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Tuesday, April 29, 2003Whose bad? A conversation with my son. Jon: Hi Daddy. Daddy: Hey boy, what's going on. Jon: Daddy, baby bad! Daddy: Jon, the baby isn't bad. He just cries because that's the only way he can talk. J: Baby bad! D: No no son, we love the baby. J: *sigh* D: -silence- J: *looking up* Then Mommy bad! D: What? No no no, we love Mommy too! Mommy is good! J: *sigh* D: -silence- J: *looking up* Baby bad! Clearly, we are having issues with the new arrival. But I do have to say that the conversation was kinda cool - it was the first real "heart to heart" conversation with Jonathan that I have had that involved words, complicated topics, and all of that fun stuff. Don't worry about Mommy and baby though, as soon as Jon took his nap, he and Mommy were back playing again, and Matthew was happy as a clam (as always). Is Federalism Conservative? Sure it is, but I bet you've never heard of these anti-federalists before! The New York Times editorial Monday was typical of — pardon the abuse of the term — the "anti-federalist" argument. After referring to federalism as "a euphemism for a rigid states'-rights legal philosophy," the Times then bemoans the outcomes in a series of federalism cases argued by Sutton. The Times and the Ralph Neas brigade therefore seem to suggest that by virtue of these outcomes, federalism is little more a code word for any number of other -isms with which they disagree, including conservatism. Saddam "will broadcast" The UK London Times is reporting that an Iraqi dissident group claiming to be the remnants of the Ba'athist regime will "address a message to Iraqis and to the (Arab) nation within 72 hours," according to the London's al-Quds al-Arabi. Translation: the folks in Syria are moving to Plan Z. Unless they show Saddam basking under the palm trees along the Syrian coast, it's going to be pretty hard to maintain the ruse for long. On a side note, these tactics sure sound familiar. . . al-Qaeda style. . . but nah, there can't be a connection. . . A History of the Town of Port Royal  Port Royal is a neat little town about 15mi outside of Fredericksburg. It has a great history, an from what I have understood it rivaled Fredericksburg in size and importance until a fire swept through the town in the 1770's. What remains is a collection of 18th, 19th, and 20th century buildings spotted by the occasional trailer. Citizens of the town are very proud of its history, and there is a burgeoning renaissance occuring through private efforts among the citizens to restore some of the old buildings.
What's remarkable is the Masonic lodge here. Alexandria of course is the first lodge, but did you know that Masonic Lodge #2 was in Port Royal? That's noteworthy considering that Masonic Lodge #4 is here in Fredericksburg. It should speak volumes about the town's importance during the latter half of the 18th century, as it very nearly became the capital of the United States. Settled in 1652 when John Catlett and his half brother, Ralph Rowzee patented 400 acres, Port Royal was once the only chartered town in Caroline County. An important colonial shipper of tobacco to Britain, it later served as a warehouse center and mover of grain, freight, and passengers on 3-masted schooners. Traces of this colorful past can still be found today in the historic section of this old town. America's First Export to Iraq: Cable News! That's right! Now if the reaction of the Iraqi people to the tidal wave of media information doesn't tell you something about both American information culture and the oppression under Saddam's regime, I don't know what will. Two ethnic Turkmens - whose language is an offshoot of Turkish - are checking out new satellite dishes on the steps of Salih's store. They say they've already bought one and are enjoying watching television stations from Turkey. "If we turned on the television in the past, the only news was what Saddam did today," says Sabah Nur eh-Din. "We had only two channels. It would have been better to turn the television off and just paste up a picture of Saddam on the screen." Colonial Beach planners weigh proposal for gated community Looks like Colonial Beach really is on the move. Developer Chesapeake Realty Ventures L.L.C. is proposing a mixed development project along Route 205. The price tag for these townhomes and condos? $200K for the townhomes and $175 for the condos. Sounds pricey, but I'll bet that once it goes up, people will snap them up like hotcakes. In a statement filed with its rezoning application, the developer said it has designed the project to Westmoreland County's "significantly more rigorous 16 percent maximum impervious cover [asphalt, concrete or other nonporous materials] rather than the town's 36 percent maximum." Worth taking a look at if you are in the area. Monday, April 28, 2003IRA aimed to defend Ulster town against British Army in TV coup In an effort to bring publicity to the Troubles, the Irish Republican Army had plans to take Ulster and defend her from the British Army in 1969. Now I wonder whether this would have had the intended effect back then. Certainly today it would have an incredible effect. Just take a look at how we are glued to the television and the Internet during the Gulf War. Interesting to say the least: Sir Andrew reported: "Several Irishmen have mentioned that in order to ensure proper ventilation of the Irish problem at the United Nations it might be desirable to create an international threat to peace by seizing some small town (preferably Catholic) in Northern Ireland by a bloodless coup and then defying by armed force all British attempts to recapture it. 1 Pixel Per Meter Now this is cool. Just like it says, everything pictured is scaled to one pixel per meter. A neat comparison of buildings that goes into Star Trek and Babylon 5 starships. Regardless of the geek value, this is still a cool site. Check it out! Sunday, April 27, 2003Error 404 Another greeting courtesy of the Iraqi Information Minister. The Heresy of Americanism: A Response to Radical Traditionalists As I posted earlier, I gave a brief explanation as to where traditionalists and progressives go wrong concerning changes in the Catholic Church during a discussion via e-mail. One gentleman on the list was kind enough to take that e-mail and post it on his apologetics website. Check out the rest of the Evangelical Catholic Apologetics and the article on Americanism. This will be expanded in the immediate future, because I still believe when progressives and traditionalists carry dissent to far, they very appropriately fall under Pope Leo XIII's treatment of the Americanist heresy in Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae. Fredericksburg Muslims Feel Misunderstood This is a good article from this morning's Free Lance-Star on the current condition of area Muslims: "Ever since 9/11, and then again during the war with Iraq, people have been staring at me," said Gotham Sethi, a lobbyist living in Stafford, who was born in northern India. "At first, I thought it was because I'm so darned handsome and people were finally noticing." There might be a few people who say that this is an isolated incident. It's not. Shortly after 9/11, my brother chased out a few people who were harassing a Pakistani family. After calmly explaining to them that they had to leave, my brother's patriotism was questioned. As we are all Irish-Lebanese, he told them that he was partly Arabic and they needed to leave the store. Comments such as "dunecoon," "sand nigger," and other such colorful language were hurled before they left. During the First Persian Gulf war we got it from kids in Caroline County. The prejudice is not terribly uncommon. Of course, you always hear a new one that you can appreciate. With the Irish-Lebanese background, "lepracoon" was just one such example. Saturday, April 26, 2003Proof that Saddam Worked with al-Qaeda Here we go. Read it and weep, peacemongers. Iraqi intelligence documents discovered in Baghdad by The Telegraph have provided the first evidence of a direct link between Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terrorist network and Saddam Hussein's regime. Friday, April 25, 2003MWConservative? I didn't know they existed. Actually this is my brother Art's attempt to get a conservative POV across at Mary Washington College. Unfortunately he starts it off with a "save the name" piece. Couldn't he have started with the Mary Washington SGA embezzlement scandal? Now that's news - $1,800 gone. It's one thing if it was just lost, or if someone didn't understand how to keep books. But cutting yourself checks? That only works if you're a big time CEO! In any event, Art is on the right track. I know there are a lot of alienated and abused College Republicans on that campus, and having a forum more sympathetic than the campus newspaper may be the best course of action. Best o' luck to you lad. Blogger vs. MovableType vs. SixApart? Blogger is easy to use. MT is a pain in the netherregions to set up on your sever. The UK Guardian is reporting on a new alternative to both called SixApart saves all of your information on a remote server but allows you all of the flexibility of MT. Sounds pretty slick, but all I want is a simpler version of MT. Dream on. . . Turnaboot is fair play. . . Seems as if Our Friendly Neighbors to the North have something to say about international institutions. Stolen from Instapundit, of course: For the individual traveller Toronto is obviously still a safe place to visit, but avoiding large gatherings there is probably not a bad idea; and the WHO has no mandate or reason to protect the economy or the reputation of any individual city. Isn't that sort of the idea behind having a World Health Organization? Funny how Canadians love squishy institutions of global governance until one of them acts the least bit peremptory towards them. Glenn Reynolds caps this off with an "indeed". I'll cap it off with an "exactly." This should take a couple of Molsons to think over. . . Thursday, April 24, 2003Annan to US: "RESPECT!" Kofi Annan decided to give a few words of advice to the "occupying power" in Iraq. You read it right, occupying power. . . The United States has reacted angrily to comments made by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in which he reminded US forces in Iraq of their duties as an "occupying power" in the country. Not the same Human Right Commission that Libya is supposed to be chairing, right? Do the folks in the U.N. realize how perilously close they are to having the United States simply withdraw from the U.N. altogether? I don't know about the rest of you folks, but I am getting pretty fed up with the condescending tone from the Axis of Weasels. Who in city will run on pro-development platform? Who indeed? I have heard rumors on both ends. Charlie McDaniel has surfaced, his son's name has surfaced. The other day I even heard that former Mayor Lawrence Davies is considering another run. Former City Councilman Ambrose Bailey's nephew - an articulate guy if I do say so myself - is definitely considering a run at-large. But I wonder who will run against Bill Beck? Speculation of a Councilman Joe Wilson run for mayor has been heard, but his political baggage and voting record from the old "gang-of-five" may present a problem. John Moss is correct when he says that the recent salvos from the Silver Companies are the opening shots of the new campaign season. I don't think it will be hard to find three "pro-development" guys to run for City Council, but that is unfortunately skewing the debate. The debate isn't over development. It remains over the proper role of local government - as either a facilitator of local business interests or a steward of the public trust. Of course, the upcoming mayor's race will be the most expensive and negative in the history of Fredericksburg. But money doesn't buy votes, issues do. We'll see how well the Silvers do against the "vocal minority" that somehow seems to win every election in the city. . . UPDATE: Yes yes, I know there are other names out there. Dr. Garnett's name has been mentioned for the mayor's seat, as has John Goolrick's name. As for any speculation that I might run again for City Council, we'll see how necessary it becomes for someone like me to throw their hat into the ring. I'm more concerned about good candidates and councilmen/councilwomen making the cut rather than good ol' #1 getting elected. Besides, it is an at-large race. . . it may not hurt to consider it. . . Wednesday, April 23, 2003Americanism and Traditionalists I'll post this so that all may see the argumentation: I'll go over Americanism and I'll show you where I think traditionalists go wrong. Keep in mind that for Leo XIII, the last two are products of the first three: Russia Predicting 'Catastrophic' Events in North Korea Woah. I really hope this is just classic Russian pessimism, but given the brinkmanship that North Korea seems to be playing, I wouldn't doubt the veracity of this statement: A top Russian Foreign Ministry official was quoted as saying yesterday in Tokyo that a "catastrophic" development of events in the US-North Korean nuclear standoff was imminent and could occur within the next day. Rappahannock Review! Yep, I get to do Rappahannock Review today. The taping should air on Channel 3 on Thursday, 7:30pm. And finally, I'll be sitting in with a Fredericksburg Democrat! I was half-heartedly beginning to believe that they didn't exist. . . half-heartedly that is. . . Battle Imps? Heck, why not?! Wanna take him on? Well then click here and prepare for BATTLE! The geek has been exposed. . . Tuesday, April 22, 2003Edd Houck - The Common Sense Moderate I nearly choked on a bagel this morning when I read this: Calling on 17th District voters to choose a moderate they know over an ideologue they don't, Sen. Edd Houck yesterday made it official that he's running for an sixth term in the state Senate. Moderate? As in the tax-hiking, pro-abort, FOIA-killing kind of moderate? The rest of the article moves along Houck's line of thought that our taxes are low compared to other places such as. . . I dunno, like Sweden or China for instance. . . If this is how Edd is going to run his campaign, I have a feeling that a lot of other 17th District voters are going to choke on plenty of bagels 'til November. Tax Reform in Virginia? The Free Lance-Star today reported on the prospects of tax reform in the Commonwealth: With a combination of hysterical press releases and reasoned arguments, Republicans are trying to push Gov. Mark Warner into making public his plan to overhaul the state's tax system. *hides saw and whistles* If this tax reform even remotely looks as if it will increase the tax burden of Virginia residents and businesses, then expect to get shaken. If you can reform the tax code without raising taxes - or heaven forbid actually lower taxes - then go for it Mark. Three Kings II? Four US servicemen are facing charges after lifting nearly one million dollars from Saddam's nearly $700 million stash. Kinda looks like a bad rip-off of the movie Three Kings, which if you haven't seen it is a great movie. Check it out! OOPS! Senator Santorm Gets Put In the Crosshairs Fresh from their victory of removing Senator Trent Lott from the Majority Leader's spot, Democratic activists are moving on to other targets. This time it is Rick Santorum (R-PA) for his remarks about gays: "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," Santorum, R-Pa., said in the interview, published Monday. Sounds bad? Well, not in the context of the Supreme Court case it was referring to. Lawrence v. Texas, currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, deals specifically with the extent of state privacy laws. Here's part of what Santorum had to say regarding the case: “Again, my discussion with the Associated Press was about the Supreme Court privacy case, the constitutional right to privacy in general, and in context of the impact on the family. I am a firm believer that all are equal under the Constitution. My comments should not be misconstrued in any way as a statement on individual lifestyles.” Sounds pretty innocuous to me. I would even go so far to say that Santorum is right. Monday, April 21, 2003All Your Base Are Belong to Us. Be careful if you don't enjoy techno or Nintendo games. If by chance you did enjoy this, then you will most certainly enjoy the All Your Iraq Are Belong to U.S. parody, at the very least for the intro. The True Cost of Freedom Now supposedly this is from NewsMax, but I can't seem to verify it with a direct link. In either event, this is still dead on the mark: So far the Bush administration has requested $75 billion ($255 an American) for Operation Iraqi Freedom. How does that compare to other wars? BusinessWeek pegs World War I at $191 billion in 2002 dollars ($2,489 for each American), WWII at $2.9 trillion ($20,388 each), Korean War at $336 billion ($2,266 each), Vietnam War at $494 billion ($2,204 each) and the Gulf War at $76 billion ($306 each), $54 billion of which coalition members reimbursed. Sunday, April 20, 2003Scott Peterson is Innocent You know something? I believe them. Moderate Chichester Faces Challenge From the Right The Washington Post writes about the upcoming Rothfeld-Chichester primary coming up in June. I get a few comments in there too, but hopefully this time I'll receive fewer e-mails about it.
No posts this weekend folks. Have a Happy Easter and a joyous Easter Triduum. Friday, April 18, 2003"Not Born That Way" Says Catholic Medical Association This just in from Zenit, it appears as if the CMA has updated its belief statement on homosexuality. The results? A number of researchers have sought to find a biological cause for same-sexual attraction. The media have promoted the idea that a "gay gene" has already been discovered, but in spite of several attempts, none of the much publicized studies has been scientifically replicated. A number of authors have carefully reviewed these studies and found that not only do the studies not prove a genetic basis for same-sex attraction; the reports do not even contain such claims. Damn. That's pretty strong stuff. You can read the rest of Part One of the document at their website, to be followed with Part Two on Easter Sunday. Good Friday John 19:38 - After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Good Friday, which should explain the lack of posts. If I had it my way, Catholics would be able to take the day off just like Jews are able to take Yom Kippur off. But alas, I am only me. . . Thursday, April 17, 2003Holy Thursday Matthew 26:27 - Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. In between the time period when Christ was arrested and when He was brought to the Sanhedrin, Christ was thrown into a holding cell believed to be on the site of the modern day church of St. Peter in Gallicantu just on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It was here that Christ was alone, waiting for his crucifixion. Father Buckner always compared this time where Christ was alone and waiting to Christ today in the Tabernacle of the church. This is why I always thought that Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was a marvelous thing, and the times when the church was empty a very sad and almost tragic thing. Christ is alone tonight. Waiting to be crucified for our sins. Tomorrow He will die for our inequities. Matthew 26:40 - When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. "So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?" Salve Regina, mater misericordiae, SARbatticals? That's just one of the jokes making the rounds inside the capital of America Jr. To read up to the minute information on SARS, may we suggest this website. Seems pretty reliable. . . So the warmongers won. Now what? Wanna read a great piece of smug leftism? Martin Sieff, a news analyst for UPI, has this to say about the current status of law and order in Iraq: President George W. Bush successfully sold his war on Iraq to the American people as a crusade to topple the frightful Baath dictatorship of President Saddam Hussein and bring the blessings of freedom and democracy to Iraq. But what if Iraqis use that genuine freedom to demand the immediate full-scale withdrawal of all U.S. military forces and political influence? That's right. . . first Coalition forces get slammed for not upholding law and order, now it seems as if we will be criticized as "making a mockery of the very freedoms (we) are supposed to embody" if we do uphold law and order. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. Which leads me to wonder. . . if this is going to be the only defense the peacemongers have, then why consult or consider their opinions at all? What trash. Lots of books in the way Keanu Reeves says "lots of guns." A group of researchers from Brigham Young University has found an ancient library that supposedly traces back to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Vesuvius. Manuscripts dating back 2,000 years have been discovered, as well as a host of other archeological treasures: Some classicists believe that the papyruses, extracted in the 18th century from the buried town of Herculaneum in the Bay of Naples, are just the blackened tip of an iceberg of knowledge. The unexcavated parts of the building where these papyruses were found may contain thousands more. It is not entirely fanciful to imagine that they include works of literature and philosophy that have never been seen by modern eyes: lost companions to The Odyssey and The Iliad from the age of Homer, treatises by Plato and dialogs by Aristotle, tragedies by Sophocles, poetry by Sappho. Those shriveled rolls still locked in the rock could one day form the core of a unique library containing the lost roots of Western European thought. As a budding philosopher, we know for a fact that a good deal of the works of Greek philosophy never survived the Dark Ages. A find like this is simply amazing. Wednesday, April 16, 2003TWENTY QUESTIONS Sigh. I told myself that I wasn't going to do this, but seeing the bandwagon coming by, I just couldn't resist jumping on. . . 1. What will you be doing over the Easter weekend? Having my brothers over for Easter dinner, Mass, thinking of the Holy Land, etc. Voters to Stop Sprawl Meeting on 17 April! You are duty-bound to attend! Evening everyone: Shameless plug? You bet! Syria backs Middle Eastern WMD-free zone Saw this coming a mile away. . . Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara has said his government is willing to sign a treaty making the entire Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. Should we take a vote as to whether or not the Israelis will agree? It would be a noble effort, but if I were Israel I sure wouldn't give up the nuclear option. In the end it's a great political move by the Syrian government, because after all if the UN mandate can be enforced in Baghdad, why not in Tel Aviv? Iraqi defeat jolts Russian military Now isn't this a shame. After the First Persian Gulf War, I remember hearing from the then Soviet military generals on how concerned they were that the Americans had penetrated and destroyed Iraqi defenses so quickly. Back then, our response was that the Iraqis poorly implemented the defense. Fast forward twelve years later, and now it seems as if the Russians are really concerned: The swift victory by mobile, high-tech American forces over heavily armored Iraqi troops dug in to defend large cities like Baghdad has jolted many Russian military planners. "The Iraqi Army was a replica of the Russian Army, and its defeat was not predicted by our generals," says Vitaly Shlykov, a former deputy defense minister of Russia. Of course, many of the Iraqi generals were negotiated with by the Coalition forces. Additionally, no Ba'athist is going to defend something that will inevitably cease to exist. Iraq ain't Mother Russia. Here's another problem. The articles comes out to say that the Russians "can afford an army comparable to those of France or Britain, but hard decisions must be made," according to Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. But towards what end? Others say that Russia also must define a clear post-Soviet security doctrine. "How can we reform our Army when we have not defined the threats it must deal with?" says Mr. Dvorkin. "We must first identify our national interests, then we'll know who our enemies might be." For anyone really interested, check out the Russian Federation Military Doctrine, last updated in 1993. It's focus? Strategic Rocket Forces, a.k.a. nuclear bombs. Not an ideal focus when you have a conscript army. I was afraid of this Chanting "Yes, Yes, Islam, No America, No Saddam", a slogan they never dared to whisper under the old regime, Shia religious leaders led a demonstration of more than 3,000 men to protest against the US-led attempts to build a new government. Iraq is 60% Shi'ite Muslim, the same type of fundamentalist Muslim sentiment that you find in Iran. Under the Ba'athists, Iraq was a secular state, and probably the most liberal towards women next to Syria. Under a Shi'ite government (or any type of Islamic government), all that goes away. Hopefully the new Iraqi federalism that the Iraqi National Congress hopes to install will allow Shi'ites to find their voice in Iraq. Chichester, Houck get campaign head starts You mean incumbents get a head start in fundraising? Naw. . . if you read this article its slanted in just such a way that it makes the GOP contenders looks as if they are sitting on their hands. Pretty misleading if you ask me. Stuber has been very consistent since his announcement, while Rothfeld has only been active over five days. Houck has nearly $63,000 in his campaign account, while Republican Robert Stuber has about $55,400. Now considering the fact that Rob Stuber just got back from seeing his son in China (which is only fertile campaign contribution ground if you are a Democrat), and furthermore really hasn't held a true high dollar fundraising event, the fact that he so close to Houck speaks volumes about the strength of his campaign. Don't worry about any perceived lack of funds, either. Rep. Jo Ann Davis won the 1st Congressional District Primary with only $40,000 in a five-way contest where heavy hitters Rothfeld and Jost spent much more. The long and short of this situation is that Rob hasn't turned on the afterburners yet, not to mention that he hasn't wasted his money on a $6000 campaign manager. In short, Rob is spending his money more effectively than Houck, plus he is getting more in terms of in-kind contributions, which means active grassroot support. So the average reader would look at this and see the discrepancy in amounts, but the politico looks at how well the money is being spent and where the candidates are getting it from. If Vegas had odds on Virginia elections, Stuber wins hands down. As for the Rothfeld Campaign, the man has $44,000 dollars in five days?! That's crazy! Way to go Mike! SWAMI SEZ: Rob will outfundraise Houck when it is all said and done, and he will spend his money more effectively than the incumbent. Same for the Rothfeld-Chichester race. If political technology means anything, the amount spent per vote by GOP candidates recently has gone way down, as the price that Dems spend to get out the vote has remained steady or even increased slightly. Tuesday, April 15, 2003The British National Party is Growing LONDON -- Until recently, Britain was one of the few countries in Europe without a significant far-right movement. Jewish officials say the British National Party, with hundreds of candidates running in upcoming elections, is run by people who have made virulently anti-Semitic and racist comments, and that at least one BNP candidate is using dishonest anti-Muslim appeals to fish for Jewish votes. You know, I heard something about this a few months ago in a Catholic chat list concerning some far-right European groups and distributism. Not that distributism has anything to do with fascists, but this is still a concerning development nonetheless. Monday, April 14, 2003Gangsta Rap Saddam! After a brief burst of Arabic to say "I say I have a big heart and I say goodbye to you", he delivers the final refrain based on the words "Saddam in the house. Everybody in the house say we hate you" in English. My dad brought back a tape of the morale boosting music that they played for the troops back in 1991. That was hilarious. It seems as if this is just an extension of the same tactic. New Vaccine for Asthma? YES!!! For someone like me who is allergic to just about everything, this is a godsend! The vaccine has already shown promising results when studies at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, found that the allergic reactions in patients were reduced by half. Sunday, April 13, 2003Operation About Freakin' Time Coalition forces have decided to enforce a 9:00pm curfew in Baghdad. Good start, but martial law would be much more useful in retrieving our POWs, not to mention that it would prevent cultural disasters such as the looting of the Iraqi Cultural Museum. Surveying the littered glass wreckage of display cases and pottery shards at the Iraqi National Museum on Saturday, deputy director Nabhal Amin wept and told Reuters: "They have looted or destroyed 170,000 items of antiquity dating back thousands of years...They were worth billions of dollars." What a tragedy. More Articles on Rebuilding Iraq This is good stuff. I can't wait for the next Foreign Affairs to come out, they should have all sorts of good stuff on Iraq. Friday, April 11, 2003"FOR SUCH AN ADVANCED SPECIES, THEY SURE KNOW HOW TO RUB IT IN." -- Marge Simpson From none other than Glenn Reynolds: Yeah, there has been a lot of pro-war gloating. And I guess that Dawn Olsen's cautionary advice about gloating is appropriate. So maybe we shouldn't rub in just how wrong, and morally corrupt the antiwar case was. Maybe we should rise above the temptation to point out that claims of a "quagmire" were wrong -- again! -- how efforts at moral equivalence were obscenely wrong -- again! -- how the antiwar folks are still, far too often, trying to move the goalposts rather than admit their error -- again -- and how an awful lot of the very same people who spoke lugubriously about "civilian casualties" now seem almost disappointed that there weren't more -- again -- and how many people who spoke darkly about the Arab Street and citizens rising up against American "liberators" were proven wrong -- again -- as the liberators were seen as just that by the people they were liberating. And I suppose we shouldn't stress so much that the antiwar folks were really just defending the interests of French oil companies and Russian arms-deal creditors. It's probably a bad idea to keep rubbing that point in over and over again. The allies got it so right: how did the pundits get it so wrong? Good question. "Shock and Awe" trademarked by Sony Japanese electronics giant Sony has taken an extraordinary step to cash in on the war in Iraq by patenting the term "Shock and Awe" for a computer game. . . . which is rather remarkable, considering that the term "shock and awe" is an actual term for a military strategy devised in the mid-1980's and is first cited example in modern warfare being the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. It is the difference between going headlong against the enemy (3rd Gen Warfare) or disorienting them into capitulation (4th Gen Warfare), with the ultimate goal to destroy the opposing forces with minimal loss to civilian infrastructure (people, bridges, hospitals, etc). Here is a brief explaination from the USA Today on the history of the term. Now in stores, IRAQI HIT LIST CARDS! No they are not in stores, but if you know a friendly Marine who is willing to part with a deck of 'em, let me know! The US military has issued a most-wanted list of 55 former leaders in Saddam Hussein's regime to be pursued, captured or killed. This is naturally an extension of the old World War II fighter/bomber aircraft cards that were handed out some sixty years ago in order to help G.I.s discern between enemy and friendly aircraft. I had a deck of them that showed Cold War aircraft at one point in time, but considering my young age and younger siblings we dispatched that deck rather quickly. 'Tis a shame. . . WeLovetheIraqiInformationMinister.com Too much to type in? Then just click here. Thursday, April 10, 2003Playground bombing injures 20 Palestinians Do these people think they can get away with something like this just because the world's attention is focused on Iraq? Jewish settlers at it again, and something you won't read in the American press, which is highly frustrating to the point of anger. A bomb, which may have been planted by Jewish extremists, exploded in a West Bank school playground yesterday, injuring 20 Palestinian children. Events such as this remind me of the Hebron mosque attack which claimed the lives of 20+ worshippers inside. The attack, much like this one, was instigated by Jewish settlers. These settlers are not like the pilgrims of American history, rather they are more akin to the darker side, where much like the Native American Indians the Jewish settlers are pushing the Palestinians off of their lands to build new modern cities and settlements to entice more Jews to come live in Israel. What this policy ultimately does is view Palestinians as a second rate people, and further instigates their demands for a "right of return", which in my opinion is a legitimate claim that should be recognized as impractical, but altogether relevant to the issue of peace. The real question is whether the UN mandate that was so forcefully extended to Iraq will hold sway in Palestine, as UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has emphasized. Clearly it should, and the Jewish settlers are the real problem that must be dealt with before any issue is resolved. They are the ones who broke the 1993 Oslo Accords, and much like a cancer they should be removed forcibly from their stolen lands. Aww C'mon Guys! American troops who suggested they uncovered evidence of an active nuclear weapons program in Iraq unwittingly may have stumbled across known stocks of low-grade uranium, officials said Thursday. They said the US troops may have broken UN seals meant to keep control of the radioactive material. No no no no no no no no no. . . This is going to be bad, because you just know that the anti-war guys are going to scream "plant". Of course, one could ask what the Iraqis were doing with radioactive material in the first place, but I suppose I'll be content to wait for an explaination from UNSCOM. You Gotta Admit, She's Got Guts. . . From Matt Drudge: DEM HOUSE LEADER PELOSI TAKES A STAND: 'I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REGRET ABOUT MY VOTE [AGAINST] THIS WAR. THE SAME QUESTIONS REMAIN. THE COST IN HUMAN LIVES, THE COST TO OUR BUDGET, PROBABLY 100 BILLION. WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY BROUGHT DOWN THAT STATUE FOR A LOT LESS'... Think what you will about Nancy Pelosi, but if I were a leftist, commie Democrat, I don't think I'd say anything different. In fact, when you see the price tag you can't help but think that she might have a point. At the price of how many lives, who cares? Because after all, money and not expediency is not the issue at hand. Expect more Monday Morning Quarterbacking from the party of dead ideas. An End to Arab Socialism If you are as much of a political history fanatic as I am, take a look at these articles. At the moment, I have taken back up Chalabi's "Republic of Fear" for bedside reading, and I am checking out the connections between Ba'athism (Arab Socialism) and the effects the Second Persian Gulf War will have on pan-Arab nationalism. I'll be reading these this evening; take a look at them if you get a half-hour to burn in the name of scholasticism! Coping With Crumbling States: A Western and Israeli Balance of Power Strategy for the Levant Syria’s and Iraq’s regimes are based on Baathism, a variant of Nasser’s brand of secular-Arab nationalism. Baathism has failed. Since it is pan-Arab, it holds that all Arabs should unite into one Arab state. This quest undermined the legitimacy and retarded the development of both Iraq and Syria as nation-states. Underneath facades of unity enforced by state repression, their politics are still defined primarily by tribalism, sectarianism, and gang/clan-like competition. It is unlikely that any institutions created by tyrannical secular-Arab nationalist leaders, particularly the army, will escape being torn apart. The leaders of both Syria and Iraq seek to overcome the consequences of this internal failure by engaging in relentless external efforts to control the region. Saddam's Brain: The Ideology Behind The Thuggery Saddam grew up as a cadre in the highly ideological and dogmatic Baath party structure. His speeches, from the time he entered government in 1968 until today, have had a consistent ideological, pseudo-intellectual character, even if in the past decade a layer of Islamist rhetoric has been added. From his first declarations to his last, he has always presented the Arabs as the master race, whose history and accomplishments are glorious. He has always had a mystical belief in self-purification through violence, the notion that the soul is elevated through warfare and killing. And most important, he has always been committed to the life of relentless struggle, of ever-widening wars and confrontations, of perpetual revolution, which undermines all objective truth, all stability, all possibility of rest and peace. He has believed all this in the name of some final and transcendent conquest for himself and the Arab nation. Arabism: The Imaginary Threat Since the destruction of the embodiment of the driving force of Islam, the Khilafah, Muslims have been searching for a way to reverse their decline. Unfortunately sometimes the search is in the wrong place. In the Arab world, Baathism, which stands for resurrection, was put forward to replace the Deen of Islam as the driving force for unity, change and progress. The Baathist party evolved in Syria in the1940 s from the merger of three Arab nationalist parties, Zaki Arsuzi' al-Baath al-Arabi, Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din Bitar's Harakat al-Baath al- Arabi, and Akram Hawrani's Arab Socialist Party. It later spread to the rest of the Arab world to places like Iraq. The central concept of Baathism was Arab nationalism with a coating of socialism. It was a plan for uniting all Arabic-speaking peoples into one powerful Arab nation with the motto of "One Arab Nation, One Immortal Mission". Prominence was given to the Arabic language, even Islamic achievements were recast as Arab success stories. House Passes Gun Lawsuit Immunity Bill Now here is one I missed. For those of you who are scratching your heads on this one, the logic stems from the massive lawsuits stemming from the tobacco industry being sued by people not intelligent enought to realize that putting stuff like nicotine and tar into your body just may cause an unkind reaction. The same lack of intelligence can be extended towards those who lack respect for firearms, hot cups of coffee, etc.: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill giving gun manufacturers and dealers broad protection from civil lawsuits arising from the misuse of firearms easily passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. Missles and Chemicals and Nukes, Oh My! Let's see, we've got missles in schools, we shot up a rather sophisticated mobile bio-chem research truck, and independently confirmed radioactive levels consistent with weapons-grade plutonium at Tuwiatha. I can't wait to see the first quote from Dr. Hans Blix. Vindication? I should say so. . . US Marines at the moment appear to be biding their time from entering some of the more major facilities such as Al-Qaim. My thought is that we may very well be waiting for the war to settle down so we can re-invite UNSCOM to inspect the facilities themselves. Wouldn't that be great?! Chalabi Urges Fast Interim Setup in Iraq Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the exile Iraqi National Congress, was mobbed Wednesday in Nasiriyah by thousands of people cheering the collapse of Saddam's government. It looks as if Chalabi will become the interim leader of Iraq once all is said and done, despite the concerns of the CIA. No problems here. So why am I so damn happy? Tim Blair on his felllow warmongers and the impending doom of the Ba'athist regime: I SHOULDN'T be so happy. After all, I'm a right-wing deathbeast, and the end (or near end) of a war should upset me, because we conservatives lust for war all the time. Except when we have to fight it ourselves, of course. Being chickenhawks and all. Kirkuk falls to Kurdish forces That leaves Mosul and Tikrit to as the last Ba'athist strongholds, or more accurately the few remaining places where either the Kurds or Coalition forces have not arrived en masse. Wednesday, April 09, 2003Go 250mi north of Kuwait to Baghdad, then make a hard left towards Damascus. . . Syria seems to be an active supporter of Saddam Hussein. And with 250,000 guys parked next door and a fresh US 4th Infantry Division ready to go, I'm not so sure that this administration is going to need much prodding to liberate Syria either, now is it? This is naturally all in jest and speculation. Syria is arguably the most tolerant of all the Middle Eastern regimes towards Christians, and Syria is much better armed and trained than the Iraqi military. Syrian Armed Forces still have SCUDs, chemical and biological weapons, Hezbollah soldiers, and some Lebanese and Palestinian civilians that wouldn't mind joining the fray. In short, it's just sabrerattling from the Pentagon. But exactly what are we going to do about it in the long run? Nada. And the Syrians know it too. Saddam's Regime Is Over  So where are all of the cheering masses? After the statue of Saddam Hussein was brought down by the citizens of Baghdad (with the help of a US tank of course), the streets of Baghdad opened up. FOX News was showing pictures of Iraqis dragging the head of Saddam's statue through the streets.
If you watched the video, take a good look at the size of the guy with the sledgehammer. Good Lord! Now there's a guy Saddam needed to get in his regime ASAP! Or even better, put in charge of security for Baghdad. The Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, has joined Hitler in the pantheon of failed dictators, the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said tonight. Here Comes Everybody! Where are the cheering crowds you ask? Why right here, and right here. Of course, there is some looting involved. What struck me as absurd was the BBC reporter last night who commented to the effect that the British soldiers in Basrah were failing to preserve the foundations of civil government by not stopping the looting of five-star hotels and such. Why is that absurd? Because the Iraqi people (especially the people in Basrah) have suffered under executions, torture, rape, and every imaginable suffering so that Saddam could build palaces and five-star hotels. Consider the looting a down payment on coming to terms with the past twenty-five years. And yes, there is a new governmental authority in Iraq that consists of local tribal leaders, and it doesn't sadden me one bit that it's not the U.N. Colonel Vernon (1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment) said: "This person approached us. We met with him. Tuesday, April 08, 2003Saddam survived attack on building say British intelligence sources Dammit. The American pilot of a B-1 bomber circling nearby was told the Iraqi president had entered the building. Twelve minutes later, the pilot dropped four 2,000lb joint direct attack munition bombs on it. Now come on guys. . . does it really take four JDAMs to take out one little dictator? UPDATE: Central Intelligence says he's dead. As in very dead. One official said some analysts believe the multiple eyewitness accounts suggest the Iraqi dictator is dead. The penetrating bombs reduced the building near the popular al Saa restaurant to rubble. "Iraq has now already achieved victory - apart from some technicalities." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You know, I saw the Iraqi Information Minister Saeed al-Sahhaf today speaking to reporters, telling them not to be afraid of the Americans in Baghdad, and informing the reporters that the Americans will surrender or face certain destruction. When asked if he was afraid, he responed, "I am not afraid, and I don't want you to be afraid either. Do not be afraid." To tell you quite honestly, you have to respect this guy. It is clearly obvious that the city's defenses are falling around him, and he rather skillfully tells the reporters around him not to be afraid as a father would to his son. Of course, the "sons" in this instance are the Iraqis too scared to fight against Coalition forces and even more afraid to fight against Saddam. If it weren't for al-Sahhaf, the story from Baghdad would be complete disaster for the Ba'athist regime. In the Arab world, where he is seen as a hero by some, Sahaf escapes the mockery his utterances evoke in Western newspapers. Economy Watch Part 1 Most may not have noticed, but the American economy has lost 465,000 jobs over the past two months. Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve are planning a billion-dollar cash infusion plan and an interest rate cut to soften the economic impact of yet another recession. Two points to make: (1) Let the recession occur. Burst the tech bubble and quit subsidizing it. Recession happen. (2) The Federal Reserve is obsolete. If you're like me, I don't carry greenbacks anymore unless I have to. Most money is digitized now, so the effects of the Fed pumping more greenbacks into the economy simply don't have the effects that they would have in say, the 1950s. Foriegn Affairs had a great article on this, but unfortunately they don't have most of their articles online. I'll see if I can find it. CIA report slams Pentagon's favorite Iraqi If you are familiar with Chalabi, you are familiar with his books and his psuednym Samir al-Khalil. He wrote a book a number of years back called "Republic of Fear" that details Saddam's rise to power and the methods he employs to keep himself in power. Chalabi is a professor, an able administrator, and a brilliant scholar, which is probably why the Pentagon sees him as a favorite -- not to mention why he is the head of the Iraqi National Congress. Unfortunately Central Intelligence doesn't seem to agree, and is circulating a white paper to that effect: "The CIA has been bad mouthing Chalabi and the INC for years. What is surprising is that they are still devoting resources to their character assassination effort instead of other more obvious missions," said Randy Scheunemann, a long time adviser to Chalabi and now President of the Committee to Liberate Iraq, a lobbying group formed last year to support ending Saddam Hussein's regime. "Whatever the stories the agency may be spreading it's clear Centcom Commander Tommy Franks thinks the INC has an important role to play." Biased BBC Take a look at this! British soldiers are so fed up with the bias that one report says that the H.M.S. Ark has switched off the BBC in favor of Sky News, comparable to the U.S.S. Nimitz switching off CNN for Fox News. That's one way to vote with your feet. On to Tikrit! Baghdad really isn't the prize here - not as far as Saddam is concerned. The real prize is his hometown of Tikrit, which Saddam has built into a parallel capital to Baghdad. Coalition forces are preparing to push on towards Tikrit in a matter of hours it seems, and if the Ba'athists still have the capability to use chemical weapons, they will use them there. By the way, that six day pause the peacemongers were gloating about just a week ago. Well, I just got done watching footage of American soldiers camped out on Saddam's front porch. The six days are over! guys! So much for one's definition of pause. Nah, Iraq Doesn't Support Terrorism. . . Which means that whether or not this base was used to train PLF fighters, it really wouldn't do much to dampen anti-war sentiment. Neither would these reports of chemical weapons, or this finding, or this finding, or even this finding, or this one, or this one, or this one. . . I mean come on folks. How could we ever prosecute this war in light of such flimsy evidence?! Kuwaiti Worshipers Said Opposing Anti-US Sermons, Preachers Aww yeah. Looks like some of the mullahs in Kuwait are being shouted down when they begin preaching anti-Americanism during Friday prayers. Who says we aren't appreciated? Requiem for Arab Nationalism I stumbled on this great article from Middle East Quarterly. Had Syria or Jordan, or even both, lost the (1967) war, it would not have been the unmitigated disaster for Arab nationalism that it proved to be. But Arab nationalism could not survive the abject humiliation inflicted on its acknowledged prophet, who, through his shrill and overzealous propaganda machine, had promised a fabled triumph in al-Ma‘raka al-Masiriya, the battle of destiny. Indeed, Cairo's radio station "The Voice of the Arabs," in a baffling act of self-deception, continued to proclaim victory after victory on the Sinai battleground long after the summary defeat of the Egyptian army. Monday, April 07, 2003Police violence shocks activists, others at Port of Oakland protest "I got hit a few times with rubber bullets,'' said Dan Siegel, an attorney and member of the Oakland School Board. Siegel pulled a sting ball out of the pocket of his business suit and said he was outraged that the police fired on a peaceful protest. "The police totally overreacted. It's over the top. They were reckless, and I also saw an officer on a motorcycle run over a woman's foot.'' Boohoo! I can't believe the slant on this. . . or maybe yet I can believe it, but I'm just so overwhelmingly disgusted that I don't want to believe it. You were notified not to block the plant, guys! Given ample warning of the conseqeunces. Given plenty of time to clear out! Morons. . . About time! San Francisco Police used non-lethal bullets on about 750 anti-war demonstrators blocking access to a business. Don't worry, the peaceniks were given plenty of time and warning before the police cleared 'em out. Sunday, April 06, 2003Droppin' Like Flies David Bloom, reporter for NBC, died in Baghdad of a non-combat related pulmonary embolism. He leaves behind a wife, his 9 year old twins, and a three year old daughter. Saturday, April 05, 2003TOUGH CROWD! If you haven't seen Tough Crowd on Comedy Central, you should take a good look. Colin Quinn has that sense of humor where he seems to get the joke before it even comes out of his mouth. Which is great if you can be patient enough for him to get it out. Between this and Insomniac, I can't decide which one I prefer. Tough Crowd appears on Comedy Central Monday through Thursday at 11:30pm EST. Insomniac w/ Dave Attell appears Thursday's at 10pm on Comedy Central, but also appears sparodically depending on the mood of the producers. Just start watching at about 10pm and catch the Daily Show while your at it. A Very Roman Lesson For Today Another great article from the UK Guardian: When Agricola's legions stormed to the north of Britain to face the tribes of Caledonia nearly 2,000 years ago, the Roman governor of Britain used exactly the same strategy as the Pentagon in Iraq. He sent his fleet ahead to spread uncertainty and terror - for which read the aerial bombardment of Baghdad - and then marched north with a highly mobile and lightly equipped army. Despite the immediate parallels one might draw between the Roman Empire's fall and the current war in Iraq aside, the article really wasn't about that at all. By and large, its focus was on the use of military strength without reveling in its superpower status, regardless of the parallels one might draw between Iraq and the barbarians of the time. The very last sentence captures it all: When Agricola returned to Rome after his successful campaign in the Britain, he stole into the city by night to avoid his friends and supporters. Strength through humility? What a great lesson! Keep Your Eye on Saddam's Left Arm Yeah, I think I'm on to something here. . . if you go to the BBC World News site and start comparing and contrasting previous videos of Saddam with yesterday's outdoor stroll, check out his left arm, particularly the range of movement he has in his shoulder. There's limited movement, but not enough to convince that he's 100%. This would be entirely consistent with the call for a neurosurgeon shortly after the bombing raid that opened the war. I think we hurt him. Unfortunately for Saddam, his repeated tapes on Iraqi TV are starting to sound like a Monty Python sketch. I'm not dead yet. . . Medical Reporter Perfoms Surgery in Iraq Amazing. What this reporter did was truly heroic. Thanks to Mista Jonathan Street for pointing me to FARK.com for the link. The only thing that bothers me is that the Yahoo link to this story implied that this reporter's action was a journalistic problem. Now I know that there is an obligation for journalists to be removed from the story and all, but come on now. . . this man should receive a medal, not some highbrowed ivory tower criticism for what he did. This was a perfectly humane and just act, and definitely something that should be respected. Suffering from multiple wounds, the child was seen as having only minutes to live before Gupta was called upon. He operated to relieve pressure on the child's brain. Saddam Has Nukes? Now here's a common argument against the war. President Bush and company are fearmongering, whipping the American sheep/people into a frenzy by suggesting that Saddam has nuclear weapons. Is that so? Here's a response that I gave to just one such anti-war commentator on our local FredTalk website. My absolute favorite of the bunch? In an effort to prove that President Bush was in effect scaring the American public with nuke-talk, this line of his October 2002 speech in Cincinnati was cited: Knowing these realities, America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. Fearmongering! Oh no! Which the president immediately followed with this quote from none other than Jack Kennedy: As President Kennedy said in October of 1962, "Neither the United States of America, nor the world community of nations can tolerate deliberate deception and offensive threats on the part of any nation, large or small. We no longer live in a world," he said, "where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nations security to constitute maximum peril." You mean Jack Kennedy said that?!? Ah liberals. Debating them only reminds me of General Lee commenting on the carnage during the First Battle of Fredericksburg -- "It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it." So I have a conscience. Sure stuff needs to be said, but you almost feel bad picking apart the argument. I mean they really believe this stuff folks! Friday, April 04, 2003Kerry Lashes Out Regime change? Yeah, we're all pretty familiar with Kerry's little quip in New Hampshire last Wednesday. Is it unpatriotic, or even worse treasonable? I'm not so sure that it's either one, but Tom Delay said it best when he called the comments "desperate and inappropriate." What kills me though is Kerry is taking it so as to make it a personal crusade. I love this little line: "If they want to pick a fight, they've picked a fight with the wrong guy," Kerry said in a telephone interview. OOOH!!! Now the anti-war movement is magically personified in the deity known as John Kerry. Now I'm all fired up, John! Good politics I suppose, but only if you want the stoned undergrad vote. Who knows, it could be helpful in replacing that Irish-Catholic vote he just lost be claiming to be Irish. . . and not having a drop of Irish blood in him. I suppose not even highly-decorated anti-war 'Nam vets are beyond pandering when they have to. Yes I'm being harsh on the guy, and not because he's a Democrat. If you're going to make a statement like that, that's fine - say it and back it up. But don't backpedal and make yourself a victim of the criticism you justly brought upon yourself. Spin is one thing, but making comments to the effect of "now you're questioning my patriotism *sob* " is beyond weak, it's exactly the kind of low pandering that turns people away from politics altogether. Friends of America Rally in Toronto! Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds hits home again, this time commenting on a pro-America rally in Toronto. What's better is some of the e-mail he has received from those present: UPDATE: Reader John MacDonald emails: No "fair weather friends" up there. I just might start drinking Molson again. . . not that I ever drank it before, but I just might drink one to those Canadians at the protest. This American thanks you. Bush Signs Executive Order Allowing for Quarantine This is real folks. Keep your eye on this one. It calls for the "apprehension, detention or conditional release of individuals to prevent the introduction, transmission or spread of suspected communicable diseases." Michael Kelly dead in Iraq Holy crap. Michael Kelly died in a Humvee accident. Michael Kelly, 46, the Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large and Washington Post columnist who abandoned the safety of editorial offices to cover the war in Iraq, has been killed in a Humvee accident while traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. Wow, that's a real shame. Kelly leaves behind a wife and two small children, aged 6 and 3. U.S. Shrugs Off Saddam Sighting If you get a chance to see the actual video of this incident, check out his left arm. It barely moves. I think this video may very well be the real deal. More to come. . . Father Buckner's Interview on EWTN Live For those of you who were not able to see the interview while it was on air, you can watch the interview online by clicking here! Remember to make sure you have downloaded and installed RealPlayer first. . . but this should bring back good memories for all you Holy Land Pilgrims out there. Thursday, April 03, 2003Coalition forces to isolate Baghdad? Now here is an interesting strategy: Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicated the coming days might bring neither an all-out fight for the city, as many have predicted, nor a conventional siege of the capital. So by encircling Baghdad and effectively displacing the Ba'athist regime, the new Iraqi government can effectively take over and rebuild Iraq while Saddam rots away in the capital. I wouldn't be surprised if the strategy for taking Baghdad wouldn't be remarkably similar to the British strategy in Basrah of small incursions designed to destablize Ba'athist defenders over a period of time, all the while tightening the noose. Of course, what happens to the civilians in Baghdad? The strategy certainly pre-empts any attempt by Saddam to dress his soldiers in US-UK uniforms to kill civilians by deliniating a clear line between where Coalition and Iraqi forces. Any real casualties could only be blamed on the Ba'athists, either actively by killing resistance forces or passively by prolonging the siege. Either way, it sure does put some pressure on those close to Saddam to show their cards. If Saddam is alive, then Baghdad could hold out. If not or if Saddam is incapacitated to some degree, then why continue the resistance?
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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