wrecked him Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Zen-Great article from the Guardian-today-that cleric turned his hounds loose and a lot of American, Spanish and El Salvadoran Soldiers lost their lives. As I posted earlier it looks like the unrest is spreading from a Guerilla campaign to a civil war. Their are some veery bad guys there who should be taken out but also a lot of good people who are losing their goodwill toward America. Vietnam all over again! I agree Brian---civil war looks more and more likely in Iraq. I gather that the reason for the "cleric turning his hounds loose" is that the Coalition Authority decided that the newspaper he was publishing was promoting violence. One of the things I have noticed over and over again is the lack of cultural understanding by Americans of natives of the middle east. One does not forcibly shut down the communication means of an Iraqi cleric, especially this one. This fellow is a Shiite (name of Muqtada al-Sadr) and a radical one. About a third of Iraqi Shiites are sympathetic to the Khomeini-like ideology of Sadrism, and some anal cysts put it at 50%. Wrong guy to piss off. Shutting down his newspaper was the equivalent of telling him, you're next. The US wants to decrease the number of troops in country. So sorry, but there aren't enough there now. Why did the CA take this risk? The US is aware that since it is turning over sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30, "indigenous Iraqi political forces" have begun jockeying for position in the post-occupation phase. Closing Muqtada's newspaper and arresting a key aide in Najaf are probably actions attempting to curb the influence of the Sadrists, who otherwise might well sweep to power in an elected Iraqi parliament next January. If those soldiers have to fight on two fronts (Sunnis and Shias)....... :cry: The clashes come at a pivotal moment, since on Friday April 9, the Shiite festival of Araba'in will take place, coinciding this year with the anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein. BTW, I don't think this has anything to do with the market. I am cynical enough to know that the market doesn't give a sh...t about dying soldiers. I have never been in combat and hope I never am, being completely unprepared and untrained for it. However I have treated hundreds of burns, rifle, gunshot, and automatic weapons wounds and have never failed to be impressed by the tissue destruction that occurs as a result thereof. Only treated one grenade injury; that was enough. The vast majority of those patients, if they live, are left with permanent functional issues. Which is a polite way of saying that the rest of their lives are ruined. A friend of mine (said friend being an Army Ranger) says the only way we get out of Iraq is when the body count becomes too much for the American public to bear. We shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Senators Lugar and Biden-are quoted in a story over at Reuters saying there is no way Autonomy can be handed over to the Iraqui's for "at least another 3 yrs" and they express their concern "Civil war may be breaking out." And oh ya they want a role for N.A.T.O. (which has already said shove it-its your war.) Sounds like the wheels are coming off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zensmoke Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Zen-Great article from the Guardian-today-that cleric turned his hounds loose and a lot of American, Spanish and El Salvadoran Soldiers lost their lives.? As I posted earlier it looks like the unrest is spreading from a Guerilla campaign to a civil war.? Their are some veery bad guys there who should be taken out but also a lot of good people who are losing their goodwill toward America.? Vietnam all over again! I agree Brian---civil war looks more and more likely in Iraq. I gather that the reason for the "cleric turning his hounds loose" is that the Coalition Authority decided that the newspaper he was publishing was promoting violence. One of the things I have noticed over and over again is the lack of cultural understanding by Americans of natives of the middle east. One does not forcibly shut down the communication means of an Iraqi cleric, especially this one. This fellow is a Shiite (name of Muqtada al-Sadr) and a radical one. About a third of Iraqi Shiites are sympathetic to the Khomeini-like ideology of Sadrism, and some anal cysts put it at 50%. Wrong guy to piss off. Shutting down his newspaper was the equivalent of telling him, you're next. The US wants to decrease the number of troops in country. So sorry, but there aren't enough there now. Why did the CA take this risk? The US is aware that since it is turning over sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30, "indigenous Iraqi political forces" have begun jockeying for position in the post-occupation phase. Closing Muqtada's newspaper and arresting a key aide in Najaf are probably actions attempting to curb the influence of the Sadrists, who otherwise might well sweep to power in an elected Iraqi parliament next January. If those soldiers have to fight on two fronts (Sunnis and Shias)....... :cry: The clashes come at a pivotal moment, since on Friday April 9, the Shiite festival of Araba'in will take place, coinciding this year with the anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein. BTW, I don't think this has anything to do with the market. I am cynical enough to know that the market doesn't give a sh...t about dying soldiers. I have never been in combat and hope I never am, being completely unprepared and untrained for it. However I have treated hundreds of burns, rifle, gunshot, and automatic weapons wounds and have never failed to be impressed by the tissue destruction that occurs as a result thereof. Only treated one grenade injury; that was enough. The vast majority of those patients, if they live, are left with permanent functional issues. Which is a polite way of saying that the rest of their lives are ruined. A friend of mine (said friend being an Army Ranger) says the only way we get out of Iraq is when the body count becomes too much for the American public to bear. We shall see. Great post Doctor WH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tchaikofsky Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 We be jammin' early, mon: S&P COMP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Yes- good post WH- I think a point of concern for every American should be the $ cost as well as the human cost. There was an article Friday about the death of a former Canadian Special Forces Commando and today about the death of a former navy S.E.A.L. both were employee's of Blackwater Security of north Carolina and both stories referenced their pay of $66,000.- for 3 months of PRIVATE security work guarding among others Bremer. It seems mercenaries are playing an increasing role in Iraq what I find interesting is the grunts still get peanuts but the pro's get big money-where oh where is the money coming from-I bet we could all hazard a guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrecked him Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Yes- good post WH- I think a point of concern for every It seems mercenaries are playing an increasing role in Iraq what I find interesting is the grunts still get peanuts but the pro's get big money-where oh where is the money coming from-I bet we could all hazard a guess! "grunts still get peanuts" Col. Murphy's Law of Combat: Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 8 refinery fires in less than a month MELBOURNE, April 5 (Reuters) - Esso Australia, a unit of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - News), shut all Bass Strait oil and gas production after a fire at its Longford processing plant on Monday, but the firm said it hoped to restore gas output later in the day. http://biz.yahoo.com/rm/040404/energy_aust...xonmobil_2.html In a separate development, oil major Royal Dutch/Shell (Amsterdam:RD.AS - News; London:SHEL.L - News) said a fire at its 86,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) Clyde oil refinery in New South Wales state late on Friday did not affect production. Exxon Mobil Investigates Baytown, Texas, Chemical Plant Fire Miami Herald, FL - Apr 2, 2004 ... but residual gas left in the air caught fire, Thompson said. She could not say how much gas burned. It was the second incident at a refinery/chemical plant http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/busin...nal/8340238.htm Iraq Pipeline Watch IAGS Energy Security - Apr 1, 2004 ... November 23 - blast on a pipeline transporting gas from the Jambur oil field to the Bayji refinery caused fire so huge its glow at night is visible from Kirkuk http://www.iags.org/n040104.htm Rosemount refinery fire could push up gasoline prices KSTP, MN - Mar 30, 2004 ROSEMOUNT (AP) - A weekend fire at the Flint Hills Resources refinery here could restrict the supply of gasoline and put even more upward pressure on prices. http://www.kstp.com/article/view/134659/ Tulsa Refinery Fire Under Control Channel Oklahoma.com, OK - Mar 23, 2004 TULSA, Okla. -- A fire at Sunoco's Tulsa refinery was under control Wednesday, and no injuries were reported. The fire began about http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/2944035/detail.html Los Angeles refinery fire spikes gas prices-trade Forbes - Mar 23, 2004 HOUSTON, March 23 (Reuters) - Wholesale gasoline prices in Los Angeles jumped as much as seven cents a gallon after a fire shut the coker at Royal Dutch http://www.forbes.com/business/energy/news...rtr1309370.html Wyoming briefs The Casper Star Tribune, WY - Mar 9, 2004 ... CHEYENNE -- The last of four workers injured in a refinery fire was released from hospital Monday. Jeremy Hewey, who was injured in the Feb http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/...e530010683c.txt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zensmoke Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 If you are a subscriber and a bear----examine Doc's Anals closely. Oh me, Oh my..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame Wrecked Him Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 It seems mercenaries are playing an increasing role in Iraq what I find interesting is the grunts still get peanuts but the pro's get big money I read that Iraq is teeming with "private security experts" aka mercenaries, and the pay runs up to about $550 per day, allowing survivors to retire on their earnings, thanks to the generous US taxpayers. Those four "contractors" who were killed fell in the same category. Nice try to whoever put out that little piece of propaganda - at first glance it certainly did appear as if they were innocent civilian contractors who just happened to be driving by. It sounds a lot more sympathetic than calling them mercenaries. As gruesome and unnecessary as their death was, these people are flying voluntarily into a warzone, fully aware of the risks, and being compensated accordingly. It's a straight financial transaction. Supply and demand. The people I really feel sorry for are the regular soldiers. Most of them didn't choose this particular war, and they certainly aren't being paid anywhere near as handsomely as the mercenaries. Not that one can properly account for a life purely in dollars, but there is no doubt in my mind that these guys are getting the raw end of the deal, given all the risks they are taking and the uncertainty of their future. Now I'd like to know how the families of the 600-odd dead soldiers feel this weakend, having finally heard straight from the horse's mouth (i.e. Powell) that he used flawed intelligence (i.e. lied) to justify this war. Interesting timing too, just a day or two after Condaleezza is given the go-ahead to give her testimony to the 911 Enquiry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longOnUranus Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 It seems mercenaries are playing an increasing role in Iraq what I find interesting is the grunts still get peanuts but the pro's get big money-where oh where is the money coming from-I bet we could all hazard a guess! One of the seminal events in the fall of the Roman Empire occurred when the government began paying soldiers in bronze coins (replacing gold), and subsequently paper notes representing ownership of metal. Soldiers thusly paid were quick to flee, instead of fight, when faced with adversaries. Our soldiers and their families are dirt poor. Many are on food stamps. The suicide rate of soldiers returning from Iraq is very high. Perhaps those paying these mercenaries could sub-contract with the US and give our underpaid soldiers a litttle break. Wouldn't happen, politically. The US will flee before the fall, just like in Vietnam. It is all very sad. But like the Russians, when they left Afghanistan, they also left behind many thousands of spies, who provided helpful information. Maybe this is the best we can expect from the Cradle of Civilization, stubbornly refusing to get out of bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Delta Air Lines' Financial Condition Weakens; Bankruptcy Rumors Circulate Apr. 5 - Delta Air Lines is starting to carry some heavy baggage -- growing talk that a bankruptcy filing may be in its future. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/busin...nal/8354817.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame Wrecked Him Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Worker productivity is high, which means rising wages for American families. Zen, I know you're just the messenger, but excuse me while I throw up ... :grin: :grin: After applying my most liberal pre-election filter over that speech, I could let most of it go, but that sentence about rising wages is flat out false. From Sled's link earlier today: One of the most remarkable aspects of the current downturn is that total wage and salary income (inflation adjusted) has not risen at all in the last three years. Moreover, the total wages and salaries generated by the private sector have actually fallen by 1.7%. And how about this one: Yet our economy is moving forward, and jobs are being created steadily and increasingly. Even if the 308k figure is correct, since when does one par month make for a steady and increasing trend. What a joke. And then there's the conclusion: I'm optimistic about the future because I'm confident in the American worker and the American entrepreneur. And with the right policies in Washington, there are even brighter days ahead for American workers and American families. Even brighter days he says, and in the same sentence as The Right policies in Washington????? What can I say, this is just too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zensmoke Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Worker productivity is high, which means rising wages for American families.? Zen, I know you're just the messenger, but excuse me while I throw up ... :grin: :grin: After applying my most liberal pre-election filter over that speech, I could let most of it go, but that sentence about rising wages is flat out false. From Sled's link earlier today: One of the most remarkable aspects of the current downturn is that total wage and salary income (inflation adjusted) has not risen at all in the last three years. Moreover, the total wages and salaries generated by the private sector have actually fallen by 1.7%. And how about this one: Yet our economy is moving forward, and jobs are being created steadily and increasingly. Even if the 308k figure is correct, since when does one par month make for a steady and increasing trend. What a joke. And then there's the conclusion: I'm optimistic about the future because I'm confident in the American worker and the American entrepreneur. And with the right policies in Washington, there are even brighter days ahead for American workers and American families. Even brighter days he says, and in the same sentence as The Right policies in Washington????? What can I say, this is just too much. I also threw up after reading his speech, Madame WH. I thought it might stimulate some interesting posts. --- Nice analysis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrecked him Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for Madame's last post. She is a little whacked out tonight after watching yet another 60 minutes expose on yet another Bush administration environmental coverup. I was going to retire but now that she has read this speech, I have to clean up yet another mess in the kitchen created by the flying pots and pans, never mind the vomit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2004 Report Share Posted April 5, 2004 Gawd, You can't make a headline like this up! I thought they were talking about the market last week. Sheep run a load of bull April 5, 2004 Wellington: A small New Zealand town reached for some of the glamour and danger of the Spanish bull-run city of Pamplona at the weekend - by running 2000 sheep through the middle of town. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1111433/posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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