GI SPECIAL
4H29:
CORNERED RAT
The
Traitor Rumsfeld Aug. 3, 2006. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
Rumsfeld Caught Telling More Stupid Lies:
Meets With Families Of Soldiers Held In Iraq
Against Their Will;
Press Shut Out, But Soldiers Wife Tapes And
Spreads It;
“A ‘Death Watch’ For Soldiers”
[Thanks to Phil G, who sent this in.]
8.27.06 By ROBERT BURNS, The Associated Press
& By Kristin Roberts, FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Reuters)
In a lively but polite give-and-take at a
meeting in an Army gymnasium, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld fielded
questions Saturday from wives and other family members of Alaska-based
soldiers. [“Lively
but polite” means they didn’t rip his face off. This time.]
The Pentagon decided last month to keep about
3,000 Alaska-based soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Iraq,
extending their tours and returning more than 300 who had already gone back
home.
The extended deployment poses a hardship for
both troops who have been sent to one of the most dangerous areas of Iraq, and
their families in Alaska.
The delay has also put families
and the U.S. Army on what one defense official called a "death watch"
for soldiers who otherwise would have been on their way home if not already
there.
Rumsfeld, who received a mixed reception from
a crowd that offered more applause for the questions asked than the answers
provided, praised the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
The estimated 700 to 800 family members of
soldiers whose combat tours in Iraq were abruptly extended just as they
prepared to return home this month peppered U.S. Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld with tough questions, some that he could not answer, at a closed-door
meeting in Alaska on Saturday.
"It is something we don't want to
do," Rumsfeld told several hundred family members who gathered in a
gymnasium at nearby Ft. Wainwright, home of the 172nd Stryker Brigade. The
unit's deployment to Iraq was extended by up to four months to bolster U.S.
firepower in the Baghdad area.
"But in this case we had to," he
added, referring to the decision made in late July to extend the 172nd.
Questions from family members
ranged from personal appeals for help on securing short-time leave for soldiers
to broader issues, such as whether another brigade was being trained to replace
the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in case the intended improvements in
Baghdad are not achieved by mid-December, a question that received thunderous
applause from the crowd and calls for a yes or no response.
The defense secretary said he
could not give them a definitive answer.
"I wish I had a magic wand and the power
to say, 'yes.' But I don't," he told them.
Reporters, including five who traveled with
Rumsfeld from Washington, D.C., were not permitted to cover his meeting with
the family members, which lasted about an hour.
But a wife who made a video tape of the event showed it to reporters
afterward.
One wife asked Rumsfeld why the
172nd was doing house-to-house searches in Baghdad instead of the kinds of
combat operations they are trained to perform. Rumsfeld disputed her assertion,
saying that 95 percent of the house-clearing operations are being done by Iraqi
troops.
[What disgusting
arrogance. As if the families
aren’t in touch with their soldiers, and don’t know what
they’re doing.
[This is the kind of blind
contempt for the common sense and intelligence of real people that the
Rumsfeld’s of the world make a habit.
It’s not so much that they lie as that they tell such stupid,
obvious lies, like passing a plate of shit, and saying, “Eat this,
it’s really good.”
[And they have not a clue that
their lies heap up and heap up, like some combustibles destined to explode,
until they do explode, and, with the exploding, the lies and the
Rumsfeld’s must vanish, having no useful purpose, except to have fueled
the explosion called “revolution.”]
"I think it was a
show," said Jennifer Davis, the wife of one soldier in Iraq. She declined to give her husband's name. [There it is.
Let that be engraved on the tombstone of the Empire.]
In an interview during his flight to
Fairbanks, Rumsfeld said he saw no reason for the soldiers or their families to
be angry at him. [But
military families will not be told by any kind of Rumsfeld how they should or
should not feel, especially whether they should or should not be angry with
him. What haughty ignorance and contempt
he displays for them. It’s
reminiscent of the posture of the last Louis King of France, who was beheaded
for his ignorant condescension, and the last Czar of the Russians, executed
also for the same kind of scornful dismissions.]
"I don't put it in that context,"
he said. "These people are all volunteers.
They all signed up. They all are there doing what they're doing
because they want to do it." [In that case, then let
every one of them who wants to leave this minute come home. Unless this is only another stupid Rumsfeld
lie, marching in column formation with all the lies that preceded it, and all
the stupid lies to follow it. Does he
actually expect not to be called out for this?]
Asked why reporters would not be permitted to
cover his meeting with the family members, Rumsfeld at first replied, "I
don't have any idea. I haven't addressed the subject." Later he said he makes it
a practice to make all family meetings private.
[He can’t even manage his
small lies anymore. It’s time for
this simulation of a human to disappear into whatever sewer generated it, and
be obeyed no more.]
A newly formed Alaska chapter
of the Military Families Speak Out group issued a statement in Fairbanks saying
it would make a public call for the Bush administration to bring home the 172nd
and all other U.S. troops.
It quoted Jennifer Davis of Anchorage, whose
husband is a member of the 172nd. "I am totally frustrated,
disappointed and heart broken," she said in the statement. "Just when
I thought we were going to be able to resume a ‘normal’ life and
when I thought the nightmare was over, the nightmare was extended."
[In fairness, let no one say he
accomplished nothing. He accomplished
magic: where there was no organized opposition, now there is, and angry, and
spreading. So Rumsfeld has done his bit,
sowing the wind and the dragons’ teeth, and see who comes forth to face
him down.
[They have seen him, and what
he is, and above all, seen that he is only what he is, not something bigger,
wrapped in media puffery. There came a
day when the poor and the working classes of Paris marched on the King’s
palace at Versailles, and breaking in, and seeing the King, found not some
exalted personage, but only a stupid, arrogant man. And that was the end of him.]
The brigade's tour was extended
by up to 120 days, bringing them close to a Christmas return date. Rumsfeld said he would make no promises that
the full brigade would be back home by the holidays.
"I'd love to be Santa Claus. I'm not," he told reporters. [And what can he do if
they decide to take themselves home at Christmas, or at least decide to refuse
their work in Baghdad, and instead of kicking down Iraqis’ doors, meet
and demand to come home immediately?
That will be the end of Rumsfeld, and perhaps more, and welcome.]
If it turned out that by December, U.S.
commanders in Iraq felt they needed an unscheduled infusion of troops,
"our first choice obviously would be to have them be someone other than
the people we just extended," Rumsfeld said.
"But I'm not going to get into the
promises business. That isn't my
style."
Rumsfeld's visit to Fairbanks
lured curious onlookers, one of whom yelled to the defense secretary to
"get us out of Iraq." "I
know the feeling," he yelled back.
[Mark that. He is greeted with
public yelling. And, exasperated enough,
people will have done with yelling only, and will do somewhat more.]
MORE:
Loony Rumsfeld Complains That Terrorists
Manipulate U.S. Media;
[Thanks to David Honish, who sent this in.]
8.28.06 By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said
Monday he is deeply troubled by the success of terrorist groups in
"manipulating the media" to influence Westerners.
"They are actively
manipulating the media in this country" by, for example, falsely blaming
U.S. troops for civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.
In his remarks at Fallon he did not offer any
new examples of media manipulation; he put unusual emphasis, however, on the
negative impact it is having on Americans in an era of 24-hour news.
[If terrorists really could control
the media, he’d have nothing to complain about. The media would carry only happy reports
favoring Rumsfeld and Bush and their war of terror, 24/7.]
IRAQ WAR REPORTS
4 U.S. Soldiers Killed By Bomb
Aug 28 The Associated Press
Four American soldiers were killed when their
vehicle was blasted by a roadside bomb in 3 pm Sunday north of Baghdad, the
U.S. military command said Monday.
The deaths happened Sunday, a military
statement said without elaborating.
Nebraska Sgt. Dies
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey J. Hansen, 31, of Cairo,
Neb., died Aug. 27, 2006, of injuries suffered during a Humvee accident near
Balad, Iraq, on Aug. 21, 2006. (AP Photo/ Nebraska National Guard)
MND BAGHDAD SOLDIER KILLED BY SMALL-ARMS FIRE
8/28/2006 HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL
COMMAND NEWS RELEASE Number: 06-08-02c
BAGHDAD:
A Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 2
p.m. Sunday by small-arms fire in eastern Baghdad.
Bomb Claims Superiorite
August 28th, 2006 The Daily Telegram
Superior native Kenneth Cross, 21, was killed
by a roadside bomb Sunday in Iraq, according to Gerald Nelson, a cousin.
Recently married and residing in the state of
Washington, he had served one year in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in
Baghdad.
Nelson grew up with Cross, who said his
family is in shock.
He becomes the second
Superiorite killed while serving in Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Adam Van Alstine suffered
fatal wounds in February from a roadside bomb.
Services for Cross are pending.
Marine From Milford Killed
August 26, 2006 The New York Times Company
HARTFORD, Conn.: A marine from Connecticut was killed in
combat Friday in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Saturday.
Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson, 21, of Milford, died
during combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st
Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division in Plainville.
Pierson was the second marine from the 25th
Marine Regiment to be killed in three weeks. Lance Cpl. Kurt Dechen, 24, of Springfield,
Vt., was on a foot patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, on Aug. 3 when his unit came under
fire and he was shot.
Thirty-two servicemen and women
and civilians with Connecticut ties have died since March 2002 in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Pierson and another serviceman were hit with
shrapnel earlier this year after a grenade exploded near them, The Hartford
Courant reported in May.
Roberto Diaz, of Manchester, said he trained
with Pierson in California and last saw him nine months ago.
"He was an excellent marine," he
said. "He did his job to the fullest."
Guardsman Dies Of
Accident Injuries
08/28/06 Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb.
A Nebraska National Guard soldier from Cairo dies of injuries from a
vehicle accident in Iraq.
Major General Roger Lempke said today that
Staff Sergeant Jeffrey J- Hansen died yesterday at a U-S- hospital in
Landstuhl, Germany.
The 31-year-old Hansen is survived by his
wife, Jennifer, and his father, Robert Hansen of Bertrand.
A news release from the Guard said Hansen and
three other members of the 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry Regiment were injured on
August 21st when their Humvee turned over off a berm and fell into a canal near
Camp Anaconda north of Baghdad.
The Guard says one of the other soldiers has
already returned to duty. The other two are still being treated.
Relative Confirms Two Rivers Soldier Killed
August 28, 2006 TWO RIVERS, Wis. (AP)
A 21-year-old soldier from Two Rivers has
been killed in Iraq, his aunt confirmed Monday.
Army Pfc. Shaun Novak was killed Sunday when
some sort of an explosion happened while he was riding in an armored vehicle,
his aunt, Sheila Halverson, said Monday.
She did not know what unit he was serving in,
but said it was out of Fort Hood, Texas and he had been in the infantry.
Novak is survived by his father, Randy, a
Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department deputy; his mother, Brenda, an employee
of the Manitowoc County Human Services Department; and a brother, Danny, 15,
who enters Two Rivers High School this fall, Halverson said.
Shaun Novak enlisted in the Army in 2004 and
was shipped to Iraq in December of 2005, his aunt said.
“Shaun felt like he should serve his
country. We're all very proud of him,'' Halverson said.
He attended the University of
Wisconsin-Manitowoc County Center for a year after graduating from Two Rivers
High School. He had planned to study accounting or marketing after his
discharge from the military, his aunt said.
Bomb Kills Soldier
Jeffrey
and Mary Loa
August 23, 2006 The Honolulu Advertiser
Over the past year, three Loa brothers saw
duty in Iraq.
Their father, Duke Loa, who had a greater
chance than most of hearing the news every soldier's parent dreads, last week
learned that his son, Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey S. Loa, 32, was killed by a
roadside bomb in Ramadi.
Although Jeffrey S. Loa grew up in American
Samoa, and much of his family is there, he has a sister in Wai'anae and
considered Hawai'i to be his second home, relatives said.
"It's still surreal. I'm trying to
accept it, but I know he's in a better place," said his sister, Tanya
Bishop.
From American Samoa, Duke Loa said,
"Considering the loss of my son, I'm surprised that I took it fairly
well."
Loa was killed last Wednesday when an
improvised explosive device, or IED, exploded while he was on foot patrol. The married man was with the 1st Battalion,
35th Armored Regiment out of Baumholder, Germany.
He was on his first deployment to Iraq and
had been in the country for about nine months, family members said.
With Loa's death, 108 service
members with Hawai'i ties have died as a result of injuries received in
Iraq. Another 29 have been killed in
Afghanistan.
Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and
part of the Sunni Triangle, is considered one of the most dangerous places in
Iraq. Support for the insurgency there
runs high.
Bishop said the military didn't tell the
family anything other than that Loa was killed by a roadside bomb.
Among those suffering the loss is Loa's wife,
Mary, who had moved back to Kansas to be with her family during the deployment,
Duke Loa said.
Noting that her brother married a year and
half ago, Bishop added, "He would have been a great father because he was
like a second dad to my kids."
In April, Jeffrey Loa sent some photos with
the message, "Hello family, these are some pictures of us, man I am soooo
hot and fine, love u all." Her
brother had a sense of humor, but he was quiet, and not one for confrontation,
Bishop said.
Duke Loa said, "Ask him a question and
you'll get a smile from him before you get a direct answer."
Jeffrey S. Loa was the oldest of three
brothers, all of whom had enlisted in the Army. Jason Loa was in Egypt after
being in Iraq earlier this year, and brother Monty had been on deployment to
Iraq, but is now back for the funeral.
Jeffrey S. Loa's stepbrother, Lloyd Mageo, is
stationed at Schofield Barracks. "The younger ones wanted to follow each
other (into the Army)," Bishop said.
Jeffrey S. Loa had been in the Army about
nine years, but there was a gap in between when he had got out and then
rejoined, family members said. He'll be buried in American Samoa, his father
said.
"He joined the armed forces, so (going
to Iraq) was part of his job," said Duke Loa, who also served in the
Army. "The Samoans feel that it is
an honor to serve in the military as part of their service to the (United
States)."
Mortars Hit U.S. Consulate In Hilla;
Casualties Not Announced
Aug 28, (VOI)
Four mortar shells slammed on the U.S.
consulate in Iraqi town of Hilla on Monday, Babel province.
The mortars hit the consulate in Babel hotel
located in northern Hilla, a security source in Babel police department said.
The U.S. side did not reveal the extent of
damage, the source, who declined to be named, told the independent news agency
Voices of Iraq
Helping Recruit For Armed Resistance As Usual:
More Civilians Slaughtered By Occupation Forces As
Street Fighting Breaks Out In Baghdad
August 28. 2006 By Ellen Knickmeyer, The
Washington Post
Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S.
military spokesman, confirmed seven Iraqi civilians were killed yesterday night
in what Johnson said was a street battle between American forces and insurgents
in Baghdad.
It began when a bomb exploded near American
troops in a Stryker armored vehicle in the mostly Sunni west Baghdad neighborhood
of Ghaziliyah, a district where U.S. forces have beefed up their presence in an
effort to quell sectarian violence.
Insurgents opened fire with grenade launchers
and guns after the bomb hit the Stryker, Johnson said. U.S. forces returned fire, wounding four
attackers, whom Americans took into custody, Johnson said. He said it appeared the civilians had been
caught in the cross-fire.
A resident at the scene gave a
different account, saying all seven, including a family of five traveling
together, were killed when U.S. forces opened fire on cars around their vehicle
following the bombing.
Fools With A Death Wish:
Collaborator Regime Picks Fight With Mahdi Army
08-28-2006 (AFP) & By ELENA BECATOROS,
Associated Press Writer & By THASSIN ABDUL-KARAIM, Associated Press Writer
In the city of Diwaniyah,
fighting between Iraqi forces and militiamen of the Mahdi Army of Muqtada
al-Sadr left at least 34 people dead: 25 Iraqi soldiers, seven civilians and
two militiamen.
Five Iraqi soldiers also went
missing in the fighting which started on Sunday, the army source said.
Sheikh Abdul-Razaq al-Nidawi, the manager of
al-Sadr's office in Diwaniyah, told The Associated Press that trouble had been
brewing since Saturday night when the Iraqi army arrested an al-Sadr supporter
from the Jumhouri neighborhood.
On Sunday, the army raided the same place and
"a gunfight erupted between them and the Mahdi Army," al-Nidawi said.
Army Capt. Fatik Aied said gunbattles broke
out at about 11 p.m. Sunday south of Diwaniyah, when Iraqi soldiers conducted
raids in three neighborhoods to flush out militiamen and seize weapons.
Al-Nidawi said "a big force of the army
raided Jumhouri, Sadr and Askouri neighborhoods and clashes broke out (again)
between the army and the Mahdi Army."
He said the raids took place early Monday.
Fighting continued for most of the day, as
the army brought in extra troops from other cities to reinforce its soldiers,
said Brig. Gen. Othman al-Farhoud, commander of the 8th Iraqi Army Division.
By evening, the militia had set
up road checkpoints and taken over seven neighborhoods in the south and east of
the city, while the Iraqi army was controlling the northern and western parts,
Aied said.
Dr. Mohammed Abdul-Muhsen of the city's
general hospital said 34 bodies were brought in. He said at least 70 people were injured, but
could not immediately give a breakdown.
Fatik said the militiamen were
using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic assault rifles.
Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad, is a city
where the influence of Mahdi Army has been gradually increasing. It already runs a virtual parallel government
in Sadr City, a slum in eastern Baghdad.
But American forces have also
been wary of confronting the Mahdi Army because of al-Sadr's clout over the
government and his large following among Shiites, who are in a majority in
Iraq.
The al-Sadr representative in
Diwaniyah, Sheik Abdul-Razaq al-Nidawi, told The Associated Press that
"the Iraqi army pulled out of Diwaniya and the Mahdi army is in state of
high alert."
FUTILE
EXERCISE:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW!
U.S.
soldiers at the site of a car bomb explosion, Baghdad, Aug. 24, 2006. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS
Occupation Road Project Workers Killed
8/28/2006 Agence France Presse & Anadolu
Agency
A Turkish road worker was killed Monday in an
armed attack on a key highway in southern Afghanistan, the Turkish embassy
said, without being able to immediately give the circumstances of the incident.
The man was killed on the highway between the
southern city of Kandahar and the western city of Herat.
Several Turkish companies are helping to
rebuild Afghanistan's war-ravaged infrastructure, and they as well as other
foreign firms have been the target of attacks by militants linked to the
Taliban.
The Taliban have warned foreign companies, on
which the government relies for reconstruction, to leave Afghanistan and told
Afghans not to work for them.
Another Turkish citizen was killed in
Afghanistan, sources said on Monday. His
body was found in a construction site near a road between Kabul and Pul-i
Charkhi.
He was identified as Riza Ozsimsek, who was
working for the Jeo-Son Construction Firm. Diplomatic sources said that he was beaten to
death.
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