So Much For That “Sovereignty” Bullshit:

Collaborators Want “Thorough Control” Of Their Army;

U.S. Military Dictatorship Says No:

“An Embarrassing Delay Of A Signing Ceremony In Baghdad”

Sep 3 By Ibon Villelabeitia, Reuters & By ELENA BECATOROS, Associated Press Writer

Talks between the United States and Iraq over the transfer of operational command of Iraq's armed forces were deadlocked on Sunday, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki demanding more independence from the U.S. military.

A day after the dispute forced an embarrassing delay of a signing ceremony in Baghdad, an Iraqi Defense Ministry source said disagreements remained over the wording of a document that outlines the new relationship between U.S.-led occupying forces and Iraq's new military.

The ceremony, initially set for Saturday, was postponed to Sunday and then canceled altogether.

"There are some disputes between the two parties. We have our own point of view and they have theirs.  We want thorough control and want the freedom to make decisions independently," the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Saturday's ceremony to transfer control of Iraq's army from U.S. commander General George Casey to the Iraqi Defense Ministry had been hailed by U.S. officials as a big step towards Iraq taking responsibility for security.  [It would appear they wanted real command and control, not some bullshit “responsibility.” 

Mighty Casey struck out.]

Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. military spokesman, originally said the delay was due to "miscommunication" between coalition forces and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense regarding the timing of the ceremony.

Johnson said later that it had become "apparent" that part of the miscommunication had been about the wording of the document "delineating" the responsibilities of the joint headquarters and the coalition's role in supporting their efforts.

"It is embarrassing, but it was decided it was better not to sign the document," he said.

But in a sign that negotiations could drag on, Mohammed al-Askari, spokesman for Iraq's Defense Ministry, said the government would take its time until an agreement was reached.

"We need more time regarding these discussions. There are some articles that need more discussions with the Americans.  We don't want to be rushed into making these decisions.  Our points of view are not identical," he said.

IRAQ WAR REPORTS

2 MND Baghdad Soldiers Killed By Roadside Bomb

Sept. 3, 2006 Multi-National Corps Iraq Press Release No. 20060903-01

BAGHDAD: Two Multi National Division Baghdad Soldiers died at approximately 6:20 a.m. Sunday when the vehicle they were riding in was struck by an improvised-explosive device in eastern Baghdad.

Marine Killed In Anbar

9.3.06 AP

In Anbar province, a Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died Sunday of wounds sustained during enemy action, according to the military.

Marine From Charlotte Killed

Sep. 03, 2006 DAVID PERLMUTT, Charlotte Observer

After graduating from Providence High School in 2003, Cliff Golla didn't know what he wanted to do.

He took a chance as a Marine.

And at boot camp graduation at Parris Island, S.C., where Golla spent his 18th birthday, his family saw a changed man.

"It was like he found himself," said his older sister, Lynette Ingram of Charlotte. "He felt closer to us; he didn't mind if we hugged him and kissed him.  Cliff never felt the Marines necessarily was his calling.

"But he thought it would be good for him."

On Friday, 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Golla -- the only son of Polish immigrants -- died near Habbaniyah in central Iraq in a roadside bombing. He was serving a second tour in Iraq, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Lima Company, 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune.

Details were sketchy Saturday.  But Golla's family and friends said two Marine officers came to the Charlotte home of his mother, Yvonna, late Friday with the news.

George Richardson, a family friend, said Golla was leading his squad of 10 men on a foot patrol to root out explosive devices when an explosive device was detonated by insurgents.

"It was an ambush," Richardson said.  "They were close to a field base medical facility and tried to save him. But they couldn't."

Golla had just returned to Iraq in July for his second tour.

He moved to Charlotte with his family about 1988, when Golla was 3, his sister said.

His father, Chris, immigrated to America in 1980, moving to Buffalo, N.Y., where he had relatives.  His mother wasn't allowed to leave Poland at the time and eventually had to sneak out of the country to Sweden before coming to the United States in 1982.

A year later, Lynette was born.  Fifteen months after that, Cliff was born. They have a younger sister, Scarlett, who is almost 15.

Cliff and Lynette went to Northwest School of the Arts. But for his senior year, Cliff transferred to Providence High.

His sister and friends described Golla as a prankster who always encouraged them to strive to do better. He was something of a matchmaker, too, having introduced Lynette and her husband, Wayne Ingram.

"In high school, the girls wouldn't stay away from him," Lynette Ingram said.

Golla's mother said her son was a rebellious teenager and she constantly urged him to do something with his life, Richardson said she told him.

"So he did -- he joined the Marines," Richardson said. "They say in three years it was a magical transformation."

Golla called his mother a week ago with news that a comrade had died. "He said he carried him all the way back to base," Richardson said.

Golla's tour was to end in February, and then he was scheduled to return home for more training, Ingram said.

Before he left for Iraq, his family spent a week at Myrtle Beach. During off-time at Camp Lejeune, Golla was able to visit his family at the beach.

Two days before he was deployed, he told everyone he didn't think he would be coming back.

"One night I looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘Cliff, you take care of yourself,'" Wayne Ingram said.  “He looked right back and said, ‘I'm not coming home.’”

"I told him he was.  But he's not coming home.  Cliff was very, very unselfish, and I don't know why he had to die."

REALLY BAD PLACE TO BE:

BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW

U.S. soldiers take cover behind vehicles and return fire at insurgents at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 16, 2006. (U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock/Reuters)

Soldier From Desloge Is Killed In Iraq:

“He Was Due To Come Home This Week”

9.3.06 KCTV5

DESLOGE, Mo.:  An Army staff sergeant from Desloge was killed in Iraq last week, just days before he was due to return home.

Michael Deason, 28, died Thursday when an armor-piercing grenade struck his Humvee, part of an attack on a six-vehicle convoy, his wife told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for Sunday's edition.

He was with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky.

Tiffany Deason said he was due to come home this week and had been looking forward to seeing their children: son Jayden, 2 1/2, and daughter Kayler, 9 months.

Deason was in his seventh year in the Army and his second tour of duty in Iraq. He had been in Iraq during the births of both children and got to hold each baby at the age of 1 month. Tiffany Deason said her husband had planned to leave the military when his service was up in 15 months.

"He was very brave and good at what he did, but he said he was ready to have a backyard and be with his kids," said Tiffany Deason, 23. "He asked me not to play T-ball with Jayden this summer because he wanted to teach him."

A military officer and chaplain broke the news to the family Thursday.

"Michael told me, with all the training he had, he thought he could handle himself, but he knew there were some things out of his control, like a roadside bomb," his father, David Deason, said.

His family said Michael Deason was proud of his service. In a note he sent his father for Father's Day, he wrote: "It feels good knowing people are free because of us."

Michael Deason grew up in Desloge and was a graduate of North County High School.

He joined the Army after attending Mineral Area College for three years.

David Deason said his son had already planned his own funeral and requested it be at the First Assembly of God church in Farmington, where he went to daycare as a child and attended church as a youth.

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Four Foreign Occupation Soldiers Killed, Seven Wounded

09/03/06 Radio Australia & MSNBC News Services

Four soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force were killed and seven others were wounded in the fighting in Kandahar province, a statement from the alliance said.

Afghanistan's defence ministry says three Canadian troops were killed in a major operation in the south of the country...

The NATO force involved in the operation would only say it had "taken casualties."

Afghanistan Battle Takes Local Soldier

August 24, 2006 BY DAN WEST, STAFF WRITER, Home Town Life

Joe Blake was in his 30s nearly two years when he made a rather unusual decision for a man his age.   He decided to join the U.S. Army.

"He had thought about it for a while, but at that stage in his life, he figured if he was going to do it, he'd have to do it now," said his father, Doug Blake.

Keeping in excellent physical shape was nothing new for Joe Blake, who loved to run and work out.  His conditioning helped him adjust to life in the military and the Redford native took pride in the fact he could keep up with fellow infantrymen who were about 15 years his junior.

The pride and success he developed during his time in the Army came to a sudden end Aug. 17 when he was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan. He was 35.

"We are terribly grieved and I don't think the fullness of this has hit us yet," Doug Blake said. "We are very proud of him.  He felt good about what he accomplished."

He added his family will treasure Joe's mid-deployment, two-week leave last month when he came home to his parents' Livonia home to attend a family barbecue and go to Greenfield Village. He was able to spend several nights at his parents' home in Livonia.

"We were really, really glad to have that time with him. It will be a good memory for us," Doug Blake said. "We admired his courage because you could tell he wasn't telling us everything so we wouldn't worry, but he knew he was going back to a dangerous situation.

"Still, he was fully committed to his duty and to his fellow infantrymen."

Joseph Robert Blake was the youngest of three siblings, born in Westland in December 1971. He attended classes at the Redford Union and Southfield Christian schools. After working various jobs throughout his adult life, he joined the Army in January 2005, completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and was assigned to the 32nd Infantry, 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in New York.

His initial deployment to Afghanistan was in March and he recently returned for duty there after his leave in July.

"I think it's important for the public to realize the dangers for those in the military who are stationed over there," Doug Blake said.

Joe Blake is survived by his parents, Doug and Joann Blake, brother Kevin Blake, sister Tina Steinkemper, a grandfather, and many uncles, aunts and cousins.  There are plans for a memorial service, but family was not ready to publicize those plans Wednesday.

Mortar Propeller Attack On Kabul Airport

3 September 2006 Novinite Ltd. & By NOOR KHAN Associated Press Writer, Sep. 2, 2006

The international airport in the Afghani capital Kabul, which is under Bulgaria's command, has been attacked with mortar propellers [no doubt some new weapon known only to Bulgarians] at 9:40 am Bulgarian time, the Defense Ministry said in a press release.

Three mines landed on the territory of the airport, one of which was found unexploded and defused.

There are no casualties, or material damages incurred on the base's staff and facilities, the statement adds.

Bulgarian military staff assumed the command of the Kabul Airport on July 31 to organize and supervise the functioning of the airport in accordance to NATO requirements.

Insurgents attacked a police checkpoint Friday in Helmand's Grieshk district, killing five officers and wounding seven, said Ghulam Muhiddin, the Helmand governor's spokesman. Police killed three Taliban and wounded two, he said.

Muhiddin said the insurgents also took away four captured officers and hundreds of police were hunting for them Saturday.

In southwestern Farah province Saturday, a Taliban ambush killed four policemen and the wife of one of the dead officers, provincial police chief Syed Agha Saqib said. The woman's 2-year-old son survived unhurt.

Four Afghan police officers and 10 suspected Taliban members were reported killed in three other clashes, in southwestern Nimroz province and southern Zabul province.

TROOP NEWS

Waiting For Another Tour To End:

“He Told His Mother That In Iraq They Saran-Wrapped A Soldier And Tried To Send Him Home, And Andy Is Looking Ahead, Waiting For His Trip Home”

September 3, 2006 By Jen McCoy, Portage Daily Register

MADISON:  On Marine Andy Brady's second tour of duty in Fallujah, 10 days before he was to come home to Poynette on leave, his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb and he lost hearing in his left ear, had a concussion and suffered vision impairment.

He was told that he might not be called for duty a third time, but five months later, he was back in Iraq on the front lines.

The local Marine, who was first deployed in February 2004, is expected to return home in September or October.  Brady, 22, has spent his last three birthdays in a desert, living in holes in the ground and going for months without a shower.

"The biggest fear for most guys is to be wounded, not killed.  They have seen enough to know what their options are.  The third time (of duty) is hard for everyone, and they say it's the one that breaks people down.  Just about everyone Andy knows in the Marines are going back for a third time," said Lou Brady, assistant Columbia County coroner and Brady's mother.

But without hesitation, Lou supports her oldest son's role as a Marine.

Brady has lost weight again, but every time he has returned to combat he has lost weight, Lou said.  The 125-degree heat, stress and 80-pound backpacks have melted body mass.

Brady will be greeted by his mother at Twenty-nine Palms, Calif., when he is relieved of duty and steps off of a bus in khaki uniform.  She and other family members have ached to see the soldiers in America as they pass by on buses in to the Marine Combat Center.

"You see the buses go by and you wave and then they go to the armory to unload their weapons and that takes another two hours," Lou said.  "We're all waiting there and it's usually hot or it's in the middle of the night and they have all this business to take care of before they can go anywhere.  They have to work the next two days and cannot go farther than 500 miles away from the base."

Soldiers ride on commercial flights, 36 hours from Iraq, dressed in uniform with loaded M-16 weapons.  

Brady laughed when he told his mother that the TSA officials collected all the nail clippers in the cabin, but guns went unmentioned.

The first time Brady was deployed as infantry, his younger brother, Joe, was 15 years old.  Brady participated in basic training between his junior and senior year in high school, while Joe was a freshman.

Brady was deployed a second time in January 2005, and a third tour February 2006.

"Going back for a second and third time, he's more jaded, but I can't say what his views are that they are making progress or not.  It doesn't matter what my feelings are because he's already over there, and when your brother is over there, it makes things tougher," said Joe Brady, 19, of Madison.

Brady will be living with his brother in a Madison apartment when he returns home.  

"I'm not a fan of the current administration.  It's an unpopular war, there's no doubt about that.  But I think that generally most Americans support the troops without supporting the war.  The soldiers are not the ones making the decisions.  They just got put there," Joe said.

He does not think the residual combat left in his brother's body will affect him, but their mother is concerned.

"Andy's dad is a Vietnam veteran, and he knows what post-traumatic stress disorder is, and Andy doesn't think that he has it himself.  We jokingly say denial is the first sign of PTSD," Lou said.  Brady has difficulty sleeping and shows signs of agitation at home, she said as she fidgeted with a dog tag around her neck.

"I think a certain amount of PTSD is inevitable from being alert with adrenaline 365 days a year and 24 hours a day.  I know he has been fired upon and he has fired at people. He has seen people die.  There is no place in the human brain that can categorize the inhumanity of these images that don't go away," Lou said.

Years ago the unpopular Vietnam war broke Lou's family apart, she said, and she will not let this war have the same effect.

"I am a very religious person and many wars have been fought in the name of religion. The people fighting Andy are just as tenacious about their beliefs as I am.  I can't allow myself to get in to the negatives of being angry about the war because I need my energy to focus on my son getting home alive and well," Lou said.

Family members hope that Andy has retained his outgoing personality and humor.  

He told his mother that in Iraq they Saran-wrapped a soldier and tried to send him home, and Andy is looking ahead, waiting for his trip home.

He has little in common with peers at home who talk about girlfriends and schoolwork, but he will have his chance when he enters the University of Wisconsin to study history.

BUSH IS COMING TO ATLANTA!

PROTEST AT THE GALLERIA

ON COBB PKWY IN COBB COUNTY

THURS., SEPT. 7, 9 AM

We will line the sidewalk of Cobb Pkwy on the Galleria side.

DRIVE 15 minutes north of downtown Atlanta on I 75; Take Exit 258 Cumberland Dr.; Left at light onto Cumberland Dr & thru 2 stoplights; Right on Cobb Pkwy &  thru several lights; Left into parking at Cumberland Mall OR Right into parking in Galleria parking decks.

OR CARPOOL: Meet at Candler Park MARTA Station: Leave at 8:30.

Bring your signs, banners, and voices!

Sponsored by Georgia Peace and Justice Coaliton/Atlanta,

Atlanta International Action Center, and Orange Alert.

Go to www.georgiapeace.org & www.iacenter.org for updates.

WE ARE THE PEACE MAJORITY!

61% Of Americans Oppose The War

(CNN Poll, 8/22/06)

LET US RAISE OUR VOICES:

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

JonBenet, The Beauty...

PFC Steven Sirko (Who’s That?)

August 28, 2006 Veterans Against The Iraq War

By Summer Lipford, Proud Mother Of PFC Steven Sirko, needlessly taken from my life April 17th, 2005;

The death of a child by the hands of a criminal is horrific, any child, any criminal.

I too lost a beautiful child, he had sandy blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes that had a laugh that danced in his eyes from the minute they opened in the morning until his prayers were said and they closed to dream of wonderful childhood things.

He too was in a beauty pageant, against his wishes and the wishes of his dad, however, he won 2nd place, (the judges must have been blind, he WAS the most beautiful 5 year old on the stage)

Just as JonBenet, I have movies, maybe not as many, but I have movies of him being silly, movies in grade school programs, pictures of him graduating from kindergarden, which doesn't seem like that was so long ago, and Christmas morning pictures with a grim that lights the room with delight of what Santa left for him.

I have picture of Pop Warner football, pictures holding his oldest sisters baby, Jr. High wrestling, graduation pictures, bootcamp pictures,(there wasn't anytime for growing up between high school and boot camp), AIT graduation.

Then pictures taken the last day I saw my baby, the day he was deployed to Iraq, the very last time I saw my child, forever.

Just as JonBenet, my pictures where taken at Christmas and a couple of weeks following Christmas Day, as a matter of fact, the last pictures I have were taken Janua