At last, a real supporter…
Bob Morris @ Mar 31st 2003 08:38 - Category: Unfiled ;
At last, a real supporter of the war steps forward
Morocco offers US 2000 monkeys trained to detonate mines.
Archive for March, 2003
Deep thoughts from great military…
Bob Morris @ Mar 31st 2003 08:37 - Category: Unfiled ;
Deep thoughts from great military thinkers
A Sgt Sprague opines about Iraq
“I’ve been all the way through this desert from Basra to here and I ain’t seen one shopping mall or fast food restaurant,” he said. “These people got nothing. Even in a little town like ours of twenty five hundred people you got a McDonald’s at one end and a Hardee’s at the other.”
Wounded British soldiers condemn US…
Bob Morris @ Mar 31st 2003 08:36 - Category: Unfiled ;
Wounded British soldiers condemn US ‘cowboy’ pilot
“British soldiers injured when a US “tankbuster” aircraft attacked their convoy, killing one of their comrades, hit out angrily at the “cowboy” pilot today.
Troops wounded in Friday’s attack accused the A-10 Thunderbolt pilot of “incompetence and negligence” while others privately called for a manslaughter prosecution.
Lance Corporal of Horse Steven Gerrard, speaking from his bed on the RFA Argus in the Gulf, said: “I can command my vehicle. I can keep it from being attacked. What I have not been trained to do is look over my shoulder to see whether an American is shooting at me.”
Baghdad assault ‘delayed for up…
Bob Morris @ Mar 31st 2003 08:35 - Category: Unfiled ;
Baghdad assault ‘delayed for up to 40 days’
“The United States-led advance on Baghdad appeared to have been placed firmly on hold yesterday after frontline units reported orders to settle into their positions for the next 35 to 40 days.
General Tommy Franks, the US commander, insisted there would be no pause in the assault on Saddam Hussein’s regime. But troops on the ground suggested there had been a marked change in the coalition’s military strategy.”
Pershing Square march and rally….
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 17:50 - Category: Unfiled ;
Pershing Square march and rally. Los Angeles
This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
The Radical Teen Cheerleaders!
Michelle Shocked and Wil B. 
Street theatre
Michael Moore’s next movie: The…
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 00:11 - Category: Unfiled ;
Michael Moore’s next movie: The links between Bush Sr. and bin Laden
“Fresh from his Oscar ceremony tirade against a ‘fictitious President’ fighting a ‘fictitious war’, documentary-maker Michael Moore has said he is setting his sights on the alleged links between former President George Bush senior and the Saudi family of Osama bin Laden.
Moore, whose exploration of US gun violence, Bowling for Columbine, is one of the most commercially successful documentaries ever, said his new film, tentatively titled Fahrenheit 911, will examine what has happened to the US since 11 September.
The film will look at the alleged ‘murky relationship’ between Bush senior, controversial defence investment firm the Carlyle Group, and the bin Laden family.”
Takoma the dolphin is AWOL!
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 00:10 - Category: Unfiled ;
Takoma the dolphin is AWOL!
“The US Marines have suffered an embarrassment with reports last night that one of their most prized investigators may have defected.
Takoma, the Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin, had been in Iraq for 48 hours when he went missing on his first operation to snoop out mines.”
Smart dolphin!
Allah, 1, Jahweh, 0.
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 00:09 - Category: Unfiled ;
Allah, 1, Jahweh, 0.
“It is becoming clear that last week’s violent sandstorm was a very serious blow to the invaders. The Iraqis were able to reinforce their defenses around Najaf and assault launch some damaging attacks. US high tech equipment has been seriously degraded by the sand.”
Indeed, the Viet Cong had no high tech gear, and they, uh, beat the U.S. A speaker from BAYAN I heard last night mentioned how guerillas in the Phillipines shoot at coconuts high in trees to flush out enemy who might be hiding beneath. Heavy coconut fall down. Enemy run away from tree and into open. Decidedly low tech. And deadly effective.
Our soldiers in Iraq carry a humungous amount of high tech gear, plus protective gear for poison gas. I’ll bet that’s fun to wear in a sandstorm when it’s 90 and you’re the middle of a fire fight and must move fast. Not to mention what sand does to high tech gear and equipment.
The Iraqi irregulars with their AK’s need no such high tech gear, guerillas never do.
Will we ever learn?
[1]Hi, I’m a gnarly Joshua…
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 00:05 - Category: Unfiled ;
Hi, I’m a gnarly Joshua Tree!
And Joshua Tree National Park is where I plan on being soon for a long weekend, backpacking, sleeping under the stars.
Police abuse hotline open in…
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 00:02 - Category: Unfiled ;
Police abuse hotline open in Los Angeles
From Southern California Americans for Democratic Action
“We are looking to be a repository for protester’s stories of police misconduct. By collecting the names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of these folks, along with their stories, we can call on them to testify in the future and use them to recommend changes now in LAPD policy and procedures.
All injuries will be reported to the National Lawyers Guild for legal representation.
The phone number is (323) 852-9190
Background:
The relationship between protesters and the LAPD is spiraling out of control. Last week, I was detained twice by the LAPD for doing nothing but walking down a sidewalk holding a sign that read, “Support our Troops, Bring them home Now.” I have been witness to unprovoked police abuse of protesters…one woman was hit by a police baton just inches from her baby which was nestled in a sling that hung from her shoulders. Another man was pulled from the back of a march and beaten, and, if you saw the pictures in the L.A. Times on Monday, a young man was beaten in the head by LAPD for “not moving fast enough.”
Politician named Stoner gets campaign…
Bob Morris @ Mar 30th 2003 00:00 - Category: Unfiled ;
Politician named Stoner gets campaign signs stolen
“But his stepdaughter, then a student at South Milwaukee High School, solved the mystery.
“She came home one day and said, ‘I think I know what’s been happening to your signs.’ She saw them in kids’ lockers at school,” Stoner said.”
It’s feeling like 1969 again
Bob Morris @ Mar 29th 2003 10:12 - Category: Unfiled ;
It’s feeling like 1969 again
A Columbia University professor goes off the deep end in attacking the war, and gets slammed by a gleeful right wing press.
Four soliders killed in Iraq…
Bob Morris @ Mar 29th 2003 10:10 - Category: Unfiled ;
Four soliders killed in Iraq suicide bombing
Couple this new tactic with the current ploy of Iraq soliders dressed as civilians pretending to surrender, then opening fire and, well, we may get what happened in Vietnam - civilians being pre-emptorily shot because they might be the enemy. Not a good way to win the hearts of the populace.
Plus I’m guessing it won’t be long until Iran and Syria get involved in the war. As DailyKos (whose war coverage is thoughful and superb) points out today, Iran and Syria may smell the blood of a weakened United States in the water. And Rumsfeld is insane enough that he probably wants war with them too.
Immigrant rights march
Bob Morris @ Mar 29th 2003 00:20 - Category: Unfiled ;
Immigrant rights march
A coalition of immigrant groups marched yesterday through the Pico Union area of L.A. to MacArthur Park for a rally. We at ANSWER helped out by setting up the stage and sound.
Immigrants get hurt by the war and the assault on rights far more than the public at large. When cutbacks come in hospitals and services, it hits them first. Ditto for education. And of course, when the economy gets bad, they are the among the first to get laid off.
And if they be Arab or Muslim, then it’s even worse. Illegal roundups and detentions. Deportations.
A speaker from Homies Unidos, said in the country he was from (El Salvador I’m guessing) finding dead and mutilated bodies in the yard was routine, that America has no experience with war up close, and once you’ve seen it, you never want war again. A Iraqi women said she talked with her parents in Baghdad the day before, and they want to know why America hated them so much.
When we go to war, the money comes from somewhere. Major public hospitals and clinics are closing in L.A. Education budgets, especially at junior colleges are being gutted. These cuts affect immigrants first. Of course, one industry is booming in California. Prisons. Guess who goes there first?
This was the first rally by these coalitions, and it went well. One organizer told me many stayed away because they were afraid of Immigration, so it was a real act of courage for those immigrants who did come.
At dusk, when it was over, the police advised people to leave in groups and said they’d escort people to their cars, if asked. Why? Well, MacArthur Park has ponds,trees, and children playing during the day. However, come nightfall it becomes one of the most dangerous parts of Los Angeles.
I got to drive away, back to my peaceful suburban enclave. For many of those present, Pico Union is their home.
Science marches on [1]
Bob Morris @ Mar 29th 2003 00:11 - Category: Unfiled ;
Science marches on 
Yessiree folks, now you can get your very own waterproof personal massager!
He’s screwed up one war,…
Bob Morris @ Mar 29th 2003 00:09 - Category: Unfiled ;
He’s screwed up one war, now he wants to start two more
“Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld accused Syria and Iran today of interfering with the American war effort in Iraq.”
I tell ya, this guy is just out of control… Or maybe declaring war on Iran and Syria is just part of his mad master plan.
U.S. forms own U.N.
Bob Morris @ Mar 29th 2003 00:08 - Category: Unfiled ;
U.S. forms own U.N.
“Frustrated with the United Nations’ ‘consistent, blatant regard for the will of its 188 member nations,’ the U.S. announced Monday the formation of its own international governing body, the U.S.U.N.”
Theatre of the Absurd
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 08:35 - Category: Unfiled ;
Theatre of the Absurd
A press release from French’s Mustard loudly announces ”The only thing French about French’s Mustard is the name!”
What might happen if Iraq…
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 00:08 - Category: Unfiled ;
Kill for peace
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 00:06 - Category: Unfiled ;
Kill for peace
Blair and Bush admit that war in Iraq could last for months.
“Tony Blair and George Bush braced the British and American public for a longer than expected war in Iraq yesterday amid growing concern that the campaign has stalled.”
Nasiriyah may offer allies glimpse of what lies ahead.
“Ten Marines were killed in seizing Nasiriyah. At least five more were captured. And many fear Nasiriyah is a harbinger of things to come”.
We weren’t ready for this: chief US soldier.
“Tougher-than-expected Iraqi forces have stalled the US drive towards Baghdad, the top US army ground commander in Iraq said.”
“The enemy we’re fighting is different from the one we’d war-gamed against,” Lieutenant-General William Wallace told The Washington Post.
Dear God, then what did they war-game about? That Iraqis would run out en masse with peashooters, stand in a row, and let us shoot them? No one in the Pentagon even had a clue Iraq might use guerilla warfare tactics, that they would fight back with everything they have?
Stupidity and arrogance is always a bad mix.
Especially when the enemey is counter-attacking - Republican Guard column advances on US Marines.
4 top officers at Air…
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 00:02 - Category: Unfiled ;
4 top officers at Air Force Academy are replaced
“The Air Force is replacing the four top officers in charge of its academy in Colorado Springs, officials announced today, after a scandal in which dozens of women attending the academy said they were raped and accused the institution of systematically punishing victims who came forward.”
And for this they were merely “replaced”, and not fired and/or indicted? What ever happened to “git tough on crime”, or does that only apply to non-elites?
The Prince of Darkness takes…
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 00:01 - Category: Unfiled ;
The Prince of Darkness takes a fall
Perle resigns: Was it conflict of interest or poor war planning?
Doctors in trouble for not…
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 00:01 - Category: Unfiled ;
First there were Freedom Fries,…
Bob Morris @ Mar 28th 2003 00:00 - Category: Unfiled ;
First there were Freedom Fries, now …
From MetaFilter
“House Resolution 153 recognizes the need for the American public to pray and fast in order to secure the blessings of “Providence” (read: Jesus) for our Armed Forces. Seriously.
“Resolved that the President should issue a proclamation designating a day for prayer & fasting for all people of the United States”.
I take back the thing I said earlier about the Freedom Fries being the stupidest Congressional legislation I’d ever seen.”
War could last months
Bob Morris @ Mar 27th 2003 00:23 - Category: Unfiled ;
War could last months
Why just last week, the chickenhawks were saying how this war would be quick, due to our studly “shock and awe” tactics. By golly, then those Eye-Wrack-Ees would come running out in the streets waving American flags and thank us for bombing them.
Well, their “plan” has been a dismal flop.
“Despite the rapid advance of Army and Marine forces across Iraq over the past week, some senior U.S. military officers are now convinced that the war is likely to last months and will require considerably more combat power than is now on hand.
The combination of wretched weather, long and insecure supply lines, and an enemy that has refused to be supine in the face of American military might has led to a broad reassessment by some top generals of U.S. military expectations and timelines.”
Why those treacherous Iraqis, they refuse to be supine and instead are shooting back. Imagine! Who would have thought they’d do THAT?
It appears the supposed most powerful war machine of the planet has made a gigantic blunder, a blunder born of stupidity and arrogance. Can you say “Vietnam”? I knew you could.
Let’s push hard towards ending this war, and make the upcoming demonstrations bigger and more militant than ever. Yes, militant. One can be nonviolent and militant. The whole world IS watching what we do here in the States.
