Prepare for the influx. :)

Sean Paul has got some amazing connections.

Uh, gee Frank, don't hold anything back pal, let it all out.

Sean-Paul -

cheers to you - cool that the news media is "representin'"

great work~!

damn, he says hes gone for 30, and the morons come out of the woodwork. go away example boy

I'm not sure I understand you Frank. Could you stop beating around the bush and tell me how you really feel?

Frank, is that a French or German name?

"Got Bandwidth?" Tom and him must be tight! Getting on national news...deserves it though...great site! I check it every half hour or so.

looks like someone else is going to get banned...

Maps!

Where are good maps showing the current positions of troops and movements?

Guess we can put Frank down as undecided...geeesh

Wow. Love the site, donated what i could afford a day ago. I hope the bandwidth is going to hold after the NBC broadcast.

my.. my... frank f is the reason why i do not look forward to increased exposure of this great information site.. every foul mouthed wacko will come onto this site and ruin the flow of information

dude, can i buy advertising on your site?? lol, just kidding

stop it frank, you give all the pro-war hate-filled freepers a bad name..Er..

No wait, i don't think they need you for that.

Hey btw, if NBC scans the comments for their report, here's one to edit out : NBC AND THE AMERICAN MEDIA NEED TO QUIT SHIELDING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM THE REALITIES OF WAR.

wow frank. way to free-speechify the hell out of the comments. you make me embarassed to be human.

Well, Sean-Paul, it looks like your success will mean you will be working overtime to ban the IPs of yahoos like "Frank" above.
But keep up the good work--we need you.

Yes Frank, be frank with us all, we're here for you...just because you were "unfit" to join the military doesn't mean you need to bottle up that hostility towards the world. I might also recommend Zoloft....

does anyone have a map of what the hell is going on at basra... the iraqis are moving but i want to see how

I'm happy to repeat that:
NBC AND THE AMERICAN MEDIA NEED TO QUIT SHIELDING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM THE REALITIES OF WAR.

and

THEY NEED TO TREAT ALL PROPAGANDA FROM ALL SIDES WITH MORE CAUTION.

03/26 6:01P UN To Appeal Fri For $2B In Humanitarian Iraq Aid -NYT

Dow Jones Newswires
03-26-03 1801ET

"Gone for thiry?" Man, I am so disappointed...he should be up 24-7 typing away, with aides giving him food and tending to his needs! Take an hour and chilll, we can watch the TV news.

It will be just great if Frank's comment ends up on Arab TV. Maybe it's Saddam Hussein doing some black ops....

yes sean definetly needs a seperate forum with a couple of diligent moderators.

Sean-Paul
Hey don't get to big for us.
Stay right here. Ya right!
Good stuff Sean-Paul.

Can President Xanax please share some of his stash with Frank, please?

also, considering the TV exposure, someone better get a forum setup soon!! and fast!!

ALl i request is that i get a user id in the first 10 :)

since this blog is getting so popular a comments board where users can police themselves (karma ratings/mods etc) might be the way to go

also a filter that slaps anyone who posts in all caps might be useful

sean-paul...you're money baby!

Curses... starts a half hour before I get home. :( And me without tapes to record it.

maybe someone who's running a mirror could set one up?

My apologies piranha - aljazeerah.info is "not related by any means to the Arabic TV network, "Aljazeera."" Does anyone know what this word means in Arabic?

http://www.aljazeerah.us/Sections/letters.htm

Any word on that "guest analyst" you alluded to a while back? I know that given the pace of news around here that could have been as little as twenty minutes ago, but it's sitting in the back of my mind.

"Take an hour and chill, we can watch the TV news."

Sure, we can do that, but since this site is two hours or more AHEAD of the televised news, it'll all be rehashed information.

Has anyone considered nominating the site for a Pulitzer? Best bloody news coverage out there!

congrats, S-P! nobody in blogtopia is working harder than you are right now.

and to echo fred20: NBC WE ARE SICK OF BEING LIED TO! TELL THE TRUTH! IT IS YOUR JOB TO BE A WATCHDOG FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND YOU ARE LETTING US DOWN! DO YOUR JOBS AND INFORM THE PEOPLE!!!!

I can only assume that a certain percentage of the American public has unenlightened, racist, and requgnant views like Frank. So let his post stand as an unfiltered reminder of who we *really* are as a country ... 95% well-meaning, 5% just plain ugly.

This kind of stuff is all over every open board. A dose of reality for us all, unfortunately..

I really don't like the way Frank said what he did, but at least he isn't appologizing for being american. Unlike a lot of people here. Reading some of these comments it almost seems like some people here would like to see the US bombed because "we deserve it". what I'm going to say next might bother some people but; STAND UP AND MAKE A CHOICE; SADDAM OR US! F**K understanding other cultures, we are at war. Our boys are in the fight of their lives, And some people here seriously need to think about who they support in this thing.

So why don't commenters post running news while Sean-Paul is on break?

NPR had two accounts from their embeds with the armored convoys near/on the way to Baghdad. Puts the cable scud-stud-wanna-bes to shame. Their accounts of frequent, terrifying, but shockingly futile ambush attempts by Fedayeen and irregulars on the heavily armed M1A1 and Bradley Fighting vehicles makes me think this "resistence" can't add up to much. E.G.: one of the tanks that has been talked about before as being destroyed was disabled by a rushing iraqi who fired his RPG so close to the tank that it killed him instantly. No-one in the tank was killed or (implied from comments)even seriously injured. These useless rushing attacks are being made a lot, but to very little detriment to the coalition forces. Nonetheless, it is harrowing for the embeds, Their accounts are articulate, clear, and dramatic.

I wonder if blogs will sustain 'hacker' attacks because of their independent, democratic nature when multiple people begin to surf?

great site. appreciate the effort

War sucks. As you know, it's about the money. USA Dollars vs Euro's. Capitalism is based on creative destruction. Always ask: Who benefits? This war is a war of distraction. Throw the banker criminals in jail.

Watts,

You're lucky you're not anywhere near Indiana.

/ducks

observer: al Jazeera means "the peninsula" and is a traditional name for certain Arab regions. It's unclear to me whether the name in this case refers to the Qatari peninsula or the Arabian peninsula overall (more likely, given its regional audience). There is also a landlocked region with a very similar name in NW Iraq/Syria, although I don't believe the translation is the same.

frank sure didnt waste anytime once he found out SP was going on a break! damn dude. thats a little outta hand.

passionate speach though, maybe you'll get an oscar

re: observer

"al jazeera" means "the island" (literal translation according to Al Misbar Online dictionary

http://www.almisbar.com/dict_page.html

WATTS, Make that 90% to 10%

Recap from Jazeera (their 3pmPST update)
-Basra under heavy attack including abou huseib street which has a lot of civilians
-Baghdad had three huge explosions last night
-RG has fought for the first time yesterday accordig to Iraq official
-Market still seems that it is still Us. News release said any civilian sites within 300 feet from army positions will probably be hit. I think the release came form command post in Gulf
-hospital shots, pretty horrible, both Basra and Baghdad. There seems to be no pain medication. Very ill equipped. Child in total shock. Maybe 4 years old.
-Also battle shots from Basra. Pretty heavy.
-US officals says over 1000 Iraqi forces around the najaf and fighting over a bridge. Also at Abou soufair.
-Rifles and anti-tanks were used in Nasserieh. heavy fighting. showing burded coal. vehicles. Lots of civilian injuries in the fight. Seems to be a lot of children.
-Zubair pictures near basra including 2 dead british soldiers and 2 POW from airplane. Also an unmaanned plane.
-Aid is starting to come in Um Qasr
-This is all I could catch/translate.

Also Al Jazeerah and Jazeera mean the same thing. The island.

watts....it isn't fair to paint all in *this* country with the FRED brush...

Bravo, Sean-Paul!

But can you put back the Roman numerals, please? I was looking forward to "FLASH LXIX."

i have just been reading Shock and Awe
http://www.shockandawe.com/index1.htm...
this apparently is the screenplay for what we are now watching...
the details in every particular - even the language (evil-doers, WMD) we are hearing was apparently taken from there...
let tom brokaw filter this out...lol...
Good work Sean!
(i hope s.p. finds raed)

woooops.....that jerks name was frank....sorry fred!

Well cck, seems like you've bought the 'either you're with us you're with bin Laden'approach. This is the attitude that led to the invention of this war so it's not surprising to see it robotically echoed here. It is a shame though that you couldn't rise to the level of creativity established at the top of this thread by frank.

just want to say that everyone pray for mu causin that is a pow in iraq and his friends

BREAKING

Major battle rages south of Baghdad

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030326/1/39fop.html

Any word on the "guest analyst" alluded to a while back? I'm aware that in light of the rapid pace of news around here that could have been thirty minutes ago, but it has been in the back of my mind.

does anybody have any news on that missle that struck the bus in jordan
or with iraqi interferance?

FrankF- objectively look at your own religion and ask how peaceful it is, or has been.

Sheesh. Enough poppycock from you.

i heard about your site from NPR, congrats on NBC tonight, it's an awesome site!

Our boys are in the fight we picked for them. They're not pinned down trying to stop Republican Guards from rolling across the Rio Grande, they're barreling into the heart of a distant country and meeting local resistance.

What most critics are saying is that the present Administration has picked a boneheaded fight and may also be prosecuting it ineptly. The Bush people said to hell with the international community, to hell with domestic opposition, and to hell with the over-cautious uniformed Armed Forces: let's roll. And now we are supposed to shut up because they've *chosen* to "project global power" and put our songs, daughters and loved ones at lethal risk. I do not quite buy it.

I love the site, but a little sad that it is going to get a ton of exposure. Are we going to see more guys like Frank who really make us confront the issues and think?

i got a feeling frank might get banned.......

about 1000 paratroopers coming from italy:

where did you get that news? americans are NOT allowed to fly directly from italy to iraq, or at least this is what the italian parliament voted...

or perhaps our pm berlusconi made some different arrangement with george w?

Thank you Rima!

Paulie, I've been to Indiana. Everyone's lucky who's not there.

(It's a joke; lighten up)

Frank, there's major differemces between Shias, Sunnis, Baathists, etc. Even in the Middle East. Not all are true enemies. Do they have cause to be leery of us? Yes. Do they all mean us harm? No, not even close.

Topic: blogs and war.

Waaa, and I don't have cable!

Way to go, dude.

cck- "SADDAM OR US! F**K understanding other cultures, we are at war. Our boys are in the fight of their lives, And some people here seriously need to think about who they support in this thing."

This is the point the German Officer in the comments of Flash 63 was trying to get to...

There does seem to be an amzingly common misperception by some peopole in this country (like cck) that we either attack Iraq or we'd be invaded. Us or them.

I'd like to remind cck that it is 'us' that chose to be in this situation, and it is 'us' that will have to accept the international fallout for years to come.

It isn't about supporting Saddam or supporting the US military. I support the men and women serving in the US military staying alive. I don't support them killing people because we have a bunch of hawks running our country. That doesn't make me apologetic for being American, it just reminds me that we, as a people, have a right and a need to question the reasons for our government's actions.

causin. is that true youre cousin is a POW. i am sorry if that is the case, and you know everyone in america is praying for all those brave folks fighting for thier lives over there.

my cousin is a reserve and just recently left for the gulf.

I WAS PLANNING ON LEAVING MY FIRST POST TO SPEAK FOR ITSELF, BUT I DECIDED THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE SAID. THIS IS A TIME OF WAR IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THE WAY OUR GOVERNMENT IS HANDLING THE SITUATION. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF BITCHING WITH YOUR MORAL RELATIVISM. PICK UP A GUN AND FIGHT. JUST CHOOSE A DAMN SIDE!!! THAT'S WHAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ARE YOU WITH US OR AGAINST US. IF IT'S AGAINST, DROP WHAT YOUR DOING AND GO OVER TO AFGHANISTAN OR IRAQ AND SIGN UP TO FIGHT. OR IS NOTHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR IN YOUR F'ING MORAL RELATIVIST WORLDS. IN FACT, FOR ALL OF YOU AGAINST WHY DON'T YOU POST ALL OF YOUR NAMES DOWN ON SOME WEBSITE SO WE KNOW WHO TO AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH OR EVEN TALKING TO WHEN THIS WHOLE DAMN THING IS OVER!!!

Frank,
I am responding to your comment. I will copy the part that I am responding to below:

"You may have heard that Islam is a "Religion of Peace" which could never condone such brutality, but one needs to read ALL of the Koran to see that Islamic "Peace" means --- "You submit to Allah and find "Peace" or else, as a Infidel, suffer the consequences which is - "DEATH". YES, that is written in the Koran about YOUR possible fate!"

I believe that Christianity also has a clause similar to that. As in, one must accept Jesus Christ or suffer in hell, i.e. death. I believe that Christianity also offers everlasting life to those who believe. I don't think the problem is religion per se, it is fundamentalism, and the lack of respect that fundamentalism propagates, on both sides (Christian and Muslim and whatever other religion you would like to insert here) that makes the world a dangerous place.

Hey, don't you guys down there in the states have anymore of that chemical/biological proof duct tape around that we can use on Frank's mouth? Thank the sweet baby jasus our man Chretien up here didn't commit any of our boys to this mess Team Bush has you yanks in. Good Luck!

Cowboy Khalil, I would also add christinas in the middle east to your list. I would also like to remind some people that there are christians in the middle east that are against this war. Look at who is demonstrating in Lebanon.

We are fighting here against major media MORAL NIHILISM

i wonder if frankf has ever read the old testament?

reuters artilce about the US troops from Italy into Northern Iraq -- but it dosen't say what route they took

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2455211

Fisk in Baghdad:
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0326-06.htm

We, as a people, have a right to ask where the hell is Congress? they are elected representatives! They rolled over last fall, and have been absent ever since. Except when George asks for more $$$... then we get Dennis Hastert to say, "It's a vote for Patriotism" ???

PS: Hate to bring this up in the "middle" of the war... but what exactly are the REASONS for this conflict? Personally, I must have missed them. Oh... I see, trust our government... mind my own business. Right.

Iraqi state TV was bombed again, according to Indepenent.co.uk

Live Jazeerah - ANother air raid in baghdad right now\.

Has anyone caught Iraqi TV in an outright lie since this war began? I am racking my brain - they were right about al Basra, Um Qasr, and an Nasariyah; they were right, apparently, about who survived the "decapitation attack."

I'm rattled by the relative honesty of their reporting (of relative casualties etc), the unblown bridges, and the lack of chemical weapons use. Somebody back in Baghdad has realized what a good game playing it straight is going to be and is more confident at this game than we could have believed going in.

I know, I know, "their days are numbered" and all that. :)

Le Monde has an photo presentation of Baghdad before the assault:

http://medias.lemonde.fr/medias/flash_obj/images_dujour_flash_2603.html

I guess cck is short for CAPSLOCK :)

Nice recruiting job for the enemy, though. Maybe cck would like a nice cozy cell next to his buddy John Walker Lindh?

Well said, ikh.

I suspect cck is a troll. If not, Wow. I'm pro-war-I think the UN needs to have teeth, and the US and UK are the acting as the teeth. A UN with teeth means a world that respects the UN, and a world that respects the UN is a stable world.

That said, cck you need to understand that Americans have a right to disagree. And if our discussion on this site is so useless, why does it bother you so?

Have another beer, cck. Whoa, you need anger management, so you can learn how to think for yourself.

Since we have 30 minutes...here something of a "backgrounder". It does seem to sum up the even Greater Strategy of total Central Asian dominance by the USA. Iraq is only where it begins (began):

The Real Purpose of the American March into Central Asia
http://www.uscc.gov/reapur.pdf

Straight from the US-China Security Review Commision website.

If you're an American and believe that patriotism is belief in a country's values and not a country's (misguided) government, are against this war, the most patriotic thing you can do is work to defeat George W. Bush in 2004.

We support our troops, especially thosethat shoot their commanding officers...

njh: with you all the way on that. These people have got to go. I think protesting the war is a good way to lay the groundwork (make connections, mobilize people, amass dirt) for benching Team Bush.

Just watching ABC & NBC news ... looks like the media is starting to show some sack, esp. NBC.

Anyone seen Richard Perle lately?

thanks much, rima, i really appreciate your translations! i am watching al-jazeera as well, but i speak basically no arabic worth mentioning, and have to guess a lot from the few words i do catch and the visual context. baghdad looks darker to me tonight, but maybe that's just due to the weather.

ha'aretz has a list of objections israel wants to see cleared before signing on to the "roadmap".

Sean Paul, I hope this pays off for you career wise. You're performing a great service here. You deserve continuing success.

I await news of the battle south of Baghdad, and trust in the ability of the Marne Division to make silk out of the sow's ear that Feldmarschall Rumsfeld has handed them.

Truely, cck, you're analysis of the geopolitical situation is amazing.

-JimDandy

Benching team Bush? Man, if I was Bush, no WAY would I run in 2004. I bet he can't wait to get the hell out of DC.

Alas, with all the well deserved mass media exposure, comes the yayhoos. I expect this
"comments" section will soon degenerate into an aol chat room. At least it was f-i-n-e for awhile.

CNN - Air Force Embedded reporter

Air Force is running 1600 sorties of close air support. All fixed targets are basically gone, and now all air power will focus on close air support for ground troops and targets of opportunity.

dg,

CENTCOM, when asked why they targeted the bridge the bus was on when it got hit replied, replied that the Iraqis were hiding weapon systems under the bridge and that we were targeting that weapon system. I don't believe he identified the weapon system.

cck:

Sorry to say you are totally wrong. It's not "with us or against us". Dissenting with the governement in times of war has happened in every war the US has ever been in. It's what being a free people is all about.

I have no desire to fight for Iraq. Nor do I think we had any reason nor justifiable cause to invade their country. Bush trumped this all up for reasons I still can't fathom.

Let me guess, you're one of the 51% of Americans who think Saddam was responsible for the Sept. 11th attacks?

Sean-Paul,

This site is simply amazing! I've been following the war through the BBC World News (a far more professional and upfront news organization than anything the US has on the air), but I will now follow it here with you. Thank you for all your incredibly hard work!

Points to ponder, especially in light of the 'moral relativism' comments above.

We have learned from the Vietnam War not to curse the soldiers for the war they were sent to fight. There is no one here, I think, that will spit on a marine coming off a plane from Iraq. Far from it. Now that they are there, we all hope these brave people will do the job they were sent to do as quickly and humanely as possible.

We have also learned from Vietnam and other conflicts that it is important to question the reasons behind actions taken in our collective name. We can all agree that Saddam is a bad person - the stories of torture, murder, and invasion certainly that picture clear. Images of American political leaders shaking hands with him in the '80's, and the verifiable knowledge that we supported him financially and with military supplies means the picture is not black and white, as much as some people would like it to be. All of this that goes on is being perpetuated by people who believe what they are doing is in the best interests of the people of the United States. That is as it should be. In the end, it will be up to us - as a collective voice - to state whether or not we support what they have done. The next Presidential election is a year and a half away, folks. Think hard and speak fiercly, but with a civil tongue.

How many of these pro-war folks of age are signing up to join the armed forces?

Nice, insightful post, Fitzwillie.

frank must be outta here, see no comments from him. kicked and editied?

Iraq kills 1 kurd and america points the finger

Turkey kills thousands and america says nothing.

was this mentioned already ?
NASSIRIYAH, Iraq - U.S. Marines, moving through this still-contested city, opened fire at anything that moved Tuesday, leaving dozens of dead in their wake, at least some of them civilians.
and
There were also reports of logistical difficulties throughout the American lines. One Army element north of Najaf had not received fuel in two days.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/5483028.htm

Young men from Syria and Jordan, rallying behind their flag.

Guardian Unlimited
Iraqi exiles put patriotism first as they return home to fight invaders
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,922066,00.html

"What moves them is not the past but today's graphic news bulletins of bombs and invaders in foreign colours. Thousands are taking sides. They are opting for patriotism, however much they hate Saddam."

No coverage on the NBC Nightly News. What gives?

Windopaen,
Let me guess, you're one of the ?% of Americans who would rather wait until another horendous terrorist attack happens in the U.S. that can be 100% tied to Saddam, before we act against his regime? Or wait until he gasses more of his people?

CENTCOM admitted a targeting error was possible in the residential neighborhood that killed 14 and severly injured people and surroundings:
"
près un long silence, le commandement central américain au Qatar (Centcom) a reconnu qu'une erreur de tir était possible.
"
http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3462--313400-,00.html

Is there any seriously substantial information about this?

Damn, here they come. Put me down as one "longtime" reader (since before the beginning of the war) and commenter who votes for suspending comments until these trolls disappear.

Windowpane - you are no different than the supporters of war with your black and white analysis of the war.

Are there reason for the US to go to war with Hussein...I wholeheartedly say yes. And if you can't see them then you don't know your history.

However, the problem with this war and this administration is their disregard for the views of others in this grand strategy of theirs, not to mention Bush's inability to construct a coherent sentence on his reasonings for going to war.

Basically I think any other President would have taken the same course of action in putting troops into Iraq, both Democrat and Republican...the difference is many more people would understand why we were doing this if we had a worldly President in power.

George W. Bush has become this countries worst PR person, and his lack of communication skills has become a threat to national security.

18 months...and the American people have the ability to send a message to the rest of the world and send GW packing and a more world friendly administration in its place.

Ugh lets stop the accusations

Q One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked on September the 11th?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't make that claim.

THE PRIME MINISTER: That answers your question.

--White House press release, January 31, 2003.

And the Kurds really hate it when you refer to them as "Saddam's people."

i recall reading a few weeks ago, that a greater goal in Iraq was to constrain China by sqweezing it's access to oil.
"Team Bush-2004"?????
Maybe Jeb, but i suspect that George is history at this point. The Pentagon will never forget this cock-up & the intelligence community will be decimated by Bushie retribution. Remember, this administration carries serious grudges.
When do we start taking bets on how long Rummy will last?

Saddam was givin key to detroit at one time

Shame that Iran-Contra was before the internet, but if we cast our teeny minds back all that way we'll recall that the GOP wing of the gummint had a well developed plan for declaring martial law over the U.S. in the event of some undefined national emergency.

Currently only about 30% of the U.S. population laughs heartily when Coulter, Limbaugh etc. suggest confining liberals in concentration camps. And that number goes way up when you talk to the military. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but you shouldn't necessarily wait for an electoral opportunity that may never come.

Take a second to read the administration's proposed Patriot II. Remember that they had to be told by outsiders it would never fly.

Starchilde-BBC might be professional, but one of its own reporters has made assertions that there is some bias in the BBC coverage. See NBC News with Tom Brokjaw

I'd like to propose that those of us against this madness send a package of pretzels every day to GWB care of the White House.

No I don't think Saddam had anything to do with9-11. I'm sorry for the rant guys but I think people need to be held accountable for their actions. and can't understand people comparing bush to saddam, that's utter madness. And in some social darwinistic kind of way I was/am serious about people posting their names and opinions on every issue so I know who to avoid doing business with. I already do it with companies that have policies that I disagree with. Why not let people feel how there ideas fair in the market place by them not eatting for a few days because they lost their jobs because of what they said?

rl,
i obviously don't know my history, or at least the same history you know. perhaps you can enlighten me.

"Are there reason for the US to go to war with Hussein...I wholeheartedly say yes. And if you can't see them then you don't know your history."

I add my vote to suspend comments for a brief period. Would guess the bottom feeders will quickly move on..

CCK:
I assume from your post then that your full name is CCK. What an unusual name.

davidz - just what i was thinking :)
2004 election may or may not happen

cck

this is an easy one:
if you are for this war so much - why don't YOU go to Iraq and fight the enemy there. You spend there a day - then we talk...

Let me spell it for you and all other american citizens in denial - AFGANISTAN. No, not the latest one, the one Soviets invaded in 1980. With similar results, you idiots.

I dunno, Rummy's worse than Bush, imo. He tried to get the military to do this job with 60,000 troops, pissed off the world, and every thing he's assured us about has been a lie.

It's no wonder though, since he was potty trained by Nixon.

rummy and perle scare the living crap outta me, bush i think is just a head

Back to the news, considering this is for comments on information:

European Commission has set requirements for Turkey's acceptance into the EU:

They need to restrain themselves in Iraq, make efforts at peace in Cyprus, and 'democratize' the army. In exchange, the Commission promised one billion Euros between 2004-6.

[
En échange du respect de ses exigences, la Commission promet une aide financière d'un milliard d'euros entre 2004 et 2006 pour favoriser l'adhésion.

De la retenue en Irak, des efforts de paix à Chypre et une véritable démocratisation, y compris de l'armée : la Commission européenne a placé, mercredi 26 mars, la barre très haut en échange de l'adhésion de la Turquie à l'Union européenne (UE).
]
http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3214--314420-,00.html

obviously there is a link between Iraq and Al-Qaida and 9/11.

The link is Bush (family) and the Rummy Club.

i am not sure what turkey wants more, in the eu or to wipe out the kurds

tate,

A The honest answer to your question is no I do not.

But yes, you also proved one point, the Kurds aren't 'his' people, lets let them decide who will lead them.

Before the answer, can't we have faith in the administration, that they will 'help' build a leadership in Iraq, for its people. Many don't believe this, but I really hope we've learned from Britain’s failure.

I see many valid reasons why we shouldn't be at war, I just happen to believe we're doing the right thing. And anyone living in the US is free to disagree.

DavidZ: good point, and the scary thing is, if the federal government says "no more elections" there's nothing we the people can do. You see how well the small (military) arms and light antitank weapons are doing in Iraq; the efforts of US citizens would be similarly useless.

In the past, the leaders of states and nations were never truly safe from peasant uprisings. They are now.

Not that I think martial law would ever be declared in the US; thank god for states.

Phewson,

First off, I'm not aware of any terrorist acts that have been perpretrated against the US by Saddam, so I'm not sure why I would fear that. Unlike Al-Queda, I haven't heard a lot of anti-US talk coming from Saddam prior to this war. Sure he might, but there are a lot of other countries/regimes/psychos out there who I fear a lot more than Iraq.

And while the current war can be justified if you really stretch, the fact that we did this without unified support from the rest of the world is completely unacceptable. It appears the rule of law only applies to the Bush administration when it serves their interests.

We should have waited until diplomacy could have done its job OR there was a real threat of an impending attack on the US.

your welcome, piranha. I will try to do it whenever I have a chance.

hutch, I agree completely.
Rumsfeld is pulling the strings, W is just a figurehead. Rumsfield, Perle scare me because I'm afraid they won't go down with W...

I know it's tempting to see this comments board as a FORUM for discussing the pros and cons of the invasion, GWB, etc. etc. But I feel there are many places to do this. What I need here is an unbiased source of up to date info on this war -because I am concerned about having adequate info to make judgements and decisions. I have no problem discussing the merits of the source of a particular piece of info, or the location of an up to date map. I take SP's lead on this. All of this flaming and protestation is gonna ruin the site.

ok, now there is a link Iraq - 9.11
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/26/sprj.irq.mural/index.html

pjetter that is all th eproof i need, lets nuke em

Windopaene,

You do have a good point, but don't you agree that the only reason the UN was making any progress in IRAQ was because of 200K (give or take) US soldiers sitting at there doorstep armed and dangerous.

Perhaps the US shouldn't play the world's policeman, but I'm not one who sides with sending our troops out to IRAQ, just so that the UN will make more progress.

Or perhaps we should have just brought our troops home, and go right back to square one. Maybe Saddam really wasn't a threat, (prior to this war), and especially not a threat to the US, but he and especially his sons do cause me to be a bit nervous. (Give his regime more years and power, and perhaps then he would even make you a bit nervous).

PT,
My name is Charles Christopher Kahrhoff, touche. good one.

How soon before Bush throws his first
Hitlerite tantrum?

cck : "And in some social darwinistic kind of way I was/am serious about people posting their names and opinions on every issue so I know who to avoid doing business with."

Unfortunately, to follow through on this would mean you would not be able to patronize this website or participate in this discussion. Though Sean-Paul was hawkish on Iraq from day one, he became deeply frustrated with the administration, as many on both the left and the right did, in the month leading up to the invasion. (I'm not disclosing anything secret here; it's all on the site.)

He's been kind enough to tolerate your opinion and that of other hawks. And I think he's doing a fairly good job of straightforward reporting.

PHewson : "Before the answer, can't we have faith in the administration, that they will 'help' build a leadership in Iraq, for its people. Many don't believe this, but I really hope we've learned from Britain’s failure."

I have faith in their best intentions--wanting to secure global peace. I have faith we will win this. Our military is simply to powerful for Iraq to hold out. I don't know how well it will go. We'll see. I'm sad it all had to go down like this. Doing things outside the law is pretty dicey.

We need a discussion forum or message board badly, doubly so after tomorrow. I have been lurking since start of war or a little before, I want a low number too. LOL

Windopaene
I wrote the most brilliant post about other countries and our interest and their interest and Arabian mentality but didn't post because of length. You will just have to take my word on it. LOL WTIC
Terry

I want to add that most arguments, pro- or anti-, at this point don't have much traction for me. I think we're all pretty much struggling with the fact that while there are some things that we can control, there are other things--as it turns out, big, important things that might decide whether we and our families and friends will live or die--are way, way, way out of our own control.

Well, maybe that's why he didn't want to add comments, Matt. What he posts seems to be objective, so far. The fact is that I want that choice, which is the best choice, instead of listening to the propaganda that's been rampant in mainstream media. We should not, in this country, have to be in THIS quagmire.

Amen, Matt.

You all sound like 6th graders at recess.

Guys, take it elsewhere or there won't be a there here.

Hutch:
The Turkish government doesn't really want to "wipe out" the Kurds, what they want is for the Kurds to accept that they're Turkish citizens, and to give up their dreams of a Kurdish republic. What Turkey really fears is a division along ethnic lines.

I imagine if Turkey had a better neighbor than they did now, they might not see the need to take the law into their own hands. However, since the early '90s the Kurdish areas were however no longer under Iraqi control, and Ankara felt they needed to take out the deep rebel camps themselves.

Every Iraqi killed defending his or her homeland represents a War Crime.

Just so's everyone is aware of that.

Wow...every Iraqi killed defending his/her homeland eh? What a load of crock? Every butcherin' Serb that bought it when hit by NATO munitions must've been a War Crime victim then too right? Every Somalian Warlord taken without 'due process' or shot and killed by American Rangers is someone we should weep over and look to prosecute someone over later? You present no justification for your bizaare statement. History is written by the victors...there'll be no war criminals here just as there have been almost no 'war criminals' in the last 100 years of modern warfare. I remember 'Justice at Nuremberg"...I don't recall seeing 'Justice in Kuwait' or 'Justice in Srebenica' or 'Justice in Grenada'...get real...

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