This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Foreign Policy

  • USA Today on How Vets Feel About The Hurt Locker

    USA Today has run an article that discusses how many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have different opinions on the accuracy and quality of the movie The Hurt Locker. The author of article, Gregg Zoroya, does an excellent job of gauging veterans’ responses to the movie, presenting an array of opinions including those of Army of Dude and Bouhammer, who are both quoted in the article. I highly encourage you all to read the article, it is one of the few times the MSM has done a good job of reporting on how vets feel about a particular issue (albeit not a very important one).

    I personally enjoyed The Hurt Locker and thought it got a lot of things right about Americans in Iraq. In particular, I enjoyed how the movie mostly stayed out of the politics and how the insurgents were portrayed for exactly what they are: a bunch of savages who don’t care who they harm or kill in their strive to attain their goals. I felt that generally EOD’s mission was properly portrayed (a couple ridiculous adventures notwithstadning) and the opening scene in my opinion was a dead-on accurate depiction of how an EOD mission usually works.

    Of course there were many technical errors (involving everything from uniforms to rank) and ridiculous side-stories that involved EOD doing everything from helping private military contractors kill a sniper to the EOD team leader running alone through the streets of Baghdad at night. But you got to remember that this is a Hollywood movie, and there will always be a dramatic license taken with war movies.

    Overall, compared to the other trash that has come about Iraq, the Hurt Locker is a good war movie and the first real decent portrayal of Americans in Iraq by Hollywood.

  • This is getting really old.

    Seems that the people over at Rethink Afghanistan are upset that Brig. Gen. Nicholson said that civilian casualties are going to be unavoidable. Yet by their reaction you would think that the is a open statement that civilian casualties are being viewed as unimportant. Hardly the case that I have seen.

    So of course these people jump over it when it does happen. Of course our sources our always wrong and children seem to be be involved. Does not do well since half of the footage used is from Al Jazeera does not make me want to watch anything they say. Also not to mention the fact this news group is the only news group that video taped a Insurgent group in Afghanistan pulling people over at a illegal checkpoint looking for people who voted in the election. Now they want to come off with any sense of concern for the people of Afghanistan.

    But that seems not to bother some people.

    U.S. forces just fired a “precision munition” that landed 300 yards away from its target, butchering 10 civilians, including 5 children. Stop this war.

    DC I respect you but you and your group are dead wrong on this.

  • Catching up on the news

    One weird-ass weekend for news. We had Joe Biden, who had days previously taken credit for the relative calm in Iraq, attack his predecessor, Dick Cheney, for rewriting history. But, that’s what we’ve come to expect from plagerizing, tall-tale-telling Joe.

    The Sam Wurzelbacher (Joe the Plumber) goes off on John McCain for “using” him. Somehow, Wurzelbacher, divorces himself from Sarah Palin simply because she’ll campaign for McCain in Arizona, and says of President Obama “I think his ideology is un-American, but he’s one of the more honest politicians. At least he told us what he wanted to do.” Have you been paying attention, Joe? I guess talking head is another thing you shouldn’t try at home.

    Then this morning, the shocking headline that Hillary Clinton has, after thirty years, arrived at the conclusion that Iran is becoming a military dictatorship. What was all that shit last year when troops and militia took to the streets and beat the snot out protesters?

    And, oh, did I mention – on the heels of Joe Biden telling us that there are no 9-11-style attacks in our future, John Brennan was out telling the public that the recidivism rate for released Guantanamo detainees is only 20% – “not that bad” compared to the rest of American prisoners – even though other American prisoners don’t blow themselves up in crowded marketplaces and fly airplanes into skyscrapers.

  • My apathy shows itself again.

    For anyone that has heard of Darfur and the Sudan region has most likely heard of the many problems going on there. This is not something new and like any other conflict zones there is a almost a repeated monotone message condemning the fighting. But with out any real follow through to be then forgotten by what is the next breaking crisis around the world. In short unless it happens in one’s immediate area, most people could care less. So keep that in mine as we go into the this video.

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  • Hondurans figure it all out for themselves

    All of the deal making and wet kisses to Chavez from the Obama Administration, the handjobs Hillary gave to the OAS – all for naught according to the BBC.

    Deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya has left the Brazilian embassy there and is heading into exile in the Dominican Republic, reports say.

    His departure marks the end of efforts to return to office after soldiers first forced him into exile on 28 June.

    Earlier, the newly-elected Honduran President, Porfirio Lobo, promised him safe passage to the airport as part of a reconciliation process.

    Mr Lobo was sworn in at a ceremony in the capital, Tegucigalpa.

    Under a deal struck by the two men, Mr Zelaya agreed to fly to exile in the Dominican Republic as a way to avoid prosecution in Honduras on charges he violated the constitution while in office.

    Imagine that – all of those little, backwards brown people worked it all out for themselves without Daniel Ortiz sending in his Nicaraguan troops, without Hugo Chavez launching an attack, without Hillary having the interim president thrown in jail. Their constitution ruled the day despite the Obama Administration’s best efforts to subvert their constitution.

    As I’ve said countless times over the last few months, Zelaya should feel lucky – a lot of other presidents in that area were deposed feet first. Now he gets to live in relative luxury in Dom Rep. And Chavez was denied another member of ALBA.

    While Obama votes “present” on constitutional rule in Central America.

  • Rot In Hell

    The Iraqi government announced today the death of Ali Hassan Al-Majid, the notorious cousin of Saddam Huessin who became known as “Chemical Ali” because of his role in using chemcial against the Kurds.  He was hanged shortly after recieving his FOURTH death sentence (and unfortunately they only hanged him once).  Ali Hassan also was the military governor of Kuwait following its occupation by Iraq and helped to crush a Shiite rebellion in southern Iraq after the Gulf War. He was part of Saddam’s inner-circle for many and was able to remain consisently in Saddam’s favor, unlike many of his other relatives, including his sadistic son Uday.

    I don’t think anybody will be missing him.

    “I want to kiss the hangman’s rope,” said Kamil Mahmoud, a 40-year-old teacher who lost eight family members in the March 16, 1988, attack in Iraq’s Kurdish region.”

  • Haiti Police “It’s every man for himself!”

    The police of Hatai are now telling the population that they are better off at it themselves then rely on the police. Not only that but actively encouraging them to shot and kill criminals.

    “If you don’t kill the criminals, they will all come back,” a Haitian police officer shouts over a loudspeaker in the country’s most notorious slum, imploring citizens to take justice into their own hands.

    Yep you read that right, how often do you hear something like that today?

    The call for vigilantes comes as influential gang leaders who escaped from a heavily damaged prison during the country’s killer earthquake are taking advantage of a void left by police and peacekeepers focused on disaster relief.

    “Even as we are digging bodies out of buildings, they are trying to attack our officers,” Cite Soleil police inspector Aristide Rosemond said, surrounded by officers wielding automatic weapons.

    I know we have not had anything on this scale, but what where to happen if there was a major disaster that really causes things to get blown wide open.

    But don’t worry the the UN is on it, sorta.

    The Brazilian peacekeeping unit assigned to Cite Soleil lost 18 of its 145 soldiers in the earthquake. Ten perished when the “Blue House” — a landmark concrete tower converted into a U.N. post near the slum’s entrance — collapsed, leaving weapons and equipment readily available to fast-acting looters.

    The U.N. peacekeeping mission also lost its chief, deputy chief and acting police commander.

    The police lost an uncounted number of personnel and equipment, leaving a group of officers who in large part are just recently recruited and trained.

    So I would really like to see a reply on what would happen able to hand a situation like this if full gun control would be in place? I mean this is not just a hypothetical one, this is happening today, now as we speak.

  • Reason number 1472 why Hamas cannot be trusted.

    Well originally this story that came out that three Hamas members were killed in a missile strike while about to launch a rocker attack from Gaza. I pictured that they would be seen and heroic martyrs. Yet this story changes things.

    Hamas said overnight Monday that a Hamas militant was killed and three others injured in an explosion in a northern Gaza Strip bomb workshop, Army Radio reported.

    So I wonder what is the view on the afterlife reward if you take out your own guys and not one enemy?

    But don’t worry, they will always be heroes to these guys who will be making a graphic novels about the heroics and struggle of the Palestine people.

    This is not a story about recent events in Gaza, not the “Cast Lead” offensive which so shocked the world. No, it is a book about two mass killings of Palestinians, by the Israeli military in 1956 — so long ago they have been forgotten.

    Yes because how would they write about events like this.

    Also Sunday, four mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip, but all landed on the Palestinian side of the border.