***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 14 - LIVE THREAD***

[hmmmmm]

Hi fellow nightowls :).

Am I the only one who hopes Jessicas captors are still alive? I hope they are still alive but are being subjected to an extremely long torture process. Surely we have people who are trained in this.

[spectr17]

I still don't trust the politicos on this one. Why did they call a news conference and drag it out for 90 minutes. I'm afraid that was politics to counter the lies in the media on the "pause" and "plans" etc.

Notification of next of kin was possible hang up. The raid had just happened and I'm sure they are still sorting out what took place and who the bodies are. Give them time to figure it out.

Spec out

[oceanperch]

Nite. Cher came out to announce today that she has lost all respect for M>Jackson. She must be looking for attention to feel this was an important thing to do.

[Fledermaus]

I think someone down the line jumped the gun and sent word to the "press"...they called it for 6 pm est and was way until 7:30.

I think they were scrambling after that. I hope, if I'm correct, someone gets fired.

[AFPhys]

Forecast high temperature Saturday & Sunday in Baghdad is 104F...

[kcvl]

Good information in this article...


marines rout Iraqis
GROUND WAR: U.S. Forces Roll Away Guard Resistance On Road To Baghdad

April 2, 2003
By JESSE LEAVENWORTH, Courant Staff Writer From Wire Service Reports

U.S. Marines broke through Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard south of Baghdad early today and began rolling straight toward the Iraqi capital, commanders said.

In fierce fighting that inflicted heavy Iraqi casualties, elements of the 1st Marine Division subdued the Baghdad division of the Republican Guard at the city of Al Kut, about 90 miles southeast of the capital, and made it "irrelevant to the battle" for Baghdad, the Marine commanders said.



http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hc-iraqwar0402.artapr02,0,3556281.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

[Fledermaus]

Michael Jackson? She didn't trash Bush?

Amazing.

[Fledermaus]

Don't you love all the "fierce fighting" reports? Sure, fierce for the Iraqis getting creamed.

I hear that and I know we are kicking butt!

[this_ol_patriot]

Yes they said bowel not bowl. They also reported fireman are donning hazard suits and masks as a precaution. They have also called in a vegetarian to give her a shot to relax her muscles.

[POGIFFMOO]

Greg Kelly just reported they are now wearing their rubber protective boots too.....getting ready to be slimed!

[Fledermaus]

Okay, since it's night owl time I'm going to post random thoughts and pics at will.

Mostly I'll be just talking to myself.

[kcvl]

Another article...

US troops tackle Saddam's elite
Apr 2 17:18
AFP wires


US ground troops tackled Iraq's elite Republican Guard near the town of Karbala in their first full-on battle, a US defence official said, amid rising concerns over civilian casualties.

The battle near Karbala, 80 kilometres south of Baghdad, marked the first time "ground forces have been fully engaged against Republican Guards," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.



http://afr.com/iraq/2003/04/02/FFXWBM270ED.html

[blondee123]

Hi fellow niteowl, If they don't know who her captors are, just torture any of them, they are all brutal & probably deserve it for something else they've done!

[Fledermaus]

Achmed is singing!

[this_ol_patriot]

Cher came out to announce today that she has lost all respect for M.Jackson.

Those one night stands will do that, usually in the morning.

[Fledermaus]

Achmed should be on American Idol...he's better than most tonight! Josh the Marine was awful.

Rueben is going to win at this pace. He's so consitent and did Barry White!

I still hate Kimberly Caldwell, she's such a phoney!

[Keith in Iowa]

Pilot of lost S-3B Viking from Iowa

MASON CITY — A Navy pilot from Mason City was injured Monday night when the brakes apparently failed on his S-3B Viking airplane, causing it to veer off the flight deck of the Persian Gulf-based USS Constellation and plunge into 200 feet of water.

Lt. Ben Folkers, 28, a 1993 graduate of Mason City High School, sustained burns to his arm when he ejected from the plane. He and a crew member, Lt. Matt Wilder of St. Louis, Mo., were rescued by divers from a Navy search and rescue team.

Folkers is the son of Chip and Tucki Folkers of Mason City.

Chip Folkers said he received the call that all military parents dread, informing him his son had been injured, at about 9:30 p.m. Monday.

“The call came from the Naval Department in San Diego,” said Folkers, who is a former Navy pilot. “They said they wanted us to know that there had been an incident, that they really didn’t know too much about it, and that our son had been injured.

“Later, I got a call from his commanding officer telling us that he was out of the infirmary and that he had been treated for burns on his arm but there were no spinal injuries or anything like that.

“Then, about midnight, Ben called to let us know that he was all right. If you know Ben, you know there’s always a story to tell. By the time he called, I had seen reports about it on CNN and Fox and I told him that. And Ben said, ‘How did I look?’ That’s Ben. He wasn’t making light of the situation. He was trying to say something to make us feel better.”

The Navy said Tuesday Folkers’ aircraft made a successful landing on the carrier with the tailhook on the plane catching one of the arresting cables strung across the landing runway. Usually, according to the Navy, the plane would then taxi to the right and park in preparation for it being moved below deck on an elevator. Instead, the plane rolled to the left and dropped off the side of the ship. Part of it caught briefly in safety netting along the edge of the deck. That momentary delay gave the crew time to eject before the plane hit the water.

Folkers said his son has been flying missions over Iraq since Nov. 1. He said in typical situations, when the pilot and crew eject from a plane, the crew member goes first. Folkers’ crew member jumped. When Folkers ejected, his arm hit the ejection seat which apparently had caught fire, causing his injury.

“I’ve been trying to translate some of the things I’ve been hearing and trying to connect the dots,” said Chip Folkers. “These are old airplanes and they are flying constantly. This was definitely mechanical failure,” a fact the Navy confirmed Tuesday.

“He’ll be grounded for a while,” said Folkers. “When you’re in a plane on a flight deck about 100 feet high, and your brakes fail and you’re about to go into 200 feet of water, it causes some anxiety. It’s bound to shake you up a bit. So he won’t fly for a while. But he’s doing OK.

Folkers, who is city attorney for Mason City, had one more difficult task Monday night. His wife, an interim vice president at North Iowa Area Community College, was out of town. Folkers had to call her to inform her about their son. “She’s doing real well with it,” he said Tuesday.

Folkers said he and his wife have received periodic e-mails from Ben. In one of them, he mentioned that he hoped to be back for his Mason City High School 10-year class reunion this summer.

[oceanperch]

Greg Kelly embedded with 3RD Infantry is on the move again.

Now he says they are in full Chem suits.

Logistics not an issue.

[hmmmmm]

You're right :), very good info. It backs up, very well, a lot of what's been reported today. Thanks for the link!

[blondee123]

I shut down my webcam for a while, it slows down my computer so bad & nothing was happening, not like last nite.
Last nite my hubby was sleeping & he heard my speakers & thought it was storming outside! LOL