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Politics : The Iraq War And Beyond -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ed Huang who wrote (1358)	10/19/2003 12:52:39 PM
From: James Calladine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9018

NATO ETC. If you are in the war business (as the military-industrial complex is) YOU MUST get your in-stock merchandise (in the hands of your nation-customers) used up in some way, otherwise they stop buying. No money in that! What to do? Just what happens now. You HIRE politicians (such as GWB and friends) and they create the atmosphere of danger and threat EVERYWHERE. Then sucker-in the fearful populations to give them a free hand to SPEND, SPEND, SPEND. If there aren't any real enemies of substance, they must be CREATED! And they are. Namaste! Jim

To: Ed Huang who wrote (1358)	10/19/2003 2:17:36 PM
From: BubbaFred	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9018

What delightfully glorious days for the judeofacist neocons to have Americans as peons. Savor the glory. Soldiers' Morale Chipped Away in Tikrit By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer TIKRIT, Iraq - Heat and dust permeate Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s palace complex in Tikrit, a collection of imposing but crumbling structures that have been home for six months to hundreds of once-eager but now restless American soldiers. In a huge walled compound on the banks of the Tigris, the palaces are shells of stone and cheap marble, their faux stained glass windows broken and the plumbing primitive. The dim lighting is matched by the gloomy feelings prevalent among the 4th Infantry Division troops. Dozens of soldiers are crammed into bedrooms that once reportedly housed Saddam's mistresses in one of the hometown palaces. Neat rows of cots share space with knockoffs of gaudy 17th century French furniture favored by the ousted president. The 100 or so soldiers share just two bathrooms and two showers, including one makeshift outdoor shower they built on their own initiative from plywood and a water tank. They return from daily patrols and raids streaked in sweat from temperatures that reach more than 110 degrees, their clothes grimy, mouths, ears and throats scratchy from the ever-present desert dust. "I hate this place," one soldier said as she washed her clothes by hand in a water cooler. Earlier this month, their group went more than a week without fresh water and toilet facilities. They finally repaired a broken water pump on their own. ___ Unknown to the soldiers, the sergeant major who could have helped speed the official repair process had been killed by a roadside bomb. Near daily bombings — one just a few yards from the palace gates — and mortar attacks and ambushes by an elusive enemy have taken a toll on the troops. Many spend their spare time talking about going home, or they settle in to watch movies on laptop computers, listen to music and read books. Career soldiers skirt reporters' questions about morale. But reservists are more open about their unhappiness over the Bush administration's decision to extend tours in Iraq (news - web sites) from six months to a full year, worrying that civilian careers and jobs have already been lost. Separated for months from wives, children and families, lucky soldiers count off the days until they will get two weeks of rest and recreation at home that was granted by the Army in an apparent effort to boost morale. Other troops make do with four days' leave in the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar. "Morale is kind of low over there," said Staff Sgt. Jason Whitaker, 33, from San Antonio, as he arrived in the United States for his two-week break from duty with a forward surgical team. ___ Death has visited the 4th Infantry Division 11 times since Sept. 18, when Iraqi resisters began a stepped-up campaign against U.S. forces in Tikrit, including at times almost nightly mortar attacks on the American base known as Division Main. In one attack, three mortar shells exploded less than 400 yards from the palace where soldiers were waiting to bathe in their makeshift shower. No one was injured. "They lob mortars at D-Main and when we come out to find them, they ambush us," said Capt. Desmond Bailey, commander of the 10th Cavalry Regiment's G Troop, which lost three men in an ambush Sept. 18. On Oct. 1, a roadside bomb ripped apart a Humvee carrying a female soldier serving with a support battalion. The blast shook the palace compound. When the soldier's shattered body arrived at an aid station in the compound minutes later, officers tried to move younger soldiers away from the grisly scene. Some were sobbing, and a chaplain was summoned to help console them. ___ The search for "Elvis" — the troops' nickname for Saddam — and his cohorts goes on every day for the 4th Infantry Division. Commanders are convinced Saddam may be somewhere in or near his hometown, actively fomenting attacks. The job of finding him mostly belongs to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment — the 1-22 — which has proved adept at pre-dawn raids that scoop up suspected guerrillas as they sleep in their beds. But the unit's soldiers also patrol Tikrit's streets keeping an eye out for gunmen. That often means slow drives in stripped down Humvees up and down Tikrit's "RPG alley" — named for the rocket-propelled grenades used by Iraqi attackers. On one recent patrol, soldiers crouched near a streetlight in a darkened neighborhood. After a few minutes and no shooting in their direction, they moved on to another location — waiting for someone to dare a potshot. "It looks like they aren't going to come out and play tonight," a disappointed sounding voice crackled over a radio and the troops headed back to base. story.news.yahoo.com U.S. Targets Ambushed; Iraq Army Mobilized By TAREK AL-ISSAWI, Associated Press Writer story.news.yahoo.com More US troops killed in Iraq, Bush says "war on terror" goes on story.news.yahoo.com