This is the time at The Jawa when we dance! Abu Farraj al-Libbi apeared in a flyer listing Pakistan's most wanted terrorists last year. A $10 million dollar reward was offered for his capture. How much money is being offered by the U.S. for the capture of the terrorist scumbags holding Roy Hallums, Dean Sadek, or Jeffrey Ake?

TRADERROB sends along this ABC story:

Abu Farraj al-Libbi, a senior al-Qaida suspect wanted in two attempts to assassinate President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has been arrested in Pakistan, the government said Wednesday.

Al-Libbi, a native of Libya who authorities say is a close associate of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and acted as al-Qaida's operational chief in Pakistan, was arrested earlier this week, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press.

"This is a very important day for us," Ahmed said. He would provide no details on where al-Libbi was captured or where he is being held.

Ahmed said the Pakistani government had been offering a $1 million reward for information leading to al-Libbi's capture, though it was not immediately clear if it would be paid. ....

Al-Libbi is accused of masterminding two bombings against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. The military leader escaped injury but 17 others were killed in one of the attacks.

He is accused of taking over as al-Qaida's operational chief in Pakistan after the March 1, 2003, arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the terror network's alleged number three. Mohammed was later handed over to U.S. custody and his whereabouts are unknown.

UPDATE: This case is a perfect illustration of why the European & Leftist model of foreign policy is so bankrupt. Greg, in the comments, makes the good point that he has never heard of Abu Farraj al-Libbi, which is actually a good point. However, it misses the larger point.

The flyer below is Pakistan's most wanted terrorists, not America's most wanted terrorists. Meaning, these are the people Pakistan sees as the biggest threat to their national interests.

The idea of collective security ensured through international institutions such as the U.N. is based on the false premise that nations have a shared security interest. B-O-G-U-S.

Pakistan only became our ally when they saw how quickly the Taliban fell to the U.S. Because they were sponsors of the Taliban regime, they saw just how stupid it would be to go up mano-i-mano with the U.S. Our alliance was strengthened when al Qaeda saw the abandonment of the Taliban as an act of heresy. Thus, the plot to Musharraf.

Capturing Abu Farraj al-Libbi was important for Pakistan because the man threatened their national security.

Nations do not do things for other nations becaue they are friends. Nations act in unison only when their interests mesh.

It doesn't matter if the French love or hate us one iota. They help us to the extent that they help themselves. Nothing more nothing less.

They help us fight al Qaeda because al Qaeda threatens them. They oppose us in Iraq because Iraq did not threaten them and they had an interest in seeing the Hussein regime propped up.

Malkin has Bush's reaction, but notice Bush comments on the capture in terms of how it affects America's interests.

UPDATE II: What is the deal with this guys runny mascara?

UPDATE III: Scared Monkey's notes that Pakistan is only lukewarm at helping us find the al Qaeda bad guys. I think the national interest theory pretty much explains why..... more...

Posted by: Rusty at 08:14 AM | Comments (30) | Add Comment
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With finals and such I'm finding I have less and less time to blog. This summer things look worse. I'm just about finished with a book length manuscript, but I've been putting it off for awhile.

The truth is, I love blogging. More people read The Jawa Report in a day then will ever read all of my academic work combined. So, I've let my academic research slide a bit of late. I need to get back to it.

Any one out there who would like to contribute to The Jawa Report on a regular basis or who would just be interested in guest posting over the summer let me know by e-mailing me at mypetjawa-at-gmail.com.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:10 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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Sad news. I heard nothing about this until someone e-mailed the story to me. Two F-18 jets were first reported missing, then it was reported that theywere involved in a middair collision over Iraq. No doubt we will hear from The Islamic Army in Iraq claiming they downed the planes ABC News:

The body of a pilot from one of two missing Marine jets from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier was found Tuesday, the U.S. command said. The jets had gone missing Monday night while flying in support of operations in Iraq, but there was no immediate word on the fate of the aircraft.

The brief military statement did not specify how many people were aboard the two F/A-18 Hornet aircraft when contact was lost with them. There were no immediate indication of hostile fire in the area at that time

Posted by: Rusty at 02:00 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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UPDATE: A copy of the letter is below.

Zarqawi is depressed....so...so...sad. Newsday:

U.S.-led forces have recovered a letter they believe was addressed to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among his followers and the incompetence of leaders in his terror network, the military said Tuesday.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:02 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment
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1 Well, kidnapping a bunch of children and forcing their fathers and brothers to carry out suicide attacks should do just the trick needed to raise morale. Onward Muslim Soldiers...

Posted by: Editor at May 03, 2005 01:19 PM (adpJH)

2 Or placing machine guns behind your own troops, like the Soviets did in WW2. Oh, wait, that did work. Nevermind.

Posted by: Bill Dautrive at May 03, 2005 01:30 PM (G95Uf)

3 "U.S.-led forces have recovered a letter they believe was addressed to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among his followers and the incompetence of leaders in his terror network, the military said Tuesday." "The Pentagon said it may be an indication of growing weakness" "In Washington, Bryan Whitman, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said the letter was believed to be authentic." "The letter gives the indication that his (Zarqawi's) influence and effectiveness are deteriorating," he said. "It describes low morale and weak and incompetent leadership." "But Whitman said Zarqawi's organization can still carry out significant attacks and said this letter should only be regarded as once piece of data suggesting weakness in his organization and dissension in the ranks." Believe, May, possibly, not sure, could be, we really don't know anything, we're speculating. This really explains why bombings and attacks are back to over 400 a week. The White House has been spewing this line of BS for over a year now. sniff, sniff, do you smell that?

Posted by: David Eccles at May 03, 2005 01:42 PM (UCtX/)

4 Sounds like a bad "Dear Apu Letter"

Posted by: Ob Snooks at May 03, 2005 01:47 PM (yBHNA)

5 Another unlikely story. Maybe if we keep making up these ridiculous stories and click are red slippers three times it'll all just go away.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 01:49 PM (/+dAV)

6 Greg the Hitler has red slippers. Figures.

Posted by: Ob Snooks at May 03, 2005 01:58 PM (yBHNA)

7 Now Greg we all know how evil the Wicked witch of the West was but was the Wicked Witch of the EAST not worse

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 01:59 PM (F1nba)

8 Sparky, What's a nice Bonnie Lass like you doing supporting this disgusting war?

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:14 PM (/+dAV)

9 Greg I just support the people who need our help

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 02:18 PM (F1nba)

10 You mean like the Palestinians?

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:38 PM (/+dAV)

11 Yes

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 02:45 PM (F1nba)

12 Well, good for you.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:49 PM (/+dAV)

13 David, Of course it's BS. I wouldn't bet my dinner on its authenticity. Either they planted the letter thinking they can fool us or we planted the letter thinking we could fool them. Either way it's a dumb idea. If only MSM (including al-Jazeera) would lay off the reporting for a while it would weaken them considerably. They thrive on the coverage for recruiting purposes and morale more than anything.

Posted by: Oyster at May 03, 2005 03:21 PM (fl6E1)

14 shorter greg: Please god don't let this be true! waahaa!

Posted by: Carlos at May 03, 2005 05:16 PM (paKD6)

15 Oyster, The Al Jazeera line doesn't work anymore. They were bought out buy the Neocon News Network, otherwise known as FOX in February of this year. Now Rupert can swill his crap to the people he hates the most.

Posted by: deccles at May 03, 2005 06:44 PM (UCtX/)

16 So greg, what does "click are red slippers" mean? Don't tell me that an elite member of the intelligentsia like you can't differentiate between the words "our" and "are"? Dumbass.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 04, 2005 08:22 AM (0yYS2)

17 Oops. My mistake.

Posted by: greg at May 04, 2005 08:24 AM (/+dAV)

18 What? just an "oops"? No threats? No propaganda? No hate-filled diatribe against the ignorant proles? Are you sick or something? And where did you find ruby slippers in your size?

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 04, 2005 08:38 AM (0yYS2)

19 There's nothing sadder than to watch a man who thinks he's being funny when he's not. I'm embarrassed for you.

Posted by: greg at May 04, 2005 08:55 AM (/+dAV)

20 http://roulette.chefare.org/rnrrovdsm/ camdenjawspecker

Posted by: island at September 16, 2005 06:30 AM (4TwQo)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Muslim heretics imprisoned in Yemen, bodies drug through streets.

Malaysian Prime Minister, "There is an Islamic Civilization."

31 Misunderstanderers sentenced in Oman for attempting to overthrow government, institute Islamic rule.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:57 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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The time has come for the U.S. government to step up to the plate and start treating civillian hostages held in a war-zone as something that matters.

Carpe Bonum makes a series of proposals on how the U.S. government ought to respond to the hostage crisis in Iraq. While I'm not sure if he's 100% right on the specifics, I agree wholeheartedly that something has to be done differently. This post is a great start in getting a dialogue started about what should be done.

What are your thoughts? What could the U.S. government be doing differently in trying to rescue the forgotten hostages in Ira?

Posted by: Rusty at 09:18 AM | Comments (62) | Add Comment
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1 Issue GPS tracking devices to civilians in danger of being kidnapped. Maybe a decoy with an implanted GPS will be successful to track those bastards down.

Posted by: Werner at May 03, 2005 09:42 AM (VaX3M)

2 Excellnet post. I would say the firts thing that the US could do is strat treating Iraki POW's with a bit better respeck that way when there own get captured they can be sure that US POWs will be treated with respeck too. Wasn't that what geneva convetion meant all to be bout?

Posted by: republican at May 03, 2005 09:51 AM (Bpvcg)

3 repulikan, wtf? I was actually writing a response when I realized I'd need a coloring book to my points understandable to you. Rusty, the State Department should continue in it's policy of not negotiating with terrorists. However, it strikes me as very wrong just to leave it at that. I like the GPS idea. For crying out loud, my mother-in-law's Camry tells here where on my street my house is. I also like the idea of ruthless manhunts of any insurgents performing abudctions.

Posted by: Gordon at May 03, 2005 10:04 AM (SN0Ew)

4 Given the behavior of the enemy and their cowardly use of non-combatants, I think it's questionable policy to allow noncoms into the country at all until the problem of terrorism in Iraq is resolved. While I appreciate the administration's committment to compassion and evenhandedness in Iraq policy, it's cost many lives and hindered the military's effectiveness. My proposal? Get the non-coms out, issue curfews and travel restrictions while conducting searches and securing the borders, use FDR's works programs to mobilize Iraqis to accomplish these things, and stop pretending like this is WWII Germany.

Posted by: tee bee at May 03, 2005 10:08 AM (q1JHF)

5 How about this: Dodge citizens listen up! ____________________ WANTED DEAD OR LIVE HOSTAGE TAKERS $$$HUGE REWARD$$$$ ____________________ Any tips to the whereabouts of terrorist kidnappers will be greatly rewarded worked with Udai and Qusai..

Posted by: IM at May 03, 2005 10:35 AM (a9tRx)

6 Tracking devices are a great idea pity our goverments didnt think of this. Makes you wonder how clever some of the people running our countries really are! Seems to me that when it comes to Soldiers fighting for their country they can never seem to find the cash to keep them safe yet when they are promoting themselves or having meetings there seems to be and endless flow of cash. Just an observation. Republican Geneva Convention, it can only work when both parties agree to have "war by Rules" and the terrorists only go by their own rules so the Geneva Convention doesnt seem to apply to them!

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 10:56 AM (F1nba)

7 The sad thing is that history shows us that the only way to respond is through direct action. There is a lot going on in the background that only a few know about. It is all an intel operation. We have to rely on a lucky break or damn good ground work to find this stuff. Remember, people are kidnapped in the US and the FBI can never find them. The last thing we should do is to show any weakness or any willingness to buy/negotiate with the kidnappers. That just increases the value of every head out there. Simple economics. South American is a nighmare WRT kidnapping because the habit there is to pay them off. The only way to deal with kidnappers is to find them and kill them-the more public the better. In Phibians world we would then wrap their bodies in pig skin and bury them with a dog....but that is just me.

Posted by: CDR Salamander at May 03, 2005 11:07 AM (PJ4Iq)

8 HUH? What makes the author, or anyone else think even for one moment it can be controlled. The army can't even control one 6 mile stretch of road from Baghdad to its airport. No one can say when or where a person will be kidnapped, so what good is planting a gps locator on them. Maybe we should make small ones and stick them up peoples buttholes. Besides, our troops aren't adequately protected to make such an endevour, not to mention the fact it will take a draft to completely erradicate these kidnappers. HELLO?! As a side bar, here's a link to a site called Operation Truth. Last Thursday, the senate voted on releasing emergency funding ($213 million) for up-armouring Humvees, as well as other items. There were 39 Nays. Of the 39, 38 were Republicans including Frist, Dole, Hatch. If this is what these jerks call supporting the troops, I would rather see them get sent to Iraq and made to stand guard duty on airport road in Baghdad. Maybe the insurgents will get rid of them for us.

Posted by: David Eccles at May 03, 2005 11:19 AM (UCtX/)

9 Link - http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm?actionId=blogShowExcerpts&blogId=14&entryID=498

Posted by: David Eccles at May 03, 2005 11:20 AM (UCtX/)

10 send in the 101'st keyboard brigade?

Posted by: actus at May 03, 2005 11:46 AM (CqheE)

11 David, your post demonstrates what I said - I don't see this as a matter addressed simply by throwing money or troops at it. Which isn't the same as saying, "Run away!" Salamander's point that there is covert effort is valid, but it will have limited impact if we don't reduce the number of targets - noncoms and high-profile civilians - and put serious manpower into stopping terrorist planning and preparation. IM brings up the success of rewards, but that can't be replicated very well without falling into the trap Gordon notes of it becoming an unseemly business venture rather than an aspect of law enforcement. Concerted and visible manpower exerting control over the population will make an impact and help isolate terrorists so they can be impeded and caught. And it will put the Iraqis in charge of change in Iraq.

Posted by: tee bee at May 03, 2005 12:12 PM (q1JHF)

12

I like the GPS idea. For crying out loud, my mother-in-law's Camry tells here where on my street my house is.

I keep seeing these ideas for tracking devices. Tracking devices on sex offenders. Tracking devices on potential hostages. It makes me wonder what people think a GPS device does.

People are talking about tracking devices as if your mother-in law's Camry would tell you where she is. It doesn't. A GPS device issued to a sex offender or a potential hostage might tell the sex offender or the hostage where they are, but it doesn't help law enforcement find them.

Posted by: Anachronda at May 03, 2005 12:35 PM (qmJpf)

13

One more thing. If Martha Stewart leaves her home, the ankle bracelet doesn't help the cops find her. What happens is that if the ankle bracelet gets too far from a device attached to her phone, the phone dials the cops to let her know she's out of range. But it doesn't let them track her. It just lets them know she's violated the terms of her confinement.

Posted by: Anachronda at May 03, 2005 12:39 PM (IrbU4)

14

My understanding of how ankle bracelets work is apparently obsolete. Sorry to waste everyone's time.

Posted by: Anachronda at May 03, 2005 12:44 PM (NmR1a)

15 The only thing these beasts understand is Blood. Find their relatives in their home countries. Kidnap them. Saw their heads off on Video. Display them in public. Russians did that with much success in Chechnya. The beasts do not abide by any convention so it does not matter much how you treat your POWS because they will still saw your head off. TO recap- Track down the terrorists family in their home countries(not so hard). Kill them. Kids, mothers, fathers, uncles, grandmothers, fav. uncles..the whole f-ing lot of them. You are not going to beat them by giving them steak and hot showers.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 12:50 PM (yBHNA)

16 Actus: That was freaking hillarious.

Posted by: Howie at May 03, 2005 12:56 PM (D3+20)

17 I agree Filthy. There ain't no way that the Beastie is gunna fight all proper and shit. We's gotsta git down wit da boogie man and scrap like we just one generation outta da trees and shit.

Posted by: Harold T. Fancypants at May 03, 2005 01:44 PM (yBHNA)

18 "Track down the terrorists family in their home countries(not so hard). Kill them. Kids, mothers, fathers, uncles, grandmothers, fav. uncles..the whole f-ing lot of them. "-Filthy That's right you Nazi pigs, show your true colors. No more of this "compassionate fascism", let's out Hitler, Hitler./sarcasm

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 01:46 PM (/+dAV)

19 It is what they will do to you and your family Mr. Hitler

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 01:49 PM (yBHNA)

20 Greg is a pussy. And Hitler.

Posted by: Earl Dittman at May 03, 2005 01:50 PM (yBHNA)

21 Sheeet. Seem like Greg wantsta Huuug da brown man and understand his pain. Fuck dat shit. YOu don't say Puhlease in da Hood Booooy! You smack that shit upside der head right in his hizzzaaaaay. Go after da fambly man! That will fuck there shit up!

Posted by: Harold T. Fancypants at May 03, 2005 01:53 PM (yBHNA)

22 While Greg is busy knitting quilts and baking crispy treats for the the terrorists, Harold T. Fancypants is advocating putting the smack down on these beasts.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 01:55 PM (yBHNA)

23 Earl claims his bung hole is a pussy and Filthy believes him. And the rest of you are a bunch of NAZIs!

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:01 PM (/+dAV)

24 Sounds funny coming from you Mr. Hitler.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 02:04 PM (yBHNA)

25 What you Nazi Hitler worshippers need is an automated annihilation device. Maybe you can dust off some of Hitler's old notebooks and build some gas chambers. Filthy Nazis!

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:10 PM (/+dAV)

26 The only time we should go after the family is when we “suspect “ that terrorism is a family business with them. Otherwise we are no better than the freaking terrorist we hate. Now what we could do is for all the P.O.W.s in prison over there, we can find 5 or 6 that we are 90% sure they are guilty as sin, drug their ass, surgically plant a GPS on them and set them free. When they go running to terrorist buddies, have a missile with the that frequency tuned in let loose and clean up the mess afterwards.

Posted by: Butch at May 03, 2005 02:10 PM (Gqhi9)

27 I think Dittman and Fancypants need to hook up.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:12 PM (/+dAV)

28 Is pretty funny hearing greg call everyone Nazis since, he is Hitler.

Posted by: Ob Snooks at May 03, 2005 02:12 PM (yBHNA)

29 They need to hook up and beat your Hitler ass.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 02:13 PM (yBHNA)

30 Yall aint gunna beats em if yall aint gunna git dirtaaaay. Greg, yous a simple little man aint you.

Posted by: Harold T. Fancypants at May 03, 2005 02:15 PM (yBHNA)

31 The day a Texan can't whoop up on 2 Yankee fags and a Yankee goat herder is the day I hang it up.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:17 PM (/+dAV)

32 Greg, you aint nuthin but a bitch. You ain't beatin nuthin but your kids.

Posted by: Harold T. Fancypants at May 03, 2005 02:22 PM (yBHNA)

33 Greg... sorry, I mean Hitler... I thought you were a doctor in California

Posted by: Ob Snooks at May 03, 2005 02:23 PM (yBHNA)

34 Filty: You're right The only thing these beasts understand is Blood. So killing of their relatives would accomplish absolutely nothing except give you the satisfaction of revenge and create more outrage and lust for revange among their own, that's exactly what they want.. Tee bee: Good point the Iraqis need to take matters into their own hands, otherwise they forget about any kind of progress. Maybe Bounthunters aren't such a great idea, but paying of Iraqis for genuine tips I think could work. Impose Curfew? Huge country with 25 million people in it, it wouldn't be easy.

Posted by: IM at May 03, 2005 02:25 PM (a9tRx)

35 The GPS idea would work. A fellow demonstrated, to my team, how his cell phone could be used to locate within 50 feet where he was located. You can create a 'fence' that outlines a virtual barrier that, when crossed, sends an alert to someone. like, could create a fence around your usual routes to the office and back, and shopping. we were thinking of using it to track Alzheimer's patients, but there is no reason not to use it for people at risk of hostage taking in Iraq or anywhere. I am in fact puzzled that this is not done

Posted by: netsailer at May 03, 2005 02:32 PM (jRGqK)

36 No, that is not what they want. They are counting on our troops not fighting dirty. THey have no problems killing civis. Kidnap their familys and say, "hey there mr. terrorist Give up and you can have your kid in one piece" Odds are, the bugger will think twice. greg can bleat like the ruptured commie goat that he is.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 02:33 PM (yBHNA)

37 I thought you were a doctor in California TEXAS Ph.D., Molecular Biology/Neuroscience

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:34 PM (/+dAV)

38 Greg does that mean your brainy

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 02:43 PM (F1nba)

39 I thought Hitler's name was William J.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 02:46 PM (yBHNA)

40 No. I just busted my ass for 7 years. If you're looking for brainy I recommend Filthy Allah. He's got to be a genius, I can't understand a thing he says.

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 02:46 PM (/+dAV)

41 lol

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 02:50 PM (F1nba)

42 All those years of school and never one class in critical thinking or logic. I don't believe it.

Posted by: Defense Guy at May 03, 2005 03:11 PM (jPCiN)

43 I guess bigots come in all sizes, forms and brains!

Posted by: IM at May 03, 2005 03:23 PM (a9tRx)

44 "All those years of school and never one class in critical thinking or logic."-DG My dissertation was published in "The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. Fewer than 1% of American Ph.D.s can make that claim. Those of us who can have learned to think outside "the box".

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 03:26 PM (/+dAV)

45 Greg, I mean Hitler... Don't make it too easy for the Nazis to find you.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 03:28 PM (yBHNA)

46 Outside the box and right over the edge of the cliff, if the sources you post here are any indication.

Posted by: Defense Guy at May 03, 2005 03:28 PM (jPCiN)

47 Greg has a big head.

Posted by: Ob snooks at May 03, 2005 03:29 PM (yBHNA)

48 And a bigger shaft

Posted by: greg at May 03, 2005 03:31 PM (/+dAV)

49 Greg, how stupid can you be. You don't give out info like that. Do you realize that you are dealing with the likes of Filthy, FancyPants, Snooks & Dittman? Odds are you will start receiving amputee porn at work soon.

Posted by: Earl Dittman at May 03, 2005 03:36 PM (yBHNA)

50 pnas@nas.edu has all that smart boy stuff. Will e-mail them to see if Hitler has submitted anything. Shouldn't be too many Hitlers in the book.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 03, 2005 03:40 PM (yBHNA)

51 Werner, you stole my idea!

Posted by: Oyster at May 03, 2005 03:42 PM (fl6E1)

52 You won't find any Hitler there, look for a Dr Mengele.

Posted by: IM at May 03, 2005 03:50 PM (a9tRx)

53 I didn't know there was a box. Did I miss another meeting?

Posted by: Mitch at May 03, 2005 11:28 PM (7cBvb)

54 "repulikan, wtf? I was actually writing a response when I realized I'd need a coloring book to my points understandable to you. -- Gordon" What made you hold back Gord? Sure is khaki round here, but of colouring in might be just what this page needs (specially since Rusty's thoughts turned all black 'n white). As said previous, fair POW treatment = fair POW treatment. And it's way cheaper then GPS.

Posted by: republican at May 04, 2005 04:59 AM (OpqZX)

55 You are smoking crack. Any Pow taken by the enemy is as good as dead. Just how stupid are you? Any soldiers taken on the field of battle who are in uniform are treated well. 3 hots and a cot. So some bubbas got jiggy with some prisoners, none of which were regular Iraqi army by the way. Those bubbas are all off to Jail. Terrorists taken are not entitled any fair treatment.

Posted by: Filthy allah at May 04, 2005 07:55 AM (yBHNA)

56 "Terrorists taken are not entitled any fair treatment." Just humane treatment.

Posted by: actus at May 04, 2005 08:20 AM (0HUw1)

57 Bullshit. They should get regular beatings and their lives should be made miserable. They are nothing. They are filth. They are not human. You can go hug one Actus and see what you get for your troubles.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 04, 2005 08:36 AM (yBHNA)

58 "They are not human."-Filthy You offend God. These are his children and he loves them well.

Posted by: greg at May 04, 2005 08:41 AM (/+dAV)

59 What makes if funny is greg talking about God as if he is a believer. Greg, you are Hitler. Take your Crazy act to Moveon.org.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at May 04, 2005 08:59 AM (yBHNA)

60 I do believe and I hope you find the Spirit soon. You need it bad man.

Posted by: greg at May 04, 2005 09:06 AM (/+dAV)

61 Yeah, right Hitler.

Posted by: Ob snooks at May 04, 2005 09:21 AM (yBHNA)

62 "You can go hug one Actus and see what you get for your troubles." But that would require me leaving my keyboard!

Posted by: actus at May 04, 2005 12:04 PM (CqheE)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Remember that movie Strange Brew? No? You 'tard, go rent it. Classic. Anyway, in that movie the McKenzie brothers run this scam to try and get free beer. You know the scam I'm talking about, they raise a mouse in a beer bottle.

With all this news about fingers being found in all sorts of foodstuffs I can't help but wonder if various deadbeats aren't just trying to get some free stuff. But frozen custard? Who would want a lifetime supply of frozen custard? Freaking hosers.

Tim from Opinion Bug sends along this link: more...

Posted by: Rusty at 09:02 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 367 words, total size 2 kb.

Dean responds in a post titled Where are your balls? to my earlier rant on Islam.

The reason I'm pestering you Dean and not Dr. Hessabalah, is because you are a friend. I'm not interested in engaging Muslims who wish to rewrite history. That is a dialogue they need to be having with themselves. I don't know what true Islam is and frankly I don't care. What I care about are actions. And not just the actions performed by the jihadis, but the actions of mainstream Islam in regards to basic human rights such as the ability to choose one's own religion. Something forbidden in all but the most extreme liberal circles of that faith.

If Dr. Hessabalah was really concerned with convincing fellow Muslims of the error of their ways then why is he not writing in Arabic, Persian, Malay, etc.? Instead, he tries to convince us that Islam does not require infidels to be murdered. As a member of CAIR's Media Relations arm I'm not surprised that he would focus on convincing us that Islam is mmmkay, peaceful, but that is the nature of expansionist religions. You put your best face forward when trying to get new recruits or when trying to defend the faith.

I hope and pray liberal Islam eventually succeeds in replacing mainstream and conservative Islam. But when sincere liberal Muslims, historical revisionists, and liars wishing to put a shiny happy face on Islam in an attempt to convince we infidels and people of the book of Islam's peaceful nature.....well, it sort of chaps my hide. To liberal Muslims I say stop trying to convince we skeptics of the merits of your religion. Instead, convince the jihadis and Islamofascists who intentionally murder civillians for the good of the umma and mainstream theologians who embrace the fascist idea that while it is ok for an infidel to become a Muslim, it is forbidden for a Muslim to become an infidel.

So what bothers me is a) I admire Dean b) I hate to see a friend play the dhimmi.

On a personal note the immortal words of AC/DC come to mind: more...

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Which is worse: The U.S. military recruitment problem or the al Qaeda recruitment problem? Via The Dread Pundit Bluto this from American Forces Press Service:

Task Force Baghdad soldiers this morning rescued a man apparently blackmailed into a suicide-bombing mission by terrorist master Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The man exploded his red Kia sedan roughly 15 feet from a barrier to a coalition base in east Baghdad, Iraq. The car bomb failed to detonate properly and the vehicle caught on fire. Soldiers manning the gate reacted quickly and saved the driver, coalition officials said in a release.

An initial investigation revealed that terrorists had kidnapped the driver's family and that he was forced to carry out this suicide-bombing mission to protect his wife and children, coalition officials said.

No soldiers were injured in the attack. The driver is being treated at a military hospital and is cooperating with authorities.

"This is another case where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has to extort men to carry out his indiscriminate slaughtering," said Army Col. Joe DiSalvo, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. "He can't recruit volunteers. (So) he is resorting to forcing Iraqi civilians to carry out these mission by threatening harm to kidnapped family members."

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Best wishes and a speedy recovery to Cranky Neocon Jr.

Happy Blogoversary to Eric at Vince aut Morire.

Phin is now on mu.nu? Man, they'll let just about anybody in these days......

Confederate Yankee catches the DU nutjobs photoshopping Laura Bush in a very Zarqawi pose.

That's not Jenna Bush's pet beaver you're seeing. Nothing to see there. Move along. Seriously, this one has been debunked. Not that I follow this sort of thing.......But, come on, Wonkette and I linked to this eons ago. Cause, you know, we follow the important stories..

Hey, Dean, what he said. Also, when asking what 'Christians believe' about, say, gay marriage, it's probably a lot wiser to ask a Methodist lay person than, say, an Episcopelian Bishop. The same rule applies to Islam. One can't ask a liberal to defend the mainstream.

Further, what people in the mainstream believe is often quite different than the theology of the mainstream. For instance, ask your average Methodist to explain the Trinity.

That Muslims are trying to distance themselves from the mainstream idea that it's ok to kill the infidel is heartening. But to claim that the mainstream of Islam never believed in such a doctrine is disengenious, at best.

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Another day another hostage taking. This one is an Australian man named Douglas Wood who has recently made his home in Danville, CA. A group calling itself 'The Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq' claimed the abduction. You may download the video here, via Vlad.

Here is the transcript I made of the video. It appears that there is a longer version of it which I have not obtained yet.

President Bush, Prime Minister Howard, Governor Schwarzenegger, family, friends, please help take the American troops, the Australian troops, the British troops out of here and let Iraq look out for itself.

I have (or am) strong [garbled....mumbling of another voice, possibly telling him what to say.... but press reports claim Wood says "My captors are fiercely patriotic. They believe in a strong, united Iraq looking after its own destiny"]

...look out for themselves and (garbled) their neighbors.

But please help, I don't want to die.

Australia formed a team of diplomats, defence staff and police on Monday who will attempt to free an engineer seized by Iraqi insurgents, but the government had a blunt message for the kidnappers: Australia will not remove its troops from Iraq or pay any ransom.

In a tape obtained Sunday by Associated Press Television News, a man identified himself as Douglas Wood, 63, an Australian working in Iraq, and appealed for the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Two people wearing masks pointed automatic weapons at him.

"Please help me. I don't want to die," Wood said, his voice cracking with emotion in the video, aired repeatedly Monday on Australian television.

On the tape, the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Wood's wife, Pearl, told AP that the man on the tape was definitely her husband. She said he had worked in Iraq as an engineer for about a year and a half.

In the tape, Wood appealed to U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John Howard to pull their soldiers out of Iraq and leave the country to Iraqis to look after themselves.

That's not going to happen, Howard said.

"Everybody knows the position of the Australian government in relation to hostage demands," Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We can't have the foreign policy of this country dictated by terrorists."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer underscored the point.

"Let me make it quite clear, we will not be changing any polices and we will not be paying any ransom," he said.

On the other hand, the fact that the group used 'Shura Council' in their name might mean that Mr. Wood was charged with a Sharia crime. This is the tactic used by groups such as Ansar al-Sunnah, al Qaeda, and The Islamic Army in Iraq. Before victims are murdered they are accused of crimes under Islamic law that are punishable by death.

In any event, we pray for the release of Douglas Wood and call upon followers of the Religion of Peace to roundly condemn this and all other hostage taking without equivocation.

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1 Good to see some tough talking. This Prime Minister does not mince his words does he!

Posted by: sparky at May 02, 2005 01:56 PM (F1nba)

2 Tough talk won't help the hostage. They need to buy time, this was not a good move.

Posted by: IM at May 02, 2005 04:59 PM (a9tRx)

3 Neither is paying for hostages I feel sorry for this man just as much as i did all the others and will pray for him but its about time everyone stood united and made their position clear. It is wrong for some countries to give into the terrorists but not others, at least Austrailia are making there positon clear to the terrorists and to anyone taking the risk of going over there to work. If these people are going to kill this man they will do it anyway just look at Margaret Hussan!

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 09:02 AM (F1nba)

4 Feeling sorry is not going to help anybody and you should be praying for his safe release. I never said they should give in or pay ransom. It was unwise to reveal their real intentions, it's not a good way to start negotiations. Besides something else might occur that could save the hostage, you never know...

Posted by: IM at May 03, 2005 11:23 AM (a9tRx)

5 IM I didnt say you did. I was just making an observation. The Austrialian gov. did the same as the USA and the UK when they were in the same situation they refused to negotiate with the terrorists. I think thats what Tony Blair told us when Ken Bigley and Margaret Hassan were taken hostage and stuck to his guns . Whereas more recently we have seen Italians pay ransons for hostages and a few other countries have also done so. I think i remember the Chinese also refusing to pay ransoms or negotiate either. As for praying for his safe return i thought i was, maybe i wasnt making myself clear and although feeling sorry for this man does not help i still do feel sorry for him. I was not having a personal dig at you. I just dont think paying ransoms helps it sends the wrong message to the terrorists.

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 01:28 PM (F1nba)

6 Sparky I didnt say you did. I was just making an observation. I was not having a personal dig at you. I just dont think paying ransoms helps it sends the wrong message to the terrorists. Neither did/do I, so I guess we're pretty much in agreement there. No pun taken & none intended.

Posted by: IM at May 03, 2005 03:33 PM (a9tRx)

7 Good i meant no offense

Posted by: sparky at May 03, 2005 04:11 PM (F1nba)

8 u weird weird people what does this do.....

Posted by: bob at May 10, 2005 02:53 AM (o3o4b)

9 I dont know why that country is still around.. remove all troops and gas the f*kers, i spose it will only cause more trouble but ay its not gonna get much better anyway

Posted by: ATU at May 12, 2005 12:21 AM (yz2c1)

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Four men have been detained in the Margaret Hassan murder. The 'articles' apparently includes some sort of personal identification that belonged to Margaret Hassan, such as a passport or other photo id.

Margaret Hassan was murdered on video by terrorists in Iraq who demanded the release of all female prisoners in Iraq. At the time, no women were in U.S. custody but propaganda outlets such as Giuliana Sgrena's Il Manifesto and al Jazeera routinely made that accusation. Ms. Hassan was first put in an orange jumpsuit before her murder, an allusion to Abu Ghraib.

The video of her murder has never really surfaced, unlike most such snuff films, but al Jazeera did describe the video, although not the mode of death. Further, the terrorists who had taken Hassan hostage had threatened to turn her over to Abu Musab al Zarqawi for beheading.

We see in her death the effects of enemy propaganda and why such propaganda ought to be shut down. Such propganda incites to murder.

Ireland online:

American and Iraqi forces have arrested four people in connection with the murder of Irish-born aid worker Margaret Hassan, officials said today.

The body of the 59-year-old CARE international worker has not been recovered since she was abducted last October and later killed.

But “articles” found during a dawn raid on Sunday on an insurgent stronghold south of Baghdad linked those arrested to the murder.

“The raid was part of a sweep by US and Iraqi forces on an area of insurgent and criminal activity,” said a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

“US forces alerted UK authorities when articles were found relating to the Margaret Hassan case.

ITB also commenting.

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I'm following the story, but it's the last week of classes so very little time to write. Here are some resources if you're interested.

Michelle Malkin seems to be following the story closely, as is Dan Riehl, and Blogs of War.

TRADERROB has also taken some time to respond to my earlier skepticism of the satellite imagery. I'm still not convinced, but he does mention that perhaps it was an unmanned drone that took the photos and not a satellite which seems much more plausible.

I'll try to update this post later.

UPDATE: On the satellite question.

Here's something important, I think. I recieved an e-mail from USAF Intelligence Officer who has been on the job for 19 years, so I take it he knows what he's talking about. I'll leave his name out of the post since the e-mail he sent is from a .mil address and says 'Classified' in the signature. [Update: just to make it clear, this info is not 'classified', his signature just includes a 'classified' e-mail address....but, you know, it just sounds cooler that way.....]The crux of it is that I am right to be skeptical about the satellite claim, however, it may be that CBS simply inferred that the images were from a satellite and misreported that info.

He says, "The most obvious source of data on how fast a vehicle was moving would be a JSTARS using their Moving Target Indicator (MTI) radar. I don't know for a fact if they're still in the area but they were at the start of the war and I'd be willing to bet that they're still there. Piece of cake for them to record an entire mission and later analyze this type of thing."

He also sends a link to a site which explains how JSTARS and Global Hawk actually do give real time data. Pretty cool stuff. So, maybe we do have the goods on Sgrena and the data is their to prove it.

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Caption this photo of the return of Qetzocoatl to Iran. Winners announced next week.

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The Commissar turns the tables on the Guardian's efforts to affect the 2004 election. Your Fight Club homework assignment: Write a Brit and get him to vote. Or, at least write the Guardian UK and let them see how it feels.

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Un-be-freaking-lievable!!

FYI-I've e-mailed Google News at least a dozen times now without a single response asking them exactly what was said here that qualified as 'hate speech' that got us kicked off.

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Ok, since The Jawa Report has been Sgrena debunking central since, well, since way before debunking Giuliana Sgrena became a popular sport, I'm all on board with the CBS report that vindicates what American soldiers have been saying all along--Sgrena's car was speeding.

But, I have this lingering feeling that the alleged satellite images that CBS claims proves the U.S. version of the story are bogus.

Why? Well, because in order to calculate speed the satellite would have needed to take two seperate still images of the car's route within seconds of each other. That's how you measure speed. Speed = Distance x Time. In order to measure distance you need a start and a finish point.

That, or you're telling me that the CIA is now using live-image streaming from their satellites. And if the latter is the case then that satellite just happened to be broadcasting images of a road on the outskirts of Baghdad? At the very moment when Sgrena's car is speeding toward a checkpoint?

I'm sorry, this is just way too far-fetched to believe. As noted here at least umpteen bajillion times, Giuliana Sgrena is a serial liar who's sole purpose in life is to discredit the United States and who will do anything or say anything to that end.

Here's the story:

A US satellite reportedly recorded a checkpoint shooting in Iraq last month, enabling investigators to reconstruct how fast a car carrying a top Italian intelligence official and a freed hostage was traveling when US troops opened fire.

CBS, citing Pentagon officials, said the satellite recording enabled investigators to reconstruct the event without having to rely on the eyewitness accounts....

It said the soldiers manning the checkpoint first spotted the Italian car when it was 137 yards (meters) away. By the time they opened fire and brought the car to a halt, it was 46 yards (meters) away. CBS said that happened in less than three seconds, which meant the car had to be going over 60 miles an hour.

CBS said Italian investigators refused to accept that the Americans were justified in shooting so quickly, arguing among other things that the checkpoint was not properly marked.

Again, if someone has some better info on the capabilities of satellites, I'd love to hear from them. And by info, I don't mean 'I saw this JAG episode once where....'

I'm actually quite shocked that Captain Ed isn't questioning this story or the voice of moderation himself, Joe Gandalman. Look, I just don't want us all piling on to what very well may be a bogus story. Maybe CBS is being overzealous in disproving their bias in the same way they were overzealous in 'proving' that Bush was AWOL.

UPDATE: Charles 'Smack those bitches at CBS down' Johnson doesn't even question this report. Are all of us letting our wishful thinking get the best of us? The report could be true, I'd just like someone elses word besides CBS on this.

UPDATE II: Say Anything, Hyscience too.

UPDATE III: And Betsy's Page, Pirate King, Cracker Barrel Philosopher, Dangerous Dan, Vista on Current Events, The Knock Down Rule and others.

UPDATE IV 5/02: TRADERROB takes up the arguement here and does a good job rebutting me.

But here's something important, I think. I recieved an e-mail from USAF Intelligence Officer who has been on the job for 19 years, so I take it he knows what he's talking about. I'll leave his name out of the post since the e-mail he sent is from a .mil address and says 'Classified' in the signature. The crux of it is that I am right to be skeptical about the satellite claim, however, it may be that CBS simply inferred that the images were from a satellite and misreported that info.

He says, "The most obvious source of data on how fast a vehicle was moving would be a JSTARS using their Moving Target Indicator (MTI) radar. I don't know for a fact if they're still in the area but they were at the start of the war and I'd be willing to bet that they're still there. Piece of cake for them to record an entire mission and later analyze this type of thing."

He also sends a link to a site which explains how JSTARS and Global Hawk actually do give real time data. Pretty cool stuff. So, maybe we do have the goods on Sgrena and the data is their to prove it. more...

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1 Whether this report is accurate or not, I have no doubt that this commie woman, whose freedom the Italians paid terroists for, is trying to exploit her situation for personal and poitical gain.

Posted by: jwbrown1969 at April 30, 2005 05:05 PM (YLesG)

2 Well, this did happen on the road to Baghdad Airport, arguably the most dangerous road in the world right now... given that, I am sure we have been watching that road rather closely... it could be coincidence that our satellites (whatever their capabilities may be) caught it on tape, or perhaps we actually were watching the road... and still are... constantly. Besides, I doubt the public will ever know the true capabilities of our satellites... I mean, look at how good they work on 24!

Posted by: Ariya at April 30, 2005 05:10 PM (IXXEm)

3 Honestly, though, except for on TV, I've never heard any one claim that satellites now run streaming video. At least, not at a high enough resolution that could pick out Sgrena's car. I could be wrong, though. It just seems more like, well, an episode of 24 than anything else.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at April 30, 2005 05:13 PM (JQjhA)

4 Speed= distance / time not speed= distance x time. but what you said is right. one would need to photos where one can measure the distance and the time between the photos.

Posted by: Wernero at April 30, 2005 05:45 PM (XsUDS)

5 I tend to believe the U.S. version.

Posted by: Stefania at April 30, 2005 05:59 PM (kNi8c)

6 Good work, we don't want to be like the Kos crowd, crowing about anything just because we agree with it. Here's a question I haven't been able to answer: a reader took me to task, saying that Sgrena & her paper are not Communist but Socialst. The two terms aren't interchangeable, & I'd like to know for sure. I'm guilty of called her a Stalinist, but if she & her paper are socialst, that's bogus. I still think she's scum, but I'd like to know what denomination of scum... [fyi the spam bot won't let you type socialst correctly, because of the viagra-like drug it includes]

Posted by: jeff at April 30, 2005 06:14 PM (FER/R)

7 Perhaps it wasn't really satellite imagery that they used, but local recon assets. Like a gun camera on a helicopter or a drone flying surveillance on the road. I have no actual knowledge if such recon flights occur or not, but it isn't unreasonable. In this case, the only (bleep) up by CBS would be "satellite" versus "unmanned drone" or some such. But, this is pure speculation.

Posted by: Mark Flacy at April 30, 2005 06:22 PM (8aYgm)

8 No information exactly, but a simple comment. It is possible to estimate speed somewhat accurately with a still image... If the exposure time is long enough (but not too long) to show 'ghosting' or motion blur, and the exposure time is known (or course the exposure time would be known) then a time and distance could be estimated. It would also be best to know the length of the car so that could be removed from the calculation. For those of you wondering, exposure time is a term used with film, but it is relevant to digital images as well. It is usually on the order of milliseconds, but for low light or high magnification it is frequently on the order of multiple seconds, even minutes. Cheers.

Posted by: Chad at April 30, 2005 06:25 PM (mNkeJ)

9 The obvious times that would be used for a non-video picture would be the time that the lens opened, and the time that the lens closed. That puts the car as a blur, and the length of the blur would be related to the speed. If the video was from a synthetic aperature radar, the image of the road is given from a moving satillite looking from several different angles. Because the image from a synthetic image is made up from many reflections over time, moving vehicles are plotted off the road. The distance of the image of a vehicle from the synthetic image of the road can be related to the speed of the vehicle.

Posted by: Don Meaker at April 30, 2005 06:26 PM (CCwl2)

10 Satellite photos are time-stamped. When you have the distance covered over a set time period, you can extrapolate the velocity using basic physics equations.

Posted by: kim at April 30, 2005 07:03 PM (zkSPq)

11 Jeff, Sgrena is a commie, not a socialst. Il Manifesto is her commie paper. Rusty, The technology to shoot streaming video (from space, or anywhere else) has been around for decades, so I'd find it odd if we didn't have it deployed in fairly substantial amounts in orbit cansidering its usefulness, though as Mark mentioned, it could have easily been shot from a UAV. Our intelligence ops possibly picked up that specific vehicle for one or more of many reasons: potential white-on-white intel ops (or in this instance, white on gray), suspicious movement (where, when, how), or simply tracked across it because of dumb luck. I prefer to think that they were tracking the vehicle on purpose (white-on-gray), but who knows... The more I think about it, the more it sounds possible that a GlobalHawk was probably the camera platform, and was tasked to patrol this specific road because of past incidents. They have the streaming video technology, and fly at high altitudes (45,000 ft. or more, from what I've heard) that would give a top-down look similar to a satellite picture. So I guess what I'm saying is that though it very well could have been a satellite that was lucky, I think it most likely a tasked UAV, and the high-flying GlobalHawk would seem the most likely one, and targeting the road for vehicles of interest, not Sgrena in specific.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at April 30, 2005 07:46 PM (MxN1F)

12 My understanding is that they were expecting Negropante to be arriving at the airport so I suspect surveillance on that road would have been heavy. I believe the US version. However, this will not convince the Italians who have a need to play the victim in this incident.

Posted by: Kate at April 30, 2005 08:34 PM (lMB9s)

13 What I find hard to believe in this is that the US Gov't would have certainly shared this with the Italians to prove that Sgrena was lying through her bad communist teeth, yet nary a word from the Italian gov;t about it. Once they start commenting, I will believe it.

Posted by: William Teach at April 30, 2005 09:43 PM (HxpPK)

14 Rusty, I've seen reports that the latest Keyhole surveillance satellites do real-time video. Whether or not there was actually on-going surveillance at the time is of course arguable.

Posted by: Robin Roberts at April 30, 2005 09:44 PM (xauGB)

15 There is some discussion of space-based radar here: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/216/1 Maybe a misleading leak to CBS was made to affect the congressional debate referenced in that article, to show how valuable such as system would be. Here are so farther out goals, if you are interested: http://www.vs.afrl.af.mil/factsheets/TechSat21.html

Posted by: Jon Cohen at May 01, 2005 01:28 AM (uwilN)

16 The US have unclassified a report with the conclusions of the investigations. The document distribuited to the press was a .pdf and had many omisseses (mainly regarding the name of the involved soldiers and the details of some US army procedures). Well, Italian press is now laughing... the .pdf wasn't encrypted and allowed the copy. With a complex as complex as cutting and pasting it, all the omisses may (and have) been removed. Compliments!!!

Posted by: paul at May 01, 2005 07:21 AM (a6Lgr)

17 Maybe they don't want YOU to know how they are doing it? Why would they put out in public what they are doing to monitor anything in Iraq? Why would they let the terrorists know? Surely we have realtime video from plenty of places in Iraq, after all, what do you think all those drones are doing? Maybe the drones fly the airport road at night looking for terrorists planting bombs for tommorrow? Wouldn't the JAWA drones be doing this? I would bet they shared the real data with the recalcitrant Italians though -- but Commies do what Commies do, they lie. When caught, like the LATimes, they just lie some more. See Patterico's report for the latest LATimes lies. http://patterico.com/2005/05/01/2939/its-no-accident-la-times-editors-have-done-it-again/ I think your analysis is correct, but your facts may be garnered from misinformation -- that would be on purpose misleading information about ways and means of collecting intelligence information.

Posted by: bill at May 01, 2005 07:55 AM (7evkT)

18 from the report: I. (U) Recommendations (S//NF) Recommend the Force Protection Working Group consider the use of additional non-lethal measures (e.g., spike strips, temporary speed bumps, and wire) be emplaced to slow down or stop vehicles before the use of disabling shots. The intent is to provide as many non-lethal options as possible before asking a Soldier to focus on firing the weapon. yeah, good idea, isn'it?

Posted by: paul at May 01, 2005 08:05 AM (a6Lgr)

19 Yes Paul, if the troops had been trained and equipped for police work they would be better policemen. And, if you had been traveling at 100 kph toward that checkpoint I would hope that they would blast away at your car until it was totally disabled. If you were struck and killed by a stray shot then you, and you alone, would be responsible for your death. I see no point in debating what "could have" happened, if they were following procedure that is all you can ask of the troops. Are we to change workable procedures because someone somewhere sometime might do something stupid?

Posted by: RicardoVerde at May 01, 2005 01:01 PM (3DOby)

20 I've personally done satellite image analysis in a research capacity, and based on my knowledge from that I would urge EXTREME CAUTION in evaluating this claim. If it even exists on a satellite yet, real-time image streaming is going to be rare, and it's unlikely the spooks would waste the capability on observing a roadblock. The possibility of getting two time-separated shots that both contain the same vehicle is similarly unlikely, though not impossible -- the platform is most likely going to outpace the automobile, and the probability of it just happening to be overhead at the right time to begin with is small. My guess is that if this imagery does exist, it is in fact video footage from a surveillance drone or other aircraft.

Posted by: Varenius at May 01, 2005 04:48 PM (pGHMt)

21 So, what is being questioned? CBS's report or the fact that the US has incontivertable evidence to the speed of the vehicle. If the U.S really is saying that it has the evidence then obvioulsy it does. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they would never tell a lie, but the military lying about something that could so easily proved wrong just doesn't seem very likely.

Posted by: Michael at May 01, 2005 05:32 PM (nEJWS)

22 There are lots of satellites... And their orbits are known... So you would just have to find for the right satellite that was over the area... There will always be a satellite over an area... The question is only whether it was one the US government would have access to... Not only that but there are drones doing recognizance and images could have been obtained from a drone... The story may or may not be true, but the availability of a satellite that could have imaged the scene is not in question...

Posted by: Iris at May 01, 2005 05:54 PM (FvsQA)

23 Satellite photos taken at night tend to have long shutter speeds and moving objects can easily have accurate speeds determined by the length of the shutter speed vs. distance traveled. No need for live video feed. Ever see a picture of the stars at night taken with a long exposure? Even though the satellite photos aren't on film, the "eye" needs more exposure time in low light settings.

Posted by: bullwinkle at May 01, 2005 06:07 PM (7doW9)

24 I am 100% with you, fella. This "news" is CBS reporting that the Pentagon says that it (the Pentagon) has seen satellite footage. This is not "news" and the fact Charlie Johnson is all over it without questioning it is shocking. It's real disappointing too. CNever mind Sgrena - Calipari is dead. this deserves something more than what smacks of a "news whitewash".

Posted by: WB at May 01, 2005 08:18 PM (PVlAC)

25 RE: Unlikelihood that a satellite was watching that spot at that time. News reports said that a top US official (Negroponte?) went through the airport about that time. Satellite video could have been called up for his protection, and then picked up the Italian's car fortuitously.

Posted by: Strobe at May 01, 2005 11:45 PM (YawHj)

26 "this deserves something more than what smacks of a "news whitewash"." A news whitewash?? Don't you think you're being just a little bit of a drama queen? So far there doesn't seem to be any evidence at all to suggest that the report is incorrect. This thread raised some questions, but several answers also seem to easily dispel any concerns. Really when you look at it, calling this story a "whitewash" when there is no real reason to believe it's anything but correct (other than CBS's poor record of accuracy) looks like nothing more than moonbat dismay at being proved wrong.

Posted by: Michael at May 02, 2005 03:15 AM (+nX1w)

27 Jeff, Sgrena calls herself a communist. And Il Manifesto is a communist paper.

Posted by: Oyster at May 02, 2005 07:25 AM (YudAC)

28 "Sgrena calls herself a communist. And Il Manifesto is a communist paper." And so? Do you have a problem with this? Do you make look that a bad thing... :-) The communist party is perfectly legal in Italy, and get around 8-10% of the votes. The ex-communist party gets another 20-25% and, together, those parties are likely to rule the country after next year elections. Il Manifesto is not 'the Pravda'. It is a normal newspaper that sells 50000 copies every day. They don't like US very much, that is sure, but that doesn't mean that they always lie...

Posted by: paul at May 02, 2005 08:00 AM (8U5to)

29 First, I agree with Confederate Yankee: how widespread it is I don't know, but some "still" cameras can expose several hundred frames per second, vs video (even "streaming") of about 20 fps. Not that I trust CBS (or worse, Agence France Presse, which posted it Sunday May 1) to know whether it was a permanent satellite, overflight by aircraft/drone, or even visual image vs radar imagery. As an example, look at the big news about a planet being "observed": it's been known about for several years via radio imaging - size, orbit, mass, average temperature, and all sorts of info. Now the very large visual scope the EU uses has been able to see it, which is news, but... I think officially the Italians will back off on all but one point: they say the CIA was kept informed, so it is still our fault. Kinda like "we told France it was going to rain in Estonia, so it's Estonia's fault for not being prepared for flooding." Unofficially, of course, we deliberately targeted wossername.

Posted by: John Anderson at May 02, 2005 08:19 AM (6A8sH)

30 "Yes, Sgrena's car was speeding, but can satellite images really show that?" Translation: We don't really know if the car was speeding or not.

Posted by: greg at May 02, 2005 10:54 AM (/+dAV)

31 I don't think the US Army has a movie or something that shows the car speeding. If they have why Thay don't give that to the Italian intelligence? But that's not the problem. I don't believe also that the US soldiers have shooting the car on purpose. The truth is that the US soldiers in Iraq are too young and they don't have experience. They are there for to have money for their families, or for to pay the college. That is the truth. But, of course, the US Army they will never admit that their soldier are too young, without proper training ( the average of training is 6 months. Do you think it's enough for a training?). For instance there is a big difference between Communist and Socialist.

Posted by: Mauro at May 31, 2005 02:39 PM (1FCSl)

32 I'm coming late to the game, but I do not doubt that there is detailed imagery of the incident, nor is there sufficient benefit to release it. I am currently a couple hundred meters west of Airport Road. If I step outside, I can easily see 2 tethered blimps which are kept aloft almost continuously. One blimp is a mile or 2 northwest of here, the other is about a mile east (on the far side of Airport Road). The existence of these blimps is no secret, nor is the fact that the insurgents have reportedly tried to bring them down. You can use whatever style of educated guessing you want to surmise what might be on board those balloons, and why there would be reasons not to release imagery which demonstrates any sensing capabilities of whatever is on board.

Posted by: local observer at June 20, 2005 12:47 AM (4Zpit)

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Serial 'torturer' Pfc. Lynndie England is set to plead guilty for her part in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal which consisted of playing human pyramid with naked men and for pointing out the already well known fact that next to a giant American penis, no one can really compare.

USA Today via Blogs of War:

Pfc. Lynndie England, the Army reservist shown in some of the most notorious photos in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, will plead guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees in a case that sparked global outrage against the United States and its military.

England, 22, faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison as part of the plea deal, which still must be accepted by a military judge, her attorney, Rick Hernandez, said Friday. She had been facing up to 16 years.

The plea deal came four days before England was scheduled to go on trial in a military court in Fort Hood.

"This is in her best interests," Hernandez said.

England was one of seven members of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company charged with humiliating and assaulting Iraqi detainees at the prison near Baghdad. She became a focal point of the scandal after photos of her surfaced, including one that showed her smiling and posing with nude prisoners stacked in a pyramid.

In another picture, she is smiling and pointing at a naked detainee's genitals while a cigarette dangles from the corner of her mouth.

England will plead guilty Monday to seven of the nine counts against her: two counts of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating prisoners and one count of dereliction of duty, Hernandez said. The other charges — committing indecent acts and failure to obey a lawful order — will be dropped, he said.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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It's been 90 days since John Kerry promised to sign the forms necessary to have his military records released. I'm sure he's just being overly modest about his heroics.

Decision '08 has more.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:57 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Jane of Armies of Liberation and I are engaged in a discussion on whether or not what is going on in Yemen is 'ethnic cleansing' by the Sunni majority against the Zaidi Shia minority or if it's just simply 'really bad repression' coupled with flare-ups of disgusting acts of violence. I'm in the latter camp.

Either way, things are not going that well for the Zaidis of Southern Yemen.

Jane has more. Jane is well on her way to getting her first death fatwa issued before I do.

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