Powell and Annan | Disaster in Sudan

Silently in the shadow of Iraq, a human disaster unfolds…

The New York Times > International > Africa > Powell and Annan See Hints of Disaster in Sudan: “Sudan tried on Wednesday to play down the extent of the human disaster unfolding in its western Darfur region, but two high-powered visitors, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations, received hints nonetheless of the dire state of affairs.

Thousands of people swept like water across a sandy plain to meet the convoy of vehicles carrying Mr. Powell and his entourage to a camp of 40,000 displaced people in El Fasher, in north Darfur. They filled the air with applause and trills, although the presence of government minders prompted many camp dwellers to only whisper of their despair.”

Al-Qaeda spells out Iraq attack strategy in handbook !

Al-Qaeda spells out Iraq attack strategy in handbook: report: “PARIS (AFP) - Al-Qaeda reportedly planned to target Spain as the weakest link of the coalition in Iraq to force its troop pullout, according to a document from the terror network.

‘We consider that the Spanish government cannot suffer more than two to three strikes before pulling out (of Iraq) under pressure from its own people,’ said the document obtained Wednesday by AFP from Raido France International’s regional office in Beirut.

‘If these (Spanish) forces remain after the strikes, the victory of the socialist party would be near-guaranteed and the pullout of Spanish forces from Iraq would be on its agenda,’ said the document, distributed ahead of the March 11 attacks in Madrid.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, elected after the train bombings in Madrid which left 191 people dead in Spain’s worst ever terrorist attack, withdrew Spanish troops from the troubled country in May.”…

Read more…

-zzb

ScrappleFace: Kerry Lauded for Iraq Sovereignty

Need a good laugh? ala… Scrapleface

ScrappleFace: Kerry Lauded for Iraq Sovereignty, Praises Bush: “Born To Lose

Born to lose,

I always look so calm,

That’s because I served in Vietnam.

You can see why I had my career,

I had medals coming out my rear.

Born to lose,

I can’t make up my mind,

’cause my mind is kinda hard to find.

I may flip and flop,but please recall,

Though I lose I NEVER EVER FALL.

Born to lose, I’m coming to the end,

But BillandHill will always be my friend.

All my life , my wives have bought my pants.

Born to lose, I’ll just go live in France.

Posted by: Prettyold at June 29, 2004 03:24 PM “

This bit of light poetry was posted by Prettyold on the Scrappleface site. Rather creative don’t you think?

Letter from a Retired Marine

An e-mail sent by a retired United States Marine to his Marine friends in Iraq along with the request that they forward it to their Iraqi friends in the hope it reaches as many ‘insurgents’ as possible. It is nicely worded, and though I am a civilian, I suspect that the active duty Marines and their colleagues in the other services endorse the sentiment: — phantom (phantom@the_opera.com) – Google Groups

“This letter is for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, ”Islamic Response,” and

the rest of the so-called “insurgents” in Iraq. I obviously do not

have an e-mail address for these vermin, so I am forwarding this

letter to my entire address book in the hope you good people will

forward it to as many people as possible, and that eventually through the miracle of the internet it somehow ends up in the hands of the intended recipients. Thank you all for your assistance.

This is from my good friend and fellow 3/4 vet. It sums up my feelings as well.

To the terrorists currently operating in Iraq,I see that you have captured a U. S. Marine, and that you plan to cut off his head if your demands are not met. Big mistake. Before you carry out your threat I suggest you read up on Marine Corps history.The Japanese tried the same thing on Makin Island and in a few other places during World War Two, and came to regret it. Go ahead and read about what then happened to the mighty Imperial Army on Tarawa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. They paid full price for what they did, and you will too.

You look at America and you see a soft target, and to a large extent you are right. Our country is filled with a lot of spoiled people who drive BMWs, sip decaf lattes and watch ridiculous reality TV shows.They are for the most part decent, hard working citizens, but they are soft.

…While it is true that this country has produced nitwits like Michael Moore, Howard Dean and Jane Fonda who can be easily manipulated by your gruesome tactics, we have also produced men like Jason Dunham, Brian Chontosh and Joseph Perez. If you don’t recognize those names you should. They are all Marines who distinguished themselves fighting to liberate Iraq…

When you cut off Nick Berg’s head those people gasped, and you got the media coverage you sought, and then those people went back to their lives. This time it is different. We also have a warrior culture in this country, and they are called Marines. It is a brotherhood forged in the fire of many wars, and the bond between us is stronger than blood. While it is true that this country has produced nitwits like Michael Moore, Howard Dean and Jane Fonda who can be easily manipulated by your gruesome tactics, we have also produced men like Jason Dunham, Brian Chontosh and Joseph Perez. If you don’t recognize

those names you should. They are all Marines who distinguished themselves fighting to liberate Iraq, and there will be many more just like them coming for you.

Before the current politically correct climate enveloped our culture one of the recruiting slogans of our band of brothers was “The Marine Corps Builds Men.” You will soon find out just how true that is. You,on the other hand, are nothing but a bunch of women. If you were men you would show your faces, and take us on in a fair fight. Instead, you are cowards who hide behind masks and decapitate helpless victims. If you truly represented the interest of the Iraqi people you would not be ambushing those who come to your country to repair your power plants, or sabotage the oil pipelines which fuel the Iraqi economy. Your agenda is hate, plain and simple.

When you raise that sword over your head I want you to remember one thing. Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun is not alone as he kneels before you. Every Marine who has ever worn the uniform is there with him, and when you strike him you are striking all of us. If you think the Marines were tough on you when they were cleaning out Fallujah a few weeks ago you haven’t seen anything yet. If you want to know what it feels like to have the Wrath of God called down upon you then go ahead and do it. We are not Turkish truck drivers, or Pakistani laborers, or independent contractors hoping to find work in your country. We are the United States Marines, and we will be coming for you.”

Linked From Use Net Goodle Groups … today. A letter from a Retired Marine to the Insurgents. Found it very interesting.

– ZZB

Iraq A New Nation Today: Key quotes

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraq handover: Key quotes: “‘This is something I have asked the coalition, to expedite the transfer of sovereignty. We are sure that the Iraqi authority now, the government of Iraq, will be handling the situation whether it is security or economy.

Excerpts from Allawi’s speech:

‘This is a historic day… This transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi government and the Iraqi people, we have been working hard. This is a big day for us… The security situation of our country now lies in our hands. We are going to announce the new measures today and tomorrow.”

Will this decision today have any impact at all on reducing the terrorist kidnapings and executions ?

– ZZB

Power to the People of Iraq !

The world’s eyes are on Iraq this morning as it has been virtually every morning since the global war on terrorism began. The first steps toward Iraqi’s themselves directing their own future have been taken…

The New York Times > International > Bush Administration Welcomes Early Transfer of Power in Iraq: “The Bush administration expressed optimism Monday that the early transfer of power in Iraq would strengthen the new government’s hand to deal with rampant violence and the threat of terrorism.

President Bush marked the transfer with a whispered comment and a handshake with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, gathered with world leaders around a table at a NATO summit. Stealing a glance at his watch to make sure the transfer had occurred, Bush put his hand over his mouth to guard his remarks, leaned toward Blair and then put out his hand for a shake. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a row behind the president, beamed.

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Bush was briefed Sunday that the government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi was ready to take power ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled turnover. The transfer took place as Bush met with Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and other world leaders. “How will the terrorists react ? Will their frustrations mount as more and more common decent muslims rise up against their satanic message ? Or will they resign themselves to the fact that their efforts will be futile as the Iraqi’s themselves chart the type of future they want for their nation !

Let the birth of a new Iraq today go down in history as a defining moment of change in a region torn by intolerance. — ZZB

Cheney Defends Use Of Four-Letter Word

washingtonpost.com: Cheney Defends Use Of Four-Letter Word: “Vice President Cheney on Friday vigorously defended his vulgarity directed at a prominent Democratic senator earlier this week in the Senate chamber.

Cheney said he ‘probably’ used an obscenity in an argument Tuesday on the Senate floor with Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and added that he had no regrets. ‘I expressed myself rather forcefully, felt better after I had done it,’ Cheney told Neil Cavuto of Fox News. The vice president said those who heard the putdown agreed with him. ‘I think that a lot of my colleagues felt that what I had said badly needed to be said, that it was long overdue.’

The forceful defense by Cheney came as much of Washington was discussing his outburst on the Senate floor in which a chance encounter with Leahy during a photo session in the usually decorous Senate chamber ended in colorful profanity. The obscenity was published in yesterday’s editions of The Washington Post. “

Cite from Washington Post above — Apparently the Vice President has decided to take the gloves off and during an interview on Fox, V.P. Cheney defended his remarks and the use of profanity directed to Sen. Leahy. It is about time that the gloves come off. Let the fur begin to fly! Afterall, we are only five months away from election time ! –zzb

Democrate to Speak at RNC… support for GW

Newsday.com: Sen. Miller to Speak at GOP Convention: “WASHINGTON — Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, the highest profile Democrat to endorse President Bush for re-election, will speak at the Republican National Convention later this summer, a congressional aide said Friday.

Miller drew a sharp rebuke from the dean of the state’s congressional delegation, Democratic Rep. John Lewis, who called the senator’s decision ‘a shame and a disgrace.’

According to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Miller will give his address on Wednesday night of the four-day convention in New York that begins Aug. 30. The Bush-Cheney campaign was expected to make an announcement Monday, the aide said.

The speech by Miller, a former two-term governor, comes 12 years after he delivered the keynote address for Bill Clinton at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, also held in New York. “

Open Your Eyes Iraq !

The Globe and Mail: “BAGHDAD — A wave of attacks across Iraq killed more than 100 people yesterday and rocked the foundations of the country’s new interim leadership, which struggled to cope with the raids just six days before assuming increased authority.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of the militant movement known as Monotheism and Jihad, claimed responsibility for the assaults that targeted police stations in the northern city of Mosul and the central towns of Baqouba and Ramadi, as well as a government checkpoint south of Baghdad.

He announced on an Islamic website that the attacks were made against ‘police agents and spies, the Iraqi army alongside their American brothers.’ In Baqouba, where the fighting was fiercest, militants who occupied the police stations handed out leaflets that warned Iraqis not to join the new government’s police force.”

If these recent events don’t expose the true agenda of the Islamic Fundamentalists then nothing will. They are content on killing hundreds of their own people in an attempt to gain power and world dominance in the name of their religion.

All President Bush has done, rightly or wrongly, was to accelerate the exposure of their true intent. It has nothing to do with “freeing” the people of Palestine. In fact you rarely hear that rhetoric. It is all about a radical misguided fanaticism of carrying out a 1000 year old vendetta against the rest of western civilization. Yes… even at the expense of their own innocent people.

THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ, as I have said before, must be the ones to overtly crush this thinking, if they are to have a truly free society ! After yesterday, maybe their eyes are opening wider !!

Another Beheading !

By Zardoz Z. Bachman

Via CNN — The innocent So. Korean civilian was apparently beheaded a few minutes ago. Let’s see how many Islamic leaders condemn this publicly on the news this evening! Would appreciate any count folks have within the next 48 hours with cited references. — zzb