Truck and Barter

Sara wrote:

Return to Samarra: Imminent Victory in Iraq
August 31st, 2008
by Gary Larson
Vets for Freedom (VFF) revisit former battle stations in Iraq . . . and find victory is at hand. Not good news for the defeatists and news media.

It has mostly vanished from front pages, a battle nearly won — at least in Iraq, with more to do globally and in Afghanistan. News on inside pages now tell of homicide bombers' attacks by young females, so desperate is al Qaeda. But it is mostly quiet on the Iraq Front. Unless capitulation as sought (yet!) by the irresolute, victory is at hand.

Reason for popping the cork? Not yet. But indisputably, the U.S.-led coalition is winning. Even the well-meaning anti-war crowd (as opposed to “crazies”) might not like to admit it's close to over, and how that must hurt that cut-and-run crowd. Shall we all shed a tear for them?

False premises abound. Slogans such as “He Lied Us Into War” and “No WMDs” and the granddaddy of them all, “No Blood for Oil!,” take the place of cold hard logic and stubborn fact. Whoppers, yes, but like most mindless slogans of a ranting mob, these are articles of faith for the myopic, usually intensely partisan anti-war clique.

Truth be told, success leaves the anti-war folks a rather gloomy bunch. Think of the America First supporters after Pearl Harbor, when reality hit, and the turncoat Copperheads during the Civil War. Short-sighted losers all, selling their nation and its military short, they became intractable prisoners of a limited worldview, a sort of time warp, suffering from vision impairment. Like that “S” word on bumper stickers, it happens.

Winning battles is somehow bad news also to mainstream American media (MSM). Many a liberal Democrat and their media allies are reluctant to acknowledge imminent victory, let alone celebrate it. Today a fragile, hard-won new democracy exists in Iraq. Bad news?

Silence of the left-liberal class suggests an unwillingness to admit they were wrong. Big fat egos get in the way, and the baggage of past utterances. Nay-sayers even to coalition's surge, a most logical thing, the vision-impaired folks insist, as did their hero John Kerry, this war is the “wrong war,” at the “wrong time” and “unwinnable.” Oh?

Imagine a bloodless, 100% politically correct war, and a splendid time for one. Try never? In this case, a regime which shot at UN aircraft, ignored UN sanctions, subsidized terror elsewhere, provided shelter for al Qaeda, invaded and raped its neighbors, murdered its Kurds, etc., brought it on. The Saddam-led force was sworn to evil. Remember Iraqi SCUDS raining down on Tel Aviv? Opera-goers going to concerts with gas masks on their belts? Like the horrors of 9/11, how soon we forget. Contrast this to World War II when the rallying cry was “Remember Pearl Harbor!”

Accepting defeat willingly, putting down our nation's military as inept or worse, as criminal, is emblematic of the new hard Left. To those doggedly pessimistic, “Amerika” can do no good. The tawdry blame-America syndrome strikes. It seems to pop up in every generation. Could it be, ah, a result of the nation's educational structure? Just a not-so-wild speculation, that . . .

Such negativism, such passivity in the face of darkness, would trump the requisite war victory, possibly with an eye to the next election cycle. Laying down one's arms would leave the field open to enemies by declaring neutrality rules. Shameful, yes, but hardly new. Such cowardice, shall we say?, in the face of evil, can come back to bite the rear-ends of the peace-at-all-cost types.

Devilishly shrewd Machiavelli described it this way in 1513: “One who is not your friend will want you to remain neutral. Irresolute princes, to avoid present dangers, usually follow the path of neutrality, and are mostly ruined by it.” (The Prince at Chap. 21). Who needs Nostradamus?

House Speaker Nancy (“Save the Planet”) Pelosi and nasty slanderers of our military, such as Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), tried their damnedest to bring the troops home in ignoble defeat, leaving the field to the enemy, and good Iraqis dangling in the wind.

When the “pull out now” stance of the anti-war crowd is pointed out, or even hinted at, their sole refuge is to hide behind a claim that they are being labeled unpatriotic, not truly American. It's a bogus claim. How about calling them . . . naive? Geopolitically challenged? Clueless? Obtuse?

Against this dreary backdrop, a patriotic group of ex-Iraq and Afghanistan war vets is seeking to showcase imminent victory in Iraq. Their message goes largely ignored by the liberal MSM, not really a surprise, considering the selective reporting and liberal-left agenda pushing.

They call themselves Vets for Freedom (VFF). Theirs is a non-partisan group out to set the record straight about where they served, in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are led by U.S. Army Capt. Peter Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran from Minnesota and a Princeton University grad ('03).

Hegseth and other VFFers returned this summer to their former duty stations. Hegseth went back to Samarra, Iraq. What he found and reported on did not get a lot of ink back home, or air time, with a few exceptions. (C-Span interviewed him!) Blogs, bless them, reported extensively on his and colleagues' return to war zones. Thank God for responsible blogs's truth-telling.

“What I’ve seen in Samarra,” Hegseth writes, “and [what's] happening throughout Iraq, is enough to make Americans of either party proud. After years of getting it wrong — or at best, only partly correct — today we are winning the war and setting the conditions for an enduring peace in that country, even in perpetual al Qaeda cesspools like Samarra.

“Faced with a determined enemy, hell-bent on bringing America to her knees in Mesopotamia, American military will, its adaptability, and might, are carrying the day,” he writes at the well-designed VFF blog. (Check it out at www.vetsforfreedom.org.)

To those who say al Qaeda was not in the forefront, he responds: “I challenge anyone to walk the streets of Fallujah, Baqubah, Samarra, or elsewhere in Iraq, and tell the locals that their city — their neighborhoods — have NOT been al Qaeda battlefronts.

“Every Samarran I spoke with — every single one — brought up al Qaeda, pronouncing the name with a guttural disdain distinct in Iraqi accents. Most have had a family member killed by al Qaeda’s indiscriminate tactics, and have no desire to live in their seventh-century fantasy world.

“A few months ago, a raid south of Samarra uncovered the primary administrative hub for al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). The bunker complex — piled high with medical records, travel documents and pay stubs — was where foreigners were sent before receiving their suicide assignments. Al Qaeda literature and videos littered the underground headquarters.”

(Why wasn't this data-rich raid given more attention in MSM? Did it not fit a preconception?)

Party-line defeatists argue Iraq is a “distraction” from the real war. (Afghanistan apparently is the real deal.) One-sided war critics also claim, without evidence, that the presence of coalition forces perpetuates new-breed hatred for Americans, thereby creating more radical Muslim jihadists.

But Michael Moore's lie-laced 9/11 film probably produced more hatred, and it's drawing SRO audiences lapping up his anti-American, Bush-hating diatribe in Middle East cinemas. (One wonders how many U.S. “troops” Moore has killed or maimed by his anti-American rhetoric. That question is off the table to Democrats, who attended its premier in droves, and the MSM. Shhh.)

Peacekeeping? In Iraq? Who said anything about that? Soldiers serving are more than tolerated for the peace they bring to once-embattled neighborhoods, reports Hegseth. Some GI's are adored, and given spartan gifts, for bringing peace and hope to reclaimed neighborhoods. In some places they are now celebrated as heroes, a dastardly fact the MSM are loathe to report.

As to “distraction,” anti-war pundits have it backwards, argues Hegseth. “Iraq has actually proven to be a distraction for al Qaeda,” he says. On the run, losing badly, it throws the evil-doers off track. How many lives have been saved by al Qaeda attacks NOT executed in Iraq and elsewhere? That will be forever a matter for speculation — another question the anti-war mavens would prefer not engage.

Hegseth calls al Qaeda's decision to go full-bore into Iraq in 2003 a “strategic blunder.” His assessment is validated by intercepted letters between al Qaeda leaders. They bemoan their huge losses, their loss of control. This fact, too, gets scant mention in MSM.

It would have been a “strategic blunder” if coalition forces were withdrawn before victory, in accordance with some politician's timetable. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory would seem especially stupid to some, but not to the anti-war freaks.

Some still naively insist, Hegseth observes, that if we left Iraq high and dry — but not, for some inscrutable reason, Afghanistan — everything will be hunky dory. And the tooth fairy exists?

What particularly bothers Hegseth (and yours truly) is “the self-aggrandizing notion that opposing the Iraq war then [at the beginning] automatically devalues the importance of the endeavor today.”

A member of the New York National Guard, Capt. Hegseth stresses the incongruity of the war critics' stance with today's reality: “Today’s hardcore Iraq war detractors — politicians, pundits, polemicists alike — all use the same lines of argument to smear the importance of the Iraq war at every turn.”

“My experiences in Samarra,” he adds, “and facts of the new counterinsurgency strategy [of General Patrias, or “General Betrayus” to the anti-military Left] directly refute this. As we have surged into neighborhoods — to protect the Iraqi people, earning their trust, and benefiting from their help — violence has dropped, and locals have turned against the jihadists.”

Terrorist and weapons caches are being singled out by local Iraqis now, reporting to coalition forces to scoop them up. The decline in violence may not sit well with war protesters, or enhance their candidates' chances, but it's quite true. Even The New York Times says so, and every fair-minded person knows its stridently anti-war, anti-”W” bias.

Reluctantly, some anti-war pushers are brought kicking and screaming to a realization “we” (now including them, as Johnny-come-Latelys) are winning. Still puzzled, though, by “our” war aims, they continue to pile on the administration they so despise (hate is not too strong a word), which merely spared the nation of another 9/11. Such is the nature of true irony.

Thanks to political courage and military will and self-sacrifice, Americans can, if they will, take pride in victory in and for 25 million Iraqi citizens and, coming later with NATO help, victory also in mountainous Afghanistan. Freedom is not free, we are constantly reminded, by combat deaths and the wounded, and the immense debt. But then, freedom never did come on the cheap.

The world is watching. “Whether Americans like it or not,” Pete Hegseth concludes: “What ultimately happens on the streets of Samarra — militarily, politically, economically — will reverberate through the Middle East and the world. Will our allies and our enemies see a strong America that wins its wars and stands by its friends?” Or not? Aye, that is the question.

* * *

Author's note: Vets for Freedom's efforts to tell Americans about their realities of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been much reported. Capt. Peter Hegseth's VFF was denied an educational platform even in his hometown, Forest Lake, Minnesota. At the 11th hour the local American Legion post stepped forward to give local citizens an opportunity to hear from the touring Vets for Freedom. My article on this city's effrontery to our military, as also reprinted in Hegseth's local newspaper, was first published here as “Outrage in Minnesota: Spurning Our Military Heroes.”See:

http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/03/27/outrage-in-minnesota-spurning-our-military-heroes/

http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/08/31/return-to-samarra-imminent-victory-in-iraq/

-- September 1, 2008 3:24 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Vets for Freedom ad: Acknowledge our victory!
August 26, 2008
by Ed Morrissey

Vets for Freedom has a new ad released that demands acknowledgment from Democratic Party officials that the surge succeeded in stabilizing Iraq. VFF makes the lack of recognition personal in this spot, with Iraq War veterans making the point that they comprised the surge, and that they deserve the recognition that comes with victory:

SEE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wM5BEBtS_8

QUOTE:

Vets for Freedom Chairman Pete Hegseth, a decorated former Army infantry platoon leader in Baghdad, said in a statement: “Vets for Freedom will not stand by and let the incredible progress of our troops go unnoticed by the American public and lawmakers from either side of the aisle.

Hegseth is at the convention to tell lawmakers, delegates and the press about his observation during a recent return to Iraq.

“It is essential that our top legislators — regardless of party — understand the importance of victory in Iraq, the consequences of defeat and the success of the surge,” Hegseth said. “Sen. Obama has said that he would still oppose the surge if given another opportunity and has pointed to every outside factor but the surge to explain improvements in Iraq. We hope he will listen to the veterans who have served there and support this important resolution for the sake of the troops.”

===end quote==

VFF focuses on one particular Democrat in their pursuit of recognition: Barack Obama. Even the New York Times reports that the surge “clearly” has succeeded; why can’t Obama? Just as clearly, any acknowledgment that the surge succeeded would serve as an admission that Obama got it wrong in January 2007 and continued getting it wrong ever since.

In other words, political considerations outweigh the truth for Barack Obama, and outweigh the right these veterans have to the recognition not just of their service, but of their victory.

You can add your voice to the Vets for Freedom effort to have the people who would command our military acknowledge the fruits of their efforts by calling or writing Obama and other Democrats.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/08/26/vets-for-freedom-ad-acknowledge-our-victory/

-- September 1, 2008 3:31 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

War on Terror Update
Confidence in War on Terror and Iraq at Highest Level Ever
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Voter confidence in the War on Terror is at the highest level ever recorded since Rasmussen Reports began regular tracking in January 2004. Fifty-four percent (54%) of American voters now think the United States and its allies are winning the war. The previous high-water mark for optimism--52%--was reached a handful of times in September and October 2004.

Optimism about the situation in Iraq is also at an all-time high. Forty-eight percent (48%) now expect the situation in that troubled country to get better over the next six months. In addition to being the most optimistic assessment ever recorded, these numbers reflect a remarkable turnaround over the past year. Last August, just 27% thought things were going to get better while 47% were pessimistic. Now, only 17% expect things to get worse

Looking longer term, voters are evenly divided as to whether history will judge the mission in Iraq as a success or failure. Thirty-eight percent (38%) offer an optimistic assessment while 41% say the opposite. Seventy-three percent (73%) of Republicans think history will look kindly on the effort in Iraq while 63% of Democrats disagree. Unaffiliated voters are divided on the question.

These numbers also reflect an amazing turnaround over the past year. In August a year ago, 57% thought history would judge the U.S. mission in Iraq to be a failure. At that time, just 29% thought it would be viewed a success.

Voters remain divided on whether or not the country is safer today than it was before September 11, 2001. While 41% of voters believe it is safer today, 40% disagree.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/war_on_terror/war_on_terror_update

-- September 1, 2008 3:35 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

I was hoping to find the board had a new page.. so yes, I was checking for it. :)
TY.

NEIL wrote: "Sara: Great article on Palin. This is a woman who sounds a lot like you Sara and has my 100% support from this point forward."

Thanks, Neil for the compliment. She is a Sara after all. ;)
She is a good candidate.
A key point I take from it all is that she is more qualified to be VP than Obama is to be President. Any time they attack her "readiness" the argument can be made against Obama. It is like pointing out with an accusing finger - only to have the other four pointing back at you. Hypocrisy is very apparent in this.

Sara.

-- September 1, 2008 3:47 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Zogby Poll: Equilibrium in the POTUS Race!
McCain/Palin at 47%, compared to 45% support for Obama/Biden.
Brash McCain pick of AK Gov. Palin neutralizes historic Obama speech, stunts the Dems' convention bounce
8/30/2008

UTICA, New York - Republican John McCain's surprise announcement Friday of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate - some 16 hours after Democrat Barack Obama's historic speech accepting his party’s presidential nomination - has possibly stunted any Obama convention bump, the latest Zogby Interactive flash poll of the race shows.

The latest nationwide survey, begun Friday afternoon after the McCain announcement of Palin as running mate and completed mid-afternoon today, shows McCain/Palin at 47%, compared to 45% support for Obama/Biden.

In other words, the race is a dead heat.

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews1547.html

-- September 1, 2008 8:38 AM ∞

Bob wrote:

Anymore word on the rebasing or zero lopping of the Iraqi currency?

-- September 1, 2008 9:38 AM ∞

cornishboy wrote:

This came from another forum Proof lop can jumpstart economy

Let's assume we do not get any instant profit rv, should we bail on the investment?
Graphs from Turkish Lira situation not only indicate lop stimulated growth but also disclosed funds (investing in Turkey) that were available in the US also gained in correlation.

Funds would minimize exposure to the volatility of individual stocks. Those waiting for US based Iraq investment funds may have opportunity sooner than they realize.
[size="2"]
These graphs are very telling.[/SIZE]

DELIVERED AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE HELD ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCHING OF THE YTL PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN, ANKARA, ON
23 SEPTEMBER 2004
Distinguished members of the press and dear guests,
We have now approximately three months before seeing the realization of our wish that we have long dreamt of. Welcome to the publicity conference held on the occasion of launching the information campaign for removing six zeroes from our currency. I salute you on my and my friends’ behalf.

VIEW "ISE3yr" graph- notice when the ISE (Istanbul Stock Exchange) 100 Index began its upward climb.

September 2004- same time Lop officially announced

Steadily gaining 4x over the next 2 years.

Morgan Stanley had a Turkish Investment Fund at the same time
VIEW "TKF" graph

Clearly indicates we can still make considerable returns on investment. But how much? As the graphs only went thru Oct 06, I assumed it probably was the end of the gain (typical of charts to show positive info) and pulled the Oct 06 chart to current of the "TKF".

VIEW "Turkish investment fund" graph.

As expected, a steep decline followed. Those who took some profit at/near the apex may also have been able to benefit by buying again when Index bottomed.

It is impossible to always buy at the lowest point and sell at the highest point but the bottom line is a lop does not rule out profitability.

We need to keep an eye out for an Iraq Investment Funds popping up.

One name to watch for is Auerbach Grayson Global. I read an article in Trader Daily- they have brokers in every country imaginable...



Some foreign investors may also choose to exit the Saudi market after making a one-off exchange rate gain from the revaluation, the study added.
http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/...udibourse.aspx

-- September 1, 2008 2:44 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

cornish_boy - the full link on that last article would be appreciated, if you have it. :)

Sara.

-- September 1, 2008 4:46 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

US hands over former Sunni rebel hotspot to Iraq
Sept 1 2008

RAMADI, Iraq (AFP) - Iraqi forces on Monday took control of the Sunni Anbar province, once the most explosive battlefield in Iraq, from the US military, symbolising the growing security gains in the war-torn country.

The transfer ceremony at the governate building in the provincial capital of Ramadi marked the handover of the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces.

Anbar, once a flashpoint of anti-American insurgency and later an Al-Qaeda stronghold, is the first Sunni province to be returned to Baghdad's Shiite-led government.

"I would like to announce that the (Anbar) transfer from the US to Iraqi forces is done," said Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security advisor, at the handover ceremony.

US President George W. Bush said the transfer of Anbar was a defeat for Al-Qaeda.

"Today, Anbar is no longer lost to Al-Qaeda -- it is Al-Qaeda that lost Anbar," he said in a statement.

"Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people. This achievement is a credit to the courage of our troops, the Iraqi security forces, and the brave tribes and other civilians from Anbar who worked alongside them," Bush added.

Police said tens of thousands of Iraqi and US troops were on alert for the handover across the vast desert province in western Iraq, home to some two million people.

US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker and the top commander of American forces, General David Petraeus, said Iraqi forces had already been operating independently for the past two months in Anbar.

"The provincial and military leadership in Anbar will have to work cooperatively in order to attain the sustainable security necessary for long-term economic prosperity," they said in a joint statement.

The US military said the transfer of security "does not necessarily mean that the security situation is stable or better."

"It means the government and the provincial authorities are ready to take the responsibility for handling it."

After the transfer, US forces are to withdraw to their bases and take part in military operations only if requested by the provincial governor.

Sunni Arabs in Anbar were the first to turn against US forces after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime by US-led invasion forces in 2003, mounting a raging insurgency that tore through the world's most sophisticated military.

In the first years after the invasion, Iraq's biggest province became the theatre of a brutal war focused on the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, while a string of towns along the Euphrates valley became insurgent strongholds and later safe havens for Al-Qaeda.

Mamoon Sami Rashid, the governor of Anbar, said the security transfer was achieved after a "lot of sacrifices and shedding of blood."

"Al-Qaeda has committed some of the biggest massacres in this province. We have lost some big personalities," he said, singling out Abdul Sattar Abu Reesha, the Sunni sheikh who launched the first anti-Qaeda Sahwa (Awakening) group in Anbar and was killed a year ago in a car bomb attack.

Around one third of US fatalities, or 1,305 troops, have been in Anbar which borders Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.

The brutal Al-Qaeda-led insurgency also killed around 6,000 civilians in the province, according to independent website Iraqbodycount.org.

The violence in Anbar began ebbing only after local Sunni Arab tribes -- weary of Al-Qaeda's extreme brutality -- revolted against the jihadists in September 2006 and sided with US forces.

Sunni tribes formed Sahwa groups and within a year the province became the safest in Iraq.

Security officials, meanwhile, told AFP that Iraq's death toll in August was down by around seven percent from the previous month.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080901/world/iraq_unrest_us_anbar

-- September 1, 2008 4:49 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Bahrain King names first ambassador to Iraq
8/31/2008
Xinhuanet

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa on Sunday officially named Salah al-Maliki as its first ambassador to Iraq since the Year 2003, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported.

The report said that al-Maliki, 34, will head to Iraq after taking the oath before the king, and he will be stationed in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone compound housing Iraqi government offices and the U.S. embassy.

Maliki, who has also served at the United Nations in New York, will be the Gulf state's youngest ambassador.

Early in March, Bahrain announced the reopening of its embassy in Iraq as part of its efforts to boost ties with Baghdad. The decision came after Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had named their ambassadors to Iraq.

No Arab country has had a permanent ambassador in the Iraqi capital since Egypt's envoy was kidnapped and killed in 2005.

However, the United States has been pressing the Arab governments to help the Iraqi government by forgiving debts and establishing high-level diplomatic representation.

http://english.eviewweek.com/Bahrain-King-names-first-ambassador-to-Iraq.shtml

-- September 1, 2008 4:59 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Iraq largely free of foreign fighters: police
AFP - Monday, September 1, 2008

BAQUBA, Iraq (AFP) - Counter-offensives by the security forces over the past year have largely rid Iraq of foreign fighters recruited by insurgent groups such as Al-Qaeda, a top police commander said on Monday.

"Arab fighters have left Iraq and we are done with them," interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP.

"Before, there were dozens and Diyala was one of their strongholds," said Khalaf who is also acting police chief for Diyala, a province northeast of Baghdad that has long been regarded as an Al-Qaeda stronghold.

"The reason behind this is security in the country and the growing strength of the state," he said.

"Now there is no possibility that insurgent fighters can control one government office as they used to do in the past when they were attacking police centres.

"This does not exist any more. In addition to that, they have lost safe houses."

Iraqi security forces have launched a series of offensives against Al-Qaeda strongholds this year, notably Diyala and the main northern city of Mosul.

Some 50,000 Iraqi security personnel have been deployed in Diyala with US backing since July.

More than 800 people were detained in the offensive before the government suspended military operations last month giving insurgents a grace period to turn themselves in.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080901/twl-iraq-unrest-qaeda-3cd7efd.html

-- September 1, 2008 5:34 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

How prosperity helps keep the ground won in the war in Iraq.

The boom also is strengthening ties between the Supreme Council — al-Sadr's main rival — and Najaf's merchant class, which takes pride in the city's famous entrepreneurial spirit.

It is that spirit, say residents, that has cost al-Sadr support here back in 2004 when his militiamen controlled Najaf, driving visitors away and forcing most businesses to shutter down.

The people choose prosperity and peace, instead of supporting radicals like Sadr - backed by Iran.

===

Iraq's holy city of Najaf witnessing a boom
By HAMZA HENDAWI and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA,
AP/ Aug 27, 2008

NAJAF, Iraq - The city's first airport is weeks away from opening, but already a bigger one is talked about. Land prices are soaring. Merchants say they don't remember business ever being so good.

Four years ago, Najaf was an urban battlefield with American troops fighting Shiite militiamen loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Today, the Shiite holy city is a hot spot of a different kind thanks to improved security, a free-for-all market economy — and a direct pipeline to the Shiite-led government.

Najaf may point to some of the same ambitions for wider autonomy by the most powerful Shiite party — with possible far-reaching implications for the country.

The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council hopes to maintain its domination of Najaf's local government in provincial elections expected late this year or early 2009.

Its broader goal is a self-governing region in Iraq's Shiite south — with its oil wealth and important religious shrines.

Shiite rivals oppose such a move, fearing it would cement the Supreme Council's sway over Shiite affairs. Sunni groups, meanwhile, argue that a Shiite autonomous region would fall under Iranian influence and lead to the eventual breakup of Iraq.

"We already are making every effort to win Najaf" in the provincial elections, said Ridha Jawad Taqi, a Supreme Council lawmaker. "We may well make it the capital of a future region."

It's already getting a major facelift — even as plans to build new commercial towers and hotels in Baghdad remain little more than blueprints. Other ideas, including a giant Ferris wheel bigger than the famous London Eye, are even farther out the fringes.

But in Najaf, the rumblings are real. Construction crews race to keep pace with millions of Shiite pilgrims — some from as far away as India and Britain — who visit the shrine of the revered Imam Ali or bury their dead in the massive "Valley of Peace" cemetery.

The city's ancient bazaar stays open until around 11 p.m., quite late for a market in most parts of Iraq these days due to security concerns. Shoppers fill narrow alleys to buy gold and silver jewelry, spices, worry beads and perfumes sold in small ornate bottles.

Ahmed Redha, head of the state Investment Authority in Baghdad, estimated that US$38.8 billion in projects are on the drawing board for Najaf and many will be undertaken by private companies. The core of the plans call for new luxury hotels and more than 200,000 housing units, he said.

It's all a far cry from 2004. Then, the city's cemetery and old quarter were front lines between U.S. forces and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia until the city's Shiite clergy mediated an end to the fighting.

A dramatic improvement in security has persuaded more Iraqis — as well as Shiites from abroad — to travel to Najaf.

Police patrols and checkpoints fill the city of about 1 million people on the edge of Iraq's western desert, but local authorities say they plan to greatly reduce the number of security forces on the streets by installing security cameras around the Imam Ali shrine and other busy parts of the city.

The locals are happy to see foreign visitors returning, particularly big-spending Arabs from the Persian Gulf.

"Everyone is doing good business," gold jeweler Aitan Abdul-Hussein said after he served two Iraqi women in black flowing abaya robes in his tiny shop. "I sell a kilogram of gold every day. That used to be my monthly average a year ago."

The $55 million airport on the southeastern edge of the city is giving everyone hope that even better days are ahead. A ceremonial opening took place in July and the anticipation of commercial flights has pushed land prices up by as much as 60 percent, according to the airport's manager Karim al-Abdali.

Tour operator Ali Abdul-Hussein says most of the 11,000 Shiites he has brought to Najaf over the past two months flew to the southern city of Basra and traveled north by bus. Most came from Gulf nations as well as Iran, India and Pakistan.

"The airport will help our work," said Abdul-Hussein as a Bangladeshi worker dusted air conditioners in the marble-and-glass lobby of Najaf's newest hotel, Qasr al-Dur. "Najaf will become the most important city in Iraq after Baghdad."

The boom also is strengthening ties between the Supreme Council — al-Sadr's main rival — and Najaf's merchant class, which takes pride in the city's famous entrepreneurial spirit.

It is that spirit, say residents, that has cost al-Sadr support here back in 2004 when his militiamen controlled Najaf, driving visitors away and forcing most businesses to shutter down.

Al-Sadr still enjoys some support in Najaf, but his mix of street politics and violence is deemed by many as bad for the city's economic well being.

Najaf residents appear happy over the jobs and money that have flowed into their city.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_booming_najaf;_ylt=A0WTUeHjy7VIs.EAfhYDW7oF

-- September 1, 2008 5:49 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Pentagon Says Iraq Withdrawal Must Be Based on Conditions
By Al Pessin
Pentagon
27 August 2008

The U.S. Defense Department says it wants to turn over security responsibility to Iraqi forces as quickly as possible, but that the timing should be based on conditions. A spokesman repeated the position in response to a statement by Iraq's prime minister calling for a full U.S. withdrawal by 2011. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

As public jockeying continues in the final stages of U.S.-Iraq negotiations on the future presence of U.S. forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Makiki weighed in, saying he wants all U.S. forces out by a fixed date in 2011. It appeared he was referring to all troops, not just combat units. Officials have usually been careful to differentiate between combat units and non-combat troops, who handle such missions as supply, logistics, medical services, air support and a variety of other tasks that the Iraqi military is not close to being able to provide for itself.

Later, other Iraqi officials were quoted as saying that even if the agreement calls for all U.S. troops to be out of Iraq, the government could later decide to invite some support troops to remain.

At the Pentagon, Spokesman Bryan Whitman had this response to Tuesday's statements in Baghdad.

"We share the same common goal as the Iraqi government, and that is to turn over more and more of the security responsibilities to the Iraqi security forces," he said. "That's proceeding well. But at the end of the day, nothing changes from the fact that we believe strongly that the withdrawal of U.S. forces, of coalition forces, ought to be based on the conditions on the ground. And what we are seeing is a dramatically improved situation in Iraq, with respect to security, and an ever increasingly capable Iraqi security force."

Whitman said it is that increasing capability that is making it possible to even discuss the withdrawal of U.S. forces. He also said Prime Minister Maliki's statement outlined "some aspirational goals that are fairly far into the future." And he said there is still no final agreement on all the terms of the pending accord.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2008/08/iraq-080827-voa01.htm

-- September 1, 2008 5:55 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Iraq changes team negotiating on US withdrawal: report
Sun Aug 31, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has reshuffled a negotiating team working on an agreement on withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, The Los Angeles Times reported on its website.

The newspaper said the reshuffle was disclosed to it by a senior Iraqi official close to Maliki, who also suggested that the two sides remained deadlocked on key issues.

According to the report, Maliki dismissed the delegation headed by the Foreign Ministry and picked his national security advisor Mowaffak Rubaie, chief of staff Tariq Najim and political advisor Sadiq Rikabi to conduct the negotiations in their final stage.

The three report directly to the prime minister.

The sides are also still negotiating a withdrawal date, the official said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080831/wl_afp/usiraqmilitarydiplomacy

-- September 1, 2008 6:07 PM ∞

Roger in Iraq, wrote:

Hi all,

How to win a war.

Only a cuple of weeks ago, I started doing daily missions into Sad'r City, one of the last insurgency, strong holds.

I gave a pretty grim description of that city, and how it looked. It is still a slum city, and have far far to go, but piles and piles of rubble, old cars, garbage and concrete stones lying around have been shoveled into trucks and brought out. The streets still have a lot of face lift to do, but openess starts to be present, I can see more and more spaces that are cleared out, and even if the city is a bona fide slum, the streets that I have traveled, compared with about two weeks ago have opened up dramatically.

Two weeks ago we came in, in the middle of the night, and had IED's and small arms fire, meeting us.

By reasons related to organizational issues, we had to change around the schedule and go in just after dark lately.

That is the time when kids are still up and awake.

Gun trucks mark the roads with chem sticks, and kids being kids, picked up the markers, first as an annoyance to the mission, but more and more kids got the idea that this is really a fun thing, and started to pick up the sticks wherever they landed.

Soldiers, also being kids, started to throw these sticks to the kids lining the road in the darkened Sad'r City, , and very soon a whole peace concept was born.

Older people are standing with a very reserved posture when we pass by, but kids are not into the adult moode at all, so today when we went through Sadr City, we had a light show.

Tonight the word had got around and the kids were lining the streets, and waiting for the convoy, with he hope that they perhaps would be lucky enough to catch one, and sure enough here we came.

Big dusty armored trucks and gun carriers that looks threatening, mean, evil, intimidating and not friendly, came rumbling down the streets.

We had it arranged in such a way that we didn't want any kids to run into the convoy, so the very last gun trucks did all the tossings of the lights sticks, and they tossed out bundles to every group of kids they could find.

Bundles and bundles, there was no lack of light sticks tossed out.

Very soon the whole street was lightened up with kids that ran beserk , and with every kid there was a light stick or two, proudly waiving, all on the street had a great time, and it was a very big light show, as we did the trick all along the route.

Block after block lightened up with lights from running kids.

Those kids have NOTHING, and whatever happened tonight, they will remeber forever. They did something they have never done before, the whole citys kids running around in dark streets ligtening up the place, screaming with joy.

This action, a very small amount out of a budget, ( and probably not approved by higher ups) have made a change, it is a small step, but something changed tonight in Sad'r City.

Grown ups didn't do it, kids did it, our kid soldiers, and their kids on the street.

I love you all,

Roger

-- September 1, 2008 11:31 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Thanks, Roger, an inspirational telling of the story which puts a face on a hard fought .. and won, war. Life is getting better in Iraq, and the kids - both the soldiers and the children in the streets, are the hope of that nation as well as ours. God bless and look after you - and keep you and your mission companies safe.
Our very best to you and yours from our side of the pond..
Our thoughts are with you.

Sara.

-- September 2, 2008 12:17 AM ∞

Laura Parker wrote:

Hi Roger,

That's quite a story about the kids of Sadr city. I think you are right, the kids have nothing...probably not even electricity. The light sticks will work on the streets and probably in their homes too at night. The one thing I kept thinking in hearing your story was 'What about those IED'S?.' Could many of these children get hurt in waiting for the convoy-- if IED's were planted or other possible dangers.

I hope these light sticks aren't attracting kids to possibly get hurt by all these potential dangers. I know the feeling of goodwill you fellows are trying to give the children and this is terrific. Many times, influencing goodwill in the parents is best by going through the children.

In any case, it is really good to hear from you. Are you at camp Victory in Baghdad?. I do not know much of the various camps-- but I read somewhere that this camp is in Baghdad and you seem to be in that area. You described your new base as small. I do not know if camp Victory is small or not.

Keep writing and stay in touch.

Laura Parker

-- September 2, 2008 1:05 AM ∞

mattuk wrote:

Good to hear from you Roger...

-- September 2, 2008 5:01 AM ∞

mattuk wrote:

Iraq's Anbar needs cash to keep out insurgency
Mon Sep 1, 2008 6:04pm BST

By Tim Cocks

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq must invest heavily in Anbar province's crumbling economy if it wants to ensure a bloody insurgency that once raged there does not return, the commander of U.S. forces in western Iraq said on Monday.

Speaking to Reuters as the U.S. military handed control of the former insurgent heartland to Iraqi security forces, Major-General John Kelly said Iraq's government should inject urgently needed cash to build on recent security gains.

"How confident am I that this (insurgency) is over? I'm only as confident as I look to Baghdad," he said. "It's not really up to the police or Marines any more, it's up to the government. They know what the reconstruction needs of the province are."

The handover of Anbar, the 11th of 18 provinces to be ceded to Iraqi control, is a milestone for Iraq given that only two years ago it almost lost the vast desert region to Sunni Arab insurgents and Islamist al Qaeda militants.

But while Anbar now enjoys relative peace, Kelly said the government must act to alleviate both the impact of the war and the previous U.N. sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime, which he said had ruined the region's agriculture-led economy.

He had seen a $450 million reconstruction budget, he said, put together by Anbar's local councillors and other politicians.

"We've articulated it. If they (the central government) fund it -- and they certainly have the funds -- agriculture and jobs will take off. ... These people will be too grateful to do anything other than salute with pride their country," he said.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government has been accused of promoting the sectarian interests of Shi'ites while neglecting Iraq's Sunni Arabs. Critics say services like roads, water and electricity were improving more quickly in Shi'ite than in Sunni areas.

But Maliki has reached out to Sunni Arabs in the past few months, cracking down on Shi'ite militias and successfully wooing the main Sunni Arab bloc back into government.

Kelly said agriculture once provided 60 percent of jobs in Anbar and that small-scale industry in the city of Falluja -- which was devastated by two U.S. military assaults in 2004 -- employed three-quarters of the people there. Both needed to be revived, he said.

DON'T LEAVE YET

As Iraq's government becomes more confident in the abilities of its own security forces, it has become bolder in demanding that U.S. troops wind down their presence in Iraq. Negotiations on a security pact defining the future U.S. presence are ongoing.

Baghdad wants U.S. forces to leave the country by 2011, with an end to routine U.S. patrols of towns and cities by mid-2009. But Kelly said Anbaris did not want the Marines to leave yet.

"If you ask any of these people that live in Anbar ... the feeling is the police can more or less stand on their own but ... don't be too far away," he said. "They want us here."

But he added they were already winding down their presence.

"We're still in the cities but never on our own, without them (police). They do a lot of operations without us."

Anbar saw fierce battles between U.S. forces allied with Iraq's government and insurgents at the height of the troubles.
Much of the province, with little oil wealth but strategic importance in its borders with Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, was once in the grip of al Qaeda until Sunni tribes sick of their brutality joined forces with the Americans to kick them out, forcing them to regroup in northern Iraq.

Kelly said al Qaeda would struggle to regain a foothold, but keeping that depended on continued reconciliation with Baghdad.

"In Anbar, they are no longer an insurgency. They're a loosely organised bunch of murderers," he said. "Could they come back? Sure, if the Iraqi central government did something to enrage ... to alienate these people," he said.

Al Qaeda aside, tensions are simmering in Anbar between Sunni tribal leaders who helped fight al Qaeda and local council leaders ahead of provincial elections. Kelly said he was confident these disputes would be resolved without bloodshed.

"They disagree a lot (but) ... they're learning how to settle disputes without shooting at each other."

-- September 2, 2008 5:07 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Great post, mattuk, thanks. :)

Maybe a RV of the currency in line with its actual value as a world class currency would inject the necessary funds they are so desperately needing to fund this endeavor.. and many others like it? :)

Sara.

-- September 2, 2008 7:05 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

I found this interesting.. that Obama once had a 210-165 advantage, but it has now narrowed to only ten votes.
I thought it worth mentioning.

===

Election 2008: Electoral College Update
Electoral College Update: Obama Lead Narrows to 10 Votes
Friday, August 22, 2008

The latest wave of state-by-state polling, market data and national trends have pushed the Rasmussen Reports' Electoral College projections as close as our daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

The latest numbers from the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator show Obama leading in states with 193 Electoral College votes and McCain ahead in states with 183 Electoral College votes. Previously, Obama had enjoyed a 210–165 advantage.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/election_2008_electoral_college_update

Also, the current Rasmussen report on the Presidential race states:

===

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll - Monday Sept 01, 2008

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows Barack Obama attracting 47% of the vote while John McCain earns 44%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 49%, McCain 46%. Those figures are unchanged from yesterday and little changed over the past several days.
Obama is now viewed favorably by 58% of the nation’s voters, McCain by 57%.

Obama receives favorable reviews from 85% of Democrats while McCain is now viewed favorably by 90% of Republicans. Both men are viewed favorably by 60% of unaffiliated voters. Enthusiasm among Republicans for McCain is up significantly since the announcement of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Fifty-one percent (51%) of GOP voters now have a Very Favorable opinion of McCain, the first time he has ever topped the 50% level in that measure. On Friday morning, just 43% were that enthusiastic about McCain.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

-- September 2, 2008 9:06 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Also interesting:

===

Obama’s answer on experience: But I’m such a great campaigner!
September 2, 2008
by Ed Morrissey

Anderson Cooper asked Barack Obama last night to answer the claim that Sarah Palin has more applicable experience than he does. In response, he completely ignores Palin’s status as governor, and then makes the claim that a campaign counts as executive experience:
QUOTE:

AC: Some Republican critics say, you don’t have the experience to handle a situation like this [Hurricane Gustav]. They’ve in fact said that Governor Palin has more executive experience as mayor of a small town and as governor of a big state like Alaska. What’s your response?

BO: Well, you know, my understanding is that, uh, Governor Palin’s town of Wasilly [sic] has, uh, 50 employees, uh, uh, we’ve got 2500, uh, in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. Uh, uh, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. Uh, so I think that, uh, our ability to manage large systems, uh, and to, uh, execute, uh, I think has been made clear over the last couple of years. Uh, and certainly, in terms of, uh, the legislation that I’ve passed just dealing with this issue post-Katrina, uh, of how we handle emergency management. The fact that, uh, many of my recommendations were adopted and are being put in place, uh, as we speak indicates to extent to which we can provide the kinds of support and good service that the American people expect.

===end quote==

Let’s take the last point first. Did Barack Obama pass legislation bearing his recommendations for emergency management? A list of “actions” taken by Obama in the wake of Katrina compiled by a supporter doesn’t exactly lend itself to that conclusion. Once one strips out all of the speeches, the actual legislative actions appear to mostly consist of adding his name as co-sponsor to the bills of others, and it’s unclear whether any of the bills Obama did introduce ever passed.

Even if they did, it gives him no experience at managing disasters. Governors and mayors have to manage disasters, and when they succeed, they save lives. When they fail, as we saw in Katrina, it costs lives. Legislators have no role in disaster management itself, although honestly, disaster management isn’t usually a resumé point when voting for mayor, governor, or President. Whatever impulse exists now to make it one stems from the irrational blame heaped on George Bush for the failures of Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco in Katrina, although FEMA certainly had its failures as well.

But the main point here is that Obama didn’t really answer the question, and he set up a straw man argument in response to Cooper. Governor Palin is, well, governor, and not currently the mayor of Wasila. As Governor, Palin operates a $9 billion budget, and manages $13 billion in revenue. Furthermore, she runs a government that employs 25,000 people.

Obama blithely pretends that she’s still the mayor of “Wasilly” in order to boost himself. However, running for office isn’t executive experience, for one good reason: Obama isn’t the campaign manager. He has a CEO actually running the campaign, handling the budget, and managing the people while Obama makes the speeches.

If this is Obama’s best response on the experience question, the attacks on Palin’s experience will have to stop, unless the campaign wants Obama to keep embarrassing himself while making it.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/02/obamas-answer-on-experience-but-im-such-a-great-campaigner/

-- September 2, 2008 9:18 AM ∞

mattuk wrote:

Abdul Madhi : General Mouth project in Dhi Qar will reclamation six million acres of farmland
02 September 2008 (Iraq Directory)

The Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi, who arrived to the city of Nasiriyah on Saturday, announced that the draft of general downstream in Dhi Qar will reclamation six million acres of farmland, pointing out that the project will be opened after the holy month of Ramadan.

Abdul-Mahdi added in a joint press conference with Minister of Water Resources Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, and Dhi Qar governor Aziz Kadhim Alwan : "There are tens of thousands of broaching and millions of subsidiary rivers which the project will treat when it will be inaugurated after the month of Ramadan."

On a question regarding the functions of local governments, Abdul-Mahdi replied by saying: " the local governments must be given broad powers in coordination with the federal government to expedite project implementation services and investment mission."

On the other hand, the Minister of Water Resources, added during the conference, "The project of general mouth will collect the small rivers and it is one of the largest in the world, with capacity to reach 200 to 230 cubic meters per second."

The Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi, visited on Saturday the city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar Center to observe the function of reconstruction projects and investment, and met upon arrival the governor Aziz Kadhim Alwan, as the media source in the administration of the province.

-- September 2, 2008 9:38 AM ∞

mattuk wrote:

Iraqi businesswomen discuss involvement in business projec
Baghdad, 02 September 2008 (Voices of Iraq)

The Baghdad based Center for Economic Development and Progress on Monday organized a discussion session for Iraqi businesswomen, in a pioneering step that aims at obtaining evaluations from Iraqi women on economic projects in Iraq.

The session was attended by a number of Iraqi businesswomen who talked about their sufferance, and tried to learn more about how to improve their experiences.

-- September 2, 2008 9:41 AM ∞

mattuk wrote:

A Provisional Iraq War Balance-Sheet
It may not be too early to draw up a provisional balance-sheet of the Iraq war, especially since Iraq is still likely to be at - or close to the - top of the next US President’s headaches, says Patrick Seale.

02 September 2008 (Middle East Online)

America’s catastrophic involvement with Iraq is drawing to a close. It has been a fiasco on a colossal scale -- devastating for Iraq, immensely costly for the United States and destabilizing for the entire region.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says US combat troops will leave Iraq by 30 June 2009 and all other US troops by 31 December 2011. That, at least, is the substance of the draft security pact he will present to his government and to the Iraqi parliament for ratification. Its implementation will inevitably need US approval as well.

It may not, however, be too early to draw up a provisional balance-sheet of the Iraq war.

• Iraq has been shattered. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and some 4.5 million driven into exile, or been internally displaced by the Sunni-Shia civil war, triggered by the US invasion. Material destruction has been incalculable.

• The Shia (60 per cent of the population) have replaced the Sunni (20 per cent) as the dominant community in government and in the army and security services. But sectarian passions have by no means cooled and Iraq’s future as a united country remains in doubt.

• The Kurds have achieved virtual autonomy but dare not move towards full independence for fear of a Turkish invasion. Their hopes of including in their domain the oil-rich region of Kirkuk are unlikely to be realized.

• The destruction of Iraq has upset the regional power balance to the great benefit of Iran, which has emerged as the leading power in the Gulf region, able to extend its influence into Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

• The US armed services have suffered the loss of 4,300 men killed and another 40,000 wounded. The financial cost of the war has been put at trillions of dollars. The damage to America’s reputation and to its moral and political authority has been severe.

• The US ambition to turn Iraq into a regional ally -- allowing it to project power far and wide from permanent bases in Iraq -- seems doomed. The vast US embassy under construction in Baghdad -- the largest in the world, the size of Vatican City -- is likely to remain a white elephant.

• Israel and its friends pressed hard for the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s regime in order to remove any Arab threat to Israel from the east. This ambition was realized, and the Arab world has been correspondingly weakened. Apparently unforeseen, however, was that the rise of Iran would create an enemy of the Jewish state more formidable than Iraq ever was. Israeli efforts to get the United States to attack Iran have so far been unsuccessful.

In the meantime, Iraqi nationalism seems to be making a timid resurgence, encouraged by swelling oil income and the increased confidence of the Iraqi armed services. Iraq is shortly to take control of Al-Anbar province from American troops, a highly symbolic transfer of power since this vast but sparsely populated province, largely inhabited by Sunni tribes, has been the fief of Al-Qaeda.

Another sign of Iraqi resurgence is the recent oil agreement with the China National Petroleum Company said to be worth $3billion -- the first such agreement with a foreign oil company since the 2003 invasion.

Many problems remain, however, including the vexed question of the tense relations between Maliki’s essentially Shia government and the Sunni tribal al-Sahwa (‘Awakening’) movement, organized, financed and armed by the United States to fight al-Qaeda.

This network of local militias -- each man receiving $300 a month from the United States -- now boasts some 100,000 members. It is beginning to be seen as a dangerous rival to the government’s forces, which have recently moved against Al-Sahwa, arresting hundreds of its most prominent members. A government’s pledge to incorporate into the national army 20 per cent of these “Sons of Iraq” -- as they like to call themselves -- seems unlikely to be realized.

The United States will undoubtedly be leaving Iraq but -- such is the continuing instability -- it is by no means certain that the withdrawal will be orderly. One way or another, Iraq will remain at or close to the top of the next US President’s headaches.

Patrick Seale is a leading British writer on the Middle East, and the author of The Struggle for Syria; also, Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East; and Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire.

-- September 2, 2008 9:46 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

Cornishboy:

In my view, a lop can only be beneficial to the iraqi economy in the following way. For simplicity sake, lets say you have 1 million dinars in 25,000 notes and the Central Bank decides to make those 25,000 notes into 25 notes. If you have 1 million dinars in 25 dinar notes then in this way the lop can have a positive effect on the Iraqi economy as long as their is a revaluation or reversion of the dinar to accompany it.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- September 2, 2008 10:50 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Mattuk;

That anti-Iraq war viewpoint you posted with all its vitriol (words and phrases in the article include, "America’s catastrophic involvement with Iraq", "a fiasco on a colossal scale -- devastating for Iraq, immensely costly for the United States and destabilizing for the entire region", "Iraq has been shattered", "Material destruction has been incalculable", "Many problems remain", "A government’s pledge -- seems unlikely to be realized", "continuing instability -- to top of the next US President’s headaches") each of these would undoubtedly be the view of these protesters, however mistaken and uncertain that pessimistic viewpoint may be:

===

Anti-War Protest at GOP Convention Turns Violent
by Stephen Clark
Monday, September 1, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A protest near the site of the Republican National Convention gave way to violence Monday as demonstrators attacked members of the Connecticut delegation, smashed windows, slashed car tires and threw bottles during an anti-war march, St. Paul police said.

Up to 256 people were arrested by police using pepper spray in some confrontations, police told FOX News. Police were determining on a case-by-case basis how to process them.

Five people were accused of setting fire to a trash bin and pushing it into a police car, St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said.

The violent demonstrators were mostly dressed in black and described themselves as anarchists. Most of the violence occurred in pockets of a neighborhood near downtown, several blocks from the Xcel Energy Center, where the convention was taking place. At the request of police, 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers helped control splinter groups near downtown long after anti-war marchers had dispersed.

Protesters attacked members of the Connecticut delegation when they got off their buses near Xcel Center, delegates told FOX News.com and a local TV station.

A group of protesters came toward the delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes, delegate Rob Simmons told KMSP-TV.

One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported.

“These knuckle-heads crossed the line,” Christopher Healy, head of the Connecticut State Republican Party, told FOX News.com. “We’re for free speech, not free bleach. We respect their right to protest, but do it civilly. Pushing, shoving, spitting, throwing harmful chemicals — it’s not the American way.”

The Maryland Republican delegation was also greeted by a bold protester who stormed onto its charter bus shouting as they returned from a trip to the circus Monday afternoon.

“There were protesters laying on the ground, giving us the finger,” Schoeller, of Baltimore, said. “One got on the bus and ‘thanked’ us profanely, saying ‘Thank you for (expletive) up this country’ or something along those lines.”

Organizers anticipated 50,000 protesters but police estimated 8,000 to 10,000.

Demonstrators blamed Republicans and the Bush administration for paying more attention to war than to domestic issues.

“The demonstration will be voicing opposition to the war’s prioritization above human needs, such as building levees, the economy and health care,” Meredith Aby, a coalition member said.

Up to 200 people from a group called Funk the War nosily staged their own march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some of their members smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big trash bin into the street, bent the rearview mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks.

At one point, people pushed a trash bin filled with trash and threw garbage in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tire of a limousine waiting at an intersection and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped at an intersection. The bottle smashed into pieces but did not appear to damage the bus.

Some onlookers were displeased by the march. Former U.S. Marine Bryan Haglund, who served in Iraq in 2005, 2006 and 2007, said the march “sickened” him.

Others were supportive.

“That’s what this country is about: freedom of speech,” Janet Lowe said.

On the weekend, authorities seized weapons and devices from a self-described anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which was not among the organizers of the march. The devices were designed to disable buses, the sheriff’s office said. Five people from that group were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to riot, conspiracy to commit civil disorder and conspiracy to damage property, the sheriff’s office said.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/01/anti-war-protest-at-gop-convention-turns-violent/

Certainly, the viewpoint of that article is shared by these "protesters", whose protests were not peaceful in any way no matter how much they say they are for "peace". (Do as I say, not as I do? - hypocrisy on display at its finest and best.)

However, for those of us who see a bright and hopeful future for Iraq and the fortunes of the Dinar.. I think that viewpoint is erroneous and has been proven false by the fact we are on the cusp of complete victory in Iraq and the people of Iraq have been liberated from the tyranny of Saddam and are significantly taking over their own country's management (Anbar, the 11th of 18 provinces being ceded to Iraqi control, above), with the prosperity that will accompany that increasing responsibility for them, their families and their future.

In response to that article, it is hardly a catastrophe for the Iraqis, nor "a fiasco on a colossal scale" it is proven NOT to be "devastating for Iraq" and will pay dividends to the US for many future years, including in increasing stability for the region. Iraq has NOT been shattered, and like any war, though there was destruction to remove the terrorists and the corrupt regime of Saddam, rebuilding is happening and the Iraqis have a bright future. No country is perfect, so it is true that "many problems remain", but the Iraqis are working toward resolving them together and it is unfair to say that the "government’s pledge -- seems unlikely to be realized" when the prognostications of the pessimistic leftist bottle-and-chemical-throwing peaceniks has been such an utter failure in predicting the future to date. Indeed, following their previous predictions and desires for Iraq would have resulted in a complete disaster for Iraq and the future stability of the region (pullout, enriching the terrorists with oil money, genocide, etc). Their laughable prediction of "continuing instability" topping "the next US President’s headaches" will also be unrealized when the electorate wisely choose John McCain over the young whelp Obama to responsibly manage the next stage of steadying and solidifying the gains made for this newly erected, free and Democratic country of Iraq.

Sara.

-- September 2, 2008 11:28 AM ∞

cornishboy wrote:

sara this link may help.http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/2008/7/pages/riyalrevaluationcouldboostsaudibourse.aspx rob.n i do see wot you are saying.

-- September 2, 2008 11:57 AM ∞

cornishboy wrote:

One Investor's Take on the Valuation of the Dinar

By Roger Isaksson

Iraq's current government has been staggering badly under the pressure of growing violence and widespread infrastructure failures. As a result, government consolidation is taking place, including dismissals, arrests, and the emergence of strong personalities. Yet still, most government participants appear to lack the will to stick their neck out and make bold moves that would ultimately help the Iraqi people.

The Iraqi Dinar
Economically, according to my estimates, the Iraqi dinar is hopelessly undervalued, and should have been revalued long ago. The dinar is held down artificially by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), resulting in very little buying power for the Iraqi working class. Currently, most of the day-to-day products needed by Iraqi's are produced outside of the country, but when buying it with an undervalued currency, nobody except the intrepid merchant benefits. In order to justify the costs of manufacture and import into the country, most things that we in the West take for granted are priced far beyond the average Iraqi's ability to pay for it, due in large part to the vast exchange rate differences.
Due to these currency differences, few Iraqi's can afford the items they want or need. As fewer people can afford them, the market for these items is artificially small, resulting in less competition and higher prices. This, coupled with the day-to-day disruption of goods and services due to the violence plaguing large tracts of the country, have led to high levels of inflation.
By revaluing the Iraq Dinar to it's true value towards the market, the Iraqi people will regain a measure of their buying power back. Imported goods will now be within reach of nearly everybody, helped to infuse the Iraqi economy with a new vitality.
True Dinar Value
In analyzing the true value of the dinar, many have predicted a value as high as parity with the US dollar ($1 = 1 dinar), while more conservative estimates have been in the range of a $0.01 = 1 dinar. This range, of course, can only be estimated, because the dinars true strength can only be determined, as with all currencies, once it is freely traded on the world market.
The continued lack of purchasing power of the Iraq dinar will be yet another factor in a long line of social problems, and some have the idea that those problems have to be addressed first before the economy can be fixed. The Iraqi man on the street is having a hard time feeding his family, and in such dire circumstances he may even be tempted to work against his fellow Iraqi's through insurgency, crime and even terrorism. This writer urges the current Iraqi Administration; fix the dinar.
The "Big Guys" are standing at the gate waiting to get in, but have to wait until they get assurances that the investment will not be socialized as in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela, or lost completely due to a full-blown civil war. The new Iraq Investment Laws are tentative right now, but hopefully the Iraqi Government will make it a top priority when they return to session this fall. However, as with everything in Iraq these days, this supposition is a moving target at best.

-- September 2, 2008 12:26 PM ∞

BritishKnite wrote:

Cornishboy,

With reference to your posting on 1st Sept about a zero lop possibly being beneficial, it seems to stress that a true return would only be achieved if one invested in the Iraqi stock market and the values of the shares increased. Stocks are still risky, as you never know exactly which ones will come up trumps. They could even be bloated, as in the tech stocks of the late 1990s, with no real substance behind the companies. We need a real RV on the currency itself, as not every monetary transaction revolves around the stock market.

BritishKnit.

-- September 2, 2008 4:41 PM ∞

Roger in Iraq wrote:

Hi all,

Sara, thanks for your thoughts, I get a warm feeling in my heart.

Laura,
No I am in Taji, a base between Anaconda and Baghdad, but we go to Sad'r city every night, a suburb to Baghdad. Tonight the mission went very fast, and I got couple of hours left of the day to play around with ( well whatever is left of the night, it is 4.30 here right now.)

The Ramadan have started, and it is pretty quiet. It was some enemy activity just the weeks before, but it have been very calm now for about two weeks.

I have been told by old timers that last Ramadan and the time around it was pretty calm too, but the Ramadan the year before was heavy and raw mayhem. That is two years back, it is opther times now.

Laura, no the kids running around is in a morbid way also our safety, the insurgents in Sad'r city is not AlQaeda,( they have a tendency to bomb indiscrimintely in the name of God), but is a reminence of the Mahdi army, AlSadr's hard liners if you may call it so.

It is their own kids.

Well the light show, was cut down as (of course) higher ups considered that it was too risky with too many kids running around hysterically around the trucks., so this night there was much less of the light sticks, just enough to keep the streets happy, but nothing close to the carnival we had yesterday.

That night, oh, what a night, I will always remeber it, we had magic.

Cornish boy,

Hi you have found one of my old articles, about the Dinar, it has been spinning around in a lot of websites.

It is remarkable, when reading it today, the article was written about two and a half years back, but as not much have changed, it is actually pretty accurate even today.

I have seen that article on Arabic financial websites, Iraqi stock traders website and in numerous different forums.

Hope it made a difference somewhere.

Mattuk,

Hi there ol buddy, you have a couple of very interesting articles there, and I would like to comment a little bit about one of them that you presented. It is the article from Patric Seale.

I can't stop and reflect about one thing, it seems that the author is a British writer, and I heard on the BBC one night while I was staged in a fairly secure area, and waiting for an off load(in my combat gears, in the truck, in Sad'r City, while gun trucks was sweeping their barrels into the dark, thats right, that is exactly where I listened in on the program), that in Britain there is a new website, that will dispell a lot of myths about the US, and the British needs this websuite, because there is so much falsehoods about what US is about, in the British commonwealth, that it have almost become "fashionable" to blame the US for most of what is happening in the world.

The writer of this web page is not a US citizen, nor is he payed by any US agency, but is a true scholar that is truely tired of hearing all the miss conceptions, false "truths" and outright lies about the US in the British media.

He was discussing on the BBC that there is almost a "fad" in Britain to associate something negative with the US, and he wanted to do an honest effort to put the data right.

Some of the most blatant is beliefs that boose is free for anyone to buy, just because you can buy it in stores, that you can buy a gun without restriction, and that in some states you can have polygamic marriages.

You have to be 21 to buy alcohol in the US, an age much higher than in most European countries. Gun purchases are always back ground checked by federal law, and there are NO states permitting polygamic marriages.

Reading this article from Patric Seale, I get the feeling that he want to paint a picture of how the US have lost it all, and even if we get out of here with the tail between our legs, we will still be drawn into huge problems for eons to come, that in all essence are unsolveable.

Not so, in fact the solution is so simple that it is almost hillarious how simple it can be.

All the forces are working in that direction now, and when it is taking effect, that will be the end of the poverty state.

Give the Iraqi man a decent job, that he will be able to support his family with, and some dignity of who he is, and he will be like any other man walking this earth.

On the Britsh main island, there have been endless wars, Stuarts, Roses, well, all the factions and camps that have battled it out in the past is such a long list to fill, that it would only be an academic feat to serve it, because they are too many to list.

The Brits today are a united and proud people, even if there was deep religious battles and factions killing each other for no other reason than the enemy was of the wrong religion, faction of religion or wrong clan.

The Britsh society today are set up in such a way that clans have no chance of having power.

Everything that you have seen in the western world are here, but in smaller numbers, cellphones computers GPS, I-pods and all that.

The more the Iraqis can comprehend that the world is bigger than their clans sphere if interest, the lesser is the clan.

The more income, the more and better the Iraqi man can get in touch with the world.

MTV and rockbands are just a fraction behind here, everything is set up for a very rich society here, but it is just not there just yet.

Over the last year I have read nothing but good news about contracts, new projects and rebuilding of Iraq.

Many of them are well underway, but the projects and programs need to mature so they are giving the full impact.

Once that is in hand, you will see a very busy bunch of Iraqis pouring concrete, and building roads.

I saw today for the first time, trains running on train tracks, things are picking up.

(Well for me I had the misfortune to share a bridge with the train, because we can not use a bombed out bridge close by, it was a very narrow slit of asphalt on the side of the rail road track going over Tigris River. It is actually a railroad bridge, but traffic have to share it, because there is nothing else, if you want to cross the river...and of course, when I was running my armored truck on that small little slit of asphalt, I had to share it with a train, coming barreling down, small margins,...hey... it's an adventure every day)

I can not for the life in me see that the author of that article have been here, or done some deep research on the subject, but it seems to me that he have done the "news paper article, cut and paste" research, that in itself is very common when newspaper editors are telling stories.

News media have never, and will never be interested in the truth, because that is not what they are selling.

They are selling , death misery, catastrophe, fraud, crime, sensation and defeat.

Iraq, probably with it's resources, one of the ritches countries in the world, (yes I know, not now, but it is there) will not continue to be what it is now, but will rapidly change it's face.

Similar societies, like Dubai, Kuwait, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, all have their own quirks, and much can be said about a lot of things in those countries, but you dont see any clan fights, and religious riots.

You see good cars, good freeways, good homes, good food, and good wages.

A happy middle class is a docile society.

Iraq are experiencing very rapid changes as we speak, and for the old powers, this is a clear threat, but it doesnt matter in a few years, because the old ways will be a way they don't want to go back to, it's better to have a hot car, (you should see the lights they put on their junk cars here, green, red, yellow, all straight out of "The Fast and The Furious", if you can't have a hot car just yet, well at least you can pimp it up, to look like one) A hot chick, and a cool wrist watch, a great stereo, and some hot hits, is so much better than sitting and listen to an old smelly man that preys five hours a day.

Work and money and the future is there for him.

It is a big mistake to believe that everything will be the same, no matter how we try to change it, it will never be the same.

On that basis I give the article by Patric Seale a big C. He just don't have a clue what this is about, and he is actually a bit in the wheels of "Blame it on the US" fashion.

BritishKnite,

With all the references lately to a zero lop, the air seem to have gone out a little bit out of the Dinar prospect.

Wonder how many that have cashed in, now when they "know" that the zero lop will come.

If I would RV I would do exactly that, scare them first, make as many suckers cash in as much Dinars as possible, and then RV.

I still would recommend to have the Dinars in an Iraq account, as that is the total protection, then they can do whatever they will with the currency, and the original investment will not go down, a potential risk if they actually ARE zero loping, as there might come a very restrictive exchange regime.

So I say, cover yourself, get your Iraqi Dinars in an Iraqi account, and let any worries go.

Sara,

Have you had a hug lately....
well, here is one for you, HUUUUUUUUUUUG.

All,

My latest report describing the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi Army, have now changed, at least somewhat.

I described them as sitting very idly by, but apparently there have been a shakedown, they are wearing full uniforms, and are now posing more professionally when they are about. I read in Stars and Stripes (free on the base) that there have been some severe complaints from the US military, because they can not recongnize either the police or the army, if they are not dressed in full uniform. When I arrived and had my first couple of missions you could see a guy with camo pants only, a T shirt and an AK 47 at a road block, it was a bit of a stretch to figure out if he was a militia, insurgency, police or army, but they look better now.

If the mission is late, and it is on occasion, we will arrive just as the rat race starts. I hate to be stuck in traffic, but I must say that the Iraqi rat race is very amusing.

It's a mix between a demolition derby and stock car racing for amateurs.

One poor guy, have a Landroover, and old thing that have seen much better days, it is funny, I always seem to see that guy, I can recognize him because of the originality of his vehicle, the way it is dented, rusted and it general look.

Either he have ten twin brothers, or he is always on my route, but everytime I see him, he is doing major surgery to his car. Next time around he is a couple of miles from his first spot and are again doing some heavy butchering in the cars internals, and always with a bunch of pyamas dresssed guys hanging over the hood, or crawling underneath the thing.

He never seem to get anywhere, except to his next car emergency, but he faithfully keeps on going.

You got to love these people.

I love you all,

Roger

-- September 2, 2008 11:44 PM ∞

Laura Parker wrote:

Roger,

A big HUGGGGGG to you too. I really enjoy you dropping in and letting us know how you are and all.

I was wondering, Are you able to get your own time and leave the base and wander around Baghdad or other places in Iraq?... Or, are you stuck on bases all day until your missions take place?.

Can you tell us anything about the banking situation in Baghdad.... are the Iraqi's using ATM's, credit cards (technology in their banking situation) etc.

What can you tell us about corruption in the country (your sense of it).

Do they have postal services as of yet and is mail secure for the people?.

What about the news we have been hearing about Malika and the USA forces agreement in Iraq. What is your thoughts on this and what are you hearing about this inside of Iraq?

Also, have you gotten into the green zone to see the USA embassy as of yet?. This would be quite an experience... if you could get in?. If you do, let us know your impressions of the place.

I know, it sounds like I want you to be a tourist, but it would be great if you were able to get around and see what is happening. There was some news that the Iraqi's want USA forces to be contained in their bases and leave Iraqi cities according to news reports we have been receiving?.

Roger, are you making any Iraqi friends over there as of yet?. What are they like if you have.

Well, I am glad that you have a really nice memory of the light show with the children of Iraq. I think it went a long ways to give great impressions and fun for the children. However, I think, your higher's up are probably right. If something happened, you could have a lot of children hurt and possibly your convoy too. It is a shame everyone has to think like this. I hate what the terrorist do and therefore Roger, you guys keep fighting.

Love to all in Iraq,

Laura Parker

-- September 3, 2008 1:16 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Roger;

Good to hear from you. Stay safe. :)
Hugggg.. and thanks. Prayin for you every day.

Eve started the "blame someone else" syndrome in the Garden of Eden. When God came to her and asked her if she ate the apple, she pointed at Adam and passed the buck to him instead of taking responsibility for her own contribution (she ate it herself first, then gave him the apple to eat, if you remember). Even so, Britain, which has taken in so many radical Islamics as immigrants, has to own up to the problems they have created for themselves. The bombing they had was domestic. To blame the US for "stirring up" hatreds which were being preached in every mosque in town is to say that the "spark" was to blame for the powderkeg blowing up. If there wasn't any powder.. it wouldn't be able to blow up. You put a spark on sand, and guess what? It does NOT blow up in your face. (Revelation, right?) If they had been peace-loving people, nothing bad would have happened.

The underlying cause of the discontent is those who are the powder - and Britain has created a place with a lot of powder, a lot of anti-western thought. These people who do not hold the values of the West - whether Communist, Nazi, or Islamofascists - are those who undermine the fabric of society and are the potential "powder" that is just waiting to be ignited. Put a spark to those "anarchists" and you will see anarchy and terrorism. Those who blame the US for this powder are just like this.. believing that if there had been no spark, the powderkeg would never have ignited. That is incredibly naive, if not downright stupid. It is like those who appeased Hitler thinking if they just continue to be nice, he will go away or remain peaceful. It just is not true. We have long been on a collision course of war with the Islamofascists. They bombed the USS Cole long before the twin towers.. and there were more before that, too:

http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/031208_marine_music

As documented in the above video..
Giving in or "forgiving" an unrepentant enemy who is set to kill us is not possible.
It was they who upped the ante:

1983 - 17 Americans killed
1983 - 241 Marines killed
1984 - 1 American diplomat killed
1993 - 9 Americans killed
1996 - 19 Americans killed
1995 - 1 American killed
1997 - 4 Americans killed
1998 - 1 American killed
2000 - 17 Americans killed
2001 - 3,025 Americans killed

Ours was a response to these provocations, as well as further threats. Who can forget the rejoicing by many on the news at the deaths of over three thousand innocent American lives? Forgiveness is for those who repent. It is not for the unrepentant. To the unrepentant belongs a face strong as flint set against their faces, until they are defeated or suffer death. That is because they are set to fight us until the death and will not turn back to before the "spark" was ignited, into peace. They must be eliminated simply because they are powder and cannot be reasoned with - any more than Hitler would be. There has to be TWO sides to peace, not one. And the USA (and free West) will not fall under the heel of Islamofascism, nor Communism and the megaspiritual forces behind them, but will make their prayers unto their God that He will strengthen and save us from them. And with His aid and in that strength we will fight, and we will win. As we are doing in Iraq.

God is not finished with America. Those who say she is filled with evil and deserves God's judgement hope for Him to do more than chastise her. He will not. He will not destroy her. They think if they can stir God up in His holiness against America, that He will turn His back to her and then leave her vulnerable not only to terrorist attack but to her complete destruction. That is why they attack the morality of the US, as roger reported above, saying that anyone can drink (obviously, the sin of drunkenness is their hope), get a gun (lawlessness is the obvious result in their minds), and have polygamist marriages by law (showing corruption in the government to allow such a transgression - a transgression of the sanctity of marriage - a sacred institution made by God). Certainly, were gay rights to go further, the enemy will use this to assail heaven with calls for the destruction of such a corrupt country. And though such calls do not have merit before men concerning "gay rights", I ask you if it does before God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and set them forth for an EXAMPLE to us (Jude). The only way the enemy can prevail against the US is through getting God to LET them attack. The only way they can have that ground.. is to have something to accuse the US with. These false accusers are more than just an annoyance, they are a strategic military attack by the powers of darkness - no matter who they are using to bring forth their agenda. They want ground to attack, kill and destroy America. They know it must be won first SPIRITUALLY before they get it in the physical realm.

There was a man who once wanted to curse God's people in the Old Testament. He tried very hard to do so, but God would not allow him to. Every time he got set to curse, blessing would come out of his mouth. The king who was employing him to curse his enemies was very angry about it in this passage:

Num 23:11 And Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have blessed them altogether.
Num 23:12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD has put in my mouth?

But Balaam in his heart truly WANTED the money Balak would give him if he could figure out a way to curse God's people. As a result, Balaam found a way.. it was through making the people sin against God. Once they did that, then Balak and his companions could come in and kill them freely and Baalam would get all the monetary reward he was so coveting. So Baalam advised Balak to send prostitutes to the people of God and make them commit sexual sins against God. The way they were cursed and lost the war because GOD became angry with them and would not grant them victory. The people committed whoredom (adultery, fornication, sodomy, etc) and turned to other Gods. Then God was angry and they lost.

Num 25:1 And Israel stayed in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
Num 25:2 And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
Num 25:3 And Israel joined himself to Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel...

So these accusations in Great Britain (and the US) are a spiritual attack to try and get God to let the enemy win. The more unrighteous America is.. the more evil will be allowed by the enemy to attack her.. and her troops abroad. That is why the MSM attacks and brings out any indiscretion in the government, in the military. It isn't freedom of the press.. it is a spiritual attack. The spiritual enemy behind them is seeking ground to attack and kill.. which must first come from the spiritual. Spiritually the tactic is to tempt these people into these corrupt behaviors.. then expose them to get ground for further attack against the entire people (and their defenders, the troops). The more evil the attacks, the more demonic the things said against the US, if it has any merit.. we pay a price for it in the spiritual, then the physical.

Those nutcases who say God did 911 because of sodomy have a half-truth. The sodomy was undoubtedly part of what opened up the spiritual realm to allow the attack which happened on 911. Sodomy/homosexuality was not the only sin before God of the US which He considered in removing His hand of protection from those three thousand souls (and it is God who calls Sodomy a sin, not I - if you don't like it and think God is "unenlightened" then take it up with Him. I doubt your wisdom will prevail against His.) The Lord had ample provocation to allow 911 due to the many sins of the nation, but more than that, in His love, He also knew He must make America act before Saddam got his nukes and WMD. Again, Saddam was discussing in those ABC tapes using WMD against Washington, and also he was less than a year away from a getting a nuke. Remember?
QUOTE:

As The New York Times confirmed in their issue November 3, 2006, Saddam had complete plans for a nuclear weapon and was in the process of procuring parts when the US removed him. Quote: "nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what is available elsewhere on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as the radioactive cores of atom bombs. Experts say that at the time, Mr. Hussein’s scientists were on the verge of building an atom bomb, as little as a year away." [61]
Additionally, tapes with Saddam speaking on them also surfaced and certain sinister remarks Saddam made on the tapes were translated which showed that he threatened to use WMD on Washington, DC. In the article , "Saddam Translator: ABC Reinterpreted Tapes" dated Feb. 17th 2006, the FBI translator who supplied the 12 hours of Saddam Hussein audiotapes excerpted by ABC's "Nightline" says the network discarded his translations and went with a less threatening version of the Iraqi dictator's comments. In the "Nightline" version of the 1996 recording, Saddam predicts that Washington, D.C., would be hit by terrorists. But he adds that Iraq would have nothing to do with the attack. Tierney says, however, that what Saddam actually said was much more sinister. "He was discussing his intent to use chemical weapons against the United States and use proxies so it could not be traced back to Iraq," he told Hannity. In a passage not used by "Nightline," Tierney says Saddam declares: "Terrorism is coming. ... In the future there will be terrorism with weapons of mass destruction. What if we consider this technique, with smuggling?" [62]

http://www.conservapedia.com/Operation_Iraqi_Freedom#Weapons_of_Mass_Destruction

God knew this and both the sins of America (which opened the spiritual realm to attack) and the concern and love of God for America that she must deal with this before a greater catastrophe befell her - both played a part in His Sovereign decision to allow 911. Nations are judged by God as nations, not individually, often. This was one of those "national security" issues which caused Him to judge on the larger issues concerning 911, for the nation. He was on His throne that day. He never does not see or care. Sometimes, though.. His viewpoint differs from our own.. for our ultimate good. Those who say the Iraq war was a mistake are themselves greatly mistaken. They miss spiritual realities. They simply do not understand nor see what God was doing in the nation on 911, or the necessity of the response.

It should be considered that the reason people turn to God during a time of war (as Britain did when it was being bombed by Germany) is because God will then close the spirit realm and that ends the physical attacks (and deaths). This happened when, due to the prayers (and repentance) in England, Hitler was stopped from doing what he wished to do in answer to their prayers - and, as a nation, they thanked Him for it, historically. To remain protected, we must not provoke God, and we must pray. The nation of America or Britain, must not provoke God, because if any of mankind moves out from under the protective hand of God, then evil happens to them.

911 was permitted by God, it was not a direct act of God.. just as the attacks on Job were permitted by God - and the outcome was intended for a higher purpose, for America's good. God could not have removed His hand of protection if the country of America had been righteous before Him. 911 would not have happened if there was not an opening in the spiritual realm through sin. The accusations (drunkenness, polygamy, lawlessness) are only hopes for ground against Americans in order to kill them and the homeland by the Islamofascist terrorists. Let us work to help it remain that way.. only false accusations, without substance. Or the country will pay for it.

Sara.

-- September 3, 2008 1:11 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Iraq: Key figures since war began
By The Associated Press Tue Sep 2, 2008
Julie Reed and Rhonda Shafner /AP

OIL PRODUCTION:

_Prewar: 2.58 million barrels per day.

_Aug. 24, 2008: 2.46 million barrels per day.

ELECTRICITY:

_Prewar nationwide: 3,958 megawatts. Hours per day (estimated): 4-8.

_Aug. 11, 2008 nationwide: 4,620 megawatts. Hours per day: 11.3.

TELEPHONES:

_Prewar land lines: 833,000.

_July 7, 2008: 1,600,000.

_Prewar cell phones: 80,000.

_July 7, 2008: 13.4 million.

WATER:

_Prewar: 12.9 million people had potable water.

_June 29, 2008: 20.9 million people have potable water.

SEWERAGE:

_Prewar: 6.2 million people served.

_June 29, 2008: 11.3 million people served.

(Note: The figures for water and sewerage have not changed in the newest SIGIR report.)

U.S. TROOP LEVELS:

_October 2007: 170,000 at peak of troop buildup.

_August 2008: 146,000.

CASUALTIES:

_Confirmed U.S. military deaths as of Sept. 1, 2008: 4,151.

COST:

_Over $550 billion so far, according to the National Priorities Project.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_by_the_numbers

-- September 3, 2008 3:13 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

In light of the above figures quoted..
I don't think the Iraqis have been "devastated".
Indeed, they are better off in a lot of ways than before under Saddam.
And there are a lot less terrorists in the world to murder innocents.
Such as this one who was providing bomb parts and rockets..
to target civilians (men, women and children) and the troops alike.

===

Suspected al-Qaida leader killed in Iraq
Published: Sept. 3, 2008

BAGHDAD, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials say coalition troops Wednesday killed an al-Qaida leader suspected of providing bomb parts and rockets to militants in Iraq.

The coalition troops targeted several homes in Tikrit, killing the suspected al-Qaida leader and arresting seven people allegedly linked to a bomb-making cell, CNN reported.

A weapons cache was reportedly found outside one house and other weapons were found on those arrested, CNN reported.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/03/Suspected_al-Qaida_leader_killed_in_Iraq/UPI-63111220448974/

-- September 3, 2008 3:24 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Senior al Qaeda operative killed in Somalia
By Bill Roggio
September 1, 2008

Al Qaeda has reported one of its senior operatives in eastern Africa was killed during fighting in Somalia more than one year ago. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a senior al Qaeda operative in eastern Africa, announced the death of Abu Talha al Sudani while discussing the May 1 airstrike that killed Aden Hashi Ayro, the leader of Shabab in Somalia.

The disclosure was made in a tape released last night on jihadi Internet forums. It is unclear if Sudani was killed while the fighting against the Ethiopian Army or in a US airstrike. The US military targeted both Sudani and Nabhan in an airstrike in early January 2007. Several other US airstrikes have targeted senior al Qaeda and Islamic Courts leaders over the past 20 months.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/09/senior_al_qaeda_oper_1.php

-- September 3, 2008 3:33 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

New McCain ad: “Alaska Maverick”
September 3, 2008
by Allahpundit

SEE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIn_fFWPaUU

The one virtue of having the media spin her as dangerously unqualified, of course, is that it leaves McCain wide open for ads like this, treating Barry to a little vicarious ridicule for his absurdly thin record. Something like 70 percent of voters say the VP candidates won’t affect their votes in November; if Palin is deemed too green to be trusted but some of that rubs off on Obama in the process, it may well be a worthy trade.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/03/new-mccain-ad-alaska-maverick/

-- September 3, 2008 3:53 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Pakistan: Al-Zawahiri 'narrowly escapes capture'

Islamabad, 2 Sept. (AKI) - Al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, narrowly escaped capture during a raid in the tribal region of Mohmand, near the Afghan border, Pakistan's top security official told journalists in Islamabad.

The head of Pakistan's security, Rahman Malik, claimed his men came within a whisker of arresting al-Zawahiri (photo). But the the mountainous terrain with its rabbit's warren of narrow mountain paths had enabled al-Zawahiri to slip away, he said.

Dawn quoted Pakistani officials as saying on Monday their forces had killed some 560 Pakistani and foreign fighters in the northwestern Bajur tribal area on the Afghan border.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2453929013

-- September 3, 2008 3:55 PM ∞

Tim Bitts wrote:

Hi, all, just checking in, on our holiday to Mexico. (isn't internet great? you can check in from Mexico or Iraq.) Good news on Iraq lately. Caught a story on the tube, at the hotel yesterday, on Iraqi Airlines spending billions on new aeroplanes and an terminal. Looks good for Iraqi future.

Great story on the light sticks, Roger. Stay safe.

-- September 3, 2008 5:36 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

The reason for the Palin bashing in the media
September 3, 2008
by Ed Morrissey

The selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate has apparently deranged the mainstream media. They’ve reported that she belonged to a secessionist party for a while, but she’s been a lifelong Republican. They’ve reported that GOP convention attendees have started talking about an “Eagleton option” for her withdrawal, when the only people I’ve heard discuss it at the Xcel are the media themselves, and Palin remains wildly popular with the Republicans. What in the world has pushed the mainstream media into this kind of insanity?

The Wall Street Journal has a good analysis — fear:
QUOTE:

Even as the Obama camp ponders how best to handle John McCain’s veep pick of Sarah Palin, the high priests and priestesses of the media have marked her as an apostate. The Beltway class is in full-throated rebellion against a nondomesticated conservative who might pose a threat to their coronation of Barack Obama and the return of Camelot-on-the-Potomac. …

They want a VP to be a kind of parliamentary choice, someone they have already vetted, someone who’s made them laugh with insider jokes at the Gridiron dinner. The Beltway class whines constantly about how it wants fresh voices in politics, but we guess this means a first-term Democratic Senator rather than a first-term Republican Governor from some godforsaken U.S. state few of them have ever been to.

We are instructed that Mrs. Palin isn’t qualified, because she lacks Washington experience. But until recently that was said to be a virtue in Mr. Obama, who is at the top of his ticket. Meanwhile, there’s hardly a peep of media notice that the Obama campaign is preposterously trying to remake Joe Biden into a poor scrapper from Scranton when he’s been in the Senate for 36 years. They all know Joe. But when Mr. McCain picks an authentic middle-class mother who is also a Governor, we are told she’s not up to the job.

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The WSJ editorial hits close to home here. The outrage from the media over choosing a first-term governor seems oddly out of place for a media that has spent the last 20 months fawning over not one but two first-term Senators running for the Democratic nomination, or at least fawning over the second until his extramarital affair finally broke into the open. The third had just been elected to her second term in the Senate. Yet none of the media seemed all that exercised about a lack of experience during 2007 and 2008.

In fact, the Democratic frontrunners all had less time in elective office than Sarah Palin. Democrats seem to forget that they nominated John Edwards as VP in 2004 after only three years in public office at all, most of it spent — like Barack Obama — running for President. Where were E.J. Dionne, Sally Quinn, Eleanor Clift, and the rest of the commentariat when John Kerry made that pick? They were too busy singing hosannas to the Democratic ticket to worry about experience then, it seems.

What had Edwards ever done that indicated he should be a heartbeat away from the Presidency? At least Sarah Palin has executive experience, which most people will understand as more applicable to the Presidency than a year of legislative experience. She has worked with a legislature, run an executive branch of government, and managed to do it successfully enough to have approval ratings in the 80s.

The outrage has little to do with experience, and almost everything to do with being outfoxed by McCain. The media expected a staid, boring, safe white man that they could pigeonhole. Instead, they got a dynamic, successful, smart conservative “hockey mom” with a record of reform that Barack Obama cannot match and that is the antithesis of Joe Biden. They got knocked out of their lane, and now they have to figure out how to explain