The Iraq War - Chapter 4

[Miulang]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Is combat fatigue getting to our troops in Baghdad? How else to explain the suicide bomber who was able to get close enough to a US Army outpost to detonate his load and kill 2 soldiers and injure 25 others today? Baghdad is supposed to be the safest part of Iraq for our soldiers!

Baghdad, Iraq - A suicide truck bomb hit a U.S. Army outpost Thursday in Baghdad, killing two American soldiers and leaving 25 wounded, the U.S. military said.

One soldier was killed at the scene of the attack, while the second died of his wounds at a hospital, doctors at a U.S. combat hospital said.

The division's commander, Maj. Gen. J.D. Thurman, visited the wounded soon after the attack.

A member of the Fourth Infantry Division said that some of the wounded soldiers had been resting at the outpost before they were to go back out on patrol.

Two other U.S. soldiers died Thursday in separate attacks around the Iraqi capital, and another one died Wednesday near the northern city of Mosul after he suffered wounds from enemy fire, the U.S. military said.

The number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war stands at 2,671 since the 2003 invasion. Seven American civilian contractors of the military also have died in the conflict.

Miulang

[Miulang]

"There is no tie between Iraq and 9/11"

Cute spoofed picture on Pres. Bush as he gave his 9/11 speech this past Monday. So I guess no one in this country believes that Iraq had anything to do with 9/11. right?
http://makethemaccountable.com/image...IraqAnd911.jpg

Miulang

[Miulang]

Loyal and willing working on Iraqi reconstruction

The Washington Post is running a story that might help explain why the $18 billion set aside for reconstruction efforts in Iraq were squandered: apparently, most of the people chosen by the DoD were selected on the basis of their loyalty to Pres. Bush and NOT because they knew anything about the jobs they were hired to do in Iraq during the months immediately after we proclaimed "victory" over Saddam:

To pass muster with [Jim] O'Beirne, a political appointee who screens prospective political appointees for Defense Department posts, applicants didn't need to be experts in the Middle East or in post-conflict reconstruction. What seemed most important was loyalty to the Bush administration.

O'Beirne's staff posed blunt questions to some candidates about domestic politics: Did you vote for George W. Bush in 2000? Do you support the way the president is fighting the war on terror? Two people who sought jobs with the U.S. occupation authority said they were even asked their views on Roe v. Wade .

Many of those chosen by O'Beirne's office to work for the Coalition Provisional Authority, which ran Iraq's government from April 2003 to June 2004, lacked vital skills and experience. A 24-year-old who had never worked in finance -- but had applied for a White House job -- was sent to reopen Baghdad's stock exchange. The daughter of a prominent neoconservative commentator and a recent graduate from an evangelical university for home-schooled children were tapped to manage Iraq's $13 billion budget, even though they didn't have a background in accounting.

The decision to send the loyal and the willing instead of the best and the brightest is now regarded by many people involved in the 3 1/2 -year effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq as one of the Bush administration's gravest errors. Many of those selected because of their political fidelity spent their time trying to impose a conservative agenda on the postwar occupation that sidetracked more important reconstruction efforts and squandered goodwill among the Iraqi people, according to many people who participated in the reconstruction effort.

To recruit the people he wanted, O'Beirne sought résumés from the offices of Republican congressmen, conservative think tanks and GOP activists. He discarded applications from those his staff deemed ideologically suspect, even if the applicants possessed Arabic language skills or postwar rebuilding experience.

Then again, I guess it isn't too surprising, since the White House has always prescreened audiences for his public appearances to ensure that only people loyal to his Administration are in the audience.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Moat, anyone?

I'm fascinated by the Iraqi government's plan (with the apparent blessing of the Pentagon) to dig a 60-mile long trench (moat) all the way around Baghdad to keep suicide bombers and other undesirables from penetrating the Green Zone.

Harkens back to the Dark Ages, when moats were used as a defense against attackers. In Baghdad's case, they are planning to have 28 bridges with checkpoints to control traffic in and out of Baghdad. Our military is also giving up trying to win in Anbar Province and have decided that we have to save Baghdad, so more of our troops will be headed to Baghdad soon.

It's going to be interesting to see the kinds of traffic tieups this will cause for a city of 7 million inhabitants and what the reaction of the Baghdadis will be knowing that they will be living on an "island", just like the Palestinians who live in Gaza. Maybe the Iraqi government needs to fill that trench with water, so that those clever insurgents can't figure out a way to dig under the trenches. And if they don't fill the trench with water, they need to put those punji sticks that the VC used in Vietnam to keep undesirables from crossing at places other than the checkpoints.

They'd just better hope the insurgents don't get their hands on books on the Dark Ages that discuss how to get across those moats and storm a city! Another question: how many Iraqis and US soldiers will it take to dig that 60-mile trench? And why did our President, in his press conference yesterday, insist on calling that trench a "berm"? Bad intell from his people?

Miulang

[kamuelakea]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Miulang,

Enjoying your verbal masturbation?

It's a sign girlfriend.

It's a sign.

[kamuelakea]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Here is a toy to play with Miulang. Thought you needed something to chew on since you seem to be playing all by yourself here.




http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/...iams091606.htm

Al Qaeda warns of new attacks inside the U.S.

Thank you Miulangs of the world.

Attack Imminent:
Muslims ordered to leave the United States
Adnan el shukrijuma

By Paul L. Williams

& David Dastych

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Urgent news from Abu Dawood, the newly appointed commander of the al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan:

Final preparations have been made for the American Hiroshima, a major attack on the U. S.

Muslims living in the United States should leave the country without further warning.

[Miulang]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

What a difference 40 years makes. In order to prevent further atrocities like My Lai from occurring, the US Army drew up a "Soldier's Creed" which was the basis for a soldier's actions on the battlefront:

"I am an American soldier.

I am a member of the United States Army--a protector of the greatest nation on earth. Because I am proud of the uniform I wear, I will always act in ways creditable to the military service and the nation that it is sworn to guard ...

No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything for pleasure, profit or personal safety, which will disgrace my uniform, my unit or my country.

I will use every means I have, even beyond the line of duty, to restrain my Army comrades from actions, disgraceful to themselves and the uniform.

I am proud of my country and its flag.

I will try to make the people of this nation proud of the service I represent for I am an American soldier."

Fast forward to 2003, and here is the new US Army soldier's creed, only now it's called "The Warrior Ethos":

I am an American soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American soldier.

Miulang

[nachodaddy]

Re: The Iraq War - Chapter 4

Muilang;

I been meaning to welcome you back from your trip to Maui. Smoky and crowded, I heard.

Anyways..... I was going to ask you what your thoughts are on this????

*******, as I've requested before, please do not use HawaiiThreads as your personal blog. I ask that you post no more than three consecutive messages to a thread, and again, limit the amount of material you quote from other sources to one or two paragraphs at most.

Seems pretty cut and dry to me.

Are you going to continue to punk Ryan on his own board?

As Samuel has alluded to, do you have the ability to stop???

Pretty simple questions. You have the answers to everything else, this should be a walk in the park for ya......