UPDATE 9/07: ROY HALLUMS RESCUED IN IRAQ!!!! Details here. Or try the Main Page.

UPDATE 1/25/05: Roy HALLUMS hostage video emerges, click here for details. Thank God Roy is still alive!
------------------------

American Roy Hallun has been held hostage in Iraq for the past 29 days. I first learned about this today. It was buried in a NY Times piece, almost to the end. I can't find any other information about Mr. Hallun other than incidental reports by the the press in the Phillippines. Roy Hallun was taken captive with a Fillipino named Robert Tarongoy and the Phillippines has now confirmed that they are in negotiations with the terrorists for his release.

Does any one have any further information about Mr. Hallun? Perhaps the more recent press reports have spelled his name incorrectly and this is why I was unable to fact check the story?
---------------------------------
12/01 From this post: Remembering the Forgotten American Hostages in Iraq

A friend of his left a comment today and reports that the correct spelling of his name is "Roy A. Hallums". The last 'Butch' heard from Roy he was in Amman Jordan working for the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company (SATCO). In an e-mail sent to Butch last July, Roy mentioned he might be headed to Iraq soon. Any news about Roy would be welcomed by his friends and family. Neither the Pentagon nor SATCO has been forthcoming with information. Roy was kidnapped with several Iraqis, a Nepalese, and a Fillipino man all of whom have been released. The Phillipine government now confirms negotiating with the terrorists for Robert Tarongoy's freedom, something the Pentagon had warned would could be dangerous to the welfare of other hostages being held in Iraq..

------------------------------
1/11/05: Tribute to American Hostage Roy Hallums

As close followers of this site know, a minor controversy was started when we published the name of an American civillian being held hostage in Iraq. His name first appeared as 'Roy Hallun' in a Fillipino newspaper and we republished that account here. In response to that initial post a friend of Roy contacted us and clarified that Roy's last name was actually 'Hallums'.

We published several posts about Roy Hallums, shocked that not a single mainstream media outlet had picked up on the story. Roy had been kidnapped with six other foreigners on November 1st. For weeks the State Department would only confirm that an American had been kidnapped but would not release his name. This seemed odd to us and we felt that the word should get out.

Members of Roy's family soon contacted us with words of encouragement. They too were perplexed that an American citizen could be held hostage in Iraq and yet no media would cover the story.

However, as some of you know, we took down several posts dedicated to Roy Hallums. A person close to Roy Hallums' contacted me with the concern that publicizing his account might jeopardize ongoing negotiations for his release. I was conflicted. On the one hand I felt a great deal of sympathy for this person. If I were in their shoes I would do everything possible, including paying a ransom to terrorists, for the release of my loved one. On the other hand, I wanted the whole world to know the depths of Islamofascist perfidy. As a matter of fact, my entire site is dedicated to that very goal.

In the end, the personal nature of the request won me over and I removed the posts as requested.

In the past few weeks, Roy's immediate family has been trying to get the word out about his plight and it seems the media is catching on. Just prior to my vacation I was contacted by a producer at CBS news who was trying to reach the Hallums family--I assume they ran the story although I've been out of the loop. Carrie and her mother Susan Hallums have also appeared on Good Morning America trying to get the word out about their loved one.

Carrie e-mailed me over my holiday letting me know that she had set up a web page dedicated to her father. If you have a minute I'd encourage you to go over there and look around. You can leave words of encouragement at this guest page. Also, please include Roy Hallums and his family in your prayers.

------------------------------

Hallums Family Reacts to Hostage Video, $12 million dollar ranson demand made

Ghadaffi calls for Roy Hallums Release

State Department Admits 3 American Hostages 'Probably' in Iraq

Jesse Jackson to Intervene on Behalf of US Hostage Roy Hallums

Phillipines Paying Ransom for Hostage (Again): Roy Hallums-Libya Connection

Posted by: Rusty at 04:49 PM | Comments (29) | Add Comment
Post contains 789 words, total size 5 kb.

There are reasons why I worry about Iran having a Nuclear bomb and not Israel, Pakistan and not France (yes, France), or North Korea and not, say, Sweden. Here is an an example from Reporters Without Borders via Michelle Malkin:

Reporters Without Borders has strongly protested against the Iran's relentless efforts to stifle free expression online after the arrest of five webloggers in less than two months, the latest on 28 November 2004.

"The government is now attacking blogs, the last bastion of freedom on a network that is experiencing ever tighter control," said the worldwide press freedom organisation. "At the same time, an Iranian delegate is sitting on a UN-created working group on Internet governance. The international community should condemn this masquerade," it added.

Three webloggers identified only by their first names were arrested on 29 October 2004. They were : Dariush, Omid, and Payvand.

Mojtaba Saminejad was arrested at the beginning of November for speaking out against the arrest of his three colleagues in his blog.

Farid Modaressi, a member of the student organisation the Office to Consolidate Unity, was arrested on 28 November on the order of the prosecutor's office in the city of Qom. He had posted a number of articles on his weblog exposing persistent harassment in the city by members of the conservative movement. Two of his brothers were reportedly arrested two days earlier and are apparently still being held.

It's in this context that Internet, and blogs in particular, are so much important in Iran today: They are providing a relatively safe space for a public discourse that the regime has effectively prevented during the past couple of years by shutting down opposition parties and newspapers, and intimidating journalists, and activists.

While the smarter divisions of the regime have realized the dangers of this remaining open space and desperately trying to close it, the world seems to be ignorant about this great Achilles'' heel of the Iranian regime.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:23 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 361 words, total size 3 kb.

Dean had a link to the Free Muslim Coalition's petition to get the UN to support censuring religious leaders who sanction murders through the issuing of fatwas. I urge all to sign the petition (direction are at the bottom of the page).

I took a few minutes to look over the site, and I must say I like what I see. For instance, their position on terrorism:

The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism believes that there can NEVER be a justification for terrorism.

The Coalition believes that fundamentalist Islamic terror represents one of the most lethal threats to the stability of the civilized world. The existence of Islamic terrorists is the existence of threats to democracy. There is no room for terrorism in the modern world and the United States should take a no-tolerance stance on terrorism in order to avoid another tragedy, along the lines of 9-11. With the added threat of biochemical weapons, the call to defeat terrorism has never been so urgent.

Among Islamic scholars, the concept of jihad ranges in definition from the personal struggle against temptation to holy war. All calls for jihad to create an Islamic state should be rejected as heretic and a threat to modern society. The Coalition feels that the concept of jihad should be reinterpreted for a modern day context in which holy war is obsolete. No holy war needs to be waged; there is no clear and present threat to Islam; the only war that needs to be waged in the modern world is one against terrorists and extremists. As militant Islamic fundamentalism increases, the Coalition will wage a battle of minds as we bring Islam into the 21st century and introduce a doctrine which is compatible with democracy and modern living.

Check this out from their position on democracy, I fully agree:

The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism strongly supports the promotion of democracy in the Middle East. However, the Coalition cautions that imposing democracy on the Middle East without first promoting secularism and destroying terrorism may lead to the creation of Islamic extremist states that will ultimately reject the democracy that brings them to power....

Democracy is rule by the people; a system of free choice where rulers are elected and held accountable by their constituents. The element of free choice of leaders is an explosive topic right now in the Middle East & North Africa. If fair and free elections were held tomorrow, the majority of Arab countries would probably elect totalitarian leaders with an intolerant pro-Islamist agenda. The election of extremists would spell death to democracy. We must first expel Islamic extremists and terrorists from Arab and Muslim societies before democracy sweeps the region.

The Coalition supports the right of all peoples to self government, but recognizes the importance of a solid system of government which guarantees a secular democracy protecting the rights of all people, regardless of gender, race or religion, and strives tirelessly to eliminate threats to democracy including extremism and terrorism. The Coalition fosters this secular environment by opening debates on the prerequisite of secularism in governments in the Middle East & North Africa, rallying against Islamist propaganda in media outlets, in institutions of education and in political campaigns, and by exploring the creation of secular democracy-preserving constitutions for Arab and Muslim countries.

The Coalition believes that Muslims must be reeducated about the benefits of secularism and that the failure of their governments to bring them peace and prosperity was not because they were secular. The Coalition also believes that democracy can not succeed unless terrorism is defeated and Islamic extremism is discredited.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:01 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 613 words, total size 4 kb.

Canadians protesting Bush's visit. I saw Christmas with the Kranks last Friday, this protest looks much funnier. Go check out the Ravishing Light's photo essay posted here, here, and here. (via LGF)

Ok, I think we all can agree that Bush=Hitler....but that Star Wars crack just goes too far!! I say invade Canada now!!

But seriously, moonbats like this are the reason Bush will probably be assasinated. Why? Because if you really believe Bush=Hitler then isn't killing him the right thing to do? A running theme on this blog is that people do terrible things because they believe that what they are doing is for a just cause. This is why the battle for ideas is every bit as important as the physical battles being fought by our brave soldiers abroad.

PS-Looks like turnout was lighter than expected.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:22 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 148 words, total size 2 kb.

....let alone Prime Minister.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:48 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 20 words, total size 1 kb.

The benefits of the Fallujah offensive just keep pouring in. The Zarqawi tape the article references was reported here a week ago. This NewsMax article explains it:

Terrorist attacks against U.S. troops and security forces in Iraq have plummeted dramatically in the wake of the Marine assault on Fallujah earlier this month, the Pentagon said Monday.

"Military officials report that attacks across all of Iraq have dropped from 130 to 50 per day," Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski told NBC's "Nightly News." ...

But terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi suggested last week that his forces were in no position to mount a counter attack - since the Fallujah offensive had devastated the insurgency.

"Hundreds of thousands of the nation's sons are being slaughtered at the hands of the infidels," Zarqawi said in an audiotape posted on an Islamic Web site known as al-Qala'a, which has been a mailbox for Islamic militant groups.

In an indictment of Muslim clerics whom he blamed for failing to support the insurgency, the Jordanian-born terrorist complained: "Are your hearts not shaken by the scenes of your brothers being surrounded and hurt by your enemy?

"How long will you continue to abandon the nation to the tyrants of the east and of the west, who are inflicting the worst suffering, cutting the throats of the holy warriors . . ."

Posted by: Rusty at 10:50 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
Post contains 237 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Attacks are down? there's 8 dead in the last 2 days. With victories like these, I hope we don't ever see defeat.

Posted by: actus at November 30, 2004 11:48 AM (CqheE)

2 Where did you see this, Rusty? I read in today's paper that it's just reached a record! We lost 7 guys that were stationed out of Ft. Hood in a helicopter crash due to really bad fog. Of course, they weren't killed in "action", yet they probably wouldn't have been in the crash had they not signed up to fight. Sad either way.

Posted by: Laura at November 30, 2004 11:59 AM (ptOpl)

3 That report you posted is not true. we have had the most death this month since two months ago.

Posted by: IraQ at November 30, 2004 12:10 PM (xdHNZ)

4 Attacks on US troops are down. Unfortunately, the terrorists have begun to focus on Iraqi police again.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at November 30, 2004 12:30 PM (JQjhA)

5 Rusty, that's because we killed them all. But it just go's to show that while I believe the Brits are the best at winning hearts and minds etc, you do need overwhelming force to subdue the insurgent fuckers. It has sent a message to any other town or city in that country, that if you harbour these people, that this is what will happen. I am a Brit, but God bless America.

Posted by: david at November 30, 2004 01:26 PM (PM/BC)

6 War is hell. Fewer attacks does not mean fewer deaths. Shows some promise. We lost 75,000 men in the battle of the bulge in one day. Why are we whining about 7 or 8. Not to belittle thier sacrafice but we are far from being beaten here.

Posted by: Howie at November 30, 2004 01:27 PM (YdcZ0)

7 The Battle of the Bulge which lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945 was the largest land battle of World War II in which the United States participated. More than a million men fought in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British. The German military force consisted of two Armies with ten corps(equal to 29 divisions). While the American military force consisted of a total of three armies with six corps(equal to 31 divisions). At the conclusion of the battle the casualties were as follows: 81,000 U.S. with 19,000 killed, 1400 British with 200 killed, and 100,000 Germans killed, wounded or captured

Posted by: Howie at November 30, 2004 01:36 PM (YdcZ0)

8 Hard to say if the Fallujah operation will have any lasting impact regarding overall insurgent activity. People seem to recall that Najaf was the scene of intensive fighting this past summer. Quelling that city didn't prevent Fallujah, nor should it be expected that Fallujah signals any significant crippling of the insurgency. Of course, fighting didn't resume in Najaf afterwards, so it's possible some of this peace will last.

Posted by: Venom at November 30, 2004 01:36 PM (dbxVM)

9 OK Maybe I exaggerated a little.

Posted by: Howie at November 30, 2004 01:38 PM (YdcZ0)

10 Oops, that should have read "People seem to FORGET..."

Posted by: Venom at November 30, 2004 02:01 PM (dbxVM)

11 I take your point venom. that's why I hope that the more these battles takes place, the pissed off the ordinary Iraqi's will get, resulting in the Iraqi's themselves eating into the insurgency from within. These insurgents/foreigners are holding all Iraq to ransom, its about time the Iraqi's themselves stood up to be counted and take steps to heel their own country.

Posted by: david at November 30, 2004 02:31 PM (PM/BC)

12 Near the end and after WW II there was attacks on allied personel by neonazis called WEREWOLVES but they usialy ended up facing a firing squad when you face terrorists you dont fool around

Posted by: sandpiper at November 30, 2004 08:24 PM (Fcc6d)

13 We complicate the matter to much. My rule of keep it simple stupid rings that David is correct. Sometimes talking doesn't work. In that case a good ass whipping does. Particularly when dealing with idiots that only understand force.

Posted by: greyrooster at December 01, 2004 04:53 AM (wJPgF)

14 It may be of use to keep in mind that Fallujah was the major base. It contained massive amounts of materiel, the stuff needed for battle. A large number of the dedicated muj were there, and even though a number left early or escaped, the losses are not as easy to retrieve as some may think. The muj are not magic. They are using terrorism on the Iraqi population because more and more the ING and especially the Americans are too dangerous to engage in any but the most hit and run fashion. The insurgency is essentially a Sunni phenomenon. If parts of the Sunni triangle are sliced off from the bulk of it, which remember consists of only 20% of the population,the elections will create a free Iraq with a sore spot needing suppression. Do not doubt the desire of either the Shia or the Kurds to undertake something like this. And remember as well the majority of the civilian deaths being created by the muj are Sunni. This is not the best way for them to solidify their hold on the people when the people have hope of freedom from these gangsters. Would anyone,did anyone, of the talking heads and the University pukes even begin to predict the successes that have attended our actions in Afghanistan? To ask the question is to answer it. This President is being guided in part by the support he receivesd for his own instinctive understanding of the power of freedom by the work of Nathan Sharansky. Freedom and the hope for freedom are more powerful than most realize. I think that many who worry about the cost in blood of this operation simply don't understand how incredibly inexpensive in lives these two battles (Afghanistan and Iraq) have been. If we had been able to end World War II, the Cold war including Vietnam, Korea and other minor clashes at the same proportionate cost millions, even tens of millions of people would not have died. We need more faith in freedom and less concern about the wimps of Europe whose suicidal urges are defined by their lack of replacement of their own numbers.

Posted by: Arctic Fox at December 04, 2004 11:40 PM (VbhuZ)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

So what's al Qaeda up to these days? I've been speculating that Zarqawi, who is the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, is in Mosul. Thanks to the Reliapundit for this Novinite link which claims Zarqawi may be in Basra. Very unusual if true because Basra is a Shia area. However, considering that Novinite picked the story up from a Russian news source which conducted interviews with Basra locals, I'm less than convinced of it's veracity:

Iraqi and UK troops from the coalition forces, are conducting a massive search raid for Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

Al-Zarqawi is believed to have taken refuge in the city after fleeing Fallujah.

Locals say agents from the Iraqi forces are collecting information about Al-Zarqawi location, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Al Qaeda's #2 man has also released a tape. Chad Evans speculates that the message is an indication of fragmentation among the top al Qaeda leadership. Me? I've no idea but it doesn't surprise me to learn that Dr. Zawahri thinks the J-O-Os are behind the recent US elections.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 212 words, total size 2 kb.

I called in sick yesterday and went to a super-secret fishing hole of mine. My spot is just below the outlet of a little man-made reservoir down here. I was the only one there all day. I'd say the river is only 15-20 feet below the top of the levy so the slough I fish off of is pretty small. Every time we get a lot of rain the bass just start boiling but I've never seen so many fish as yesterday! It looked like an upstream salmon migration with fish trying desperately to make it up the slough. Literally hundreds of bass congregating in the foam where the water from the lake above hits the river below. I've also heard of jumping catfish before, but never seen it. At first I thought they were giant bass jumping out of the water every five or ten minutes, until I hooked into my first cat of the day.

The bite was definitely on! Final score: Three 5 lb+ cats (all released) and five bass (took three home, ate one for supper last night). The catch of the day was a 7 or 8 lb monster of a largemouth, although I can't be sure. I grew up a trout fisherman and you measure trout by length, not by weight. I'll post a picture as soon as I get the film developed. I'm just glad I switched over to 20 lb line before I went. As it was two grandaddies got off. One of them broke the line, the other broke the hook! All the fish were caught on various plastic minows, even the cats, but the large (I'm talking 4-5 inches) red tinted ones seemed to work the best.

Fishing also gives you a chance to reflect on priorities. I've come to the conclusion that too much of my time is devoted to this blog. I love to blog, to put my thoughts down in a public forum, to get feedback, to be part of a national conversation.... but clearly blogging can't be the most important thing in my life. However, if time is an indication of our priorities than an objective observer might think my life's greatest priority was blogging. So, somewhere between the fish that got away and the discovery that I was standing on an anthill I made the commitment to spend less time blogging. No, I'm not giving it up, I'm just going to cut down a bit. I average 6-10 posts a day. Expect 3-5 in the future.

More time fishing, less time blogging. More time with my family, less time with the public. More time devoted to the job that pays the bills, less time to my hobby. All blog and no play makes Rusty a dull boy..

UPDATE: All blog and no play also make Bill a dull boy. Oh and screw the Llama Butchers, I'm just keeping it real yo!

Posted by: Rusty at 08:54 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
Post contains 490 words, total size 3 kb.

by Demosophist

I just watched a fascinating account on LinkTV's and Pacifica's leftist news program, Democracy NOW! concerning reports from sources in Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. One was from a London Guardian reporter in Kiev named Ian Traynor. (Here's a link to a story he wrote on the topic.) He has been close to the pro-democracy movement there, unlike many of his colleagues sitting at their desks in London, and maintains unequivocally that you can credit the US with launching and funding many of the citizen movements in that part of the world that were able to prevent autocrats from stealing elections. He also says that the movements are not oriented toward simply producing pro-American propaganda that favors a particular candidate, but rather their mission is to produce a level playing field. (For instance, the pro-authoritarian election in Belarus recently was allowed to stand without protest, largely because it was acknowledged that the anti-US candidate did, in fact, win.) more...

Posted by: Demosophist at 12:13 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 906 words, total size 6 kb.

I'm pretty much taking the weekend off. I made a commitment a couple of months ago to stop blogging on Sunday--kind of a blog Sabbath. Remember, blogs were made for man and not man for the blogs. In the meantime please go vote for Pat Tillman as Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year by clicking here. Tillman quit a lucrative job in the NFL to join the Army. He was killed fighting in Afghanistan. Vote early and vote often!

Posted by: Rusty at 04:10 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 83 words, total size 1 kb.

Last week we were grateful that 3 UN election workers being held hostage and threatened with beheding by Taliban elements were released in Afghanistan. Today, this story via Captain Ed that ransom may have been paid for their release. The former hostages are Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo, and Angelito Nayan from the Phillipines. Reuters:

A former British soldier and journalist detained over his role in the release of three U.N. hostages was himself freed on Friday and said he had passed on a message offering $1.5 million to a group for the trio's freedom.

Veteran war cameraman Peter Jouvenal, who now runs a guesthouse in Kabul, said he passed on the offer of money from Kosovan businessman Behgjet Pacolli to the Taliban splinter faction Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) via an intermediary. "But as far as I understand that money was not paid," he said. Pacolli, a family friend of one of the hostages, has denied paying any ransom but has said Jouvenal traveled on his behalf to the Pakistani city of Peshawar to contact the militants.

A government official, meanwhile, said he understood the hostages were freed on Tuesday after the payment of a ransom, but he did not know by whom it was paid or to whom. "As far as I understand money has been given," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 239 words, total size 2 kb.

Via No Pasaran! this Army Ranger shirt:

Posted by: Rusty at 12:23 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
Post contains 15 words, total size 1 kb.

A slew of happenings from Fallujah and Mosul yesterday, all the news positive. Abu Saeed, a top aid to Zarqawi, has been captured. Via Chad at ITB this AP piece:

A lieutenant of Iraq's most feared terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was captured a few days ago in Mosul, the government's national security adviser said Thursday. Qassem Dawoud identified the alleged lieutenant only as Abu Saeed but gave no further details.

A laboratory for the manufacture of chemical weapons has been found in Falluja, an Iraqi minister said on Thursday, but Marines in the city said they were not aware of any such discovery. "Soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard found a chemical laboratory that was used to prepare deadly explosives and poisons," Minister of State Kassim Daoud told a news conference. "They also found in the lab booklets and instructions on how to make bombs and poisons. They even talked about the production of anthrax."

Iraqi forces and U.S. Marines searching a mosque in Fallujah ``discovered the largest weapons cache to date'' in the city, where the coalition has been carrying out an assault on insurgents, the military said.

The stockpile of heavy weaponry was found yesterday in and around the compound of the Sa'ad Abi Bin Waqas Mosque in the Hey Al-Shorta District, the military said today in a statement e-mailed from the capital, Baghdad. The mosque was used by Muslim cleric Abdullah al-Janabi, leader of the city's rebels, to preach ``anti-coalition rhetoric,'' the military said.

The number of weapons recovered in the mosque complex is ``stunning,'' and is ``enough to mount an insurgency across the country,'' the Associated Press cited Lieutenant Colonel Dan Wilson of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force as saying. The military didn't indicate how many weapons were seized.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 414 words, total size 4 kb.

Fifteen bodies were found in Mosul today. This Reuters account puts the count of total bodies found in Mosul at 30. However, by my calculations at least 17 bodies were found in Mosul over the past week or so. That number includes two members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party whose murder by the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah was videotaped and released on the internet. It also includes the bodies of 9 Iraqi National Guard members, seven of whom were beheaded, found in Mosul. The AFP puts the count at 40. All of these bodies are of murder victims killed execution style. Mosul is now the center of terrorist activity in Iraq. Either we treat it like Fallujah or we let the Kurds take it over. The Arab police in that city are spineless and 80% or more have fled their posts. I like the latter option better. The Kurds will have no mercy. Reuters:

U.S. forces have discovered another 15 dead bodies in and around Mosul, a U.S. military spokeswoman says, raising to at least 30 the number of bodies found over the past two weeks in the tense city.

"We don't have any specifics on who they were or how they were killed at this point, it's all under investigation," said Captain Angela Bowman, spokeswoman for U.S. forces in the north of Iraq, on Friday.

Thirteen bodies were found on the western side of the city, which straddles the Tigris river in the north of Iraq, on Thursday, and two more were found in Tal Afar, about 40 km (24 miles) west of Mosul, the spokeswoman said.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:26 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 277 words, total size 2 kb.

Johnny Walker Red has a great little story about his friend upset about her Dad getting caught up in the so-called backdoor draft. It's understandable that many mothers and daughters of those called up from Reserve or National Guard units are upset. Rarely, however, do we hear complaints from the men and women serving our country.

In my view, the men and women of our National Guard and Reserve are more like Pat Tillman than Michael Moore. Pat Tillman, as you may recall, walked away from a 3.6 million dollar contract from the Arizona Cardinals after 9/11 to join his brother in the U.S. Army. Earlier this year Tillman was killed in Afghanistan. My experience has been that those who serve our nation in a part-time capacity never flinch, never complain, and are happy to go fight when Uncle Sam calls them. Most may not leave a career in NFL football, but they do leave their jobs, families, and friends behind to protect our country at home and abroad when asked. For their service we are thankful.

Blackfive, SondraK, Right on Red, Pierre Legrande and others have noted that Sports Illustrated is taking votes on Sportsman of the Year. Pat Tillman is on the short list, but is running third. Please go and vote for him here. Tillman gave his life for the country he loved. Now lets do something for him.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:43 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 256 words, total size 2 kb.

I thought Turkeys could fly...

In the wayback machine we have the famous WKRP in Cinncinatti Thankgiving Turkey Drop, courtesy About.com.

Happy Thanksgiving, All!!

Posted by: Bravo Romeo Delta at 11:28 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 34 words, total size 1 kb.

On this day, I am grateful for Georgina Verbaan's boobs. Below are pictures, photos, and images of Dutch model Georgina Verbaan's boobs. * (SFW--it's not what you think) Happy Thanksgiving all! See you on Friday. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 03:19 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 47 words, total size 1 kb.

I just found this Knight Ridder report in the San Jose Mercury News. It lists the names of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's chief lieutenants and collaboraters in Fallujah. I also found some other stories which gave brief biographical sketches of the leaders of the Islamist insurgency. Very interesting. The leaders mentioned below are: Sheik Abdullah al-Janabi, Omar Hadid, Sheik Zafir al-Ubaidi, Moayed Ahmed Yasseen (aka, Abu Ahmed), and Abu Abdullah Hassan bin Mahmud. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 02:58 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 949 words, total size 7 kb.

My only question: shouldn't the cops have let them detonate those suicide belts? VOA:

Police in Indonesia have confirmed the capture of one of the country's most wanted terrorist suspects. The man, known as Rois is one of four people detained for the September car bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, which killed 11 people.

Iwan Darmawan, more commonly known as Rois, is among four men Indonesian police say they have captured in connection with the September 9, Australia Embassy bombing in Jakarta.

The head of Indonesia's police force, General Da'i Bachtiar, held a news conference Wednesday.

He says that Rois - the mastermind - recruited suicide bomber Heri Golun, who carried out the attack, and hid a man called Azahari Husin - the master bomb maker of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

General Bachtiar says Rois and the others were captured in the town of Bogor in west Java two weeks ago. He says the four suspects were wearing so-called suicide belts at the time, but they failed to detonate the devices.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 189 words, total size 1 kb.

Rob from Say Anything sent me this link today. We here at The Jawa Report would never sink to the level of making fun of Oliver Willis! We do not approve. But in the spirit of helping our friends in the Democratic Party recoup from their sorrowful loss, we do suggest you mosy on over to the Tempus Fugit's new Rebrand Democrats Site and suggest a new slogan or two for the Democrats. Here's my favorite. Kevin Aylward, on the other hand, likes this one. Laurence Simon likes this one. And not to be outdone, John Henke adds his two bits here. I'm sure the problem with the Democratic party is simply one of image and that after a little rebranding the American people will no longer look at them like a bunch of whiny little bitches. But that's just me.

Go create your own DNC poster here.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:02 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 156 words, total size 2 kb.