Saddam Swings

ht: Vinnie, Beth, Hot Air

Remembering Saddam

He was a street tough who took power in a coup and immediately singled out his enemies for summary execution.
He initiated a nuclear weapons program that the Israelis destroyed by airstrike in 1981.

He launched a war against Iran that led to the deaths of about a million people.
He invaded Kuwait, killed scores of its royal family and raped the country. During the US-led war to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control, Iraqi troops briefly invaded Saudi Arabia and frequently launched missiles at Israeli civilians. That makes four of his neighboring countries that he invaded or attacked directly.
He conducted the Anfal campaign against the Kurds, a brutal campaign against civilians that saw the use of chemical weapons against defenseless women and children. By some estimates he was responsible for the deaths of 300,000 Iraqis. He allowed rape rooms and torture chambers to proliferate, and raised his sons to be even worse monsters than he was. He brutally supressed a Shia uprising against him and subjugated the Marsh Arabs to terrible cruelty.

He worked with terrorists Abu Abbas and Abu Nidal, two of the most notorious terrorists of the 20th century, who had American blood on their hands. He paid the families of Palestinian suidice bombers in Israel. He attempted to assassinate President George H. W. Bush. He had at least a tacit relationship with al Qaeda, to the point that the Clinton administration bombed a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan on the suspicion that it was manufacturing chemical weapons for al Qaeda that were of Iraqi design.

Saddam Hussein was an evil man. He was the Hitler that we stopped before he could do even more damage. Tonight he’s dead. Good.

ht: Bryan/Hot Air

Tieing the knot of freedom

Snugging it up and making it tight..

As Saddam Hussein's lawyer made a last-ditch effort to impede his execution
Thursday, the White House was preparing for the ousted dictator to be hanged as
early as this weekend, a senior administration official said. The timetable was
based on information that U.S. officials in Baghdad received from the Iraqi
government. But, there were differing accounts.
Iraq's deputy justice minister, Bosho Ibrahim, said Saddam shouldn't be hanged for another few weeks.

"The law does not say within 30 days, it says after the lapse of 30 days,"
Ibrahim said.He did not explain the discrepancy between his interpretation
and the court's, nor could he give a specific execution date...
...Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman acknowledged there was concern about a possible surge of violence after the execution. "I'm sure the Iraqi government is thinking through that and working with the coalition in terms of the impact that could have," he said in Washington.

ht: Michelle Malkin

Comment Thing

Call me ridiculous, call me stoopid or whatever but I just realized that my "Comments" were supposed to be moderated and I never did so. Well after sifting the spam and some of the more vile hate filled entries, I have fixed it so the comments are un-moderated.

For those of you who tried to contact me I am sorry for the oversight and will endeavor to be more aware of this comment thing in the future.

Thanks,
Viper1

The Fall of Islamist Somalia

Nine days after the onset of open warfare between the al-Qaeda backed Islamic Courts and the Ethiopian backed Transitional Federal Government, the Islamic Courts have surrendered.
Ethiopia, doing the job Clinton failed to do, didnt have the balls to do and certainly had every reason to do. GO ETHIOPIA!!

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Sadr's Top Adviser Killed In Najaf Raid

U.S. military officials declined to confirm that Amiri was a Sadr aide, saying only that he had provided explosives for use against Iraqi and U.S. forces. Sadr officials said Amiri was an aide and a lawyer who ran an educational organization that helped orphans and impoverished children.

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Strange Things Afoot At The Baghdad Circle K

First there
’s a threat by Baathists to strike Americans if Saddam is executed. Which isn’t scary at all, of course, because Iraqi Baathists have absolutely no connection to terrorism.

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Putting freedom above football

There were signs. They were small signs, but they were there, and they suggested that Maryland guard Donnie Woods was serious about quitting football to defend his country.

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Islamic Supremacism in Iraq

In nearly every country where Islam coexists with Christianity (in fact, with any other religion), this story is repeated: ‘Leave, crusaders, or have your heads...

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The Lonely Senator

Sen. Kerry found himself all alone while he was over here. He cancelled his press conference because no one came, he worked out alone in the gym w/o any soldiers even going up to say hi or ask for an autograph (I was one of those who was in the gym at the same time), and he found himself eating breakfast with only a couple of folks who...

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France As a "Muslim Power"

As I write, it is exactly a year since the desolate banlieues of France erupted in an orgy of violence, on a scale which had not been seen for generations. At the time, these riots were blamed on social exclusion. Since then, it has become clear that the rioters are not just ‘immigrants’ or ‘youths’, but are first and foremost Muslims. When they set light to a car, their cry is often: ‘Allahu akhbar!’ (’Allah is great!’) [Oddly enough, the same thing supporters of Rep. Keith Ellison shout.

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France on highest alert since 9/11

While a French foreign intelligence service official notes that they are not aware of any specific plots or targets, they are increasing their alert status due to an increasing amount of chatter and information that is emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan…

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British Flatten Rogue Police Station in Basra

1000 British and Iraqi troops blasted their way in, and they blew up the building on the way out. 127 torture victims were freed from the out-of-control “Special Crimes Unit” of the Basra police, though the killer cops had fled by the time they arrived.

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UK Television Wishes You a Medieval Misogynistic Christmas

After denying that she was going to do it, a Muslim woman wearing a black face mask delivered UK Channel 4’s “alternate” Christmas message after all.

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Associated Press Ghouls Mark Another Milestone

The Associated Press
’s obsession with “significant” numbers and “grim milestones” produces one of their most vile articles ever: U.S. deaths in Iraq exceed 9-11 count.They’ve obviously been watching and waiting for this magic number, to file a report like this—an empty-headed, amoral attempt to equate things that are not equivalent

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Bill Roggio reports

Bill is back from Iraq. Welcome back! Two must-read posts:

An interview with fellow military blogger and Army Captain Eric Coulson.

And Anbar tribal leaders and politicians are concerned about the Iraq Survey Group

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Sistani backs Sadr, nixes anti-militia coalition

One of Iraq
’s most influential Shiite clerics has rejected a U.S.-backed proposal to isolate Shiite extremists in the national government, saying Iraq should govern and police itself with the help of anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada Sadr, according to those who spoke to him today…

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TSA Halts Anti-Terror Screening

Just in time for the holiday season, the government has halted the Secure Flight anti-terrorism screening program, thanks to the efforts of privacy advocate groups.

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British Corporal charged with spying for Iran!

Gen Richards commands 31,000 troops, including special forces, and has regular contact with President Hamid Karzai. A military source said the amount of information James would have known would have depended on the type of relationship he had with Gen Richards.

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Merry Christmas From Palestine!

A Palestinian girl runs for cover as gunmen from Hamas take position during a gunbattle between Hamas and Fatah militants in the West Bank city of Nablus... Don't worry -- there were no Jews involved in this Hamas-Fatah firefight...

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Virgil Goode's Letter : An Analysis

Rep. Virgil Goode has been savaged for his frank and uncompromising statements as to the use of the Koran in Rep. Keith Ellison's swearing-in ceremony. Some in the

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Hizballah Spreading to Turkey

Syria and Iran's terrorist army Hizballah is extending its reach into southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border: The Southeast and the Hezbollah. (Hat tip: mc.)

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Iran Financed Khobar Towers Attack

What will it take for the United States to acknowledge that Iran is openly at war with us, and has been for decades? Here’s a...

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And friends are calling 'yoo-hoo!'

Merry Christmas from Hot Air!

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Miss Nevada Katie Rees UNCENSORED

I'm not advocating you go there, but if you were academically curious as to what all those pics of Miss Navada Katie Rees look like without all those little red stars, there's a set here. (NSFW--as if!) Please understand that...

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Muslims Murder 61st Teacher in Thailand

(Bangkok) Since January 2004, more than 1,950 people have been killed in the three Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat in Thailand. Yesterday, a female Bhuddist teacher, 34-year-old Chutima Rattanasamnieng, was shot in the head and later died...

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Associated Press Discovers a Terrorist

The Associated Press won’t use the word “terrorist” to describe people who blow themselves up on schoolbuses in Israel. They wont use it to describe...

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Palestinian Child Abuse

A Palestinian child fires a shot from a rifle held by a militant of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a group affiliated with the Fatah...

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The AP (non-)responds andanother search comes up empty

I wish AP would come out and admit this source is bad or just clear this up.

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Kofi rips off NY taxpayers, among others

I am well and truly on record despising Kofi Annan and all he represents at the UN and in international relations. He has presided over the most disgraceful period for an increasingly corrupt and useless organization.

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Jimmy Carter and the Arab Lobby

Here's a fascinating look back at Jimmy Carter's long association with the Arab Lobby, including his disgraceful appearances at the United Arab Emirates think tank/lunatic asylum known as the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Followup.

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Where Sandy socked the docs

Former national security adviser Sandy Berger removed classified documents from the National Archives in 2003 and hid them under a construction trailer, the Archives inspector general reported Wednesday.

The report was issued more than a year after Berger pleaded guilty and received a criminal sentence for removal of the documents.

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2006: The year of perpetual outrage

It began with the Danish cartoons. It ended with the flying imams. 2006 was a banner year for the Religion of Perpetual Outrage. Twelve turbulent months of fist-waving, embassy-burning, fatwa-issuing mayhem, intimidation, and murder resounded with the ululations of the aggrieved. All this in the name of defending Islam from “insult.” Let’s review.

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Behind the veil in Britain

A Somalian fugitive wanted for the murder of a policewoman escaped from Britain by disguising himself as a veiled Muslim woman.

Is it any surprise...

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No more Paras in the UK?

Parachute training in the Army is set to be halted for four years as part of a £1 billion cost-cutting programme by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The proposals mean that Britain will be without a parachute-trained force for the first time since the Second World War when the Parachute Regiment was created on the orders of Winston Churchill.

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W chooses victory

We do want to win right? That is a question we don't have a clear answer to. I don't know what a poll would tell us, nor do I really care. We have a Commander in Chief rather than a War Council or War Plebiscite for a very good reason, war is by far the hardest thing we do as a country and we are weak.

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Breaking: France Surrenders

Although this is a surprise to nobody who is skeptical about France's ability to do anything but surrender, they are pulling out all 200 troops
Allah Akbhar, Islamic Republic of France...get used to it, you'll be hearing it a lot more in the coming months

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Tsunami Aid Money Used for Shari'a

WHEN people around the world sent millions of pounds to help the stricken Indonesian province of Aceh after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, few could have imagined that their money would end up subsidising the lashing of women in public.

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Novelist: Self-immolator who wanted to kill Rumsfeld "a pretty normal well-

Remember Malachi Ritscher, the nut who lit himself on fire to protest the war after he neglected to stab Don Rumsfeld in the heart when he had the chance? The left
’s doing its best to make sure you do. Here’s the latest reminder, courtesy of novelist Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu:

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RoP Leaders in Somalia Call for Jihad

Leaders of the Religion of Peace in Somalia are calling for jihad against the Somali government and against Ethiopia: Somali leader: Door to peace talks are closed..

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Ten Commandments judge: Congress should refuse to seat Keith Ellison

The Islamic faith rejects our God and believes that the state must mandate the worship of its own god, Allah… Islamic law is simply incompatible with our law.

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Maj. Megan McClung and Capt. Travis Patriquin, RIP

By Michael Fumento

I only heard Marine Major Megan McClung yell once, but it was righteous anger. If this were fiction, it might be considered foreshadowing. It was at Camp Ramadi headquarters outside of the city proper and away from the hostilities. The 34-year-old McClung, head Public Affairs Officer (PAO) for Al Anbar Province, was barking at a public affairs sergeant. "Ramadi is the most dangerous city in Iraq and you're going to get your men out there to cover it!"

This was in October and the previous spring I had been angry with McClung, though I'm glad I didn't tell her. She was a captain then with her headquarters at Camp Fallujah. I had made it clear I wanted to spend my entire embed in Ramadi because that's where the action was and because on my first Iraq trip a year earlier I had seen Fallujah but been denied Ramadi when I wound up "embedded" on a surgical bed in Baghdad. Yet when I returned this spring to Baghdad to renew my press credentials and expected to fly straight from there to Ramadi, I was dumbfounded that McClung had routed me right back to Fallujah and its environs. When I saw her in person, she explained that she wanted me to spend time with Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) in the area to see how well their training of the Iraqi Army was progressing.

It was a prescient move on her part, especially considering that a tremendous increase in MiTT teams embedded in indigenous units has become a major part of all plans to ultimately turn the war over to the Iraqis. In any case, the trip did end in Ramadi where during just a few short days I saw and reported on more combat, more courage, and more camaraderie than you might see elsewhere in Iraq in a year.
For my last embed, I was in Ramadi the whole time. But again McClung guided me so I saw what I needed to see rather than what I thought I needed to see. After each embed she diligently provided information that I'd been unable to gather in the field. I have two dozen emails from her on my computer, the last dated November 30. The lady I once begrudged I grew to have great respect for.

I also developed that respect for 32-year-old Captain Travis Patriquin of the Army's First Armored Division. (McClung was with the First Marine Division.) I photographed Patriquin's desk, which was covered with bumper stickers such as George Orwell's observation that "We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harm." When I published my photo set from the trip, that desk quickly became a blogosphere celebrity.
Patriquin was exactly the sort of officer we need in Iraq. He spoke at least five languages including fluent Arabic, and was a major player in getting Ramadi sheiks to start supporting Coalition operations by sending men into the Iraqi Police and urging civilians to expose al Qaeda terrorists. He fought in one of the fiercest battles of the Afghanistan war, Operation Anaconda, later receiving the Bronze Star. Patriquin also provided a terrific inbriefing, giving an overview of a city that seems slowly to be improving but is still too much like the local graffiti states: "The graveyard of the Americans." I quoted him at great length in my major article about the trip in the Nov. 27 Weekly Standard.

While most journalists heading into Ramadi require no PAO escort, for some reason on December 6 both McClung and Patriquin, plus 22-year-old Army Specialist Vincent J. Pomante III decided to accompany some reporters downtown in a separate vehicle. A tremendous blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped apart their truck, killing all three. I heard about Patriquin from a cousin of his, then left a message for McClung asking for verification and offering her my condolences. And then I found out about her. McClung has the dubious honor of being the first female officer killed in the war.

Why, people who have never been to war ask me, do I actually like being in a combat zone? Partly it's the feeling of being responsible for the lives of everyone else and they for you. Partly it's that you never feel more alive than when you know you're so close to death. You develop the bond that Shakespeare marvelously described as a "Band of Brothers." And when you leave the killing fields behind, that bond remains and is something that nobody who hasn't experienced it will ever appreciate. You accept that some brothers will die, but that doesn't make it easier when it happens.Given the season, it seems appropriate to quote from Michael Marks's haunting poem, "A Soldier's Christmas:"


"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,"
Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."


Note: This blog will be updated as more information becomes available. "A Soldier's Christmas is copyright 2000 by Michael Marks.

Cindy Sheehan: Convicted

Time for Coffee and Ice Cream!

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Word/phrase of the yearPlus: Blogger contests galore

Merriam-Webster announced theirs over the weekend. Here are your nominations. Readers sent in a few entries coined in previous years, but they've held their currency, so they made the cut:

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Surprise: Deal struck to end Lebanon standoff?

Exceedingly strange. Hezbollah dropped another massive protest on Beirut today replete with veiled threats of violence and a call from its Christian Syrian-tool ally, Michel Aoun, for the formation of an alternate government. An impressive display of power.

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Report: Iraqi factions planning to replace Maliki

Major partners in Iraq
’s governing coalition are in behind-the-scenes talks to oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki amid discontent over his failure to quell raging violence, according to lawmakers involved.

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Thoughts On The Firestorm Over Iraq

It's artificial. By this I mean there was no seismic change in the circumstance in Iraq. Incrementally most say it has gotten worse, but worse in a specific way: sectarian violence has increased. There has been an increase in US...

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Hey, Rosie O'Donnell: Did you teachyour kids to speak "ching chong," too?

The Hippo-crit strikes again

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AP: Still not off the hookPlus: The Question

"Who is Jamil Hussein?" is becoming the new "Who is John Galt?"--a blogospheric refrain that both summarizes and challenges MSM apathy about its questionable war reporting.

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Iraqi ambassador confronts America-bashing Iranian minister

Allahpundit uncovers an article telling the tale of how Iraqi Ambassador Siamand Banaa rose to confront the Iranian foreign minister when he said the U.S. troop presence in Iraq had touched off an endless cycle of violence. Banaa addressed the cynicism and hypocrisy of the Iranian's America bashing statement.

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Bikini march sparks retort

MUSLIMS, socialists, unions and other groups will conduct a counter-rally against bikini protesters who plan to march on a Brunswick mosque on Saturday.

Police will monitor the demonstrations, with white supremacists claiming to have infiltrated bikini protest ranks, increasing the potential for confrontation.

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Jawdropper of the Day

Wow.

This year the "alternate" Christmas speech on British Channel 4 will be delivered by ... a Muslim woman wearing a full face mask. Ready for Sharia?

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Christian Mobs Riot After Bible Desecration (not)

Following Tuesday morning mass, enraged Christians poured into the streets of many major cities, smashing shop windows and setting cars on fire, screaming “Crucify them!”...

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Israel Documents Hizballah War Crimes, World Yawns

Nothing surprising here, and many of the pictures and videos were the subject of previous LGF posts during the Lebanon War, but at least the...

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DHS is a mess

But you knew that already, if you've been reading this blog. Michael Cutler at The Counterterrorism Blog has the latest on ineptitude at the Citizenship and Immigration Services--which, as I've noted before, is headed up by a crony appointee with no immigration law expertise whatsoever outside his own personal experience as a Cuban refugee.

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Request for Michigan readers

It's a shame protestwarriors haven't been active since they had to sue liberals for trying to steal credit cards, this would be right up their alley.

www.protestwarrior.com

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Iran bans YouTube, Amazon.com, and even the NY Times website...

There's something richly bemusing about Iran banning the website of every terrorist's favorite newspaper...

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Big Damn Heroes