First Sgt. Hatley and the Beauchamp TNR Affair

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Wednesday August 27, 2008 · 12:05 AM PDT

2008/08/27 · 00:05

A U.S. Army First Sergeant described as a murderer in today's NYT seems to be the same one that led the unit involved in last years New Republic / Beauchamp controversy.

In July 2007 a U.S. soldier under the pseudonym Scott Thomas wrote about the war in Iraq at the The New Republic's Shock Troops blog. Scott Thomas described some disgusting behavior by his fellow soldiers. Such included running over dogs with Bradley fighting vehicles and playing with a child's scull found in a mass grave.

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crossposted at Moon of Alabama

Bernhard

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Thursday July 17, 2008 · 11:30 AM PDT

2008/07/17 · 11:30

The U.S. is finally fighting the real enemy in Afghanistan.

As the Air Force Print News service reports:

An F/A-18C dropped a GBU-12 onto an enemy building engaging coalition forces near Delaram.

Buildings shooting at coalition forces are easy to fight.

Obama will certainly have no problem obliterating all of these.

Dem Candidates Will Prosecute Torturers Or Not?

Bernhard

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Wednesday October 31, 2007 · 2:40 PM PDT

2007/10/31 · 14:40

One Malcolm Nance, who has personal experience on the issue, explains why Waterboarding is Torture... Period.

The Democrats and the Democratic presidential candidates seem to be against applying such obviously illegal and amoral methods.

That is fine.

But can someone please ask them how they will handle those U.S. people who recently ordered, supervised and applied such illegal torture?

Under the standards of the Nuremberg Trials all three of these groups should be prosecuted, jailed and, under U.S. law, probably put to death.

What is Obama's, Hillary's and John Edwards' stand on this issue?

How to make them care about you - an answer to kid oakland

Bernhard

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Friday September 07, 2007 · 6:10 AM PDT

2007/09/07 · 06:10

In his diary they don't care about us and never did kid oakland makes some valid points on how little the Democrats in Washington care about the progressive "kooks" that support them.

We are utterly taken for granted.

From the point of view of the majority of long-standing Democratic politicians we are seen as nameless, faceless, trouble-making, easily replaceable, meddlesome busybodies and...not much more.

That view is correct and troublesome and we ought to change this.

Kid suggest local engagement. Fine. But there are better tools available.

Bernhard

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Thursday August 16, 2007 · 12:25 PM PDT

2007/08/16 · 12:25

From the annals of somewhat ridiculous news:

Reuters, August 16, 2007

Afghan, U.S. forces assault al Qaeda in Tora Bora

U.S. and Afghan air and ground forces pounded al Qaeda militants for a second day on Thursday in the Tora Bora mountains close to the Pakistan border ..

BBC, December 11, 2001

Eyewitness: New assault on Tora Bora

A new offensive is under way in eastern Afghanistan to try to dislodge al-Qaeda fighters from positions in the hills above the Tora Bora cave complex.

Bernhard

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Tuesday August 07, 2007 · 2:04 AM PDT

2007/08/07 · 02:04

It is tiresome to again and again refute U.S. lies about Iran's civil nuclear program. But it is important to not let the propaganda win and to refute it every time it threatens to take the lead.

Bush yesterday said:

[I]t's up to Iran to prove to the world that they're a stabilizing force as opposed to a destabilizing force. After all, this is a government that has proclaimed its desire to build a nuclear weapon.

President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with President Karzai of Afghanistan, August 6, 2007

Will someone in the U.S. media please call this what it is - simply an outrageous lie?

Why is this a lie? Because the Iranian government has consistently proclaimed that it does NOT desire to build a nuclear weapon.

Here is, again, proof:

Bernhard

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Monday July 09, 2007 · 4:10 AM PDT

2007/07/09 · 04:10

(x-posted at Moon of Alabama)

While being totally against the U.S. war on Iraq, I still feel some empathy for the troops being send there. Having been a soldier myself, it is painful to see them wasted for no cause. It is outrages to see some hurt because they are led by fundamentalist officers.

In today's Washington Post, David Finkel writes about such a case:

Everything in the Army is supposed to have a task and a purpose, and this simple mission was no different. The task was to get 27 soldiers from Point A to Point B, from their neighborhood combat outpost to an Army base four miles away. The purpose was to attend a memorial service for one of their fellow soldiers, who had died eight days earlier while attempting to make the very same trip.

The platoon is supposed to do counter-insurgency work by caring for the security of Iraqi civilians. But it is ordered to take a dangerous trip to attend a memorial service.

Who is behind this?

Bernhard

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Sunday July 08, 2007 · 1:09 PM PDT

2007/07/08 · 13:09

(x-posted at Moon of Alabama)

In a Washington Post OpEd arch-zionist, likudnik, human rights promoter and GWB favorite Natan Sharansky is urging against a U.S. pullout: Leave Iraq and Brace for a Bigger Bloodbath.

In doing so, Sharansky manipulates results to some questions asked in a poll he cites, while ignoring other questions and answers that do not support his opinion.

Bernhard

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Sunday July 01, 2007 · 2:01 AM PDT

2007/07/01 · 02:01

(x-posted at Moon of Alabama)

The British officials are freaking out about the incidents in London and Glasgow, pushing the terror alert to the top level. According to the BBC they do believe the cars found in London and the car incident in Glasgow are connected because there are "similarities".

Chief Constable Willie Rae said: "There are clearly similarities, and we can confirm that [the Glasgow attack] is being treated as a terrorist incident."

Please consider these "similarities":

In London two Mercedes were used.
In Glasgow a Jeep Cherokee was involved.
...

Bernhard

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Wednesday June 27, 2007 · 3:29 AM PDT

2007/06/27 · 03:29

Two days ago the press corps and White House spokesperson Dana Perino were collectively speculating about Cheney's positioning in the executive and/or legislative branch.

MS. PERINO: The executive functions are given to him by the President. For example, the Vice President's paycheck comes from the Senate. So these are -- that's an interesting constitutional question.

Ms. Perino, dear press corps, please let me help with some scientific background:

Bernhard

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Wednesday June 20, 2007 · 5:29 AM PDT

2007/06/20 · 05:29

(crossposted at Moon of Alabama)

There is a new detailed analysis out on the "War and Operation in Iraq" written by the Global Policy Forum and some thirty non-governmental-organizations. It is impeccable sourced on mainstream news accounts and official reports.

The currently ongoing "pacification" of Baqubah, a city with 300,000 inhabitants, by some 10,000 U.S. troops is using the same methods as documented in the NGO report with regard to Fallujah and a dozen other Iraqi cities. From the executive summary (pdf):

US Coalition forces have attacked and destroyed a number of important Iraqi cities, on grounds that they were "insurgent strongholds." The attacks have resulted in the massive displacement of people, large civilian casualties, and colossal destruction of the urban physical infrastructure.

Bernhard

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Monday June 18, 2007 · 1:51 PM PDT

2007/06/18 · 13:51

crossposted at Moon of Alabama

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History professor Andrew J. Bacevich questions why every major politician wants to add some 100,000 troops and increase defense spending. "What is the use?" he asks.

At the Agonist Ian Welsh has a related question. How does the most expensive military in the world manages to lose two small wars against rag-tag insurgencies?

There are two answers to this:

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First Sgt. Hatley and the Beauchamp TNR Affair

Now: The Real Enemy in Afghanistan

Dem Candidates Will Prosecute Torturers Or Not?

How to make them care about you - an answer to kid oakland

Six Years At Tora Bora?!?

Contrary to Bush's New Lie - Iran Does Not Want Nukes

When Soldiers Die, "We're winning" and some Pat Tillman Relation

Nathan Sharansky - Lying with Statistics

The London-Glasgow Terror "Similarities"

A Short Lecture on Executive-Legislative Duality (snark)

Urbicide in Baqubah

URGENT: The Imminent Golf Crisis