That should take care of the Iraqi Navy:

Near the southern port of Basra, warplanes from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk dropped bombs on an Iraqi presidential yacht and another ship, Navy officials said Tuesday. (AP)

Question:

Did Saddam's switch to "religion" coincide with Bin Laden's rise in the mid-90's?

Can anyone explain in more detail when secular Hussein started to leverage the language of Islam?

sean-paul, why don't you post those marine casualties i sent - according to el paso times, 9 marines dead, 8 injured, trying to recover injured marines.

is this becoming a pro-american, pro-establishment blog?

William Kristol (PNAC) will be on NPR's "Fresh Air" today... 1:00 PM PST. There will also be someone providing an opposing viewpoint, but I didn't catch his name.

I talked to my sister who is in the army and her unit (hospital - medic) in Iraq. They have three dead in her unit which was based in Vancouver Washington.

Re: Saddam and Islam.

"The anonymous official admitted that Saddam Hussein had started building mosques after 1991 as part of a new posture in which he tried to add "spiritual color" to the national fabric. This was the need of the hour, when Saddam realized that the Cold War was over and that his nation needed a new uniting ideology. What it got was the new Islamic crusader Saddam. There were new television programs about Koranic recitations that began broadcasting day and night. At Baghdad's large Saddam Hussein University, courses in Islamic sciences were added. Saddam's newest portraits (which permeate civic life here) now include "Saddam at prayer"."

The Saddam branch of Islam

Is anyone else unhappy with the message board ? It doesn't reflect the current Flash news because the comments aren't directly link to it.

I'm sticking with this. Long live 'Comments'

Hey Michele, I'm sure SP has won his independent journalist credentials by now.

I'm really surprised about the UPI report, which seems to contradict much of the spirit of the rest of the news I've been reading here. The UPI report is really positive. Is UPI known to have a pro-admin slant? Or have we all been working ourselves up in a steam over nothing?

Col. Phelps asked "Did Saddam's switch to "religion" coincide with Bin Laden's rise in the mid-90's?"

Nope.

"Can anyone explain in more detail when secular Hussein started to leverage the language of Islam?"

It became noticable with the Gulf War. Hussein--a dictator noted for secular ways, drinking, etc., and head of the socialist Ba'athist Party--attempted to portray that conflict as the Christian West's latest Crusade vs Islam. To do that, he had to use religious language, as well as call on the history of the region (very familiar to the average Arab). It also at least had the hope of cooling the long-standing Islamist hostility to his regime. (Note that in bin Laden's relatively recent statement approving support for the Iraqi regime in its conflict with the US, bin Laden can still barely restrain himself from spitting on Hussein, even as he grudgingly embraces the traditional "enemy of my enemy" perspective).

michele,

Rather than accuse S-P of bad faith, please simply post the url or citation to the article you're referencing here. Is this the article you mean?

"Rescue effort for Bliss unit left 9 Marines dead, 8 missing," Diana Washington Valdez, El Paso Times

http://www.borderlandnews.com/war/stories/20030331-94562.shtml

These casualties are from the initial weekend of the war.

I'm sticking with this. Long live 'Comments'

Exactly my sentiments. Although it does appear that many wackos have (not surprisingly) moved to the forums.

This is why, I think, most folks wanted Slashdot -- or some variation thereof -- because it allows you to comment on the flashes *within the story itself* yet also allows for community moderation and filtering.

I'm actually a little surprised they went with YABB -- or whatever it's called. Sean-Paul, I think, goofed by abstracting the comments away from the newsflashes.

I'm disappointed. I'm especially disappointed because Slashcode's real power is the integration of the story and the comments. In fact, it's almost identical to what MoveableType does -- except that its comment system is much more powerful and flexible.

Not sure where the "majority" for YABB came from, but Jay (and Sean-Paul) should know that lots of folks would volunteer to help set-up Slash so that it mirrors almost exactly the current Agonist -- but with the added benefits of moderation and filtering.

True, Slashdot is a bit chaotic, but because you can thread and filter and ultimately moderate comments, there's a whole bunch of ways to *view* the current thread. Plus meta-moderation makes sure moderators don't stray too far off the mark, keeps everything as fair as possible, and removes the draconian "BBS Admin" from simply snipping away comments that are "too partisan". (Whatever that means.)

Whatever.

William Kristol (PNAC) will be on NPR's "Fresh Air" today...

If Kristol's going to be on, they shouldn't call it Fresh Air. "Foul Stench" would be more accurate.

fox web says Myers and Rummy on at 2 EST

"Several important resolutions censuring repressive governments may fail at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights this month, Human Rights Watch warned today."

The key resolutions they cite are:

"Rather than pressing for the strong criticism of recent years, western governments are negotiating with the Sudanese government on a weak statement that could put an end to human rights monitoring of the country;

Western governments look set to soften their criticism of Russia’s abuses in Chechnya, despite its continued obstruction of international scrutiny;

No government appears willing to table a resolution critical of China, thanks especially to Chinese support for the international campaign against terrorism;

Several Latin American governments have circulated a mild-mannered resolution welcoming progress on Cuba, despite a wave of recent arrests of dissidents and its failure to admit a special envoy of the High Commissioner on Human Rights."

Source: http://hrw.org/press/2003/04/unchr040103.htm

Truck blast outside British Emabssy in Iran

ITV

http://www.itv.com/news/2093028.html

So, does the CNN report say what the cause of SARS is? Or is it the medical news equivalent of announcements about capturing generals?

Michele--no, clearly the Agonist is an anti-American blog. As clearly you are an anti-American yourself. Don't worry, there's not too many flag-waving, proud Americans here. Mostly it's the University types, atheists, and marxists.

Sean-Paul: the bond markets typically go down when the stock markets go up. So, the dow up 92 in your post, while bonds down 14 isn't really an ouch - it's usually better when the stocks go up then the bonds. In most general cases, that is, this being one of them.

http://www1.iraqwar.ru/iraq-read_article.php?articleId=1310&lang=en
Russian military analysts are advising the Iraqi military command against excessive optimism. There is no question that the US ?blitzkrieg? failed to take control of Iraq and to destroy its army....

There have been local (NY) npr reports of Red Cross blood bank supplies just now being put into the military blood/plasma reserves.

I would hazard a guess that this is in preparation for rather in response to...

In terms of analysis: given the consistent line given in CENTCOM briefings about inducing a general collapse of Iraqi resistance and sticking to the plan. I think the Pentagon/White House is still looking for a quick victory in Baghdad. The current 'mood' about how the war is going (accurate or not) is the media story they would want to have anyway with the SH Nyer story and other reports reflecting internal Pentagon disagreement over this.

On comments, their placement, and news items. Here's my 2 cents. I'm no fan of Kristol, but I don't know why should I have to read the appended post while I'm searching the section for real information. Just my opinion.

"If Kristol's going to be on, they shouldn't call it Fresh Air. "Foul Stench" would be more accurate.
Posted by Billmon at April 1, 2003 01:07 PM"

cnn say that the drug Ribavirin has been 90% effective in treatment.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/04/01/hk.sars/index.html

who makes Ribavirin? back up the truck and buy their stock

I liked the comments section the way it was, because it was simple and it worked. If there's a flame here and there, eh, doesn't matter.

So if Sean Paul says it can still be used that way, then great!

News from India:
Airports to screen passengers for killer virus -- http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_225329,0008.htm

Excerpt: "India alerted all its international airports on Tuesday to screen passengers for symptoms of a deadly respiratory virus which has killed more than 60 people across the globe, officials said........"

"So if Sean Paul says it can still be used that way, then great!"

how about this sean paul?...either way thank you for this site and all the info...great work...

Can anyone explain in more detail when secular Hussein started to leverage the language of Islam?

Posted by Col Bud E. Phelps at April 1, 2003 12:51 PM

The most constant and visible switch was adding the phrase "God is Great" to the Iraqi flag at the start of the 1st Gulf War.

An opinion piece in Outlook magazine, a weekly news magazine in India --"Contradictions And Absurdities
Al Qaeda was in good part a creation of Pakistan's intelligence service wishing to manipulate affairs in Afghanistan. But, no, Pakistan is not expected to be attacked any time soon... " by John Chuckman.

Some excerpts:
...Despite Bush's incoherent blubbering, Iraq has never had dealings with al Qaeda. There is no evidence for this notion whatsoever. Of course, now that the U.S. has invaded the country, and it is fighting for its life, anything becomes possible. Besides, if relations with al Qaeda were a sound cause for war, there were far better candidates.

Al Qaeda was in good part a creation of Pakistan's intelligence service wishing to manipulate affairs in Afghanistan. But, no, Pakistan is not expected to be attacked any time soon. Instead, it is America's ally in fighting terror, having been granted numerous bounties and forgiveness of past behavior.

You could make a crude case for attacking Saudi Arabia, certainly no cruder than some of the actual arguments we hear from Washington. Fourteen of the 9/11 desperados were Saudis. But, no, while Saudi Arabia has been called some names in Washington and intimidated into changing some of its practices in making charitable donations, it is under no threat....

Daniel, reader, etc.: you got it right. Down with message board, up with comments.

"Is UPI known to have a pro-admin slant? "

Maybe. It was bought by one of Rev. Moon's companies in 2000. See:

http://www.rickross.com/reference/unif/unif74.html

Hanging war criminals is not that unusual in wartime.

Psychic News Tip

April 6, 2003 - US will announce that we have intelligence that members of the Republican Guard may have left the country of Iraq prior to the war's commencement and may have entered U.S. borders via Mexico. Be on the lookout for these three men [pictures] who are armed and dangerous. No comment will be made as to whether these three men may or may not possess WMD.

finally catching up on my reading. interesting first paragraph in Aviation Week, 17 Match, BEFORE the war started, DOD planners did not expect a "cakewalk" ... and so goes the media.

http://www.awstonline.com/cgi-bin/authenticate.pl?destination=docs/issues/20030317/aw27.htm

17-Mar-2003 06:04:29 pm

Waiting It Out
Those planning the Iraq offensive are
thinking about what could go wrong

DAVID A. FULGHUM/WASHINGTON

Few in the Pentagon believe the military part of an offensive against Iraq will be anything but a walkover, but there is an undercurrent of concern about the gritty details of intelligence gathering and sharing, communications and the shaking out, before the shooting starts, of a lean, regional command structure flexible enough to react quickly to unanticipated crises once combat begins.

Rima,
Hope your sister makes it through ok. My wife is a psychiatrist in Washington who has worked with a lot of vets, both at the VA and elsewhere. Frankly, it can be rough; for a lot of them, the world and their lives will never be the same. I'd plan on making sure your sister has a lot of support (personal &/or professional) when she gets home...

Just the News Tips please. I don't come here to hear anyone's "opinion" - It's the same people posting over and over again, blah blah blah... I am to the point where I am guessing accurately who posted each comment. Good grief!

I forgot to provide the url for my earlier post on the Outlook opinion piece.
It is http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20030331&fname=iraq&sid=3&pn=1

post explaining something of the nature of the reports found at iraqwar.ru
(not confirmed as gospel, but interesting)
Radio intercepts and other questions...
????? polaria ? 01.04.2003 [21:03]
Yes. I know I've posted this before, but people seem to ask the same question over and over...
A few things about Military Intelligence and how it is processed:
I was amazed at the comment that these ?GRU reports? include too many intercepted radio-transfers. That comment only shows one of the common misconceptions on how military communication work and how they are intercepted. US military in the Gulf sends massive numbers of data daily through radiolinks.
Most of the links used have no system to prevent others from listening them with suitable equipment. Even the securing methods used in tactical communication can be circumvented and the messages opened in a matter of hours. Usually this is no problem since most of the tactical data transferred is on something like: ??Turtle 6, turn left. I?ll watch your six?? or ??Turtle 6 low on ammo and fuel. I?m returning to the base??
Information like this has already lost its tactical value during the few hours it takes to decipher it and so there is no need to use more powerfull (and expensive) systems. The main problem GRU might have in following the US actions on the Gulf is not that of being uncapable of intercepting and opening the radio messages but that of being overwhelmed by the cheer number of intercepted messages. After all, opening the meassage is not enough. You also have to transalate it since very few Americans speak russian on open tactical radio. A regular tank platoon can send hundreds of messages in an hour. Just imagine what the whole coalition army sends?
In addition to intercepting messages and opening them ELINT can also recognize and follow units based on the network their radios form. With the modern analysis-programs counting and indentifying underlying patterns in the network this is actually quite easy. You can also tell a lot about what happens to the unit at any given moment by analyzing the way radios are used. Stationary units do not use radios that much, mobile units use them more and messages tend to be long (directions and chit chat). A unit in battle can be recognized easily as it is sending out huge number of short messages, even a call for air support or artillery fire can be identified without opening the message. It is not very hard to figure out what is happening when an tank platoon first starts to send out a number of short messages followed by a short call to Ai-Support Liason who then transfers the call to a pair of F-16s!
Another matter concerning the authentity of these ?GRU reports?. Today I was reading the lates report when a thing hit me: I had read reports written in the similar pattern before! I had even written quite a few. These reports were not written for military leaders or intelligence officers. They were written in a way that enables leading officials in the government to follow what is really happening in the war. Everything fits that pattern. The way language is used, the lack of professional terms and abreviations?
I would say that it is highly likely that these GRU reports are originally written for the Russian foreign services and other Russian governmental organization. In this case the report would be circualted, in various forms, to at least a few thousand people and it would be at most classified, possibly even open for distribution. Just as yourself, what are the chances that the report could end up here on the web site? Stranger things have been known to happen?
?Polaria? (Military Intelligence Officer, Ministry of Interior, Finland)

(please keep opinions/rants in forum and let this be a place for plain information & sourcing (my 2cents) )

1:02 EST I didn't post that article about the Marines from Fort Bliss because it was a repeat of older news.

Fort Bliss is a US Army base, not a Marine base.

ikh,
thank you, actually my sister was deployed to Gitmo as a translater, THey are desperate for them there, so thank god she is not in Iraq, for now. She heard the news throught the higher ups in her unit in Vancouver, they had to inform the families. Gitmo on the otherhand is depressing but that is all the info she is allowed to give. All we know is that she is a translator.

ikh,
thank you, actually my sister was deployed to Gitmo as a translater, THey are desperate for them there, so thank god she is not in Iraq, for now. She heard the news throught the higher ups in her unit in Vancouver, they had to inform the families. Gitmo on the otherhand is depressing but that is all the info she is allowed to give. All we know is that she is a translator.

sean paul--
love this new format-- the news tips coming in are easy to find, questions answered soon and simply, all clean and clear.

It's great-- practical-- like the separation of church & state--
I've felt more at ease here today than in a week!

thanks.

Some guy needs to check out Sean Paul's bio.

BBC-SRINAGAR, March 31: Indian security forces shot dead six Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir, while Kashmiris shot and wounded a pro-government militant, officials said Monday.

Question: anyone know of an Arabic to English website translator to get around the jamming of Al Jazeera's site?

Juan you are a nice guy. I like your style.