WASHINGTON POST POISON?

.
About Chandrasekaran & Yellow-J

How do I know this? Because my fellow Marines and I witnessed it with our own eyes. Chandrasekaran showed up in the city of Al Kut last April, talked to a few of our officers, and toured the city for a few hours. He then got back into his air-conditioned car and drove back to Baghdad to write about the local unrest.

"The Untouchable 'Mayor' of Kut," his article's headline blared the next day. It described a local, Iranian-backed troublemaker named Abbas Fadhil, who was squatting in the provincial government headquarters. He had gathered a mob of people with nothing better to do, told them to camp out in the headquarters compound, and there they sat, defying the Marines of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

Chandrasekaran was very impressed with the little usurper: "'We thank the Americans for getting rid of Saddam's regime, but now Iraq must be run by Iraqis,' Fadhil thundered during a meeting today with his supporters in the building's spacious conference room. 'We cannot allow the Americans to rule us from this office'....Fadhil has set up shop in an official building and appears to have rallied support across this city of 300,000 people.

"The refusal of Marine commanders to recognize Fadhil's new title has fueled particularly intense anti-American sentiments here," Chandrasekeran continued. "In scenes not seen in other Iraqi cities, U.S. convoys have been loudly jeered. Waving Marines have been greeted with angry glares and thumbs-down signs."
Readers must have concluded that Kut was on the verge of exploding. The entire city was ready to throw out the despised American infidel invaders and install their new "mayor" as their beloved leader.

What utter rubbish. In our headquarters, we had a small red splotch on a large map of Kut, representing the neighborhood that supported Abbas Fadhil. When asked about him, most citizens of Kut rolled their eyes. His followers were mainly poor, semi-literate, and not particularly well-liked. They were marginal in every sense of the word, and they mattered very little in the day-to-day life of a city that was struggling to get back on its feet.

We knew the local sentiment intimately, because as civil affairs Marines, our job was to help restore the province's water, electricity, medical care, and other essentials of life. Our detachment had teams constantly coming and going throughout the city, and Chandrasekeran could have easily accompanied at least one of them.

Since he didn't, he couldn’t see how the Iraqis outside of the red splotch reacted to us. People of every age waved and smiled as we rumbled past (except male youths, who, like their American counterparts, were too cool for that kind of thing.) Our major security problem was keeping friendly crowds of people away from us so we could spot bad guys.

None of those encouraging things made it into the article. Nor did anything about how we had been helping to fix the city’s problems as soon as we arrived. Just a quick-and-dirty sensationalistic piece about a local Islamist thug bravely going toe-to-toe with the legendary United States Marines. The general reaction to Chandrasekeran’s article was either laughter or dumb bewilderment.

Soon afterwards, a Marine commander met privately with Fadhil and told him he would be forcefully removed if he did not leave the government building. Fadhil, chastened, asked if he could slither into exile without the appearance of coercion, so he could save face. The commander agreed. Suddenly faced with a real confrontation, the "mayor" had backed down, and he left without any riots or bloodshed. The Americans took over the office that Fadhil said we should never occupy. The Post didn't cover any of that, either.

Don't take my word for it that the Post’s reporting is substandard and superficial. Take the word of Philip Bennett, the Post's assistant managing editor for foreign news. In a surprisingly candid June 6 piece, he admits that "the threat of violence has distanced us from Iraqis." Further, "we have relied on Iraqi stringers filing by telephone to our correspondents in Baghdad, and on embedding with the military. The stringers are not professional journalists, and their reports are heavy on the simplest direct observation." Translation: we are reprinting things from people we barely know, from a safe location dozens of miles away from the fighting.

[Note: Yellow-J = Yellow Journalism. See original article for all the links, and more information]

OBL threatens Europe

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OBL says Time’s Almost Up, Europe!

Newsmax

The statement run by Asharq al-Awsat newspaper referred to a 90-day cease-fire for attacks in Europe that the leader of al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden, declared on April 15.

"To the European people: Only a few days remain for you to accept the truce offered by bin Laden. Otherwise you will have nobody but yourself to blame," the London-based paper quoted the statement as saying.

Spain’s response?

CNN

MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spain's cabinet has agreed to send nearly 900 more troops to Afghanistan, boosting its current small contingent there to more than 1,000 ahead of the country's elections.

[Comment: Spain, if you have enough courage, send those troops back to Iraq, too!]

FISK RATTED?

.

Or, was FISK FISKED?

• DOWNING Street blasted The Independent yesterday for naming the judge in Saddam’s trial — putting his life at risk."

"It accused journalist Robert Fisk of breaking an agreement with the Iraqi Special Tribunal not to identify anyone in the court other than the defendants.

The Sun (UK)

THE CHEF

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Or, look who’s cooking, now!

During a Fox News Channel interview, one participant mentioned that he had been studying cooking for approximately 5 years. When asked what he would do now, Mr. L. Paul Bremer planned to cook, write a book, and lecture (at some time) during the fall.

No, the stress did not reduce the man to chef-hood . . .he likes to cook! He will specialize in French Cuisine. Uh Oh, is this a diplomatic difficulty, or will it soothe U.S./French relations?

I hope Mr. Bremer has time to check the Iraqi Blogs. There are many expressions of “thanks” to Abu Haider for his tireless efforts (and to the CPA we “thank you!”)

HAPPY 4th of JULY to the SOLDIERS--who are working hard to develop and improve Iraq!

4TH OF JULY

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I am a descendent of the REBELS, those who dared. They saw a better life for the people and they dared to reach for it. More than 225 years later, we still dare to feel the spirit of . . . FREEDOM.

Today in NYC, there is a dedication of the site of the FREEDOM TOWER. A building which will rise 1776 feet into the sky and will be a phoenix—-rising out of the ashes. A symbol of freedom, a dedication to those who died at this site, the building will remind US buildings will rise and fall; but, the SPIRIT remains, the SPIRIT lives on, and the SPIRIT can not be destroyed. Remember FREEDOM.

Dignitaries and ordinary people are meeting to place the cornerstone which says:

“TO HONOR AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 AND AS A TRIBUTE TO THE ENDURING SPIRIT OF FREEDOM”.

Now, “Ground Zero” has an additional meaning: it means a continuing with determination through adversity; it means a renewed appreciation of “THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM.” It means that “We, the people, are charged with protecting and DEFENDING those freedoms which were given to US by the men and women who fought to gain those freedoms—those who died to gain them, those who lived on to shape them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

(Pause to celebrate and enjoy the day. Then it’s back to the job; we have work to do for FREEDOM.)

ZEYDUN (UPDATE)

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UPDATE: Zeyad (Healing Iraq) posted on this at 3:13am.

UPDATE: Accountability, Justice, and Truth: We may wish it wasn’t so—that this had never happened; but, wishes are not Truth. Now, there is Accountability and it will be followed by Justice. Lies are easy. Truth takes more time to discover. (But, we found a Truth along the way: Bloggers can make a difference!)

My sincere hope that Accountability, Justice, and Truth may bring some measure of peace to Zeydun’s family and friends.

Thank you, Zeyad. You kept our focus on *looking for the Truth*!
Max Lane | Email | Homepage | 07.03.04 - 11:13 am |

CAR-BOMB FACTORY

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Troops find car-bomb production site

Seattle Times

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. soldiers discovered a car-bomb production site and detained 51 people for questioning during a search for illegal weapons in Baghdad, the military said early today.

Soldiers found a site with four vehicles that were apparently being modified for use in bomb attacks, while searches elsewhere netted rocket-propelled grenade launchers and explosives designed to be used in roadside attacks.

Soldiers also found more than 12 million Iraqi dinars ($8,275) at the car-bomb production site, along with AK-47 rifles, ammunition, timers and computer boards. Three people there were detained. At other locations, U.S. troops detained 48 suspects and found more weapons.

2 ARAB STATES OFFER

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2 Arab states offer military help for Iraq

Arizona Republic

(…)However, Iraq's deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying that the Baghdad government was likely to oppose the offer from Jordan because of Iraq's declared opposition to accepting troops from any of its immediate neighbors.

It was unclear how Iraq would respond to the offer from Yemen, which does not border Iraq.

"Yemen would be willing to play any role that the Iraqi people and the United Nations want it to play," said Yemen's ambassador to the United States, Abdulwahab Hajjri. If the Iraqis want Yemen to contribute peacekeeping troops, "we can help," he said.

(…)On Thursday, King Abdullah of Jordan said his country was willing to send troops to Iraq if the interim government there requested them. He previously had expressed reluctance to offer to send troops to Iraq, but indicated he had changed his mind because the region could not afford to see the Iraqi government fail.

[Comment: India has not come forward; (IIRC) they had agreed to send troops if a UN Resolution was passed. Was the Resolution not worded properly? Why not India?]

ZEYDUN (THE INCIDENT?)

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FOX

Three GIs Charged in Iraqi's Death
Friday, July 02, 2004

DENVER — Three U.S. soldiers have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the drowning of an Iraqi detainee who was shoved off a bridge near Baghdad in January, the military said Friday.
A fourth soldier faces charges for allegedly pushing a second Iraqi into the same river, the Tigris, in the city of Samarra. That man survived.

Both Iraqis were civilians who had been detained for a curfew violation, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington said. He said the four soldiers, all from Fort Carson (search), were on patrol at the time. All have since returned to the Colorado post.

Sgt. 1st Class Tracy E. Perkins, 33, and 1st Lt. Jack M. Saville, 24, are charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, according to a summary of the charges released by the Army. Sgt. Reggie Martinez, 24, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and Spc. Terry Bowman, 21, is charged with assault. All are charged with making false statements.

[NOTE: This appears to include information about Zeyad's relative.]

UPDATE: CNN Headline News carried the story but said the soldiers were from Ft. Hood

ON THE SCENE

.
(That’s how it felt.) I was playing “remote roulette” (a game of channel changing at high speed :)) when CNN reported a bombing in Baghdad close to “Paradise Square” (Firdos Square.)

At the speed of light, I check my bookmarked “Fox live link” camera. Wow, I was in--on the scene. Smoke was billowing everywhere. You couldn’t tell if a hotel had been hit, or a car bomb went off in the street.

The news wasn’t covering the incident; I was stuck. If I closed the window, it might not let me back in. Finally, I minimized that browser and opened another one. No injuries—good! Apparently, it was a bus bomb.

It took an hour to pry myself away from it.


I bookmarked the camera site because the first time visiting the scene was beautiful. You could only imagine how it would be at sunrise, or sunset. I’ve watched a few of these scenes and they are incredible.

Okay, here it is:

Fox Live Camera

(This may mean I’ll never get in, again; but, it’s a sight to see and share.)

THE POLITICAL

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BI-PARTISAN: when both parties get together claiming temporary neutrality; lack of political bias; they are Americans solving the problems sans politics. [LOL]

It’s the new TROJAN HORSE—Democrats and Republicans inside red and blue equines. Close your eyes; you can tell the difference. You can determine from which side of the aisle the horse has come.

They don’t fool US. We are looking at the Trojan Horses dressed in the “Emperor’s New Clothes,” sporting the Cheshire Cat Grins, carrying the signs “America First” with the small print “after my party.”

I’d send “Mr. Smith” to Washington, if I could find him. Unfortunately, he saw the movie Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, too.

He’s hiding. No one can find him. It’s easy to understand.

WMD EXTRAS

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OR NOT?{SEE UPDATE)

(via Command Post)

Interview

Questions to Rumsfeld (during radio interview with Roger Hedgecock KOGO)

Q (…)I’m reading recent reports in fairly easily accessible published accounts that Syria is holding the weapons of mass destruction or some of them, that others were destroyed, that others might still be hidden in Iraq, etcetera. What is the status on WMD? And if Syria is holding any of them and you guys know about it, how come we haven’t heard about it?

SEC. RUMSFELD: Well, let me respond this way. The decision to go to war was a concern on the part of, first, the president, then the Congress of the United States and ultimately the United Nations that Saddam Hussein had had weapons of mass destruction, had used them on his neighbors in Iran and had used them on his own people in Iraq – chemical weapons – that he was known to have various other WMD programs and that he was required by the United Nations over a period of some 17 resolutions to file a declaration declaring what he had. And everyone agreed he had filed a fraudulent declaration as to what weapons of mass destruction he had. The debate as to whether to go to war was not whether or not he’d filed a fraudulent declaration. Everyone agreed to that. The only question was should you give him another chance, should you wait and go 18 resolutions or 19 resolutions, another five years or however many.

Now what’s actually happened? Right now you have the Iraqi Survey Group, which is a multinational group that’s out there reviewing documentation and looking at suspect WMD sites. I was with the Polish minister of defense this weekend in Istanbul, Turkey at the NATO Summit. And in the course of that, he pointed out that his troops in Iraq had recently come across – I’ve forgotten the number, but something like 16 or 17 – warheads that contained sarin and mustard gas.

Now these are weapons that we always knew Saddam Hussein had that he had not declared and they have tested them and I have not seen them and I have not tested them, but they believe that they are correct that these, in fact, were undeclared chemical weapons -- sarin and mustard gas -- quite lethal and that is a discovery that just occurred within the last period of days. If you think about -- most people remember the image of where Saddam Hussein was captured in that hole -- that pit that he was living in. That pit, that hole in the ground was probably big enough to hold chemical and biological weapons sufficient to kill tens of thousands of people. And therefore, it is not hard to hide things in a country the size of California. It’s quite easy to hide things. In fact, we finally found a bunch of jet aircraft that they’ve buried underground.

In answer to your question on Syria, there have been a lot of intelligence speculation and rumors and chatter about the fact that Saddam Hussein may have placed some of his weapons of mass destruction in Syria prior to the start of the war. Until that can be validated and proved, you’ll find people in the administration not talking about it.

[Note: There are rumors that Iraq Survey Group has found more shells (containing mustard and sarin)—supposedly found by the Polish.]

Then, I found this:

Polish Army Says Iraq Shells Had Deadly Cyclosarin

Reuters

There were 17 shells found. They are not recently manufactured; probably from the ‘80s. Just a few more of the “destroyed” (which were not destroyed) WMD; they were old, but still dangerous.

UPDATE:

Seattle Times

The Coalition Press Information Center in Baghdad, Iraq, said in a statement that the 122-mm rocket rounds, which initially showed traces of sarin, "were all empty and tested negative for any type of chemicals."

The release also said that two other 122-mm rounds, found June 16 by the Poles, had tested positive for small quantities of sarin but were "so deteriorated ... (as) to have limited to no impact if used by insurgents against coalition forces."

COURT CONFUSION

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(Update 1, 2, 3, below)
Legal custody of Saddam Hussein and 11 others was transferred to Iraq on Wednesday. Thursday was Saddam’s first court appearance. First reports indicate that there was no microphone is the court; after which, we can hear the voices. Faces of individuals were not to be shown; at least one face was shown. This is the beginning of the trial of O.J. Saddam, with all the trimmings and decorations; with all the diversions and dancing.

The Judge read 7 charges:
1. Gassing of Kurds—Halabja;
2. Brazani Family Killings—1983;
3. Intentional killings of Party Leaders (political;)
4. Intentional killings of Religious Leaders;
5. Anfal—amnesty for Kurds who came forward; they were killed;
6. 1991 Shi’ite Uprising—killing of thousands;
7. Invasion of Kuwait.

Supposedly, Saddam said that he had heard about Halabja and mentions the Kuwaiti “Dogs.” He wants his lawyer. Trial under what legal system? (And, it doesn’t matter,) Bush did it all. Won’t sign anything; and. . . I have done nuth…thing; nuth…thing.

I am the ELECTED PRESIDENT.

[Well, don’t worry. We have the makings for another Michael Moore Manure-film. Moore should be there soon to start the shoveling process for moore manure millions.]

UPDATE #1:
REPORTER CONFUSION—Reporters saw many things while viewing Saddam Hussein. Some saw Saddam as disoriented, confused, shrunken. Others saw irritation, anger, and defiance. They are trying to figure out what they did see—at least one opinion per reporter.

(Opinion: ) I saw a quarterback in a losing season; one last game to play. He hasn’t lost hope; he still has plays (in or out of the playbook.) He’s convinced the game isn’t over, yet. And. . .he thinks he has the ball.

UPDATE #2:
A DEFENSE?--Saddam may claim that as the President of Iraq he was immune from prosecution. Apparently, Saddam passed a law that he was the law. He may have passed a law protecting his regime (giving themselves immunity); therefore, claiming he was within the law and also immune—he believes he would be freed. Saddam asked what law he would be tried under, would it be “his law?”

Usually under Saddam’s Law, after the name is called the criminal is removed to the backyard and shot…dead. Some people received the short-cut—skip the name procedure and go directly to the shot. . .dead.

UPDATE #3:
[Via Jason (Comments section GM’s Land of the Pharoah—link at right)]

The Judge--Courageous Man!

NY Times

"We need to build our country, of course, and to do that there will be victims," he said in an interview after the court hearing. "If I am going to be among them, I accept it. The most important thing is that we build a country based on justice. There can be no future for us without law."

THE U.N. FAMILY

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by C.Rosett

The story of a dysfunctional family. (Sopranos?)

First, let's head for the hearth, where, ensconced at the cozy core of this grand estate, we'll find the five elders, the veto-wielding members of the Security Council. There, of course, you'll run into the wayward U.S. and United Kingdom, who so disturbed the U.N. last year by chasing Saddam Hussein right out of his well-worn seat and down a spider-hole in the cellar. Nearby, counting his cash, is Russia's president Vladimir Putin, who strove so hard to preserve Iraq, uninterrupted, as a family business--Saddam's family, that is, and Russia's enormous Oil for Food business. Then there's Frère Jacques Chirac, who toiled so passionately last year in the U.N. kitchens, trying to stop America from cooking up any freedom fries in all that Iraqi oil. And, lest we forget, there's also China's Hu Jintao, who amid his many daily chores of jailing democratic dissidents and threatening Chinese democracy on Taiwan, found time last year to oppose the liberation of Iraq.

DEBUNKING CT

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Kat, at The Middle Ground is delving into some deep material. Check this site for in-depth coverage of the Oil CT--Conspiracy Theories. Good job, Kat!!
(lf1)

$60,000 Questions:

.
Sevan, LAKIA, OFF

Why did Sevan, who's been reluctant to publicly answer any questions about the beleaguered oil-for-food program, tell the Iraqi government about the bribe allegation against it before apparently telling the Security Council? Was he getting the facts straight, or was he, in effect, tipping off Saddam Hussein that questions might soon be asked?

Second, after Sevan eventually brought the matter to the Security Council's attention, why did it not provoke an investigation and changes in the program especially since rumors of corruption were already widespread?

IRAQI VOICES!

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[While I seem to be wordless today, the Iraqi Voices are speaking. They have the words, and they are letting their voices be heard!]

For a brief summary of some voices:

Go To: Iraq Bloggers Central

Or, go to the sources:

Iraq the Model

I turned to one friend who was a committed She’at and who distrusted America all the way. He looked as if he was bewitched, and I asked him, “So, what do you think of this man? Do you still consider him an invader?” My friend smiled, still touched and said, “Absolutely not! He brought tears to my eyes. God bless him.”

Messopotamian

“As for the scum, it will go (disappear) in vain (uselessly); and as for that which has benefit for people, it will stay in the earth.”

“aren’t these men better than the riffraff who used to govern us?”

“Mother of Days”

“The tree of friendship is going to grow and grow and bear fruit as sure as day follows night. And the people deep down at the bottom of their hearts, they appreciate. Make no mistake about that.”


Don’t miss GM (Egypt) (link at right)

& In Kuwait: “Kuwait Resumes Diplomatic Ties with Iraq.”


Iraq Talk Radio:

“Iraqis rejoice on talk radio airwaves”

"I send my congratulations to all Iraqis and every Iraqi home,”

"I want to tell Dr. Allawi to be bold, to be strong. We need him to build up the army because we need them at a time like this."

I send all the Iraqi people my blessings," “But I warn these terrorists, all the Iraqis will rise up and strike them with steel”

"There is a feeling of joy among the listeners.”

"I say to our new government that everyone here is one," (from Kirkuk)


[Listen to the wonderful sound of Iraqis. We couldn’t hear them before. We hear them now.]

CHEERS FROM ELSEWHERE:

“Good luck for Iraq and the civilized people the friends of Iraq.”

“Hopefully there are some depressed terrorists and many jubilant Iraqis.”

“Bloody brilliant!” (New Zealand)

“Iraq is for All Iraqis--officially!”

“Mabrouk”

(AND,)

Congratulations to Iraq and Iraqis on this great day.. A day which is considered a big blow on the heads of those who call the United States and the coalition: ‘occupiers’.. Well.. thank you very much for the ‘occupiers’.. Those who helped us in liberating our country from the tyranny, the ‘occupiers’ who liberated Iraq on the 9th of April, the ‘occupiers’ who sent Mr.Paul Bremer as we did not have a governor at that time..the ‘occupiers’ who helped us in forming a governing council.. The ‘occupiers’ who helped us in the interim constitution.. The ‘occupiers’ who stood against the terrorists.. The ‘occupiers’ who helped us in forming and training our army......etc.. then those ‘occupiers’ handed over the sovereignty to the Iraqis.... they are the best ‘occupiers’ I’ve ever seen..(…) (Ays—Iraq at a Glance)

WORDS FAIL

.
Words fail me today. There is happiness that Iraq belongs to Iraqis. Iraq is truly on the road to a better nation, a better place for Iraqis. Words are difficult to find; but, a smile is there for all Iraqis who have hopes and dreams for their country.

Words fail me. There are thoughts that SCOTUS may have SCRWDUS. The thoughts that our courts can reach into another country to protect an individual terrorist from our military; . . . . .it leaves me somewhat speechless. It leaves me with pictures of lawyers crawling over battlefields—thoughts of protections for OBL as he gives the orders for the destruction of a US city. There was no lawyer for the person on the 89th floor of the WTC. There will be no lawyer to protect US from another attack. No answers; only questions; I stare at the wall . . . speechless.

When the law protected Moussoui from unreasonable peeking into his computer hard drive, we lost the chance to protect ourselves. We protected Moussoui’s computer and sentenced thousands to death. Where is protection; where is reason; where is justice for the good guy. We are too involved with protecting the guilty under the guise of preventing one innocent from injustice; however, (somewhere) there are still innocents in the prison system. And, there are a h*ll of a lot more guilty roaming free. Where is the balance? Justice is blind; is she (now) blind to the guilty? Are those scales she carries tilted in favor of the criminal? What are the answers? I ask, but there is silence.

The world tells US to obey the Geneva Conventions; the world tells the terrorists. . .nothing. The world tells US not to torture—no panties on the head, no naked strolls or piles—nothing unpleasant please; the world watches another beheading in judicial silence. What does the world say to this? They say, “That detainee at Git’mo needs another musical instrument.” (I sputter but there are no words.)

I still smile that Iraqis are more in charge of their destinies; that an Iraqi father can say to his son or daughter, “Yesterday . . . was the beginning of a new era in Iraq. We will have fair elections, and this will be important to every Iraqi.” That is a good feeling; and, words fail to fully describe the feeling.

Words fail.

COMPLAINTS (DFI)

.
Al Jazeera

Reports by Christian Aid and the Liberal Democrats, Britain's third-largest political party, said there were glaring gaps in the handling of $20 billion generated by Iraq's oil.

Latest Iraqi Oil Budget Report:


iraqcoalition.org

SURPRISE PARTY!!

.
CONGRATULATIONS IRAQ!

Iraq (temporarily on loan) has been returned to Iraqis, two days early. It was a surprise. It puts a smile on the face. A big plateau has been accomplished.

Today, Iraq belongs to Iraqis. Not just a few, not a small group, not a tyrant, Iraq belongs to Iraqis.

Special Congratulations to All the great Iraqi Bloggers. Special hope for the Bloggers who did not have hope for a new Iraq; it could be a new start for you, a new hope for you, too.

Although there is still much hard work to do, the party starts now. Buffet table in the living room; drinks in the kitchen.

[A special treat for any terrorists who stop by: there is Kool-Aid punch. It’s to the rear of the backyard, near the woodpile (behind the woodshed.) Help yourself.]

COINCIDENCE?

.
"SADDAM'S FINGERPRINTS ON N.Y. BOMBINGS"
The Wall Street Journal, June 28, 1993
by Laurie Mylroie

HERE

Mr. Yusuf soon became the roomate of Mohammed Salameh, the naive Palestinian who repeatedly returned to the van rental agency for his deposit. Passionate, but not bright, Mr. Salameh would appear a ready dupe to an intelligence operative. In trial documents, an Iraqi-American, Musaab Yassin, has stated that he had known Mr. Salameh two years. Mr. Yassin moved into Mr. Salameh's apartment in September 1992, and Mr. Salameh moved out. Mr. Yassin's younger brother, Abboud, lived with him. An Arab who knows Musaab Yassin, like Mr. Yusuf, came to the U.S. in the fall of 1992, seeking medical treatment.

In late November, Mr. Yusuf allegedly ordered chemicals for the bomb and Mr. Salameh rented a locker to store them. The plot was underway. In early February, Mr. Salameh notified his landlord that he and Mr. Yusuf would leave at month's end. On Feb. 26 the World Trade Center was bombed. Messrs. Salameh and Yusuf vacated their apartment two days later.

Mr. Salameh was arrested March 4. Musaab Yassin returned home that day to find the FBI searching his apartment, while Abboud had been taken for questioning. Abboud Yassin told the FBI that he taught Mr. Salameh to drive the van that carried the bomb, that he accompanied Mr. Salameh to an apartment later identified as the bomb's testing ground; and Abboud Yassin's information helped lead the FBI to the locker where the chemicals had been stored. The U.S. press reports that Abboud Yassin then returned to Iraq, as did Mr. Yusuf. The New York Times reported that Arabs who knew Mr. Salameh and the second Palestinian arrested, Nidal Ayyad, said that the two had "close ties with two Iraqis, one of whom they say was named Rashid, but both of whom have since disappeared."

This information, although sketchy, indicates Iraqi activity. If Mr. Yusuf, the key figure, had worked for Iran, Tehran would not have let him return to Iraq. Given the totalitarian nature of the Iraqi regime, even Abboud Yassin's return to Iraq is significant. An innocent man would, arguably, have chosen to stay in the U.S. - he would have a better chance of a fair hearing in a U.S. court than before an Iraqi intelligence officer. If Abboud Yassin was involved in the bombing - but was not acting under Baghdad's instruction - then it was even more imprudent for him to return to Iraq. Mr. Yusuf and Abboud Yassin could have gone to Afghanistan, where they would not have exposed themselves to the potentially fatal suspicions of Baghdad's intelligence agencies.

That two men involved came from Iraq and returned there is reason enough to consider an Iraqi role in the World Trade Center bombing. What other possible evidence is there? It has been reported that the bombing suspects received money from abroad: up to $100,000 from Germany, Iran, and "another Middle Eastern Country." That country is probably Jordan, shielded by U.S. authorities who continue protecting Amman for the sake of the "peace process." Without knowing how much money came from each country, though, it is hard to exclude Iraq. Last but not least, it is worth noting that the February bombing occurred on the second anniversary of Kuwait's liberation.

[NOTE:The article is over ten years old. How much of this is proven? Laurie Mylroie is still working on connecting dots.]

COMMENTS (at Sam's)

.
[Diane found this link:]

Telegraph

(…)On the ground in al-Askeri, tension was once again rising under the US attacks. Strangers had to seek permission from the "district commander", a local imam called Sheikh Yassin who controls a broad coalition of Saddam loyalists and Islamic radicals, to move beyond the rebel lines. The sheikh, who has emerged as the neighbourhood strongman since the uprising against American occupation, has used his following to unite all strands of resistance under his leadership.

His radio buzzed constantly as scouts, moving incognito in private cars, sent in reports about US positions around the suburb. The ground shook as F-16 Falcons dropped precision-guided 500lb bombs on rebel positions near the football stadium, half a mile away.

US commanders have spoken of their frustration over the Fallujah Brigade's failure to rein in rebels, and the ineffectiveness of the political deal struck with local tribes in April. "We've been prepared to pull the plug on it three or four times, but each time we detect a faint heartbeat," a senior marine officer said. To Sheikh Yassin, the supposedly anti-rebel brigade is a useful tool, providing support for his fighters. "We respect the Fallujah brigade - it never interferes against us," he says. He openly acknowledges that his coalition was a marriage of convenience, bringing together the secular Saddam faithful and Muslim fundamentalists.

The imam, who wants Iraq to be governed by Islamic law, points to one of his companions - a colonel in the disbanded Iraqi army - and asks why he is still fighting.

The colonel is blunt. "Fallujah is the starting point of the return of the Ba'ath Party," he says. "Our comrades in Baghdad and other provinces are joining our struggle. Here already we are free. No one can touch us."(…)

Who is Sheikh Yassin? Is he a "muj?" Is he related to Abboud Yassin, or Musaab Yassin?

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

.

Ladybird (Baghdad Dweller)


Fayrouz (Live from Dallas)

TAKEN TO COURT

.
Sam (Hammorabi) Says:

The Main Iraqi Criminal Justice Court has issued a judicial order to arrest three Mullahs in Falluja for their instigation to kill six Iraqi Shia youth. They are:
1.Abdalla Al-Janabi,
2.Thafer Al-Dilami and
3.Omar Al-Hariri.
The Court has decided to take such action after full and detailed investigation which confirmed the involvement of the three mentioned above. What is called (Haiyat Olamaa Al Mouslmeen) or the Body of Muslims Clergy which is Sunni Pro-Wahabi group tried to bribe the relatives of the victims with at least one million Iraqi Dinars and to return their vehicles back if they keep silent, but they refused that and decided to take the matter legally. This is what the iraqi Law and Iraqis should do in their new civilized state!

[NOTE: It marks a new era; a new time when the people have some options against the powerful. And now, Iraqis can hope to see some justice applied!]

THE TERRORISTS CIVILIANS (402)

.
NOBODY HERE BY THAT “T” NAME

There are no terrorists or resistors. Have you not read the news? The guy with the RPG is a civilian. Only civilians die. We bomb a terrorist hideout. Oops, more civilians.

Fallujah is full of Grandmas and Grampas; no terrorists here! In the dark of night, they are flown in from Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Yes, the planes are invisible! They arrive fast; they leave instantly. . .there are no terrorists here in Fallujah!

Just us civilians (somebody else left the RPG and mortar.)

“I was just holding it for a friend.”

MOORE 4U:

.
leave a little fertilizer for Moore

at GM’s PHAROAH site (link at right)


Of course, I had to leave my thoughts, too. I couldn’t resist.

(Max)What is there to say about Michael Moore's good qualities?

1.
2.
(I'm thinking . . .)
3.
4.
(still thinking . . .)
5.
6.

(JohnL)Well Max, he was out of the country for a short time, if that counts as a quality.

He's a propagandist whose bubble will burst, though not soon enough for my liking.

(Max)That's probably true, JohnL.

Do you happen to have a pin?

IRAQI POLL

.
Washington Post

73 percent of Iraqis polled approved of Allawi to lead the new government, 84 percent approved of President Ghazi Yawar and almost two-thirds backed the new Cabinet. These impressive showings indicate that the new leaders have support spanning ethnic and religious groups, U.S. officials said.

Four out of every five Iraqis expected that the new government will "make things better" for Iraq after the handover, with 10 percent expecting the situation to remain the same and 7 percent anticipating a decline, the poll shows.

In a sign that Iraqis are more optimistic generally about their future after the occupation ends, two-thirds of Iraqis believed the first democratic elections for a new national assembly -- tentatively set for December or January -- will be free and fair, the survey shows.

[From Jim of Indiana (via ITM Comments)—link on right]


[NOTE: This is the 400th blogpost.]

SAM SAID:

.
HAMMORABI—Sam’s June 22nd post (link at right)

Falluja update!

Western intelligences reported more than 300 Chechnya's Mujaheeden (Wahabi Terrorists) entered Falluja in the last few days. The news from there indicates that those who were killed recently (see names below) were buried very quickly and photographers prevented to film them so as to avoid exposing their nationalities. It has been noticed that many men with long beards and red head cover (Saudi style) attended the burial site and not allowed to film them. Also news from inside Falluja indicates that the site bombed was used by Zarqawi thugs and found in it many copies of recently printed Quran (recent print of Saudi Arabia)!!

UN-AVERAGE ARTICLE

.
An informative article (interesting reading) the Iraqi journalist takes you on a tour of some exciting places. It’s a view from the inside (including Fallujah)-—written by a former blogger who’s been honing the pen.

Gaith

Also, within the material was the following snippet:

The meeting is interrupted many times, once when a small kid comes into the room and everyone stands to shake his hand. "He is our best sniper here. He has killed three Americans, he wants to call the Americans out for a sniping competition."

We've seen the enemy trying to engineer the "no-win, no-win" situation for our troops.

Know your enemy: sometimes, they are small deadly kids.

(via Iraq Bloggers Central—link at right)

RIDING THE FLAMES?

.
IS ZARQAWI NOW RIDING THE FLAMES TO HELL?

CNN is reporting that the Pentagon can't be absolutely sure,
BUT. . .they dropped a 500lb bomb, and a man fell.

"Not wearing a name-tag" BUT, they believe they may have gotten the BIG ZERO--Zarqawi.

(The man was picked up and put into a car.)

UPDATE: Apparently, the man was stunned. We don't know whether or not it was the BIG ZERO.

AQ wants WMD

.
(Can we give it to them? Please!)

Terrorists Seek Iraqi WMD Scientists

on Fox

Can this be possible? The anti-war crowd is telling US that Saddam didn’t have WMD. He was toying with US. It was a bluff.

How could an Iraqi scientist know anything about WMD? It was against the 17 UNSC Resolutions to dabble in WMD. Hans Blix says they destroyed all the weapons in 1992.

You thought something was “rotten in Denmark?” It’s really FOUL IN FALLUJAH.

(BTW, what’s in Fallujah? Have we turned our microscopes on the area?)

P.S. on AQ/SH links

.
Political Stupidity--(P.S.)is Killing America!

New York Times


June 25, 2004
Iraqis, Seeking Foes of Saudis, Contacted bin Laden, File Says
By THOM SHANKER

The document states that Iraq agreed to rebroadcast anti-Saudi propaganda, and that a request from Mr. bin Laden to begin joint operations against foreign forces in Saudi Arabia went unanswered. There is no further indication of collaboration.
(…)
The document, which asserts that Mr. bin Laden "was approached by our side," states that Mr. bin Laden previously "had some reservations about being labeled an Iraqi operative," but was now willing to meet in Sudan, and that "presidential approval" was granted to the Iraqi security service to proceed.
At the meeting, Mr. bin Laden requested that sermons of an anti-Saudi cleric be rebroadcast in Iraq. That request, the document states, was approved by Baghdad.

[NOTE: No collaboration; no Iraqi cooperation in attacks against US? Bin Laden and Saddam would not work together?
Joint operations against foreign fighters in Saudi Arabia were, in fact, joint operations against the US. Were those operations carried out? Possibility that Iraq trained the Al Qaeda fighters who bombed a hotel, early in the AQ/SH saga. Did that happen? And, were there broadcasts from Iraq into Saudi Arabia, as requested? The questions must be answered.]
(…)

The Iraqi document states that Mr. bin Laden's organization in Sudan was called "The Advice and Reform Commission." The Iraqis were cued to make their approach to Mr. bin Laden in 1994 after a Sudanese official visited Uday Hussein, the leader's son, as well as the director of Iraqi intelligence, and indicated that Mr. bin Laden was willing to meet in Sudan.

A former director of operations for Iraqi intelligence Directorate 4 met with Mr. bin Laden on Feb. 19, 1995, the document states.

[NOTE: There were connections; there were links. Was there collaboration? If there is proof Bin Laden requested training camp(s) and Saddam had training camp(s), wouldn't you *CONSIDER* the possibilities? (Especially if they had collaborated in a propaganda campaign against the Saudis!)]

16 TERRORISTS

.
The names of the 16 terrorists have been removed. The countries of origin still remain.

The 16 do not deserve mention. It's trash removal day.

And. . .it's "Operation ERASE."

US & I on IMMUNITY

.
AP (via Yahoo)

U.S., Iraq Agree on Immunity Arrangement

1 hour, 25 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - American troops in Iraq (news - web sites) would remain immune from prosecution in local courts after the occupation officially ends, under an agreement in principle between the United States and the interim government in Baghdad.

BREAKING NEWS

.
CNN

EXPLOSIONS

CNN is reporting multiple explosions in Iraq cities in the Sunni Triangle.

IMMUNITY TOO

.
Double Gotcha, maybe? (maybe not)

Scotsman


UK seeks troops' continued immunity from Iraqi law

Mon 24 May 2004
JAMES KIRKUP POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

BRITISH and United States troops serving in Iraq after the country is transferred to civilian rule will be immune from prosecution by Iraqi authorities under a deal being hammered out at the United Nations

IMMUNITY #2

.
MAYBE GOTCHA

Reuters

US offers UN compromise on immunity for its troops
23 Jun 2004 00:52:44 GMT

(Updates with U.S. comments, paragraphs 4-6)
By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Reuters) - The United States, hoping to avert a defeat, floated a compromise proposal on Tuesday to seek just one more renewal of a U.N. resolution exempting American soldiers from international prosecution,
But it was uncertain whether the proposed change in the resolution on the International Criminal Court would be enough to win U.N. Security Council approval due to international fury over prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib detention center.

IMMUNITY #1

.
GOTCHA?

Financial Times

US retreats on bid for war crimes immunity
By Jonathan Birchall at the United Nations
Published: June 23 2004 20:04 | Last Updated: June 23 2004 22:35

International anger over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal on Wednesday forced the US to abandon a controversial bid at the United Nations to renew immunity for its forces from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

THE 16 WOMEN?

.

posted at Sam's (comments section):

The names of the (so called)"mujahdin" (i call them killers)Arab nationalities died in the last American attack on Fallujah on 19-06-2004


5 Saudi
1 Emirate
1 Yemen
1 Morroco
1 Algeria
1 Syria
1 Lybia
2 Somalia
1 Iraq (Kurdistan)
1 China
1 Mauritania

[Note: Looks a lot like 16 terrorists sent to Hell.]

Update: The names of the trash have been removed.
It's called "Operation ERASE."

MOORE is LESS

.
We need LESS MOORE!

The world needs LESS MOORE. I need LESS MOORE.

And, certainly, MOORE NEEDS LESS MOORE.

Question:
If MOORE sues a person who steals his ideas; how could it be an *INTELLECTUAL* PROPERTY LAW SUIT?

SK ADD:

.
TROOPS!!

South Korea will be sending the troops in August.

They could begin a cure to the beheadings by adding more troops because of the offense against the South Korean People.

ADD 500 troops.

Each time Al Qaeda performs a despicable act, ADD TROOPS.

UPDATE:

ADD 500

The graphic dispatch of Kim Sun-il has caused a sea-change, however, and the same group that staunchly opposed the dispatch hours earlier are now demanding a military response. The home pages of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade went down this morning, overwhelmed by the postings of outraged citizens.

CNN POLL

.
(Unscientific)

Poll

Is torture ever justified to get information from terror suspects?

Yes 59% 98944 votes

No 41% 67594 votes

Total: 166538 votes

AQ & IRAQ

.
MSNBC

Al-Qaida had “a lot more active contacts” with Iran and Pakistan than it did with Iraq, but “we don’t see serious conflicts” with the White House over the issue, said the commission chairman, former Republican Gov. Thomas Kean of New Jersey.

“There's really very little difference between what our staff found, what the administration is saying today and what the Clinton administration said,” said commissioner John Lehman, speaking Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press.” “The Clinton administration portrayed the relationship between al-Qaida and Saddam's intelligence services as one of cooperating in weapons development. There's abundant evidence of that.”

“The Bush administration has never said that [Iraq] participated in the 9/11 attack,” Lehman said. “They've said, and our staff has confirmed, there have been numerous contacts between Iraqi intelligence and al-Qaida over a period of 10 years, at least.”

KIM SUN-IL

.
Reuters

Al Jazeera is reporting that Kim Sun-Il has been beheaded. CNN reports that Al Jazeera claims to have seen the film.

There are no words to describe the thoughts. No words have been invented (as yet) to name (accurately) these nothings. Erase.

They are an error in the world--a further mutation of hatred. Erase.

MANO A MANO?

.

(Ibn wrote:)

"What if I was just a frail, white-haired 79 year old scrawny Arab living in poor circumstances in a New York basement, having only seven good teeth and a wooden leg packed with anthrax? You think you could take me, mano a mano?"

Sounds like a terrorist. That must be why we have plastic and "duck" tape. Toss in the magic ingredient, seal the building, cut the power.

(Mano goes to movies.)

HEADLINES:
Scrawny old guy commits suicide by wooden leg.
"Food insecure" TERMITES SAVE THE NATION.

Another American?

.
JOSIAH (AM)

(Josiah) First of all I'd like to point out that it is not the anti-war protesters who believe Moslems to be terrorists. It is not a lack of faith in a Iraq that fuels our desire for an end to this war, it is a lack of faith in our own government who's motives are depraved and corrupt.

But, it is the anti-war protesters who (frequently) accuse others of saying and believing it. Most of the terrorists are Muslims; that does NOT mean all Muslims condone, support, or believe in the terrorists or cheer beheadings. There are many reasons to have faith in your government; but, if you are only looking for the bad, you will find bad and never see any good. Do you have more faith in the terrorists? Are they depraved? Corrupt?

(Josiah) “US policy in Iraq has proved time and again that this is a war for money, power, and in the case of GWB, a personal vendetta.

Money? Where is it? Seems we are giving it away, not getting it.

Power? Power to the Iraqi People? (9 days left)

GWB, personal vendetta? No more than W.J. Clinton when he signed an Executive Order permitting assassinations (meaning Saddam Hussein.and UBL.)

(Josiah) ”I am adamantly against the war, not because I believe the Iraqi's are barbaric or terrorists, but because I believe violence merely begets violence. Abu Ghraib and the gross abuses of human rights there is proof enough for me.”

Well, according to Putin and Russian Intelligence, Saddam Hussein was gearing up to produce some violence against the US (at home and abroad.) “Violence begets violence” applies to Saddam Hussein’s confiscation of Kuwait—people and valuables, some of which he hadn’t returned by “Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003).” If Saddam planned to give your whole family, and all your friends, a dose of Anthrax you might not feel the same way. We know he had Anthrax; we know we were dosed with Anthrax; we just don’t know who did it. Can you guarantee it wasn’t Saddam? Can you guarantee Saddam didn’t combine a common virus with a deadly one? Can you guarantee anything?

(Josiah) ”I have great hopes that the Iraqi people will find peace and be able to govern themselves free of tyrannical rule, but I do not believe my government has come even close to achieving that.”

The Iraqi people are much closer to governing themselves free of tyrannical rule than they have been in the last decades. Millions of people have much more opportunity, millions of people will be able to vote for a better Iraq (if they choose.) Millions of Iraqis, who could not hope or dream, are hoping and dreaming right now.

(Josiah) ”We have used moral rhetoric to cover reprehensible actions and I am ashamed to call myself an American.”

I agree; you should be ashamed.

(Josiah) ” This does not mean I have given up on my country, nor the ideals of freedom and democracy it represents, it merely means that I see a much different path toward freedom.”

Doesn’t it? Your feelings of shame seem complete. You seem to value the ideals represented by your country (freedom and democracy.) Why would you believe others would not value these ideals, too?

SH & AQ, BANKING BUDDIES?

.
Washington Times (Jun 2)

Saddam's secret money-laundering trail


By Lucy Komisar
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

New York, NY, Jun. 2 (UPI) -- A detailed analysis of Saddam Hussein's secret money-laundering techniques shows here for the first time how he used the same offshore money launderers as Osama bin Laden. That covert money network, based in the tax havens of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Panama and Nassau, helped bankroll the war machines of both Iraq and al-Qaida.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER?

.
Iraqi Officer Tied to Al Qaeda

REUTERS

Lehman said the information, contained in "captured documents," was obtained after the commission report was written that stated there was no evidence of a "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and al Qaeda.

"Some of these documents indicate that (there was) at least one officer of Saddam's Fedayeen, a lieutenant colonel, who was a very prominent member of al Qaeda," Lehman said.

BREMER CARTOON

.
The cartoon at Kurdo’s World depicted a statue of Bremer being pulled down in the same manner as the statue of Saddam. Okay, it was creative, and funny; and, shows freedom of speech in cartooning. It may have been intended as an insult; but, I consider it a cause for some celebration. The Occupation is officially over in 10 days; the Caretaker Government of Iraq will take over. The next step has arrived! BUT, they should have put a SMILE on Bremer’s face! He gets to go home!

Whatever you want to call Paul Bremer; he is the HERO DOCTOR OF IRAQ! He is the physician of the Iraqi Body. . .and that body was very sick. He worked for a year to save Iraq. He patched, he gave First Aid, he operated to remove the cancer; he kept the patient as healthy as possible and kept the hope alive in the Iraqi Body for a more healthy, prosperous future. He and the CPA worked more hours of the day than most of us have worked in our jobs. He and the CPA worked through all manner of disaster and disease, under emergency conditions.

Paul Bremer answered the call; he did the job; he worked through the darkness, the personal danger, and kept it together. When Bremer and the CPA members come home, I hope (as they step onto the plane) they can hear me cheering! “We, the People. . .” THANK YOU, PAUL BREMER and the CPA!

KURDO!. . .PUT A SMILE ON THAT STATUE!!!

[10 days and counting]

OUTSOURCING!

.
Laugh of the Week

Our jobs are outsourced. Some of our State Governments are outsourcing work to other countries. Defense parts are outsourced! Someone had the bright idea that we could (outsource) lease planes rather than build them right here. The strangest part of that was the cost was comparable.

One viewer zapped an email to a major news network: if we continue to outsource, we should consider outsourcing the government. The governments (State and Federal) are expensive and sometimes wasteful. Think of the money we could save if we outsourced Congress. (paraphrased)

We wouldn’t do it; but, it is funny.

MEDIA WARP

.
Is the Media Warped? . . .Yes!

An earlier explanation for the Media Warp was fairness. The Media were concerned that by telling the good things happening in Iraq, they would be boosting Bush. Good things in Iraq would sway the election in favor of Bush; therefore, not wanting to sway an election, the good things were seldom mentioned.

So, we were told all of the bloody and bad because the media were politically benign and non-interfering. (Not to mention that BLOOD SELLS NEWS.) And, in not participating in swaying the election, they participated in swaying the election (. . .and in damaging America.) They told the side which helped Democrats, the anti-war, the left; they drummed into our heads the events gone wrong. Events gone right were a flicker on the TV screen, disappearing quickly (replaced by the next bloody scene.)

The excuse was the election; the result was damage to US. Front Page news was Front Page opinion. Why?

Within the last few weeks, there was a Time spokesperson on C-SPAN. She explained what was happening in the Media. Apparently the InterNet is changing the Media.

The explanation was that News is springing up all across the Net. Other news outlets are turning to explanations of the news. The Media no longer need to give us the news; it’s all over the Net. So, the Media believe they should tell us just what we need to believe. They are going to help us.

We need the facts; help us with the FACTS--just the facts. Put them in a sentence, if you must; but, give us those facts. Give them without opinions and make them as TRUTHFUL and UNBIASED as possible. FACTS, nothing but the FACTS, WE’LL DO THE ANALYZING!

KHOBAR STORY

.
MEMRI


Commander of the Khobar Terrorist Squad Tells the Story of the Operation

SORRY KOFI

.
Arieff

UN Defers Vote to Shield U.S. from Global Court (by Arieff)
Arieff

Leopold

US wants UN exemption from criminal court (by Leopold)


Yesterday, U.N. Sec. Gen., Kofi Annan spoke on not pushing the request for continuation of the Shield for U.S. troops. It looks as though we need at least one more vote in the UNSC to continue the Shield.

Sorry, Kofi.

We need the Shield. Our policy is to govern ourselves and to punish ourselves. We do not wish to have the U.N. in a position of sending our Generals off to testify in an International Criminal Court; Generals and Officials are continuously busy testifying in Committee Sessions. We are “ham-strung” by rules and laws to the point that we are doing the best we can, while the enemy does whatever, whenever, to whomever.

You are too late condemning suicide bombing; and you are too early condemning US. You seem to be very biased. Approximately, 24% of your support usually comes from US. [Of course, that percentage could be reduced by the amount which may have been scammed and skimmed to various people during the “Oil For Fraud (and Profit)” program.]

You seem to wish to do your job starting with US. Where was the U.N. on Bosnia (at the start?) We know where you were at the time of the Rwanda massacre. And, after 12 years, you were prepared to wait 20 years, or 30 years--on Iraq?

Could we lease that building to a new organization?

BTW, you might release the tape of the Black Box so that we could all verify exactly which plane it involved.

shameran (Kurdo's World Comments)

.
(shameran) “Please Americans answer this question..Why you attack and insult us when we criticize Americans ?”

But, shameran. . .we were only criticizing you when you were attacking and insulting us.:)

(shameran) “WE GOT HIM; and YOU TOOK THE CREDIT!”

You could prove that you got him; or, we could conclude:

SADDAM WAS CAPTURED; WE ALL GOT HIM and BENEFIT FROM IT.
Or, YOU GOT HIM; YOU TAKE THE CREDIT. The important thing is he is not free and we are.

(shameran) “REAGAN’S CREATION OF SADDAM….HELLO?”

Was Reagan beside Saddam when he tried the failed assassination and got shot in the leg because he was stupid? Was Reagan looking over Saddam’s shoulder at the “Conference of Death” when Saddam smugly played with his cigar while Iraqis were named and taken out to be killed? Did Reagan dance around the bodies of the previous Iraqi regime when Saddam killed them, showed their bodies and dragged them through the street.

The answer is NO. Saddam “created” himself; and then, he reinvented himself.

SADDAM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING SADDAM.

HERMES (AM)

.
[Note: Hermes responded to Ali’s Blog (reprinted at almuajaha.com) and I responded to Hermes here and at AM (AM did not work, yet)]


(Hermes wrote:)

No, we don't want the West to hide behind a wall and say 'al muslims are terrorists'. That is precisely the attitude encouraged by George Bush and this 'War on Terror'. I want the West to live in peace with all the nations on the world, by dealing with them as equals, in a respectful way, trhough diplomacy and international law. Not through patronising them, taking unilateral action without the support of other countries, disrespecting the rest of the world, and ultimately exploiting the rest of the world.

That is not the attitude encouraged by anyone I’ve heard. Your words read more like an accusation generalizing “all Muslims.” This is not what Bush said; in fact, he discouraged the very attitude you attribute to him. Not everyone in the West agrees with much of anything, or anybody.

. I want the West to live in peace with all the nations on the world, by dealing with them as equals, in a respectful way, trhough diplomacy and international law. (Hermes)

Under any and all circumstances? Does the West live in peace while the Iraqis are tortured, beheaded, murdered and stuffed into mass graves? Could we ignore the pain of others? Obviously, you could.

Did you call it “peace” when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait? I assure you, the Kuwaitis did not. Did the Shi’ites and the Kurds call it “peace?” No, they felt the soul-sucking oppression, and many tried to escape. Most people do not try to escape “peace.” It must mean they did not have “peace.” But, apparently, you were content—you must have been at “peace.”

It’s all about you; peace at any price; accept Stalin as long as you are not the one killed. North Korea is equal in respect to South Korea; Iran is equal to France and Sweden; Sudan is equal to Canada. If so, it is all about your “peace.”

Diplomacy and International Law: (Hermes)

We tried that with Iraq. We went to the U.N.S.C.; and they said, “not yet!” Twelve years, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis gone forever, and they said, “Not Yet!” Just a little more time, more vigorous inspections, a few more thousand Iraqis dead, and maybe. ....just maybe…. the International Community would be willing.

“An American is not superior to an Arab.”(Hermes)

Did Ali say an American was superior to an Arab? Are you saying that an Arab is superior to an American? Or, are you setting up a false argument. I do consider all individuals to be created equal; but, I do not consider Ted Bundy to be equal to normal Americans; and I consider almost any Iraqi superior to Uday Hussein. Not all human beings are equal in deeds.

“I demand that all human beings have equal rights, and have a say in the way the world is run..”(Hermes)

Demand away! Tell it to the Iranians, the Chinese, the North Koreans! Those who can hear you won’t listen.

By the way, you can tell it to the Iraqis, now. They weren’t listening before, because they couldn’t. Now, they can hear you; NOW, they “have a say in the way the world is run!”

HOSTAGE KILLED

.
American hostage Paul Johnson has been killed by his captors. Early reports say that he has been beheaded, that it was filmed; and the film has been shown.

My condolences go out to the family of Paul Johnson, and to his friends and acquientences.

The terrorists hope to inspire fear; and, they may accomplish fear. . .BUT, they promote COLD FURY and that overcomes fear! They encourage CALCULATED JUSTICE!

They prove (again and again) why we must use every effort, every good human, to fight this.

AL QAEDA CAN RIDE THE FLAMES TO HELL and when they look around, they will not find Paul M. Johnson, Jr. He is in the Paradise you seek; he is free of pain; and, he can not see a single Al Qaeda member there.

FALLUJAH?

.
Fallujah has always been a huge question mark.

Like Pandora’s Box, don’t you wonder what is really in Fallujah?

Zarqawi? And, what else?

A SIGN

.
There are times when you can’t get the full story (the full picture.) This time it was a recent incident concerning a university in Kirkuk, which had an Arab sign then a Kurd sign, now an Arab sign. It seems to be a sign of trouble, more than trouble with a sign.

The Kurds have had 10 years of moderate peace and development. They still have that. Part of the trouble is fear, and another part is power. Groups are vying to be ALL POWERFUL when they should be vying for a compromise of SHARED POWER.

The caretaker government is just that--caretaker. Although it may give individuals a jump-start political career, it is just as likely to end the political careers of the careless. If the Kurds are grumbling (as Kurdo is) and not working on candidates (political processes) they aren’t gearing up for the elections. They are “missing the boat” and it may sail without them.

We worked hard to bring Democracy; we are holding it out with extended arms; the weight is heavy. Don’t hop on top of it and jump up and down, that makes the weight heavier. The more people who labor to lift the lighter the load will be. Grab hold, and help to share the load so that you are able to lift it up and carry it the distance.

Share the load; share the power; share the freedom.

AGAIN and AGAIN

.
Each day that goes by, our soldiers (around in the world) should know that we appreciate them.

From those “holding down the fort”, to those leaving US, and to those coming home, you need to know that you are important. You need to know that we think about you and we APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

And Sincerely. . .(to you, at home or abroad) Thank You!

PRISONER XXX

.
Al Jazeera

FOX

At a news conference today, Rumsfeld said that the request to take custody of the prisoner came first by phone call and was followed-up by a letter. The prisoner was not given the usual tracking number; but, Rumsfeld stated that the prisoner was not lost in the system. He was not identified to ICRC personnel.

This will happen from time to time. Some high-value targets, with important information, will not appear on the roster because it gives us an advantage.

GIVE SAADI A RIDE

.
Washington Post

Top Iraqi Official Objects To Treatment as POW
(That's former Iraqi Official!)


General Amir Saadi was a former liaison between Saddam and the UN Weapons Inspectors. The complaints are that Saadi has been in solitary confinement since April, 2003, and Saadi complains:

"My daily high is the exercise in fresh air, one hour in the morning, another in the afternoon," he wrote in another message that month. "These two hours are frequently curtailed" and "the twice weekly showers are sometimes missed."

Obviously, he has some fresh air, and some showers. Saadi must be getting enough to eat; he’s still alive and he’s not complaining about torture. He is in communications with someone; and, has the FREEDOM to complain. (his complaints are not censored) Possibly if he gets his mashed potatoes and a hug he will tell US all he knows.

Saadi was classified as a prisoner of war by U.S. authorities a month after his surrender. The Geneva Conventions say prisoners of war "may not be held in close confinement except where necessary to safeguard their health." They also may not be "threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind," if they refuse to answer questions, according to the conventions.

There’s that word “UNPLEASANT” again. And, is “close confinement” the same as “solitary confinement?” Or, is “close confinement a 2ft. by 3ft. cell where you can’t stand. Also, does it mean if we do not ask him questions, we can torture him?Should we permit Saadi to mingle? Is he missing his annual birthday party?

I think he should have “fresh air” for more than 2 hours a day. I think he should take pleasant rides to improve his frame of mind. Why not take Saadi on some convoy trips?

Saadi, who studied chemistry in England, rose in the Iraqi army to participate in the weapons programs that created shells, rockets and bombs that delivered VX and mustard gas to Kurds in northern Iraq and to Iranians in the 1980s. In 2000, he became adviser to Hussein for scientific affairs, setting him up to be liaison to U.N. inspectors.

It's cooler in northern Iraq, in the mountains.

WORLD SCREAM

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HYPOTHETICALLY

EQUALITY is good; but, the US is not receiving equal press, equal condemnation, and not receiving equal treatment in the world. We need to change our tactics.

We are to protect the prisoners from any UNPLEASANTNESS? Treat AQ equal to the shoplifters and car thieves? (Sometimes, unpleasantness is not getting mashed potatoes for dinner. Certainly, it is running out of bathroom tissue.)

Barking dogs; naked prisoners; underwear on heads; too much light; not enough sleep; we need different tactics. Should we treat prisoners equally to achieve the admiration of the world? If not the achievement of admiration, could we settle for the world pretending ignorance (of our new “equal footing.”) This may be a banquet for thought.

Could we institute a new tactic of kidnapping; slow beheading; maiming and burning bodies--hanging them for all to see; we bury (you try to find) and take video before we execute? Why bother to have a trial? What if we assume the tactics of the enemy and take off all the uniforms?

Well, there would be a collective WORLD SCREAM! Ah…BUT, would we notice the difference?

REVAMP U.N.

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Promises and Illusions

Are the only changes in the United Nations to be superficial? Will the U.N. have a face-lift to give a different look? Will it be more attractive and wear more jewelry—-have a more luxurious appearance?

I’m more interested in the underpinnings, the underwear of the United Nations. It appeared to be the promise of a cleaning, a sanitation, a thorough washing. It may be another perception of cleanliness.

It may be the old joke about the line of soldiers, doing something similar. They were changing their underwear: “Harry, you change with Joe; Mike, you change with John . . .!”

The promise of change meets the illusion of action culminating in the reality of the same underwear.

PERCEPTION OF TRUST?

.

UPDATE:
ROSETT OFFs the UN (Jun 16)


United Nations STAFF responses have just told the world about the “old boys’ network” and the “troubles” at the U.N. During an interview (this morning) the words “PERCEPTION OF TRUST” were mentioned as a necessary requirement for the U.N.

The U.N. staffers are a gauge of the honesty of the U.N. If the staffers do not trust, how can “we the people” of the world trust in the U.N.? They are the insiders; they are the pulse. Staffers, around the world, know more of the "inner workings" of organizations than most individuals involved in these very organizations. (These people can see reality, where we can see the illusion of reality.)

DO NOT GIVE US PERCEPTION, WE NEED REALITY! Perception is the problem, not the goal. TRUST IS THE GOAL; VERIFICATION IS THE GOAL; TRUTH IS THE GOAL! Perception is an opinion; reality is a fact.

“Trust. . . .but, VERIFY! We verified. The reality is that we no longer trust. The staffers are in agreement that verification will indicate a network (a web) through which you must bend (twist crookedly) to become included. We are beyond the “PERCEPTION OF TRUST” and to the reality of lifting “the lantern” looking for the “honest man.” (We may not find him at the U.N.)

". . .GIVE ME LIBERTY, OR GIVE ME DEATH!"
"GIVE ME HONESTY (IN THE U.N), or GIVE ME W.O.T.H.F.U.!

[W.O.T.H.F.U. = WORLD ORGANIZATION TREATY HEROES' FREEDOM UNITIES]

A LITTLE LATE

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The previous post was written earlier in the day; but, not entered until after the day's activities of graduation.

The ceremonies were this morning. A dinner was this evening. By the time we finished eating, I was convinced even my fingers gained weight.

THE INJUSTICE SYSTEM

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Today is the 10th anniversary of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. For 10 years, a killer has roamed free; while the victims do not move from their final place. The killer was given a reprieve; there is no reprieve from death for Ron and Nicole. Two children have no mother; parents have no child.

Was there justice? No, there was bias; there were games; there was smoke and mirror magic with slight-of-hand (in glove.) The scales of justice were tilted by prejudice and by money.

It was an example of THE INJUSTICE SYTEM.

IN FULL

.
.
During these past few days: civilian feet walked, military feet marched, people stood silently, and veterans saluted; some cried, others smiled, and many smiled through their tears, . . .this was celebration of a life.

It was not the sorrow of death which cuts life short and was not life unfulfilled. This was life in full.

Goodbye, Mr. Reagan. Well done.

FLAT-LINE HUMOR

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and Death.

Much of the United States is observing the life and death of President Ronald Reagan. Of all things, the man had a sense of humor.

While watching the events surrounding the memorial activities, watching Reagan’s casket transported into the Reagan Library, I experienced “Flat-Line.” Sometimes, this is the moment of death, when the hospital machines buzz and the life-screen (monitor) shows a flat line. The FLAT-LINE was my TV screen and signaled the death of that TV, as I knew it (for many years.) It wasn’t monumental—just a minor event in daily life.

While I was TV-less, I composed a short blog about the painful event. It hurts the pocketbook to buy another TV, and hurts the back trying to remove the old and replace with the new. Not an important blogging moment. . .just life. So, I entered it into the posts and clicked.

Up came a sign indicating it wouldn’t work, wasn’t going to work, it was broken, too! (Blogspot was Busted--although temporarily)

One TV goes; another TV appears to continue the job; and, life goes on because of the transitional efforts. Is this the simplicity of Chauncey “Chance” Gardiner (of the film “Being There?”)

[Note: the film "Being There" (1979) with Peter Sellers was under discussion in the thread "Planet Reagan" at almuajaha.com]

Roan--RESPONSES

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(posted here, at Road of a Nation and the forum site)

1. Everyone, who expected to be at the top, is disappointed; but, almost everyone is at the top in representation. The “top” is no longer a peak where one man sits looking down; the “top” is a plateau overlooking the scene and the events from a more comprehensive view (a wider perspective.)

2. No single group got everything. The Kurdish achieved (at least) two important positions: Foreign Minister and Vice-President. The world is a busy place; but, most look up (pay attention) when an IRAQI SPEAKS. While the GC seemed to work within itself, the transitional government is speaking to the world, telling the world what Iraqis want, and need, and what Iraqis are requesting.

3. (IMHO) It is likely that Dr. Kay expected to find WMD within a reasonable period of time, discovered that there were no “stockpiles”, that finding WMD was less a process of searching and more a process of putting puzzle pieces together to find out what happened. Kay stated that he believed WMD would be uncovered bit by bit over decades; and that, he saw some evidence that WMD were taken to Syria. Therefore, after spending months searching, he (personally) felt he could be doing other things.

4. Our relationship with France appears to be improving. We will not know until we understand the (final) UNSCR draft which becomes the actual Resolution. Whether or not France sends troops (under the UN umbrella) is less important than that the Resolution is a good one; and, that “peacekeeping troops” are sent to Iraq and able to contain the violence.

THE HIDDEN MONEY

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UNSCAM ALERT:

NYTimes

TIMES ARTICLE: “Lockboxes, Iraqi Loot and a Trail to the Fed”

This is a lengthy article on the trail of the money found during the early days of the War in Iraq.

It puts the lie to “TRUST. . .BUT, VERIFY and changes it to: VERIFY, VERIFY, VERIFY!

Watching SMARTY

With only minutes to go until the start of the Belmont Stakes, SMARTY JONES has become a favorite.

There are many pasttimes for Americans; and, some years it's the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. This year, more than others, it is more than interesting.

SMARTY JONES has won 2 legs of the Triple Crown. We haven't had a Triple Crown Winner for about 26 years. This may be the year.

Anyone who watched the Preakness was undoubtedly fascinated with the speed, and the ease with which this special horse crossed the finish line. Good Luck to Smarty Jones.

[Note of disappointment: SMARTY didn't win. What a time to lose the first race! (Well, Kentucky stables have already offered approximately 30 million in fees.) We have to wait more years for a Triple Crown Winner.]

PRESIDENT REAGAN (40) 1911 - 2004

Ronald Reagan died today, at age 93. (AM)

1981 Reagan Inauguration Speech: (referring to Arlington Memorial Cemetery)

Under one such marker lies a young man--Martin Treptow--who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.

We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words: "America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone."

ANOTHER LINK--UNSCAM

.

UNSCAM

and

THE FRENCH BETRAYAL OF AMERICA

(excerpt)

by Kenneth R. Timmerman
Publisher: Crown Forum (New York).
Expected on sale date: March 16, 2004
Copyright © Kenneth R. Timmerman, 2004.

[Note: the following is only part of the excerpt. UNSCAM has more, plus links (if you care to purchase.)]

From the very start, Saddam violated even these generous UNrestrictions. He began with the money: Saddam insisted the UN use the Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) as the sole repository of Iraqi funds, perhaps hoping that his friends in France would look the other way so he could dip into the account for other purposes. When that didn’t happen, the deposits built up – until more than $13 billion in unspent cash had accumulated in the BNP account in New York. “The BNP sent the UN an embarrassed letter,” says former World Bank economist and Middle East specialist Patrick Clawson, “asking them to reduce the Iraq escrow account by spreading it across several different banks.” The Iraq account had become the single-largest cash accounts on the BNP books, and “had become a problem with their regulators,” Clawson told me.[xvii]

Next, Saddam turned to fooling export licensing authorities, using techniques that had been tested and proven by Hussein Kamil, Amir Rashid, Amir Hamoody al-Saadi, Safa Habobi and others during the 1980s. Under the guise of “civilian” projects, he imported dual-use equipment which was intended for biological weapons labs, chemical weapons plants, ballistic missile production, or his clandestine nuclear weapons development program. Throughout the seven years of the Oil-for-Food program, oil sales worth more than $50 billion was approved by the UN’s Office of the Iraq Program. [xviii] “The holes in the sanctions were big enough to drive a missile launcher through,” a former Congressional staffer who tracked the trade told me.

[. . .] The French simply didn’t consider Iraqi weapons of mass destruction a threat. It was an attitude that I would hear repeated again and again by French officials and politicians from all sides of the political debate. “Even if Saddam has these weapons, so what?” was the refrain. “He has never threatened France.” [...]

LINK ADDITIONS

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New Links: (right side)

COMMAND POST

CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (1993)

syzygyjob.net WAR ISSUES DISCUSSIONS

CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

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1993

CW Convention


The Chemical Weapons Convention is opened for signature at a January signing ceremony in Paris; 130 countries show support for the CWC and for international disarmament by signing the Convention. In February 1993, a Preparatory Commission is set up in The Hague to prepare for the entry into force of the Convention.

CWC Article 6

Many of the chemicals that can be used to produce chemical weapons may also be used for peaceful purposes. For instance, thiodiglycol, a Schedule 2 chemical, is an ingredient in both felt pen ink and textile dyes, as well as a precursor of mustard gas. Furthermore, it may be possible to convert or reconfigure equipment in some chemical production facilities to produce chemical weapons agents or their precursors. To ensure that abuses do not occur, the Convention places reporting and routine inspection requirements on industrial facilities that produce, process, transfer or consume the following Scheduled chemicals in quantities above particular thresholds.

CHALABI (New Yorker)

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(Jane Mayer “The Manipulator”, New Yorker 6/7/04)

"I clarified the picture," Chalabi says

Chalabi tells Mayer, "There is a smear campaign that says that I am responsible for the liberation of Iraq. But how bad is that?"

New Yorker

(Ritter on Chalabi)

Scott Ritter, who knew Chalabi from his work on the U.N.'s weapons-inspection team in Iraq, tells Mayer that in the late nineties Chalabi confided to him his plans to run Iraq once America had liberated it. Ritter, who strongly opposed the war, also says that "Chalabi spoke of benefitting financially from Iraq's oil reserves," Mayer reports. Chalabi's office denies this. In January, 1998, at his apartment in London, Chalabi met with Ritter about weapons inspection. "I should have asked him what he could give me," Ritter says. "Instead, I let him ask me, 'What do you need?' " The result? "We made the biggest mistake in the intelligence business: we identified all of our gaps." During the course of their meeting, Ritter says, he told Chalabi of his suspicion that Saddam may have had mobile chemical- or biological-weapons laboratories. "We made that up!" Ritter says. "We told Chalabi, and, lo and behold, he's fabricated a source for the mobile labs." According to Ritter, Chalabi later described a clear vision of Iraq's future—with himself in charge. Ritter says, "He told me that, if I played ball, when he became President he'd control all of the oil concessions, and he'd make sure I was well taken care of." Chalabi's office denied Ritter's account, calling him a liar. Ritter says he left the meeting without agreeing to work for Chalabi.

Francis Brooke tells Mayer that Chalabi's sophisticated marketing operation at the I.N.C. was "an amazing success." Brooke met Chalabi when they both worked at the Rendon Group's Iraq project, a London-based C.I.A.-funded program to influence global opinion on Saddam Hussein. According to Brooke, the Rendon Group signed a secret contract with the C.I.A. that guaranteed the company a ten-per-cent management fee on top of whatever money it spent on the campaign. "We tried to burn through forty million dollars a a year," Brooke says. "It was a very nice job." By 1993, Chalabi had gained control of the I.N.C. The U.S. government had given more than $120 million to the group, which was cut off from government funding shortly before the recent raid on Chalabi's Baghdad home and office. Tensions between Chalabi and the C.I.A. began over financial questions. "The agency didn't know how he spent his money," one former I.N.C. associate says. "All transactions were cash." Brooke also says that he got a phone call from Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in February, 2001, promising that Saddam would be toppled this time and that he would resign if he couldn't accomplish it, an account that Wolfowitz calls "nonsense."

" For his part, Chalabi says, "I think I have more of a future than the C.P.A."

PEOPLE OF INTEREST

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THE WATCH LIST (revised) ----- the persons of notice

Ahmed Chalabi—added (Iranian Code)
Mohamed El Baradei
Hans Blix
Scott Ritter
Jacques Chirac
David Albright

Robin Cook? (resigned, re-elected?)
Claire Short (resigned)
Dr. David Kelly (suicide, Hutton Inquiry)
George Galloway (faded from scene)

Cure: Watch the activities around them, read about them, try to figure them out.

THE IGNORE LIST----persons of note
(promote discord in the world, as authority figures; they have undermined America)
Former President, Jimmy Carter
Former General, Ramsey Clark
Cure: revoke the passports while they are out of the country.

DELETE BUTTON LIST—automatically deletes any statements (past, present, future)
Rush Limbaugh
Michael Moore
Cure: Instantly deaf, can’t hear you.

TENET RESIGNS

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JULY 2004

CIA Director George Tenet has resigned effective July, 2004.

Will this soothe Democrats?

Nothing soothes the opposition party in times of election fury.

EXAMS--S/R/NR and FUN

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EXAMS--Sympathy, Resentment, and NO REGRETS

Khalid and many other Iraqis are undergoing EXAMS. They have my sympathy. It's one of those experiences you (usually) remember for decades.

There is RESENTMENT toward those who are natural test takers. They could take an exam after no sleep, blindfolded, and still come out of it in excellent shape--with terrific scores. Well, I know some of these people. I'm not one of them--so, of course, there is resentment! One person could easily belong to MENSA (after all, it's taking a test.) This person could take an exam on a subject he knows nothing about and figure out the answers (provided it was a multiple choice exam.) In addition to this, he can spout logical BS until the cows come home--to help him deposit more manure. He's not only a challenge, he's a friend. Worst of all, he's a friend with WIT and HUMOR genes; and, you just can't hate a guy for that. Well, I resent it; I stood in the wrong gene lines, when I should have spotted him and stood behind him.

But, about EXAMS: It was similar to 5-7 times in front of an intellectual firing squad (for each experience.) You march to the location and hope you aren't shot (down.) No matter how well you studied, there was always the question you didn't know as well, and the moment of wondering if there was anything left in your brain. And then . . .the realization that the only thing in your brain was the thought that there was nothing in your brain.

No Regrets: It was an experience. I have no regrets; I just wouldn't want to do it again. Getting older enables you to study what you wish, when you wish, and (sometimes) the exams are quick exchanges of wit and humor. Yup, it's more fun to be older.

BUSH SPEECH

Better than Usual

[About the Bush Speech at the US Air Force Academy (CO)]

Typically, the speech writers include all the “pat” phrases—the OMG, not again words that we’ve heard until we could lose lunch. The speech was better than usual, better than average. I hesitate to say that it was really great because I missed parts of it and am looking for a full transcript (which haven’t appeared, yet.)

The speech today appears to be the BIG PICTURE speech; it seemed part of a good effort to bring it all together and (finally) tell us (all) exactly the views--in short, putting the jigsaw pieces together in public. During the parts I heard, there were fewer of the worn out phrases and more of the connectivity necessary in Democracy.

Not a brilliant speaker, this speech went well for Bush. . .better than usual.

LIST OF OFFICIALS:

.
PM Dr. ALAWI announced:

Deputy Prime Minister (security affairs): Mr. Barham Saleh.

Minister of Agriculture:Dr. Sawsan al-Sharifi.

Minister of Communication: Dr. Mohammed al-Hakim.

Minister of Construction & Housing Dr. Umar Farouk Salim al-Damluji.

Minister of Culture Mr. Mufid al-Jazairi.

Minister of Defense Mr. Hazem al-Shalan.

Minister of Education Dr. Sami al-Mudahffar.

Minister of Electricity Dr. Ayham al-Samarra’i.

Minister of Environment Dr. Mushkat Mumin.

Minister of Placement and Immigration, Ms. Pascal Ishu Wardah.

Minister of Finance Dr. Adil Abd-al-Mahdi.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Hoshyar Zebari.

Minister of Health Dr. Ala-al-Din-Al-Awan.

Minister of Higher Education Dr. Tahir al-Bakka.

Minister of Human Rights Dr. Bakhtiyar Amin.

Minister of Industry and Minerals Dr. Hakim al- Hasni.

Minister of Interior Mr. Falah al-Naqib.

Minister of Water Resources Dr. Abd-al-Latif Rashid.

Minister of Justice Dr. Malik Duhan al- Hasan.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ms. Layla Abd-al-Latif.

Minister of Oil Mr. Thamir al-Ghadbhan.

Minister of Planning Dr. Mahdi al-Hafiz.

Minister of Public Works Dr. Nisrin Barwari.

Minister of Science and Technology Mr. Rashad Umar Mindan.

Minister of Trade Mr. Mohammed al-Juburi.

Minister of Transportation Mr. Luay Hatim Sultan al-Urs.

Minister of Youth and Sport Ali Faiq Al-Ghadban.

Minister of State for Provinces Judge Waeil Abd-al-Latif.

Minister of State for Women Ms. Nirmin Uthman.

Minister of State Dr. Qassim Dawud..

Minister of State Dr. Mahmoud Othman.

Minister of State Dr. -- Mr. Adnan al-Janabi.





Two Vice Presidents:

Mr. Ibrahim Jaafari al-Eshaiker

Dr. Rowsch Shaways.

(from 6/1 transcripts DoD link at the right)

DRUNK OFFICIAL/IRANIAN CODE

CHALABI RATS US OUT?

We’ve got rumors, and we’ve got some information. Apparently, some drunk official let it slip to Chalabi that the US had cracked the Iranian codes. It looks like Chalabi told the Iranians, they transmitted the information under the old codes (after Chalabi told them) and news-watchers wonder what is truth and what is rumor.

Now, the intelligence community seems to have released the information that we had broken the codes and that the Iranians transmitted the message under the old codes, which says we did break the codes, and that we did find out Chalabi “ratted US out.” And, the Iranians continued to send messages under the old code—which indicates that they may not have believed Chalabi (if he did tell them.)

Espionage: agents and double-agents, the spy stuff is intrigue….and intriguing.

RoaN--RESPONSES

To Road of a Nation:

1. It looks like a political shuffle during which there was a shift toward accommodating an Iraqi attitude, rather than Brahimi, the CPA, and some of the groups active in Iraq. Possibly, it was a more favorable solution—a compromise, which gives something for all, but not all to someone. Disbanding the IGC shows a general agreement with the solution.

The U.S. would support those who wish Democracy in Iraq. Some groups might favor one person; other groups might favor another person; but, it matters who the Iraqis favor.

2. The map won’t change. We hope there is an attitude change throughout the Middle East. We can hope that many in the Middle East will decide to turn away from the bitter hatred.

3. At first, I wasn’t in favor of establishing a military base in Iraq; but, it may be the best way to protect you. If Iraqis refuse, we would go somewhere else; but, it seems in the INTEREST OF ALL to establish a base. The decision is yours.

4. Iraq should be a strong country, armed for defense but not for threat. Democracies don’t usually attack each other and we defend Democracies. It is highly unlikely Israel would attack you. If you attacked Israel, we would have some severe difficulties ahead.

Refusing to sell oil to USA is somewhat unlikely. We didn’t come to steal your oil. We would like to buy some oil. If you are selling and we are buying, it seems likely we would come to an agreement. There are bigger worries.

QUICK CHANGE

Do the Iraqi Shuffle?

I think someone shuffled the deck and different cards were chosen for the new government. This is so new that I haven’t heard much about how it happened. Pachachi dropped out and the IGC resigned? There are 29 days left, during which the CPA is caretaker and then the new government takes charge.

Things are moving too fast to follow it from the outside.

IMAGINE IT

Can you picture this?

The dedication of the WWII Memorial was yesterday. Today is the traditional Memorial Day (tomorrow the official holiday) and while reading a soldier’s site I had an imaginary picture.

The picture: Thousands upon Thousands of soldiers are standing in row after row. Their various historical uniforms glow and their medals sparkle, as they raise their arms. . .IN SALUTE TO YOU, the soldiers of today who are fighting for freedom.

They are saluting YOU—-for carrying on their work courageously.

They would thank you; and, I do THANK YOU.