June 03, 2004
CONTEST! ... Gratuitous References, Superfluous Digs...
I invented, in this post, an imaginary "gratuitous reference to Abu Ghraib." Something we are seeing in the press way too often these days. Tom Bowler suggested a contest. I like it. Then Lyle mentioned another oft-seen gratuitous dig at the President: "...seeking to reverse his declining poll numbers..."
And I'm sure you can think of others. In what many see as an attempt to subtly distance himself from the shadow of his father, President Bush today hailed National Broccoli Month.
So, in a spirit of inclusiveness, all superorogatory jabs at the President are eligible! Invent!
"So what's in it for me?" you ask. That's a pretty selfish attitude in wartime, pal! But in fact, you can win big! Glory, of course, is the only prize sought by a Preux d'Homme Littérateur, but in addition you can win a Random Jottings Coffee Mug! This is a very rare item! In fact it is so rare, it was only thought of half an hour ago. But it will probably eventuate sometime soon.
Update: The problem with this contest is that the New York Times may win! Read this, by Tom Smith, on the NYT's reporting on the President's commencement address at the Air Force Academy. a sample:
...The president's remarks appeared to try to strike a balance between frightening Americans and offering himself as the only choice to lead the nation out of danger and to shore up his credentials as commander in chief in an election year when polls show support for the Iraq war and his presidency declining...The President's speech, by the way, is well worth reading.
Not gold but only men can make...
Take a look at this Memorial Day post by Athena. It has, among other things, the number (or estimates) of battle deaths and wounded for all our wars. Also "other deaths in service" starting with the Mexican War. Interestingly, WWII is the first war where battle deaths are higher than "other deaths in service."
There's also this poem:
A Nation's StrengthWhat makes a nation's pillars high
And it's foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.--Ralph Waldo Emerson
June 02, 2004
A small point cleared up...
Here's an interesting report from Iraq. Worth reading.
One thing I found noteworthy, because I've heard the same story:
...I read another article by a New York Times reporter who compared the term "Haji", which some soldiers have used when referring to an Iraqi person, to the term "gook" used as a derogative in Viet Nam. Again this is not the case. I have asked several Iraqis, including Police Officers and interpreters who have said they feel honored to be called a "Haji" because it refers to some who has made or is trying to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Again, it seems that trying to put down the military is more important than getting the facts straight...I suppose someone might turn Haji into an insult, but it seems unlikely. Anybody hanging around an Arab country knows it's a term of respect.
Gratuitous references...
Best of the Web has started featuring gratuitous references to Abu Ghraib inserted into news stories. At first I found them infuriating. But on second thought, they are good news. Those guys are obviously desperate! The news media thought they had a new Watergate, that would propel them into the stratosphere of moral preening, and also bring their party back into power. But if they have to push the story in such a ridiculous fashion, then obviously the plan isn't working. It's just another news story.
Here's my imaginary gratuitous reference...
CONGLOMERATED PRESS, JUNE 2, 2004: President Bush, seeking to turn attention away from the growing scandal of abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison, sent a message of congratulations to Winifred Wilson, of Oblimquit, Maine, who is 110 years old today. Miss Wilson was a Red Cross volunteer during WWI, an conflict which brings to mind the disturbing stories of abuse and torture perpetrated by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.Winifred Wilson attributes her long life to "always looking on the bright side," and avoiding fatty foods..
June 01, 2004
softball....
There's something just unbelievable in today's Best of the Web. Just scroll down to the section: Salon Asks the Tough Questions. It's about a John Kerry interview in Salon. But Taranto doesn't post any answers. Just the questions. It's devastating.
You've heard of softball questions? This is softball taken to a new level, sort of like when you teach a child to bat, and you wrap your arms around him and hold the bat with him and help slap the ball into left field...
If you read my blog, you know why. It's the seventy-year cycle, and time's run out on the clock. Democrats are desperate, and they are acting crazy.
a culture of experimentation...
Don't miss this piece on Falluja in OpinionJournal. It explains a lot of what's going on:
...What they needed to do was drive wedges into the enemy ranks--divide and conquer. From studying the enemy, the Marines realized the insurgents can be separated into five disparate groups with widely varying goals: foreign fighters (some of whom are very skilled bomb makers), religious extremists, violent criminals released from prison by Saddam and willing to kill for money, Saddam loyalists (those Col. Coleman described as "bloody up to their elbows" in the old regime) and former military personnel.What particularly interested me is the way the Falluja Brigade is considered an experiment:The Saddam-look-alike former general who turned up to help coalition forces in Fallujah notwithstanding, that last group offered the best opportunity. It turns out there are a lot of former military personnel in Fallujah. These are mostly Sunni men who were professional soldiers and are patriotic and proud of their military service. Many sat out the invasion last year believing the coalition's promise that if they abandoned Saddam, they would have a future in the new Iraq. But since the fall of the regime, the coalition hadn't provided them with any opportunity for meaningful work. As a consequence, many were joining the insurgency.
That's when a former Iraqi general stepped forward and promised the Marines that within 24 hours he could assemble 300 Iraqis ready to battle the insurgents. The next day he met his promise and within a few days the ranks of the brigade swelled to 900 men. Col. Coleman tells me there are so many former Iraq soldiers willing to fight insurgents that the "Fallujah Brigade" could easily grow to several thousand if the Marines would let it....
...The Fallujah Brigade, however, doesn't have free rein. The Marines constantly test it to make sure it is fulfilling the coalition's goals. These tests include submitting to civilian rule, taking large-caliber weapons off the streets, ensuring the rule of law is prevailing in the city, working with and positively influencing city fathers, and adhering to all the Geneva Conventions and rules of war that the Marines themselves must follow. So far the brigade is passing these tests...[so much for "turning the city over to the general"]This may sound strange to you, but I don't have a lot a faith in government planning. Nor am I much impressed with the critics of the planning for Iraq, since most of them are touting some wonder-plan that would have made the whole thing a breeze. I don't buy it.
What I find impressive and encouraging is when I see a culture of experimentation and trial-and-error. Feedback. When the people actually in contact with the problem are allowed to try different things, and learn from what works. I've heard that this is characteristic of the culture of the Marine Corps. If you try something and it flops the commander is likely to say, "Well, you learned something, didn't you?"
I was similarly impressed with the CERPs program. We gave our commanders a pile of cash and told them to solve problems in their area. By all reports it has worked very well. The article mentions that the Marines have $500 million to spend in their area. That's smart! (And I'll bet none of it gets embezzled, and little of it gets wasted. Trusting people is the secret of efficiency.)
In fact, I think what we should do is give Bechtel and other similar contractors $10 billion or so each, and tell them to forget the red-tape and just do what's needed! I bet we would get far more bang for our bucks that way. Of course that would hand the Copperheads a political weapon to use against the administration and capitalism. Hmmm. I got it—find a War Democrat and put him in charge! Someone like Zell Miller. Or maybe Armed Liberal.
#158: Hardly worth mentioning...
KRUGMAN TRUTH SQUAD
Things are becoming desperate over at Paul Krugman Headquarters. In Dooh Nibor (06/01/04) he takes a week old "leak" from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and spins it into yet another "tax cuts for the rich" tirade. The trouble is this memo has already been batted around between the Kerry Campaign and the OMB for days now. It's old news to anybody who has been paying attention. Furthermore, the memo itself turns out to be just a mechanical projection that serves as a starting point for budget analysis. It is not a decision document. Here's how the OMB's J.T. Young put it to Reuters in response to Democratic claims of massive spending cuts. "This memo is a process document only. It is a routine, normal part of the budget process. It merely allows us to begin the process of putting together a budget... It is not a decision document. While we intend to hold the line on spending and cut the deficit in half over the next five years, it doesn't mean we can't adequately fund our priorities as is done in the president's current budget as well as in his past budgets."
This is the end of the story. There was no story. Only Krugman could get away with column on the cheap like this because his editors at the Times aren't paying attention either.
[The Truth Squad is a group of economists who have long marveled at the writings of Paul Krugman. The Squad Reports are synopses of their discussions. ]
[Me, I'm in favor of "tax cuts for the rich." My campaign slogan will be, "The more you earn, the lower your tax rate!" ]
May 31, 2004
Travels...
I jut talked with Charlene, who is in Salt Lake City, traveling Eastwith our oldest son Rob, who's off to college at UND. (The other kids and I will fly to Grand Forks when their schools are out, and we will drive back with various sightseeings and diversions.) anyway, Charlene says in Nevada you see big initials painted in white on various mountains. They are the initials of local towns. There's one town called "Battle Mountain," with a giant BM painted on the mountain.
CAFTA
good news on the free-trade front
....The United States has signed a trade agreement with five Central American countries. The five are Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Trade ministers from the six countries signed the agreement in a ceremony Friday at the Washington headquarters of the Organization of American States. The new treaty is known as the Central America Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA.......The Central America Free Trade Agreement is similar to NAFTA. It would bring the Bush administration one step closer to its goal of creating a free trade area. The area would include every country in the western half of the world, except Cuba. The Bush administration is hoping to reach an agreement on the Free Trade Area of the Americas by January two-thousand-five. CAFTA would end taxes on more than eighty-percent of industrial and other goods exported from the United States to Central America. It also would cut taxes on more than fifty-percent of American farm products to Central America. Taxes on most other goods also would be ended over time...
A request...
Tim at CPT Patti has a request. About a documentary film...
...Of his film he says it shows soldiers as who they are. Human beings. See, Mike seems to trust us to be able to handle the fact that human beings are imperfect. So his film isn't one that portrays the US Soldier a la John Wayne. But, more importantly in my mind, it shows soldiers being imperfectly GOOD as well as being imperfectly bad...something that CNN can't seem to do.So far no one will buy Mike's film for showing on TV or other outlet. It isn't that it isn't good. They've told him it is very good! But they think we the public want more of the same crap they show on CNN day in and day out. (I'm guessing prison scandal movie producers are probably in bidding wars for their films).
So here is my special request. I volunteered to pray that a buyer would come forward to buy Mike's film. Really, honestly say a prayer to that effect.
And I'm asking if you will do the same...
Accurate as death upon the stone...
AT THE BRITISH WAR CEMETARY, BAYEUXI walked where in their talking graves
And shirts of earth five thousand lay,
When history with ten feasts of fire
Had eaten the red air away.I am Christ's boy, I cried, I bear
In iron hands the bread, the fishes,
I hang with honey and the rose
This tidy wreck of all your wishes.On your geometry of sleep
The chestnut and the fir-tree fly,
And lavender and marguerite
Forge with their flowers an English sky.Turn now towards the belling town
Your jigsaws of impossible bone,
And rising read your rank of snow
Accurate as death upon the stone.About your easy heads my prayers
I said with syllables of clay,
What gift I asked, shall I bring now
Before I weep and walk away?Take, they replied, the oak and laurel.
Take our fortune of tears and live
Like a spendthrift lover. All we ask
Is the one gift you cannot give.-- Charles Causley
Some oddities found by clicking around...
Click here for instructions on making an ORIGAMI GODZILLA .
And here for a BARCODE CLOCK you could add to your web page. And other barcode art.
(via Zannah)
And if you are going to build a model airplane, don't furf around. A 23" wingspan will give you some real lift. Eight turbine engines...you may never use all that power, but good to know it's there. Bomb capacity...still classified. And yes, it flies.
(Via Boing Boing)
May 30, 2004
Good news in bad packages...
Cori writes:
THE GLASS THAT'S ALWAYS HALF EMPTYOne thing that's been worrying me about Iraq is that we didn't appear to be doing much to promote local small-scale democracy. It seemed like a glaring omission.I'm starting to believe that the New York Times will wait to mention projects or programs in Iraq that reflect real progress, certainly real change in people's lives since Saddam's time, until they can figure out a way to put a negtive spin on their admission.
The wind-up here is a bit long, but bear with me: the pitch is pretty good.
Thus although the CPA has been mentioning for some time that there are literally hundreds of local councils, freely elected, all over Iraq, the real beginnings of democracy not just in Iraq but in the Arab world, (and that in all these elections the Islamists keep losing) only now do they get front page coverage in the Times -- tempered by as much bad news as possible...
But we have! It's been happening, just not getting much attention. The NYT article Cori references spins things to look as horrid as possible, but it is happening. And the article casts a sort of shadow or reverse...I mean, it doesn't quote anybody who is happy or excited about this stuff. Righhht. That may seem credible in Manhattan, but not to me. It conjures up in my mind a whole bunch of other people whose quotes never made it out of the reporter's notebook, or were stripped out by some editor in New York. I hardly know whether to thank the Times for the info, or revile them for coloring it to look as bad as possible.
Negative death-numbers won't melt those hearts of stone...
Katie at Resplendent Mango writes:
Win Without War -- Umm...no... If there was one thing I could drill into the heads of the loony leftists (pointy things not withstanding) it would be the fact that we are not necessarily at peace just because we're not at war. Nor is that faux-peace necessarily better than war. By some estimates, 11,000 Iraqis have died from unnatural causes in the past 14 months. As opposed to approximately 36,000 a year under Saddam. Now, I understand that the Left believes that the US is evil as a matter of faith, but I fail to understand how 25,000 people not dying in the past year, people that would have either starved, or been raped and killed, or dismembered, or buried in mass graves, or some combination thereof, is a bad thing. And that doesn't even count the people who's hands or ears or heads weren't cut off by Saddams thugs. The women who weren't raped by Uday and Qusay. The Olympic soccer players who will not be tortured if they fail at Athens. And now soldiers and government workers are being paid adequately. We spent 12 years trying to Win Without War, and if you're keeping score at home, 12 years times 36,000 people a year is 423,000 people. Give war a chance.Of course saying things like this assumes the Ultras opposed the Battle of Iraq out of conscience. In fact the opposition was purely a matter of politics. If Bush is for it they are opposed. Plus they knew that once battle was joined, they would constantly be forced into verbal contortions, having to pretend to be American, and pretend to "support the troops."UPDATE: I stand corrected. Ed over at Captain's Quarters calculates the number of children dying yearly in Iraq was 50,000. 12 years times 50,000 kids a year is 600,000. Children. And then there were the adults, like the 300,000 Shia who were killed after Gulf War I. Or the conscripts who were forced to fight and die in Saddam's wars against Iran and Kuwait. Or the people that he killed for their beliefs, race, or no reason at all. And that was WINNING?
Having to pretend that sullen silence in the face of allied success was merely "not being jingoistic." And pretend that the spring in their steps and the rosy glow on their cheeks once the Abu Ghraib photos hit, was merely because they loved their country and wanted to correct her hideous faults.
May 29, 2004
not interested in showing the truth...
The next time you hear about brutal Israeli forces terrorizing poor hapless Palestinians, keep this item in mind. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) wants the press to see what they are doing! Begged for it! But the truth would interfere with the Party Line, so "no dice."
Jerusalem Post:...In an attempt to get the foreign media to report what is actually happening on the ground in Gaza, the IDF's spokesman's unit pleaded with foreign news agencies to join IDF forces in their operations and see for themselves. By mid-week, the IDF had to admit that the attempt was an abject failure. Almost no one took them up on the offer. The foreign media is not interested in showing the truth. They simply want to criminalize Israel...And despite lies to the contrary, the US embed program is still open for business. But guess what? Surprise, surprise! Hardly any reporters are willing to join. They would rather sit in the hotel bar and compose stories about how the secretive Bush administration is probably covering up crimes.
We support the troops...if they arrive on rubber rafts...
Just your ordinary everyday LeftLunacy. Olympia does not welcome a visit from the USS Olympia!
South Sound -The Olympian:The visit was cancelled.(I think the name of that ship should be changed forthwith. Perhaps there is some patriotic coastal town that would like to put out the welcome mat, and offer their name.)
OLYMPIA -- Concerns about the possible arrival of a nuclear-powered submarine in about 10 days has prompted officials to take action.The City Council on Tuesday voted 4-3 -- with Mayor Mark Foutch and members Jeanette Hawkins and Doug Mah dissenting -- to draft a resolution opposing the arrival of the USS Olympia and send the message that the vessel is not welcome here. A public hearing to consider the item is set for May 25.
Councilman TJ Johnson, who made the motion, said he is concerned about the community's safety and the secrecy surrounding the submarine's arrival. The council did not learn of the submarine until last week, he said.
"It is a publicly financed killing machine; there is no other way to look at this," he said...(thanks to orbital)
New slogan: Vote For Kerry. He Supports our Troops. (nudge nudge wink wink.)
He makes the ankle-biters look puny...
After being exposed to so much of the infantile carping and sneering of Paul Krugman, it's a keen pleasure to encounter an economist one can admire! Australian Tony McDonald just jumped in and did a great job of work.
The Daily Telegraph | Economist who became a hero:...Before he returned after 10 months service in January, Mr McDonald rose through the ranks of the provisional authority to be senior adviser to Iraqi finance minister Kamal al-Gailani. He helped get payments out to a million pensioners and 1.3 million civil servants through a chaotic banking system.In a letter to Treasurer Peter Costello, Iraq administrator Paul Bremmer said he "often acted solely upon Tony's macro- economic advice".
Under Saddam, the tax system consisted mostly of imposts on business and very high tariffs, designed to maintain the regime's monopoly on smuggling. Banks were not linked and money was safer "under the bed". Pensioners were paid $US4 a month and public servants' pay depended on how much they contributed to the regime's coffers.
"We were essentially dealing with a gangster economy. No one was happy with it but people had to live within it," he said."It is in the process of being rearranged to be very much more simple, with much more objective measures of overall income."...
Some things change less than you imagine...
Peter Burnet writes:
We tend to imagine that appeasement in the 1930's was an expression of collective fear whereby people cowered in their homes and, somewhat guiltily, refused to concern themselves with Hitler’s threats or his victims. In fact, it was an aggressivly idealistic force that was marked by a gradual demonizing of those victims, a preoccupation with the “underlying causes” of totalitarianism, a scorning of moral distinctions, utopian dreams and a constant blaming of all things Western and democratic for– well, just about everything. For many, it was an inspiring, cutting edge cause that filled young and not-so-young hearts with a sense of noble purpose and the conviction they were fighting for a just and peaceful world.
"two and a half million refugees have returned..."
Tom Bowler pointed me to this interesting piece on Tony Blair and Afghanistan:
...Mr Blair denied that Afghanistan was a "forgotten country". He said: "It is neither forgotten nor is it a country that is going backwards." Conceding that there was "more to do", he said: "The actual prognosis for Afghanistan is good. Sure there are big problems. These nations are failed states of total and absolute degradation. You don't turn them around in two or three years so they become first world countries en route to joining the European Union. It's not like that for a country like Afghanistan."It's called "voting with your feet." People are also streaming into Iraq. It's the Left's worst nightmare. (Since at least 1917.)He said it was "absolutely wrong and unfortunate" if people thought no progress had been made in Afghanistan over the past two or three years.
"There are five and a half million kids in school including over two million girls who were banned from school. The economy has grown by 30 per cent this year and is expected to grow by 20 per cent. The most telling statistic is that two and a half million refugees have returned to Afghanistan," he said.
Donald Anderson, chairman of the select committee, issued a statement challenging his own committee members. "The Independent report is more newspaper spin than any considered view of the committee as a whole," he said...
Pray tell, how many people are pressing into the areas that the UN is "protecting?" How many of the many many French incursions into Africa have resulted in places people want to get into?
May 28, 2004
Unsound advice...
Joe Carter has a thoughtful critique of General Zinni, A General Misunderstanding.
From his conclusion:
...I have the utmost respect for General Zinni, a man who served his country with honor and distinction. In fact, if this were a different era, I’d even support his nomination as Secretary of Defense. His ideas -- containment, forming international coalitions, preferring stability over democracy -- could form the foundation for a Cold War-era defense policy.But we are not locked in a standoff with the Soviet Union. The UN doesn’t possess the legitimacy it once had. And we are fighting radical Islam rather than communism. Gen. Zinni’s ideas once had relevance. But that day has long passed and we cannot afford to listen to such unsound advice. Even when it comes from one of the good guys.
May 27, 2004
More on the Abu Ghraib seven...
Remember the seven Iraqis...hands chopped off? And American doctors and hospitals donated time and effort to help them? Gave them amazing prosthetic hands? That seemed to me like a fascinating, heartwarming story. One that would sell newspapers.
President Bush greeted them at the White House yesterday. Good for him. But our vile despicable America-hating press doesn't consider that "News Fit to Print." Us morons of the public need to be shielded from news that doesn't make America look bad, and doesn't help Kerry.
...But the New York Times, which has offered perhaps the most hysterical coverage of the prison scandal, mentioned not a word in Wednesday editions of the seven torture victims.Utterly disgusting. And also a form of theft--the editors who suppress interesting stories for political reasons, or from a general loathing of the things ordinary Americans find heartwarming, don't own the paper. The stockholders do. Their profits are being sacrificed to please the lefty whims of the employees.That other elite media cheerleader for the U.S. prison scandal, the Washington Post, was nearly as bored as the Times by the Abu Ghraib seven, offering only a few scant references to the Oval Office event in its Wednesday editions.
After introducing the Iraqi torture victims, Bush went on to thank the Texas businessman and surgeon who made their rehabilitation possible and offered to take questions from the reporters on hand.
But the only "torture" journalists wanted to discuss was that allegedly perpetrated by U.S. troops.
"Mr. President, can you say why General Sanchez is being replaced as the top commander in Iraq? Is that in any way related to the prisoner abuse scandal?" asked the first questioner.
Likewise, the second reporter's question had nothing to do with the genuine torture victims sitting in front of him.
After two more off-topic questions, the president thanked the reporters and ended the session. [link]
Infuriating, but it's one more reason to savor the crushing of the Democrats next November...
Update: Take a look at this, in Volokh.
Things you might have missed while reading about prisoner abuse, Chalabi, prisoner abuse, Chalabi, al Sadr, prisoner abuse, bombed out wedding, Chalabi and prisoner abuse...
Chrenkof is back, with Good news from Iraq, part II
You've seen the first installment - now prepare for the sequel. Because guess what? There's more good news from Iraq that every day slips under the radar or gets lost among all the bad publicity. So, after the phenomenal response to the first "Good news from Iraq", and back by popular demand, here's more good news from Iraq that you might have missed while reading about prisoner abuse, Chalabi, prisoner abuse, Chalabi, al Sadr, prisoner abuse, bombed out wedding, Chalabi and prisoner abuse...The one I liked most:
In fact, the economy is going so well, that hundreds of thousands of Iranians... are believed to have crossed into Iraq since the fall of Saddam, looking for work, setting up businesses and buying property...It's called 'voting with your feet." Some of the estimates claim millions of Iranians. Of course all those Iranians may cause problems. But they are also both coming for and causing economic development.
Keep 'em in mind when the ditzy crowd says we aren't accomplishing anything in Iraq. Iranians are "voting" the opposite. SO, lefty Democrats, how many people are moving to Cuba to enjoy your much-touted "worker's paradise?"
"Why stand we here idle?"
It is in vain, sir, to extentuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.
--Patrick Henry
"are we going to be OK if the coalition forces left the country..."
Is there hope for Iraq? My friend Andrew thinks the Iraqis will tear themselves apart once we leave. But oddly, none of the Iraqi bloggers I read seem worried about the question...
Firas writes:
For a Monday it shouldn’t be so traffic jam in Baghdad, but it is today, with a very hot weather and imagine how it is to drive long distances…….. Any way what I noticed for the few passed days that we have many many check points by IPs [Iraqi Police] in all over Baghdad and they are started new procedures that we even forgot about for about a year now. They are stopping cars without license plates and stopping imported cars with license plates from UAE or Jordan if its being drove not during ministries working hours. I even saw an IP car modified for arresting criminals or any street disturbance which wasn’t seen before because what was left of the IPs and what we started with after April 2003 wasn’t ready to arrest anyone actually they were ready to be killed or beaten by the armed gangs in all over Baghdad who are starting to disappear or being arrested and send to Abo Ghraib jail……….I even was invited to a friend wedding last Friday with my family and we went out the party at 10.00 PM and they weren’t finished yet and the streets were secured all our way home………And there is a very important thing to tell here, all that is with out the coalition forces help anymore, I mean the IPs started to depend on their own resources and doing there job by them selves.I think the "Iraqis (or Afghans, or former Soviet Republics) will slaughter each other if the strong leader is removed" line has always been mostly a comfort to those who hate risk and love stability. And who have lost the belief in Liberty as something worth taking risks for. You always hear it from comfortable Western outsiders. Never from the people actually affected.Few weeks ago I was thinking about a very important matter which is, are we going to be OK if the coalition forces left the country or we will face the kayos again……..Until a month ago I used to feel that we need the coalition forces to stay in streets, but now I can say and for sure that if the coalition forces left or stayed inside bases then we can depend on the IPs and the ICDCs and later on the Iraqi army to secure those who are working hard to rebuild the country. But we will need the coalition forces or what ever it’s turning to after the beginning of next July to help rebuilding new methods of working and procedures for our new establishments and ministries. That’s something is really needed after the corruption we had before April 2003 when the ext regime used to pay its employees less than two US Dollars a month and expect them to keep going to work spending about five US Dollars a month for transportation only. You can imagine how was it difficult to live those days....
No Iraqis (except the Ba'athist elite) ever said, "Please leave Saddam in power. We are terrified of the possibility of civil unrest."
May 26, 2004
#158: Job-o-Meter
KRUGMAN TRUTH SQUAD
You've all heard of the one-trick pony of circus fame. Well Paul Krugman in Delusions of Triumph (05/25/04) has now become a one-trick economist. Once again it’s jobs, jobs, jobs. The reason is simple. Every other measure of U.S. economic performance is stellar. So if you want to grind a partisan ax you find the weakest statistic and pretend it reflects the entire economy. This must be the 5th or 6th recycling of the same "jobs" column.
But even here, Krugman is running out of gas. We are setting up a “Krugman Job-o-Meter” based on the chart he used in his April 9, 2004 column (see Squad Report #149). The hatched extension in the chart below shows the pattern of job creation since that column was written. We will update it monthly (the next report is June 4th). Krugman will certainly never show this chart again!
Dum-de-dum-dum.
[The Truth Squad is a group of economists who have long marveled at the writings of Paul Krugman. The Squad Reports are synopses of their discussions. ]
Wow. I never heard of this guy...
The guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon, named for World War II hero Rear Adm. Chung-Hoon, sits in a dock at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., after it was turned over from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems to the Navy during ceremonies Monday. The destroyer will be commissioned Sept. 18 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and will be home-ported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor as a member of the Pacific Fleet. Chung-Hoon, who died in 1979, received the Navy Cross for his leadership after a kamikaze attack in 1945 left several of his crew dead and his ship, the USS Sigsbee, severely crippled.
William Colgin, The (Pascagoula) Mississippi Press / AP photo
More on the 70-Year Cycle...
In one of my posts on the subject of party realignment, and the theory of 70-year cycles of realignments in American politics, Lance Jonn Romanoff posted a comment and suggested the book Nemesis of Reform by Clyde Weed. I'm reading it with great interest. Thanks! (and thanks to Zev for suggesting Grand Old Party. Also very good.)
The book is about how the Republicans reacted to the realignment that made the Democrats the majority party in the 1930's, after Republican dominance since the Civil War. I probably won't find time to write about the book in any way that does it justice. But I've encountered a number of interesting items that seem to parallel things that are happening now.
The latest lying spin...
The Paper Formerly Known As The Paper Of Record (To borrow Rand Simberg's phrase) is forced to report that lab reports confirm the Sarin found in Iraq. But they are downplaying it like mad, mentioning the minor symptoms of those who handled the shell, but not mentioning the thousands it could have killed if the Sarin had been properly mixed and dispersed.
And pushing the new "stockpile" spin.
...Saddam's alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction was the Bush administration's chief stated reason for invading Iraq, but U.S. weapons hunters have been unable to validate the prewar intelligence that described those stockpiles...This is just as much a lie as the "imminent threat" lie. (but of course any lie is justifiable if it shows "Bush lied.")
Go here to see what was actually said. State of the Union, January 2003. Scroll down to near the bottom. Notice something? Every single thing Bush said about Iraqi WMD's is still valid! Still TRUE! Still cause for concern.
Thanks to Powerline for the links.
May 25, 2004
The Internet routes around obstacles...
Says a pompous idiot:
..The press isn't reporting bad news from Iraq because they hate America, they're reporting bad news from Iraq because there's lots of bad news in Iraq...Says someone who actually knows:
...The enemy has returned to the tactics of the weak….primarily coming after us with IEDs. And not with very much success. The Marines are very competent at finding the things now and, more importantly, local Iraqis, Iraqi Police, and Iraqi militia are telling us where they are or destroying them on their own. That is a significant step towards our ultimate goal. Much of our effort has turned to training Iraqi Security Forces (ISF); both on joint patrols and in training centers we have built over the last months. Result is a quantum improvement in ISF confidence and capabilities and the development of trust and camaraderie between ISF and the Marines conducting the training.. This training combines with our efforts to improve the quality of the average Iraqi life…hard to shoot at someone who is building you a school. The RCT has put almost $5M against schools, clinics, water projects, sewage projects, and ISF infrastructure. We are starting to see the fruits of our efforts This is a mission requiring patient persistence and it is working. Please keep that in the back of your mind when the nay-sayers start screaming...There is both good and bad news from Iraq. They should both be reported, but the Media Wing of the Democrat Party only reports the bad. Then Pompous gets to say, there's lots of bad news in Iraq.
C.A. Tucker
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps [link. RTWT]
CO, RCT-7.
If you are reading this you are part of "routing around obstacles." The campaign of suppressio veri suggestio falsi won't last forever. In fact, I'm expecting it to unravel just around October.
Nineteen hours in the air. No smiling flight attendants. No reclining chairs. No in-flight movie...
You should take a look at this, just so that, when next you are suffering the misery of air travel, you can put it all in perspective.
They do seem to have lots of leg room...
Thanks to Donald Sensing
