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Back behind the curtain of derangement you noted in your post, there's a heck of a story.
Derek J. Hale was 25 years old when he was shot by police last Fall. He'd "joined the Marine Corps in 2001 and served for five years, including two tours of duty in Iraq, before he was honorably discharged last year with a service-related disability."
That disability is unspecified and has nothing to do with the story - just explains why he left active duty.
Then,
He joined the Virginia branch of the Pagan Motorcycle Club after leaving the military. More than 50 percent of the club’s members are veterans, say club officials.That charity run was in conjunction with the Marine's Toys for Tots campaign.“There, he found the sense of brotherhood, camaraderie and espirit de corps that he had been missing, and was able to ride his motorcycle in a relaxed atmosphere,” the complaint states.
The Delaware State Police says the Pagans are an outlaw motorcycle gang. Over the years, the Delaware Pagans members have been arrested for crimes of drugs and violence. The club has also sponsored several Toys for Tots runs.
On Nov. 3, 2006, Hale traveled to Delaware to take part in one of the charity events.
Following the toy run, on Nov. 6, 2006, Hale was house-sitting for a Delaware club member who had been arrested, and had his home searched, as part of an investigation into the Pagans by the Delaware State Police.
Shortly thereafter, police (including SWAT members) arrived and killed him.
An early report:
In a written statement, Elliott explained that the man was shot three times because an "officer in close proximity to the developments feared for the safety of his fellow officers and believed that the suspect was in a position to pose an imminent threat. That officer then utilized deadly force."Earlier Tuesday, Elliott said "there were two items there that were considered weapons, but I haven't been able to confirm whether they were law enforcement or belonged to the suspect."
Asked if the man -- whose hands were reportedly in his pockets --ever threatened the officers, Elliott said: "In a sense, when he did not comply with their commands."
More than 770 civilian contractors working for American companies have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion began March 20, 2003, according to a Labor Department office that loosely tracks the figures. If those deaths — truck drivers, cooks, laundry workers and security guards — are added to the military toll, the death toll in the U.S. war effort in Iraq is nearly 25 percent higher.(Link)
Not that long ago, four of those deaths marked a turning point in the war.
That's not true at all, of course. Photographs of the corpses are what mattered, as evidenced by the less emphatic response to the other 766.
In a blogosphere sideshow shortly thereafter, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga moved the Daily Kos to the position of top blog in the world with his much-maligned (but highly successful) "screw them" post. (I believe that's when I started referring to such sites - when referring at all - as toilets on the left-wing information sewer.)
I had a round up of mlblog responses at the time; Grim's was definitive. (Scroll to the April 2nd entry starting with "The Daily Kos" if permalink doesn't function.)
Him being an actual merc, and all.
3ID boys in DCUs - from previous tour, but they'll be back for a return engagement soon (if not already).
How the heck did he keep a (nearly) straight face?
And read this one, too. Omar and Mohammed, visited by troops:
These are bloggers, dude; cover your face if you don’t want to be seen nude on the internet tomorrow!Which also begs the question: if invited to consume barbeque with Omar and Mohammed, would you eat it?
I know I sure would.
Apparently nobody in Iraq watches Saturday Night Live
The aging of the veteran population is a major challenge confronting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Today, 9.2 million veterans are age 65 or older, representing 38 percent of the total veteran population. The number of veterans age 85 or older is expected to exceed 1 million by the end of 2006 and rise to a peak of 1.4 million in 2033.
Today, VA’s 21 GRECCs lead in gerontology and geriatrics, applying basic research to clinical programs.
I'm all for quality health care for the nations Veterans...but the VA budget is ballooning for the same reason the Medicare and Medicaid budgets are ballooning. People are living longer.
Mental disorders? The real probem is anatomically elsewhere:
As it braces for a flood of war-disabled veterans, the nation's disability compensation system for former troops has become a $26 billion behemoth bloated and backlogged in part by overgenerous benefits for minor maladies barely tied to military service, if at all.I hereby call on my elected representatives to do something about these hemorrhoids in congress! It's not funny - I want to see their plan to lick this problem soon.Case in point: More than 120,000 vets from earlier eras are collecting lifetime benefits for hemorrhoids, which they are not required to show resulted from their military duty.
<...>
In fact, hemorrhoids are the 11th-most-common disability for which U.S. vets are compensated, after such conditions as defective hearing, arthritis, diabetes and hypertension. A conservative calculation of the cost of the benefits to veterans for hemorrhoids alone could be $14 million a year or more.
We've revamped the programming schedule and added two more live-bloggers. Click here to register.
You are who links you. Today I got linked by a site called Godlike Productions--an odd conspiracy-ish sort for those brave truthtellers who have yet to experience the oppression of AP History.
Anyway, in a thread about something the discussion inevitably turns the war and to soldiers returning from Iraq. Did you know?
One in three that come back, go homeless.
Betcha didn't. But what blew. my. mind. was the following:
The others suffer from post dramatic stress disorder and end up going crazy unless treated.
Yeah, crazy. Crazy Fabulous!
“The United States must use its leadership position within the UN Security Council and elsewhere to ensure that effective action is taken. The members of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the African Union all have a moral obligation to end the genocide in Darfur. The world has been placed on notice; the promise of ‘never again’ made after previous acts of genocide must be redeemed in Darfur.”
via Biden Senate Wibsite h/t Powerline
By Joseph R. Biden and Chuck Hagel
December 20, 2002
Although no one doubts our forces will prevail over Saddam Hussein's, key regional leaders confirm what the Foreign Relations Committee emphasized in its Iraq hearings last summer: The most challenging phase will likely be the day after -- or, more accurately, the decade after -- Saddam Hussein.
Various experts have testified that as many as 75,000 troops may be necessary, at a cost of up to $ 20 billion a year. That does not include the cost of the war itself, or the effort to rebuild Iraq.
Anti-war fever was running high in Washington. U.S. ground forces were withdrawing.
Sensing weakness, the North Vietnamese Army invaded the South in force.
And lost.
It started 35 years ago, today. As set out here.
In June of the same year(ed 1991) the "Aeroflot - Soviet Airlines" Commercial Production Alliance was created, which was transformed into the open stock company "Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines" on July 28, 1992. At the same time, the airline began operating foreign aircraft. The first foreign aircraft to appear at Aeroflot were the leased A310-300 manufactured by Airbus Industry. Two years later, the company acquired Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which adhere to the highest ecological and noise standards.In late 1995, the airline leased the DC-10-30F long-haul freight carrier.
Tea, Chandler Arizona, an angry lecture by Hamid Karzai, steering wheel conversions and bird flu all found here.
Frontline's examination of "the rise of Arab satellite TV channels and their impact on the "war of ideas"" is now available for online viewing.
With $140 million in start-up money from Qatar's Sheikh Hamad and a pledge to subsidize it for five years, Al Jazeera began broadcasting from a state-of-the-art studio in Doha and quickly established itself as a serious force in the satellite news market.Now, after more than a decade of beaming its direct style of news and popular talk shows into millions of Arab homes, Al Jazeera has become one of the most recognized media brands in the world. One of its most popular programs, The Opposite Direction, is a 90-minute showdown between opposing guests, in which viewers are encouraged to call in and join the debate. By pioneering a more accessible style of news coverage, Al Jazeera has not only become the most-watched satellite TV network in the Arab world but has also managed to infuriate the United States and every Arab government in the region. Libya and Kuwait, among others, have at various points threatened to pull their ambassadors from Qatar in protest.
*****
The report also examines the Bush Administrations new policy of embracing Arab news channels in an effort to improve America's image in the Arab world. In Dubai, viewers meet Captain Eric Clark and Captain Frank Pascual, officers from US Central Command assigned as military spokesmen. As media liaisons, the two make a constant round of courtesy call to Arab news rooms.Says Capt. Pascual, "It's been the best assignment I've ever had in a twenty-four year military career, no question about it."
W. Thomas Smith Jr., at NRO's The Tank:
I'm in Baghdad tonight — flew in from Kuwait this morning aboard an old Russian twin turbo-prop Antonov An-24 (with sand and dirt caked into the exterior fuselage seams, 70's looking shag carpeting on the interior bulkhead, and no ventilation system) — after a brief refueling and passenger pickup stop in Basra.Bloggers from conservative political sites transported to Iraq via Russian airlift - that pretty much ties together a couple of discussion threads here. (Ties with a pretty pink shag bow, in fact.)
Gotta go - my head's spinning.
...a first-hand account of recent events in Iraq at Soldier's Angels Germany:
As many of you may have heard by now, there was a major VBIED that exploded in [redacted]. The amount of explosives within the truck was enough to shake my CHU almost [redacted] miles away.I chose my side in this war long ago.When we arrived at the scene, it was one of chaos and despair. There are not enough words to describe the carnage and evil that we saw. I saw it again a little later at the hospital. [numbers of Iraqi civilians dead and wounded redacted] I know, because I walked among the bodies to count them for my report.
<...>
As I stepped closer to them in the dark, I realized I was looking at the bodies of small children. Some as young as 12 months old.As I lifted the tiny blankets, I became numb; one infant had its tiny head missing. Others were disfigured and their bodies broken and mangled. I could not believe what I was looking at.
<...>
One of the [Iraqi] men came to me and said, in a voice totally filled with compassion and caring, "Why you sad, American soldier?" I looked up at him, and I could not say anything. I got up and wiped myself with my Arabic scarf and rejoined the group of men to hear their argument.They told me that about some doctors did not show up. I asked them why. They said because the terrorist and insurgents had threatened them.
"Did not you and they take an oath to preserve life at all costs?" I asked them. "Why are you here and not them?"
They said it is a sad day in Iraq when an American soldier will fall on his knees and cry for children that are not American, but our own doctors will not come to help.
BLITZER: What about this vote? The tug-of-war, the political battle unfolding here in the Senate. The House of Representatives calling for some sort of timeline for a withdrawal of combat forces.How does this play out in Baghdad? What do people there where you are, Michael, say about this?
WARE: ...Do you think anyone enduring that is paying attention to artificial deadlines that are going to get vetoed by the president? And even if they were to pass through the legislative process, would only serve al Qaeda and Iran, America's enemies? No. People are focusing on the near game -- Wolf.
... on three days of headlines from Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I):
Iraqi Army rushes to help victims of terrorist attack
Coalition Forces Capture 11 Suspected Terrorists in Raids
Suspected Anti-Iraqi Forces Member Detained
COALITION FORCES KILL FOUR TERRORISTS, DETAIN 15 OTHERS
Forces investigate car bomb attacks and help wounded
Iraqi Army assists after deadly car bomb explosion
Coalition forces capture 19 suspected terrorists in Iraq
Statement from Multi-National Force-Iraq condemning violence in Tal Afar
Joint operation disrupts extremist power base
Fallujah Government Center attacked by chlorine truck bombs
MNF-I updated statement on violence in Tal Afar
Operation disarms insurgents with Iraqis in the lead
US and Iraqi Forces Help Victims of Western Baghdad Fire
Baghdad Eagles and Commandos find five weapons caches and detain 38 suspected terrorists
Suicide Vehicle Detonates, Chlorine Bomb Doesn’t
Weapons cache destroyed, four suspects detained
Three Anti-Iraqi Forces Detained
Polar Bears seize terrorists and weapons cache
IA, Black Dragons find IED components in wadi
Iraqi Army and coalition forces detain two
suspected terrorists
2-12 Cav holds free health clinic in Baghdad
U.S. Army Soldiers ward off attack by Al Qaeda
MND-B Soldiers react to car bomb attack
You've probably just made some senior staffie uncomfortable.
Good. Someone needs to point out the Law of Unintended Consequences!
Oh by the way we pulled in to Singapore once--I don't know why this happened there; Singapore tats weren't better than other places we hit--one of my divisions spent an average of $150 on tats for a three day in port period. And that was a lot of $$ for ink at the time...
Being married to the girl that I have, it’s given me a fine appreciation of the art. But even with being as accustomed to tattoos as I am. I’ve noticed the sharp increase of Marines getting sleeves just over the past two months. Not just the young Marines, Staff NCO’s too. There are actually a few Marines in my new unit that have more tattoos then my bride and believe me, that’s impressive! It seems like one out of 3 guys in my unit now has at least a quarter sleeve while the total percent of Marines who have tattoos is probably in the 90 percent range.
IMHO
There is no "Iraq Civil War"...it is a regional war...the Iran/Iraq war redux.(A million died in that war).
Inviting "Redstate" to Iraq does nothing. Basically "Preaching to the converted".
A fundamental question in Iraq...yet to be answered is whether the US is prepared for the consequences of a complete withrdrawl?
If yes...then that is fair enough...I only drive 10 miles a week...$50 a gallon gas won't bother me. I won't personnaly suffer.
A Shiite/Sunni regional war...well...the Iran/Iraq war killed only a million...with the US and Russians efforting keeping it under control. But what the hell...not my tribe.
Lets figure each of those million that will die in the regional war have a mere 4 children(light by Arab standards)...that is 4 million children that will hate the people who stood by and did nothing while their fathers were killed..
But hey...it took a massive NINETEEN individuals that hated America to pull off 9/11.
Sleep tight...the Department of Homeland Security is protecting you,
I'm currently going through Bruce Catton's brief American Heritage History of the The Civil War and in describing the two armies he describes them as being comprised of "unmilitary, but warlike people."
It perfectly encapsulated the generally amateurish nature of both the Union and Confederate armies. These were masses of men that had learned their trade on the fly by the hard taskmaster of bloody experience. They were not the professional soldiers that we have today. They were decidedly "unmilitary"--lacking the discipline and even basic obedience to superiors that mark modern soldiers. But they performed so well because they were most definitely a warlike people. Hearty men that could stomach great hardships for something as abstract as "Union" or "The Confederacy." The North and South produced such men in droves.
But I got to thinking about the description and its converse. In light of various Congressional efforts to establish arbitrary withdrawal dates, make funding contingent on various oddities of pork barrel spending, the hypocritical denouncements of conditions at military hospitals by those that long had the power to do something, yet all the while proclaiming unending "support" for the troops:
Have we become a military, but unwarlike people?
When every other word out of a person's mouth expresses their "support" for the troops--yet every OTHER word expresses shock and horror at the sorts of things troops go through and do and suffer on their behalf; have we stopped viewing the military as a tool (indeed, our most powerful tool), and started viewing it more as a delicate piece of fine china to be kept in the cabinet and only to be taken out when really important company comes over?
A nice shiny bauble that we can show off, but when anybody dare lay a hand on it we get collectively apoplectic lest it break? And since we don't know anybody that important, it stays in the cabinet forever?
Another one via the Mrs:
The second issue that arises is this, why has the Pentagon offered their invitation to members of this weblog? The Pentagon, in cooperation with the Bush administration, has attempted with some success, to systematically limit what realities regarding the Iraq Civil War can be given coverage. Are we to understand now, that limitations upon our nation’s free press have failed, thus efforts must now be made to imbed Far-Right sympathizers, in an attempt to counter the prevailing winds of fact that our nation has lost this war.Now that would be something.I offer myself to the Pentagon, please allow me to accompany those from Redstate to Iraq. Coupled with my Progressive stripe and their unabashed support for the Bush administration; something rather interesting will most assuredly be developed, perhaps even honest discourse.
And from comments on my very brief post below, a "Hey, I'm already here in Iraq and blogging up a storm." That's from Patrick Lasswell, who is indeed. Get on over there, y'all.
As for John's question, I'll probably fly over on one of those Antonovs, if the USAF can't afford me.
Most milbloggers will get it right away, others might miss the story in the story:
KABUL, Afghanistan: A transport plane shipping frozen food and other goods to the main U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan ran off the runway after touching down Monday at the military airfield, the U.S.-led coalition said.Update: More.The five-man Russian crew of the twin-engined Antonov AN-26 turboprop transport plane was not injured in the accident at the Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province, the U.S. coalition said in a statement.
"There was absolutely no hostile forces or enemy activity involved in the accident," Air Force spokesman Maj. Gary Mathis said.
Mathis said an investigation has been launched to determine if the accident was caused by mechanical failure, pilot error or a combination of both.
...to Mohammed:
Now excuse me, it's Thursday and I have barbeque and cold beers waiting for me.That quote will stand among blogging's all time finest.
Back later, after I grab a cold one.
...almost gone. Booked your room for the MilBlog Conference yet? Lots of people have, so there are only two rooms left at the special group rate for May 4. Better get busy.
Greyhawk, with all these Air Force budget cuts, are we going to have to start raising money to send you to Iraq?
Because, 'Hawk...they're going to tell you what's REALLY going on over there. And I quote:
The military will take Victoria and Jeff around Iraq and they'll get the word out to all of us on what's really going on over there.
Also, I guess some of the anti-war blogs have already seized on the opportunity to make that point...you all know it...that pinnacle of advanced philosophical thought and knowledge...the chickenhawk meme.
Only one of the dudes, Jeff, is former Air Force Special Forces. Served in Iraq and I *believe* Afghanistan. I love Red State's updated caveat at the end of the post:
UPDATE: Attention Lefty Morons: Jeff actually did enlist and fight in Iraq.
A little brusque, sure. But it certainly did drive the point home.
SEN. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee. As previously and extensively reviewed in these pages, Feinstein was chairperson and ranking member of MILCON for six years, during which time she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein.Link (via Instapundit).As MILCON leader, Feinstein relished the details of military construction, even micromanaging one project at the level of its sewer design. She regularly took junkets to military bases around the world to inspect construction projects, some of which were contracted to her husband's companies, Perini Corp. and URS Corp.
<...>
The MILCON subcommittee is not only in charge of supervising military construction, it also oversees "quality of life" issues for veterans, which includes building housing for military families and operating hospitals and clinics for wounded soldiers. Perhaps Feinstein is trying to disassociate herself from MILCON's incredible failure to provide decent medical care for wounded soldiers.
In a nutshell, RedState has been invited by the Pentagon to go to Iraq. We want to send Jeff and AcademicElephant, who henceforth insists on being known by her real name, Victoria Coates. They'll leave during the last part of April. But, we need your help to make it possible.To send RedState to Iraq, we need to raise $7500.00. This presents a challenge to us now, one that it did not present last year. As you probably know, RedState is now owned by Eagle Publishing, Inc. A lot of you are probably asking why they don't just fork over the money. Well, frankly, there just isn't money budgeted for something like this right now, but the experience presents such an invaluable opportunity, we really want to do it. We need your help. Eagle is going to commit the first $2500.00 to the trip, which, given all the data the Pentagon has given us, will cost $10,000.00 total.
We all 'know' that the whole Soviet/American cold war conflict was just a baseless accustion of Right WIng Western Capitalist Imperialist Pigs.
(New York, March 29, 2007) � Former Guantanamo detainees who were sent home to Russia in 2004 experienced torture and other abuse despite Moscow's pledge to the US government that they would be treated humanely, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The Russian prisoners' experience illustrates why the United States should stop relying on "diplomatic assurances" of fair treatment to justify sending prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to countries where they are at risk of torture.
Whaddya Mean the "Evil Empire" is actually evil? Thats not what I 'Workers Daily'told me.
General (Ret) Barry R McCaffrey's After Action Report from his visit to Iraq (document here) offers a wide variety of quotes ripe for misuse, abuse, and ripping out of context.
The first paragraph of Thomas Ricks WaPo review gets things started:
An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders.Not since General Petraeus actually used the word "dire" during his confirmation hearings a few weeks ago have I read such earth-shattering news.
Gen McCaffrey also says "Since the arrival of General David Petraeus in command of Multi-National Force Iraq--- the situation on the ground has clearly and measurably improved". So much so, in fact, that unlike Petraeus McCaffrey doesn't even actually use the word "dire".
Like "fiasco", it's a Ricksism.
Teflon Don reports from Iraq:
Since the start of the year, Al-Qaeda In Iraq has attempted 11 chlorine VBIEDs, 9 in Al-Anbar, 1 in Tadji, and one in Baghdad. Of those, 9 have detonated with varying degrees of success, and 2 were found and disabled in Ramadi. The most recent attacks were early this morning in downtown Falluja, outside the government center. Iraqi troops engaged two trucks just after 0630, causing both to explode just short of the base.Read the rest here.Taken together, the string of chlorine bombings have killed 32 Iraqis and wounded over 600, most of them civilians. One US soldier was wounded in an attack on an Iraqi Police checkpoint, as well as possibly more today in Falluja. These attacks have overwhelmingly been targeted towards Iraqi forces, and the leaders and people of the tribes who have begun to oppose Al-Qaeda In Iraq.
There are thirty-one major tribes int the Al-Anbar province. Of those thirty-one, twenty-five support the Anbar Awakening effort of the Anbar Salvation Council- the social and political gathering of sheiks and former insurgents who oppose terroism in Al-Anbar. Of the six remaining tribes, the Iraqi government, Coalition Forces and the Anbar Salvation Council are attempting to split two off from the Al-Qaeda umbrella organization Islamic State of Iraq. Those two tribes are the Al-bu Issa and the Al-Zuba'a. Both have started to fight against Al-Qaeda, and are beginning to pay for it dearly.
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — When the guns fell silent on Nov. 11, 1918, exactly 4,734,991 Americans had served in World War I. Four are known to be alive.Worthwhile reading - for many reasons."I am one of the last," says Frank Woodruff Buckles, who at 106 is among the few living links — and perhaps the healthiest — to what was known as the Great War. "I didn't know it would be down to one to a million."
April 6 will mark the 90th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I. The soldiers who went Over There thought they were fighting the "war to end all wars." It did not live up to its title. The United States has fought five major conflicts since then, including the current war in Iraq.
em·pa·thy (ĕm'pə-thē)n. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.
Another way to say it is the ability feel someone Else's pain.
Superawesomehappy military fun times!
Or would that be a Japanese carrier? Or a Japanese game show, for that matter?
I didn't feel like reposting, so I'm sending you to OPFOR.
The gift that every nuclear Wannabee has been aching for
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Boeing, best known for its commercial and military aircraft, says it has successfully tested it's Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP); a 30,000-pound bomb to be used on enemy bunkers.Bob McClurg, Boeing Advanced Systems MOP program manager says, "The weapon's effectiveness against hard and deeply buried targets allows the warfighter to hold adversaries' most highly valued military facilities at risk, especially those protecting weapons of mass destruction."
...guitar, sax, and flute player for the band Beats Workin', is in for a battle.
Thoughts and prayers are with you.
Update:
Watch Beats Workin on PBS in "The Boomer Century: 1946 - 2046" airing Wednesday, March 28th from 9pm to 11pm
But can it do this -
Via Vanderbilt University Archives(actually have to register and $$pay to see the video
NBC Evening News for Thursday, Oct 31, 1974 Abstract: (Studio) 1 week ago, Air Force dropped ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) from C-5 A cargo plane. REPORTER: John Chancellor
The things in Stolen Valor that we read from the over use of PTSD (I know a touchy subject, but there it is) all the way to smear stories, that even though known fakes, are too good to pass up.
Editors' Note: March 25, 2007, Sunday The cover article in The Times Magazine on March 18 reported on women who served in Iraq, the sexual abuse that some of them endured and the struggle for all of them to reclaim their prewar lives. One of the servicewomen, Amorita Randall, a former naval construction worker, told The Times that she was in combat in Iraq in 2004 and that in one incident an explosive device blew up a Humvee she was riding in, killing the driver and leaving her with a brain injury. She also said she was raped twice while she was in the Navy.Can't wait for the truth - that would ruin the story.On March 6, three days before the article went to press, a Times researcher contacted the Navy to confirm Ms. Randall's account. There was preliminary back and forth but no detailed reply until hours before the deadline. At that time, a Navy spokesman confirmed to the researcher that Ms. Randall had won a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with Marine Corps insignia, which was designated for those who served in a combat area, including Iraq, or in direct support of troops deployed in one. But the spokesman said there was no report of the Humvee incident or a record of Ms. Randall's having suffered an injury in Iraq. The spokesman also said that Ms. Randall's commander, who served in Iraq, remembered her but said that her unit was never involved in combat while it was in Iraq. Both of these statements from the Navy were included in the article.
This is such a lame excuse - they knew that there was good reason not to go with the story prior to publication - but they had their cover girl.
Based on the information that came to light after the article was printed, it is now clear that Ms. Randall did not serve in Iraq, but may have become convinced she did. Since the article appeared, Ms. Randall herself has questioned another member of her unit, who told Ms. Randall that she was not deployed to Iraq. If The Times had learned these facts before publication, it would not have included Ms. Randall in the article.
Fifth Fleet announced today that the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) entered the Arabian (Persian) Gulf to conduct a "dual-carrier exercise" with the Eisenhower Strike Group. While this sounds "escalatory" with respect to the captured British servicepeople, in actuality this lessens our tactical options vis-à-vis Iran, and, IMHO, isn't the right move at this time. Pulling the Eisenhower out of the Gulf would have sent a stronger message to the Iranians. (Basically, the worst initial conditions for attacking Iran would be for us to have any carriers in the Gulf, let alone both of them.)
I discuss it more at my home blog.
The first thing I noticed in her front office when I visited once was this big old shadowbox of medals from somewhere or other. This hanging around military stuff ain't new; she's been pretty forward about the trappings of being close to her military constituents for some time. I don't think that signal is being beamed at military types.
I think it's related to what I've called over at my blog "Sacred Veteran Status" (here and here, for instance). There's a fine line to walk as a politician when talking about military folks, and it's easy to have words ring hollow unless you're well known for being a leader of the club (Sam Johnson) or get a reputation for being deeply involved (Ike Skelton).
...can you keep a secret?
In one of the more unusual proposals to emerge in the Senate debate on Iraq withdrawal, Sen. Mark Pryor wants to keep any plans for bringing troops home a secret.The Arkansas Democrat is a key holdout on his party's proposal to approve $122 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while setting a goal of March 31, 2008, for winding up military operations in Iraq. Unlike the plan's Republican opponents, Pryor wants a withdrawal deadline of some kind. He just doesn't want anyone outside the White House, Congress and the Iraqi government to know what it is.
"My strong preference would be to have a classified plan and a classified timetable that should be shared with Congress," Pryor said yesterday. A public deadline would tip off the enemy, "who might just bide their time and wait for us to leave," he said. "Then you'd have chaos and mayhem and instability."
Yes, I'll go ahead and say it. I hate the planet:
If it is the politicization of science that has truly become inevitable then at the very least both sides of the argument should be provided equal time, rather than just the lefty columnist lockstep that ensures us "the debate is over." Funny, I guess I missed that one. Must have aired exclusively on Current TV.Claiming that all scientists concur that we're carelessly heating up the world is a bit like saying all Hollywood actors agree that the War in Iraq is only about petroleum rights. Consensus over faulty assumptions is their stock in trade. (Interesting how the only article of faith the otherwise secular Left seems to agree on is that Big Oil is the root of all evil.)
Oh I'm just getting warmed up...
Permitting Al Gore to ordain himself as our self-anointed guru of Gaia would be akin to the Senate confirming Sean Penn as Secretary of Defense. When confronted with reports of his own massive public utility consumption Gore countered that he lives a "carbon neutral life" by obtaining "offsets" to compensate for his gargantuan energy use. You know, like after the time he accidentally left the guest cottage helipad lights on all month, he footed the bill for a third party to blow up a third world electrical grid in order to make up for it. I'm a man who seeks balance, lectures the Lecturer-in-Chief. If I decide I want a steak, I'll happily pay you not to have one. I buhlieve that's mah responsibility as a co-steward of the plann-itt.Just like they say at the annual Sierra Club meetings in Aspen: think globally, act vocally.
You know WHERE TO GO for the rest.
Weapons cache destroyed, four suspects detained
Three Anti-Iraqi Forces Detained
Polar Bears seize terrorists and weapons cache
And here's a report from Baghdad at Iraq the Model:
Overall, the security operation continues to gain more support among the political parties, including some that were skeptical in the beginning out of fear the operation would not be impartial. Today a spokesman of the Accord Front, to which VP Hashimi and deputy PM Zobaie belong, affirmed the AF’s support for the ongoing operation saying, “Our bloc, seeing the security forces covering Baghdad’s districts and operating without discrimination, is now convinced that the operation is unbiased.”And here's Austin Bay's podcast interview with Bill Roggio.On the other hand extremist parties of both sects continue their criticism of the operation, in stupid and somewhat amusing ways. One case I found funny is related to the recent discovery of a large weapon cache that included 470 anti-tank land-mines in Jameela district near Sadr city. The discovery of the stash was reported by MNF-I website, as well as Qasim Ata the official spokesman of Baghdad operations.
Neither report accused a specific entity of being responsible for possessing the cache, but then I saw the Sadrist lawmakers (I mean lawbreakers) on TV gather reporters to tell them that the whole story about finding weapons is a lie!
It was a textbook example of how denying involvement in a crime can only make people believe that you are indeed responsible.
The report has been officially released.
The "unofficial release" over the weekend is drawing some unfriendly fire:
Angered by the leak of partial results of a Pentagon probe into the friendly fire death of former NFL star Pat Tillman, Rep. Mike Honda, the Democrat who represents Tillman's former San Jose district, threatened Saturday to call for congressional hearings on the issue.I'm all in favor of investigating leaks.Honda slammed the Friday night leak as unfair to Tillman's family, which long has accused the Pentagon of stonewalling their demands for information about the April 22, 2004, killing of Tillman by his fellow Army Rangers in Afghanistan.
"I am dismayed that the family of Army Ranger Pat Tillman was not afforded the opportunity to review the results of the investigation into his death prior to their public release," Honda said in a statement.
More: Tillmans assail Pentagon report
Sydney - Anti-war protesters in orange jump suits marching in Brisbane's city centre Tuesday were stunned by the news of David Hicks' guilty plea to a charge of supporting terrorism at a US war crimes' tribunal at the Guantanamo military base.And from your link, a description of the hero of Kandahar at trial:'We were actually saying the military trial is unfair, but we didn't know he was going to strike a plea bargain,' demonstrator and Stop the War Collective spokesman Robert Nicholas said. 'We're clearly saying that still, but we understand why he would want to plead guilty and get out of Guantanamo Bay.'
There was a palpable air of disappointment among those who had campaigned to bring Hicks home at his decision to go ahead and achieve that outcome himself, by admitting to helping the Taliban in Afghanistan.
A promise President George Bush gave Prime Minister John Howard means the Muslim convert would serve any extra jail time in Australia. With five years already served, he could be back in his Adelaide hometown within the week.
Green Party leader Bob Brown was also glum at the surprise capitulation.
'This is a low day in Australian legal history,' Brown said.
He was unrecognisable from old photographs of him, although the extra weight has made him resemble his father.More details here
Overweight, clean-shaven, smiling and with a straggly mop of dark brown hair dangling down to his chest, Hicks at times resembled more an overfed member of a heavy metal band than a suspected terrorist.I don't think this is one of those family photos:Hicks's lawyers had described him as having dark, sunken eyes, but he did not appear like that today.
Rather than being pale from long stints locked inside the maximum security prison, Hicks's skin looked as tanned as that of his American military lawyer Major Michael Mori, sitting beside him in court.
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Prison food had added about 10kg to Hicks's small, 167cm-tall frame.
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He certainly looks nothing like the man in the old family photos that have appeared regularly in the Australian media since his arrest in late 2001 in Afghanistan.
The adventures of David Hicks continue below the fold
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is working hard to master the ins and the outs of the United States military, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report.Editors have set a Tuesday Page One placement for Pat Healy's detailed dispatch, newsroom sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT..
Of all the early problems Bill Clinton faced as president, few stand out to Hillary as more aggravating and avoidable than his rocky relationship with the military, her advisers tell Healy.
Hillary, in effect, has been practicing her salute:
"She has cultivated relationships with generals and admirals, prepped herself on wartime needs and strategy and traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan."
It's working. Suddenly, I feel all warm and cozy with Hill, don't you?
Australian David Hicks pleads guilty to material support of terrorism
David Hicks has entered a guilty plea, after an initial hearing which was immediately thrown into disarray when the judge effectively disqualified two of his three lawyers.
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The presiding judge, Colonel Ralph Kohlmann said that Major Michael Mori’s assistant could not, at least for the moment, represent him because she was not a serving member of the military.The judge also decided that Hicks’s civilian lawyer, New York criminal attorney Joshua Dratel could not represent Hicks because he had not signed a form demanded by the court saying he would conform to the regulations governing proceedings.
BAGHDAD – A second suspected leader of an insurgent cell that specialized in car bombs was captured in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah Security District March 21....It is estimated that since Nov. the car bombs from this cell have killed approximately 900 innocent Iraqi citizens; another 1,950 have been wounded.
One cell...
These babaric clowns are responsible for 10-15% of the killing, if the totals at Icasualties.org are to be believed.
Kudos to the 2nd/82nd for tracking these thugs down and whoever provided the "actionable intelligience".
Updatedvia ITM
Another Scumbag...(I hope the Iraqi security forces treated him with all the dignity he deserved)
Local Iraqi TV aired recorded confessions of Ahmed Farhan Hassan. Hassan, who was captured in Abu Ghraib west of Baghdad a few days ago, spoke about his connection to al-Baghdadai, and I’m paraphrasing:
“I have four emirs operating under my command. I receive money directly from Abu Omar and then I distribute it among the members of my units according to the number and size of operations they carry out.”
Quoting Iraqi military officials, the TV report added that Hassan admitted to have been responsible for some 300 murders and about 200 kidnapping incidents since he joined al-Qaeda three years ago.
