JudgeBob’s Neighbors

Raq: Gunner Hit with Shrapnel From IED, Patrol then Ambushed So They Kick Butt

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:24:03 -0700

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Afghan interpreters work with 1/6 Marines in Helmand Province

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:52:04 -0700

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The Defense Rests (Its Brains on a Shelf Somewhere)

nobody@vox.com(Scio, Scio) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:37:06 -0700

There is an article out there about some lawyer, representing the terrorists in Guantanamo, who dropped his pants at a press conference in Yemen to demonstrate how humiliated and tormented the poor dears must feel.

Color me unimpressed. While I certainly understand the point he was trying to make to a Yemeni audience ("for a Muslim man that is a thousand times more cutting than a Westerner can imagine."), I can't help feeling like he's missing the point.

His statement about "corn-fed" American soldiers doesn't help me feel any better about granting those terrorist sons-of-bitches access to our slow, ineffective courts. Prosecution didn't work in the 1990s, it won't work now.

A number of years ago, we had the case of Yaser Hamdi, born in the US and caught in Afghanistan aiding the Taliban. Denied counsel, he was one of the first cases that probed the status of "enemy combatants" in our legal system. The Norfolk District Court Judge, one Robert Doumar, decided that because Hamdi was still a US citizen de iure (and because of many other considerations that I am not qualified to speak on) the US government's detention of him without due process was incorrect. Illegal, even. I saw Judge Doumar speak on the subject while in school, and respect his position and reasoning. Hamdi, for your reference, is now living in Saudi Arabia having renounced his US citizenship.

But the men in Guantanamo are not entitled to representation in our civilian courts, and they are not worthy of their lawyer's sympathy. They do in fact deserve a lawyer stupid enough to "drop trou" in front of a live audience. The thing to keep in mind is that these men were taken in combat against the US, or supporting terrorist efforts against the US, serving no recognized state and wearing no military uniform.

One of the responses to the article was hilariously apt:

You know what is really “a thousand times more cutting?”

Being beheaded.

Now that’s cutting.

Comment by R18 - July 16, 2008 at 10:40 am

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U.S. Marines in Helmand Speak About Some Of Their Experiences

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:26:40 -0700

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Hannah Montana--the new sage on the stage

nobody@vox.com(Highly Appallified) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:21:36 -0700

While searching for an inspirational quote to round out a writing assignment, one of my tough/funny guys, (but dead serious in this instance) asked: "I like the quote 'life is what you make it.' Who said that?"

Now, my pop culture knowledge has been fading fast as of late, so I punched it into Google as my students watched the LCD projection breathlessly.

Result #1: Hannah Montana.

Result #2: Hannah Montana.

Result #3: Hannah Montana.

And so on.

Hey I thought it was pretty good too, but I let him take the fall for picking Hannah Montana as his (and I guess my) motivational speaker.

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WHAT ABOUT IRAQI OIL?

nobody@vox.com(The Historian) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:09:16 -0700

WHAT ABOUT IRAQI OIL?

The anti-war crowd, mostly on the far left, has railed from the beginning of the war in Iraq that it was all about the oil. They have repeatedly stated that oilmen Bush and Cheney only went to war to get their hands on the oil and enrich themselves and their friends.

As is often the case with those on the fringes such claims are not backed by facts but are stated in absence of any evidence or factual proof.

Now that the fight there has been greatly diminished and the end of that war is clearly in sight, the same crowd on the far left now complains about the Iraqi's developing their own resources under their own policies in their own country. Now these goofy politicians want the Bush administration to control, control mind you, how the oil industry in Iraq is operated by dictating to the legally elected Iraqi government how to conduct their domestic business.

In the meantime Iraq sits upon the largest known oil reserves on the planet. It would seem to make sense that American politicians would, given the drastic rise in the price of gas at the pump, encourage Iraqis to put greater production and supply on line as soon as possible. And just not for the purpose of increasing supply in our supply and demand driven world of petroleum but also so that Iraq could become a state that would be less dependent on American fiscal support to move forward. Oil at $140 per barrel can enrich a supplier rather rapidly.

The following article addresses this subject and identifies the politicians who seek to disrupt and delay this obvious advantage to us, Iraq and the world. Why? Pure self-promoting politics with no interest in regular, everyday working Americans not to mention Iraqis seeking stability and a life without war.

Clearly there is no shame among these pols, and not logic either.

Iraq's Oil Surge

Here's a thought experiment: Assume that Iraq's democratic government declared it was nationalizing its oil industry, a la Venezuela or Saudi Arabia, while excluding American companies from the country. How do you think U.S. politicians would react? With angry cries of "ingratitude" and "this is what Americans died for"?

Of course they would, led no doubt by that critic for all reasons, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. So it is passing strange that Mr. Schumer and other Senators are now assailing Iraq precisely because it is opening up to foreign oil companies, especially to U.S. majors like Exxon Mobil and Chevron. For some American pols, everything that happens in Iraq is bad news, especially when it's good news for the U.S.

Iraq announced this week that it is inviting global competition to develop its major oil reserves, with 35 oil companies invited to bid. By tapping outside capital and expertise, Iraq hopes to increase production by 60%, providing a much-needed boost to its own coffers and the world's tight oil supply.

This is welcome news. With elections looming later this year and next, the temptation for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government must have been to play the nationalist card – the way that Mr. Schumer did against Dubai Ports World's proposed U.S. investment in 2006 (see, for instance, "Ports of Gall1"). Many Iraqis remain suspicious of outside oil companies – the legacy of a colonial past in which Iraq felt exploited for its oil.

Instead, Iraq chose competitive bidding that will bring in the best expertise to exploit its national resource. Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani is predicting that, with outside help, Iraq could become the second or third largest oil-producing country in the world. Today it produces about 2.5 million barrels a day, compared to 11 million for the world-leading Saudis. Foreign companies will be required to have an Iraqi partner, and to hire Iraqis, while most oil revenues will still flow to the Iraqi people.

What seems to irk Mr. Schumer – and running mates John Kerry and Missouri's Claire McCaskill – is Iraq's decision to sign shorter-term, no-bid service contracts with Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Total and Chevron. Most of these firms had extensive experience in Iraq prior to Saddam Hussein's nationalization, and were chosen because their knowledge will help Iraq boost near-term production. The contracts will run no more than two years, and all five firms have spent the past three years providing training, analysis and advice to Iraq – free of charge.

The Democrats nonetheless stomped their feet in a letter last week to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. They demanded that she intervene to stop the Iraqis "from signing contracts with multinational oil companies until a [national oil law] is in effect in Iraq." Their complaint is that a hydrocarbon law is one of the Bush Administration's "benchmarks for reconciliation" in Iraq, and that these oil contracts would only "further deepen political tension in Iraq and put our service members in even greater danger." They also griped that the five firms would get an "insider's advantage" to later oil bidding.

Also piling on is House baron Henry Waxman, who is upset with a separate contract that the Kurdistan Regional Government has signed with Texas's Hunt Oil. Mr. Waxman thinks the Bush Administration didn't do enough to stop the deal. Then again, this is old news, as the contract was signed last year. And while the Baghdad central government wasn't pleased the Kurds had moved on a contract without national approval, the deal hasn't impeded Iraq's broader progress.

We doubt French politicians are objecting to Total's contract, but American Democrats are so blinkered about Iraq that they now object even to U.S. companies getting business on the merits. The hydrocarbon law would help to clarify revenue-sharing between Baghdad and Iraq's outlying provinces. But even without that law, oil revenues are already flowing throughout the country, including to Sunni-majority areas.

The faster and more efficiently the oil deposits are developed, the more revenue there will be to distribute. And the faster Iraq will be able to rebuild on its own – which is what Democrats say they want. Meanwhile, by inviting foreign partners, Iraq is avoiding the trap of nationalization that has harmed so many countries. It concentrates political power, undermining democracy. National oil companies also tend to under invest in technology, letting harder-to-exploit oil become a wasting asset.

What the U.S. should promote in Iraq is some kind of oil trust, or stock or revenue dispersal, that would give individual Iraqis a share of their oil wealth. This would be both a tool to build national unity and to prevent any one political group from dominating Iraq's main revenue source. If Mr. Schumer wants to help on that score, he might do some good.

URL for this article:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121520981642729359.html
Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Iran’s Mullocracy Makes War Inevitable

nobody@vox.com(theway2k) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:21:12 -0700

Iranian Missile Tests

Moshe Sharon writes that has Israel has only shot at Iran. Success is vital in a surgical strike for if it fails utterly or beyond expectations, Iran and its proxies could deliver a blow that could end Israel’s existence.

Personally I think success or failure is irrelevant. A surgical strike on Iran’s nuke capability may make the world safer from radiation fall-out; however Iran and it military surrogates are going to respond anyway. I suspect America’s aid might be the only thing to tip Israel’s defense to a favorable outcome.

Does that mean Israel should abandon a surgical strike against Iran because the stakes would be inevitable?

I say no!

Sharon also points out that the Mullah controlled Shi’ites of Iran and Ahmadinejad’s belief in Mohammedan destiny means Iran will attack Israel eventually. Sharon quotes a Mohammedan Hadith (which the Sunnis also preach) that is prevalent clerical sermons:

The last hour will not come unless the Muslims fight against the Jews, and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and the stone or the tree would say: "Muslim! Servant of Allah! Here is a Jew behind me; come and kill him!"

Coupling this Mohammedan race hatred of Jews and a military desire to rebuild the ancient Iranian hegemony in the Middle East probably means Israel will be the inevitable focus for a reason to begin a war. Thus Israel may be faced with fighting a conventional war or a nuke war. Israel could lose both with undoubted Israeli defensive damage to the Mohammedan world; however a conventional war might be Israel’s best chance to survive.

Sharon points out effectively that Iran or any other aggressors might be stung pretty badly by an Israeli strike; however the little sliver of a land known as Israel could be devastated off the map. Thus Sharon points outs Israel only has one shot.

JRH 7/18/08 (Hat tip Prophecy Update)

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The Shame of the Main Stream Media

nobody@vox.com(Humbled Infidel) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:44:31 -0700

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Glenn McCoy by Glenn McCoy

See more of Glenn McCoy Cartoons at Townhall

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Cpl Christopher Levi of Holbrook NY~Someone you should know!

nobody@vox.com(LongIslandGirl) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:30:18 -0700

Newsday-Long Island NY

(go to www.newsday.com to view the video of Cpl Levi recovering at WRAMC)

Fundraiser (Sat 7/19/08) will aid Holbrook soldier injured in Iraq

BY MARTIN C. EVANS

July 18, 2008

U.S. Army Cpl. Christopher Levi leaned forward from his wheelchair, gripped the handles of a geriatric walker and, with all his upper body strength, hoisted himself to his feet.

In a rehab center at the Military Advanced Treatment Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Levi, 25, balanced himself unsteadily on two titanium legs. Then, slowly, he took a few tentative steps toward regaining his ability to walk.

His slow pace -- it took him 10 minutes to walk a halting 220 feet -- is part of a much larger journey Levi will take over the coming months that he hopes will help him reclaim his life.

The journey to Walter Reed began just before 1 p.m. on March 17, in the Sadr City section of Baghdad.

Levi's unit, a U.S. Army intelligence group, had picked up an Iraqi suspect for questioning several days earlier. That afternoon, Levi was with a group of soldiers who were to return the man to his home. Levi, whose family back in Holbrook worried endlessly about his safety, was in the middle vehicle -- an armored Humvee -- in a five-vehicle convoy.

At the wheel was his friend and squad leader, Sgt. Norman Forbes IV, of Grapevine, Texas.

They set off shortly after noon, riding through city streets that were frequent sites for attack.

"We had to pass through a choke point," Forbes recalled. "The first two trucks went though, and I hit the gas. Anytime you approach a choke point, you kind of say 'don't blow up, don't blow up.' But this time, it blew up."

Since arriving at Walter Reed last March, Levi has set his mind to one task: getting back on his feet. He is among an estimated 802 soldiers who, as of early July, have lost limbs in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While he undergoes months of rehab, his family in Holbrook will soon begin remodeling their home so that Levi can live comfortably in it. Tomorrow, the family will hold a fundraiser in Franklin Square, their first step in raising enough money to begin the work.

Even as his family meets with contractors, Levi has worked hard to get used to his two new legs. On the recent afternoon when he walked 220 feet down a hallway, he moved with slow, deliberate, heel-to-toe strides -- occasionally reminding himself to watch his posture so that his hips and abdominals would do the work, not his arms.

Though Levi has the strong physique of an Army Ranger, he was soon so exhausted he needed a towel to wipe off the sweat.

"It's hard to get used to it at first, but once you get the rhythm down and focus on the muscle groups you need, it becomes easier," he said, as more than a dozen other amputees grunted, panted, stretched or strode during rehab exercises of their own.

That afternoon in Sadr City, a bomb known as a shaped charge device hidden in the street sent a jet of molten metal hurtling through the armor of the soldiers' Humvee. The force shattered Forbes' left arm and his left hand, and broke his left femur, destroying the muscle of his thigh. Forbes is today a patient at a medical center in Texas.

Levi was riding to the right of Forbes. The blast cut through both of his legs at mid-thigh, hurling his limbs to the other side of the Humvee. The blast tore away part of his right palm, taking most of the fifth metacarpal bone with it.

"Forbes," Levi shouted, "I don't have any legs!"

At that moment, luck and modern military field medicine adapted to the insurgent war in Iraq came to Levi's aid. The machine gunner, Aaron Copeland, whose 50-caliber weapon had been bent in two by the blast, pressed his knee into Levi's crotch, squeezing shut two major arteries that feed blood to Levi's legs and preventing him from quickly bleeding to death. Copeland almost certainly saved Levi's life.

With minutes, Levi was evacuated to a military base that, fortunately, was close by. Within hours of the blast, and now stabilized, Levi was placed aboard a plane bound for emergency surgery at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. From there, Levi was shipped to Walter Reed.

There are more than 31,000 wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Funerals and memorials nationwide have focused attention on the 4,651 Americans who, as of yesterday, have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In contrast, the wounded have largely returned home in relative obscurity, often to face months of hospitalization, years of rehab and lifelong disability because of severed limbs, brain injuries, severe burns, blindness or other battle-related wounds.

For the next year or more, Levi is expected to remain at Walter Reed. He will learn how to balance on artificial limbs and learn to cope with the aftermath of an attack that so changed his life. Many wounded soldiers fight phantom pain in lost limbs as well as depression over their altered bodies. Often they battle sadness that they will not be allowed to return to active duty with their military buddies.

Levi is a confident and upbeat young man who moves about the Walter Reed campus in a motorized wheelchair. With gusto he throws himself into his daily physical therapy. After walking one and a half times around a 220-foot loop, Levi removed his artificial legs, climbed to the edge of a bed-like therapy platform and began doing legless sit-ups. The exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles, which must do much of the work his thigh muscles once did.

He recently developed an aggressive infection in his injured hand, which threatened the health of a bone graft there. Because of the injury, he is not expected to travel to Long Island for tomorrow's fundraiser.

In addition, a blister developed where his right leg meets the plastic prosthetic socket. That threatened to throw off his balance, which could lead to falls.

"He works very hard," said his physical therapist at Walter Reed, Bunnie Brower Wyckoff, a 1968 graduate of Hicksville High School. "He's had a lot of setbacks, but he rallies every time."

Levy's parents, Eric and Debbie, are planning to expand and renovate the bottom floor of their Holbrook split level to accommodate their son. Hallways will be widened, light switches will be lowered and power outlets raised to make them accessible to a wheelchair user. A bathroom will be fitted with a shower bench, and the sink will need to be low enough to be used from a sitting position. The house will have a separate entrance that will allow Levi to access his new apartment without having to walk from the driveway in icy weather.

The family hopes the fundraiser will help defray the expected $100,000 cost of the renovation, which is set to begin in a few weeks. The fundraiser will be held Saturday at 5 p.m., at the Plattduetsche Park Restaurant on Hempstead Avenue in Franklin Square.

Members of the Holbrook Fire Department and the Suffolk County Court Officers Association have offered to donate labor and materials. A Bay Shore architect drew the plans on his own time. A roofer has promised to donate labor and materials.

"There are a lot of people behind me," Levi said, as he confidently went back to his exercise routine.

Both parents said their son is excited about the fundraiser. "We feel thankful to God and our country that he is with us," said Eric Levi. "We see the light at the end of the tunnel. He is going to do good things in his lifetime."

The fundraiser
Where: Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, 1132 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square; 516-354-3131
When: 5 p.m.
Cost: $10 @ door
Live music, drinks, raffles, other fundraising chances

Donate: Christopher Levi, c/o Holbrook Fire Department, 390 Terry Blvd., Holbrook, NY 11741

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Kentucky Fried Chicken sizzles in Fallujah

nobody@vox.com(fearless1stmarines) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:05:20 -0700

Would you believe me if I were to tell you, even with everything that is going on in Iraq, that Iraqis can still enjoy a deep-fried southern chicken - colonel style? Well, it's true! Marines from Regimental Combat Team 1 have been closely observing local proprietorships, with one of them just so happening to be a Kentucky Fried Chicken here in the City of Fallujah. Marines regularly stop in to see how business is doing... and order some of that famous original recipe while doing so. Here is Cpl. Mann reporting more on this unique story.

Story by Cpl. Chris T. Mann

080716-M-4023M-001

FALLUJAH, Iraq (July 16, 2008) – Only a short time ago the city of Fallujah served as stronghold for insurgents. Daily skirmishes, improvised explosive device detonations and public unease made operating a business in the city very difficult.

Today, with improved security throughout the region, the low price of 4,000 dinar, or $3.50, will purchase a full meal at the recently established Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Hey Al Dubat area of the city.

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The KFC is the first to open for business in the city. Before improved conditions in the city, insurgents threatened business owners, demanding money to support acts of terrorism.

After a quick visit to the Fallujah Business Center during routine operations July 16, Marines with Regimental Combat Team 1’s Security Platoon and with Information Operations talked with employees at the franchise to evaluate its success.

“We stopped to check up on the KFC to see how things were going,” said 1st Lt. Michael C. Bryant, platoon commander with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, RCT 1. ”You can tell that the area is returning to normal, especially when you see fast food places in the area doing so well.”

The restaurant has several employees, and three that work full time. Employees there serve an average 25 customers per day.

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The Marines often take time to assess economic progress and gauge community activities during missions in the city.

After several short conversations with employees and patrons, the Marines ordered food to take back to Camp Fallujah for lunch.

“I think it is awesome to see a business doing so well in Fallujah and not have to worry about safety or corruption,” said Bryant, a 25-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colo.

Security over the past several years has reached an all-time high in Fallujah and many of the surrounding areas. The increase can be accredited to Coalition forces conducting patrols and security missions, as well as Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army retaking control of a majority of the Anbar region.

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“I remember when I was here last in July 2004 and things were much different than they are now,” said Sgt. Steve J. Arnoux, a 25-year-old vehicle commander from Browning, Mont. “When we would go out on convoys in the city, the attitude was a lot different. It seemed like we were just waiting to get ambushed. Now we stop at KFC.”

Citizens of the area can now work steady jobs, where as prior conditions kept many from even coming to work on a daily basis.

“I love the work here, because we have the opportunity to go to work every day,” said a KFC employee.

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