Posted 7:20 PM by Steve
108th CONGRESS passed this resolution unanimously

S. RES. 95
Commending the President and the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 20, 2003
Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. DASCHLE, Mr. WARNER, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. REID, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Allard, Mr. Allen, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burns, Mr. Campbell, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Dayton, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mrs. Feinstein Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Graham of Florida, Mr. Graham of South Carolina, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Hollings, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar, Mr. McCain, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Miller, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Nickles, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Specter, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Talent, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to



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RESOLUTION
Commending the President and the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

Whereas Saddam Hussein has failed to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 678, 686, 687, 688, 707, 715, 949, 1051, 1060, 1115, 1134, 1137, 1154, 1194, 1205, 1284, and 1441;

Whereas the military action now underway against Iraq is lawful and fully authorized by the Congress in Sec. 3(a) of Public Law 107-243, which passed the Senate on October 10, 2002, by a vote of 77-23, and which passed the House of Representatives on that same date by a vote of 296-133;

Whereas more than 225,000 men and women of the United States Armed Forces are now involved in conflict against Iraq;

Whereas over 200,000 members of the Reserves and National Guard have been called to active duty for the conflict against Iraq and other purposes; and

Whereas the Senate and the American people have the greatest pride in the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, and the civilian personnel supporting them, and strongly support them in their efforts: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) commends and supports the efforts and leadership of the President, as Commander in Chief, in the conflict against Iraq;

(2) commends, and expresses the gratitude of the Nation to all members of the United States Armed Forces (whether on active duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves) and the civilian employees who support their efforts, as well as the men and women of civilian national security agencies who are participating in the military operations in the Persian Gulf region, for their professional excellence, dedicated patriotism and exemplary bravery;

(3) commends and expresses the gratitude of the Nation to the family members of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians serving in operations against Iraq who have borne the burden of sacrifice and separation from their loves ones;

(4) expresses its deep condolences to the families of brave Americans who have lost their lives in this noble undertaking, over many years, against Iraq;

(5) joins all Americans in remembering those who lost their lives during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1991, those still missing from that conflict, including Captain Scott Speicher, USN, and the thousands of Americans who have lost their lives in terrorist attacks over the years, and in the Global War on Terrorism; and

(6) expresses sincere gratitude to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government for their courageous and steadfast support, as well as gratitude to other allied nations for their military support, logistical support, and other assistance in the campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime.

Posted 4:45 PM by Steve
Iraqis Show Gratitude for Liberation

The Associated Press
Saturday, April 5th


NASIRIYAH, Iraq - A thirsty Iraqi mimed drinking from a bottle. A U.S. Marine shook his canteen to show it was empty.

Many Iraqis at a key crossroads in this southern city greet Marines with a thumbs-up - meaning thanks for coming - followed by an outstretched hand begging for food or water.

Help is on the way, U.S. Central Command promised Saturday. But far from its supply base, Echo company of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit can barely cover its own needs - let alone those of Iraqis.

"They are still asking us for water but not as bad anymore because they realize we don't have any," said 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Garret Amerine of Laguna Niguel, Calif.

By day, the hot dusty crossroads bustled with activity - women in black robes carrying bundles on their heads, children in brightly colored clothing, donkeys and horses pulling carts. On Saturday, Marines allowed cars, buses and trucks to cross as well, after searching them for bombs.

A young boy looked at the Marines and said something barely understandable that turned out to be an English word - chocolate. A man shouted "Good, Bush" as he drove past.

Lance Cpl. Brian Cole, 20, of Kansas City, Kan., was bowled over by the 7-year-old girl who handed him a Christmas card with this painstakingly written text: "Thank you for liberate us. And thank you for help us. You are a great army."

"That made my day, after sitting out in the heat all day. It made it seem worthwhile," said Cole.

Now that traffic is moving again, buses and trucks are delivering tomatoes and other produce. A battered blue pickup truck carries two cows. Other trucks were loaded with brush for firewood.


The Marines, short of cigarettes and thirsty for soft drinks, have proved a windfall for Abdullah and other budding businessmen.

"I am happy for the work, because I don't have a job now," he said. The Marines told him humanitarian aid would probably be arriving soon.

These days, the southern port of Umm Qasr and the nearby city of Basra are the focus of humanitarian efforts, including restoring water supplies and building up food stocks. Nasiriyah, while in southern Iraq, is still some 150 miles away.

Getting supplies from Kuwait to troops near Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Gene Renuart said, is like "having a big old convoy of semi-tractor trailers running up and down that road, moving food and fuel and water."

For now, the closest doctors to Nasiriyah are medics like Navy Hospitalman Rashon Kyle.



Gunnery Sgt. Robert Benoit, 33, of Leominster, Mass., said the Marines gave away flour they seized from a warehouse, and that Iraqi engineers are getting a local water treatment plant running again.

"We are here to help these people," he said.

Posted 4:44 PM by Steve
U.S. Forces Move Through Iraqi Capital


By DAVID CRARY
The Associated Press
Saturday, April 5, 2003; 12:37 PM


U.S. armored vehicles drove through Baghdad on Saturday, smashing through Iraq's Republican Guard to reach - at least briefly - the ultimate destination of their two-week surge across southern Iraq. In one skirmish, Marines with bayonets battled Arab fighters from abroad in a marsh on Baghdad's outskirts.

The U.S. incursion was not an attempt to capture large sections of Baghdad, which remained under tenuous Iraqi government control. Rather, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Gene Renuart, "it was a clear statement of the ability of coalition forces to move into Baghdad at the time and place of their choosing."

The intent, Renuart said in a briefing at Central Command in Qatar, was to show the Iraqi leadership "that they do not have the control they speak about on their television."

A huge explosion resounded across the central part of Baghdad on Saturday night. Armed men - troops, militiamen, Baath Party loyalists - took positions at major intersections and on main roads leading to the city's western, southern and southeastern exits. Tanks, machine guns and artillery were deployed inside the city. Many civilians were on the streets carrying Kalashnikovs. Other parts of the city were nearly deserted.

On the airport road, Iraqi troops posed for Iraqi photographers standing atop what they said were U.S. armored personnel carriers destroyed in battle Friday and Saturday.

Red Cross workers in Baghdad reported several hundred war wounded and dozens of dead had been brought to four city hospitals since Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. The ICRC could not say how many were civilians.

"The hospitals are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the continuous influx of wounded," the ICRC's Muin Kassis said Saturday in Amman, Jordan.

Iraqi TV played patriotic music, and soldiers and militiamen loyal to Saddam Hussein vowed to keep fighting. Renuart said the American armored unit encountered "pockets of very intense fighting" from Republican Guards and irregular fighters using rocket propelled grenades and air-to-air artillery weapons.

Fox News reported that 26 M1A2 Abrams tanks and 10 Bradley fighting vehicles with the 3rd Infantry, 2nd Brigade moved inside the city limits Saturday morning, where they fought paramilitary forces and Republican Guards. Fox correspondent Greg Kelly said one U.S. tank was destroyed.

In southern Iraq, two coalition aircraft struck the Basra residence of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, Central Command said.

Al-Majid is a member of Saddam's inner circle and commander of southern forces, U.S. military officials said. They said he had once ordered Iraqi forces to use chemical weapons on Kurds in northern Iraq and was known as "Chemical Ali." The airstrike's effectiveness was being assessed, they added.

Thousands of U.S. troops had gathered on Baghdad's outskirts - the 3rd Infantry Division arriving from the southwest and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force from the southeast.

The Iraqi military, in a statement read on satellite television, said U.S. forces were repulsed when they tried to advance on Baghdad from the south. "We were able to chop off their rotten heads," the statement said.

On the southern outskirts, Marines engaged in close-quarters fighting with pro-Saddam volunteers from Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and elsewhere, according to Lt. Col. B.P. McCoy of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.

"It's like a jihad. They were given a rifle and told to become a martyr," said McCoy, whose troops used bayonets while battling in the reeds of a marsh.

As other Marine units advanced north, Iraqi civilian vehicles fled south, packed with bundles and bearing improvised white flags made from torn-up towels or T-shirts.

Long lines at gasoline stations in Baghdad underscored a sense of crisis in a city that has been without power since Thursday night. At markets, vendors did a brisk business selling batteries and flashlights.

At Baghdad's airport, captured by U.S. troops Friday, soldiers used explosives to clear abandoned buildings and examined an extensive underground complex below the airfield.

Lt. Col. Lee Fetterman, a battalion commander with the 101st Airborne Division, said several hundred Iraqis were killed at the airport, including some with bombs strapped to them who apparently intended to attempt suicide attacks.

Renuart said the Americans' hold on the airport was firm, despite Iraqi counterattacks Saturday, and he indicated one runway would soon be usable. Yet Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf contended the Americans were ousted from the airport.

"Today, we butchered the force present at the airport," al-Sahhaf said. He also indicated that Iraqi fighters would stage "creative operations," including suicide attacks.

Much of the military activity around Baghdad appeared aimed at preventing any regrouping of Republican Guard forces in the coalition rear.

Southwest of the capital, units of the 3rd Infantry captured the abandoned headquarters of the Republican Guard's Medina division - one of Saddam's best-trained units - in the town of Suwayrah.

As U.S. forces entered Baghdad, there was no definitive word on Saddam's whereabouts. A statement attributed to him Saturday, read by al-Sahhaf, urged Iraqi fighters to destroy the "lost and shocked" enemy.

"Saddam Hussein is no longer really a factor in this war," said Group Capt. Al Lockwood, a spokesman for the U.S.-British forces. "If we capture Saddam Hussein alive, so be it. We will put him on trial for war crimes. But if he is not alive, that will not affect the way we carry out this campaign."

Though U.S. casualties in the attack on Baghdad have been light, two Marine pilots were killed Saturday when their Super Cobra attack helicopter crashed in central Iraq.

Also, the Pentagon confirmed the first combat death of an American woman in the war - Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, 23, of Tuba City, Ariz. Her body, and those of six colleagues from the 507th Maintenance Company, were found during the rescue of American POW Jessica Lynch in Iraq this week. Their unit was ambushed March 23.

Posted 12:20 PM by Steve
Iraqi Soldiers: "We Had to Eat Grass, Witness Executions"

Human Rights Watch on Friday revealed the first independent, substantial information about Iraqi army deserters since the war began, and it ain't pretty.

Many of the 26 soldiers interviewed by the organization spoke of extremely low pay ($2 or even less a month) and meager food rations. One witness described the summary execution of 10 suspected deserters. Others said they knew of execution squads of 10 to 12 men.

"Some days we were so hungry we would eat grass, which we mixed with a little water," said a 21-year-old soldier from Baghdad whose unit was part of the Fifth Corps. "We didn't wash ourselves for 40 days. Often there was no drinking water, and they would give us jerry cans and tell us to go and fill them from the pools of water that gathered on the ground when it rained."

Some of the Iraqi soldiers described inhumane punishments including beatings or being forced to crawl across stones on their bare knees or backs. One showed the scars on his back from this punishment. Their officers frequently warned them that they would be executed if they tried to escape. Several deserters said their officers forced them to remain in their positions during the air strikes, telling them to "die like men."

The eyewitness to an execution said that on March 26, 10 deserters were brought to an open field where a colonel had gathered other units to witness the execution. "This is what happens to betrayers of our nation," the colonel told the assembled troops, according to the witness. He then began shooting the alleged deserters one by one. Other members of the execution squad joined in. The colonel then ordered the bodies to be dragged up onto a hillside so the soldiers would have a better view of the corpses.

Posted 10:46 AM by Steve
American Public Opinion About Iraq

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted Saturday and Sunday, shows 70% of Americans in favor of the war and 27% opposed, virtually identical to the support measured last week.

Still, more than 8 in 10 Americans currently believe the war is going at least moderately well.

Bush's overall job approval rating is at 71%.

Posted 10:16 AM by Steve
"In the long run, the greatest weapon of mass destruction is
stupidity. In an age of artificial intelligence, too many of
our schools are producing artificial stupidity, in the sense
of ideas and attitudes far more foolish than young people would
have arrived at on their own. ...Weapons of mass destruction in
the hands of an avowed enemy can destroy many Americans, but they
cannot destroy America, because we are too strong and too capable
of counterattack. Only Americans can destroy America. But too
many of our schools have for years been quietly undermining the
values and abilities that are needed to preserve any society --
and especially a free society." --Thomas Sowell




"You are the army of the last semi-free country left on earth, yet
you are accused of being a tool of imperialism -- and 'imperialism'
is the name given to the foreign policy of this country, which
has never engaged in military conquest.... Something called
'the military-industrial complex' -- which is a myth or worse
-- is being blamed for all of this country's troubles...it
is urgently important for you to understand the nature of the
enemy. You are attacked, not for any errors or flaws, but for
your virtues.... You are penalized for being the protectors
of the United States. Those who seek to destroy this country,
seek to disarm it--intellectually and physically.... The motive
of the destroyers is...hatred of America." --Ayn Rand to West
Point graduates of 1974.



"It is time that we committed ourselves as a nation -- in
both the public and private sectors -- to assisting democratic
development.... Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace,
but let it be clear we maintain this strength in the hope it
will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the struggle
that's now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets
but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve,
the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideals to which
we are dedicated." --Ronald Reagan (1982)




I have great respect for the men and women fighting overseas to
protect our way of life in Iraq and other parts of the world. As
the son of an Army officer, I understand the strength, courage
and discipline required to successfully carry out their missions
in hostile environments and feel tremendous pride they are
representing us. Obviously, no one likes war. Our Congress and
President tried hard to avoid the use of force, but ultimately
decided it was the best course of action. I like the assertiveness
shown by President Bush and think we owe it to our political
and military leaders, along with our brave soldiers, to be as
supportive as possible during these difficult and trying times. I
just wanted to take this opportunity to let our forces know that
I am thinking about you and wishing you and your families the
best." --Tiger Woods



"...[U.S. foreign policy should] use the ... war against Iraq to
persuade Arab governments that they themselves have a compelling
interest in putting Islamic radicals out of business. ... What
we should demand of Arab leaders is not ideological fealty,
but simply responsible behavior. ... A foreign policy based on
authentically conservative principles begins by accepting the
fact that the world is not infinitely malleable. It recognizes
that our own resources, although great, are limited. And it never
loses sight of the fact that the freedom that U.S. officials are
sworn to protect is our own. Defending that freedom in these
difficult times demands courage and resolve. But it also demands
modesty and self-restraint -- qualities seldom in evidence in
Washington since the end of the Cold War. Now is the time, and
Iraq is the place, for this administration to begin exhibiting
those virtues." --Andrew Bacevich


"Peace Marchers, march because they are safe, well fed, well
clothed, have a few dollars in the bank and have to much time on
their hands. It is my belief that they are a direct reflection of
the American Dream, anyone can be safe, well fed, well clothed,
have a few dollars in the bank. It is sad they are so dumb, no too
STUPID to understand that President Bush and the American fighting
men/women are giving their all so AMERICANS can be safe, well fed,
well clothed and have a few dollars in the bank. Maybe they should
be issued a protest march permit next to ground zero. How soon
they have forgotten. This is a case of the stupid people biting
the hand that protects them. --Master Sergeant of the USMC"

"My family w in Calgary, Alberta told me that some of the people
who live their are removing their Canadian flags and substituting
American flags instead. There are some Canadian Patriots!"