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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (16678)	4/8/2003 5:58:32 PM
From: TigerPaw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

A few Saddam look alikes, sending in tapes from somewhere in the desert, should be enough to keep the U.S. forces tied up until the oil runs out in about 20 years. TP

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (16678)	4/8/2003 6:01:05 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 89467

Bush and the press: The Pope was visiting DC and President Bush took him out for an afternoon on the Potomac...sailing on the President's yacht. They were admiring the sights when, all of a sudden, the Pope's hat (zucchetto) blew off his head and out into the water. Secret service guys started to launch a boat, but President Bush waves them off, saying "Wait, wait. I'll take care of this. Don't worry." President Bush then stepped off the yacht onto the surface of the water and walked out to the Holy Father's little hat, bent over and picked it up, then walked back to the yacht and climbed aboard. He handed the hat to the Pope amid stunned silence. The next morning, the Washington Post carried a story, with front page photos, of the event. The banner headline is: "Bush Can't Swim"

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (16678)	4/8/2003 6:12:24 PM
From: re3	Respond to of 89467

yeah a generation that appears to prefer to listen to Slim Shady over Orwell...-ng-...

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (16678)	4/8/2003 6:29:44 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 89467

Jailed Iraqi children run free as marines roll into Baghdad suburbs Tue Apr 8,12:30 PM ET BAGHDAD (AFP) - More than 100 children held in a prison celebrated their freedom as US marines rolled into northeast Baghdad amid chaotic scenes which saw civilians loot weapons from an army compound, a US officer said. Around 150 children spilled out of the jail after the gates were opened as a US military Humvee vehicle approached, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Padilla told an AFP correspondent travelling with the Marines 5th Regiment. "Hundreds of kids were swarming us and kissing us," Padilla said. "There were parents running up, so happy to have their kids back." "The children had been imprisoned because they had not joined the youth branch of the Baath party," he alleged. "Some of these kids had been in there for five years." The children, who were wearing threadbare clothes and looked under-nourished, walked on the streets crossing their hands as if to mimic handcuffs, before giving the thumbs up sign and shouting their thanks. It was not clear who had opened the doors of the prison. Civilians also took advantage of the collapse of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s authority to grab weapons from an army base, said Group Sergeant Jeff Treiber. As marines were alerted by radio that civilians had seized weapons, Treiber warned that anyone seen to be armed could be a target of US-British coalition forces. "With the weapons they are becoming combatants," said Treiber. "If they don't take the weapons they will be fine." Other residents stole air conditioning units, television sets and furniture from government buildings in an echo of the looting that was seen in the southern city of Basra. A 19-year-old called Haider said people had been ransacking government compounds since the morning to steal weapons and furniture. "Since the morning, nine o'clock, they have been looting. They are stealing weapons and I took three doors," he said. At one stage the marines opened fire after coming under attack from snipers, leaving at least two civilians wounded. One man needed treatment for gunshot wounds to his stomach and left arm. But his friend, Abdul Amir Jaffa, said he did not resent the Americans despite the shooting. "Americans are coming to free us," he told AFP. The marines became increasingly edgy as crowds of people took to the streets to observe their progress. "It's a problem with so many people in the area. Its hard to tell if there are enemy forces among them. You have to be careful returning fire with civilians all over the place," Lieutenant Anthony Sousa said. Troops from the Marines' 1st Expeditionary Force also entered Baghdad on the east of the city Tuesday as thousands of armoured vehicles and Humvees poured into the capital for a showdown with Saddam Hussein's troops. story.news.yahoo.com

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (16678)	4/8/2003 8:15:20 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 89467

Marines Ponder Reports of Iraqis' Premature Surrender By MICHAEL WILSON WITH MARINE TASK FORCE TARAWA, west of Amara, Iraq, April 8 — If enemy troops decided to give up, but there was no opposing force to surrender to, did it really happen? A group of Marine battalions from Task Force Tarawa swung east today toward Amara, near the Iranian border, to confront the 10th Armored Division of the Iraqi Army and determine whether it intended to surrender. But on the initial approach to the city, there was no Iraqi division to be found. "Apparently the 10th Armored capitulated yesterday, but they didn't have anybody to capitulate to," Lt. Col. Glenn Starnes of a Marine artillery battalion said. "The locals around there are saying they stacked their weapons, parked their vehicles and walked away. Right now, there is no enemy that we know of." A small allied unit will approach the division's headquarters on Wednesday to make sure the Iraqis have surrendered. In the meantime, there were reports of rioting in Amara, perhaps between civilians and members of the dominant Baath Party, and the Marines do not plan to intervene, Colonel Starnes said. "There's no forces in that city we need to take on," he said. There were signs of surrender early today, when 13 men approached Marine vehicles on the way to Amara and surrendered. They were quickly searched and questioned on the blacktop. "Bagging them and tagging them," as one marine put it, placing their wallets and prayer beads in plastic bags and giving each a number that matched the one written in marker on each man's hand. The soldiers were taken to a Marine camp, their wrists bound with rope. One Iraqi soldier told an interpreter that three days ago they freed a group of their fellow soldiers who had been imprisoned for deserting. Later today, another encouraging sign for coalition forces: on the north side of a bridge through the village of Kumayt, across the Tigris River, a "battalion's worth" of tanks were found abandoned, not a soldier in sight, a marine said. Marines from an infantry battalion approached the bridge, but local residents told them it was wired with explosives. The civilians said they had cut the wires, but the marines waited until their own engineers had checked out the explosives. The tanks appear to be what is left of a forward guard of the Iraqi armored division. "It's not the breadbasket," said Capt. Walker Field. "Far from it." At full strength, the Iraqi division was thought to have 219 tanks, 260 armored personnel carriers, more than 60 artillery pieces and more than 5,000 soldiers, but those numbers are thought to have dropped dramatically, perhaps as much as 75 percent, after airstrikes in recent days. The little town of Kumayt gave the Marines a warm welcome, crowding around individual men, tugging on sleeves, tapping shoulders, shouting in Arabic. "They think I'm Santa Claus," said Maj. Daniel Geisenhof, surrounded by a couple of dozen men and boys offering him sunflower seeds. "U.S. soldiers help the Iraqi people," one man said in English. "Iraq people support Mr. Bush because Mr. Bush loves the Iraqi people." Word of the bombing in Baghdad on Monday that had Saddam Hussein and his two sons as targets had already spread to the town. "Saddam dead and two sons," the man said, though it seemed impossible that he could be sure. "Let's become people happy for the news." nytimes.com.