If you are reading this, thank a Teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a Soldier
Have been very busy this week trying to overcome Spam mainly from texas-holdem.terashells.com. If any reasonable person knows more about these turkeys could they send round a patrol and take them out.
Come on..are you listening over there at Midland, Texas.
If anyone has an answer to help an old soldier please leave a comment.
Yesterday, the SMH managed an almost total negative spin on the Iraq elections.
Today there are some positives but the emphasis is still on the bombers.
According to some areas of the press the thirty or forty people killed yesterday are more important than the millions who participated in the poll. Births are never bloodless, including the arrival of democracy and whereas the deaths of the victims is to be regretted there are more positives than negatives.
The Left and a good proportion of the MSM will now be busy rationalising the 28% who didn’t vote as representing a civil war or somehow or other representing the evil that is the US.
However if you don’t view all of life starting with a Bush/the US/Howard are evil premise then there is lots of good news.
News.com has a fairly balance article
Samir Hassan, 32 – who lost his leg in a car bomb blast last year – said as he waited to vote in Baghdad: “I would have crawled here if I had to. I don’t want terrorists to kill other Iraqis like they tried to kill me.”
and
Voters formed long queues, creating an almost festive atmosphere in Shiite areas and the Kurdish north, where officials said turnout was highest. Some had walked for miles, and many chanted and clapped.
The Washington Post is generally positive as is the New York Times
Al Jjazeera headlines Confusion surrounds Iraq poll turnout and Conflicting claims but does acknowledge that Chalabi (is) confident
In my mind, an altogether positive result. Another step on the road to democracy and another blow to those who would wish for more power to the clerics and it’s associated stiffling of freedom and thought.
Leyton has been beaten at the Australian Open. Dissapointing, but the thing to remember is that he actually played in the final which is a better record than most of the hacks who are currently writing up their pieces for tomorrows press.
Well done mate – you tried.
Poor Habib has developed emotional and psychological problems from his imprisonment.
During his imprisonment others have suffered slit throats, dismemberment by suicide bombing and beheading for minor crimes. Not long before his imprisonment thousands of poor souls suffered a senseless death in New York where Habib’s mates visited hell on the innocents.
His American lawyer, Joe Margulies needs to fish somewhere else for sympathy.
There isn’t any here.
From Defence Media
Australian soldiers were involved in two separate incidents earlier today at approximately 10 am Baghdad time, involving Anti-Iraq Forces.
The first incident occurred when the ADF Security Detachment (SECDET) was engaged with small arms fire in the vicinity of the Australian Embassy. Fortunately there were no Australian casualties resulting from this incident.
In another incident an ADF SECDET Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) patrol was engaged by a suspected vehicle borne explosive device. A number of soldiers were injured with two requiring surgery.
The next of kin of the soldiers requiring surgery have been informed.
The SECDET ASLAVs were on a routine task in Baghdad when the attack occurred.
This incident does not affect the ADF’s capability to provide security for the diplomatic staff and other members of the ADF contingent deployed in Iraq.
Violent incidents in Iraq have increased in the lead up to the election this Sunday as Anti-Iraq Forces seek to defeat the election process. Despite these hostile actions, ADF personnel remain very determined and well prepared to assist the people of Iraq in their bid for a safe, stable and secure future.
I have included an Iraqi blog titled Friends of Democracy specifically dealing with the elections later this week in Iraq. All readers of an open mind might like to follow it through to the elections.
Those who only seek negative views about Iraq so as to bolster their anti Bush/US/Howard agenda should best stay away. Remember your creed demands you ignore the truth or at least to spin it negatively.
Via Bunker Mulligan
After my lucky escape in Vung Tau we rode the hydrofoil to Saigon and booked at the Oscar Hotel for the night before going on to Nha Trang the next day.
That night I figured we should go and have a beer at the Rex Hotel. Famous during the war as a residence for Generals and journalists, it is a part of the folk-law of the Vietnam war.
Being Infantry I never got there but had heard how the assembled multitude would admire the infantry’s ongoing pyrotechnic side show as we swapped red for green tracer and added in the odd napalm ‘appocalypse’ mixed with the Puff the Magic Dragon ‘spiralling red light show’ as millions of rounds sought out enemy troops.
Ah. The vision splendid of pyrotechnics in war
I hope the bastards appreciated all the effort we went to to liven up their Happy Hours after a hard week in their airconditioned offices.
Suzan Weber in Demillle’s Up Country talks on some of the history of the hotel.
She smiled then said, “About the hotel – it was once owned by a wealthy Vietnamese couple who bought it from a French company. During the American involvement here, it housed mostly American military”
“So I’ve heard”
“Yes. Then when the Communists came to power in 1975, it was taken over by the government. It remained a hotel, but it mostly housed North Vietnamese party officials, Russian, and Communists from other countries”
“Nothing but the best for the winners”
“Well, I understand it became a pigsty. But sometime in the mid-1980s the government sold an interest in it to an international company, who managed to get rid of the communist guests. It was completely renovated and became an international hotel”
From Up Country by Nelson Demille pp98-99
A couple of Tiger beers followed by a couple of Black Label scotches soothed the soul as Stu and I sat and talked about things in general. The Rex was as far removed from my war as Brisbane is and thus didn’t conjure up many recollections, but alcohol loosens the mind and some surprising events resurfaced from repressed memories.
Over by the crown and elephants a Philipino Quartet played and I was reminded of a time when I was last in Vietnam and suffering from malaria and a kind nurse offered to push me down in my wheelchair to a visiting Philipino show near the hospital at Vung Tau.
There were lightly clad, pretty Philipino girls doing a song and dance routine that quickly degenerated into a ‘simulated sex with the microphone stand’ routine and then went straight on to a ‘real and naked sex with passing soldiers’ routine. Military Policemen found God and converted from being athiest bastards to followers of religion of the type quoted by Protestants and Methodists and stopped the show, while my chaperone giggled, squealed and quickly wheeled me out of the theatre.
“Your’e not well enough for anything like that yet Kevin, your’e not even strong enough to walk”
All my protestations about it being a horizontal sport made no impact on the determination of the Lieutenant to deliver me safe and sound back to my hospital bed.
I lived to fight another day but I always felt the last chapter of that story never got written.
this just in from Defence Media
Iraq incident involving Australian Security Detachment
Australian soldiers from the Security Detachment responded to an incident yesterday where shots were fired at a man after he was observed acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the Australian Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
Prior to the shooting, the man was driving a suspicious looking vehicle. The vehicle stopped near the Security Detachment Flats and the man alighted and, despite being given repeated warnings, the driver continued to act in a suspicious manner and failed to comply with directions.
At approximately 12.20pm, shots were fired at the man. The man was injured and assisted from the scene by Iraqi authorities. His condition is unknown.
The Australian Defence Force is currently investigating the incident.
No further information is available at this time.
Update
The guy has died and the Air Commodore Evans is sad.
Sadly, we’ve learned just recently from unconfirmed reports from Iraqi sources that he’s passed away,”
There is going to be an investigation as well.
“We are trying to confirm that and the investigation, of course, will cover that most carefully.”
The guy gave all indications he was leaving a bombed up vehicle near the digger’s accomodation, was told in Arabic to behave himself and when he still looked iffy someone topped him.
Seems reasonable to me yet the commander is ‘sad’ and we’re having an investigation.
Funny way to run a war.
I recall Weird Whitlam gutting the Army for having the temerity to fight his Communist mates and am saddened by the fact that us professional soldiers didn’t do something to stop the rot. It occurs to me that we could have tried to sell our Tanks, artillery pieces, APCs and M16 rifles to help fund a legal battle against the Government.
This comes to mind as I read an article in today’s Australian that reports ATSIC is planning to sell their assetts to fight their long overdue demise.
True. Believe me.
ATSIC commissioners plan to sell some of the agency’s $8 million in property and assets ? including a $3 million collection of indigenous art ? to fund a legal battle with the Howard Government.
Like the Tanks, artillery pieces, APCs and M16 rifles of the 70s, I’m of the opinion that anything ATSIC owns is actually a part of the National assett base and thus belongs to the taxpayer, not some miscreant grabbing for money and power out West.
Can’t we just send in the removalists and bury this beast.
ATSIC is dead and the corpse is starting to stink.
A report from England publsihed in today’s Australian suggests a huge proportion of Airforce women are sexually harrassed. I take all such reports with a grain of salt as the first question is – What defines sexuall harrassment?
In my day, everything up to hearing the words NO was OK and it was known colloqually as trying to score but I get the feeling that under today’s rules a good morning smile can be upgraded to a leer with associated mental undressing with little proof required.
ALMOST half the women serving in Britain’s Royal Air Force had suffered from sexual harassment, it was reported today.
More than 1000 of the 2500 women surveyed internally by the RAF had been victims of sexual harassment over the past 12 months, reports in the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror said.
I simply don’t believe it. Maybe ten percent of this is harrassment and inapropriate behaviour. It’s been my experience that most men are reasonble when dealing with the lifelong pursuit of the pleasures of Venus and know NO when they hear it.
Life goes on. Men try and women mostly accept their approach. Some blokes come on too strong but mostly they end up accepting failure and try elsewhere.
My Corps, Infantry, have a perfect record on this type of behaviour. It could be due to a total lack of women in the work place but I’d like to think it’s because we are gentlemen of the old school.
It’s life’s major game-play and someone suggests fifty percent of this is harrassment or inapropriate.
No way!