Category: Networks

Liberated Iraqis in Basra discuss the past with a member of Saddam’s Fedayeen goon squad. Perhaps this helps explain why the Fedayeen have been fighting almost as hard as Frisco peaceniks.

One more thing on the claim by the French press and the Al Mercury News-zeera that Silicon Valley oppose the liberation of Iraq: a new Field Poll showing 63% in the Bay Area support the war:

Despite the Bay Area’s reputation as a hotbed for anti-war dissent, the overwhelming majority of residents support U.S. military action in Iraq, a Field Poll released today shows.

In other words, the pacifist claims are crap.

Saddam’s dead, Chemical Ali’s dead, coalition forces are met as liberators by cheering crowds in Basra, saran-tipped missiles are found, the INC Army is in southern Iraq, Kofi Annan says the UN shouldn’t take the lead in post-war Iraq, and the anti-war movement has shrunk to practically nothing.

So the worst nightmares of the anti-war (really just anti-Bush) movement have come true: the Iraqi people wanted us to liberate them, the campaign was remarkably swift and painless, and Iraq now faces a future free of terror and fascism, and the most fierce battles of the war weren’t fought in Baghdad, but in places like San Francisco and Oakland. So what’s their excuse gonna be for valiantly trying to keep the heinous dictator in power and the people oppressed?

Some will deny it’s happening, like Al Jazeera and Saddam’s info minister; others will change the subject, like Al Sharpton and David Weinberger; and others will simply go incoherent, like the French press does in this article “Les Echos” writer Laetitia Mailhes cribbed from material she got from this blog and a phone conversation with its author, on Silicon Valley and the war:

Le debat moral difficile a trancher

Wind River Systems developpe une technologie equipant les equipements medicaux, les systemes de transport, mais aussi les reseaux de telecommunications, civils et militaires, et les systemes de guidage des missiles. Son PDG, Jerry Fiddler, un ancien militant contre la guerre du Vietnam, donnait son point de vue dans le “San Francisco Chronicle”: “La generation de mon pere a combattu dans une guerre gigantesque qui a fait enormement de victimes et cause des destructions massives. Ma generation a fait une guerre e grand renfort de bombardements, de napalm et de mines.

Aujourd’hui, nous sommes capables de mener une guerre avec des avions fantomes, des outils de telecommunications, des senseurs et un armement d’une telle precision que les degats sont limites a une zone aussi reduite que possible. La guerre est toujours detestable, mais une technologie comme la notre reduit les destructions et rend notre monde plus tolerable.”

Pacifiste de longue date, David Weinburger reconnait que le debat moral est difficile a trancher. “Premierement, indique-t-il, accepter des contrats militaires quand on est pacifiste, c’est de l’hypocrisie, mais en realite, les gens qui s’opposent a cette guerre ne sont pas necessairement pacifistes.

Deuxiemement, les scientifiques ne peuvent pas davantage esperer controler l’usage qui sera fait de leur technologie que la maniere dont leurs impots sont employes. Enfin, il est tres difficile pour une entreprise de dire : “On vous vend notre technologie a condition que vous ne l’utilisiez que pour des applications que nous approuvons…” Il ne s’agit pas d’absoudre les entreprises de toute responsabilite. Elles ont le pouvoir de decider quel monde elles veulent batir.”

Isn’t that just the silliest thing you’ve ever read, with that implication that Silicon Valley wants to restrict its products to applications that don’t involve the liberation of suffering people? Chirac’s minions will resort to some even more desperate means to try and escape accountability for the role they played in keeping Saddam in power for the last twenty years, and this is only the beginning.

Bad Google translation follows.
Continue reading “Now what?”

ABCNEWS reports that INC leader Ahmad Chalabi has been flown into southern Iraq along with 1,000 of his troops:

April 5 — The United States military has begun to airlift Iraqi opposition fighters into southern Iraq, ABC News has learned. It is the first major step towards establishing a physical Iraqi presence on the side of the coalition push against the regime of Saddam Hussein.

The airlift, which began Friday night, will put about 1,000 Iraqi opposition forces into a base in southern Iraq controlled by coalition forces.
The force is under the control of the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi, who will accompany his troops into Iraq.

The opposition forces will also attempt to help set up liason relationships between U.S.-led forces and the Shiite leadership in southern Iraq, help coalition forces clear out remaining paramilitary forces and restore security.

This is significant for a couple of reasons: it will solidify the Iraqi resistance already present in Iraq and it will give Chalabi a leg up in taking a major role in the new regime, which will reportedly come on-line Tuesday. With Saddam’s loyalists dropping like flies in suicidal actions, the only real fight for control of Iraq pits the Pentagon and the White House against the State Department and the CIA.

Check this article from The Independent at Rantburg and tell me if the place it describes doesn’t sound like Auschwitz on a somewhat smaller scale.

The Guardian reports that we’re ready to install a civil authority in southern Iraq without UN intereference. This puts Tony Blair in an uncomfortable spot, which is unfortunate, but the UN has a price to pay for lying to Colin Powell. Maybe not the whole UN, but certainly the Security Council.

ABCNEWS.com reports that another human shield was killed by the Israeli military after jumping in front of some Palestinian terrorists, and fellow shields are shocked that the soldiers fired even though the shield was well-marked. Apparently, the Israelis use Kryptonite bullets capable of penetrating moral certitude.

MSNBC reports things are going well in Basra:

April 5 — U.S. officials told NBC News on Saturday that they believed an overnight airstrike killed the man known as “Chemical Ali,” a cousin of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and commander of Iraq’s southern front. Meanwhile, leaders of the ruling Baath Party in Iraq’s second city Basra reportedly fear public reprisals and were seeking to negotiate a surrender to British military forces besieging the city.

The people are helping coalition forces root out the Baathists now, so they’re toast. So much for “fierce resistance against foreign invaders.”

The Telegraph reports that toxics have been dumped into the Euphrates:

Mustard gas and cyanide have been found in river water in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, coalition forces said yesterday.

The poisonous substances are believed to have been dumped in the Euphrates either by Iraqi soldiers fleeing from American troops or local factories that produced weapons of mass destruction.

…further proof that peacenik Dennis Kucinich had his head in a dark place when he declared on the House floor that Saddam didn’t have WMDs.

Link via Jarvis warblog.

Remember how we’ve been told by the peaceniks that Iraq doesn’t have any banned WMDs? Oops:

Fayetteville Online
U.S. troops find chemicals
By Kevin Maurer
Staff writer

SOUTH CENTRAL IRAQ – U.S. forces uncovered a huge weapons cache Thursday on the outskirts of Samawah.

An 82nd Airborne Division chemical officer said missiles and chemical agents that could be used as weapons were found nearby.

The find came as Fort Bragg troops, working with other units, continue to guard supply lines for the soldiers and Marines pushing their way into Baghdad. The 82nd is operating around Samawah, a city of 180,000 people in south central Iraq.

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 41st Infantry Regiment were setting up a traffic checkpoint in the southwestern part of the city when they discovered the weapons.

“I walked up on it,” said Pfc. Eric Colvin. He was searching buildings in an industrial park on the side of the road. The 41st Infantry called in soldiers from the 82nd’s 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment to destroy the cache.

Soldiers said it contained about 1,300 mortar rounds, 450 rocket-propelled grenades and two RPG launchers. About 1,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and 700 grenades were also discovered.

Via Command Post.