‘Joshua Key, 28, was a poor, uneducated Oklahoma country boy who saw the U.S. army and its promised benefits — from free health care to career training — as the ticket to a better life. In 2002, not yet 24 but already married and the father of two , Key enlisted. He says his recruiting officer promised he’d never be deployed abroad, but a year later he was in Iraq. Only 24 hours after arriving, as Key recounts in The Deserter’s Tale (Anansi), he experienced his first doubts about what he and his fellow soldiers were doing there [..]’
‘An Iraqi national was detained and questioned at a passenger-screening area at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday morning after a suspicious item was found in the man’s rectum during a body cavity search.
The item, which is still being examined, poses no apparent threat, an FBI official said. [..]
Ethel McGuire, assistant special agent in charge of the Los Angeles FBI office, said this afternoon that al-Maliki had “a magnet, wires and I don’t know what the other item was. It’s being evaluated as we speak.” After al-Maliki was searched, the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad was called to the airport to examine the suspicious item.’
‘Fifteen 17-year-old British soldiers were inadvertently sent to Iraq despite a UN convention to keep children away from armed conflict, it has emerged.
In a written answer, defence minister Adam Ingram said the deployments took place between June 2003 and July 2005.
He said most soldiers went just before being eligible at 18 or were taken off duties less than a week after arrival.
Lib Dem education spokeswoman Sarah Teather said the government had shown a “shocking level of incompetence”.’
‘Great. The other thing, I’m a real clotheshound, and I gotta admit, I kind of like the uniforms, but I’m not into green for the most part.
Actually, we’re wearing a digital pattern now, and it’s blue and tan.
Can you spice it up with some yellows or reds?
No, you can’t.
Is your underwear also camouflage?
No, that’s pretty much up to you.
So you can go wild with underwear—and socks, maybe?
Yeah.
Good, ’cause I’ve got a lot of red and yellow stripes, I’m a huge yellow and red freak.’
`According to several well informed intelligence sources, hundreds of CIA operatives have become virtual prisoners in the Green Zone, the sprawling American enclave whose high walls and guards separate the U.S. embassy, military command and related civilian agencies from the raging sectarian violence in Baghdad’s streets.
The CIA operatives cannot safely roam the city to meet their few agents, much less recruit new ones.
It’s just too dangerous. CIA chiefs don’t want to risk one getting kidnapped, tortured on camera and beheaded.
That would certainly dampen the allure of a career in the CIA.’
`Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki proposed to President George W. Bush in November to withdraw US troops from Baghdad and let the Iraqi government take over security in the capital, a US newspaper reported.
Citing interviews with several unnamed administration officials, the Washington Post wrote that Maliki made the suggestion in a presentation to Bush on November 30 in Amman, Jordan.
But soon after, Bush rejected the idea, the paper said.
Instead, the president opted for a strategy announced this month to deploy an additional 21,500 US troops to Iraq, focusing on quelling sectarian violence in Baghdad and the western al-Anbar province.’
‘We got activity out here but I don’t think we need to report it.. It appears to be fornication.. We’re taping it..’
Hooray for FLIR, I suppose. 🙂 The guys on the radio back at base seem pretty keen to make sure they get a copy of the tape made.
(11.3meg Windows media)
see it here »
‘Amazing footage of a soldier in Iraq who gets shot at by a sniper but the bullet is stopped by the glass in front of him.’
(763kB Windows media)
see it here »
`A journalist who saw videotape of the Monday hangings of Saddam Hussein’s half-brother and the dictator’s former chief judge has described how one of the men was decapitated.
New York Times reporter John F. Burns told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Monday evening that Barzan Hassan’s head “just snapped off,” because he was apparently given too much rope and fell too far — about eight feet — for a man of his medium build and weight.
The hangman’s calculations — a grim science governing the weight of the condemned and how much rope is necessary to kill quickly — were apparently wrong, Burns said.’
`The invasion of Iraq has greatly destabilised the country, President Bush admitted yesterday – but he still insisted that Iraqis should be grateful to America for starting the war.
As the White House scrambled to stem a flow of Republican defections over Mr Bush’s plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq, the President also admitted that the execution of Saddam Hussein had been mishandled, calling it discouraging.
In earlier private comments to news anchors he went much further, describing the ugly scenes during Saddam’s hanging as second only to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in terms of disastrous mistakes.’
`The House lawmaker in charge of defense spending said Friday that he intends to force the closure of the Guantánamo Bay military prison and curb U.S. engagement in Iraq, and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “absolutely” supports his efforts. [..]
He said the best way to control what course the war takes is for Congress to attach conditions to war-spending bills, because Bush is unlikely to veto a bill that provides money to keep fighting.
The Guant�namo military prison, where prisoners have been held without charges and abused, need to be closed to restore U.S. credibility, Murtha said.’
`Within minutes of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s arrival on Capitol Hill yesterday, it became apparent that the Bush administration had, after four divisive years, finally succeeded in uniting Congress on the war in Iraq.
Unfortunately for Rice, the lawmakers were unified in opposition to President Bush’s new policy.
“I have to say, Madam Secretary,” a seething Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) told Rice, “that I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam.”
“Madam Secretary,” added Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, a moderate Democrat, “I have supported you and the administration on the war, and I cannot continue to support the administration’s position. . . . I have not been told the truth over and over again.”‘
`A US soldier has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering three prisoners during a raid on a suspected al-Qaeda compound in Iraq last year.
The case is one of two involving soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division accused of killing Iraqis during a deployment to Iraq that ended in September.
Specialist William Hunsaker, 24, pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and obstruction of justice during a hearing at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.’
`Saddam Hussein and his cousin “Chemical Ali” discussed how chemical weapons would exterminate thousands before unleashing them on Kurds in 1988, according to tapes played on Monday in a trial of former Iraqi officials.
“I will strike them with chemical weapons and kill them all and damn anyone who is going to say anything,” a voice identified by prosecutors as “Chemical Ali” Hassan al-Majeed is heard saying. [..]
“Yes, it exterminates thousands and forces them not to eat or drink and they will have to evacuate their homes without taking anything with them, until we can finally purge them,” the voice identified as Saddam answers.’
`Iraq’s massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.
The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.’
That’s a surprise. It never even occurred to me that the US government might have some interest in Iraqi oil fields.
`On New Year’s Eve, the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq passed 3,000. By Tuesday, the death toll had reached 3,004 — 31 more than died in the Sep. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
But the number of injured has far outstripped the dead, with the Veterans Administration reporting that more than 150,000 veterans of the Iraq war are receiving disability benefits.
Advances in military technology are keeping the death rate much lower than during the Vietnam War and World War Two, Dr. Col. Vito Imbascini, an urologist and state surgeon with the California Army National Guard, told IPS, but soldiers who survive attacks are often severely disabled for life.’
‘Three children have hanged themselves after seeing footage of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s execution on television.
10-year-old Sergio Pelico, who hanged himself in Texas, had seen the video of Saddam’s execution and had asked about it before his death, police said today.
“We’re theorising he tried to experiment or mimic the behaviour and it got out of control,” said police captain Thomas Claunch.
Police said the boy apparently went to his room, attached a piece of clothing to a bunk bed and tied it around his neck.’
Followup to Full Saddam Execution Video.
‘Iraq’s national security adviser told NBC News on Wednesday that three individuals have been arrested in connection with a video of Saddam Hussein’s execution that was leaked.
“I can officially now confirm the arrest of three individuals in the case of the execution of Saddam Hussein,” said Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie.
The arrests came after the announcement that officials were interrogating the person suspected of recording Saddam’s hanging via a mobile phone.’
Followup to Full Saddam Execution Video.
`A military nurse who cared for Saddam Hussein in jail said the deposed dictator saved bread crusts to feed birds and seldom complained to his captors, except when he had legitimate gripes.
Master Sgt. Robert Ellis cared for the former Iraqi dictator from January 2004 until August 2005 at Camp Cropper, the compound near Baghdad where Saddam and other “high value detainees” were held. [..]
Saddam told Ellis that cigars and coffee kept his blood pressure down, and it seemed to work. Saddam would insist that Ellis smoke with him.
Ellis said Saddam did not complain much, and, when he did, his complaint was usually legitimate. “He had very good coping skills,” Ellis said.’
`Pledging revenge, hundreds of mourners flocked to Saddam Hussein’s tomb in northern Iraq yesterday, as America mourned the 3000th American soldier to die in the conflict.
Saddam’s hanging on Saturday, shown in a video that swept the internet, has polarised an Iraqi society already on the brink of civil war.
His fellow Sunni Arabs flocked to Awja, near Tikrit, to see his grave and vent their fury at Shiite officials who taunted him on the gallows.
In an outpouring of grief and anger mourners knelt and prayed by his tomb, over which the Iraqi flag had been draped.’
Whether you spell is Sadam or Saddam, he’s still dead. [shrug] 🙂
(4.2meg Flash video)
see it here »
`Shortly after the execution of the dictator Saddam Hussein, his dog Blondi followed the same fate to the gallows. Contrary to Saddam, Blondi’s execution was broadcast live in full length. Some minor complications arose, which dragged out the death struggle to unbearable lengths. Animal activist group PETA has filed a formal complaint to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.’
I don’t think this is the whole video.
Also, a second video with his body.
UPDATE: Full Saddam Execution Video
see it here »
`An Iraqi appeals court on Tuesday upheld Saddam Hussein’s death sentence for crimes against humanity and said he should hang within 30 days.
Human rights groups condemned his trial as seriously flawed and called on the government not to carry out the sentence, which comes amid raging violence between Saddam’s fellow Sunni Arabs and majority Shi’ites.
The White House called the court’s decision a “milestone” in replacing tyranny with rule of law.’
`BRITISH forces have killed seven gunmen and blown up the headquarters of the police serious crimes unit in southern Basra in a raid to rescue prisoners who were about to be killed, the British military said.
Calling the police station a centre of “criminal enterprise” and a symbol of oppression for the city’s residents, the military said the building was demolished with explosives after a pre-dawn assault by around 1000 troops backed by tanks. [..]
British military spokesman Captain Tane Dunlop said the unit had been taking the law into its own hands.
“Crimes unit? That’s pretty much what it does, rather than prevent,” he said.’
`Over the past six months, Baghdad has been all but isolated electrically, Iraqi officials say, as insurgents have effectively won their battle to bring down critical high-voltage lines and cut off the capital from the major power plants to the north, south and west.
The battle has been waged in the remotest parts of the open desert, where the great towers that support thousands of miles of exposed lines are frequently felled with explosive charges in increasingly determined and sophisticated attacks, generally at night. Crews that arrive to repair the damage are often attacked and sometimes killed, ensuring that the government falls further and further behind as it attempts to repair the lines. [..]
“Now Baghdad is almost isolated,” Karim Wahid, the Iraqi electricity minister, said in an interview last week. “We almost don’t have any power coming from outside.”’
`There is very little that sums up the record of the U.S. Congress in the Bush years better than a half-mad boy-addict put in charge of a federal commission on child exploitation. After all, if a hairy-necked, raincoat-clad freak like Rep. Mark Foley can get himself named co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, one can only wonder: What the hell else is going on in the corridors of Capitol Hill these days?
These past six years were more than just the most shameful, corrupt and incompetent period in the history of the American legislative branch. These were the years when the U.S. parliament became a historical punch line, a political obscenity on par with the court of Nero or Caligula — a stable of thieves and perverts who committed crimes rolling out of bed in the morning and did their very best to turn the mighty American empire into a debt-laden, despotic backwater, a Burkina Faso with cable.’
`For the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: “Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?”
A “gotcha” question? Perhaps. But if knowing your enemy is the most basic rule of war, I don’t think it’s out of bounds. And as I quickly explain to my subjects, I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each want? [..]
But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?’
