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24. mars 2003
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The turning around of a human shield
Daniel Pepper, who went to Iraq as a "human shield," writes about how he was shocked by meeting ordinary Iraqis who wanted the US to bomb their country to get rid of Saddam Hussein.
Of course I had read reports that Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein, but this was the real thing. Someone had explained it to me face to face. I told a few journalists who I knew. They said that this sort of thing often happened - spontaneous, emotional, and secretive outbursts imploring visitors to free them from Saddam's tyrannical Iraq.
It's hard to imagine the kind of horrors that would make people want a foreign power to attack their own country as the lesser evil.
9:22:45 PM 
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Saddam wins last round of propaganda war
 Saddam Hussein has again appeared on Iraqi TV (picture), and by making a mention of Umm Qasr and the "heroic resistance" there, he totally demolished claims by the US and British that he had been taken out in the initial "decapitating" attack.
The parading of US prisoners and casualties on Arab television is further testimony that the war is not going as smoothly as the propaganda would have us believe.
Information is also coming out showing that earlier propaganda bursts were not entirely true. The alleged Iraqi "brigidier general" of the 51st Division who were earlier reported to have surrendered with his troops, was in reality a junior officer "masquerading as a higher-up in an attempt to win better treatment".
No wonder the US now wants to target Iraqi TV to prevent the regime from communicating with his forces and the Iraqi people. The US psy-war specialists have certainly failed in their attack on Iraqi morale, as the US diplomats failed in their attempts to sway world opinion.
It will all come down to the more blunt instruments of war, and there, at least, we should expect to US-led coalition to have the edge.
9:11:36 PM
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"Fuck Saddam! We're Taking him out."
Those are the words said by President George Bush to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, one year ago, that sealed the fate of the Iraqi regime. Time magazine gives an interesting background to the decision to go to war.
7:36:21 PM
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EU and NATO united
Turkey's threats to invade northern Iraq have managed what months of American diplomacy failed to do: unite the US, NATO and the European Union against a common enemy: in this case NATO member and wanna-be EU member Turkey.
6:55:56 PM
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Virtual Occoquan coming to a monitor near you!
Mark has put together a shining new issue of The Occoquan Inquirer which you don't want to miss. It gives you some of the best articles of the last week in Salon blogging in one easy package.
6:18:45 PM
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Yeah, these are weird times
"You know the world has changed when the best rapper is white, the best golfer is black, and the Germans don't want to go to war." (Howard Stern)
8:18:35 AM
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Supreme Court to hear Texas sodomy case
The US Supreme Court will Wednesday hear the case against John Lawrence and Tyron Garner, charged with violating Texas' law against consensual gay sex. Texas is one of 13 US states still having anti-sodomy laws, and only 4 target homosexuality specifically. Lawrence and Garner is arguing that the law invades their privacy and violates their right to be treated equally with heterosexuals.
Since states have been less than eager in prosecuting homosexuality, such cases rarely goes to court. This may well become a real landmark decision.
It will be totally inexcusable if the US Supreme Court does not find these medieval laws unconstitional.
7:17:13 AM
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Oops, sorry about that!
US bombers accidentally dropped a bomb over Turkey, luckily not injuring anyone as it fell about one kilometre from the village of Ozveren.
It boggles the mind thinking about all those bombers flying back and forth from bases all around the world if we risk them actually dropping bombs randomly. What are those pilots on?
5:49:23 AM
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You need this!
Get dehydrated water.
Dehydrated water is compact, lightweight, easy to store, and perfect to take wherever you go.
Can't argue with that!
4:04:36 AM
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Possible chemical weapons factory seized
A Pentagon official has confirmed a Jerusalem Post story that US forces has captured a suspected chemical weapons factory near An Najaf in Iraq. They also captured a general and other officials in charge of the facility.
The report was full of cautionary words like "suspected", emphasising that conclusions were "premature." Obviously, considering the sources, we should be double skeptical.
Yet, if - big if - this proves to be an actual chemical weapons factory, there will probably be a bit of red faces in Russia and France. However, I can easily anticipate the answer from Chirac: "This just proves we should have let the arms inspectors complete their job."
3:38:25 AM
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Help wanted!
Developer for US Patriot Missile Defense systems. Must have experience with friend or foe-detection.
Knowing the difference between Tornado strike plane and SCUD missile a bonus.
Contact. D. Rumsfeld.
Urgent!
3:24:31 AM
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Language as propaganda
A very interesting piece on the (mis)use of language in war propaganda by David Olive in The Toronto Star. I've written a bit about specific terms earlier, and Olive indeed lists some of the terms I have tracked here, and some others. He also offers some cynical comments, with varying precision. Here is one of the better ones:
Embed, n. A war correspondent tagging along with a combat unit, who is said to be "embedded" (a Pentagon term) or "in bed with the Pentagon" (the journalism-school definition).
We can be as cynical as we want, but I think most journalists would not turn down such a possibility for reporting from the frontline, even with some censorship in place.
2:51:10 AM
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US military mum on fragger's religion
"Of reports that Akbar was a convert to Islam, Heath said he had heard nothing officially, but added, "Asan Akbar is probably not Southern Baptist."" (CNN)
2:42:10 AM
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In Haiti, poverty leads to environmental disaster
Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is now nearly 90 per cent deforested. Add political instability to the poverty and misery, and the country is totally unable to prevent the poor from cutting down even more trees. This again leads to erosion of the top soil and possibly weather changes that worsens the situation further.
2:14:35 AM
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Summing up a bad day at the frontline
"We have to understand that in many conflicts in our nation's history, and in the history of our coalition partners, there have been days much, much worse than this by any stretch of the imagination." (US Lt. Gen. John Abizaid)
1:16:45 AM
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Red against those goodamn Reds
"Sergeant Rene Laprevotte told the San Francisco Chronicle: "After 16 hours of fighting communists and anarchists, a Red Bull can help us go another 16 hours. We're here as long as they are."" (The Guardian)
1:04:04 AM
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US accuses Russian firm of aiding Iraqi defense
US officials has accused Russian technicians are working to help the Iraqi defence jam GPS signals. While the Russian government is not directly involved, the US says Moscow has been "extremely unhelpful" in addressing the concerns. This would be a clear violation of the UN-imposed embargo.
12:32:55 AM
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© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland.
Last update: 01.04.2003; 01:33:24.
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