The Problem With One-Sided Stories

I have absolutely no doubt this reporter is accurately quoting the three soldiers who are the stories subjects. I have absolutely no doubt that there are soldiers who do not see the mission as being successful. It is a statistical certainty. I have no doubt that losing comrades in war can have a negative effect on morale in a unit. But this front page Washington Post article presents three soldiers viewpoints. One cannot paint a generalized picture with that material. Yet the reporter tries to do so.

BAGHDAD, July 26 Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled back into the Baghdad military base, and the soldiers emptied the ammunition from their machine guns, and passed off the bomb-detecting robot to another patrol, did he turn around in his seat and give his answer.

"Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."

Frustrated? "You have no idea," he said.

I will not make light of the problems over there. My own source tells me things outside of Baghdad are not going badly in most places. Baghdad right now is very challenging. However, there are other things going on over there other than the attempt at painting a bleak picture as this reporter is doing.

This, this, this , this, this and this just today alone. And reports like this are coming out all the time here, you just never seem to see them in the MSM.

The one thing the WaPo kind of blows right past is this quote from one of the three soldiers:

"We're trained as an Army to fight and destroy the enemy and then take over," added Dugger, 26, of Reno, Nev. "But I don't think we're trained enough to push along a country, and that's what we're actually doing out here."

"It's frustrating, but we are definitely a help to these people," he said. "I'm out here with the guys that I know so well, and I couldn't picture myself being anywhere else."

And that describes the situation as I have heard it directly. American soldiers are making a positive difference and the majority believe it is vital to finish the mission.

Breaking News - Soldier May Be Released

Flash traffic from Yahoo news says that the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, may be imminent. The report says that Mahmoud Abbas is reporting that information.

ROME - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday there could be an "imminent solution" for the release of an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants. A spokesman for the Hamas military wing quickly denied the assertion.

"With regards to the issue of the abducted Israeli soldier, I have reiterated that there are ongoing efforts that lead us to believe in an imminent solution," Abbas said, speaking through a translator.

Abbas spoke at a news conference after meeting with Premier Romano Prodi. The Italian leader was by his side.

Interesting if true. One never knows with the Palestinians, however.

Nazi Aircraft Carrier Located

A bit of a historical mystery has been cleared up - at least partially. The remains of the only aircraft carrier ever built by Germany have been located at the bottom of the Baltic Sea about 38 miles north of Gdansk. The ship was never completed and never saw any action. It was actually scuttled before the Russians could capture it, but the ship was later raised. Then it just sort of disappeared.

WARSAW, Poland - Poland's Navy said Thursday that it has identified a sunken shipwreck in the Baltic Sea as almost certainly being Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin — a find that promises to shed light on a 59-year-old mystery surrounding the ship's fate.

The Polish oil company Petrobaltic discovered the shipwreck earlier this month on the sea floor about 38 miles north of the northern port city of Gdansk.

Suspecting it could be the wreckage of the Graf Zeppelin, the Polish Navy sent out a hydrographic survey vessel on Tuesday, said Lt. Cmdr. Bartosz Zajda, a spokesman for the Polish Navy.

"We are 99 percent sure — even 99.9 percent — that these details point unambiguously to the Graf Zeppelin," said Dariusz Beczek, the Navy commander of the vessel, the ORP Arctowski, said soon after returning to port Thursday morning after the two-day expedition.

During their time at sea, naval experts used a remote-controlled underwater robot and sonar photographic and video equipment to gather digital images of the 850-foot-long ship, Zajda said.

"The analyses of the sonar pictures and the comparison to historical documents show that it is the Graf Zeppelin," Zajda told The Associated Press.

Zajda said a number of characteristics of the shipwreck exactly matched those of the Graf Zeppelin, including the ship's measurements and a special device that lifted aircraft onto the launch deck from a lower deck.

The naval experts were still waiting to find the name "Graf Zeppelin" on one the ship's sides before declaring with absolute certainty that it is the German carrier, Zajda said.

Wikipedia has an entry on the Graf Zeppelin here. The fate of the ship was somewhat uncertain for many years. But some things were known.

As the end of World War II neared, the roughly completed carrier was scuttled in shallow water at Stettin (now Szczecin) on 25 April 1945, just before the Red Army captured the city. After Germany's surrender, though, its history and fate is unclear. According to the terms of the Allied Tripartite Commission, a "Category C" ship (damaged or scuttled) should have been destroyed or sunk in deep water by 15 August 1946. Instead, the Russians decided to repair the damaged ship. It was refloated in March, 1946. The last known photo of the carrier shows it leaving Swinemünde (now Swinoujscie) on 7 April 1947 (see picture). The photo appears to show the carrier deck loaded with various containers, boxes and construction elements, hence the supposition that it was probably used to carry looted factory equipment from Poland and Germany to the Soviet Union.

For many years no other information about the ship's fate was available. There was some speculation that it was very unlikely that the hull made it to Leningrad, as it was argued that the arrival of such a large and unusual vessel would have been noticed by Western intelligence services. This assumption seemed to imply that the hull was lost at sea during transfer between Swinemünde and Leningrad. One account concluded that it struck a mine north of Rügen on 15 August 1947, but Rügen, west of Swinemünde, is not on the sailing route to Leningrad. Further north, in the Gulf of Finland, a heavily-mined area difficult for Western observers to monitor, seemed more likely.

After the opening of the Soviet archives, new light was shed on the mystery. It appears that the carrier was towed to Leningrad. There, after unloading, it was designated as "PO-101" (Floating Base Number 101). The Russians hoped that the carrier could be repaired in Leningrad's shipyards (those in Szczecin were destroyed). When this proved impractical, the ship was towed out to sea, back to the Swinemünde area. There, on 16 August 1947, it was used as a practice target for Soviet ships and aircraft. Allegedly, the Soviets installed aerial bombs on the flight deck, in hangars and even inside the funnels (to simulate a load of combat munitions), and then dropped bombs from aircraft, fired shells, and shot torpedoes into it. This assault would both comply with the Tripartite mandate (albeit late) and provide the Soviets with experience in sinking an aircraft carrier. By this point, the Cold War had well begun, and the Soviets were well aware of the large numbers and central importance of aircraft carriers in the US Navy, which in the event of an actual war between the Soviet Union and America would be targets of high strategic importance. Hence, experience in sinking carriers by aircraft was much more valuable in 1947 than before 1945. After being hit by 24 bombs and projectiles, the ship did not sink and had to be finished off by torpedoes. The exact position of the wreck was unknown for decades.

Viagra Bandit Busted In Brazil

Big news! The dread bandit has been brought to justice! After a string of more than 35 robberies of pharmacies all over Rio de Janeiro (all from the same chain of stores, by the way), the serial Viagra thief has been captured.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Police have arrested a man on suspicion of stealing anti-impotence drugs from dozens of pharmacies in the past year and were seeking his accomplice in what they are calling the "Viagra gang."

"One was arrested and we know the other one's identity and are looking for him," a Rio de Janeiro police spokesman said on Wednesday.

The men are suspected of holding up more than 35 pharmacies in the same drugstore chain. Police said they stole anti-impotence drugs such as Viagra as well as money from registers. The chain estimated its losses at some $220,000.

Police said the partners sold the drugs on the black market and were so successful that they drew criticism from an unlikely source — the criminal underworld.

Apparently the criminal gangs thought the Viagra bandits were drawing far too much attention to the areas they operate in. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to find out that the gangs had turned the suspects in. We just had one question:

Did the thieves vault the counter?

Can I Call Them Or What!?

THe American winner of the Tour de France has been notified that a blood sample of his has shown an "unusually high level of testosterone.

The Swiss-based Phonak team said it was notified by the UCI on Wednesday that Landis' sample showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when he was tested after stage 17 of the race last Thursday.

Landis made a remarkable comeback in that Alpine stage, racing far ahead of the field for a solo win that moved him from 11th to third in the overall standings. He regained the leader's yellow jersey two days later.

Landis rode the Tour with a degenerative hip condition that he has said will require surgery in the coming weeks or months.

….

Phonak said Landis would ask for an analysis of his backup "B" sample "to prove either that this result is coming from a natural process or that this is resulting from a mistake."

"The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result," the Phonak statement said.

Landis has been suspended by his team pending the results. If the second sample confirms the initial finding, he will be fired from the team, Phonak said.

Ahem. As I mentioned.

UPDATE: New York Times coverage. As they point out unless and until the "B" sample tests positive, this is not yet proof of anything at all. Even Landis' mother points out that Armstrong was given a rough time over allegations that proved to be false.

Swilling Swine Swatted

An animal "activist" group is trying to force an Australian pub to stop giving beer to a pair of pigs. No, not the usual louts one can find in a bar anywhere in the world, these are the genuine article. As in real pigs.

Visitors to "Pub in the Paddock" in the island-state of Tasmania are invited to pour bottles of beer down the willing throats of resident pigs Priscilla and P.B.

Pub owner Anne Free said Wednesday she was outraged that the tourist attraction had been attacked as cruel in the latest edition of a magazine published by animal welfare group Choose Cruelty Free.

Free said the pigs liked beer. She also watered the beer down to ensure they never got drunk.

"When it's very, very quiet, I often actually have to go over and give them a couple of drinks because, yeah, they do look forward to it," Free told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

"I get quite irate when people come in and say: 'Oh, is the pig inebriated?' There's no way that these pigs are being mistreated like that," she added.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals often investigates complaints about the pigs' drinking but have found the porkers unharmed.

"Whilst it is a difficult pill to swallow … it's certainly not cruelty, unfortunately," RSPCA state chief executive Rick Butler told the ABC.

The office manager of Choose Cruelty Free says it's not natural to give a pig beer. (They interviewed the office manager?) Who says it's not natural? Go to any sports bar and you'll see it daily!

Big Dig - Big News

Matthew Amorello, the embattled chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has resigned. As more and more construction and engineering flaws are revealed in the Big Dig project, it was inevitable that he would lose his job, the only question was how. The agreement reached between Amorello and governor Romney at least spares the state a massive legal battle to oust Amorello.

BOSTON - The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman, under fire since 12 tons of falling ceiling panels killed a motorist in a Big Dig highway tunnel, agreed Thursday to resign after weeks of pressure from the governor.

Matthew Amorello's resignation will be effective Aug. 15, but he will continue to receive his $223,000 annual salary through Feb. 15.

"I think this is good news for the commonwealth, the right step for Matt Amorello to have taken," Gov. Mitt Romney said Thursday. "Clearly it will save the taxpayers and the rate-payers the cost of an extensive legal battle, and it also allows the citizens and toll-payers to have confidence again in the Turnpike Authority."

Lawyers for Amorello and Romney hammered out details of his resignation late Wednesday, after Supreme Judicial Court Justice Francis X. Spina ruled Romney could go forward with the administrative process to remove Amorello.

The governor said he would look for a new Turnpike Authority chairman outside the political arena but had no specific candidate and no timetable.

"I want somebody who knows how the wheels of automobiles and trucks turn and how engineers can do a fine job finishing the work of the Big Dig," he said.

Amorello's family owned a construction company, but Amorello made his career in politics. He was elected to the state Senate in 1990 and served four terms before losing a bid for Congress. In 2002, he was appointed to head the Turnpike Authority by Romney's predecessor.

Romney, a fellow Republican now considering a run for president, has long been critical of Amorello and repeatedly called on him to step down.

After the deadly July 10 ceiling panel collapse, Romney seized control over tunnel inspections from Amorello's agency and began legal efforts to oust him.

The $14.6 billion Big Dig highway project had already been troubled by leaks and cost overruns, but the collapse and the discovery of other loose ceiling bolts heightened concerns about the very safety of the tunnels.

I suspect there are a lot of relieved people in state government. A legal battle might have cast even more light onto the project's oversight flaws.

Declaration Of War

Al Qaeda can't stand to be left out of all the uproar Iran is stirring up in the Middle East. So they have jumped in with a video tape from Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda's number two (apt description). In the tape Zawahri calls for all Muslims to rise up against Israel and the "Crusader" Western states. Oh, and don't forget to reconquer Spain while you're at it.

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements."

"It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails … from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims for more than seven centuries until they were driven from power in 1492.

He said Arab regimes were accomplices to Israel. "My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit … and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies … make yourselves martyrs."

He also called for the "downtrodden" throughout the world, not just Muslims, to join the battle against "tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America."

"Stand with Muslims in confronting this unprecedented oppression and tyranny. Stand with us as we stand with you against this injustice that was forbidden by God in his book (the Quran)," al-Zawahri said.

Kamal Habib, a former member of Egypt's Islamic Jihad militant group who was jailed from 1981 to 1991 along with al-Zawahri, said the al-Qaida No. 2's outreach to Shiites and non-Muslims was unprecedented and reflected a major change in tactics.

"This is a transformation in the vision of al-Qaida and its struggle with the United States. It is now trying to unite Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and calling for non-Muslims to join the fight," he said.

There is an instructive quote on the tape. The use of language is particularly indicative of a coordinated propaganda effort:

"The shells and rockets ripping apart Muslim bodies in Gaza and Lebanon are not only Israeli (weapons), but are supplied by all the countries of the crusader coalition. Therefore, every participant in the crime will pay the price," al-Zawahri said.

"We cannot just watch these shells as they burn our brothers in Gaza and Lebanon and stand by idly, humiliated," he added.

That is a very odd way to phrase it, until you remember the sudden "reports" that allege that Israel is using chemical weapons. I'd read it as revealing who is really behind those charges.

Nasrallah Showing Signs Of Strain?

This is an interesting article from Ha'aretz. It appears to indicate that Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, may be feeling the strain of his miscalculations.

An Israel Defense Forces analysis of the messages transmitted by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to his men during the fighting in Lebanon reveals a slightly different tone from the one he took in three public television interviews in the same period and in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper A-Safir.

A senior officer said Nasrallah took a less bellicose position when engaging in his internal dialogue in his organization, than in his appearances in the Arab media - but he remained aggressive.

Nasrallah's tone is apologetic in his messages and he explains that Israel escalated the confrontation by striking deep inside Lebanon after the soldiers were abducted, the officer said.

Nasrallah admits that his organization is having morale problems and says his group will receive support and encouragement.

He adds that not only Hezbollah, but also Israel, has been badly hit.

He also complains frequently that the Arab states have deserted Hezbollah and the Lebanese and are not helping them against Israel.

The army admits that Nasrallah is prepared to continue fighting for a long time and that its military strength has not been broken in a way that will prevent it from carrying out its objectives.

Nasrallah is continuing to function although he is underground.

All the media interviews came at his initiative and his men dictated the terms to the journalists to ensure his safety.

Israel is sparing no effort to try and assassinate him.

Hezbollah is believed to be planning additional surprises, as Nasrallah said, and these could include detonating a drone carrying explosives over Israel or firing Iranian Zilzal rockets at Tel Aviv.

This dovetails into the sudden flurry of Hezbollah attempts to use back channels like the Washington Post to try and get a ceasefire. Hezbollah has admitted that they miscalculated Israel's response. If Hezbollah is now also showing internal morale problems, it could spell a massive backlash against the people who started the misadventure. Meaning Nasrallah is getting nervous.

Israel Calling Up More Reserves

Ha'aretz is reporting that Israel will be calling up more reserves, but will not change the basic operational strategy of airstikes coupled with pinpoint ground attacks.

The security cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, decided Thursday morning against expanding the Israel Defense Forces operation in southern Lebanon, Israel Radio reported.

The discussion came a day after nine IDF troops were killed in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the area.

During the meeting, Olmert said the goals of Israel's 17-day offensive are being met, the radio said. The ministers also decided to call up additional reserves to refresh troops in Lebanon, it added.

"It was decided to continue the offensive with the same strategy, using pinpointed ground incursions and air strikes, not to bring in massive forces," said a source om Jerusalem. "At the moment the army is not bound by time, it can act as long as needed."

Olmert convened a late-night meeting Wednesday with the "group of seven" - ministers who form part of the security cabinet - to discuss options and exchange views about the continuation of the operation in view of the rising casualties in battles against Hezbollah and the continued Katyusha rocket attacks against northern Israel.

Senior military personnel requested a widespread call-up of reserve soldiers for a two-month long ground operation to "cleanse" the area south of the Litani River of Hezbollah infrastructure.

A more daring operation was proposed by Mossad chief Meir Dagan.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz said during the Wednesday meeting that he favors continuing the operation in Lebanon, but opposes expanding it or an extensive call up of reserve troops.

The army's proposals were met with mixed responses by the ministers. "The military must present accomplishments," participants said. A senior minister stated that, "The main problem is the lack of defense leadership."

Officials have expressed concerns that expanding the operation would be misinterpreted by Syria as preparation for an attack against it, even though Israel has repeatedly stated that it has no plans against Damascus.

A number of ministers were expected Thursday to express bitter criticism of the handling of the war in the north, including its aims and the nature of the ground operations - particularly following the heavy casualties Wednesday.

Olmert ended the meeting at 1:30 A.M. Wednesday, saying, "I'm tired. I didn't sleep at all last night." But the ministers protested. "You summoned us. Let us talk," they said.

No decisions were made at the Wednesday meeting, but it served as an opportunity for the ministers to voice their opinions.

Calling up reserves indicates that Israel expects operations to continue for some time.

The Murtha Parade

In your Code Pink bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest loony in the Murtha parade.
To heck with your own district, You'd rather hang with peaceniks
And be the grandest loony in the Murtha parade

(With sincere apologies to Irving Berlin)

John Murtha has decided to take his particularly repulsive self out on a road trip to help other candidates rather than stay in his own district and campaign against Diana Irey. He's attempting to garner favor for his anticipated run for the position of Majority Leader if the Democrats take control of the house.

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who has suspended his race to become majority leader in the event that the Democrats capture the House, plans to campaign in 41 races around the country where he said party leaders believe he can be helpful.

This is a dramatic increase in activity for Murtha, who did not campaign for House candidates in 2004, according to his spokeswoman.

Helping Democratic candidates could pay dividends in a race for majority leader against Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Murtha says he thinks such a race is likely and told The Hill that if the election were held now Democrats would be catapulted into the majority.

“If it was today, we’d win 50 seats,” he said, adding that Democratic strategists have assessed the field of competitive races in which they think he can help.

“In 41 seats they think I can help,” he said. “They’ve got it narrowed.”

Murtha said he plans to campaign in all of them. He also said, “I’m going to where Nancy sends me,” referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

One hopes Diana Irey makes the most out of the opportunity that Murtha has given her. She only has to point to this to prove Murtha simply does not care about his district.

One hopes Diana Irey makes the most out of the opportunity that Murtha has given her. She only has to point to this to prove Murtha simply does not care about his district.

You Keep Using That Word

I do not think it means what you think it means. That classic line from the Princess Bride pretty well wraps up Howard Dean. Two headlines:

Dean Calls Iraqi PM an 'Anti-Semite' 

Howard Dean Calls for End to Divisiveness

You just can't make this stuff up.