"Iraqi voter intimidation surpasses that of black Floridians"
Would that be the areas controlled by the democrats in florida?
 ...Women in black abayas whispered prayers at the sound of a nearby explosion as they waited to vote at one Baghdad polling station. But the mood elsewhere was triumphant, with long lines in many places in the city: civilians and policemen danced with joy outside one site, and some streets were packed with voters walking shoulder-to-shoulder toward polling centers.
"This is democracy," said Karfia Abbasi, holding up a thumb stained with purple ink to prove she had voted...
January 30, 2005 Iraqi Voting Disrupts News Reports of Bombings
by Scott Ott
(2005-01-30) -- News reports of terrorist bombings in Iraq were marredSunday by shocking graphic images of Iraqi "insurgents" voting by the millions in their first free democratic election.
Despite reporters' hopes that a well-orchestrated barrage of mortar attacks and suicide bombings would put down the so-called 'freedom insurgency', hastily-formed battalions of rebels swarmed polling placesto cast their ballots -- shattering the status quo and striking fear into the hearts of the leaders of the existing terror regime.
Hopes for a return to the stability of tyranny waned as rank upon rank of Iraqi men and women filed out of precinct stations, each armed with the distinctive mark of the new freedom guerrillas -- an ink-stained index finger, which one former Ba'athist called "the evidence of their betrayal of 50 years of Iraqi tradition."
Journalists struggled to put a positive spin on the day's events, but the video images of tyranny's traitors choosing a future of freedom overwhelmed the official story of bloodshed and mayhem.
"The pressure has been so intense, a senior Qatari official said, that the government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market, though Bush administration officials counter that a privately owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view."
Did any of you hear or read that one of the suicide bombers was a mentally retarded boy? Here's the whole story from Iraq the Model:
New techniques of the "resistance".
I strongly believe that terrorists are cowards but the cowardice you’re going to see in this story is just exceptional. The suicide attack that was performed on an election center in one of Baghdad's districts (Baghdad Al-Jadeedah) last Sunday was performed using a kidnapped "
Down Syndrome
" patient. Eye witnesses said (and I'm quoting one of my colleagues; a dentist who lives there) "the poor victim was so scared when ordered to walk to the searching point and began to walk back to the terrorists. In response the criminals pressed the button and blew up the poor victim almost half way between their position and the voting center's entrance".
I couldn't believe the news until I met another guy from that neighborhood who knows the family of the victim. The guy was reported missing 5 days prior to elections' day and the family were distributing posters that specified his descriptions and asking anyone who finds him to contact them.
When a relative of mine (who has a mental handicap due to an Rh conflict at birth) told me a month ago that a group of men in a car tried to kidnap him as he was standing in front of the institution he periodically visits to get medicine and support waiting for his brother; I thought that he was imagining the whole story. He said that they tried to force him into the car telling him not to be afraid and that they're from the "mujahideen and not going to hurt him". My relative, despite his handicap was moved by his survival instinct and managed to run away. After I heard the other story, I began to connect between the two stories and to consider my cousin's story as a true one that uncovered a new miserable war technique that can come only from the sickest minds.
What a huge difference there is between those who kidnap and use the mentally handicapped to perform their murders in cold blood and between the brave Iraqis who sacrificed their lives to protect their brethren. one story that is famous now in Iraq is about one brave Iraqi (A'adel Nasir) who saw a suspicious looking guy walking around a polling center in (Al- Hurriyah) district and soon the brave man realized that the suspicious guy was trying to commit a suicide attack; he ran towards him, wrestled him and knocked him down causing the bomb carried by the terrorist to explode, sacrificing his own life and saving the lives of the people standing in line at the gate of the voting center. It turned out later that the terrorist carried a Sudanese id. Now, the school that hosted the voting center on the 30th carries the name of A'adel Nasir, as the Iraqi minister of education announced today.
The pathetic terrorists are breaking one world record after another in cowardice and insanity and this tells how bankrupt they're getting.
From Thomas Friedman (a liberal, also an expert in the Middle East and someone worth reading) in the NYT:
...this election has made it crystal clear that the Iraq war is not between fascist insurgents and America, but between the fascist insurgents and the Iraqi people. One hopes the French and Germans, whose newspapers often sound more like Al Jazeera than Al Jazeera, will wake up to this fact and throw their weight onto the right side of history.
It's about time, because whatever you thought about this war, it's not about Mr. Bush any more. It's about the aspirations of the Iraqi majority to build an alternative to Saddamism. By voting the way they did, in the face of real danger, Iraqis have earned the right to ask everyone now to put aside their squabbles and focus on what is no longer just a pipe dream but a real opportunity to implant decent, consensual government in the heart of the Arab-Muslim world.
Read the whole thing. Shiite Iraq will NOT ally with Shiite Iran.
>Three cheers for some kindof election in IRAQ, but whether or not it will pay off for Democracy, as we know it? That, is years away from being "proven".
Â
Proven, yes... but will there be any immediate results?? I think so... looking back at Dans last post, I believe that they are seeing that their is a "united front" willing to vote against the wishes of the insurgents, then maybe they see that they can 'fight back' too....
Here is one of the letters i get from my friends captain stationed over in iraq every so often...i find them to be a good read, informational and keeps me connected. i can post more or as they come if ya'll are interested?! Just got this one so it's relevant to the elections and such...
Family and Friends,
I hope this letter finds you all safe and well.
The elections here have come and gone. Voter turnout was higher than expected in most areas. The day of the election was relatively quiet throughout the country and our military, along with the Iraqi Army and Police, did a tremendous job of securing the streets and voting stations.
Still, we do not expect the elections to have an immediate impact on the situation we face day to day. Building a new and democratic government takes time. It is such a monumental shift in thinking in this part of the world, and most Iraqis have never experienced freedom and democracy in their lives. The elections represent a critical step in the process. However, everyone it is still an initial step in the process. The newly elected officials will now begin drafting a constitution. It will then have to be ratified and more elections will follow based on how they determine their legislature and other branches of government will work.
There will continue to be those who want to see democracy in Iraq fail. They will continue to try and disrupt the process. Our job is to stay vigilant and continue to create a safe and stable environment so that this evolution of freedom can run its course as quickly and smoothly as possible. The essential component for us is giving the Iraqi Armed Forces and Police the tools, training, and confidence they need to take over full responsibility for the security of their country. They are improving every day and are getting more involved. We are on the right track.
The rainy season is now in full swing here in Iraq. The temperature continues to range from the upper 30’s at night to the low 60’s during the day. It has been raining a couple of times a week. The desert floor has become a gigantic mud bog with plenty of opportunities for getting vehicles stuck. Very few roads have any shoulders at all. When a civilian vehicle goes off the road during this time of year, it gets stuck. Fortunately for us, all of our patrols have a combination of winches, tow bars, and tow straps. Our area security patrols require us to spend a lot of time off the road moving across the open desert. The crews have become very proficient at vehicle recovery.
One of our patrols recently witnessed a severe accident between two Iraqi flat-bed trucks. The patrol turned around to investigate and assist. One of the civilian trucks had rear-ended another truck that was stopped on the side of the road. The impact crushed the front end of the back vehicle and both personnel were pinned in the vehicle by the dashboard. Several Iraqis were frantically trying to pull the cab apart so they could get the two injured people out of the vehicle.
Our squad took charge of the situation. They secured the sight and used one of our Up-Armored HMMWVs and a two strap to pull the cab open. They quickly assessed the severity of the injuries. Injuries included multiple fractures to the legs, a broken pelvis, broken ribs, possible internal bleeding, and face contusions. One of the injured was already going into shock. The soldiers determined that local police and ambulance would not be able to get there quick enough. They worked up the report and called for a helicopter to conduct air medical evacuation. Two of our soldiers administered IV’s and continued to treat the injured personnel for shock. The rest of the soldiers set up a landing zone for the helicopter, controlled traffic, and secured the accident site.
Our soldiers once again proven they are heroes. Their Combat Lifesaver Training saved the lives of those to two Iraqis. More importantly, it was our soldiers’ clear thinking, rapid response, and willingness to help that made the difference. It is the combination of our training, expertise, equipment, and willingness to use it that distinguishes our soldiers.
Back in the camp, we continue to improve our living conditions every day. We’re nearing the completion of our tent construction projects. We now have our new tents set up, electricity installed, and we're just waiting for the air conditioning / heating units to get installed. These projects will give us the maximum space possible for our soldiers and ensure our work and living areas are set up to best manage the unit and take care of the soldiers.
We were recently told we’ll have trailers to live in by the summer. They are about the size of a standard trailer house and are divided into rooms. Soldiers will live two to a room. The trailers will be insulated so we’ll be able to better regulate the temperature and give the soldiers a break from the heat that we all know is coming.
We’ve also been informed we will be getting contracted chow in the next couple of months. A civilian company will be hired to run our dining facility. For the soldiers, it means more variety, longer chow hours, and a regular meal served around midnight for those working nights.
Additionally, leave starts at the end of this month for select soldiers. It seems early but we have to start now so we can ensure that everyone has an opportunity to take leave without sending too many soldiers at once. The mission will continue to go on regardless of having soldiers on leave. We are all excited for the two weeks of leave regardless of when it comes. The government pays for a round-trip ticket to a final destination of our choice and gives us 15 full days of leave once we get there. For most of us, that means a round-trip ticket to Minneapolis. However, some of our soldiers are thinking about places like Australia or Europe.
There is also a pass program that will be starting soon where select soldiers can go to a more secure area in the Middle East and have four days to relax. Not every soldier is guaranteed to get at four-day pass. However, all of our soldiers will get the 15-day leave.
Other great news is our remaining soldiers are in Kuwait and will soon be joining us. Our medics remained in the States when we deployed to complete additional paramedic training. We also have one soldier who deployed to Fort Dix late and needed to finish his training. Finally, we have one soldier who needed to go home on emergency leave before Christmas to attend to a family situation. All six of these soldiers have completed their required training in Kuwait and are waiting for a flight. We will be very happy to see them arrive and to finally have our entire Apache Team on the ground.
As always, the soldiers continue to inspire and motivate me every day. I don’t have to look very far to find a hero. I work with them every day. I don’t have to look very hard to find examples of why our nation is the greatest in the world. I see it in the eyes of our soldiers every time then come in from patrol. I don’t have to question why we were sent here because the soldiers remind me every day that there are things in this life that are worth fighting for, and freedom isn't free.
Don't worry Sir Zephyrus, an increase is considered a cut by some. The entire VA program has seen a 3% increase over last year. The 2006 VA medical care budget is more than 47% greater than when he took office and will serve about 950,000 more patients in 2006 than it did in 2001. I do not understand how some can call that a cut.
It may not be a cut, but is it keeping up wth demand?
Say you have a school with 10 kids, and you get $10,000 to run the school. If you know next year that you will have five more kids and the school board gives you a budget of $12,500, you're getting a 25 percent increase. But so what?
Then you need to say that the increase is not enough. To call an increase a cut is not being truthful. In your example, you should state that the increase in funds does not match the increase in students.
Also, should the increase match the increase in students? In your example, they could easily place the extra 5 children in the same class with the other 10 without much of a burden on the teacher, school building, etc. Some more books and a seat is all that would be needed.
"Also, should the increase match the increase in students? In your example, they could easily place the extra 5 children in the same class with the other 10 without much of a burden on the teacher, school building, etc. Some more books and a seat is all that would be needed."
Certainly no problem for you, since you don't have to run the school and manage the extra five kids.
I think a per vet dollar amount would be the wrong way to look at it since each vet is going to have different needs. Some will need physical therapy, some, psychiatric counseling etc. etc. and some will be realitivly healthy and only need standard health care, checkups etc. So putting a per veteran figure is hard to do , I suppose you could figure out averages. Yes it's an increase but is it enough?
Have any of you been following the latest excitement on the blogs? Eason Jordan, head of CNN News, said in a session at the World Economics Forum in Davos, Switzerland that the US military targets journalists.
Yep, same guy. Not surprising at all, since CNN is trying to position itself as a global news channel, not an American one. Gotta fan the flames of the anti-American countries.
Bush team tried to suppress pre-9/11 report into al-Qa'ida
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
11 February 2005
Federal officials were repeatedly warned in the months before the 11 September 2001 terror attacks that Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida were planning aircraft hijackings and suicide attacks, according to a new report that the Bush administration has been suppressing.
Critics say the new information undermines the government's claim that intelligence about al-Qa'ida's ambitions was "historical" in nature.
The independent commission investigating the attacks on New York and Washington concluded that while officials at the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) did receive warnings, they were "lulled into a false sense of security". As a result, "intelligence that indicated a real and growing threat leading up to 9/11 did not stimulate significant increases in security procedures".
The report, withheld from the public for months, says the FAA was primarily focused on the likelihood of an incident overseas. However, in spring 2001, it warned US airports that if "the intent of the hijacker is not to exchange hostages for prisoners but to commit suicide in a spectacular explosion, a domestic hijacking would probably be preferable".
Kristin Bretweiser, whose husband was killed in the World Trade Centre, said yesterday the newly released details undermined testimony from Condoleezza Rice, the former national security adviser, who told the commission that information about al-Qa'ida's threats seen by the administration was "historical in nature". [...]
The latest pages note that of the FAA's 105 daily intelligence summaries between 1 April 2001 and 10 September 2001, 52 of them mentioned Osama bin Laden, al-Qa'ida, or both.The report also concludes that officials did not expand the use of in-flight air marshals or tighten airport screening for weapons. It said FAA officials were more concerned with reducing airline congestion, lessening delays and easing air carriers' financial problems than thwarting a terrorist attack. [...]
But the details, first obtained by The New York Times, are the strongest evidence yet of the widespread warnings and officials' failure to take action. They also support claims by whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator, who said she saw evidence that showed officials were aware of the al-Qa'ida threat before 9/11.
It brings me no pleasure to describe opponents of the Iraqi war as "worth nothing." I know otherwise fine, decent people who oppose the war. So I sincerely apologize for the insult.
But to the Left in general, as opposed to individually good people who side with the Left, I have no apologies. It is the Left -- in America, in Europe and around the world -- that should do all the apologizing: to the men, women and children of Iraq and elsewhere for not coming to their support against those who would crush them.
Remembering Halabja -- Seventeen Years Since the Massacre
By Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Bureau for International Relations
March 16, 2005
On this sad and tragic day seventeen years ago, the government of Saddam Hussein committed one of modern history's most tragic crimes. The indiscriminant destruction of the town of Halabja with the use of chemical weapons left 5000 men, woman and children slaughtered and more than 10,000 injured.
Seventeen years since the massacre, the people of Halabja still suffer from the effects of the attack, including a much higher prevalence of major medical disorders such as cancers, birth defects and miscarriages not to mention the irreparable damage done to the environment.
Halabja was not the only instance in which the former government of Iraq used chemical weapons. An independent study has revealed that chemical and biological weapons have been used in attacks on over 255 towns and villages in Iraqi Kurdistan with casualties not less than those in Halabja. Â
It shouldn't be forgotten. It's the reason we're there. Call it spin if you like. Maybe you're just bad-tempered because the world is beginning to see that Bush was right. Or is it that you don't like the reminder?
All of that and the Iraqis are as happy as ever to have us here...
They will be saddened soon when I come home on leave the end of next week...
:D
I have no idea what they are showing on the news... We have DVD's playing during meals now, instead of the news... So I havent seen anything lately. I am just going to assume that they are saying that it is hopeless and pointless that we are here. I am kinda looking forward to going home so I can see "what is going on in Iraq".
But the people here have been showing an overwhelmingly positive response to us as I have seen first hand when I left the base, and from what I have heard from my buddies who are leaving more regularly now.
The insurgents have some new fancy tactics and procedures, some are really bad, and I am not at liberty to share them with you atr the moment. But the attacks are doing more to anger the population AGAINST the insurgent terrorists. NOT us. We have had more help since the elections than ever before. Nothing I haven't said before, but it is all that I have right now.
You kids have a fine day, and a Happy Easter (It is Easter in Iraq, has been for 4 hours now)
Oh, and the easter bunny made it to my door this morning... Nice to have that support from mythical creatures... eh, Crabs? Rat?
I have to go and feel sorry for myself for being here now, cuz it is worthless and hopeless... I know I read it in the paper and saw it on the news...
If I cared about the relation of the Easter bunny to Jesus, I would explain...
All that I said was that I celebrated with the Easter Bunny... I said nothing about Jesus... I went out my door and there was candy there... Did Allah bring it to me? Maybe so, we are making his country better :D
So you want me to believe that we are killing for Jesus?
[Edited by on Jan 29, 2005 at 01:52am.]
[Edited by on Jan 29, 2005 at 01:53am.]
Gonna need it today:(
(Lots of BOOMS)
...
The elections in Iraq are an unqualified success.
So what do I see when I first log on this morning? The Charter home page has the MSNBC news headlines:
Violence Mars Iraqi Elections
And a link to a Newsweek piece: Meet the Insurgents.
Meet the Insurgents!?!?What is this, a f**king meet'n'greet tea party?
Geez.
Â
What headlines should have been written?
"Iraqi voter intimidation surpasses that of black Floridians"
Thanks Fold. We are hoping sometime in February he can come home on a leave, but have not heard anything official yet.
You have mail.
[Edited by on Jan 30, 2005 at 08:15am.]
"Iraqi voter intimidation surpasses that of black Floridians"
Would that be the areas controlled by the democrats in florida?
[Edited by on Jan 30, 2005 at 08:29am.]
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 30 - After a slow start, voters turned out in very large numbers in Baghdad today, packing polling places and creating a party atmospherein the streets as Iraqis here and nationwide turned out to cast ballots in the country's first free elections in 50 years... http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/international/middleeast/30cnd-iraq.html?ex=1264827600&en=2e3873cf7f0fd33b&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland
Even Scrappleface noticed:
January 30, 2005
Iraqi Voting Disrupts News Reports of Bombings
by Scott Ott
(2005-01-30) -- News reports of terrorist bombings in Iraq were marredSunday by shocking graphic images of Iraqi "insurgents" voting by the millions in their first free democratic election.
Despite reporters' hopes that a well-orchestrated barrage of mortar attacks and suicide bombings would put down the so-called 'freedom insurgency', hastily-formed battalions of rebels swarmed polling placesto cast their ballots -- shattering the status quo and striking fear into the hearts of the leaders of the existing terror regime.
Hopes for a return to the stability of tyranny waned as rank upon rank of Iraqi men and women filed out of precinct stations, each armed with the distinctive mark of the new freedom guerrillas -- an ink-stained index finger, which one former Ba'athist called "the evidence of their betrayal of 50 years of Iraqi tradition."
Journalists struggled to put a positive spin on the day's events, but the video images of tyranny's traitors choosing a future of freedom overwhelmed the official story of bloodshed and mayhem.
http://www.scrappleface.com/MT/archives/002047.html
Qatar seeks buyer for Al Jazeera
"The pressure has been so intense, a senior Qatari official said, that the government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market, though Bush administration officials counter that a privately owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view."
No, that would actually have been what is known as a "joke", perhaps you have heard of them?
Well, the claim of voter disenfranchisement in Florida is a good one.
oh, so you were making a joke here?
okay. I can see how trying to claim that democrats wanted to keep blacks from voting would be a funny thing to say.
[Edited by molegrass on Jan 30, 2005 at 04:00pm.]
For someone who says he doesn't care for political parties, Dan always knows where to point the finger first and only.
Did any of you hear or read that one of the suicide bombers was a mentally retarded boy? Here's the whole story from Iraq the Model:
New techniques of the "resistance".
I strongly believe that terrorists are cowards but the cowardice you’re going to see in this story is just exceptional.
The suicide attack that was performed on an election center in one of Baghdad's districts (Baghdad Al-Jadeedah) last Sunday was performed using a kidnapped "
Down Syndrome
" patient.
Eye witnesses said (and I'm quoting one of my colleagues; a dentist who lives there) "the poor victim was so scared when ordered to walk to the searching point and began to walk back to the terrorists. In response the criminals pressed the button and blew up the poor victim almost half way between their position and the voting center's entrance".
I couldn't believe the news until I met another guy from that neighborhood who knows the family of the victim. The guy was reported missing 5 days prior to elections' day and the family were distributing posters that specified his descriptions and asking anyone who finds him to contact them.
When a relative of mine (who has a mental handicap due to an Rh conflict at birth) told me a month ago that a group of men in a car tried to kidnap him as he was standing in front of the institution he periodically visits to get medicine and support waiting for his brother; I thought that he was imagining the whole story.
He said that they tried to force him into the car telling him not to be afraid and that they're from the "mujahideen and not going to hurt him". My relative, despite his handicap was moved by his survival instinct and managed to run away.
After I heard the other story, I began to connect between the two stories and to consider my cousin's story as a true one that uncovered a new miserable war technique that can come only from the sickest minds.
What a huge difference there is between those who kidnap and use the mentally handicapped to perform their murders in cold blood and between the brave Iraqis who sacrificed their lives to protect their brethren. one story that is famous now in Iraq is about one brave Iraqi (A'adel Nasir) who saw a suspicious looking guy walking around a polling center in (Al- Hurriyah) district and soon the brave man realized that the suspicious guy was trying to commit a suicide attack; he ran towards him, wrestled him and knocked him down causing the bomb carried by the terrorist to explode, sacrificing his own life and saving the lives of the people standing in line at the gate of the voting center. It turned out later that the terrorist carried a Sudanese id.
Now, the school that hosted the voting center on the 30th carries the name of A'adel Nasir, as the Iraqi minister of education announced today.
The pathetic terrorists are breaking one world record after another in cowardice and insanity and this tells how bankrupt they're getting.
Iraqi villagers kill 5 insurgents
href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1295847.htm">http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1295847.htm
By Middle East correspondent Mark
Willacy
The residents of a small Iraqi village
have killed five insurgents who had attacked them for voting in last weekend's
national elections.
Several other insurgents were also wounded.
The insurgents raided the village of al-Mudhiryah south of
Baghdad after warning its inhabitants not to vote in the election.
The villagers fought back, killing five of the insurgents and
wounding eight others.
The insurgents' cars were then set alight.
Al-Mudhiryah's tribal sheikh says his people are sick of
being threatened by Islamic extremists.
[Edited 3 times. Most recently by on Feb 5, 2005 at 12:27pm.]
From Thomas Friedman (a liberal, also an expert in the Middle East and someone worth reading) in the NYT:
...this election has made it crystal clear that the Iraq war is not between fascist insurgents and America, but between the fascist insurgents and the Iraqi people. One hopes the French and Germans, whose newspapers often sound more like Al Jazeera than Al Jazeera, will wake up to this fact and throw their weight onto the right side of history.
It's about time, because whatever you thought about this war, it's not about Mr. Bush any more. It's about the aspirations of the Iraqi majority to build an alternative to Saddamism. By voting the way they did, in the face of real danger, Iraqis have earned the right to ask everyone now to put aside their squabbles and focus on what is no longer just a pipe dream but a real opportunity to implant decent, consensual government in the heart of the Arab-Muslim world.
Read the whole thing. Shiite Iraq will NOT ally with Shiite Iran.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/opinion/03friedman.html?oref=login&n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fThomas%20L%20Friedman
[Edited by on Feb 5, 2005 at 08:50pm.]
>Three cheers for some kindof election in IRAQ, but whether or not it will pay off for Democracy, as we know it? That, is years away from being "proven".
Â
Proven, yes... but will there be any immediate results?? I think so... looking back at Dans last post, I believe that they are seeing that their is a "united front" willing to vote against the wishes of the insurgents, then maybe they see that they can 'fight back' too....
Â
'fight back'.... I miss that show...
Here is one of the letters i get from my friends captain stationed over in iraq every so often...i find them to be a good read, informational and keeps me connected. i can post more or as they come if ya'll are interested?! Just got this one so it's relevant to the elections and such...
Family and Friends,
I hope this letter finds you all safe and well.
The elections here have come and gone. Voter turnout was higher than
expected in most areas. The day of the election was relatively quiet
throughout the country and our military, along with the Iraqi Army and
Police, did a tremendous job of securing the streets and voting stations.
Still, we do not expect the elections to have an immediate impact on the
situation we face day to day. Building a new and democratic government
takes time. It is such a monumental shift in thinking in this part of the
world, and most Iraqis have never experienced freedom and democracy in their
lives. The elections represent a critical step in the process. However,
everyone it is still an initial step in the process. The newly elected
officials will now begin drafting a constitution. It will then have to be
ratified and more elections will follow based on how they determine their
legislature and other branches of government will work.
There will continue to be those who want to see democracy in Iraq fail.
They will continue to try and disrupt the process. Our job is to stay
vigilant and continue to create a safe and stable environment so that this
evolution of freedom can run its course as quickly and smoothly as possible.
The essential component for us is giving the Iraqi Armed Forces and Police
the tools, training, and confidence they need to take over full
responsibility for the security of their country. They are improving every
day and are getting more involved. We are on the right track.
The rainy season is now in full swing here in Iraq. The temperature
continues to range from the upper 30’s at night to the low 60’s during the
day. It has been raining a couple of times a week. The desert floor has
become a gigantic mud bog with plenty of opportunities for getting vehicles
stuck. Very few roads have any shoulders at all. When a civilian vehicle
goes off the road during this time of year, it gets stuck. Fortunately for
us, all of our patrols have a combination of winches, tow bars, and tow
straps. Our area security patrols require us to spend a lot of time off the
road moving across the open desert. The crews have become very proficient
at vehicle recovery.
One of our patrols recently witnessed a severe accident between two Iraqi
flat-bed trucks. The patrol turned around to investigate and assist. One
of the civilian trucks had rear-ended another truck that was stopped on the
side of the road. The impact crushed the front end of the back vehicle and
both personnel were pinned in the vehicle by the dashboard. Several Iraqis
were frantically trying to pull the cab apart so they could get the two
injured people out of the vehicle.
Our squad took charge of the situation. They secured the sight and used one
of our Up-Armored HMMWVs and a two strap to pull the cab open. They quickly
assessed the severity of the injuries. Injuries included multiple fractures
to the legs, a broken pelvis, broken ribs, possible internal bleeding, and
face contusions. One of the injured was already going into shock. The
soldiers determined that local police and ambulance would not be able to get
there quick enough. They worked up the report and called for a helicopter
to conduct air medical evacuation. Two of our soldiers administered IV’s
and continued to treat the injured personnel for shock. The rest of the
soldiers set up a landing zone for the helicopter, controlled traffic, and
secured the accident site.
Our soldiers once again proven they are heroes. Their Combat Lifesaver
Training saved the lives of those to two Iraqis. More importantly, it was
our soldiers’ clear thinking, rapid response, and willingness to help that
made the difference. It is the combination of our training, expertise,
equipment, and willingness to use it that distinguishes our soldiers.
Back in the camp, we continue to improve our living conditions every day.
We’re nearing the completion of our tent construction projects. We now have
our new tents set up, electricity installed, and we're just waiting for the
air conditioning / heating units to get installed. These projects will give
us the maximum space possible for our soldiers and ensure our work and
living areas are set up to best manage the unit and take care of the
soldiers.
We were recently told we’ll have trailers to live in by the summer. They
are about the size of a standard trailer house and are divided into rooms.
Soldiers will live two to a room. The trailers will be insulated so we’ll
be able to better regulate the temperature and give the soldiers a break
from the heat that we all know is coming.
We’ve also been informed we will be getting contracted chow in the next
couple of months. A civilian company will be hired to run our dining
facility. For the soldiers, it means more variety, longer chow hours, and a
regular meal served around midnight for those working nights.
Additionally, leave starts at the end of this month for select soldiers. It
seems early but we have to start now so we can ensure that everyone has an
opportunity to take leave without sending too many soldiers at once. The
mission will continue to go on regardless of having soldiers on leave. We
are all excited for the two weeks of leave regardless of when it comes. The
government pays for a round-trip ticket to a final destination of our choice
and gives us 15 full days of leave once we get there. For most of us, that
means a round-trip ticket to Minneapolis. However, some of our soldiers are
thinking about places like Australia or Europe.
There is also a pass program that will be starting soon where select
soldiers can go to a more secure area in the Middle East and have four days
to relax. Not every soldier is guaranteed to get at four-day pass.
However, all of our soldiers will get the 15-day leave.
Other great news is our remaining soldiers are in Kuwait and will soon be
joining us. Our medics remained in the States when we deployed to complete
additional paramedic training. We also have one soldier who deployed to
Fort Dix late and needed to finish his training. Finally, we have one
soldier who needed to go home on emergency leave before Christmas to attend
to a family situation. All six of these soldiers have completed their
required training in Kuwait and are waiting for a flight. We will be very
happy to see them arrive and to finally have our entire Apache Team on the
ground.
As always, the soldiers continue to inspire and motivate me every day. I
don’t have to look very far to find a hero. I work with them every day. I
don’t have to look very hard to find examples of why our nation is the
greatest in the world. I see it in the eyes of our soldiers every time then
come in from patrol. I don’t have to question why we were sent here because
the soldiers remind me every day that there are things in this life that are
worth fighting for, and freedom isn't free.
God Bless,
Mike Pazdernik
CPT, AR
We'll put more people at risk to use the Veterans related BENEFITS... then cut the funding...
Man... good thing I have a combat lifesaver bag to bring home... I may need the extra bandaids...
Don't worry Sir Zephyrus, an increase is considered a cut by some. The entire VA program has seen a 3% increase over last year. The 2006 VA medical care budget is more than 47% greater than when he took office and will serve about 950,000 more patients in 2006 than it did in 2001. I do not understand how some can call that a cut.
[Edited by on Feb 9, 2005 at 03:40pm.]
It may not be a cut, but is it keeping up wth demand?
Say you have a school with 10 kids, and you get $10,000 to run the school. If you know next year that you will have five more kids and the school board gives you a budget of $12,500, you're getting a 25 percent increase. But so what?
Then you need to say that the increase is not enough. To call an increase a cut is not being truthful. In your example, you should state that the increase in funds does not match the increase in students.
Also, should the increase match the increase in students? In your example, they could easily place the extra 5 children in the same class with the other 10 without much of a burden on the teacher, school building, etc. Some more books and a seat is all that would be needed.
"Also, should the increase match the increase in students? In your example, they could easily place the extra 5 children in the same class with the other 10 without much of a burden on the teacher, school building, etc. Some more books and a seat is all that would be needed."
Certainly no problem for you, since you don't have to run the school and manage the extra five kids.
I think a per vet dollar amount would be the wrong way to look at it since each vet is going to have different needs. Some will need physical therapy, some, psychiatric counseling etc. etc. and some will be realitivly healthy and only need standard health care, checkups etc. So putting a per veteran figure is hard to do , I suppose you could figure out averages. Yes it's an increase but is it enough?
Have any of you been following the latest excitement on the blogs? Eason Jordan, head of CNN News, said in a session at the World Economics Forum in Davos, Switzerland that the US military targets journalists.
That's the kind of thing that makes me see red.
He's the same one who exchanged the truth to have access to Saddam.
What he was still doing even being empolyed by CNN is amazing. Yet not suprising.
Yep, same guy. Not surprising at all, since CNN is trying to position itself as a global news channel, not an American one. Gotta fan the flames of the anti-American countries.
Hang the bastards:
Bush team tried to suppress pre-9/11 report into al-Qa'ida
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
11 February 2005
Federal officials were repeatedly warned in the months before the 11 September 2001 terror attacks that Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida were planning aircraft hijackings and suicide attacks, according to a new report that the Bush administration has been suppressing.
Critics say the new information undermines the government's claim that intelligence about al-Qa'ida's ambitions was "historical" in nature.
The independent commission investigating the attacks on New York and Washington concluded that while officials at the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) did receive warnings, they were "lulled into a false sense of security". As a result, "intelligence that indicated a real and growing threat leading up to 9/11 did not stimulate significant increases in security procedures".
The report, withheld from the public for months, says the FAA was primarily focused on the likelihood of an incident overseas. However, in spring 2001, it warned US airports that if "the intent of the hijacker is not to exchange hostages for prisoners but to commit suicide in a spectacular explosion, a domestic hijacking would probably be preferable".
Kristin Bretweiser, whose husband was killed in the World Trade Centre, said yesterday the newly released details undermined testimony from Condoleezza Rice, the former national security adviser, who told the commission that information about al-Qa'ida's threats seen by the administration was "historical in nature". [...]
The latest pages note that of the FAA's 105 daily intelligence summaries between 1 April 2001 and 10 September 2001, 52 of them mentioned Osama bin Laden, al-Qa'ida, or both.The report also concludes that officials did not expand the use of in-flight air marshals or tighten airport screening for weapons. It said FAA officials were more concerned with reducing airline congestion, lessening delays and easing air carriers' financial problems than thwarting a terrorist attack. [...]
But the details, first obtained by The New York Times, are the strongest evidence yet of the widespread warnings and officials' failure to take action. They also support claims by whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator, who said she saw evidence that showed officials were aware of the al-Qa'ida threat before 9/11.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=609895
oops!
I wonder if Buncombe is a pen name.
What did he do wrong?
Eason quits.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6955488/
hell, Fox employs a treasonous liar like Ollie North, what do you expect?
CNN's leadership and political slant is exactly why I watch Fox News. I wish the U.S. military would target CNN.
http://www.thepat.org
It brings me no pleasure to describe opponents of the Iraqi war as "worth nothing." I know otherwise fine, decent people who oppose the war. So I sincerely apologize for the insult.
But to the Left in general, as opposed to individually good people who side with the Left, I have no apologies. It is the Left -- in America, in Europe and around the world -- that should do all the apologizing: to the men, women and children of Iraq and elsewhere for not coming to their support against those who would crush them.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20050201.shtml
[Edited by on Feb 16, 2005 at 10:40am.]
Remembering Halabja -- Seventeen Years Since the Massacre
On this sad and tragic day seventeen years ago, the government of Saddam Hussein committed one of modern history's most tragic crimes. The indiscriminant destruction of the town of Halabja with the use of chemical weapons left 5000 men, woman and children slaughtered and more than 10,000 injured.
Seventeen years since the massacre, the people of Halabja still suffer from the effects of the attack, including a much higher prevalence of major medical disorders such as cancers, birth defects and miscarriages not to mention the irreparable damage done to the environment.
Halabja was not the only instance in which the former government of Iraq used chemical weapons. An independent study has revealed that chemical and biological weapons have been used in attacks on over 255 towns and villages in Iraqi Kurdistan with casualties not less than those in Halabja. Â
Nope, no WMDs there.
Can't resist the urge to spin a sad anniversary, Muskwa?
[Edited 3 times. Most recently by on Mar 19, 2005 at 06:28am.]
It shouldn't be forgotten. It's the reason we're there. Call it spin if you like. Maybe you're just bad-tempered because the world is beginning to see that Bush was right. Or is it that you don't like the reminder?
"It shouldn't be forgotten. It's the reason we're there."
I thought it was about a 16-acre hole in the middle of Manhattan.
Are you and Muskwa whist partners, too, Dan?
Sure, you and Crabs want to play sometime?
heh heh
Not too late to use it for spin.
Triple-8 joe.
[Edited by on Mar 22, 2005 at 05:01am.]
All of that and the Iraqis are as happy as ever to have us here...
They will be saddened soon when I come home on leave the end of next week...
:D
I have no idea what they are showing on the news... We have DVD's playing during meals now, instead of the news... So I havent seen anything lately. I am just going to assume that they are saying that it is hopeless and pointless that we are here. I am kinda looking forward to going home so I can see "what is going on in Iraq".
But the people here have been showing an overwhelmingly positive response to us as I have seen first hand when I left the base, and from what I have heard from my buddies who are leaving more regularly now.
The insurgents have some new fancy tactics and procedures, some are really bad, and I am not at liberty to share them with you atr the moment. But the attacks are doing more to anger the population AGAINST the insurgent terrorists. NOT us. We have had more help since the elections than ever before. Nothing I haven't said before, but it is all that I have right now.
You kids have a fine day, and a Happy Easter (It is Easter in Iraq, has been for 4 hours now)
Oh, and the easter bunny made it to my door this morning... Nice to have that support from mythical creatures... eh, Crabs? Rat?
I have to go and feel sorry for myself for being here now, cuz it is worthless and hopeless... I know I read it in the paper and saw it on the news...
Did you explain to the Iraqis how a giant rabbit hides eggs to celebrate Jesus?
Because if you did, could you explain it to me? I've never understood what the fuck that was all about. The dogma ate the bunny.
[Edited by molegrass on Mar 26, 2005 at 06:37pm.]
If I cared about the relation of the Easter bunny to Jesus, I would explain...
All that I said was that I celebrated with the Easter Bunny... I said nothing about Jesus... I went out my door and there was candy there... Did Allah bring it to me? Maybe so, we are making his country better :D
So you want me to believe that we are killing for Jesus?
anna la AFhaam...