News from the Long War, Thread 4

Various | 4/15/07 | Knitting a Conundrum and Others

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Thread 4



Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has fought a global war against violent extremists who use terrorism as their weapon of choice, and who seek to destroy our free way of life. Our enemies seek weapons of mass destruction and, if they are successful, will likely attempt to use them in their conflict with free people everywhere. Currently, the struggle is centered in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we will need to be prepared and arranged to successfully defend our nation and its interests around the globe for years to come. DOD

Our enemies include all the Muslims who dream of knocking Western Civilization off its perch atop humanity’s dung heap. Islam is fractured into any number of sects, tribes and ethnic groups, but the dream of destroying us cuts across all the fault lines. Islamic terrorists are merely the tip of a very large spear.

J. Peter Mulhern, the American Thinker, September 18

The determination behind that fight is real, the hatred is real, and the excuses for doing this are very real in the minds of those who have decided to walk that path. We can respond in two ways: Try to ignore or negotiate with people who do not want to negotiate in good faith, because what they want is our destruction, or to stand up against the darkness of those who see all of us, our way of life, our culture and our aspirations as something worth eliminating.

Either: "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Or: "With vigilance, determination, courage, we will defeat the enemies of freedom, and we will leave behind a more peaceful world for our children and our grandchildren." GW Bush.

Here's where I will post news and info about the Long War. Let me know if you're interested.

Thread 1

Thread 2

Thread 3

[Bahbah]

We still don’t know what unit...

I've been looking around the milblogs and haven't found anything.

[unionblue83]

This is a battle that needs to be watched... A million secular messages from 'Infidel' İzmir Monday, May 14, 2007 Serdar Alyamaç İZMİR - Turkish Daily News The latest in the series of demonstrations in support of the secular state that started in Ankara, carried on in Istanbul and other cities in Western Turkey ended with an imposing finale in İzmir yesterday, which was attended by approximately a million protestors. Even a bomb explosion in an outdoor market place early Saturday morning in the Bornova neighborhood of İzmir, which led to the death of one person and injured 16, did not deter people from attending the rally. The arrival of thousands of protestors from other cities to send a clear message to the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) resulted in full occupancy for İzmir hotels. More at link: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=73103

[Bahbah]

Things going well, I trust?

Very well, thanks for asking.

[unionblue83]

Been lurking most of the day. Lots of under the radar things going on but not much on the big radar.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

TANKS BB,,,DOD has not released it yet,,,still lookin’...

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

URL: http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5535577,00.html
Lake City soldier killed in attack
Family says sergeant first class one of five who died in ambush on patrol

By DARREN DUNLAP, dunlapd@knews.com
May 14, 2007

Every Sunday, the Connell family in Lake City gathers for dinner.
This past Sunday, they gathered to mourn the passing of Sgt. 1st Class James David Connell Jr., 40, a platoon sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division who was killed Saturday during his second tour in Iraq.

Family members said he was one of five killed when his patrol came under attack near Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Connell’s family learned of his death Saturday afternoon.

The Pentagon has not confirmed the identities of the four U.S. soldiers and one Iraqi interpreter who were killed during the attack. It happened at 4:44 a.m. Saturday, according to the American Forces Press Service.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said three other soldiers in the patrol were missing. An al-Qaida front group claims to have taken the soldiers, according to The Associated Press. Mahmudiyah is about 20 miles south of Baghdad in an al-Qaida-dominated area known as the “triangle of death.”

When Connell was in East Tennessee on leave earlier this month, he visited Lake City Middle School and talked about the work and the military lifestyle, his children said Sunday.

He spoke to his 12-year-old son Bryan’s class and 14-year-old daughter Courtney’s class.

Family members said Connell had just recovered from a shrapnel wound to his one of his legs when he came home for two weeks of leave.

“He’s a hero,” Courtney said.

She said that during her father’s leave, he took each of his three children out of school for one day to spend the day with them. He took his oldest son, 16-year-old Nick, horseback riding in the Smokies. He took Bryan to Knoxville Center and to a movie.

Courtney wanted to go to West Town Mall. She wanted to get a pedicure and so did her father. They got them together, she said, her face brightening at the memory.

Nick said his father lived in a village in Iraq two weeks at a time and patrolled two weeks at a time. He couldn’t talk about where he was exactly, said Nick.

“He said it was hard,” said Courtney.

In the back bedroom of the Connell home, Connell’s father, James Sr., looked at pictures from his son’s most recent military leave on a flat-screen monitor.

The pictures appeared one at a time, an electronic slide show from just one week ago when the family had celebrated Bryan’s birthday.

In one picture, he stands on a trampoline with the younger children of the family. In another, he sits in uniform on the couch with his two sons.

Connell has three brothers and one sister, all present Sunday. He played little league in Lake City and graduated from Anderson County High School in 1984. He grew up in the house where the family was gathered Sunday.

“He’s just a real good son,” said James Connell Sr. “Everybody loved him.”

The family plans a memorial service in Lake City at Hatmaker Funeral Home. No time or date has been set.

Jeff Connell said his brother would be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Sgt. 1st Class Connell is the 29th member of the military with East Tennessee ties to die in Iraq.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10th.Mt. confirmed ,,,Don’t know which unit...

[Bahbah]

Some further information on the resignation of the Pali Interior Minister that was referenced in Knitting’s early news summary:

Palestinian Unity Government Anything But

The unity government formed in March by the Palestinian Authority appears on the verge of collapse. The Interior Minister abruptly resigned today from the position which had been the hardest to fill during the negotiations between Hamas and Fatah, while internecine fighting raged anew in Gaza:

The Palestinian interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmi, has resigned, causing a crisis in the fragile two-month-old unity government, after the biggest surge in factional fighting in months revived fears of civil war.
Two Palestinian gunmen were killed in Gaza in clashes between the rival Hamas and Fatah groups hours before a government official announced that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had accepted the resignation.

As interior minister, Mr Qawasmi was to have overseen Palestinian security services but officials said the former academic faced competition from powerful Fatah rivals for control of the armed contingents.

The resignation cast new doubt on whether the power-sharing partnership between Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah could continue.

Egypt had brokered a truce between Hamas and Fatah, but it had little effect on Gaza. Despite an agreement that both sides would withdraw their gunment from the streets, the militias started closing streets this morning as a civil war appeared imminent. Checkpoints went up and Palestinians started trying to find ways to avoid getting entangled in them.

Forming unity governments might seem like a great idea, but a society has to have some kind of unity on which to base it. The Palestinians right now do not have even a protostate but a massive amount of gang turf. Hamas and Fatah have operated as the terrorist groups they are rather than as true political parties. Neither have interest in actual politics but in power grabs, which has been all too apparent in the failure of both groups to actually govern in any sense of the word.

Until the Palestinians decide that they have had enough of terrorism directed both within and without, they will continue to suffer under warlord rule. The PA has proven a failure as an instrument towards this goal, and the Palestinians in two elections have proven themselves unsuited for statehood. The best possible solution would be for the territories to revert to Jordan and Egypt, but both nations are wise enough to reject that notion. Failing that, they should be sealed off until they finish their civil war or weary enough of the violence that the Palestinians finally produce responsible leadership.

Link: http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/009965.php

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

The unity government formed in March by the Palestinian Authority appears on the verge of collapse.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yep,,,Been Doin’ That For Years...

[Bahbah]

UPDATE: Via Allahpundit, he must be a rather active coma patient:

Libya’s leader Moammar Gadhafi has denied a Palestinian news wire report that he is fatally ill, Italy’s ANSA news agency said Monday.
Gadhafi called Monday to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi saying he was in good health, the agency reported.

Link: http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/009963.php

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

"Libya’s leader Moammar Gadhafi has denied a Palestinian news wire report that he is fatally ill, "

He's just resting.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Hey WB,,,Prolly passed out Drunk !!...;0)

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Howdy CM.

But damn, I liked it better when he was in a coma.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

203 active fires here in Florida.

[Bahbah]

He's just resting.

LOL

[jedward]

Thanks for the update Knitting

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

He did too,,,got a hangover now...;0)

[jedward]

Maybe his son will rise to the challenge :) Afternoon CM

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Hello JW.

[jedward]

Hello Workerbee

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Howdy,,,I been followin’ Iraq pretty close :
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1832788/posts

Posted some maps/sat-pic,,,10th.mt. Troopers...very sad...