The Iraq War - Chapter 4

[MadAzza]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Good catch, Mad. True, the sources Waioli Kai cites make no claims to objectivity, anyway, but wholly false statements that have been debunked deserve to be called out, lest they be propagated further. Especially such an incendiary one.

Credit is also due for actually reading these posts. I pretty much tune them out, given all the formATTing $henanig@n$ that cloud whatever signal there might be in all the noise.

Hee! I generally don't read them, either. All that formatting is just pointless noise to me -- the text equivalent of a two-year-old kid shrieking in a restaurant. (Waioli, I'm not saying that to insult you, just to let you know that whatever points you're trying to make in your posts is probably being lost on a lot of folks because of the distracting stuff. Oh, and thanks for toning it down in that last post. Still didn't make any damn sense, though.)

This time, I guess the anti-Semitism caught my eye. I get really tired of that s***.

[Miulang]

Riverbend resurfaces

After nearly a month's silence (I hope she was just out of the country talking to her publishers during that time), Riverbend posted something in her blog yesterday about the increase in sectarian violence in the city of Baghdad in the last week. It's sad that one of her friends was caught in the crossfire between the factions and died with two bullets in his head.

"...The pity I once had for foreign troops in Iraq is gone. It's been eradicated by the atrocities in Abu Ghraib, the deaths in Haditha and the latest news of rapes and killings. I look at them in their armored vehicles and to be honest- I can't bring myself to care whether they are 19 or 39. I can't bring myself to care if they make it back home alive. I can't bring myself to care anymore about the wife or parents or children they left behind. I can't bring myself to care because it's difficult to see beyond the horrors. I look at them and wonder just how many innocents they killed and how many more they'll kill before they go home. How many more young Iraqi girls will they rape?

Why don't the Americans just go home? They've done enough damage and we hear talk of how things will fall apart in Iraq if they 'cut and run', but the fact is that they aren't doing anything right now. How much worse can it get? People are being killed in the streets and in their own homes- what's being done about it? Nothing. It's convenient for them- Iraqis can kill each other and they can sit by and watch the bloodshed- unless they want to join in with murder and rape.

Buses, planes and taxis leaving the country for Syria and Jordan are booked solid until the end of the summer. People are picking up and leaving en masse and most of them are planning to remain outside of the country. Life here has become unbearable because it's no longer a 'life' like people live abroad. It's simply a matter of survival, making it from one day to the next in one piece and coping with the loss of loved ones and friends- friends like T...."

Miulang

[Miulang]

One small step towards Iraqi freedom

Security duties were handed over to Iraqi military forces yesterday in Muthanna Province, which was a sparsely populated Shia territory and which was previously in control of the British and Australians.

"...Iraqi forces for the first time took over security responsibility for an entire province yesterday, a milestone in the American plan to transfer control of the entire country by the end of next year.

"...The strategy of transferring all 18 provinces to Iraqi control depends on the capability of Iraq's newly trained police and army to maintain order against threats by Sunni insurgents and sectarian militias. During the handover ceremony, Maliki warned that ``the terrorists" were bent on upsetting the process and destroying Iraq's national unity....

"...Only about 700 British and Australian troops were stationed in Muthanna, along with about 600 Japanese soldiers on a separate humanitarian mission. The Japanese troops are in the process of leaving the country, while the British and Australians will redeploy elsewhere in southern Iraq to stand in reserve in case the Iraqis need help with security...."

Miulang

[Miulang]

For Sale: AK-47...cheap

An interesting byproduct of our occupation of Iraq: the fully automatic weapons assigned to our troops are being smuggled back into this country by some military people and sold on the street to criminals.

One example was cited in Washington, DC, where a band of bank robbers used AK-47s that were traced back to U.S. Army reservists serving in Iraq to conduct a string of violent bank heists.

"...The gang that carried out a series of commando-style bank robberies in the Washington area two years ago used fully automatic assault rifles that were smuggled from the battlefields of Iraq by a soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve, according to investigators.

An investigation by the FBI and local police is centering on several AK-47s the notorious robbers used in some of their heists. In Iraq, such weapons are plentiful and cheap. For the robbery gang, they were key to their strategy: using overwhelming firepower and body armor to frighten and intimidate bank employees and customers -- and ward off police...

"...Law enforcement officials expressed concern that more high-powered battle weapons could end up being used in crimes against U.S. citizens and police. They cited the number, availability and low cost of weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and the profits to be made here at home....

"...But a law enforcement official familiar with the bank robbers' case said that winning prosecutions is not easy. Units send their equipment back to the U.S. with little screening, the law enforcement official said. Even if weapons are discovered, tying them to a specific individual is difficult, the official added. Like others, he spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe could lead to charges....

"...For the bank robbers, who wore body armor with ceramic plates that would repel rifle fire, getting the machine guns gave them firepower rarely associated with holdups. Assault-type weapons can be purchased legally in the United States, but only in a semiautomatic version, meaning one squeeze of the trigger fires one round. A fully automatic assault rifle, which can fire continuously when the trigger is held down, is considered a machine gun and is restricted under federal law...."

Miulang

[Miulang]

Lest we forget...

With the Israeli-Lebanese-Palestinian situation heating up, it's way too easy for the media and the public to forget that not too many miles away, our troops and other innocent civilians are being killed in the civil war in Iraq.

"... Every network television news program, every cable news station, every newspaper and every news web site has been covering, and will continue to cover, the horrific mayhem unfolding between Israel and Lebanon. Anyone seeking information on that situation will not struggle to find it. In fact, it has become something of a challenge to stay abreast of the continuing carnage in Iraq.

We still have tens of thousands of soldiers there. Nineteen of them have died since the beginning of July, and 2,553 have died since the whole thing started. 150 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the last three days, adding to the 6,000 civilians who have been killed in the last two months, adding to the tens of thousands who have been killed over the last three years...."

Miulang

[waioli kai]

Anarchy not civil war

Miulang= ---With the Israeli-Lebanese-Palestinian situation heating up, it's way too easy for the media and the public to forget that not too many miles away, our troops and other innocent civilians are being killed in the civil war in Iraq.

Going to the truthout.org Iraq link, I came across the word 'anarchy'. "Anarchy' is not an accurate word to describe what is transpiring in Iraq. Since words' definitions are determined by how they are used it's important that they be used with as much consistency as possible for the sake of bettering communication within and between human generations.

From britannica.com:

an·ar·chy
Etymology: Medieval Latin anarchia, from Greek, from anarchos having no ruler, from an- + archos ruler -- more at ARCH-
1 a : absence of government b : a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority c : a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government
2 a : absence or denial of any authority or established order b : absence of order : DISORDER <not manicured plots but a wild anarchy of nature -- Israel Shenker>

Thus anarchy is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact anarchy could be a very good experience, a utopian existence of complete freedom, which is opposite of what's happening in Iraq.

Mayhem, havoc, ruination, catastrophe, insurrection, revolution, insurrection and civil war all are characterized by violence and disorder. Anarchy is a state of lawlessness, disorder, absence of authority but is not also a state of violence.

[Miulang]

The Green Zone crisis

It seems really odd that no one (the White House, the national media or the American public) is paying much attention to what's going on in Baghdad. The Anbar province to the west of Baghdad was known as a hotbed of militant activity, but since the beginning of this month, the sectarian violence has increased dramatically in Baghdad, too. Are the events in Lebanon/Gaza a smokescreen for our government so they don't have to admit that we are losing the battle for Iraq? It seems way too "convenient" to have the Gaza/Lebanon situation blow up right now. And then there's the small matter of Ethiopian army occupying Somalia now, too, with Islamic militia threatening to call jihad if Ethiopia does not retreat from Somalia. Does anyone care?

Miulang

[Miulang]

We continue to abuse captives

The Human Rights Watch has received testimony from former US troops about continued torture of detainees in Iraqi prisons even after the abuses at Abu Ghraib came to light.

What will Congress do to address the allegations in the report? Or will they do nothing and let the abuses continue?

Miulang

[Miulang]

Al Maliki comes a-courtin

The Prime Minister of Iraq is expected to request some things that the Bush White House will be loathe to give him when he meets with the President tomorrow, according to sources.

"...The requests will include asking President Bush to allow American-led troops in Iraq to be tried under Iraqi law, and to call for a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to several Iraqi politicians, and to a senior member of Mr. Maliki’s party who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak for the prime minister.

Mr. Maliki is also expected to demand more autonomy for Iraqi forces, though he will not ask for a quick withdrawal of the 134,000 American troops here, the officials say

The growing differences between Iraqi and American policies reflect an increasing disenchantment with American power among politicians and ordinary Iraqis, according to several politicians, academics and clerics. Sectarian violence has soared despite the presence of the Americans, and recent cases where American troops have been accused of killing civilians or raping Iraqi women have infuriated the public.

Mr. Maliki and other top Shiite leaders also want to maintain strong ties to Iran, whose influence is rising across the Middle East, officials say..."

Miulang

[Miulang]

Morale of US troops in Iraq low?

While the world gives attention to the conflict in Lebanon, some of our troops in Baghdad are getting increasingly more frustrated.

"..."Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."

"...Frustrated? "You have no idea," he said.

As President Bush plans to deploy more troops in Baghdad, U.S. soldiers who have been patrolling the capital for months describe a deadly and infuriating mission in which the enemy is elusive and success hard to find. Each day, convoys of Humvees and Bradley Fighting Vehicles leave Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad with the goal of stopping violence between warring Iraqi religious sects, training the Iraqi army and police to take over the duty, and reporting back on the availability of basic services for Iraqi civilians.

But some soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division -- interviewed over four days on base and on patrols -- say they have grown increasingly disillusioned about their ability to quell the violence and their reason for fighting. The battalion of more than 750 people arrived in Baghdad from Kuwait in March, and since then, six soldiers have been killed and 21 wounded.

"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard."

"No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do," said Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader. "We were excited, but then it just wears on you -- there's only so much you can take. Like me, personally, I want to fight in a war like World War II. I want to fight an enemy. And this, out here," he said, motioning around the scorched sand-and-gravel base, the rows of Humvees and barracks, toward the trash-strewn streets of Baghdad outside, "there is no enemy, it's a faceless enemy. He's out there, but he's hiding."

It's now deteriorated into guerilla warfare, and our troops are not being trained for that kind of combat, just as the Israelis are having difficulty quelling Hezbollah.

Miulang

[waioli kai]

&quot;violence...still terrible...need more troops.&quot;

Failure Upon Failure By BOB HERBERT Published: July 27, 2006
nytimes.com

' “Obviously the violence in Baghdad is still terrible,” said Mr. Bush, “and therefore there needs to be more troops.” ...

'And then there was the famous picture of Mr. Bush, on his way back from a monthlong vacation, looking out the window of Air Force One as it flew low over the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. “It’s devastating,” Mr. Bush was quoted as saying. “It’s got to be doubly devastating on the ground.”

I’ll tell you what’s devastating. The monumental and mind-numbing toll of Mr. Bush’s war in Iraq, which is being documented in a series of important books, the latest being Thomas Ricks’s “Fiasco.” Mr. Ricks gives us more disturbing details about the administration’s “flawed plan for war” and “worse approach to occupation.” ...

Near the end of his book, he writes:

“In January 2005, the C.I.A.’s internal think tank, the National Intelligence Council, concluded that Iraq had replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for a new generation of jihadist terrorists. The country had become ‘a magnet for international terrorist activity,’ said the council’s chairman, Robert Hutchings.”

Saddled with one failure after another, the administration seems paralyzed, completely unable to shape the big issues facing the U.S. and the world today. Condoleezza Rice is in charge of the diplomatic effort regarding Lebanon. She’s been about as effective at that as the president was in his response to Katrina.

But Dr. Rice is still quick with the scary imagery. Her comment, “I have no doubt there are those who wish to strangle a democratic and sovereign Lebanon in its crib,” recalls her famous, “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”

'It might help if she spent less time giving us provocative metaphors and more time on the very difficult nuts and bolts of trying to maintain or bring about peace.

...It may be that a hamstrung Bush administration is a better bet than the same crew being free to act as it pleases. Imagine how much better off we’d have been if Congress had found the wisdom and the courage to prevent the president from invading Iraq.'

[kamuelakea]

Re: &quot;violence...still terrible...need more troops.&quot;

Condoleezza Rice is in charge of the diplomatic effort regarding Lebanon. She’s been about as effective at that as the president was in his response to Katrina.

Man, I wish I could get in the heads of those Arab men to see what they are thinking when a Black Woman comes to the Middle East to represent the interests of the most powerful nation in the history of the world. From the land of Burkas. general female abuse, illegal education etc., its gotta hurt.

[Miulang]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Please pray for our 135,000 troops in Iraq (4 more killed today in Anbar Province). Say an extra prayer for the 4,000 troops who can't come home right away because they have to stay in Baghdad for another 4 months. Also pray for the additional 3,700 troops from the Stryker Brigade who are now headed to Baghdad to supplement the current forces.

Miulang

[1stwahine]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

My daughter gave birth today. My son-inlaw prepares to leave in a few days for another deployment in Iraq. He goes to serve our country without grumbling.

Our Ohana begins another year of prayers and sleepless nights once again.

It is a given.

I stand Proud and will always remain Proud.

Please continue to pray for our men and women in our Armed Forces!

...to return to their loved ones safe and sound.

Auntie Lynn

[Miulang]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Hmmm...another unexpected threat to our fighting troops. Excessive consumption of Gatorade (to keep hydrated) and lack of exercise is causing an increase in the number of troops being afflicted by kidney stones and gallstones (ouch). The troops are now being limited to 2 bottles of Gatorade per visit to the dining halls.

This rationing is also apparently having a positive effect on reducing casualties:
"...Cutting back on the amount of Gatorade also means fewer convoys on the highways bringing the stuff in and, as a result, fewer people dying from roadside bomb attacks. Hall said he didnt know whether it was the medical reasons or the aim of limiting convoys that originally led to the 2-bottles per person rule, but the end result has been a Gatorade crackdown. "Who would have thought that we'd come to Iraq and my biggest problem would be too much Gatorade?" said Hall. "Little things that you would think never matter, are a big deal around here."

Maybe when we send those CARE packages to our troops, we should be including packets of KoolAid. Apparently the quality of the water in Iraq is not very good and tastes worse.

Miulang