Afghan elk duck hunters using muzzle-loading muskets made the U.S. military think that fighting near its headquarters in Afghanistan was more serious that it was. U.S. military spokesman Colonel Roger King said some of the louder blasts from the muskets had been taken for heavy mortar rounds landing near Bagram Air Base to the north of Kabul. "We have had a continuation of what has been characterised over the last several days as green on green (Afghan on Afghan) fighting on the north side of the base," he said. "But coupled with that, the big booms we have been hearing — it is duck season in Afghanistan. A lot of the hunters go out at dawn with muzzle-loading muskets which make a lot of noise when they shoot them. The heavy weapons we thought were being used, were actually being used on little ducks." Anybody remember the (forgettable) movie, The Magic Christian? Remember the scene were the guy was hunting ducks with a 75mm antiaircraft gun?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 01:25 pm ||
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But Steve, you need to finish it!:
BB: "Ya got me Doc. You want to shoot me now, or wait until you get home."
DD: "Shoot him now! Shoot him now!"
BB: "You keep out of this! He doesn't have to shoot you now."
DD: "But I say he does have to shoot me now! So shoot me now!"
[BANG!]
...
DD: "Aha! Pronoun trouble..."
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
02/28/2003 21:09 Comments ||
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Now I can't get the vision of Omar Fudd stalking through the reeds out of my head. "Be verry, verry quiet, I'm hunting ducks!"
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 13:50 Comments ||
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Shouldn't that be, "Be vewwy, vewwy quiet! I'm attacking infidels!"
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2003 14:36 Comments ||
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Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 14:55 Comments ||
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#5
I've got to strain the ol' synapses to remember that one - but the scenc you described is a classic. Wasn't that a Bofors gun he used on that duck?
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/28/2003 17:36 Comments ||
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But Steve, you need to finish it!:
BB: "Ya got me Doc. You want to shoot me now, or wait until you get home."
DD: "Shoot him now! Shoot him now!"
BB: "You keep out of this! He doesn't have to shoot you now."
DD: "But I say he does have to shoot me now! So shoot me now!"
[BANG!]
...
DD: "Aha! Pronoun trouble..."
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
02/28/2003 21:09 Comments ||
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Two rockets found inside a bag exploded near government offices in Kandahar, Afghanistan early Friday, but there were no casualties, officials said. A guard at the foreign affairs ministry office in the city's Shehr-e-Nau district found four rockets hidden in a bag at around 7 a.m., said Attaullah, an intelligence official. The guard informed the nearby intelligence department, but two of the rockets exploded before the bomb disposal squad could reach the site, he said. The other two were defused. "We cannot accuse any group at the moment, but we are investigating," said Attaullah. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, similar incidents in the past have been blamed on remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaida. Kandahar is the former spiritual headquarters of the repressive Taliban regime. My guess would be Hek's bully boyz...
On Monday, an explosive device went off near the home of Education Minister Dawood Barak in Kandahar. On Tuesday, a district administrator in nearby Nimroz province was assassinated. Local authorities say the Taliban and their allies, likely from among soldiers loyal to rebel leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, are increasingly active in the area, carrying out guerrilla-style hit-and-run operations. It's going to take more than just the U.S. forces to root them out. And as they're rooted out one by one, the Karzai government can't keep releasing them when they're caught...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 01:15 pm ||
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I must say I take comfort in the decreasing intensity of the Taliban attacks on legitimate institutions of Afghanistan. Soon they will have to resort to throwing stink bombs and leaving lit bags of dog shi* on doorsteps!
Most of the big boomers seem to have corraled themselves in Pakistan.
Fox News picks up this story, first reported by local TV, the Winds of Change weblog, Best of the Web and Rantburg on Tuesday. Fox has reactions from several sources:
Supporters of the U.S. military expressed outrage at the stories of harassment, first reported by a local Maine television station. "Any teacher who harasses a child for the job their parents do to protect all of us and our freedom should be fired, and as far as I'm concerned, deported," said Marc Curtis, Webmaster for www.military-brats.com. "They are supposed to be teaching, not brainwashing," he added. Unfortunately, there are many in our public schools who would disagree with that statement.
Or can't tell the difference between the two...
"It's just beyond contempt â what kind of person treats a vulnerable seven-year-old this way?" asked Joe Katzman, site administrator for www.windsofchange.net, where many readers have voiced their concerns over the issue. "Why is this kind of abuse tolerated?" The complaints have been filed at Guard Family Assistance Centers in the cities of Augusta, Bangor, Calais, Caribou and Portland, and prompted the state's top educator to fire off a letter to superintendents and principals... I'm sure the very threat of such a letter has the perpetrators quaking in their Hush Puppies.
"Ensuring the emotional and physical safety of all of Maine's students is first and foremost on all of our minds," said the letter, which urged schools to provide balanced information about the conflict and heed the physical needs of military children and families... The Maine Education Association â the state arm of the National Education Association . . . the same organization that came up with lessonplans suggesting no one was to blame for September 11 and "urging educators to 'discuss historical instances of American intolerance,' so that the American public avoids 'repeating terrible mistakes.'"
. . . â said "99.9 percent" of the state's 17,000 teachers properly reacted to that information, but conceded others may not have. "I'd say a miniscule minority seems to have hit some kind of public nerve and is bouncing across Web pages and chat rooms in the United States," said MEA spokesman Keith Harvie. "Curse that Vast Right Wing Conspiracy!"
I think on O'Reilly last night they mentioned 30 cases in Maine alone. Maine's not the largest of 50 states...
"It's a bit astounding to think that some comments which, I should note, have only been alleged and haven't been proved or demonstrated, "Lies! All lies!"
are causing such a ruckus."
I think it's the very idea that the teachers we're required to entrust our children to could even think of making remarks like those ones alleged...
It's up to the local school superintendents and school boards to investigate and punish a teacher commensurate with the seriousness of offense and work record, Harvie said. "There may be a great divide of feelings, even among our members â but they'll debate that outside of school. They're not going to do that around children."
It's up to the local school superintendents and school boards to fire the bastards on the spot.
But others, like Ohio public school teacher Kyle Farmer, said he wouldn't be surprised if the unions didn't do much to ferret out the problem teachers. "We have an infrastructure set up now to protect people who are horrible teachers ... I can't believe any teacher is so poorly trained that they would think that that conduct is acceptable." Unfortunately, he's right.
I don't think I can recall an instance I've ever heard of, of a union demanding a member be dumped for gross incompetence...
A number of older students have also taken up the issue. "Teaching tends to be a profession comprised of people of a liberal mind-set," said Rick Kenney, a senior at Gardiner Area High School in Maine who has enlisted in the Army. "Take those teachers, stick them in this area, and the results are disappointingly predictable." True.
But whatever one's political views, said others, picking on children as young as seven is the wrong way to vent anti-war frustration. "It seems there are always a few mean-spirited people out there who seize upon military children to vent their wrath at the war in question," said Mary Wertsch, author of Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood Inside the Fortress. "Our people in uniform, and certainly their little children, deserve all our compassion."
Posted by: Mike ||
02/28/2003 10:07 am ||
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That's low, but probably only the tip of the iceberg. Haven't you some kind of law preventing teachers to use their position to enforce their political views in the USA ? *Real* disciplinary measures are needed, here.
#2
Except for tenured professors at major universities, teachers in the USA are paid VERY little. There aren't many people willing to work for such low wages so most schools will hire anyone with the necessary credentials. And as beggers, the schools can't enforce real discipline over teachers they can't afford to lose.
#3
Paid very little compared to what; the hourly wage computes out VERY nicely. Since they insist on joining unions for protection, they're hired help with more time off than any other job !!
Those who treat the little ones that way are abusing children. Why can't we bring back the 'tar and feather' routine?!
#4
As a former teacher, I can tell you that the pay is not the reason there are few teachers to choose from (and getting fewer by the day). The pay isn't really that bad most places. It's the whole structure of the system, the culture of the schools, that drives away people who have skills but not a missionary zeal.
You'll always have some good teachers doing heroic duty, but the others who would be good teachers decide they'd rather work somewhere else without all the grief. That leaves those who aren't competent to do anything else or who are willing to "just get by" in order to have the days off and the short hours. (I know, the hours aren't short if you do your job right, but teachers in this category aren't doing their jobs right.)
The head of the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba Maulana Muhammad Azam Tariq said that during his meeting with Ulema of different countries including Imam-e-Ka'ba, Abdullah Al-Sabial has decided to hold an international convention on the elimination of Qadianyat. The Qadianis are an offshoot of Islam, with a prophet who lived at the end of the 19th century. Riots in the early 70s, led by Jamaaat e-Islami, led to its being declared a non-Muslim minority in Pakland...
Maulana Azam Tariq said that there is an unanimity among the Ulema from all thoughts of school and politicians against the anti-state activities of Qadiany. He said that he would raise the issue in the Assembly. He said that during the convention, the Ulema will chart out a common strategy against the anti-Islam and anti-state activities of Qadianys and urged the Ulema to shun their differences and create unity in their ranks and files otherwise they will success in their nefarious designs. He said that Imam Ka'ba has suggested that an Islamic T.V. channel will be established soon to counter the Qadiani T.V. channel, which is spreading false propaganda against the Islamic values. It's that old Islamist requirement to make sure everybody thinks exactly alike...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 03:56 pm ||
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Qadianis prefer to be referred to as: Ahmadiyahs. After an anti-Ahmadiyah fatwa was issued by Islamic University (Medina), the constitution of Pakistan was amended in 1974 to declare them a "non-Muslim minority." Sipah-e-Sahaba is believed to be operating underground, and has been blamed for the murders of Christians and Shias, especially members of the medical profession.
#2
Qadianis prefer to be referred to as: Ahmadiyahs. After an anti-Ahmadiyah fatwa was issued by Islamic University (Medina), the constitution of Pakistan was amended in 1974 to declare them a "non-Muslim minority." Sipah-e-Sahaba is believed to be operating underground, and has been blamed for the murders of Christians and Shias, especially members of the medical profession.
Ulema from different schools of thought on Thursday declared Jihad against sectarianism. They also declared that murder of a Muslim and passing of edicts of kufr for another Muslim were prohibited in Islam. It's okay to kill 'em if they're infidels, though...
These observations were made in a press release issued by 'Nine Zero' the headquarters of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which claimed that the signed pledge was made during a telephonic address by the party chief, Altaf Hussain. According to the press release, the Ulema supported the view that judicial action should be taken against those who used to issue death decrees against other Muslims. Common sense would seem to dictate judicial action against anybody who issues a death decree against somebody else. But we're talking about Pakistan, a nation whose primary export is jihad...
In his address, Mr Hussain called for legislation meant to punish those who were responsible for spreading sectarianism and called upon the Ulema and religious scholars to wage a concerted struggle against such elements. Mr Hussain deplored the killing of Khalid Bin Waleed and attack on an Imambargah where many innocent people were gunned down. He urged the president, prime minister and legislators to initiate a debate on the religious beliefs of the Quaid-i-Azam [Jinnah] so that people could know how and why the Indian Muslims got united under his leadership. If the religious "scholars" are instigating it, it doesn't do much good for them to "wage a struggle" against themselves...
The MQM chief, who dealt at length against the resurging sectarian violence, called on the religious scholars to play their role in curbing the menace. Referring to the 'million march', planned by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Mr Hussain maintained that similar rallies should be organized also to prevent and contain sectarian violence as well as terrorism to restore peace in the city. He advised the MMA to do for Karachiites whatever it had been doing in support of the people of Iraq. I don't think Qazi will let that happen.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 03:00 pm ||
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Sectarianism is an inherent part of Islamic prophecy. That is why the Saudis allow Muslims to attend pilgrimage (haj), which they would otherwise exterminate for religious-innovation (bidah). The exiled MQM chief is beating his head against the wall if he is trying to rationalize Islam. By the way, Qazi' "great leader" (qaid-e-azam) was: Maulana Maududi. Jinnah doesn't matter to that 400 pound blob of jihad.
#2
The funny thing is that the MQM was a sectarian party throughout the 80s responsible (along with it's offshoots) for thousands of deaths and making large parts of Karachi no-go zones. The only difference between them and the Jihadis is that they were an ethnic based party rather than an Islam based one.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
02/28/2003 22:13 Comments ||
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Anon - Thanks for the correction... Thinking one thing and typing another.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/01/2003 13:54 Comments ||
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Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami and an MMA stalwart, Qazi Hussain Ahmed has accused the Governor of NWFP of abducting three of his parliamentarians. Qazi Hussain said that of the three abducted members, two have been brought to be parliament (in Islamabad). In sacks, no doubt. I love melodramatic politix...
"They say they do not know anything. They say they were picked up from some place and now they have been brought here. They say they have now come to know that they are in the National Assembly. One person Maualana Abdul Malik is still missing." When last seen, he was tied hand and foot, lyin' on the railroad track, and a tra-a-a-a-in was a-comin'!
Asked who kidnapped them the MMA leader said: "All the three persons were picked up from the stairs for of the Governor House, Peshawar. Basically the governor (Iftikhar Hussain Shah) is responsible for this." You could tell, 'cuz he wears this long, black coat, and he keeps strokin' his moustachios, and laughs like "hyeh hyeh hyeh!" And he calls all the wimminfolks "my pretty"...
Told how the governor could do that when MMA ruled the Frontier province, he said: "Governor is not our man. He is the representative of the federal government. He is the representative of Pervez Musharraf." "An' he's even worse!"
Fielding another question whether what could be the logic behind the abduction, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said "Logic? What's dat?"
that there are 12 Members of the National Assembly from FATA; and they have to elect eight Senators." Seven of them tilt to one side, they will elect all the eight senators. At present the MMA has seven and the government has 5 MNAs." Oh, how insidious! (Hyeh hyeh hyeh!)
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 02:32 pm ||
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The provinces are all partly administered by an appointed federal "governer." This office retains power under Musharaf's "Legal Framework Order," which enables him to bypass that piece of Islamist garbage called: "The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan." Qazi and Fazlur have already declared war on the LFO, and ironically, American aid subsidies have given the jihadis the wealth to wage it.
For the umpteenth time, Qazi's Deputy Amir, Khurshid Ahmad, admits on the Jamaat-i-Islami website that he attended conferences of the Islamic Society (jamaat) of North America for "twenty years." Qazi attended the convention of their dawah associates - MSA, ICNA, IANA - in 2000, staying with then ISNA leader - Muzammil Siddiqi - in Orange County, California. Qazi also conducted paid consultations at the State Department, which still retains the ISNA. And he did that two years after he invited Osama bin Laden (and HAMAS and the Laskar-e-Taiba) to attend the JI's convention. The quixotic, Bush Plan, viz Pakistan, is to export American notions of liberty and democracy to the country, and create a unity among the common-children-of-Abraham. Reality dictates: fusing Americanism with Islamic social idiocy, is like mixing oil with water. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are irredeemable terror states, and need to be crushed like global termites. And in order to understand that, Americans need to re-learn the fact that their country was second-rate until it became a secular state. Keep religion out of the White House!
#3
Seven of them tilt to one side? Is this something congenital required to be an upstanding member of the Religion Of Peace� Like blind or one-eyed mullahs?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 14:54 Comments ||
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The provinces are all partly administered by an appointed federal "governer." This office retains power under Musharaf's "Legal Framework Order," which enables him to bypass that piece of Islamist garbage called: "The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan." Qazi and Fazlur have already declared war on the LFO, and ironically, American aid subsidies have given the jihadis the wealth to wage it.
For the umpteenth time, Qazi's Deputy Amir, Khurshid Ahmad, admits on the Jamaat-i-Islami website that he attended conferences of the Islamic Society (jamaat) of North America for "twenty years." Qazi attended the convention of their dawah associates - MSA, ICNA, IANA - in 2000, staying with then ISNA leader - Muzammil Siddiqi - in Orange County, California. Qazi also conducted paid consultations at the State Department, which still retains the ISNA. And he did that two years after he invited Osama bin Laden (and HAMAS and the Laskar-e-Taiba) to attend the JI's convention. The quixotic, Bush Plan, viz Pakistan, is to export American notions of liberty and democracy to the country, and create a unity among the common-children-of-Abraham. Reality dictates: fusing Americanism with Islamic social idiocy, is like mixing oil with water. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are irredeemable terror states, and need to be crushed like global termites. And in order to understand that, Americans need to re-learn the fact that their country was second-rate until it became a secular state. Keep religion out of the White House!
Gunmen opened fire on a police post guarding the U.S. Consulate in Karachi on Friday, killing two policemen and injuring at least five others. Police arrested one of the assailants and took his gun after chasing him through a nearby park. The man was identified as an Afghan. An unknown number of gunmen were in the park when they fired on the police post next to the heavily fortified U.S. mission. The shooting occurred as midday prayers were to begin and several of the policemen were preparing to pray, said police officers at the site. The gunmen used pistols and automatic rifles. Among the wounded was a pedestrian caught in the crossfire.
Hek's boyz? Cheap imported muscle? Talibs?
No Americans were wounded in the attack. "The consulate is very well protected and all the Americans were inside," Police Chief Kamal Shah told reporters outside the U.S. building. U.S. Consul General John Bauman said a camera mounted on the outside of the building recorded the shooting. Bauman ventured outside the consulate briefly to inspect the site and meet police officers.
He probably couldn't stay outside for long for fear of drawing artillery fire...
"We are trying to get details from the Pakistani authorities about it," said Terry White, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. "I understand the local police are investigating it, and we hope they will be able to determine who were the attackers and what was their purpose."
Since they have one in custody, we might expect that. Since it's Pakland, there's probably a chance it'll happen...
The United States already has evacuated family members from Pakistan as have most foreign missions here. A U.S. Embassy worker and her daughter were killed last March in an attack on a nondenominational church in the Pakistani capital. "We are very security conscious, fortunately we are getting excellent cooperation from the Pakistani security agencies," White said.
"It's kinda like Fort Apache, only with turbans..."
Pakistan's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said his government was saddened by the attack and the deaths of the policemen. "This is a tragic incident," Ahmed said. "We are a target for terrorists. These people, whoever they are, are enemies of our country and are out to harm Pakistan's image."
Security has been intense around the U.S. facility since a bombing last June killed 12 people, all Pakistanis. Cement barricades stop vehicles from entering the area, set up to prevent car bombings. High walls surround the consulate and entry and exit from the building is closely guarded. Five suspects accused of masterminding the June bombing are on trial in the southern port city, charged with conspiracy, murder and terrorism. They face the death penalty if convicted.
But they'll probably be either let off, or stage a "jailbreak."
The car bombing was part of a reign of terror that killed people by the dozen one of a series of attacks on foreigners and minority Christians in Pakistan since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf threw his support behind the U.S.-led war against terrorism. There has been a great deal of public outrage over a possible war on Iraq and warnings of violence should Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf support the United States against Baghdad.
Pakistan produces violence like France produces cheese. It's a national industry...
Both Washington and Baghdad have sent envoys to Pakistan to try to get Islamabad's support at the United Nations for a resolution that could pave the way for war with Iraq. On Sunday, Pakistan's rightwing religious groups plan to hold riots anti-war demonstrations in Karachi and again on March 9 in Rawalpindi. In recent days, Karachi has been battered by violent, religiously motivated attacks. Last weekend, nine Shiite Muslims were gunned down outside their mosque in Karachi. On Thursday in two separate shooting incidents, two Iranian Shiite Muslims were killed by gunmen who sprayed their bakery with bullets and a Sunni Muslim cleric was shot and killed.
Posted by: Spot ||
02/28/2003 10:24 am ||
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Please note that most residents of Karachi are Sindhis, who support either the PPP or the MQM parties, which are predominant in Sindh even though their leaders remain exiled by the Musharef dictatorship. I forsee a reaction in both Sindh and Balochistan, against the northern jihadis. However, Punjab and NWFP are awash in American aid booty, thus are unrestrained in their exportation of Islamo-fascism to south Pakistan.
The U.S. government would be promoting the breakup of the Pakistan terror state, if President Bush wasn't deluded into buying that common-children-of-Abraham crap about Muslims-Christian-Jews. American taxpayers will learn the hard way that they are paying for snakeoil.
via Daily Pundit get your salt shaker out
Iran is a victim of "Iraq's use of weapons of mass destruction." Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed-Javad Zarif told the CNN in an interview. Long before Saddam Hussein's army invaded Kuwait in 1990, that same army moved into Iran in an unprovoked act of aggression. Through much of the 1980s, that brutal Iraqi-Iranian war continued. Ambassador Zarif â recalling the Iraqi army's use of chemical weapons â said his government's "conservative" estimate is that 100,000 Iranians were either killed or injured in those attacks. "Some are continuing to suffer from the effects of chemical weapons on a daily basis," he said. Despite Iranian anger, the ambassador said Iran opposes U.S.-led war against Iraq. "I believe our region cannot take another war and the mullahs still stay in power. It's a region that has been the subject of two destructive wars, unfortunately, both of which have been launched by Saddam Hussein."
And if we hadn't been bothering him for the past ten years or so, he'd have been working on his third or fourth by now...
He said Iran was concerned "about the humanitarian consequences of another war, about the political consequences of another war, and about the uncertainty that will be pervading our tyrannical regime." It seems that Saddam is clutching at every straw to survive. In his latest move to stay in power, Saddam sent his chief spy to Israel, an informed source told the TEHRAN TIMES. Riggghhhhtttt
In a meeting between the Iraqi chief spy and a son of Israel's Ariel Sharon, Saddam sent the following message to the Israelis: If Israel convinced the United States not to attack Iraq, as a quid pro quo Iraq will officially apologize to Israel for supporting the Palestinians; Iraq will accommodate two million Palestinians and will grant them Iraqi nationality; and Iraq will supply 350,000 barrels of oil to Israel every day. The Israelis told the Iraq chief spy that they will respond after the elections. Hokay, we'll accept the word of a proven liar
Meanwhile one of the reasons the United States is still pressing Saddam to disarm is that at the time of occupation of Kuwait, the Iraqi army had found about 1,000 warheads equipped with chemical weapons in Kuwait which they transferred to Iraq. Where oh where were these? and where were the launchers?
The Iraqis "found" them? Did they belong to the Kuwaitis?
Since the weapons had not been registered with who?
because of containing chemical materials, the U.S. could not push Saddam in the earlier stages. It is said the Saddam even used some of those warheads against the American troops during the Persian Gulf War. In another development U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld admitted Wednesday Iraq unleashed chemical agents against Iran and its nationals. Admitted? Nice innuendo, how about acknowledged?
He told the Qatar-based Aljazeerah TV network that the Iraqi regime invaded its neighbor Kuwait and used chemical warfare against its other neighbor Iran and its own people. This, of course, was news to Kuwait and Iran
According to the U.S. official, Iraq also used automatic missiles against three of its neighboring states. Baghdad is suppressing the Iraqis and has links with terrorist organization, Rumsfeld said admitted, warning that it may supply the deadly weaponry to the terrorists. Rumsfeld who in the 1980s officially negotiated with Iraq over arming it with weapons of mass destruction rriiiggghhtt
against Iran said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has three options â cooperating with the UN inspectors, refraining from cooperation which will lead to war, or stepping down from power and fleeing Iraq. Whoops, forgot option 4 - meet your maker via a superheated cloud of plasma
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 10:08 pm ||
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btw - the Salt shaker comment referred to Tehran Times, not Bill Quick's site, which I like
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 18:50 Comments ||
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The mullahs show a sense of humour lately. Or maybe we should re-read 1001 nights? I'm sure Saddam does, after all it's the master plan of delay...
The Pentagon warned journalists yesterday that they should consider getting out of Baghdad. "If there is military action, it is going to be a really, really bad place to be," said chief Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke. She and other Pentagon officials stopped short of urging news organizations to pull their 250 reporters out of Iraq's capital, but they repeatedly cautioned that they cannot count on a "heads-up" from the Pentagon to evacuate the city before war begins. Pentagon officials believe that in addition to being killed or injured by hundreds of cruise missiles and smart bombs expected to rain down on Baghdad, reporters risk being targeted for murder by Saddam's troops or captured to be used as human shields. Think anyone's going to listen? Me neither.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 03:41 pm ||
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They've been warned. Asses are covered. Don't be bitchin' if a Tomahawk flies up your ass.
#2
Hey if we can get a camera on any of these weasels getting vaporized I am all for it, just imagine Wolf Blitzer here one minute Boooom gone the next!
#4
Maybe they will hide under the bed like Babbling Bernie of Baghdad.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/28/2003 17:25 Comments ||
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#5
I think this checks off one more item on the list. Anybody else recall a similar warning (I think it was by the president's press secretary at a White House briefing) a couple of days before GWI kicked off?
#7
Yet another sign that action is getting close - in order, the hard line taken at the UNSC on the 27th, this news, and a new moon on March 4th. All the signs are there.
Posted by: Jeff Brokaw ||
03/01/2003 7:57 Comments ||
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Iraqi Minister of information, Mohammad Saeed Al Sahaf, who is visiting Islamabad as Special Envoy of President Saddam Hussain, called on the President Musharraf today. The Iraqi Special Envoy said that he had been directed by President Saddam to brief President Musharraf on Iraq's efforts to comply with U.N.Security Council Resolutions. He informed the President that Iraq was determined to fully Cooperate with the U.N. inspection regime. Iraq requested that Pakistan would take this into account during Security council deliberations. He also mentioned that Iraq would be destroying its Al Samoud II missiles in response to UNMOVIC's demand. The President informed the Special Envoy that Pakistan was in favour of a peaceful resolution of the problem. He urged the Iraqi leadership to take all steps necessary to avoid a conflict. It was most important for Iraq to cooperate in a manner which is seen to be complete and expeditious by the inspectors. Keeping track of the moves and countermoves in the diplowarfare is harder than keeping track of military operations. There are too many fronts and too many flanks...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 02:51 pm ||
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Can't hurt to check his baggage before he leaves the country. No Sir you can't bring scissors, tweezers and weapon grade plutonium on board.
Hang on to your wallets!
Six waverers hold votes on the United Nations security council, and therefore the key to UN backing for war with Iraq. They are being wooed by the alliance of the US and Britain and by France. A UN observer said yesterday: "The British are doing the diplomacy and the Americans are writing the cheques."
Angola The latest diplomatic signals from Luanda suggest that Angola is coming off the fence to support a new UN resolution authorising war in Iraq. Officially the government still toes the African Union's line that military action is a last resort, but a shift in tone in recent days suggests lobbying by the US and UK is paying off. Observers caution that Angola's security council vote could go either way and the foreign minister, Joao Miranda, has kept his options open. Yet he struck a hawkish tone in comments to the Associated Press, pointing out that Luanda clinched peace via a 27-year civil war. The government, which relies heavily on US investment and foreign aid, would not be swayed by peacenik neighbours, he added. Britain's minister for Africa, Valerie Amos, met President Jose Eduardo dos Santos yesterday, following up on phone calls by George Bush and Dick Cheney. Angola was offered help by the US for post-civil war reconstruction and Washington has said it would turn a blind eye if the government goes back on promises of moves to open democracy. US companies are also heavily involved in Angola's oil industry, and it is believed that the US gave technical intelligence support leading to the killing of the rebel leader, Jonas Savimbi, last year.
CameroonCameroon has been one of France's most forthright supporters in the security council, wanting to find any way to avoid war against Iraq. One of the reasons is that France is by far the biggest donor and business partner for Cameroon, and it carries most of the country's debt. On top of that one-third of the population of Cameroon is Muslim. On the other hand, it doesn't want to break ranks with the other African security council members, which look more likely to side with America. And with Cameroon's president, Paul Biya, facing a turbulent election to continue his 20-year rule, he is reluctant to upset the US or any other western contributor to the International Monetary Fund. Cameroonian ministers stress that their position is not entrenched and that the two weeks before the resolution deadline may be enough for the inspectors to complete their work.
Chile Chile is currently under heavy pressure from the United States to fall into line on Iraq but has yet to make a final decision. Initially, Chile favoured a moderate approach which would allow the UN inspectors as much time as they needed but over the past two days they have come under increasing pressure to back the US. President Bush has personally called President Ricardo Lagos to ask for his support. While the details of the telephone conversation have not been revealed, there is much speculation in Chile that the US is using the possibility of a free trade agreement, currently under discussion in the US, to extract support from Lagos. Public opinion in Chile is opposed to the war and La Tercera newspaper summed up much of the media's reservations yesterday by running strong criticism of the US position.
But Chilean diplomats say they are under pressure to back the US. Japan, a leading trading partner, has also been trying to persuade Chile to back the US position. "There is an incessant action by the United States with all the countries that are members of the security council," said the Chilean deputy foreign minis ter, Cristian Barrios, last week. "Every time the United States calls, it's to discuss the situation from their point of view."
Guinea Ambiguity remains the watchword for a Muslim state which officially agrees with Africa's doves but is busy weighing the material benefits of supporting Washington when it takes over the security council's rotating presidency tomorrow. "We advocate continued inspections, but not indefinitely," said its UN ambassador, Mamady Traore. "We are not going to sell our dignity because we need money or material. Not my country." Given Turkey's public haggling with the US, few accept such statements at face value. By abstaining or voting "no", Guinea would win the approval of most African Union members as well as the gratitude of France, its second biggest aid donor after the US. For an impoverished state struggling to cope with refugees and regional turmoil the rewards of voting "yes" are looming larger, according to analysts. The US has promised to train Guinea's army rangers; Guinea will also receive much of the £4m Britain recently earmarked for west Africa's refugees. Baroness Amos visited the capital, Conakry, earlier this week.
Mexico Mexico's anti-war position began to flag this week, opening for the first time the possibility of a vote in favour of a resolution giving a green light to military action. The government insists that nothing has changed and that it is merely promoting a consensus solution within the security council, but the tone is undoubtedly new. Last week President Vicente Fox publicly prayed for peace; this week he has urged for the complete disarmament of Iraq without the previously routine addition of the phrase "by peaceful means" or mention of the inspectors. US pressure is assumed to be behind this change of emphasis. Rumours are rife of sweeteners being promised to restart stalled negotiations for a deal for Mexican migrants. But no reliable details of behind-the-scenes wrangling have yet emerged, and the US would have to offer a lot to offset the domestic political cost for Mr Fox in an election year with the Mexican public overwhelmingly against the war. If it was voting today Mexico would be likely to abstain.
PakistanAfter strident opposition to a war against Iraq, General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, began to waver this week when he suggested that Hans Blix's next report to the security council might yet encourage him to vote for the second resolution. "All weapons of mass destruction should be destroyed. We'll take a definite position after seeing the Blix report," the general said at the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Yesterday, Christina Rocca, the US assistant secretary of state, arrived in Islamabad to win his vote and she may be encouraged by these words. Nevertheless most analysts in Islamabad still predict that Pakistan will abstain, noting that Gen Musharraf also said this week he wanted to "give peace a chance". He is under tremendous pressure at home, where the vast majority of Pakistanis oppose a war in Iraq. Islamist parties, which for the first time in the country's history have become a significant opposition force in parliament, are promising a "million-man march" against the war in Karachi on Sunday. More street protests will certainly follow.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 02:39 pm ||
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Kind of an ad hoc coalition, isn't it? Once the American government was aware that it was mostly Saudis who carried out the Sept. 2001 massacres, the administration should have used nuclear blackmail to force the liquidation of the entire jihadi movement. Bush said that the counter-terror could last "ten years" while Cheney later said "fifty."
Why don't we attempt consensus here: Americans are not going to shell out trillions of dollars on smart bombs and civil policing methods, over a protracted period of time; polls in Islamania, consistently report direct support for al-Qaeda, of 40-60%; the Imams and Muftis of the highest order in Islamania, all call for the destruction of America,etc, and refer to Americans as "pigs and monkeys"; it is almost impossible to de-program a Muslim because, they are indoctrinated against receiving communication which challenges the alleged truth of Islam; "liberal Islam" cannot endure, because the common denominator of Islam is the identity of "slave-of-allah" (abd-allah) as prescribed by the self-proclaimed "prophet" (nabi, they stole that term from the Jews).
CONSENSUS: Muslims are a mortal enemy, and mortal means are needed to pacify them, and WMD are the most cost-effective.
#3
Kind of an ad hoc coalition, isn't it? Once the American government was aware that it was mostly Saudis who carried out the Sept. 2001 massacres, the administration should have used nuclear blackmail to force the liquidation of the entire jihadi movement. Bush said that the counter-terror could last "ten years" while Cheney later said "fifty."
Why don't we attempt consensus here: Americans are not going to shell out trillions of dollars on smart bombs and civil policing methods, over a protracted period of time; polls in Islamania, consistently report direct support for al-Qaeda, of 40-60%; the Imams and Muftis of the highest order in Islamania, all call for the destruction of America,etc, and refer to Americans as "pigs and monkeys"; it is almost impossible to de-program a Muslim because, they are indoctrinated against receiving communication which challenges the alleged truth of Islam; "liberal Islam" cannot endure, because the common denominator of Islam is the identity of "slave-of-allah" (abd-allah) as prescribed by the self-proclaimed "prophet" (nabi, they stole that term from the Jews).
CONSENSUS: Muslims are a mortal enemy, and mortal means are needed to pacify them, and WMD are the most cost-effective.
#4
Never use a sledge hammer when a fly swatter will work. Threatening to vaporize anyone at this stage of things would only scare potential allies and make the job harder. Besides which you have the reaction from not only the Arab street, but the European street to worry about, as well as all the 5th columnists here in the US.
You don't force someone to change their mind, and that is what we are trying to do. Terrorism has its roots in a mind set, a set of ideas. Minds don't get changed unless that mind wants to change.
So we starve them of funds, of WMD, of influence, and in turn give them something else they want better.
Posted by: Ben ||
03/01/2003 3:09 Comments ||
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Not bad been,but needs a threat of devestating,deadly force to work.
CENTCOM Strikes Again
Feb 26: In response to Iraqi threats to Coalition aircraft monitoring compliance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH Coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons today to target two Iraqi cable repeater sites used for communications in targeting Coalition aircraft. The targets were located between Baghdad and Al Kut, approximately 90 miles southeast of Baghdad and between Al Kut and An Nasiriyah, located approximately 170 miles southeast from Baghdad. The strikes occurred at approximately 8:35 a.m. EST. Target battle damage assessment is ongoing. The last Operation Southern Watch strike occurred yesterday, Feb. 25, when Coalition aircraft, used precision-guided weapons to target an Iraqi mobile surface to air missile system and a mobile surface to surface missile system. Both systems were located near Al Basrah, approximately 245 miles southeast of Baghdad. And again..
Feb 27: In response to Iraqi threats to Coalition aircraft monitoring compliance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH Coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons today to strike two targets in southern Iraq. Coalition forces targeted an early-warning radar at approximately 2:05 p.m. EST and a communications facility at approximately 6:30 p.m. EST. Both targets were located near Al Basrah, approximately 250 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Target battle damage assessment is ongoing. And again..
Coalition aircraft dropped 240,000 informational leaflets over southern Iraq today. Coalition aircraft dropped the leaflets at approximately 4:45 p.m. EST over Al Hafayan, An Nasiriyah, Ar Rumaylah and Al Basrah, all southeast of Baghdad. The Coalition dropped three types of leaflets. One leaflet referred Iraqis to radio frequencies where Coalition forces are broadcasting information about United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441, United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, Iraqi President Saddam Husseinâs reign and other topics. The second leaflet emphasized that the Coalition will destroy viable military targets but does not want to destroy landmarks or harm Iraqi civilians. The third leaflet encouraged Iraqi forces to return to their families. And so it goes.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 01:23 pm ||
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The article didn't mention the fourth leaflet, which offered Viagra prescriptions and low-rate mortgages.
#2
Al Kut seems to like the landscape-rearrangment via JDAMS hmm? Must be the hub the various comm. spokes go out from. Almost seems as if we're "walking" the bombs back towards Baghdad, huh? Naaahhhh
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 15:02 Comments ||
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The article didn't mention the fourth leaflet, which offered Viagra prescriptions and low-rate mortgages.
The US air force is preparing to position its B-2 stealth bombers ahead of a possible strike against Iraq. Air force sources told the BBC that four of the radar-evading aircraft are to be deployed to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Four on D.G., possibly more to Fairford, UK?
It could be the first time that the aircraft launch operations from bases away from their home in Whiteman, Missouri. Lieutenant Matt Hasson, from Whiteman, said the 509th Bomber Wing, which has 21 B-2s, had received deployment orders but he could not confirm details. "It is the first [overseas] deployment in support of potential combat operations for this weapons system," he told BBC News Online. B-2 bombers were used in Afghanistan in 2001 and Kosovo in 1999 and are expected to be the air force's weapon of choice for opening night air attacks on heavily defended areas like Baghdad. They can carry up to 40,000 pounds (18,140 kilograms) of nuclear or conventional bombs and, over Kosovo, were the first to use the new JDAM satellite-guided bomb. Specially designed climate-controlled shelters for the aircraft, which protect their radar-absorbing skin, have been built in Fairford, UK, and on the British island of Diego Garcia. During the Afghanistan campaign, flights took off from Whiteman, attacked Afghanistan, and carried on to Diego Garcia where a fresh aircrew made the 30-hour flight home. General John Jumper, the US air force chief of staff, recently told reporters: "Put four or five B-2s anywhere in the world and you can have a fairly devastating effect." Yup.
Also at Diego Garcia is the giant American hospital ship, Comfort, which was deployed there in January with a minimum crew. Now its full 800-strong medical team is being mobilised. Hope they serve a quiet tour.
BBC Pentagon correspondent Nick Childs said the sixth aircraft carrier being sent to the Gulf was unlikely to arrive for a month and its main job will be to replace one of the five carriers already deployed. What we thought.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 01:28 pm ||
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#1
I seem to recall something about another airbase in the region having 14 or 16 climate controlled hangers.
#3
Found this item from the L.A. Times on Globalsecurity.org:
The Air Force has installed as many as five B-2 hangers on Diego Garcia. The hangers are key facilities because they enable air crews to maintain the B-2s' radar-evading skin.
We saw the pictures of two shelters that had been completed, but that was back in December. They have had plenty of time to put up more.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 13:45 Comments ||
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Frustrated in their efforts to find a united stance on the Iraq standoff, the foreign ministers of several Arab countries set up a committee to resolve the issue before an Arab League summit this weekend. Set up a committee, did they? That always works...
The foreign ministers' failure after hours of debate Thursday showed just how divided their governments are about handling the crisis in Iraq, a fellow Arab nation and a member of the Arab League. Some countries, like Kuwait, argue that war on Iraq is inevitable and say the focus should be on planning for the aftermath. A second camp, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, argues that war can be avoided if Iraq cooperates fully with U.N. inspectors seeking to verify that it has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction. A third camp, led by Syria, wants Arabs to rally around Iraq and produce a summit declaration unequivocally opposed to war. I'm impressed. Only three camps on one issue...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 01:08 pm ||
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#1
Now that the Arab League has formed the commitee, they should have this situation solved in....years? decades? milleniums?
#2
By now, many (maybe most) of even the Arab world realizes that the Arab League is a joke. The only people who actually care what the Arab League says are some Al-Guardian and other columnists, the left over dregs of Communism and of course NPR and the Berkeley faculty lounge.
#3
"Frustrated in their efforts to find a united stance on the Iraq standoff, the foreign ministers of several Arab countries set up a committee to resolve the issue before an Arab League summit this weekend."
Before they start their meetings, they should first get a copy and read "al"-Parkinson's Law. Everything you need to know about the good, bad and ugly of committees. I am just trying to save these folks valuable time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/28/2003 17:34 Comments ||
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Nearly all family members of Russian officials working in Iraq have been evacuated from the country. The Russian Embassy also closed its school and sent the teaching staff home, Interfax said. But the embassy and other official Russian organizations working in the Persian Gulf nation continued to operate without restrictions, Interfax said. Starting to look empty in Baghdad, is it? Except for residents, the army, and the human shields...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 01:06 pm ||
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Wouldn't it be funny if all the people that remained were only the army and the human shields.
The United States said Wednesday it would confront Iranian opposition forces based in Iraq if they fight for the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The State Department said that the MKO [Mujaheddin i-Khalq], responsible for several attacks in Iran as well as the killings of US nationals, has "several thousand fighters" based in Iraq. "They're armed with tanks, infantry and fighting vehicle, artillery. They also have a support structure overseas," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. Where'd they get them? You don't buy them down at the hardware store...
Asked what would happen if these forces were engaged against US troops in the event of a war against Iraq, Boucher answered: "I wouldn't advise anyone to confront American forces... I would advise everybody who's in the terrorism business to get out of it right away lest they face the consequences." That was blunt.
The MKO, established in the 1960s, became one of the most radical constituents of the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 before it left for exile in Iraq where it has a number of military bases. The group was designated an international terrorist organization by Washington in 1997.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 11:49 am ||
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Morale is low in the Iraqi army and many soldiers are preparing white flags of surrender, we are told by someone in northern Iraq who recently interviewed two defectors from Saddam Hussein's army. One was a captain who defected from the 5th Mechanized Division of the 1st Corps, based near the northern city of Kirkuk. The captain told our informant that the heavy division was only 35 percent combat-effective. The captain said morale was so low that younger soldiers are speaking openly about surrendering â before the first shot has been fired. A second soldier, a senior noncommissioned officer, defected from the same division's 34th Brigade, based south of the northern city of Mosul. This soldier said that of the 28 tanks in his care, only six were working. The others were broken down or otherwise in need of repair. This might be one reason that the Iraqi Army has been reportly been digging their tanks in. They are in such poor shape that the only way that they can use them is as fixed gun positions.
"He said the whole division was at about 25 percent effectiveness and most soldiers were hiding their white flags," said our source, who spoke recently to both defectors. Intelligence sources in northern Iraq, where both CIA Special Operations Group officers and Army Special Forces are active, said there have been dozens of defectors in the past several weeks. There also are reports that Saddam's henchmen have issued orders to commanders to shoot any deserters they can catch. But who is going to shoot the commanders when they surrender?
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 10:25 am ||
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OH! I thought the headline read:
"Iraqi army DEFECATING"
Posted by: John ||
03/01/2003 0:45 Comments ||
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Naw, the digging in of tanks is actually a pretty common tactic, we ran into it quite a bit during the first gulf war.
#3
Sammy claimed the credit for that piece of brilliance in a speech he gave on the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Kuwait. I think that was also the first time he publicly claimed victory in Gulf War I.
#6
There also are reports that Saddam's henchmen have issued orders to commanders to shoot any deserters they can catch.
But who is going to shoot the commanders when they surrender?
That's a rediculously easy question to answer, the Russians answered it decades ago.
Saddam very likely has "political officers" in units he does not trust, officers who don't command, they watch the commanders, with orders to shoot the commanders in the event of attempted surrender or betrayal.
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
02/28/2003 14:33 Comments ||
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OH! I thought the headline read:
"Iraqi army DEFECATING"
Posted by: John ||
03/01/2003 0:45 Comments ||
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The six-ship Nimitz battle group and 8,000 sailors will depart Monday to join the mounting U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf, Navy officials said Thursday. Means two of the three carrier homeported at North Island will be ordered to sea... they're not screwing around
The San Diego-based ships Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a 5,500-member crew and 70 aircraft; the cruiser Princeton; and the destroyer Fitzgerald will sail out of the bay starting at 9 a.m. The Chosin, a cruiser from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; the frigate Rodney M. Davis from Everett, Wash.; and the ammunition ship Bridge from Bremerton, Wash., will join the group in the Pacific. Usually there's a sub attached as well
The Nimitz group is leaving several weeks early for a scheduled six-month deployment to join the buildup for a possible war with Iraq. The flotilla will steam to the Arabian Sea, a trip that will take at least 30 days, not including any port calls. Probably more as a relief to the ships that have been there long term
Three San Diego-based air squadrons from North Island Naval Air Station will accompany the ships. Sea Control Squadron 29, an S-3B Viking unit; Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 6, flying HH-60H Sea Hawks; and a detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30, a C-2A Greyhound unit, will depart with the battle group.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 10:38 am ||
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Anyone think they may be heading to the Gulf via the Sea of Japan?
"Our aircraft carriers are this nation's phalanxes, at once frightening weapons and symbols of American freedom. . . . And we have twelve of these colossuses â $5 billion, 80,000-90,000-ton monsters, each home to a crew of 5,000. Their flight decks cover 4.5 acres, and the 70 (and more) planes on each wield more destructive power than do most countries."
Good luck, good hunting, and get home safe.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/28/2003 12:08 Comments ||
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Is one available to tow the DeGaulle out if France changes it's mind? Oh, wait. That'll never happen. Sorry I even mentioned it...
#5
The DeGauule is in Toulon recovering from the last strenuous exercise with the Yanks in the Med.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/28/2003 17:38 Comments ||
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Chuck, you have reminded me of another saying, in Sam Houston's famous last question before the battle. "Where did all of these landscapers come from?"
Or possibly Custers last "Is there a Casino near Little Big Horn?"
#7
Guys, adding Nimitz to the order of battle would be way overkill (and probably way late) for Operation Squash Saddam. It's possible that it's intended as a relief, but my point was that it might just sort of happen by somewhere else -- the Korean peninsula, for example -- on its way to the Arabian Sea. What else might be up here?
From a Pentagon briefing on the topic of human shields...(Feb 26th, this is old, I know) Q: Your overall assessment sounds to me like Saddam Hussein is smart. He's putting things in places that cause you heartburn. And if I were trying to defend myself against a large military potential assault on my country, I would do exactly what he's doing. I would park everything at a mosque. I mean, you're — it just seems like this is a basic survival technique. Are you indicating that it's terrible to do this? This guy is obviously one of Saddam's guys, with a guilty conscience. Sr. Defense Official: ... They kind of requested specific types of locations — electric power plants, hospitals, schools. The Iraqis have been pushing to have them located near some facilities that they're not that anxious to go to, which they think are — some industrial facilities, which they think are military related... And also, in some locations they went to, they noticed there were Iraqi military units nearby. Even though they were being sent to what they considered a legitimate facility, such as an electric power plant, they noticed that there were large Iraqi military forces nearby and they objected to being placed there. Finicky bastards aren't they? My favourite line coming up next: Q: Follow-up. So human shields placed in locations that you've mentioned, those people are — Sr. Defense Official: They're at risk. Priceless.
Posted by: RW ||
02/28/2003 10:40 am ||
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It's really pretty obvious that, with the possible exception of their mothers, no one gives a rat's behind about human shields. The whole concept has no traction at all.
I suspect that no one will care if they live or die.
Must be a real eye-opening experience for those involved.
Be interesting to see if and why any back out. Assuming they can.
Posted by: Michael ||
02/28/2003 8:55 Comments ||
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Barring total surrender immediately upon U.S. invastion, I expect a few himan shields to get vaporised in the initial attack.
This will cut down on the volume of human shield volunteers in the future.
#5
Some people might find it ironic that in a briefing where you're talking about things that Iraq is allegedly doing that are violations of the Geneva Convention, that it's done by a briefer who is to remain unnamed.
OK, class, who can explain the connection between a treaty covering the acceptable modes of combat, and whether a briefing source is identified? Anyone?
Hey, Fred, did you ever get to play Senior Defense Official and Blonde Bubblehead Reporter?
#6
It's an experience I missed. I was a Faceless Functionary®.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2003 17:03 Comments ||
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#7
Ideally, these shields will survive the war.....and get lynched as collaborators after by angry mobs of Iraqis. Is that too much to hope for? Will Sean Penn and Bianca Jagger be welcomed back into the Post-Saddam Iraq?
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
02/28/2003 19:23 Comments ||
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Much Much interesting info here. Two of the most interesting things:
As of 8 AM (eastern) on February 27, 2003 there were roughly 10 civilian aircraft at Fort Campbell preparing to transport the first elements of the 101st Airborne Division from the United States to Kuwait... Elements of the 509th Bomb Wing have received orders to deploy to a forward location in preperation for a war against Iraq, according to Reuters on February 27. It is not clear when the deployment will take place or how many aircraft will be involved but previous reports indicate that roughly 12-16 aircraft are to be made available and that multiple aircraft could be located at Diego Garcia, more than the two shelters that are available... That second item has particular gravity, in my opinion. There are, I believe, two of the special hangars at Diego Garcia and two in Britian. (And I think a couple more under construction on Guam.) The B-2 has problems with weather.
Testing indicated that B-2s are also sensitive to extreme climates, water, and humidity — exposure to water or moisture can damage some of the low-observable enhancing surfaces on the aircraft. Further, exposure to water or moisture that causes water to accumulate in aircraft compartments, ducts, and valves can cause systems to malfunction. If accumulated water freezes, it can take up to 24 hours to thaw and drain. Air Force officials said it is unlikely that the aircraft's sensitivity to moisture and climates or the need for controlled environments to fix low-observability problems will ever be fully resolved, even with improved materials and repair processes. Therefore, if B-2s are to be deployed, some form of aircraft sheltering at a forward operating location will likely become a requirement in the future. The "vacancy" lights are off after 4 B-2s. So 8-12 B-2s are going to be "outside", and they can't be "outside" for long. I really wonder if all of this info should be gathered together like this.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
02/28/2003 10:42 am ||
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Let's be clear - we do not have all the intel. What we do have, is common knowledge. The logistics side I believe we have covered. The tactics is what worries me. Lets hope we don't go soft on the air strikes due to political reservations. Go in to win. Let's roll!
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/28/2003 3:25 Comments ||
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of possibly more significance is this item: "The Russian government has cancelled the naval deployment to the Indian Ocean according to the BBC on February 27."
They are staying away, now. Which might indicate that we are rolling soon and they know it.
Posted by: Ben ||
02/28/2003 5:05 Comments ||
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Actually the significance of that could be not that they're staying away, but that they're going somewhere else instead. But where? Closer in?
#4
The hangers are needed to perform maintenance. You need controlled conditions to work on the radar absorbing material (RAM). Plus they wash the skin before flights to clean any dirt that might reflect radar. They'd cycle the planes through before any mission. The press likes to blow this thing up more than it is.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 7:38 Comments ||
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"Lets hope we don't go soft on the air strikes due to political reservations"
on the contrary, lets not win the battle and lose the war. We are doing this to change the region and drain the swamp that breeds terror. To do that we MUST minimize civilian casualties, and keep intact as much as possible of the infrastructure that Iraq will need and thea WE will need in the post-war.
#6
The battles for the major urban areas that are Sammy's seat of power will depend on what the civilian population is able to achieve from within. If Sammy can sit on them, then we have to take the cities out. If we are to avoid slugging it out block by block (which is just what Sammy wants) we will need do it asymmetrically which will specifically target the infrastructure. The current approach to Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) is to attack various aspects of infrastructure in a non-linear fashion, disable the enemy's ability to put up a coherent defense and pick off areas of weakened resistence - essentially using the cities inherent instability to defeat itself. By concentrating on infrastructure and avoiding block by block fighting we save lives on both sides - if it is done quickly and decisivley. The problem here is WMD. Something even Von Paulus didn't have to consider. We need to go in with violent speed, fix Sammy's commanders in place and get to them before they deploy any WMD if we are to truly minimze civilian casualties. Sammy will do everything he can to see that the population is brutalized in order to garner international sympathy. Remember, we aren't the problem here - Sammy is.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/28/2003 11:55 Comments ||
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#7
Avoid streetfighting near anything named "The Red October Tractor Factory"...
___________borgboy
#8
Yesterday we saw a post about the German army being transported through Russia. Today, we see a post about the "509th Bomb Wing".
I feel like I'm caught in some kind of timewarp.
If I was in Iraq, Its gotta make you sit up nights thinking about having the 509th** lurking about in aircraft you cant detect.
** 509th Bomb Wing was the group that dropped the "fat man" and "little boy" atmoic bombs that ended WWII.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
02/28/2003 12:44 Comments ||
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#9
"Red October Tractor Factory" + JDAMs = crater.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 12:49 Comments ||
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#10
Additional: There were eight civilian aircraft at Fort Campbell on February 28 with additional aircraft en route. According to The Courier-Journal on February 28, nearly 5,000 soldiers from the 101st had been deployed during the week. The article also reported that roughly eight to twelve flights a day have departed Fort Campbell.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 14:00 Comments ||
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday gave the military 90 days to defeat the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, and the head of the armed forces warned that commanders who fail will be replaced. Arroyo said deadlines had worked when the military went after the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on the island of Mindanao. Government troops took control of Buliok, a rebel stronghold on the island, earlier this month. Don't stop there, guys...
"I have ... given the military a deadline for the Abu Sayyaf — 90 days," Arroyo told reporters while visiting a military camp outside Manila. "They follow deadlines very well. I told them to capture Buliok in three days and they did. So I suppose if they do the proper allocation of resources they will be able to finish the threat of the Abu Sayyaf." Thought it was supposed to be finished last year?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 12:16 pm ||
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Indonesian police on Friday handed over militant Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir to the prosecutor's office, charging him with treason and violations of immigration laws. About time.
Baasyir, believed to be the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant terror group, was initially accused for his involvement in a string of church bombings on Christmas Eve 2000 that left at least 18 people dead. He also was suspected of taking part in a plot to assassinate President Megawati Sukarnoputri. "If found guilty of treason against the (Indonesian) government, he (Baasyir) could face a maximum sentence up to 20 years in prison," said Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang, the national police spokesman.
Or until Hamzah Haz or one of his clones is president and pardons him...
Baasyir also was accused of immigration violations and falsifying documents, charges that could incur another five years in jail if convicted. Baasyir's defense attorneys expressed surprise with the police's move to reverse their charges against the Muslim cleric. Investigators have also said recently that Baasyir knew and had given a "blessing" to the Oct. 12 bombings of two nightclubs in Bali that left at least 202 people dead, mostly foreign visitors. However, he has not been named as a suspect in the Bali blasts. Aritonang said early this week that police were still investigating Baasyir's possible role in the Bali bombings. Baasyir has denied any terrorism links and contends that Jemaah Islamiyah doesn't exist. An advocate of implementing Islamic law in Indonesia and building pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia, Baasyir has attracted the ire of Indonesia's neighbors. Singapore accused Baasyir of plotting terrorist attacks in the city-state in the months before the Bali bombing, but Jakarta initially refused to move against him for fear of offending his Muslim supporters. Baasyir, 64, was detained in 1978 and 1982 for subversive activities by the regime of Indonesia's former dictator Suharto. Baasyir went into exile in Malaysia in 1985 and was joined there by Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, who is believed to be senior operative of al Qaida in Southeast Asia and a leading figure in Jemaah Islamiyah. Twenty years will hold him until they can get enough for a terror charge. Maybe he'll just die of old age.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 11:11 am ||
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What constitutes treason in Indonesia ? Not being anti-Semitic and/or islamofascist enough ?
Posted by: Peter ||
02/28/2003 8:45 Comments ||
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Taking part in a failed plot to assassinate the President, any president. They tend to take a dim view of this.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 9:09 Comments ||
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Hoping to capitalise on a wave of nostalgia for Communist East Germany, a Berlin company is planning to build a theme park that revives life behind the Iron Curtain in the country that disappeared nearly 13 years ago. Massine Productions GmbH hopes to recreate a 10,000-square metre (107,600 sq ft) replica of East Germany, complete with surly border guards, rigorous customs inspections, authentic East German mark notes, and restaurants with regulation bland East German food. What, no Wall? Where's the damn wall?
"The aim isn't to make big joke out of East Germany," said Susanne Reich, a spokeswoman for the company which is expected to invest several million euros on the project, slated for the southeastern Berlin district of Koepenick. "It was an important part of Germany's history and the period should be recreated as accurately as possible." Jump the fence and get machine gunned!
Nostalgia for East Germany has lingered ever since reunification in 1990. Known as "Ostalgie", a play on the German words for east and nostalgia, the spirit has given rise to scores of "GDR parties", books, songs and popular films. Yeah, those nostalgic days... what's up next, "Naziland"?
A German film "Good Bye, Lenin", in which a man recreates East Germany in a 79-square-metre (850-sq-ft) flat to protect his ailing mother from the shock of reunification after she comes out of a coma, has surged to the top of the German film charts and more than a million people have been to see it. Even though East Germany lasted just four decades, Reich insists that the project has the potential to go the distance: "We've spoken to a number of tourist agencies in Europe and the United States, and there's been plenty of interest."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2003 16:08 Comments ||
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#3
I don't blame you for your comments but just like to tell you that I was one of the guys who actually jumped the fence and got machine gunned (unsuccesfully). My nostalgic feelings are more than limited.
#5
You would think that if they simply taught the true history of EG, they wouldn't need a theme park, nor would there be this nostalgia - just replay the news footage of the drab apartment buildings, and the people being shot and dog mauled as they try to cross the border.....oh, it seems like only yesterday (fade out)
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/28/2003 16:53 Comments ||
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"Jump the fence and get machine gunned!"
Or paint balled?
How fun!
(Yes, I do realize the 'jump the fence' comment was also sarcasm.)
I sat there with a grin that left permanent lines in my face (it didn't go away for days), and tears running down my cheeks, when I heard that the wall came down. I think it's a bit too early to make a theme park of the east side of it.
Posted by: Kathy K ||
02/28/2003 18:07 Comments ||
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RS, it might be a good idea if you could trust them to not Disnify it. "Behind me you can see the Berlin Wall, it was made of Cheese and was brought down by the diligant efforts of Mickey and Minny Mouse. They chewed thier way to freedom."
#11
We have very simaler things hear in the U.S.but they are billed as living historic sites.
Jamestown
Old Tucson,Az.(been there had lots of fun,can-can dancers real friendly)
Tombstone,Az."The town too Tough to Die"
I'm telling you, you just can't make this stuff up!
A Moscow theatre will host the finals of the Miss Shoulder-Straps beauty contest on March 4-8. The Defense Ministry and the Moscow city government are sponsoring the contest, the ministry's press service told Interfax. "It is aimed at boosting the authority, prestige and attractiveness of the Armed Forces. Moreover, it will enhance the etiquette of the army, as well as the system of military and patriotic education of servicemen," the press service noted. Sixteen women from various military districts and fleets will compete in the finals. Their ranks vary from conscript to captain, and they work as psychologists, intelligence officers, engineers, military journalists, telephone technicians and paramedics. The finalists' military training and knowledge of Russian military history will be tested. The participants will display military uniforms of various branches of the armed forces and speak about their units. Talent competition will include field stripping a AK-47 blindfolded and interogating a Chechen prisoner.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 02:35 pm ||
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Eat your heart out, Scrappleface!
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2003 14:35 Comments ||
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I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to make a sarcastic remark about Russian over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders...
#3
That's what I thought of, too. "Bartender, milk for everyone!"
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2003 15:12 Comments ||
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And no one remembers Playboy's 'Women of the Military' issue and the ensuing fun? Think they got this idea from an old Elton John video?
Posted by: Don ||
02/28/2003 16:25 Comments ||
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...and there was this one from awhile back.
Miss Prison Contest to Be Held in Lithuania
An unusual beauty contest will take place in Lithuania. The contest will be called âMiss Prison.â The winner of the contest will be named the most beautiful female prisoner of Lithuania. This unexampled event will take place in the hall of the womenâs prison in the town of Paneavezys. RIA Novosti news agency reported that there will be eight contestants for the Miss Prison title.
Showman Arunas Valinskas said that the point of the contest was to find beauty where it is not likely to be found. âIn spite of the fact that our contestants are prisoners, they are women, first and foremost,â said the showman (it was he who organized the event). Arunas Valinskas added that women who have been convicted of murder, robbery, or many other serious crimes are not going to participate in the contest. Miss Prison will receive a prize of $2,700. However, she will see the money only after she is free.
Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group said on Friday one of its officials had been found shot dead in his home in southern Beirut. I'm sure his mom will be upset, if he had one.
Nimr Noureddine was shot with a hunting rifle late on Thursday night, the Shi'ite Muslim group said in a statement. Them darn elk hunters again!
It described the killing as an "assassination" but said the motives remained unclear. So many motives and too many suspects to count.
Lebanese officials declined to comment on the incident and Hezbollah declined to give further details. Nobody's talking
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 02:08 pm ||
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Hmmm how do they know it was a hunting rifle?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 14:49 Comments ||
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Given they are the self-proclaimed "Party of God" it must have been the "Will of Allah!"
_____________________________________borgboy
The top finance official on Friday disclosed the Palestinian Authority had more than $600 million in liquid assets but denied the organization had secret funds. Finance Minister Salam Fayad also said the authority had given no money to groups accused by Israel and the United States of terrorism. No, no! Certainly not!
In an interview, Fayad gave a detailed accounting of the Palestinian Authority's financial assets, held locally and internationally. Among the most valuable were Orascom Telecom Algeria, valued at $90 million, and the Jordan Mobile Telecommunications Company, valued at more than $66 million. "Reform is not very easy in the best of circumstances," said Fayad, who in recent months has won praise from Palestinians and Israeli and American officials for making the Palestinian Authority's murky finances more transparent.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 12:59 pm ||
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Shouldn't that last line read "more transparent than before, but still far, far more clouded than even Enron's financial dealings"???
#2
Right out of Forbes Magazine's "Filthy Friggin' Rich" issue:
Yasir Arafat
Country/Title: Palestinian Authority/President
Estimated Worth: $300 million
Age: 73
The president of the Palestinian Authority clings to power despite Israeli and U.S. hostility to his regime. Arafat has feasted on all sorts of funds flowing into the P.A., including aid money, Israeli tax transfers and revenue from a casino and Coca-Cola bottler. Much of the money appears to have gone to pay off others. New Finance Minister Salam Fayyad is cleaning up the P.A.'s finances, cutting off much of Arafat's cash flow.
Coming up next: Another UN report on those poor, starving Palestinians...
The U.S. on Friday, February 28, slapped "terrorism sanctions" on three Chechen fighters groups, freezing any assets they may have in the United States and declaring them a threat to U.S. citizens. The groups, all of which were implicated in a deadly hostage-taking incident in Moscow last year, were deemed by Secretary of State Colin Powell to "have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States," security and foreign policy. Yep. That sounds like the Chechens...
The sanctions took effect as Powell's designation appeared in Friday's edition of the Federal Register, a government gazette. The groups affected are the Riyadus-Salikhin Reconnaissance and Sabotage Battalion of Chechen Martyrs, the Special Purpose Islamic Regiment and the Islamic International Brigade, although each has a variety of aliases, according to the U.S. officials. Diplomatic sources said last week that the three groups were the Battalion of Kamikaze Shahid, the Congress of Peoples of Ichkeria and Dagestan and the United Force of Caucasian Mujahideen. Although all three are led by the Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, who took responsibility for the hostage-taking, State Department officials said their names did not match those in the list to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. "Those are not the names according to my list," one official said. That official, however, would not rule out the possibility that the groups to be designated used aliases for those three organizations.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 02:38 pm ||
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Reconnaissance and Sabotage Battalion of Chechen Martyrs -
what the hell good is a recon martyr?
"Did he report back yet? No, and I don't think he will"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 14:06 Comments ||
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I suppose the deal is: No Russian veto and we'll look the other way if you bomb the hell out of Chechnya.
Prosecutors in Argentina are seeking international arrest warrants for several suspects, potentially including some former Iranian diplomats, in connection with the 1994 attack on a Jewish community center that killed 85 people. The prosecution requested the warrants last week, noting that the list of suspects was not yet complete. They could not confirm whether Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among the suspects, as the Argentine daily La Nacion reported Saturday. In all, some 20 diplomats and religious officials are being sought, according to the newspaper. So they've named the Islamic Revolution's Supremo as a murderer? How nice...
The report drew the ire of officials in Tehran, and the Iranian foreign ministry called in the Argentine charge d'affaires Tuesday to explain. Ministry director general Mehdi Mohtashami protested the report and demanded an "appropriate explanation" from the Argentine government of the comments attributed to judiciary officials. Charge d'affaires Ernesto Carlos Alvarez said he "regretted" the newspaper's report. Embarrassing, having it leak that way...
The report sparked an angry denial Sunday from foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi, who accused archfoe Israel of being behind the "baseless allegations." "Lies! All lies!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 11:54 am ||
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Iranians went to the polls yesterday to elect new town and city councils in a test of popularity of reformists close to President Mohammad Khatami. With 210,000 candidates vying for seats on 905 cities and 34,205 villages after a low-key campaign, voters could boycott the ballot boxes in frustration at political infighting. Only 1,222 clerics are among the candidates, compared with some 6,500 women, as conservatives have kept a low profile, while hoping to capitalize on a poor turnout. I read a few days ago that the conservatives were actually hoping to pick up representation, due to voters' frustration with the reformers ever actually getting anything done.
Despite massive victories in presidential, parliamentary and local elections since 1997, the reformists' attempts to push through political, social and economic changes have been systematically blocked by conservatives who still hold most of the levers of power. In Tehran, where the reformist-dominated city council collapsed as factional feuding prevented it from functioning, the splits are still evident in the three separate pro-reform lists running. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged people to vote but criticized "irregularities" in the screening of some candidates. "If the candidature of some people was approved against the law, their elections will be illegal," he said. Sounds like that means the turbans don't even have to run somebody against them. If they don't like them, they'll cancel the election...
"Iranians are not disappointed," an upbeat President Khatami said as he headed to cast his vote in Tehran. "They are perhaps critical and believe many of their demands have not been met, but I think more than 50 percent will vote because people believe in their country and in the regime." He's pointing with pride...
It's kind of disjointed here, because Iran News Daily strung two separate stories together to make one. This part's an AP story... For the first time in two decades, liberal dissidents were on the ballot for Iran's local elections on Friday thanks to a power shift in the committee that oversees elections in this conservative society. Nearly 225,000 candidates, including 6,000 women, were contesting the 185,000 village and city council seats. In past years, liberal dissidents were disqualified from running for office by hard-liners who controlled the parliamentary committee that supervises local elections. That's why they call it a dictatorship. It's a curious case, because it's a dictatorship that's actually trying to become a democracy...
During a week of campaigning, candidates swamped cities and villages with millions of banners and posters inviting people to vote. The campaign slogans were as diverse as the candidates competing for the four-year positions. Reformers say hard-line groups failed to come up with a list of candidates because their support among the public is dwindling. "Hard-liners refused to run because they know they have no popular base and are doomed to fail. They can't tolerate more public humiliation at the polls," The Associated Press quoted Ebrahim Yazdi, leader of the banned Freedom Movement of Iran, as saying. The elections come amid public frustration over the pro-reformist government's inability to deliver political, economic and social reforms because of its ongoing power struggle with ruling hard-line clerics.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
02/28/2003 11:34 am ||
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I predict a 99.9996% return for the mullahs, similar to the recent election for Saddam in Iraq.
#2
1ST Quttar,and Bahrain becoming more liberail now Iran!
Whats wrong with these people?
Don't they know despotic regimes are supposed to get worse?
They are going to mess-up everything!
Lets hope the Iranian reformists can gain control without a blood bath.
Chechen rebels opened fire on a Russian military helicopter carrying 19 soldiers, severely damaging the aircraft and forcing an emergency landing, the Defense Ministry said Friday. No casualties were reported. The attack occurred Thursday night as the Mi-8 helicopter, with a crew of three, was evacuating troops from a combat zone, the ministry said in Moscow. The ITAR-Tass news agency reported that the helicopter was among three picking up troops from special operations in the mountainous Vedeno region. The helicopter landed close to Kharachoi, a village near the border with the Russian region of Dagestan, said an official in the Moscow-backed Chechen administration. Rebels fired from a large-caliber machine-gun, and the helicopter landed in a mountainous, forested area in difficult weather conditions, the Interfax-Military News Agency said, citing an anonymous source in the Russian military headquarters in Khankala, near the Chechen capital Grozny. It had 10 bullet holes, the Chechen official said on condition of anonymity. Russians got lucky this time. Chechens must be running low on SAMs.
Other rebel attacks over the past 24 hours killed 10 Russian servicemen and wounded 15, the Chechen official said. Three of the soldiers were killed when rebels blew up a military van near the eastern city of Argun, and three were wounded in a nearly two-hour firefight with rebels near Ulus-Kert in the southwestern Urus-Martan region. Two rebels were killed and one was wounded and detained in that clash and another firefight near the village of Dzhani-Vedeno, in the south. The ones who were killed are the lucky ones.
Russian troops detained 150 people across Chechnya on suspicion of rebel ties, the official said.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/28/2003 10:16 am ||
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The Bush administration is moving heaven and earth to stifle the DPRK under the pretext of its nuclear issue, but this is nothing but a daydream, says Minju Joson today in a signed commentary. It goes on: ...as it always does. Minju is just as deranged as Rodung.
No matter how hard the U.S. works to undermine the socialist system in the DPRK, it remains strong. It is the most advantageous socialist system centered on the popular masses in the world. Any comment on that, popular masses?
The socialist system is politically, ideologically, economically and militarily stable and indestructible. Why? Because we say so, that's why.
Under this powerful system, the people's army and people of the DPRK have always countered any moves of aggression forces with strong courage.
It is by no means fortuitous that the U.S. has sustained only failures and serious setbacks in the moves to stifle the DPRK for the last several decades. Yet, the U.S. is still desperately working to strangulate the DPRK. This only betrays its increased zeal for aggression. mmmmmmmm.....zeal for aggression.
"Strangulate"? I must be getting real old — I can't recall ever having heard that word before. Is it related to "commentate"?..
The U.S. is well advised to clearly understand the socialist system and behave with discretion. No force on earth can destroy it. Not even Godzilla or Megalon....
Posted by: tu3031 ||
02/28/2003 10:45 am ||
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"The socialist system is politically, ideologically, economically and militarily stable and indestructible."
That's a fine fantasy, NK, but the Berlin wall theme park story was much better. You guys are going to have to be more creative to hold our attention. [Though I still get a big kick out of that thing about Dear Leader being an "agricultural expert."]
Posted by: Tom ||
02/28/2003 18:51 Comments ||
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"The U.S. is well advised to clearly understand the socialist system and behave with discretion."
Well, we will do that. Give them some token loads of food for publicity. Keep the oil spigot shut off, and quietly keep the "Whatsitsname" and other unflagged and nefarious ships in Nampo harbour so they cannot deliver cylindrical foreign exchange packets (or discretely sink 'em in the deep blue sea). Yes NK, we will take your advice and behave with discretion. Have a nice day.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/28/2003 10:41 Comments ||
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#4
Fascinate, pal. You're getting boring, and thet's the kiss of death for looneys...
#5
Strangulate is a word; I was shocked myself. They need to move beyond the diet of grass and bark.
Posted by: Brian ||
02/28/2003 16:10 Comments ||
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...as in, "Mamasan, please go strangulate a rat so we can have some meat to go with our grass and bark dinner. Thank you, advantageous socialist system."
#7
"The socialist system is politically, ideologically, economically and militarily stable and indestructible."
That's a fine fantasy, NK, but the Berlin wall theme park story was much better. You guys are going to have to be more creative to hold our attention. [Though I still get a big kick out of that thing about Dear Leader being an "agricultural expert."]
Posted by: Tom ||
02/28/2003 18:51 Comments ||
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Excerpts from cnn.com...(Feb 27th)
A varied group of musicians — from Russell Simmons to Lou Reed — have joined forces with the antiwar group Win Without War to voice their continuing disenchantment with the Bush administration's policy on Iraq... ooooh they're disenchanted (with their CD sales?)
"I remember the Cuban missile crisis. That was right off our shore. We didn't go to war then," said classic musician Lou Reed, Ph.D."... What enlightening historical analysis Lou!
[Def Jam Recordings founder Russell Simmons] said "Puffy is certainly more well-liked and well-known across the world than George Bush" and "Jay-Z is much more liked and well-known across the world than Colin Powell."... Well blow me down! Send them to the UNSC! Puffy for president!
The group didn't give specifics on what they plan to do to voice their protest... Waiting for the drugs to wear off?
"We are threatened as Americans because of the way our president carries himself," Simmons said. "He's the biggest threat in the world." He added, "Don't misunderstand me"... Oh you're understood perfectly.
The group provided a long list of musicians who are taking part... Oh yeah? Where can I find it? So I know which CDs not to buy.
Posted by: RW ||
02/28/2003 10:09 am ||
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Please publish as a comment if you find it....
TIA
dorf
#2
You can also check out the Hollywood Half-wits site which has a listing of anti-war celebs and many "enlightening" quotes revealing the true "depth" of their thinking.
There is also a list of pro-intervention celebs there (Kid Rock, Bruce Willis, Ahnold, James Earl Jones, among others), which I hope they will expand upon.
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
02/28/2003 8:01 Comments ||
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Does anybody know what the "Win without War" people define as a win? Also, does 'without War' mean we couldn't have no fly zones or bomb the missile sites threatening the air patrols?
Or am I trying to think logically about something that is inherently illogical?
#4
May I also recommend Dumb Celebs? It's not entirely about politics. Yesterday, they talked about the six limos Jennifer Lopez has to take to move down the block.
#6
I'll give these airheads artists this much. This is really helping me clean out my CD collection. I pitched all my Eno awhile back when he put his name on some moronic petition or other. Now I can dump all my Velvet Underground and Lou Reed.
Posted by: Christopher Johnson ||
02/28/2003 10:39 Comments ||
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Hey, Angie. Dumb Celebs is pretty good. And if J LO ever starts with the "it's all about the oil" crap, somebody should boot her in her fat ass.
James Bond Alert
Richard Spencer reports from Suwon where a scientist claims that a network of North Korean tunnels threatens the South. The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah...
Yoon Yo-kil holds up a length of wire. Here, he says, is proof of a vast network of tunnels deep underneath South Korea. Out of them at any time 400,000 North Korean soldiers could pour and, in one swift move, take his country captive. The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
Next to him, Choi Min-yong walks along holding out two metal dowsing rods. Ummm...
As they twitch and sway, Mr Yoon, an elderly research scientist, can hardly contain his excitement. "Here is a concrete wall," he says. The rods twitch again. Owfergawdsake
"There is the railway track." And again. "The other wall - you see?"
Oh. Dowsing rods...
Next to them is a vast hole in the ground. The military will not take Mr Yoon and Mr Choi the tunnel below seriously, so Mr Yoon, Mr Choi and their colleagues have decided to do the job for them, spending 100 million won â £55,000 â digging for it themselves. It would be easy to dismiss Mr Yoon and his colleagues as cranks, and many do. But there is some truth in what Mr Yoon says. From about 1970, the North Koreans did indeed start digging a network of tunnels, at a depth of 220ft. Four have been found, and the Defence Ministry accepts that there may be 20 others... But these are up to two miles long, not the 35 miles it would take to reach Seoul, or 30 miles further to where Mr Yoon is digging in Suwon... People started approaching him to say they could hear strange sounds from underground.
From 220 feet underground?
The wire came from an attempt to drill down to find a tunnel. After a few attempts, the drill bit became stuck. A crane was summoned to pull it free and when it did, the heavy-duty wire was attached. "How could this wire get 45 yards down into solid rock?" he asks. "It must have been the North Koreans."
Somehow my little heart isn't going pitty-pat over the diamond hardness of this data. I'd suggest that if the dowsing rods really work, they follow the tunnels to where they come out, and have the entire South Korean army hop in and conquer North Korea by surprise next Thursday night.
But is such an invasion plan feasible? What of the 37,000 American troops stationed in South Korea, the guarantee of peace for 50 years? Could they be taken so easily? They will be rounded up while they sleep, Mr Yoon says... The entrire 2nd ID has nap time at 1500 Zulu every day, just after milk and cookies.
An American officer describes how intense the North's hatred still is. "When no one is looking, they shout insults at us," said Capt Brian Davis, under the watchful gaze of North Korean soldiers a few feet away. They eat gobs of kimchee and have whistling contests It's awful. They single me out because they know my name and know I speak Korean. I'm not entirely sure about this. I wouldn't put any zany scheme past the N. Koreans, but how would they pay for it? A 60 mile tunnel? I'm no geologist, but Korea is fairly active in that regard. I wouldn't want to be in one of those tunnels during a quake. Thinking along those lines, I would hope that somebody thought to install micro-seismographs along the DMZ, and elsewhere, so they might watch for this sort of chicanery.
Mr. Yoon's "while they slumber" analysis leaves a little bit to be desired, but that might be bad translation on his part or the Telegraph's. Some of the tunnels were (are?) huge, but one extending this far likely isn't as big. The NKors would use tunnels to create chaos in the rear, but not for the main invasion force. And then there's the problem of that invasion force Deserves further investigation, I'd say.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
02/28/2003 10:58 am ||
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I was in Korea(74-75)A battery 1/44ADA,38th BDE.Finding tunnels was fairly common.
Also had to deal with N.Kor fishing smacks loaded with comandos and explosives.My battery had 2 close calls with sappers.
#3
From what I've read, this sort of tunneling activity has been going on for 50 years now, in an effort to try a "vertical envelopment" of the minefields, bunkers, etc. on the DMZ. I'm fairly certain both sides monitor for seismic activity.
Would be nice to read a comment from someone who's been stationed there. I'm sure they would have some insight.
Posted by: Dar Steckelberg ||
02/28/2003 9:18 Comments ||
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#4
When I worked for USGS in 1970 to 72, I had a colleague who worked for Darpa who installed lots of seismometers in the DMZ area just to detect tunneling activities and movements underground. They are not happy unless they are burrowing, ya know.....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/28/2003 10:52 Comments ||
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#5
Wes Dabney used to have a site, but the real world intruded. He was stationed there, his wife is korean. He heard the tape.
#6
Way back in 1980 I had a geological engineering undergrad student as a friend. He got to go to Korea for the Army (lucky dude ;-))and work on these very seismometers.
Do we have a burrowing thermobaric bomb yet? Such a thing would make short work out of a tunnel full of Norks. Another down side to tunnels- that don't move! I have no doubt that we know the location of each and every one of the rat holes and if it takes 2 or 3 burrowing bombs to make the hole for cleansing the tunnel with a thermobaric, well that's not such a big deal either.
#7
I would suggest utilizing the tunnels to store water, or at least setting them up for rapid storage, heh heh
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2003 14:47 Comments ||
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#8
I was in Korea(74-75)A battery 1/44ADA,38th BDE.Finding tunnels was fairly common.
Also had to deal with N.Kor fishing smacks loaded with comandos and explosives.My battery had 2 close calls with sappers.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
