posted May 14, 2004 02:05 PM            

Twight Zone perhaps!!!!

posted May 14, 2004 07:27 PM            

Well, I did use the word "generalization". Even though you didn't but then you immediately came back and said "Generalizing is ignorant".

I didn't say you made a personally insulting remark---only that you were close.

posted May 17, 2004 04:48 PM            

Updated: 02:51 PM EDT
Bomb With Sarin Nerve Agent Explodes in Iraq
Two Treated for Minor Exposure; No Serious Injuries Reported
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, AP

Excerps-------

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (May 17)
A roadside bomb containing deadly sarin nerve agent exploded near a U.S. military convoy, the U.S. military said Monday."

"Developed in the mid-1930s by Nazi scientists, a single drop of sarin can cause quick, agonizing choking death."

''The Iraqi Survey Group confirmed today that a 155-millimeter artillery round containing sarin nerve agent had been found,'' Kimmitt said. ''The round had been rigged as an IED (improvised explosive device) which was discovered by a U.S. force convoy."

Stay tuned, they found another 155mm artillery shell filled with sarin that wasn't exploded.

posted May 17, 2004 06:43 PM            

I just heard on an ABC affiliate radio news station that they have found another artillery shell filled with mustard gas. I don't know if that makes 2, one sarin and one mustard or now 3 shells total?

Whichever it is, WMD has now been found in Iraq, if WMD hadn't been found before.

posted May 26, 2004 06:04 PM            

I would be really surprised if a search through all the artillery and mortar rounds in the storage areas of Iraq are not being picked up one by one and shaken to see if they contain liquids.

Tests Confirm Sarin Gas in Baghdad Bomb
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
WASHINGTON – Comprehensive testing has confirmed the presence of the chemical weapon sarin in the remains of a roadside bomb discovered this month in Baghdad, a defense official said Tuesday.The determination, made by a laboratory in the United States that the official would not identify, verifies what earlier, less-thorough field tests had found: The bomb was made from an artillery shell designed to disperse the deadly nerve agent on the battlefield.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/5/25/165531.shtml

posted March 03, 2005 12:43 AM            

"I am absolutely sure that Russian Spetsnatz units moved WMDs out of Iraq before the war," stated John Shaw, the former deputy undersecretary for international technology security.

According to Shaw, Russian units hid Saddam's arsenal inside Syria and in Lebanon's Bekka valley.

"While in Iraq I uncovered detailed information that Spetsnatz units shredded records and moved all WMD and specified advanced munitions out of Iraq to Syria and Lebanon," stated Shaw during an exclusive interview.

"I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives. Moscow made a 2001 agreement with Saddam Hussein to clear up all Russian involvement in WMD systems in Iraq," stated Shaw.

Shaw's assertions match the information provided by U.S. military forces that satellite surveillance showed extensive large-vehicle traffic crossing the Syrian border prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Moscow Paranoid About WMDs

Shaw's information also backs allegations by a wide variety of sources of Russia's direct involvement in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. One U.N. bioterrorism expert announced that Russia has been Iraq's "main supplier of the materials and know-how to weaponize anthrax, botulism and smallpox."

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Goldberg cited former U.N. weapons inspector Richard Spertzel, who stated that Moscow supplied Baghdad with fermentation equipment to produce biotoxins.

According to Spertzel, the Russians on the U.N. inspection team in Iraq were "paranoid" about his efforts to uncover smallpox production.

Goldberg noted that no country has "done more to rebuild" Saddam's chemical and biological weapons programs or "been more aggressive in helping hide the truth" than Russia.

It is a fact that Saddam Hussein rose to power backed by Russian weapons and Russian money. Saddam was in debt to Moscow for over $8 billion for the arms he purchased from Russia when he was captured by U.S. forces. The primary Iraqi chemical weapons were VX nerve gas and mustard gas, a blistering agent, both obtained from Russia.

According to the book "Russian Military Power," published in 1982, "It is known that the Soviets maintain stocks of CW (chemical weapons) agents." The two primary Russian chemical weapons in the 1982 Soviet inventory were the nerve agent "VX" and "blistering agents - developments of mustard gas used so effectively in World War I."

Russian Chemical Weapons in Iraq

Iraq did most of its WMD killing using Russian-made MiG and Sukhoi aircraft equipped with chemical sprayers. In addition, Saddam used French-made artillery and helicopters to dump gas on Iranian troops and Iraqi Kurds.

Iraq obtained Russian delivery systems and the same inventory of Russian-made chemical weapons at the same time. Iraqi SU-22 Fitter attack jets were armed with Warsaw Pact-designed bombs filled with chemical weapons. Iraq used these Russian jet fighters to drop chemical weapons on Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war.

Iraq tried to use these SU-22 jets during the 1991 Gulf War, but they were detected and destroyed on the ground before they could launch a deadly chemical attack.

Other Russian weapons found with chemical weapons include the FROG-7 missile, 122 mm rockets, 152 mm artillery and the M-1937 82 mm mortars. All the Iraqi artillery missiles, rockets, shells and mortar rounds filled with chemical weapons are of Russian design.

Iraqi forces were trained by Russians in the use of chemical weapons and equipped by Russia with anti-chemical suits. The Iraqi armed forces were trained, equipped and supplied with the proper logistics to perform chemical warfare by Russia.

Lebanon and Syria

The arming of Iraq with such weapons has a direct impact on events today in the Middle East. The presence of former Iraqi WMD systems in Lebanon raises serious questions surrounding the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Many blame Syria for Hariri's murder.

However, the possibility that Hariri discovered the location of the Iraqi WMD systems inside his country lends some credible backing to a Syrian assassination effort to silence him.

In addition, the sudden sale of advanced missile and other weapons to Damascus by Moscow also supports the allegation that Syria is hiding something for Russia.

Russian weapons makers have previously insisted on hard, cold cash payments for their missiles, especially after the fall of Saddam and the collapse of credit deals done with Baghdad. More importantly, the Syrian economy is in bad shape, making it difficult for Damascus to come up with the required money for advanced Russian weapons.

Instead, it now appears that Moscow has extended both very good terms and no down payment required to Syria for an extensive purchase of advanced missiles and weapons. This is in contrast to weapons sales to other "good" Russian customers such as China, which can afford to pay up front for weapon systems.

CIA Failed

There is no question that the Russian effort to remove Iraqi WMD systems was the most successful intelligence operation of the 21st century. The Russians were able to move hundreds of tons of chemical, biological and nuclear materials without being discovered by CIA satellites or NSA radio listening posts.

"There is a clear sense on how effective they were," noted Shaw.

posted March 05, 2005 02:19 PM            

Could it that terrorists have offices in downtown Damascus...no, that's been the case for years, many years.

Could it be that terrorists in Syrian occupied territory in the Bekaa Valley use Lebanon as a staging area for attacks on Israel...no, nothing new in that either.

However, if the story about Saddam's chemical and biological weapons being removed to Syria and the Bekaa Valley prior to Coalation military forces entering Iraq is true, then it would make perfect sense for the Administration to not let up on Syria.

Notice that Syria wants to keep about 3000 troops in the Bekaa Valley area of Lebanon.

If the documents and story about Saddam's WMD being stored in Syria and the Bekaa Valley are true...then Syria has suddenly developed a huge problem with the assassination of a Lebanese opposition leader and the united pressure on Syria to withdraw totally from Lebanon.

That problem is..how to remove Saddam's WMD from the Bekaa Valley without being detected and for certain, Syria can't withdraw and leave them there You can bet there are a lot of eyes..both on the ground and in the sky watching the Bekaa Valley.

Syrians Gather as Assad Set to Announce Pullback
NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, March 5, 2005

DAMASCUS, Syria - Thousands of Syrians supporting their leader and denouncing the United States packed a square outside parliament Saturday to hear President Bashar Assad's expected announcement he will pull back his troops in Lebanon closer to the Syrian border.

Assad's announcement, expected during a rare speech to the chamber, is seen as a bid to ease increasing international pressure regarding the presence of 15,000 Syrian troops in Lebanon and the risk of isolation.

The troops have been there since 1976, and pressure for a withdrawal has escalated since the Feb. 14 assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria and Lebanon have been blamed for the killing, but both governments deny involvement.

But President Bush has said anything less than a full withdrawal by May - when parliamentary elections are to be held - would be an unacceptable "half-measure."

Lebanese army troops, meanwhile, took up positions near the Beirut headquarters of Syrian intelligence to provide security and prevent any acts of intimidation against the Syrians, officers said, while anti-Syrian protesters gathered in a square about two miles away.

Plainclothes Syrian security agents stood outside the two-story People's Assembly building in Damascus' downtown Salhiya neighborhood as police towed away cars parked on streets leading to the legislature. Two large screens and loudspeakers were installed outside the building to allow people outside to follow the speech.

About 3,000 Syrians gathered outside ahead of the afternoon speech, many carrying pictures of Assad and his father, the late President Hafez Assad, or Syrian flags. They shouted slogans, including: "Oh God Almighty, safeguard Bashar our leader!" and "Sharon listen, the Syrian people will never bow!" in reference to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Syria's archenemy.

The protesters also chanted "One, one, one, Syrian and Lebanon are one!" and "Bush, Bush, listen, the Syrian people will not bow!"

"Killing and destruction represent America's democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq," one placard read.

An editorial in the government newspaper Tishrin called for Arab nations to stand by Syria's side.

Week of Upheaval

Assad's speech concludes a week of upheaval and Arab pressure on Syria, beginning with the resignation of Lebanon's pro-Syria government and ending with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah telling him face-to-face to get all his forces out of Lebanon quickly.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said he believes Assad will announce a pullback of his country's troops in his line with the 1989 Arab brokered Taif Accord calling for Syria to move its troops to the Lebanese border and for both countries to then negotiate the withdrawal.

Mouallem, during a Friday visit to Moscow, told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Syrian and Lebanese leaders have agreed on an action plan for carrying out the accord, but he would not say when.

"You will hear details of this plan soon," he said.

Lebanese Defense Minister Abdul-Rahim Murad - a member of the pro-Syria government, which remains in place as a caretaker - said Assad was expected to announce "a redeployment to the Bekaa region" in eastern Lebanon.

Past redeployments, particularly since 2000, have seen some Syrian troops return. Assad wants to keep some troops in Lebanon long-term and conduct a complete removal after negotiating with Lebanon's government, Murad said.

In Lebanon, several hundred flag-waving protesters assembled in Beirut's Martyrs' Square, keeping up the daily anti-Syrian campaign that started after Hariri's assassination. No violence was reported.

The protesters, many dressed in white, waved the red, white and green Lebanese flag in the downtown square in advance of the Assad speech. Many Lebanese blame Syria and their own government in Hariri's killing.

Bush flatly rejected any partial withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, and Arab leaders also were likely to be unsatisfied by such a move.

"There are no half-measures at all," Bush said Friday. "When the United States and France say withdraw, we mean complete withdrawal, no halfhearted measures."

Bush issued no military threat, but Arab nations worry Washington or the United Nations may take tough measures to push Syria into leaving Lebanon, which Damascus has dominated for more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are leading Arab efforts to get Syria to go beyond a redeployment and quickly remove all troops.

Syrian troops are currently based in the central Lebanese mountains overlooking Beirut and in northwestern regions.

Syria has told Arab nations in behind-the-scenes diplomacy it wants to keep 3,000 troops and early warning stations in Lebanon, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia are pressing Damascus to remove all troops by April.

Arab League-backed Syrian troops first entered Lebanon in 1976 as peacekeepers in its 1975-1990 civil war. When the war ended, the troops remained and have been the keystone of Syrian domination of Lebanon's politics.

Lebanese officers said the deployment of troops and police near the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut was to provide security. At one point, the troops withdrew to nearby barracks but later returned to their previous positions.

posted March 05, 2005 02:57 PM            

Well, I guess it is for the same reasons no one is making a big stink (with the exception of a few organizations) over the UN oil for food scandel and the horrible events with the peace keepers in Africa.

posted March 05, 2005 04:08 PM            

Why aren't important stories and developments carried by the American press?

The simple answer is that the press is not covering stories which tend to give credit to the President or which would knock the props out from under democrat talking points because the press are overwhelmingly democrat voters and they despise the President.

My premise that the American press is anti-America and anti-American...along with the majority of far left democrats in and out of Congress was developed over years of observation of what they say and what they do.

I've had reinforcement for that premise from various sources, including the editor of Slate Magazine who stated in an editorial that he and his friends were pulling for an American defeat in Iraq. He went on to say he..at least had repented. I doubt that.

American victories...on the battlefield, in foreign affairs and economically are defeats for the far left radical democrats. They have been pulling for America's defeat to advance their own political and ideological agendas. Lucky for them I'm not King because they would be flung out of America so hard they wouldn't bounce until they hit the far shores of Europe.

This is a story about the corruption in the thought processes of radical democrats. A victory for America is a defeat for the ideology of radical leftist democrats....which is most of them.

Jon Stewart smells it, too

The Democratic dominoes clearly are beginning to fall when Jon Stewart, the host of "The Daily Show," says, "I haven't seen results like this ever in [the Middle East]." As anyone who watches the Comedy Central "news" show knows, Mr. Stewart isn't a serious political pundit, but he is unabashedly liberal both on and off air. And since he commands a fairly large audience of mostly younger adults, he is perhaps as much an indicator of the liberal mindset as the New York Times.

His comments came during a Tuesday night interview with former Clinton aide Nancy Soderberg, who was promoting her new book, "The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might." Unfortunately for Mrs. Soderberg, the host spent the entire interview essentially undermining the very thesis of her book, which, as far as we can tell, criticizes the Bush doctrine of transforming the Middle East.

As a microcosm of the Democrats' dilemma, the interview proved enlightening. One such moment came when Mrs. Soderberg said, "[A]s a Democrat, you don't want anything nice to happen to the Republicans, and you don't want them to have progress. But as an American, you hope good things would happen." To which Mr. Stewart replied, "Do you think that the people of Lebanon would have had the courage of their conviction, having not seen -- not only the invasion but the election which followed [in Iraq]? It's almost as though that the Iraqi election has emboldened this crazy -- something's going on over there. I'm smelling something."

Mr. Stewart should be applauded for his intellectual honesty, as well as his obvious pride in America's accomplishments. Mrs. Soderberg, however, couldn't be deterred from her rank partisanship. Here's one of her more odious comments: "Well, there's still Iran and North Korea, don't forget. There's still hope for the rest of us ... There's always hope that this might not work." Mr. Stewart is funny -- it's his job. Mrs. Soderberg is not, which is why there's no other way to parse this other than as a desire to see America defeated for political gain -- and perhaps book sales.

posted March 05, 2005 04:20 PM            

Even that posted topic about Bush letting addicts rot in jail was so off base and incomplete. It is sickening to see more lies and truth being reported by the media.