Our Friend CJ Grisham Under Fire

[Greyhawk]

Details at A Soldier's Perspective.

Update: Read this too.

From the Front

[Greyhawk]

A report on militia battles from a front-line milblogger. Read the whole thing - that should go without saying. (My condolences to those whose networks deny access to blogspot.)

A brief quote:

Today I read a message from AlSadr's office calling for a cease fire. I would hope so because the only people suffering from their actions are their own people.

The degree of that suffering is clear from the linked post.

This will be a critical week in Iraq.

But no matter how you try to spin it, this...

Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers Sunday to lay down their arms and end six days of clashes against U.S. and Iraqi forces if the government agrees to release detainees and give amnesty to Sadr's fighters, among other demands.
<...>
In exchange for an end to fighting, Sadr demanded that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki release hundreds of detained Sadr followers not proven guilty of crimes. Over the past few months, Iraqi security forces have raided the homes of hundreds of Sadr followers, arresting and detaining them. Thousands more have fled. Sadr demanded that they be returned to their homes.

...is not a surrender - it's a demand for the government to surrender. ("not proven guilty of crimes" is another way of saying "awaiting trial.") That demand is effective only if Sadr is negotiating from a position of power - and actually has control of his "legions".

But while that pasty faced fat boy and his goons may have reporters everywhere in awe, American soldiers are less impressed.

Sgt. Maupin coming home

[CDR Salamander]

Not forgotten, and I hope it brings peace to his family.

The father of a soldier listed as missing-captured in Iraq since 2004 said Sunday that the military had informed him that his son’s remains were found in Iraq.

The man, Keith Maupin, said at a news conference in suburban Cincinnati that an Army general told him DNA testing had identified the remains of his son, Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin, or Matt, as he was known.

Surrogates

[Greyhawk]

Newsweek:

But what kind of woman would carry a child to term, only to hand him over moments after birth? Surrogates challenge our most basic ideas about motherhood, and call into question what we've always thought of as an unbreakable bond between mother and child. It's no wonder many conservative Christians decry the practice as tampering with the miracle of life, while far-left feminists liken gestational carriers to prostitutes who degrade themselves by renting out their bodies. Some medical ethicists describe the process of arranging surrogacy as "baby brokering," while rumors circulate that self-obsessed, shallow New Yorkers have their babies by surrogate to avoid stretch marks. Much of Europe bans the practice, and 12 states, including New York, New Jersey and Michigan, refuse to recognize surrogacy contracts. But in the past five years, four states—Texas, Illinois, Utah and Florida—have passed laws legalizing surrogacy, and Minnesota is considering doing the same. More than a dozen states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and, most notably, California, specifically legalize and regulate the practice.
<...>
Military wives are attractive candidates because of their health insurance, Tricare, which is provided by three different companies—Humana, TriWest and Health Net Federal Services—and has some of the most comprehensive coverage for surrogates in the industry. Fertility agencies know this, and may offer a potential surrogate with this health plan an extra $5,000. Last year military officials asked for a provision in the 2008 defense authorization bill to cut off coverage for any medical procedures related to surrogate pregnancy. They were unsuccessful—there are no real data on how much the government spends on these cases. Tricare suggests that surrogate mothers who receive payment for their pregnancy should declare the amount they're receiving, which can then be deducted from their coverage. But since paid carriers have no incentive to say anything, most don't. "I was told by multiple people—congressional staff, doctors and even ordinary taxpayers—that they overheard conversations of women bragging about how easy it was to use Tricare coverage to finance surrogacy and delivery costs and make money on the side," says Navy Capt. Patricia Buss, who recently left the Defense Department and now holds a senior position with Health Net Federal Services.

Corks in the bottlenecks

[Eagle1]

The Germans.

"Bomber" Harris.

Palau.

The Easter Offensive of 1972.

The B-2 bomber.

Barely connected together here.

Re: And More From Iraq

[Soldier's Dad]

I'm just trying to get my head around this -

What many(not myself) would consider to be the weakest Army in the Middle East is challenging, holding and even making modest progress against what many would consider the most powerful Iranian Proxy Army in the World.

Do I have this framed right...the so called "Incompetent Iraqi Army" has gone toe to toe against the most powerful militia in the world and is doing modestly better than "just holding on"?