Dan Lyons

CIA & TALIBAN AGREE!
That Qaeda has used last 18 months to train new terroriststo move into Afgh,
& ALSO TO SLIP INTO WESTERN COUNTRIES
TO ATTACK THEM.
CBS/ NEWS31MAR
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/31/world/main3981321.shtml

(CIA may be trying to justify bombing
Afgh/Pak border without Pak permission.

Bombing will, as usual, be counter-productive.)

New Pak.govt. won’t be US puppet.
LATIMES/31MAR

NoTruce in Baghdad:
Copters still attacking Sadr City;
mortars still exploding in Green Zone;
Curfew lifted,
Observers say truce won’t last.
REUTERS/31MAY
http://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSL31425442

Maliki weakened by failed assault on Sadrites.
NYTIMES/31Mar

WILL MALIKITES HONOR TRUCE?
Sadr has offered truce
(pressured they say by Iran);
at first, Malikites said
their offensive would soon end;
But later this was recanted.
CNN/31MAR

NEW THREAT FROM US MEDDLING:
Qaeda is using the border between Afgh. & Pak
in NEW efforts to train terrorists to look and act like Europeans,
to get European passports, to enter US to wreak havoc.
ABC/news/30MAR

Bushies put their faith in Musharref. After a failed attempt to conquer this area,
M.basically gave up, handed over control to the tribal leaders who FAVOR Taliban.

RUSS PREDICT IRAN ATTACK by US;
Only question is when?

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070327/62697703.html

All we need—a THIRD stupid Bushie war

ROCKETS/MORTARS INTO GREEN ZONE:
US, govt HQ.
Thursday about one volley per hour from dawn to night.
ABC NEWS/30MAR

NO AIRSTRIKE IS PRECISION
US strafed bldgs, said it killed militants,

But others said civilians were killed.

Who will Iraqis believe?
NEWS YAHOO/30MAR

BAGHDAD CURFEW EXTENDED INDEFINITELYEven tho Sadr has called his fighters off the streets,Govt. doesn’t think capital is safe (from SadritesAND QUAEDA!)REUTERS/30MAR

BUSHIES STUCK WITH SMALL MALIKITE MINORITYSadrites are Shia majority.
Hatred between Malikite Badr and SadritesIs deep and lasting.
Bushies are stuck with Malikites.LATIMES/30MAR

POL.DEBATE BACK ON IRAQ
The failed Malikite offensive (‘IraqArmy’)
vs. Sadrites
Has brought Iraq back into pol. Limelight.

By Nov, it will look as if ‘success’ of SURGE
at pacificationWas illusion.

That will kill McCain.
NYTIMES/30MAR

HILARY: IN RACE FOR CENTURY !
She should line up with McCain:
He’d stay in Iraq for 100 yrs.

IRAQ ARMY:BLACK HUMOR
Again and again, Bushies announce progress
in setting up
Govt. army that could ‘stand alone’.

Again & again, predicted dates have slipped by;

Now NO predicted dates are offered.
SEATTTLEPI/30MAR

Over $1000 millions have been looted from $ we gave for army.

MSNBC/30MAR

CIA head says it will be YEARS before Iraq army can 'stand alone'.
Years in which hundreds or thousands of GIs, men HEALTHY NOW,
will be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

ABC/NEWS/30MAR

Sadrites Off the Streets/orders Sadr.

He’s shown that Badrites plus US planes
could not beat Sadrites;

Now he can show himself as peacemaker.
NEWS SMH.COM/30MAR

If US/Badr continue attacks on Sadrite neighborhoods,
odium will be on them.

BADR NOT A NATL ARMY, says US expert.

They can’t stand alone vs. Sadrites.

US may end up facing full force
of thousands of Sadrite warriors.
REuTERS/30MAR

US FORCED INTO IRAN ALLIANCE

Maliki sided with Iran vs. Saddam earlier.

Recently, he kissed crazy Iran Pres.

Now he’s forced Bushies to side with him
vs. Sadrites.

Malikite Offensive NOT GOING WELL,
Say US officials.
CNN/29MAR

Afghans turning against
Foreign (Western) Presence
GLOBE & MAIL/ 29mar

TALIBAN WD.DESTROY OUR WAY OF LIFE
Says US honcho in Pakistan.
MSNBC/29mar

Considering that most Pakistanis disapprove vigorously of our way of life,
This may not have been the smartest thing to say in Pakistan!

MALIKITE OFFENSIVE IMPULSIVE,
on the fly, surprised Bush—
Now in Stalemate.
CBS NEWS/29mar

TALIBAN ATTACK AFGHAN POWER STATION:
Damage to machinery denied.

In ’07, Taliban launched thousands of roadside bombs,
Hundreds of suicide bombs.
REUTERS/29MAR

US hopes more power,etc. would make
its puppet govt.More popular.

Apparently Taliban agree.

BASRA OIL WORKERS IMMOBILIZED
By curfew, violence.

They’re keeping oil flowing for now,but…
UNITED PRESS/29MAR

MALIKI HYSTERICAL:
says Sadrites worse than Quaeda!

That won’t go over well with Shia
who have seen hundredsOf Shia
slaughtered by Quaeda.

BAGHDAD UNDER CURFEW;

BASRA STREETS DESERTED.

REUTERS/29MAR

WEAPONS GIVEN UP—
BUT BY BADRITES, NOT SADRITES !

40 ‘govt.army’ troops gave up arms
to Sadrite Hq,
saying they would not fight their brothers.
LATIMES/29MAR

DO AIRSTRIKES HELP BADR?

NYTIMES headline (29DEC) said they do,
though the story told of civilians killed.

These strikes line up Badrs with hated US planes.

50%-70% of Basra still controlled by Sadrites.

ATTACKS UP VS. GIs

Attacks vs. GIs have risen sharply
since US/BADR attack on Sadrites.

No new GI deaths reported;

US doesn’t tell of GIs wounded.
SEATTLEPI/29MAR

SadritesWon’tSurrender:
Sadr sends msg that his forces will lay down weapons ONLY
to a govt THROWING OUT AMERICANS.

Some Badr troops hand over weapons to Sadrites, refusing to fight ‘our own people’.

Sadrites fighting in Basra are ‘elusive’.

Badrs are in uniform, easy to spot by snipers.
Badrites are dressed like civilians.

Fighting in other cities also.

US airstrikes kill some civilians, of course.
BBC/29MAR

2d IRAQ PIPELINE BOMBED THIS WEEK:
One expected to be repaired on Friday.
Experts say oilfields are secure from militants.
Unclear how much cut in exports involved.GOOGLE.COM/29MAR

BADRites (Hakim) VS. SADRRITES(SADR): are fighting for control of future Shialand. Sadr’s cease-fire (credited with much of the improvement, the lowering of violence) has dissolved. “We have been told to fight the Americans.”
This quarrel could be as crucial as the fight against Sunni insurgents.
WashPost/28Mar/article by Council on ForeignRElations

So far it looks as if dumb attack by Maliki will fail, and will drag US into a battle with tens of thousands of Sadrite warriors. But so far, US casualties have not been said to rise.

Hundreds of thousands of Sadrites have marched in various cities to protest the attack.

If this is the ‘defining fight’ as Bush says, things look bad for Bushie project.

SADRITES CONTROL BASRA STREETS,
are fighting in other cities.
GLOBE&MAIL/28MAR

BRITS SIT ON HANDS
while it’s getting clear that Maliki forces
Can’t cope with Sadrite militants.
REUTERS/28MAR

Bushies have no real allies,
(except Canada in Afhanistan---for now.)

WHY MALIKI’S NEW FRONT?
--He may want to throw Sadrites off-balance before Oct. elections in Basra area.
But he’s shown that HIS forces are knocked
off-balance.
And Basra dwellers are not likely to vote for BADRS who have started a war in their area, calling in hated Yankee bombers.

--He may be worried that Sadrites
were using truce-time to arm for a battle
with Badrites, so he wanted to start the war before they were ready.
But he’s showing that HIS forces are not ready!

A dumb ally of dumb Bushies.

Maliki Forces Call in US bombers:
NYTIMES/28MAR

--this shows Malikites can’t prevail on their own;

--this will speed the day when Sadrites attack GIs;

--Airstrikes will recruit more Sadrite fighters than they eliminate.

About Clinton’s repeated ‘mispeaks’
on her Bosnia trip,
“She’s worse than an innate liar;
she’s an innate lawyer.”

She'd be a disaster as a President,
but a perfect successor to Cheney.

(McCain would be far worse !)

Many rockets hit US HQ in GREEN ZONE;
2 Americans killed, others seriously wounded.
JERUSALEM POST/29MAR

GIs have to take lead vs.Sadrites;
Battles in various places; with GIs in lead.
(Iraqi govt.army hangs back.)

Maliki started this new front without consulting US.
WashPost/28Mar

So far, no new US fatalities announced
on Wed or Thurs,

CLINTON DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY
in positive ratings, up in negative/
ABC/27MAR

MORE OF SAME IN AFGH.WON’T WORK
Says commentator on recent report by top Canadian honchos.
Globe and Mail/27mar

SADRITES FEND OFF MALIKI/US efforts
to penetrate Sadr City.
LATIMES/27MAR

(Maliki/US) Attack on Sadrites STALLS
In Basra.
NYTIMES/27MAR

Pent.honchos think Iraq is lost,
Says a WashPost authority (Arkin)
So why not pull out now?

FIERCE BADR/SADR BATTLES
Fighting in many places; many casualties.
Hundreds of thousands of Sadrites protest
in cities,
denouncing Maliki as Bush pawn.
InternatlHeraldTribune/27Mar

PIPELINE BOMBED:
A crucial Iraq pipeline was bombed,
cutting Basra exports (most exports from Iraq) by a third.
BBC/27MAR

(This bombing might be by Sadrites, enraged at attacks against them by Badrites, backed by US.)

3 pillars tipping:
The much-vaunted improvement,
thedrop in Iraq violence
is credited to
a) truce by Sadrites
(b) turning of some Sunnis vs. Quaeda and
b) c) US SURGE.

Now, acc. To ABC sources, ALL 3 PILLARS may be tipping.
a) truce is OBVIOUSLY threatened; when Badrites get US backing to attack Sadrites;
b) Sunni former insurgents now ‘allied’ with US are sulking.
c) US SURGE troops are being withdrawn.

Perhaps GIs should NOT be withdrawn.
But Pent. Honchos worry that more GIs will be needed in Afghanistan!

Remember, the Bushies have TWO winless wars going on at once.

43% (mostly GOP !) optimistic on Iraq:
but 2 in 3 say
we should never have invaded.
CBS NEWS

GisSuckedIntoShiaCivilWar?
Bushies might have to suck GIs away from anti-qaeda fight in North to go into South to further back BADRITES vs. SADRITES.NEWS YAHOO/26MAR

POSSIBLE FRENCH HELP
French MAY send 1000 more troops to Afgh—but into combat zones?
If they’d go to East Afgh,
then a batallion of GIs could go to SOUTH,
the real combat zone.(with higher US casualties).

(TALIBAN promise a Spring Offensive.)

French want return favor; command of So.Eur. NATO forces
LATIMES/26MAR

AFGH.'ALLIES' RENEGE:
Promised $25 miilion, gave $15 million.
40% of this goes out of country to ‘consultants’,etc.InfoClearingHouse/26Ma

STRUGGLE FOR BASRA: Much oil, the only seaport.
Brits have bugged out,
leaving Shia factions Sadrites and
Badrites (Maliki’s faction)in control of armed svces)
to fight it out.

Disadvantage: Badrites are in uniform, easier to shoot at.
BBC/26Mar

IRAN ARMING SADRITES?
3 anonymous Sadrite commanders allegedly warned that Iran had provided Sadrites

(a) with molten-metal shells that can penetrate armour even of tanks!

And (b) with anti-aircraft guns that can down copters.
SeattlePI/26MAR

MAKE NICE W/TALIBAN?
New Pak.Govt. talks as if it will ease conflict with TALIBAN !
SeattlePI/26Mar

TRUCE UNRAVELLING
In Basra (oil-rich) area, govt. army
(controlled by BADR group opposed to Sadr) have been attacking Sadrites.

One Sadr honcho says
they’ll SET FIRE TO OIL WELLS (!)
if these attacks continue.

Sadr extended the truce
(which has been important in violence-drop),
but says that his forces can attack
to defend themselves.
LATIMES/26MAR

Observers saw many US vehicles
entering the Sadr neighborhood in Baghdad, where fighting has been happening—
US is seemingly backing Badr.
REUTERS/26MAR

Strangely, BADR has been
most closely allied with Iran !

Afgh.PROJECT FALTERING

French MAY add 700 troops.

So far, French troops are NOT in combat areas.
NEWS YAHOO/24MAR

(Canada will bugout unless ‘allies’ contribute 1000 more COMBAT troops.)

WAR NOT WORTH IT: 2 in 3 Americans
Only GOPs say it is worthwhile.
CBS NEWS/24MAR

It’s definitely a GOP war,
prolonged by GOP Pols.

ELECTRICITY PROBLEMS:
1200 electricity workers have been killed
(or have fled the country).

Iraq had great power problems even before the invasion.
But now Baghdad gets only 4 hrs. of electricity per day, with little going to ordinary people.
LATIMES/24MAR

FUNDS FLOW TO TERRORISTSBushies bragged how they were cutting off terrorist funds;
But bungling by them, and lack of cooperation from other nations,Mean that this effort is sagging.LATIMES/24MAR
(Bushies have few real allies abroad.)

AFGHAN DRUG POLICE KILLED:
100 in last year. Poppy production up 14% in last year.

90% of world’s opium comes from Afgh—
FAR, FAR LESS before US meddling there.

Tens of millions of dollars flow to Taliban.
SEATTLEPI/24MAR

US PLANES BOMBED NEIGHBORHOOD
In (necessarily indiscriminate) retaliation
for shelling of GreenZone.
NYTIMES/24MAR

Understandable, but stupid;
recruits more insurgents than bombs kill.

THOUSANDS WOUNDED:
4000 GIs killed SO FAR;
tens of thousands wounded:
blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

HOW MANY AFGHAN GI CASUALTIES?
AFGHAN GI CASUALTIES CONCEALED

We hear about ‘NATO’ casualties, but aren’t told how manyAre GIs.

Info given suggests that
a Afghan GI has about the same chance
To be killed/maimed as a GI in Iraq.

NewSunniAllies May TURN
Admits Petraeus.

Understandable that Shia Govt doesn’t want to admit former insurgents
into its regular army
when they might turn against the govt.
Or against Shia.

Also, they ARE infiltrated to some extent
by Qaeda.

CBS NEWS/23MAR

Experts guess endgame in Iraq:
30k to 50K GIs in Iraq for decades.
‘Worst’ outcome: Partition into Kurdland/Shialand/Sunniland.

(Lyons: actually this would be least-bad outcome—
also the inevitable outcome).
ChrSciMonitor, cited in
YAHOO NEWS/23MAR

‘Overwhelming Iraq victory in a very short time”
McCain predicted in ’02.
LATIMES/23MAR

His aides then predicted, in NYT, that
Iraqis would be SO GRATEFUL for liberation
that they would persuade other Muslims worldwide to make nice to US.

DOZENS OF IRAQI CASUALTIES SUNDAY
Some attacks aimed at Shia. Many mortar shells fell on GREEN ZONE, from a Shia area.
Bushies promptly blamed Iran.

SeattlePI/23Mar

Bushies would love it if they could start a war with Sadrites, siding with Sunnis
to set up a new Sunni dictator (‘Saddam-lite strategy’).
But this will never happen.

POPE BAPTIZES MUSLIM at Easter Mass.
HoustonChronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5641333.html

He must know that for a Muslim to turn Christian is a capital-punishment offense.
He publicly, with world-wide publicity,offended one billion Muslims again (after denouncing Mohammed personally a few months ago).

It’s understandable (tho nutty) for bin Laden to say this goofy Pope is ‘LEADING the new Crusade’ against Muslims. (the Pope’s triumphant visit to US, greeted officially by Pres. Bush.. will strengthen this idea).

Who’d be surprised at a suicide bomber attacking a crowd in St.Peter’s Square?

‘PRECISION’ AIRSTRIKE KILLS ALLIES
CBS NEWS/22MAR

There’s no such thing as a PRECISION airstrike’

They kill enemies, allies, and neutrals alike;

They recruit more new insurgents than the insurgents they kill.

1000 MORE TO AFGH:
France will send these troops (to combat zone?)
to ward off threatened Canadian pullout.
Globe&Mail/22Mar

TRUCE THREATENED
The truce called by Sadr with US & govt.
has helped lower violence.
But now the truce is frayed
by attacks by both sides.
REUTERS/22MAR

Lyons tells bad news about wars
to balance awesome govt. propaganda about
good news (helped e.g., by awesome Fox.)

WHAT TO DO WITH HIRED GUNMEN?
US pays $10 a day for 80k Sunni gunmen to fight Qaeda locally.

But this pay (nearly $1million a day)can’t go on forever.

Problem: how to find jobs for 80k
in devastated Iraq?
LATIMES/22Mar

Gunmen threaten strike if pay not resumed.
UnitedPress/22Mar

3 closer to 4000: 3 GIs killed Saturday,
inching total death-rate near to 4000.
SEATTLEPI/22mar

Usually about 4 GIs are seriously wounded for every GI killed.

(Important: the dead will be quickly forgotten--except by family/friends;
but the blinded, the maimed, the shell-shocked will haunt us for decades.)

For problems treating wounded, see WALTER REED & BEYOND
WashPost/22Mar

Up to FIFTEEN WOUNDED for every GI killed/
says NobelEconomist Stiglitz.

Pent tried to conceal this ratio.
ChicTribune,20Mar (cited by InfoClearingHouse).

Stiglitz also said that for the cost of this war
we could meet Social Security budget
For 50-75 years.

FEW TRANSLATORS:

Army desperately needs MANY Arabic translators; but in 5 years, they’ve recruited
only about 1000 native translators of Arabic “and other” important languages in America.
RockyMtnNews/21MAR
(Perhaps even fewer Arabic speakers.)

You can bet there are even fewer NON-Arab Americans available
who’ve LEARNED the language adequately.

Once again: Americans are not very interested in outside world,
and are quite ignorant of foreign languages and cultures—
even our ‘foreign-policy elite’ !
(We took out the only general in Iraq who understood Arabic ;
and the Arabic-speaking ambassador is pulling out.)

It was reported that only TEN people
among the thousand functionaries in our Baghdad embassy
fully understood the language.)

Given this ignorance of foreign languages and cultures,
we should NOT BE MEDDLING in foreign affairs.
We should concentrate on measures protecting our Homeland from terrorist attack.

Mil.Honchos ask about Pause in Troop Cuts:

Most agree on 4-8-week pause after summer cuts.

New commander in South Iraq will have fewer troops
To counter new chaos near Basra,
After Brits bugged out.
YAHOO NEWS/21MAR

Price of continued heavy involvment:
Essential CAPTAINS QUITTING.

OSAMA: POPE LEADS CRUSADE
CBS NEWS/21MAR

Westerners may have forgotten when BigMouthBenedict
Denounced the PROPHET ! But Muslim world won’t forget.

Also, a ‘preacher for McCain’ recommended that we
Eliminate Islam (over 1000 millions of people, all over the world,
Of every race & color).

LITTLE HOPE FOR IRAQ
says veteran reporter there,
citing individual stories
about horrific 5 years
since we started meddling there.
GLOBE AND MAIL/21MAR

CAPTAINS QUITTING:
Army captains are ‘linchpin’ of our Iraq strategy—
but they’re quitting in large numbers,
just when we need many more.
NYTIMES/21MAR

That’s one main reason Pent. Honchos disagree
with Petraeus & Bush
that we can afford
large-scale force remaining in Iraq.

CLASH WITH SADRITES: There is a supposed truce between Sadr’s Mahdi army
and US & govt. forces.

But govt. forces have been attacking Sadrites.
Seattlepi/21Mar

see also MSNBC/21MAR

WAR A FAILURE: 54% of Americans say
Iraq war has been completely or mostly a failure.
WashPost, cited in
http://www.eecho.ie/news/story/?trs=mhojmhidcwau

McCain says we’re succeeding in Iraq.

Of course he would; by Nov,
if things look good in Iraq, he wins.

If they look bad (as they likely will) he loses—

No matter what predictions he makes now.

HAWK SPIN:
An expert says main goal of Iraq invasion was
to jolt Arab world out of stagnation.
He claims that it HAS come out of stagnation—
whether or not the war is Responsible.

Clever (& desperate) hawk spin:
find some improvement in MiddleEast, and hint that
a) that was ‘central’ goal of invasion

b) and that the invasion MIGHT have ‘worked’ to cause this improvement.
UnitedPress/20Mar

IRAQ increased US isolationism;
people know it has raised anti-Americanism
Throughout the world.
ChrSciMonitor/20Mar

I'm isolationist, because most Americans
(inclusing foreign-policy 'elite')
are too disinterested and ignorant of outside world
to intervene intelligently.

Pentagon honchos want big pullout.
Petraeus wants to stop
after pulling out 30K SURGE FORCES/

But Chiefs of Staff see that repeated Iraq tours
are making ‘middle level’troops
QUIT the service.
So they want to pull out more troops before ’09.

Both sides are publicly silent now—
and Bush is obviously with Petraeus;
But he can’t say
he’s following ‘military advice’,
When mil. Advisors are thus split.

IRAQ POLL:
73% oppose US presence;

most deny that the Surge has lowered violence;
but most see great security progress since 1 yr ago.

38% want US out NOW.
ABC/19MAR

Bush says War worth it;

2 in 3 Americans disagree.
CBS/19Mar

‘WE WILL JOIN JIHAD’/’DEATH TO BUSH’
chanted Afghan villagers
after NATO raid killed local families.
REUTERS/19MAR

Provincial Elections Will Happen;

US hopes that Sunni will gain
more elected strength,
Weakening insurgency.
YahooNews/19Mar

But Sunnis comprise only 1 in 5 Iraqis;

If elections are honest, Sunnis won’t gain
enough power to pacify insurgents!

(They may give power IN SUNNI AREAS
to Sunnis—thus facilitating PARTITION
into Kurdland, Shialand,Sunniland.)

‘RECONCILIATION’ BOYCOTTED
Iraq govt. tried to hold an inter-sect conference
encouraging Sunni/Shia reconciliation.

But a large Sunni bloc,
and Sadr’s large Shia bloc,
boycotted the conference.
WASHINGTON POST/19MAR

MCCAIN said twice that
Shia Iran is helping its worst
Sunni enemy,Quaeda!
SeattlePI/19Mar.

MARINES IN AFGH. 3200 new Marines to Kandahar, in danger zone.
Google.com/19Mar
Will this satisfy Canadian demand for more allied troops in combat zone?
(Else Canada will pull out.)

One doubts this, since US already has by far more troops there than any ally.
(Allies decline to sacrifice troops pointlessly.)
The chance of a given Afghan GI to be killed or wounded is about the same as the chance of a GI in Iraq.

COPING WITH RECESSION/DEPRESSION:
Once before, around 1930,
modern world slid from prosperity into
THE GREAT DEPRESSION. Not all survived; but how did those cope who DID survive?

--they gave up any dream of owning a separate house on a quarter-acre, or owning a car.

--Extended families or friends shared a house.

--People now could share rides in carpools.

--Or people lived in ROOMING-HOUSES where a couple would share a room
and eat with the other roomers meals served by the owner.

--The rooming-house would be located on a busline;
or the busline would begin to run out
to rooming-house neighborhoods.

--Above all, people QUIT HAVING SO MANY BABIES !
This should be easier this time round, with so many methods of contraception,
early abortion, morning-after pills,etc.

ALZHEIMERS & SUICIDE:
1 IN 8 BOOMERS WILL GET ALZ.
CBS NEWS/18MAR

So far, best remedy is suicide; but the only avalable methods are awful.

However, sooner or later, even govt. will realize it can save billions
by allowing less awful exits.

NO QUICK PULLOUT, says Iraq govt. honcho.

Of course not—to survive,
these puppet govt. honchos would have to
grab onto fleeing US copters!

NEW ‘DETERRENCE’ HOPE:
How to prevent terrorist attacks on our Homeland?
Bushies have come up with some new methods (from fake terrorist internet messages, to sophisticated police moves)—(NYT18Mar)

Interestingly,none of these new methods
gives a deterrence-role
to the fancy planes and ships and missiles
on which the Pentagon will spend
most of its $700,000 MILLIONS in ’08.

2GIsKILLED onMonday/
Perhaps 8 seriously wounded/
They won’t discuss the wounded.
LATIMES18MAR

BUGOUT WD.HELP IRAN says McCain.

He says this about PREMATURE pullout from Iraq.
But truth is, EVENTUAL US pullout will leave Iran the winner
In Iraq.
REUTERS/18MAR

Nothing Bushies can do except DESTROY IRAN,
then facing horrific retaliation on GIs in Iraq,
incredible spiking of world oil prices, etc.

180 CASUALTIES in 2 days /dead or wounded/
CNN/18MAR
In Iraq, with few medical facilities,
Wounded are often worse off than those killed.

With these awful attacks on Shia,
Shia pols will NEVER make huge concessions to Sunnis
that MIGHT pacify insurgents.

The Bushie 'reconciliation' project in Iraq
seems as futile as ever.

‘IRAQ SUCCESS,BUT YRS MORE TO GO” sayMcCain & Cheney.

That would mean tens of thousands of GIs, HEALTHY NOW,
Killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

60,000 GIS WOUNDED: WAR HALF-OVER?
CBS NEWS/16MAR.

Thousands more GIs NOW HEALTHY will be
Killed, blinded, wounded, shell-shocked.

DENVERPOST says 30,000 wounded (vs. 60,000/CBS).
But that’s still 8 wounded for every one of the 4000 killed.
So when we read about ‘2 killed yesterday’ we can assume about 16 wounded yesterday.
One estimate was that half were SERIOUSLY wounded, so that’s 8 seriously wounded ‘yesterday’.

ICasualties.org, an independent agency, says that FIFTY THOUSAND GIs have had to be medically evacuated from Iraq to hospitals in Germany or America, sick or wounded.

That’s SO FAR…

Pope says Iraq slaughter is caused by war;
he’s too tactful to remind all
That the war has been caused—and continued—by Bushies.
WashingtonPost/16Mar

INSURGENT FUNDING: from SAUDI ARABIA;
also from black-market gasoline.
Very few captured insurgents buy into Quaeda’s religious doctrine;
mostly,They’re in it for the money.

US is now paying wages to up to 90k ‘FORMER’ insurgents (at $300 a month).
How long will such funding last? What then?
NYTIMES/16MAR

Sadr’s men force cops/army out of Kut:
Perhaps an end to truce?
AZZAMAN/15mAR

About our 2 wars:
we jumped recklessly into quicksand;
we should not make
a similar mistake
by jumping recklessly out.

PLATEAU IN MIL.ACHIEVEMENT;
MORE PROGRESS DEPENDS NOW ON RECONCILIATION, says US expert.
USATODAY/14mar./P.7A

But all agree that reconciliation is NOT progressing.

Iraq prospect is stalemate, with thousands of GIs—NOW HEALTHY—
being killed, blinded, wounded, shell-shocked POINTLESSLY.

Canada:Afghan Bugout?

Parliament authorizes 2 more years of Afghan war

IF allies send more troops to combat zone.

Otherwise, bugout.

Globe&Mail/14Mar

Amer.think we’ll prevail in Iraq!
53% are this dumb.
CBS NEWS/14Mar

If this opinion still holds in Nov, loonyMcCain will win.

(One adviser of his says we should ELIMINATE the Muslim religion,
claiming loyalty of over 1000 millions of humans, of every country and race.

Even the nuttiest Muslims have not publicly announced the goal of eliminating Christianity!)

When this 'Crusader' news hits the world,
thousands of new terrorists will be recruited.

Mil.Gains:No Pol.Progress
Petraus says everyone agrees on lack of ‘sufficient’ progress
in Shia/Sunni reconciliation.

Once again: while even a few attacks on Shia happen regularly,
Shia pols will NOT make real concessions to Sunnis that would pacify insurgents.

Maybe NO concessions would;
maybe Shia would make no real concessions even without attacks.

Our Iraq project remains futile.

NO DETERRENCE:
Israel has super-formidable strike-back power—
but 15 Gaza rockets/mortars hit Israel yesterday.

Guerillas LIKE collective punishment of their innocent population:
it recruits more NEW guerillas than the guerillas killed.
SeattlePI/14Mar

Iraqi deaths-per-day
down from 65 in August to 20 in Jan,
up to 39 so far in March.
CBS/13Mar

MANTRA: “Iraq govt. shd TAKE ADVANTAGE of security gains
to speed reconciliation with Sunni.”

REALITY: As long as there are REGULAR attacks on Shia
(NO MATTER IF LESS FREQUENT)
Shia pols wouldn’t DARE make big concessions to Sunni—
nor would they want to !

IRAQ INTEREST DROPS
Fewer Americans follow story;
Fewer media stories.
LATIMES/13MAR

US doesn’t like frustration of unwinnable, UNLEAVABLE war—so they just ignore it.

You can bet even WORSE Afghan news even less heeded !

RECLAIMING IRAQ’S ONLY PORT:
At Basra, port is decrepit, and controlled by profiteering thugs.

Brits claim success before bugging out—
But Iraqi forces must replace them.

Hint of ‘foreign forces’
(GIs called on to a new mission,When they can’t man present missions adequately..?)
NYTIMES/13MAR

There’ll be no shortage of excuses NOT to pull out GIs this year !

160 Tal.attacks in ’07/Most ever.
SEATTLEPI/13Mar

I don’t comment on allied claims of Tal. Casualties—
OR ON TAL. CLAIMS OF ALLIED CASUALTIES.

But admissions by either side of attacks on THEM
are news.

CONFUSED VOTERS:
By 13 points, they want a Dem in as President.

But they’re tied between McCain (!) , Obama, and Hilary.
WallSt.Journal/13Mar

McCain says it’s OK for us to stay in Iraq for 100 years !

CatholicArchbishopKilled—
Under Saddam, Catholics were tolerated;
since our meddling, they’re fleeing from Iraq
in droves.

Nearly 80 casualties today.

12 GIs killed in last 4 days.
Google.com/13Mar

How many GIs wounded? They won't say.

IRAN (Wikipedia) 70million people (even after losing 1 million in war vs. Saddam)
1 in 4 under 15. 4 million abroad,mostly in US.

Bushies’ dilemma: If they don’t destroy Iran in one blow (by nukes?)
then Iran’s retaliation vs. our attack will be ferocious
ESPECIALLY VS. OUR GIS NEXT DOOR IN IRAQ.

If Bushies do ‘destroy’ Iran in one blow,
then the millions of Iranians in America
(opposed tho they are to the mullahs ruling there)
could be roused into guerilla war here.

The huge supply of their oil would be cut off world markets, spiking oil prices far higher than now. They could cut off huge proportion of world’s oil
from getting thru Strait of Hormuz.

“No US govt. would be crazy enough to attack Iran.” Oh yeah?
ESQUIRE story guessed that Fallon (forced to resign)
was the ONLY top honcho opposed to attack.

http://www.esquire.com/features/fox-fallon

SEVENTY-ONE IRAQ CASUALTIES on Tues
(or Mon & Tues..not clear).
CBSNEWS/12Mar

SADR WARNING: that ‘truce’ does NOT mean his forces won’t defend themselves
vs. US/govt. attacks.
United Press/12Mar

Since 60,000 Mahdis can’t defend themselves in open combat, this threat means that they will RETALIATE with guerilla attacks.

AFGHANISTAN: Bush tells religious press about urgent need for
more Allied troops in combat zone.

Maybe their prayers will convince allied govts.

IRAQ STALEMATE:
After security gains by US/IraqGovt,
# of attacks has stayed steady since Nov.’07.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/world/middleeast/12iraq.html?ref=world

RISING SEAS from global warming
threaten our heavily populated,
economically crucial COASTS in near future.
SeattlePI/12Mar

COMMENTARY ON ADM.FALLON’S RESIGNATION
(DISAGREEING WITH BUSHIE CIVILIANS OVER IRAN, IRAQ,AFGANISTAN)
Writer claims that Gates & top chief of staff agree with Fallon on NO Iran war;

But the forced resignation shows Bushies’ contempt for military advice disagreeing with them.

WashPost/12Mar

CONSOLATION:
A war with Iran would involve
an APOCALYPSE for them—perhaps nukes.

We can console ourselves that
their retaliation would involve
only some CATASTROPHES for us.

IRAN WAR? HONCHO RESIGNS.
Adm. Fallon said earlier that he’d resign
rather than join in on an Iran invasion.

He just resigned.

NYTIMES/11Mar

McCain crows that Qaeda IS in Iraq;

US military admit they weren’t there
before we meddled.
ABC/11Mar

GMinvestsOverseas
Reuters/11Mar
Rt.WingFlacks tell us it’s good for the rich to get richer;
their investments will make jobs.

--but they might invest in automation, DESTROYING jobs.
--they might invest overseas,not in US jobs.

RecessionBarelyMissed?
LATIMES/11Mar
So what? Home equity plummets/
jobs disappear.

US near-bankrupt from 2 wars.

60 Iraqi casualties since Sunday..but do we care?
SeattlePI/11Mar

We’re ‘staying in’
but NOT because we urgently want to protect Iraqis !

AfghanViolenceHighestEver:
500 incidents per month/
1500 civilian deaths/
Trouble in formerly calm areas.
SeattlePI,11Mar

After 6 years, it's a WINLESS war.

12GI casualties Monday.
Also, several other bombs killed some Iraqis—
WashPost11Mar

butTV seldom mentions Iraqi casualties.

$200/barrelOil? Oil closed over $107/barrel
USATODAY.com/10mar

All the nuttier toATTACK IRAN,
spike oil prices even further!

Sell your gas-burner.
Gas headed for $4/gal.
Boston.com, 10mar

LYONS ANTI-US?
I advocate pulling out of 2 bloody, costly, winless wars.
I oppose starting a THIRD war with Iran.

I cite evidence to support my positions.

Isn’t iT obvious that I CARE FOR US WELFARE?

8 US CASUALTIES in Baghdad
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Ak7Ci88PTswkMIHyqqwIuxSs0NUE

The war, ignored at home, continues.

ARAB REJECTS IRAN ISOLATION:
A Qatar honcho said Arabs MUST TALK with Iran.

REUTERS10MAR

ASKING MORE IN AFGH. From Europe.

new Pres. Will ask Europe for more troops
in Afgh. War zone.

But will he GET THEM?

UnitedPress10Mar

BushiesIncreaseIRANCharges of interfering in Iraq war.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq10mar10,0,1677776.story

This means increased bluff of Iran attack,
or increase of serious intent to attack—
So they drum up excuses.

But excuses to attack are irrelevant;
what counts is HARM TO US from attack.

If they think Iran is involved in anti-US efforts in Iraq NOW,
Just wait till we attack !

At a time when we need cash for econ. Stimulus,
Iraq war is costing $12,000 MILLIONS a MONTH, says Nobel economist.
If we stay in till 2017
(McCain says 100 years OK!)
cost (including interest—since all this money is BORROWED!)
will add up to over $3,000,000 MILLIONS.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/354356_iraqcosts10.html

SEVERAL Iraq BOMBS MONDAY:
light casualties.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/10/iraq.main/?iref=mpstoryview

SIGNIFICANCE OF THURSDAY BOMBS:
--They were in thriving market.
--They were in stronghold of Badrite Shia..
--They showed that Qaeda can still operate
in Baghdad.
--Later deaths have raised toll to 68.
BOSTON.COM,9MAR

NO IRAQ DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MCCAIN & OBAMA ?:
It’s true that O can’t say now for sure that he’d pull out
on the day he takes office. (You can’t make any certain determinations NOW about policies appropriate for ’09.)

But you can say that PRESUMABLY Obama will pull out ‘as soon as possible’ (with that qualification NOT taking all the steam out of the presumption).

We can hope that he would DEMAND SOLID PROOF of any CLAIMED NECESSITY (and utility)
for staying in.
Not at all true of McCain!

& we're not all that sure about Clinton !

GIs lose Hearing (from bombs)
http://news.yahoo.com/8MAR

Brits have bugged out of Iran role,
fleeing to one base (constantly rocketed)

Of course they said their bugout was sign of SUCCESS!

But now mass Basra protests over the chaos resulting from the bugout.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq.html

ShellShock: 1 in 5 GIs:
USATODAY,7Mar,p. 11A

France MIGHT comply with Canada’s demand for more ‘allied’troops in Afghan war zone.

But only if there’s a united allied commitment
to a long-term stay in Afgh.
UnitedPress7Mar

250 casualties in Mosul,Baghdad.

The war goes on, now ignored in America.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-wowar075604605mar07,0,5095793.story

Americans don’t care much about Iraqi casualties (700 killed per month),
and Iraqis don’t like Americans.

CANADA THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF AFGH.
UNLESS ‘ALLIES’COME UP WITH 1000 MORE TROOPS
(presumably in combat zone!)
globe&mail,6Mar

So.Amer.War?
US pawn Colombia may find itself threatened from 2 sides
by Ecuador and Venezuela.
We could end up involved in wars with FIVE NATIONS:
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Gates says Colombia can ‘take care of itself’.
But it can’t even handle the guerillas
within the country!

You can bet Ec.& Ven. Are even now training future insurgents.
(Indians backing Chavez would make good insurgents.)
Columbia would bomb the hell out of them with US planes,
thus cutting off their oil supplies, at least for US.

That, plus Iran attack, and Iranian retaliation vs. Saudi oil-facilities,
should raise US gas-price to $5gallon, at least.
Sell your trucks & SUVs!

Afghan GIs More Depressed—
especially those on THIRD/FOURTH TOUR OF DUTY !
(Surprise !)

However, morale in Iraq GIs has improved.
YAHOO NEWS 6Feb

OIL KEEPS SPIKING (TO $106BARREL).
This may show that speculators expect Iran attack.
It also makes Iran attack ever-nuttier !

‘HARRY’S WAR’ PR distracts Britain
from bad Afghan, Iraq news.

(Brit.Iraq-withdrawal base regularly rocketed.)

Gates amazingly criticizes allies’ Afghan tactics !
Also 'allies' refusal to send their troops into combat-zones.
REUTERS6mAR

50,000 Gis Medically Evacuated from Iraq.

Pent SAYS most of these were NOT GIs wounded in combat.

http://icasualties.org/oif/

21 NATO casualties (probably Americans) from suiciders
in 2 days in Afgh.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104ap_afghan_violence.html

Admiral doubts Taliban Spring offensive coming.
Because of NATO 'success'.
We’ll see.
What is likely is an increase in bombs.

When managers of humanitarian agencies met in Afgh,
the scary part was that NO FOREIGNERS ATTENDED;
THEY HAD ALL EVACUATED.
Globe&Mail5Mar

WhyDidRuss,China Agree to
Dangerous Sanctions?
Russ are understandable: a war with Iran would spike world oil prices,
enrich Russia.

China? They may THINK tougher sanctions will prevent war;

like US, they’d really lose with spiking oil prices!

Already-spiking prices ($104barrel)may indicate that
savvy speculators figure Bushies/Israel WILL attack
Iran, so they're figuring on a huge future spike.

HowWill IranWarStart?
UN sec.council authorized stopping ships at sea
to check for military imports into Iran.

A confrontation at sea with US & French ships could start the war.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/03/iran-will-sanct.html#more

Hearing the musical piece again THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE,
I was reminded of the scene in FANTASIA where Micky Mouse is the rash apprentice.
The Sorcerer (whose power is matched by his wisdom) is away.
The apprentice activates a magic broom, which causes all kinds of trouble--
before which he is helpless.

He is a perfect example of the maxim:
“Know-how without Know-whether is incompetence.”

All mankind is now in Mickey’s position. We know how to do magic things, but
have not the wisdom to control the magic
for our own good or that of the world.

To read more on this issue, click on Ch.2 in
http://lamar.colostate.edu/~dlyons/

“Bushies must skulk in Iraq, but not Iran Pres—
Because attacks are all by Iranian-backed
Terrorists !” says Bushie mouthpiece general.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0450503120080304

More Bushit.

Bushies don’t mind saying absurd things;
some Americans will believe anything
in this line.

Maliki, whom WE BACK !, kissed the Iranian 4 times,
after the Iranian said, "Iraqis don't like Americans."

This jerk Odierno actually claims that Shia Iran
is helping Shia arch-foe Qaeda !

Iran/Iraq Ties: Iran is clearly the main beneficiary of
Bushies’ invasion of Iraq,
which eliminated Saddam, Iran’s big enemy.

Ties between Iran & Shia govt. of Iraq
get tighter and tighter.
In Pres. Unpronouncable’s trip to Iraq,
he didn’t skulk as Bush did on a similar visit.
He was embraced by the leader WE back!

He offered economic & technical aid to Iraq.
(Far from Bushies claim of Iranian sabotage,
he’s helping rebuild Iraq!)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/04/notebook/main3903194.shtml

Over 100 Iraqi casualties on Monday;
the attacks will continue to enrage Shia
enough to prevent real concessions to Sunnis
that will pacify insurgents.
SeattlePI,3March
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq.html

BestDefenceNOT Offence!Americans seem ‘hard-wired’ to think the rational reaction to a security crisis is always to strike back.
So Washington attacked the wrong countries: Vietnam unconquerable,Iraq unconquerable, and Afghanistan INFAMOUS for being unconquerable !—in all 3 cases, we got entangled in ‘endless’ unwinnable wars.
This stubborn tendency was aggravated back when clever war-mongers here changed ‘War Dept.’ to ‘Defense Dept.’—even though Pentagon is fit only to attack. (When we needed obviously to defend our Homeland from terrorists, we had to come up with a new Dept.ofHomelandSecurity!)
Israel is like us; they’re invading Gaza again even though this has not lessened rockets falling on Israel. They’ve admitted their apocalyptic attack on Lebanon did not win that war.
Israel & Bushies are determined to attack Iran, though Iranian retaliation will leave both countries worse-off.
You can bet that futile invasion of Kurdish Iraq won't lessenPKK attacks on Turkey.
Relying on the Pentagon means relying mainly on indiscriminate air attacks (which guerillas like, as recruiting more new guerillas than the number of guerillas killed.)We are like the dumb leopard who reacted to a huge hive of enraged hornets by trying to ward them off with his splendid teeth & claws!
Give Petraeus credit; when by good luck the secular Sunnis turned against Qaeda, he had the sense to rely on alliance instead of attacks only.So far that has ‘worked’, tho the alliance seems to be weakening.