***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - 24 APR 03/Day 36 - LIVE THREAD***

24 APR 03 | An.American.Expatriate

[Mo1]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Link to the previous thread

Good Morning.

This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD.

It is designed for general conversation about the events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.

[Carolina]

I love that story about Aya. What a pretty little girl.

Speaking of Faberge, the NC egg looked like "primitive art." Here's Rhode Island's egg.

[mhking]

Continued prayers for you, M.

Thanks...I appreciate it....

[Carolina]

***NEWS***

Some Iraqi Government Services to Resume

Some Iraqi government operations will resume by late next week, the American overseeing postwar reconstruction said Thursday. He also contended that neighboring Iran was to some degree behind recent anti-American demonstrations in Iraq.

[Carolina]

***ANALYSIS***

De-Baathification [ Wall Street Journal]

How can the Americans and British break the remaining grip the Baath Socialist Party has over the Iraqi people? The last time the Allies faced a comparable problem was at the end of the World War II, when the defeat of Germany left them with the task of re-educating a nation defeated on the battlefield but still saturated with Nazi doctrines. Just as Germany was successfully de-Nazified, the challenge today is to "de-Baathify" Iraq.

[TexKat]

Annan Cuts Short Europe Trip, Cites Iraq, Congo

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan cut short a trip to Europe on Thursday, saying developments in Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere demanded his attention. Annan was returning to New York immediately, his office said in a statement issued in Geneva, where he addressed the annual session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.

Annan was returning to New York immediately, his office said in a statement issued in Geneva, where he addressed the annual session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights

(snip)

[Carolina]

The President is speaking in Ohio this morning. Getting a warm welcome.

[TexKat]

On Wednesday Annan's office announced that he had fallen ill in Vienna, where he arrived on Monday, and that a news conference planned for Geneva on Thursday had been canceled. U.N. sources said the secretary-general had 'flu.

Yall reckon Koffee Anus has contracted Sars instead of the flu?

If any of the media people are freeping this morning, they can get this rumor started.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I'm back....thanks for the kind words. (^:

Michael, I don't usually list the station carrying the briefing. Did today for the record - Carolina expressed it well in #188. I started w/FoxNews - noted that they broke away early (~ 10 minutes into the briefing), when both CNN (Jay Garner's mike wasn't working) and MSNBC still carried it for the next few minutes.

As FoxNews was the ONLY news network (+ C-Span 2) carrying the daily CENTCOM briefings, I inferred that they understood the importance of these briefings and trusted their viewers to hear the first source news for themselves without it being filtered through pundits. I was disappointed that they chose not to air the whole conference this morning.

C-Span - who knows what they're up to...not airing the most important current on the ground news briefings from Iraq live.

William La Jeunesse on FoxNews did a great job with the recap:

FN: William La Jeunesse: "For all intents and purposes, director of ORHA, Jay Garner, IS the government of Iraq."

 

Jay Garner: "The spirit of freedom is lit in Iraq." "The rest of Iraq has been in a dark room with no light for 35 years . Two weeks ago we opened the door to the sunlight and they can't see yet."

 

Humanitarian aid...surprisingly good shape...farms are working...aid coming in...1000 Iraqi residents are now working for $2-$5 dollars a day working for reconstruction.

 

Interim gov (Jay Garner in charge) for 3-6 months, then bridge gov., then Iraqi people will run Iraq...hopefully within a year or two.

Official transcript of the briefing should be posted here later today: http://www.centcom.mil/

[retrokitten]

Well, that's really, um, something. Here I was upset at first that our IL egg was kind of plain, now I'm kind of glad.

Anyone see the special on Capt. Speicher last night? It was really good. Also, I don't know if it was in the posts from yesterday or not (it's been so busy here at work that I can hardly keep up with the posts!) but in one of the Iraqi jails someone found "M.S.S" carved into one of the walls. Michael Scott Speicher.

[SoldiersGirl]

My first thought was SARS. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

[retrokitten]

Michigans egg is adorable!

[prairiebreeze]

Maybe Koffee Kan's just feeling peekid about not having all the money rolling in any longer. And his reputation (what there was of it) going straight down the toilet. It'd make even the most slimey, corrupt diplomat feel queasy. :^D

Good mooooorning Situation Room! I'm running behind this morning, will pop in and out.

Prairie

[Air Force Born]

It's Morning in America.

I loved those spots.

Slate has an interesting take on the Apache in Iraq. For once it is actually a good, factual piece. Kind of sells it short, points out it is not the answer to all needs on the battlefield, calls for building more A-10's. If Slate calls for building more weapons maybe there is hope for the press after all.


OK, I can dream, can't I?

[firewalk]

Good morning
Thanks for putting up the thread

[maica]

the annual session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights---


I wonder what those commission members have had to say about the ongoing slaughter in the Congo? and the reports of the thousands of Iraqis who are now just names in file folders in prison buildings.

[texasbluebell]

She would've had a court declare him deceased before she married again...and I'm sure that's what she did.

In the program that was on last night, it was mentioned the Speicher was declared dead in June of 1991, a few months after he went missing.

I hate to say I don't think we'll find him alive. It's been 12 years and, in that regime, I doubt if he survived. If he had, I think they would have used him as leverage against the bombings.

I didn't have any hope he could possibly be alive till I heard recently, and again it was mentioned in that program too, that Saddam kept an Iranian pilot captive for 17 years, and then released him, never having used him as a bargaining chip either; no one even knew he was still alive either.

Saddam just likes/liked to have complete control over people's lives, as evidenced by the type of regime he had going on there. The Iranian pilot was dead to the world, but Saddam knew he was there, much as I now hope Scott Speicher is still there after 12 years.

[angelwings49]

Good Morning, FReeper FRiends! I've been away for the last five days visiting my kids and grandkids in MD... I missed you all!!! Didn't catch much news while I was away, but I think I heard last night that somewhere in Baghdad, (in a prison cell?) they found the initials "MSS" (Capt Speicher???) Has there been any further info on this??? Gee, I'm glad to be back here in FReeperland!!! Hope you are all well!!

[Mo1]

Good Morning BeforeISleep

[pitinkie]

His wife remarried July 1992. Yes he was declared dead very soon after missing. His wife had known her new husband before he was friends with Scott.

[retrokitten]

Yes, I heard that last night too. I think Greta had it on the first few minutes of her show (then I flipped over the special on Discovery). I prayed through that whole show last night! For sure he was alive for at least a while.