as Bush administration officials believe would have been required to deploy active-duty combat forces before law and order had been re-established.
Katrina Heavily Damages Military Bases -- (AP)...LOLITA C. BALDOR
Military housing, airport hangars, equipment and power lines were heavily damaged at six military bases across Louisiana and Mississippi, forcing nearly $1 billion in emergency repairs, according to base personnel and other defense officials.
IRS Program Converts Vacation to Donation -- (AP)...MARTIN CRUTSINGER
WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday announced a program that encourages workers to give up unused vacation time and sick days and turn them into charitable contributions to aid Hurricane Katrina victims....
Chief Architect of USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Speaks at CT Blog Panel -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the chief architect of the current legislation reauthorizing key sections of the USA PATRIOT Act, gave the opening remarks today at the CT Blog panel titled, " Four Years Later: Are We Safer?" Chairman Sensenbrenner's answer to the primary question was that "(W)e are safer, but no we are not safe. Our enemy?s goal is to destroy us." He reminded us of Congress's accomplishments since the attacks, which include "passing the PATRIOT Act; tearing down the 'wall,? which prevented the sharing of vital information between law enforcement and the intelligence community; updating antiquated law enforcement tools; creating the Department of Homeland Security; reforming the Intelligence Community; strengthening our criminal laws against providing material support to terrorists..." and other measures.
Al-Qaida's spectacular 'Ramadan Offensive' -- (World Net Daily)...Joseph Farah
Bin Laden plans for terrorist strikes against U.S., Europe next month
WASHINGTON ? Raising new concerns about the use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists, al-Qaida is planning spectacular attacks next month against the U.S., Russia and Europe in what it is calling the "Great Ramadan Offensive."
Weldon Says Witness Will Tell Of Destroying Data About Potential Terrorists -- (CQ Today)...John M. Donnelly link not available yet
A Defense Department employee will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 21 that civilian superiors in 2000 ordered him to destroy a huge cache of data from a classified program that tracked al Qaeda, a congressman said Thursday.
A View From the Inside -- [Andi's World]
By now you know what happens outside of Walter Reed every Friday night. But are you left wondering what the troops inside are thinking?
SMASH on the Radio -- [Smash]
I'LL BE LIVE on the Roger Hedgecock Show (KOGO 600AM) sometime after 5:30pm PDT, talking about the San Diego Protest Warrior - CodePink Katrina Challenge.
Sandy Berger Convicted? But It?s A Slap On The Wrist -- [Austin Bay]
Former Clinton Administration National Security Adviser Sandy Berger got off very light. He stole classified documents and the court slapped him with a $50,000 fine. Berger had a high position in government, and it looks like his bigshot status kept him out of jail.
Bush?s Pothole Moment -- (Newsweek)...Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
George W. may not be running for office again, but his success or failure in rebuilding the Gulf Coast could determine the future for his party and local officials.
Democrats' Anti-Bush Petition Seeks Funds -- (AP)...DEVLIN BARRETT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new Democratic effort to whip up indignation about the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina also tried to raise money for Democratic candidates.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued an appeal Thursday urging people to sign an online petition to fire the Federal Emergency Management Agency's director over his handling of the Katrina response.
Dems Want Input on O'Connor Replacement -- (AP)...JESSE HOLLAND
WASHINGTON -- President Bush should consult with senators before making his choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Democratic leaders said Thursday....
Berger fined for taking papers -- (Washinton Times)...Jerry Seper
Former National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger was fined $50,000 by a federal judge yesterday for illegally taking classified documents out of the National Archives by stuffing them in his pants.
Hughes Is Varnishing the Nation's Tarnish -- (Washington Post)...Dana Milbank
The image of the United States has taken a beating over the past 10 days, as foreign television and newspapers show images of death, chaos and disease in New Orleans. Even lowly Bangladesh (per capita income: $400 a year) was moved to send $1 million in foreign aid.
But Karen Hughes has another view.
...There are a lot of things being said about us around the world that aren't true," said the woman in charge of polishing the American image abroad. "We've marshaled the resources of our federal government" to help fellow Americans, she said, and if people think otherwise, "we need to aggressively challenge that idea around the world."
...The demonstrators, carrying messages promoting women's rights, labor unions and "Hillary '08" and condemning Halliburton, Karl Rove, the Iraq war and killings in Sudan, did not deny that the hurricane protest was opportunistic. "It's almost as if people are looking for an excuse to pin something on Bush that will stick," said Jerry Stein, who also marched in the Iraq rally.
You want the truth? -- [MREater - in Iraq]
Americans seek ?the truth? about what is happening in Iraq. I?ve have many people tell me that they would like to ?really? know what is going over here. Americans have a huge stake in this war, in blood and money, and they want to know whether the endeavor is worth the cost.
The main stream media (MSM) is not trusted to accurately report. MSM focuses too much on the bad news and destruction, it is said, and by failing to report the good new the MSM presents a skewed picture of what is happening here. Conservatives recently sent a ?Truth Tour? to Iraq because they think the good news isn?t getting out.
The News Room -- (Reuters)
Feedback from our online readers [on this story.] - September 7, 2005
Black text = Reuters headlines and stories
Blue text = Reader Feedback
Red text = Editor's note
New Orleans collects dead as officials dodge blame
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - New Orleans began the gruesome task of collecting its thousands of dead on Sunday as the Bush administration tried to save face after its botched rescue plans left the city at the mercy of Hurricane Katrina.
International Instapundit -- [Basil's Blog]
Evil Glenn Reynolds? smiled as he finished the BabelPundit software. That was the working title of the software. It would work. He was sure of it. And it would expand his role as Dark Overlord of the Internet...
Obituaries in the News -- (AP)...Eugenia Charles
ROSEAU, Dominica - Former Dominica leader Eugenia Charles, who gained attention for standing with President Ronald Reagan when he announced the invasion of Grenada, died Tuesday. She was 86.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Constitutional process - Wednesday, September 07, 2005 -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
In order to keep you updated on the constitutional process in Iraq, I translated this report from Baghdad's Al-Mashriq newspaper:
Maryam Arrayis (CDC member) told Al-Mashriq that there will be minor changes to the current draft before sending it to the UN before this weekend.
Ms. Arrayis stressed that the changes are minor and do not change the essence of the constitution.
IT HAS BEEN A WHILE -- [Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum - in Iraq]
...There is an interpreter here I'll call him Jim, I have come to appreciate this quiet and peaceful human being, and over the last few months I have come to call him friend. I asked him the other day why he had worked here so long, and how he could face the dangers of being an interpreter so calmly. I urged him to quit if for no other reason than to see him die, would tear at me. Not like when a soldier dies, as a soldier you can respect it as a fallen warrior, but to see civilians die here for no reason is tragic. "Jim" looked to the ground, and and thought about the question for a long time before he answered. He smiled at me, and put it into words that we can all understand. "This is my country, wouldn't you do the same?"
The Lost Village -- [Who's your Baghdaddy? - in Iraq]
I went on a Civil Affairs mission yesterday, and the experience proved to be a much needed shot in the arm. Since returning from my two weeks of leave I have found myself increasingly disinterested in this place with my thoughts consumed by my family back in Texas. The trip I made yesterday, however, reminded me yet again of why we are here and gave me a renewed sense of purpose.
Al Qaeda Seizes Iraqi Town -- [Austin Bay]
That?s the Guardian?s claim? Qaim is under Zarqawi?s control and he will use it as a base to disrupt the October 15 referendum.
Iraq Pictures - Thursday, September 08, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures]
A U.S. Army Soldier runs for cover while Iraqi soldiers provide security in Tall Afar. Iraqi army security forces, with assistance from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tiger Squadron, are patrolling Tall Afar to locate insurgent safe havens and to clear weapons caches. Pic: Photographer's Mate 1st Class Alan D. Monyelle, U.S. Navy(pic)
Iraq Pictures - Thursday, September 08, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures]
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Bryan Townsend leaves Forward Operating Base 1, Hit, Iraq, with a stuffed animal to present to an Iraqi child while on patrol with Iraqi security forces and Marines from 2nd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. Pic: Lance Cpl. Shane S. Keller, U.S. Marine Corps (pic)
The Northing -- [Faces From The Front - JD's Blog]
Between Amiriyah and Ferris Town there is a GPS grid line, a ?Northing? in military terminology. This imaginary line across a patch of desert is perhaps the safest place on earth?because Silver and Gold have held it 24/7 for the past three days.
As part of Operation Southern Fire, the Platoon provided security for another unit that was building a series of Block Houses inside Ferris and Amiriyah. And, as is common in construction projects, the other unit was on the 4th day of a two-day job.
Caf鳦lt;/b> -- [Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Among a mixture of smoke rising from cigarettes and Argeelas [water pipes], Iraqi men spend most of their time talking about past, present, future and other problems in café³®
Escaping from the daily problems like water and electricity cut offs, unemployment, terrorism, lack of security and general chaos, the café³ became the center of political and social debate among them.
In Baghdad, there are ancient café³ that are no longer considered normal café³ rather than centers for intellectuals and educated people. As an example, Al-Mustansirya café ´hat was built in 1587 on the banks of the Tigris and restored in the 1960s. Its walls are filled with old photographs of poets and long-dead Iraqi singer Mohammed al-Qobbanji.
Iraq's Sunnis Register to Vote in Droves -- (Washington Post)...Ellen Knickmeyer and Bassam Sebti
BAGHDAD, Sept. 7 -- Voter registration soared in some Sunni Arab parts of Iraq as Sunnis mobilized to try to vote down a draft constitution they believe will divide the country, according to figures released Wednesday at the close of registration for the Oct. 15 referendum.
The results of the Sunni registration campaign came on a day of violence in the predominantly Shiite south. ...
U.S. Hostage Freed After 10 Months in Iraq -- (AP)...STEVEN R. HURST
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military, acting on a tip, raided an isolated farmhouse outside the capital Wednesday and rescued an American businessman held hostage for 10 months. The kidnappers, who had kept their captive bound and gagged, escaped without a gunbattle. The rescue came on a day that saw two deadly bombings around the southern city of Basra, fueling fears the bloody insurgency was taking deeper root outside Sunni-dominated territory. A roadside bomb killed four American security agents. And an Interior Ministry official said 16 people were killed and 21 were injured in a car bombing at a restaurant in a central market.
Hallums Family Elated by Rescue in Iraq -- (AP)...JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
LOS ANGELES -- When former hostage Roy Hallums called his daughter early Wednesday from Iraq with news of his rescue, he apologized for causing her so much grief and pain....
Saddam Reportedly Defends Attack on Kurds -- (AP)...ROBERT H. REID
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein acknowledged ordering deadly retribution against Kurds in the north of the country and boasted that the killings were legal and justified, an official of the Iraqi Special Tribunal said Wednesday....
Iraq set aside $15 million to bribe UN leader -- (Reuters)
UNITED NATIONS - Iraq set aside $15 million 10 years ago to bribe or otherwise influence then-U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to shape the oil-for-food program to Saddam Hussein's liking, investigators said on Wednesday.
Women Candidates and Their Problems -- [Afghan Warrior - an Afghani in Afghanistan]
Afghan women candidates fac majore problem to run their electoral campaigns, particulary in the south and southeastern provinces. Poor security and financial difficulties are the main problems that the female candidates are suffering from. In some rural areas of the southern and southeastern provinces they can not even attend public meetings because the areas still have a patriachal and traditional systems which are far from the Islam religion because in Islam there is equal rights for men and women. So in these areas the female candidates are facing problems. In some rural areas, women give their speeches via their relatives such as their brother or cousins. Some male candidates are armed and they carry weapons for their security. They have influence. Also they have a police force with them to pull security for them while they run their campaign. But female candidates don't have as many facilities as male candidates to afford security guards and money for their expenses. So therefore campaigning is more difficult for the women candidates.
Losing Afghanistan's friends: Are we doing enough? -- [Afghan Reality - an Afghani in Afghanistan]
Many natives of Afghanistan consider their land as 'one of the most hospitable' countries on the face of the earth. Is it really?
Earlier this month, two Japanese teachers, technical arts teacher Jun Fukusho, 44, and female English teacher Shinobu Hasegawa, 30, were found dead in Southern Afghanistan.
...But, do these incidents portray the genuine identity of Afghans? For many of you who have visited Afghanistan, known Afghans and/or been touched by the personal stories of Afghans, the answer most likely is NO.
Subscribe to Fortunate Son -- [Fortunate Son - in Afhanistan]
Good news for all the web-savvy folks that want to keep up with what's going on with my adventures in Civil Affairs in Afghanistan. I've added the Atom, XML-based subscription service for those who use newsreaders.
Shakespeare plays in Kabul encourage peace and love -- (USA Today )...AP
KABUL, Afghanistan ? Shakespeare has come to Afghanistan. Four centuries after the famous bard's death, one of his plays has been adapted for the local culture in an effort to help revive a once-thriving theater scene and to promote peace in a country riven by ethnic hatred and still wracked by violence after decades of war.
Military, civilians to wear pin symbolizing solidarity with Afghans -- (Stars & Stripes)...Jason Chudy,
Military officials say that troops in Afghanistan have a new weapon in their fight to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people ? a small lapel pin with the crossed flags of the United States and Afghanistan. And it?s not just servicemembers who will be wearing these new arms; they?re also mandatory for all civilians working under Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan.
AFGHANISTAN: CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ARRESTED JOURNALIST -- (AKI)
Kabul, 7 Sept. - The Reporters Without Borders organisation has called for the immediate release of an Afghan journalist who has been detained in Jalalabad, to the east of the Afghan capital Kabu,l since September 2. Two days before his arrest, Ezatullah Zawab, editor of the fortnightly magazine Meena, contacted the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) warning them that the governor of the Nangarhar province was out to punish him over satirical articles he had published.
Afghan opposition leader eyes up to half of seats -- (Swiss Info) -(Reuters)...Robert Birsel
KABUL - The head of Afghanistan's opposition said on Wednesday President Hamid Karzai was a weak leader and a new parliament, to be elected on September 18, would h...
Afghanistan car blast kills four -- (BBC)
A car has exploded in south Afghanistan killing three people inside and a civilian in what seems a failed suicide attack on US forces, officials say.
Sludge -- [NEW MILBLOGGER!- Way Down In Kosovo]
The countryside here is so remarkably beautiful...if you ignore the garbage,and the blight, and the things that people do that can make things ugly, such as the tanker truck full of oil that overturned on the road to Kacanik about a week and a half ago. 5,000 gallons of oil come burbling out of this thing, streaming across some hapless farmer's field in a river of black ooze, and nobody did much of anything about it. Well there was the guy who built some little levees to halt the flow across the field. This, of course, soon resulted in the creation of a large pool of oil. Not quite a lake, just a nice, black, gooey pool in the middle of a field. The Kosovo Protection Corps (Formerly the Kosovo Liberation Army) are kind of the FEMA of Kosovo these days.
My Life's First Political Rally [The Big Pharaoh - in Egypt]
The place was crowded especially since the area in front of the moqama isn't that huge. My rough estimate is between 2000 to 3000 attendees including the journalists (excluding the huge number of security personnel of course!!)
Elections Update -- [The Big Pharaoh - in Egypt]
So far from what I've heard, the turnout of those who have a registration card is OK. Hani (see previous post) who is in a polling station in downtown told me that he heard stories of fighting over votes going on in Bab El Shaariya, Ayman Noor's district.
This morning someone told me that I can vote with my ID card. I don't want to repeat what happened to me during the referendum last May when I went to the station only to get turned back because I don't have a registration card.
End Islamic Torture -- [Pepple Pie - Blue Star Mom]
Help Iranian, Canadian, and USA Citizens
The systematic use of torture and terror, as instruments of domestic and foreign policy employed by the Islamic Clerical regime in Tehran, is no doubt a crime against humanity. It is time for a collective and decisive action by the Canadian, G8 governments, and the international community to support the freedom-loving Iranian People, to put an end to such horrific crimes against humanity and to pave the way for freedom.
First Night -- [Reflections in A Polar Icecap - in Greenland]
Photo: Lana, an American television news broadcaster living overseas, who travelled 6500 miles to document the stories that are our strange and adventurous lives.)
The Defense Minister of (European nation) made for a very nice trip, with a very cordial entourage in tow. He gave me his business card with a personal message on the back so that if I run into difficulty with citizens from his country, I could display the card so they'd know I'm rolling with his full support.
Hospitalized Chirac Skips Cabinet Meeting -- (AP)...ANGELA DOLAND
PARIS -- President Jacques Chirac skipped a weekly Cabinet meeting Wednesday for the first time since taking office in 1995, as authorities kept France in suspense for a fifth full day about what exactly ails the hospitalized 72-year-old leader....
Ophelia Has Some Worried Along Fla. Coast -- (AP)...RON WORD
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - Brisk wind and forceful rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia moved through this beachside community Wednesday, sending tourists scurrying inland and driving surfers out of the churning Atlantic. The tropical depression off the coast strengthened into a tropical storm early Wednesday and could bring strong winds and heavy rain to central and northern Florida over the next few days.
Transatlantic Divide Deep, Not So Wide, Poll Finds -- (La Times)...Sebastian Rotella
PARIS ? Europeans and Americans have often starkly different views of each other and the world, but agree on some major issues such as promoting democracy and avoiding war with Iran, according to a survey being released today.
Katrina: Major Garrett Exposes Faults of Louisiana and Governor Kathleen Blanco (VIDEO) -- [Political Teen]
On Brit Hume this evening, FOX News correspondent Major Garrett explained that FEMA/Red Cross had a truckload of water and other necessities , however the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security DENIED it. Why? Because they didn?t want to attract more people to the Superdome or the convention center, they want to get them out.
Only 13% Percent of the American Public Blame Bush for Katrina -- [Roger Simon]
... at least according to the new poll from some of the mainstays of of the mainstream media. That number seems surprisingly low considering the hammering Bush took in the press and the percentage of people who would probably blame him if they ran out of toothpaste. It's a kind of a weird projection syndrome these people are in. Mother Nature wreaks havoc. Got to find someone to blame. Oh, yeah... there's Bush. He likes to play golf. Get him!
Mayor Nagin on Oprah - Politics Was Reason for Delay -- [Blackfive]
I'm sooo relieved that Mayor Nagin was on Oprah. While I agree with her that we owe a lot of people an apology, I was stunned that the mayor was on her show. The fact that he has time to meet with "the O" must mean that everything's okay. Right? She also talked to the police chief who must now have everything under control...
US Troops Seeking to Help Katrina Victims -- [Andi's World]
From the battlefield to the disaster-zone.
The following e-mail was received from Chaplain Craig Combs - author of "The Iraq Journals" that are published here at WBAP.com.
Dear friends and supporters,
As with all of you, I have been struck with the reality of the incredible devastation and heartache caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Reliance...Dependence -- [Froggy Ruminations]
Everybody in this world has to rely on something or someone in order to survive. The choice that each of us makes when deciding who or what we do put our trust in is an important one. In the Gulf Coast this decision has proven to mean the difference between life and death.
New Orleans was declared a disaster area by President Bush days BEFORE the storm even made landfall, and it was at his urging that the Mayor of New Orleans declared a MANDATORY evacuation of the city.
Day 229 - Say What? -- [Wayne's World 2005 - Blue Star Mom]
Families everywhere are in transition.
Reporting from Najaf, AP reports say the 3,300-strong Mississippi National Guard unit in Iraq will finish its mission although some soldiers are heading home early to help take care of their families in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Rap stars may set up blacks-only relief fund -- [Riding Sun]
If you're looking for instances of flat-out racism in disaster relief efforts, here's one for you, from Billboard: ...
BlogBurst Member Hard At Work For Katrina Relief -- [Stop The ACLU]
The Stop The ACLU BlogBurst (link withheld intentionally) has members of many professional backgrounds. One of which is a nurse. Kathy from Is It Just Me and Crosses aCross America is hard at work vaccinating evacuated people from the flooding and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. She is doing so as a Red Cross Volunteer in Oklahoma.
Displaced Military Families Can Seek Safe Haven Within United States -- (American Forces Press Service)...Donna Miles HT: [A Soldiers Mom]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2005 ? Military family members ordered to evacuate military installations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama due to Hurricane Katrina are now authorized to select an alternate safe haven anywhere in the continental United States, defense officials confirmed today.
U.S. Offers Katrina Families $2,000 Each(AP) ...DAVID ESPO
WASHINGTON - Dispossessed families of Hurricane Katrina will receive debit cards good for $2,000 to spend on clothing and other immediate needs, the Bush administration announced Wednesday, working to recast a relief effort drawing scant praise from Republicans and scathing criticism from top congressional Democrats. President Bush is "oblivious, in denial, dangerous," when it comes to the plight of the storm's victims, charged House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Her Senate counterpart, Sen. Harry Reid, asked pointedly whether the chief executive impeded relief efforts by remaining at his Texas ranch last week while the storm churned toward the Gulf Coast.
Bush to request $51 bln for relief -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush plans to send Congress a request for $51.8 billion for relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, the second such request since the storm devastated the Gulf Coast last week, the White House said on Wednesday.
Stylish seized clothing headed to refugees -- (Reuters)
HOUSTON, Sept 6 - Three truckloads of fashion clothing seized by government agents for violating import quotas arrived at Houston's Astrodome on Wednesday so Hurricane Katrina refugees there can put it to use.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection delivered about 100,000 items of summer clothing, with an estimated value of $2.3 million, and said much more is on the way to evacuees elsewhere.
Police, Soldiers Warn New Orleans Holdouts -- (AP)...SHARON COHEN
NEW ORLEANS - Using the unmistakable threat of force, police and soldiers went house to house Wednesday to try to coax the last 10,000 or so stubborn holdouts to leave storm-shattered New Orleans because of the risk of disease from the putrid, sewage-laden floodwaters. "A large group of young armed men armed with M-16s just arrived at my door and told me that I have to leave," said Patrick McCarty, who owns several buildings and lives in one of them in the city's Lower Garden District. "While not saying they would arrest you, the inference is clear."
On Patrol -- (Newsweek)...Andrew Murr
California National Guard soldiers find heartbreak, prayer?and some racism?during their deployment to hurricane-battered New Orleans
Dean: Race Played a Role in Katrina Deaths -- (AP)...DENISE KALETTE
MIAMI -- Race was a factor in the death toll from Hurricane Katrina, Howard Dean told members of the National Baptist Convention of America on Wednesday at the group's annual meeting....
Europeans Wonder About Slow Katrina Relief -- (AP)...KARL RITTER
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- For four days, a C-130 transport plane ready to lift supplies to Katrina victims has stood idle at an air base in Sweden. The aid includes a water purification system that may be urgently needed amid signs deadly diseases could be spreading through fetid pools in New Orleans....
Wrong Priorities? -- (Newsweek)...Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Angry state officials accuse the White House of ignoring warnings that its focus on terror left the nation unprepared to cope with natural disasters.
Newsview: Governors Worry Over Katrina -- (AP)...RON FOURNIER
WASHINGTON -- No strangers to bureaucratic bungling and turf wars, the nation's governors watched in horror as government agencies handled Hurricane Katrina with glaring incompetence - and now worry that the next disaster could deal their states the same ugly fate....
Hurricane Katrina to Reduce Employment -- (AP)...MARTIN CRUTSINGER
WASHINGTON -- Hurricane Katrina will have a greater economic impact than previous killer storms, though the energy price spikes, slower growth and job losses will not be enough to push the country into a recession....
Survey: Economy Expanding Before Katrina -- (AP)...JEANNINE AVERSA
WASHINGTON -- Factories were chugging, cash registers were busy and jobs were growing in the late summer - fresh proof that the economy was in fine fettle before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, spreading death and destruction....
Katrina telethon draws stars, questions -- (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES - Recording stars Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Neil Young and the Dixie Chicks will headline a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims slated to air this week on six major U.S. networks and around the world, producers said on Wednesday.
But it was not clear whether they or any of the other celebrities booked for Friday's event, including comedian Chris Rock and movie star Jack Nicholson, will be permitted to freely express their opinions during the show or required to stick to the script.
THANK YOU -- [A Soldier's Thoughts - in Iraq]
I have been informed today that my address will soon be changing. For everyone that has sent me a package I want to say thank you so much, and for those who have just sent one, fear not, it will find me. Now for those of you who might have been thinking of sending one I recommend that you wait until I can post my updated address for you. Again thank you all so much, for the mail, and ESPECIALLY for all the support that you have given me.
Labor Union fighting Native Americans -- [Lance in Iraq - in Iraq]
Wonder where Democrats stand on this one:
A labor union is reporting significant security problems at seven Army bases where federal contractors are guarding the gates, freeing up soldiers to serve in Iraq...
Republicans say hurricane won't stop budget cuts -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON - Republicans in Congress on Wednesday rejected calls by Democrats to suspend work on tax cuts, that would mainly benefit the rich, and spending reductions on social programs because of the huge costs of hurricane relief.
Schwarzenegger Vows Gay Marriage Bill Veto -- (AP)...STEVE LAWRENCE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday he will veto a bill that would have made California the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through its elected lawmakers....
Dems Blast Bush Over Hurricane Response -- (AP)...TOM RAUM
WASHINGTON -- Democrats, divided over President Bush's handling of Iraq, are coming down hard on his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina....
Bush Choice on Nominee 2 Not Expected Soon -- (AP)...DEB RIECHMANN
WASHINGTON -- Maybe President Bush was just joking around to fuel speculation, but conservatives aren't laughing about the president's playful glance at Attorney General Alberto Gonzales when he described the list of possible nominees for the second Supreme Court vacancy as wide open....
Hawaii Gov. Lobbies Senate on Secession -- (AP)...ALEXANDRE DA SILVA
HONOLULU -- A delay in a U.S. Senate vote on a bill that would grant federal recognition to Native Hawaiians is giving Hawaii's governor a chance to lobby senators who fear it could lead to Hawaii's secession from the union....
UN probe paints Annan's son as big-spending liar -- (Reuters)
You can choose your friends but not your family.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan escaped charges of corruption in a report on the Iraqi oil-for-food program released on Wednesday, but evidence was presented that his son Kojo brandished his father's name to avoid paying taxes on a luxury car and lied repeatedly while under investigation.
Blogger Beignet Bash, New Orleans, 2006? [One Hand Clapping]
I?ve already mentioned that my wife and I spent some pleasant hours sipping hot chocolate and eating beignets at Cafe du Monde in the the French Quarter on our 1980 honeymoon, and we?d like to return someday. Now I have been struck with a PBI (Partly Baked Idea):...
Moving! -- [Neptunas Lex]
Well, I think we're up and running over here.
My intention is to leave this url behind as a kind of archive (my machine-based blog client, iBlog, has resolutely withstood my best efforts at exporting previous content) and move all "fresh" content to the www.neptunuslex.com domain. We're not entirely ready for visitors over there, with some broken links, etc. but we'll make do somehow. I suppose.
See you over there!
Sludge -- [NEW MILBLOGGER!- Way Down In Kosovo]
By the way, today is my birthday.
Duke Has Returned Home -- [Broken Masterpieces - dispatches from Iraq]
I'm happy to announce that Duke has returned home from his 4 months in Iraq.
A Marine Plans His Return
Early this week I spoke with a Marine who had just returned from 7 months in Iraq. He is an infantry company commander, so his unit, saw some real action. He lost 2 Marines from his company and had 18 wounded, and based on my limited knowledge of the area where his company was operating, his unit dealt some significant death and destruction to the terrorists and militants seeking to prevent the spread of freedom in Iraq.
He has 2 priorities.
Fraud Charges Mar Egypt's Sham Election -- [ScrappleFace]
Allegations of widespread fraud in unmonitored polling places threatened to mar the credibility of Egypt's sham presidential election today which pitted four-term President Hosni Mubarak against nine opponents whose actual names will be revealed to the public after the polls close.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
Iraq Pictures - Wednesday, September 07, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
The Qarah Anjir local government and coalition leaders celebrated the completion of this pump house. The pump will provide clean water to about 60 families in Klaw Qut.
News You Won't Hear -- [WarriorsVoice - in Iraq]
I was talking to a fellow Marine I know from 1/5 the other day. It looks like those warriors are ready to head home as their RIP comes to a close. Anyway, we were discussing the Ar-Ramadi AO and he informed me of something I did not know. When they first showed up here, downtown Ramadi was almost vacant. There were few shops, few restaurants and almost no business possibilities for the locals. The people of Ramadi did not hang out on the street, or in tea shops and they did not stroll around outside of their homes. That is not the case now. The shops and restaurants have opened back up, businesses are springing up and people crowd the streets going about their day to day lives.
al Qaeda Terrorists Control Small Iraqi Town -- [Joe's DartBlog]
Qaim has always been a tough spot for coalition forces, but that sign may be truer now than ever before. The Washington Post foreign service desk is reporting that al Qaeda terrorists have taken control of the town of Qaim. Under the control of radical Islamist and Iraq al Qaeda chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, unaffectionately known as 'Z-man' to our troops, these fighters- both Iraqis and, increasingly, foreigners- are enforcing strict Islamic law, sharia, on the villagers. This restricts their lives down to the type of music they play and which hairstyles are acceptable.
The new driving system, a solution or a problem itself -- [An Average Iraqi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
As a solution to the continuous traffic jams, and heavy traffic all throughout the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a new system of driving has been initiated in the city of Baghdad. The new system stipulates that cars with even license numbers can be driven a day, and the next day they can't, instead cars with odd license numbers are to be driven that day, but can't be driven the day next. This only applies to private cars, not public transportations, so the number of cars in the street is reduced heavily, but on what cost.
Chesterfield native and team roll over Fallujah insurgency -- [Live in Iraq]
FALLUJAH, Iraq(Sept. 7, 2005) -- Even though the Iraqi summer weather causes thermometers? mercury levels to creep up day by day, it?s not the scorching temperatures Lance Cpl. Benjamin Pellum worries about.
Rather, it?s the ever-present possibility of taking heat while patrolling through Fallujah?s streets.
Transition in Sight -- [Hurl's Blog - in Iraq]
The advance party for the unit that will eventually be replacing us arrived about a week ago. Needless to say they certainly were welcome. Suddenly the end of this tour is in sight, although still a few weeks away. The challenge now is remaining focused on our mission. Just have to gut it out I guess.
It is no longer a boiling cauldron here with daily temps in the 120's. Now it feels like Fall has arrived with the highs only hitting the upper 100's.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the FOB -- [MREater - in Iraq]
I was in a convoy a few days ago heading to another FOB, and midway on our trip we saw a civilian car turned on its side, with several Iraqis and their cars and little pickups milling around. By the debris on the road and the charred weeds, it was clear that an IED had just exploded.
Seeing no other military on the scene, except a couple of Iraqi police, we stopped to check it out.
Labor Day in Iraq -- [Those Wacky Iraqis - in Iraq]
Good Grub! This photo was taken on Labor Day. As you can see, we don't go hungry around here. In fact we joke that there are only three things to look forward to around here and they are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
SOLDIERS DISCOVER IED MAKING CELL -- {Centcom}
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq -- Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 155th Brigade Combat Team, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) discovered an improvised explosive device making cache north of Forward Operating Base Kalsu Sept. 4.
Items seized and subsequently destroyed included 122 mm artillery round, 82 mm mortar rounds and spools of electrical wire.
TASK FORCE LIBERTY SOLDIERS DETAIN TERRORISTS FOLLOWING MORTAR ATTACK -- {Centcom}
TIKRIT, Iraq ? Task Force Liberty Soldiers detained six terrorists suspected of carrying out a mortar attack against a Coalition base near Balad at about 5 a.m. Sept. 5.
Eleven terrorists were killed when the task force responded to the attack.
Four of those eventually detained were wounded in the counter attack.
Troops located two groups of attackers with a Coalition unmanned aerial vehicle and engaged them. The UAV was also used to track the wounded, who were observed being loaded into two vehicles at one of the mortar sites. The vehicles took the wounded to a hospital in Khalis in Diyala Province.
MORE TERRORISTS TAKEN OFF THE STREETS IN NORTHERN IRAQ -- {Centcom}
Mosul, Iraq ?Task Force Freedom detained 11 terrorists Sept. 5 in a number of operations in northern Iraq.
Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment detained three individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a raid in northeastern Mosul.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment detained six individuals suspected of terrorist activity during another raid in western Mosul.
Policy shifts to 'controlled instability' -- (The Enquirer)...Kurt Parrott
Neither our own President Bush nor Osama bin Laden in his videotapes has been able to clearly define what this war is all about. So let me take a crack at it.
Military occupation turns New Orleans into war zone -- (FT.com)...Guy Dinmore
New Orleans is under military occupation as well as underwater, and people wave in delight at the huge convoys of troops rumbling by, some of their vehicles in desert camouflage either back from or on their way to Iraq.
As in a war zone, military bases are being established in a city divided into sectors, while the navy has moved warships up the Mississippi for helicopter operations.
Iraq president says Saddam confesses to executions -- (The Star Online)...Reuters - Mariam Karouny
BAGHDAD - Saddam Hussein has confessed to carrying out executions and should be hanged "20 times", his successor as Iraq's president said on Tuesday while confirming that he will not sign a death warrant himself.
"I met the investigator who questioned Saddam," Jalal Talabani said in an interview in Iraqiya state television late on Tuesday. "He said he had extracted important confessions from Saddam Hussein and he signed them."
U.S. Forces Give Iraqis Full Control Of Najaf -- (Washington Post)...Saad Sarhan and Omar Fekeiki
The U.S. military pulled hundreds of troops out of the southern city of Najaf on Tuesday, transferring security duties to Iraqi forces and sticking to a schedule that the United States hopes will allow the withdrawal of tens of thousands of its forces by early spring.
Sadr City Success Story -- (Los Angeles Times)...T. Christian Miller
...Sadr City has become one of the rare success stories of the U.S. reconstruction effort, say local residents, Iraqi and U.S. officials. Although vast swaths remain blighted, the neighborhood of 2 million mostly impoverished Shiites is one of the calmest in Baghdad. One U.S. soldier has been killed and one car bomb detonated in the last year, the military says.
Intimidation, Attacks Take Toll On Contractors In Iraq -- (USA Today)...Rick Jervis
Attacks on contractors working on U.S.-funded projects in August reached one of the highest levels in the past year.
With Death At Their Door, Few Leave Iraqi City -- (Washington Post)...Jonathan Finer
On one side of the concertina wire lining an avenue stood 100 U.S. troops, five Bradley Fighting Vehicles and two M1-A1 Abrams tanks. Across the street were about 1,000 men, women and children of this embattled northwestern city.
Crumbling Iraqi Schools Await Critical Repairs -- (Washington Times)...James Palmer
Iraq sought $3.2 billion to rebuild its education system at an international donors conference in 2003 and hopes to build 4,500 schools in the next four years, but officials say existing schools still need repairs.
1st Afghan At U.S. Academy Sees Move As Way To Help His Country -- (USA Today)...Tom Vanden Brook
The U.S. Military Academy accepted its first cadet from Afghanistan last month as that country takes its initial steps toward building a professional military after decades of war and unrest.
Sonar's Failure To Notice Caused Turkish Ship To Hit US Submarine [SAILORS & MARINERS LEAGUE]
A Turkish-flagged cargo ship hit a US nuclear submarine in the Persian Gulf yesterday morning.
Saudis Kill Top Militant, Ending Skirmish With A Qaeda Cell -- (New York Times)...Hassan M. Fattah
Saudi security forces finally overwhelmed a cell of militants holed up in a house in the Persian Gulf city of Dammam on Tuesday, ending a three-day siege. The bloody firefight was the latest in a string of confrontations between militants and security forces throughout the country.
FEMA: Mac/Linux users drop dead... -- [Speed of Thought]
I haven't said anything negative about FEMA, but now I have reason to: Hurricane Katrina online assistance site is Windows only. No Linux, no Mac. FEMA sucks.(pic)
The View from Here -- [Major K - in Iraq]
The URL for the Red Cross website with donation instructions is posted in several places here including the Division HQ. Many soldiers here have donated to Hurricane Katrina Relief funds, and it is good to see. On the internet and on the TV's in the chow hall, I have read and watched the constant stream of eports about the devastation, the political infighting and the Monday-morning-quarterbacking by news people. Tim Russert's browbeating of the Director of Homeland Security comes to mind as particularly annoying.
...The USA is the richest country in the world and we looked like a bunch of spoiled brats. You know you look pathetic when Afghanistan is offering you $100,000 to help out.
Inner and Outer Levees - [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
I came across three very thoughtful posts about the moral and spiritual implications of events as they unfolded in New Orleans this past week. Two explicitly described the concept of Moral Levees, those bulwarks against chaos and catastrophe that are thought of as hard, thick and made of concrete, and are at times of crisis revealed as earthen, earthy, and all too prone to collapse. The third commentator doesn?t mention levees, but describes one, but one not of moral construction, but of human will, of National Spirit, if you will. And this levee hasn?t yet given out, nor will it.
Top Pentagon Brass Defend Response Time -- (USA Today)...Matt Kelley
The Pentagon's top officials said Tuesday that the military responded quickly to Hurricane Katrina, although it took nearly four days for troops to begin delivering large amounts of food and water to storm victims.
Military: Katrina Won't Affect War Plans -- (New York Times on the Web)...Associated Press
The military's growing response to hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi will not hamper its ability to fight the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday.
Navy Pilots Who Rescued Victims Are Reprimanded -- (New York Times)...David S. Cloud
Two Navy helicopter pilots and their crews returned from New Orleans on Aug. 30 expecting to be greeted as lifesavers after ferrying more than 100 hurricane victims to safety. Instead, their superiors chided the pilots, Lt. David Shand and Lt. Matt Udkow, at a meeting the next morning for rescuing civilians when their assignment that day had been to deliver food and water to military installations along the Gulf Coast.
Worn Soldiers, Storm Victims Grateful For Navy Ship's Comforts -- (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)...Kate Wiltrout
Lt. Cmdr. John Froio hadn?t been aboard the amphibious assault ship for 20 minutes when he was called into surgery.
Offers of Aid Immediate, but US Acceptance Delayed for Days -- (Washington Post)...Elizabeth Williamson
...Since Hurricane Katrina, more than 90 countries and international organizations offered to assist in recovery efforts for the flood-stricken region, but nearly all endeavors remained mired yesterday in bureaucratic entanglements, in most cases, at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
MOB Story -- [Musings From The Imperial Senate]
Once upon a time there was a Quatermaster Water Purification Detachment in Ohio. Before 9-11 they were the most activated unit in the State. In February of 2003 they were mobilized and sent to Ft. Dix, NJ to train for the invasion of Iraq. They were to support the 4th ID in a sweep in to northern Iraq from Turkey. They never made it. They sat at the MOB station for four months and 10 days being told each day that they would ship to Turkey / Iraq / Kuwait any day now.
Despite War, Cadets Line Up For West Point -- (USA Today)...Tom Vanden Brook
...The Army and Army National Guard are expected to miss their 2005 recruiting goals by several thousand new soldiers, but interest in West Point hasn't flagged.
Beyond the Pale -- [Andi's World]
Fred Phelps and his merry band of miscreants are at it again. Not enough, apparently, that they protest the funerals of our fallen heroes, now they are looking to disrupt the funeral of Chief Justice William Rehnquist tomorrow.
More PAO guests - [Phila and Becky - Phil's in Iraq]
...So what exciting things do I have to talk about? Not much, really. We hosted an L.A. Times reporter last week, and he has moved on to bigger and better things. I looked him up to see if his article would be way out in left field (no pun intended), but nothing jumped out at me from his first article. The only thing that disappointed me is that he hardly wrote about us at all. The entire focus of the article was elsewhere except for a line thrown in here and there about Baqubah.
The "Disaster Porn" Stars of Cable News (Part II) -- [WuzzaDem]
I'm Alex Witt, thanks for tuning in to MSNBC for the latest on Hurricane Katrina. We'd hoped to talk with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin at this time, but it looks like he's running a little late, so let's go to Joe Scraborough live from Biloxi, Mississippi. What's the situation on the ground there, Joe?
Happy Birthday Beautiful! -- [Major K - in Iraq]
She is the light of my life and I miss her like crazy. It is her birthday today, and I am currently watching her on the Yahoo Messenger webcam as I type this. She looks great. This her second birthday in a row that I have missed.
Goddbye Little Buddy -- (Baltimore Sun)...AP
As a mail carrier, neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night could keep Bob Denver from his appointed rounds. How fitting, then, that when "the weather started getting rough" after he won the part of a clueless first mate on the S.S. Minnow, his legacy as a star in Hollywood was cemented.
Mr. Denver, 70, who died Friday of complications from cancer (his agent confirmed his death yesterday), bumbled his way into the hearts of millions aboard the silly castaway sitcom Gilligan's Island (1964-1967) as it went from critically panned mistake to a beloved syndicated show that continues in reruns today.
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
An email to Soldiers' Angels from a Hero... -- [Iraq War News]
Hello Everybody,
I wanted to send all of you a huge thank you for your support.We are doing good things over here contrary to what you might see in the news. It is terrible news hearing the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has caused. I know things will be taken care of at home and it always seems nothing can happen fast enough. For those of you that have family affected know that we watch the news daily here and are hoping you and your families are safe.
I have been successful in one of my first projects. Initially I was trying to get a wheelchair sent over here for a small crippled child.
New evidence about the Tragedy of the Shiites on the bridge -- [Hammorabi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
There are reports by the Iraqi media that the death of more than one thousand Iraqi Shiites on Al-Aaimah bridge has been planned in advance. The reports indicated that the bridge had been weakened from several points including the fence just prior to the incident. A source in the Interior Ministry told Al-Sabah newspaper that the investigators are now examining traces of deliberate cuts believed to be done with a hacksaw in the bridge structure.
Amr Mousa leave Iraq alone and stop causing more loss of life in out country -- [An Iraqi's Thoughts - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Dear Amr Mousa,
We as peace loving Iraqis who wish to see a democratic, federal and prosperous Iraq ask you to please leave us alone and stay out of our business. When one of our ministers shakes hands with an Isreali Minister you always have the time to come on every media outlet and make it a storm. Your efforts to de-legitmize anything thats productive in Iraq and to make the murderers and rapists seem like heroes shows us where your real intersts lie.
The Magic Stick!! -- [Treasure of Baghdad - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The day before yesterday, I was reading a local newspaper and suddenly a headline drew my attention. "What should we do and what the Municipality should do".
Back in the 1980s, I remember how Baghdad was clean and neat. The streets were so clean, traffic signs everywhere and traffic policemen stood monitoring if someone violates the law. People were so clean and organized.
...These people did not make Baghdad clean and organized because they respected the law. They did that because they were afraid of Saddam! Yes, Saddam. Being a tyrant, he used to punish the people severely to the extent he forced the people respect law.
Today, Baghdad looks miserable, dirty, and terrible. It is strange that this dirtiness increased after the invasion of the Americans to Iraq. Tanks and humvee hummers, completed the tragedy by driving on the sidewalks and destroying all the fences of the highways.
The Roadblock - [365 and a Wake Up - in Iraq]
As our vehicles came around the sharp corner we ran into something wholly unexpected, a neat row of rock and brick that sprawled across the road. The impromptu roadblock had a strange castaway symmetry to it; it brought to mind long summer days spent building little dams in the local streams. As the vehicles lurched to a halt I could feel a wave of frustration flare - we were on our way back to the FOB after an extended mission and everyone wanted to get back.
The Hunting Lodge -- [Faces from the Front - JD's Blog - in Iraq]
South of Fallujah, West of the Euphrates, where the green canal country meets the barren desert plains of Al Anbar that stretch all the way to Syria, men of mettle have taken up residence in an abandoned factory and taken the fight straight to the heart of an insurgent cluster.
ECP 1 crew: changing the way they do business -- [Live in Iraq]
It?s hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread, or at least, the Iraqi-Arabic equivalent thereof.
After weeks of hard labor, that's what Marines like Lance Cpl. Richard Spillers say how the people of Fallujah and their city council representatives see the newly reconstructed Entry Control Points-One and One A.
Is the heat over? -- [NEW MILBLOGGER!-Updates from Your CWFour - in Iraq]
I woke up this morning to an AB-SO-LUTE-LY beautiful morning. A spectacular blue sky without a hint of dust or dumpsmoke, a gentle breeze and a slight CHILL... yes, CHILL in the air. I could not believe it. It felt almost like a New England fall morning.
IN HIS EYES -- [An Average Iraqi - an Iraqi n Iraq]
These posts are going to be stories that are told by people I know, other Average Iraqis. Before I get into the post, I would like to take a minute to announce the beginning of a new Iraqi blogger: Baghdad Treasure is my newest Iraqi Blogger Friend. Back to the post:
..."He jumped at me, grabbed my hand with one of his arms, and with his free hand unlocked my door. I don't know where the other one came from, but he was ready, he opened the door, and hit my with the back of his gun, by that time I was coming out of shock so I caught his arm, but the other one pushed me out of the car, and kept yelling at his partner; "Kill him!!! Finish him". I don't know why he didn't, but by that time, I was exhausted, I'm too old for this. He pulled me out of the car, hit me again, at the same place and left me. I remember hearing the sound of my car's engine coming back to life, and then sounds became a blur. For a few minutes ...
first of the last -- [Blog Machine City- in Iraq]
Today as the usual crew of the Pontiff, JoKur, Twizzy, and I walked to the DFAC, we witnessed an astounding spectacle: a series of flatbed trucks bearing the first wave of our signal vehicles. Their destination: Kuwait. We hollered and waved and saluted at first, but then we fell silent, just staring at the boxy green trucks as they rolled slowly past. I felt an electric tingling on the back of my neck, unable to tear my gaze from the beautiful sight of the flatbeds receding into the sun-washed distance; once again, I thought, there should be some music associated with this - if this were a movie, it would be the beginning of the final montage leading to the end credits.
As I write this, I have to admit that I feel a little choked up thinking about the scene; it's a ...
Any Mail To Me -- [Sisyphus Today... - in Iraq]
I have greatly appreciated all the support and love I have received in the packages, letters, etc from many of you readers, friends, and family. Since time is drawing to a close for me here, the mail room is closing down soon. So that means if any of you are inclined to send me anything, please do so by the end of September.
SADDAM'S BRICKS -- [2005 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
How do you ensure your legacy lives on forever? Build statues, palaces, and have your name stamped on the bricks. Saddam had his name engraved on the bricks that build the palaces. It is said that ...(pic)
Iraq Pictures - Monday, September 05, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
An Iraqi Army platoon sergeant from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraq Army Division, briefs Idaho National Guardsman 1LT Chad Knowles, "Colts" platoon leader, 1st Battalion, 148th Field Artillery, Task Force Liberty, before a joint counter-IED and combat patrol. (Pics)
Annan: War Spread Terrorism -- (Washington Times)...Combined Dispatches
The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has turned the country into a new hub of terrorism worse than Afghanistan under the Taliban, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday.
?Saddam trial politically motivated? -- (The News International)
AMMAN: Members of Saddam Hussein?s defence team on Monday said the announcement that the deposed Iraqi leader would go on trial next month over a 1982 massacre was politically motivated with no basis in law.
"It is all politics. It has nothing to do with the law," said Jordanian lawyer Issam Ghazzawi, spokesman of the Amman-based defence team.
"The announc
