THIS IS DISTURBING...

Plane lands at wrong airport

SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERY DAY

But glad to...

A dozen Democratic state legislators endorsed President Bush at a fund-raiser in Atlanta Thursday, joining maverick U.S. Sen. Zell Miller in backing the rival party's ticket.

Miller, who is not seeking re-election, introduced Bush at the $2,000-per-ticket evening event which boosted his campaign treasury by $1.3 million.

"The more I see of this man, the more I see of this leader, my respect and my support just continues to grow," Miller said to cheers, whistles and applause. "I can guarantee you I will not be the only Democrat working for his election.

ALWAYS A TREAT

When Victor Davis Hanson posts a new column at National Review Online.

As Mr. Bush has grasped, every time we have humiliated our enemies we have gained respect and won security. By the same token, on each occasion we have shown deference to a Mr. Karzai, the Iraqi interim government, and our Eastern European friends, we have helped to create security and stability.

Apart from the model of our forefathers who crushed and then lifted up the Germans and Japanese, we could find no better guide in this war than William Tecumseh Sherman and Abraham Lincoln — in that order.

The former would remind us that our enemies traffic in pride and thus first must be disabused of it through defeat and humiliation. The latter (who turned Sherman and Grant lose) would maintain that we are a forgiving sort, who prefer restored rather than beaten people as our friends.

REALITY CHECK

Great read here by Oliver North taking on Paul O'Neill and Dr. Record (the Army War College professor who has recently heavily criticized the war on terror.)

Go read it all.

On page 28, Dr. Record baldly asserts, "Nonstate (sic) terrorism was notable for its absence in Saddam Hussein's Iraq." This "fact" is just plain wrong. Abu Nidal, the terrorist who tried to kill my wife and children, was found dead in Iraq -- not Libya. And Abu Abbas, the terrorist who organized the hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985 -- and who subsequently funneled millions to Hamas and Al Aksar suicide terrorists was captured in Baghdad -- not Syria or Lebanon. The hundreds of bomb jackets, detonators and explosive devices found at Salman Pak weren't intended for use in Iraq. They were "export items" -- designed for "Jihadists" willing to blow themselves up trying to kill as many "infidels" as possible.

And as for the future of Iraq? Dr. Record's discouraging assessment of where things are headed -- and his recommendation that the United States cede the mission of building security, infrastructure and democratic institutions in Iraq to a "U.N.-authorized multinational force encompassing contingents from major states that opposed the U.S. war against Iraq" defies reality. The U.N. cut and ran from Iraq after a foreign terrorist blew up a truck bomb outside their headquarters on August 19, 2003. Who would lead this U.N. contingent back to Baghdad -- the French? Does Hosni Mubarak want Egyptian troops in Iraq learning about democracy and eventually returning to Cairo with those radical ideas?

Politicians will use the O'Neill book and Dr. Record's depressing document for their own purposes. But military officers compelled to read the latter should also consider the extraordinary successes that they and their comrades in arms have enjoyed in the Global War on Terror -- and in Iraq. Those who doubt need to ask themselves how many attacks we have suffered since 9-11. That's the reality check.

YIKES!

After six months of study, military and civilian medical investigators are still baffled at what caused a spike in an extremely rare form of pneumonia among soldiers in Iraq.

As summer approaches -- and with it the threat of a new outbreak -- they have ruled out all known causes and are settling into intense research to try to find the cause, Col. Bruno Petruccelli, the director of epidemiology and disease surveillance at the U.S. Army Medical Corps, told United Press International Wednesday...

Military health officials believe the culprit to be acute eosinphilic pneumonia, or AEP. Worldwide it occurs in .1 person per 100,000 -- or one in a million. In Iraq, doctors saw a rate nearly 100 times that.

HMMMMM

A recycling company found uranium oxide -- a radioactive material also known as yellowcake -- in a shipment of scrap steel it believes originally came from Iraq, the company said Thursday.

Paul de Bruin, spokesman for Rotterdam-based Jewometaal, said that the shipment was passed on last month from a Jordan metal dealer who was unaware it contained any forbidden materials.

"I've dealt with this man for 15 years and he says he's sure it came from Iraq," De Bruin said. He said Jewometaal had been asked not to reveal the name of the Jordanian exporter while the find was being investigated.

Nuclear experts say that although not highly radioactive, uranium oxide can be processed into enriched uranium usable in a nuclear weapon -- but highly advanced technology is needed.

UPDATE: For those of you who read lots of blogs, let me tell you that when I posted this one, title line and all, I had not yet visited Instapundit since he had posted this one.

Kind of freaky.

WELL, THIS ISN'T GOOD

For the past four decades, Iraqi women have enjoyed some of the most modern legal protections in the Muslim world, under a civil code that prohibits marriage below the age of 18, arbitrary divorce and male favoritism in child custody and property inheritance disputes.

Saddam Hussein's dictatorship did not touch those rights. But the U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council has voted to wipe them out, ordering in late December that family laws shall be "canceled" and such issues placed under the jurisdiction of strict Islamic legal doctrine known as sharia.

This week, outraged Iraqi women -- from judges to cabinet ministers -- denounced the decision in street protests and at conferences, saying it would set back their legal status by centuries and could unleash emotional clashes among various Islamic strains that have differing rules for marriage, divorce and other family issues.

Fortunately this would require Mr. Bremer's approval which is unlikely.

But what happens when we leave?

FRENCH MEDIA DISTORTION

From that French news reporter who was fired for telling the truth comes this example of how the French media just made stuff up rather than cover the war honestly.

When Saddam's defense of Baghdad collapsed, Hertoghe said, Le Monde explained the quick resolution by saying that "upon seeing the brutality of the Americans, Saddam's soldiers preferred not to fight in order to protect the civilian population..."

SCRAMBLING TO GET BACK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY

French President Jacques Chirac is considering sending a military contingent to Iraq to serve under a UN mandate once the US-led coalition has handed over sovereignty to the Iraqis in June, Le Monde newspaper said Thursday.

IT IS THAT SIMPLE

According to LTG Sanchez:

"Iraqi Rebels are Told to Surrender Or Die"

EXCITEMENT YES...

But reason for caution as well.

Waving banners and banging drums, the first batch of Iraqi Muslim pilgrims have begun leaving for Saudi Arabia on the first haj pilgrimage since Saddam Hussein's fall.

Hundreds of joyful pilgrims gathered in northern Baghdad amid heightened security for the journey that will first take them to Iraq's former foe, Kuwait, before heading on to Islam's holiest cities.

"The pilgrims are so happy this year, the old and the young will be able to go," said Hayder Mehdi, an Iraqi man in his 30s who was among the first to leave. Only elderly pilgrims were allowed to make the journey during more than a decade of sanctions imposed on Iraq before last year's U.S.-led war.

U.S. officials have said Iraqi border guards will be on heightened alert during the haj season to prevent militants from entering the country in the guise of returning pilgrims.

The haj, a pilgrimage to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina that all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform at least once in their lifetime, is due to begin in early February and lasts for up to two weeks...

During the 1990s, more than 2,000 people died performing the pilgrimage, mainly from being stampeded in the huge, swarming crowds. In the haj's worst tragedy, more than 1,400 pilgrims were killed in 1990 in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.

WHAT BAGHDAD IS REALLY LIKE

According to Bill Evers, selected by the White House to serve as senior advisor on education for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

Read the whole article...you will feel better for it.

It's not as scary as it looks on TV. But you do have to exercise reasonable prudence.

I traveled in Baghdad and around the country more than most civilians who worked in the Baghdad palace. Usually I traveled with guards armed with assault rifles. I personally found it a bit nerve-racking whenever I was stuck in a traffic jam.

But in five months I never saw a firefight, a bleeding wound or a dead body. I felt and heard explosions, but none were closer than several football fields away.

Watching TV coverage of Iraq is much scarier than being there.

THANKS FOR COMING, NOW HAVE SOME TERRORISM...

A plane carrying the Georgian defense minister came under fire as it took off from Baghdad's airport to return to Georgia, the minister said Friday. No one was injured.

Defense Minister David Tevzadze said that American soldiers responded immediately and dispatched a helicopter after the plane came under fire after it took off Thursday evening. The shooting then stopped.

NOT ONE WORLD

STREET BOYS: They speak no English yet I have no trouble communicating with the future generation of Iraq citizens. These are the boys of downtown Baghdad. They are poorly clothed, look malnourished yet cavort and cheer and play like all 8, 9, and 10 year olds.

I feel sorry for these youths. Some don't have mothers or fathers. All live in run down homes. I want to reach out and take them all back with me to Verona. I want them to have good schools. I wish for them to have a good meal. I'd like to take them to the GAP or the mall and buy them new clothes.

I'd like for some of them to see a doctor for the first time in their life. I wish they had dentists. I want them to go sledding in my back yard. I see the excitement in their eyes that I saw in my twin boys Brian and Matthew when they young. It's hard being reporter here.

I want to climb out of my role, my mission and be a humanitarian and put them all on a big jet to the USA. I'll admit. I cried in this street today. The tears I left behind were not only mine....but I sensed some falling from all of YOU who will see these pictures. I know you share in my feelings. We all want their lives to be as nice as ours. Hug YOUR children tonight. Feel the warmth of these boys. They are reaching out for us.

I took these pictures today. I share them and my thoughts with you. It is what the Soldiers of the 32MP unit feeling daily as they patrol and rebuild this city and nation.

-John Karcher, News 3

COOL

It took time and patience for U-S forces to capture the most wanted Iraqi in the troubled province west of Baghdad.

The commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division tells The Associated Press that his troops pursued Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad relentlessly for weeks, following up on intelligence and making around a dozen raids together with Special Forces.

A tip led to his capture last Sunday...

Al-Muhammad is suspected of having had direct contact with Saddam Hussein and of directing the ambushes on U-S troops, dynamiting electric pylons and oil pipelines -- and robbing trains.

He reportedly divulged details of 20 guerrilla cells, leading to the capture of 41 insurgents and two former Iraqi generals.

DELAYED RETURN

And this is not the same as the Stop Loss/Stop Movement.

Click here to find out what European based units are affected.

The Pentagon is extending tours of duty in Iraq for about 1,500 soldiers, mainly helicopter and other transportation support personnel.

CENTCOM NEWS RELEASE

DEMONSTRATION SHOWS SUPPORT FOR TASK FORCE “ALL AMERICAN” EFFORTS THROUGH AL ANBAR PROVINCE

RAMADI, Iraq— This morning at 10 a.m., a pro-coalition demonstration occurred in downtown Ar Ramadi. It was organized to demonstrate against terrorism and show support for the unity of Iraq. The group stopped at the Government Center and the organizers took pictures with the Mayor and Chief of Police as a show of public support for their Iraqi civic leaders. At its peak, the crowd reached approximately 1,000 people.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16th.

This is day 249 of CPT Patti's all desert cammouflage wardrobe experiment.

Today's posts are brought to you by the Rapid German Study Foundation...saving you valuable study time by pointing out German phrases you do not need to learn.

Today's phrase you shouldn't bother to learn is

diese Gaststätte hat zu viele Kellnerinnen

Or, in English, "This restaurant has too many waitresses."

You will never ever need this phrase in Germany. The Europeans are renowned for spending hours over dinner in restaurants and bistros - even hours over a single cup of coffee in sidewalk cafe's.

But the truth is they don't actually WANT to spend hours there...it is just that the usual standard for waitstaff in Germany is one waitress per every 14 square kilometers.

If you are interested in getting out of a restaurant quickly then you have no business entering a German restaurant to begin with. No one ever does dinner and a movie in Germany...it is always a movie followed by dinner for this very reason.

Don't waste time...don't learn this phrase.

Oh...and Happy Birthday Scott.

PREDICTING THE FUTURE

As a little kid playing little league football in the 60s the treat for us was we always went to Burger King after the games.

BK had a big ad campaign "Have it your way!"...meaning you could order your Whopper with, or without anything you wanted.

I thought it was hysterical (I'm a kid, remember) to go up to the order taker and say, with a straight face "I'll have a Whopper, hold the bun."

Turns out I was just 30 something years ahead of my time.

Burger King Corp. is joining the low-carbohydrate parade by offering bunless Whopper hamburgers and, soon, salads featuring steak, chicken and shrimp.

The bunless sandwiches, which were launched in Canada and the United States yesterday, come in plastic salad bowls with a knife and fork.

THE (NEARLY) DEFINITIVE LIST OF THE GOOD WE ARE DOING IN IRAQ

A Marine Lieutenant Colonel writes to his troops.

As you read about these achievements you are a part of, I would call your attention to two things:

1. This is good news that hasn't been fit to print or report on TV.

2. It is much easier to point out the errors a man makes when he makes the tough decisions, rarely is the positive as aggressively pursued.

Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1, the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.

Over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

Nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.

The Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

On Monday, October 6, power generation hit 4,518 megawatts; exceeding the prewar average...

All 240 hospitals and more than 1,200 clinics are open.

Doctor's salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.

Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

The Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccinations to Iraq's children...

Uday and Qusay are dead-and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering critics.

Children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the government...

It took the US over four months to clear away the twin tower debris, let alone attempt to build something else in its place. Now, take into account that almost every Democrat leader in the House and Senate has fought President Bush on every aspect of his handling of this country's war and the post-war reconstruction, and that they continue to claim on a daily basis on national TV that this conflict has been a
failure.

Taking everything into consideration, even the unfortunate loss of our brothers and sisters in this conflict, do you think anyone else in the world could have accomplished as much as the United States and the Bush administration in so short a period of time?

These are things worth writing about. Get the word out.

There is more...go read it.