Iraq

Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim is dead.

Along with about 100 others dead and hundreds more injured.

Third car bomb in a month and they are getting bigger all the time.



The sharks are circling.

Pretty soon they will be in a feeding frenzy and then.... the Americans will get out of the water in a hurry.

That is what they do.

They probably wont stop spreading chum, though.



After 9-11, no introspection, no learning from mistakes in the past, no clear plan how to make the world safer.

Only this.



Who is going to clear this up??

Can this still be cleared up??



What do I think?

I expect the Turkish troops to invade the north some time around the elections in America in 2004.

When the political (on all sides) will to do anything will be zero.

I expect the rest of the country to fall down into internal strife.

I expect a "strongman" to take power.

One much like Saddam.

One friendly to the Americans.



I expect a much impoverished and looted country limping onwards and never truly recovering.

Call me a cynic but that is what I expect, UN or no UN involvement.

Iraq

Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim is dead.

Along with about 100 others dead and hundreds more injured.

Third car bomb in a month and they are getting bigger all the time.



The sharks are circling.

Pretty soon they will be in a feeding frenzy and then.... the Americans will get out of the water in a hurry.

That is what they do.

They probably wont stop spreading chum, though.



After 9-11, no introspection, no learning from mistakes in the past, no clear plan how to make the world safer.

Only this.



Who is going to clear this up??

Can this still be cleared up??



What do I think?

I expect the Turkish troops to invade the north some time around the elections in America in 2004.

When the political (on all sides) will to do anything will be zero.

I expect the rest of the country to fall down into internal strife.

I expect a "strongman" to take power.

One much like Saddam.

One friendly to the Americans.



I expect a much impoverished and looted country limping onwards and never truly recovering.

Call me a cynic but that is what I expect, UN or no UN involvement.

Iraq

In the animal kingdom, it often happens that a smaller, more helpless animal will use camouflage and outright deception to make it look larger or more dangerous, when confronted with a threatening predator.

This is elemental and elementary.

Imagine my amusement now that the US Intelligence community is pondering the possibility that Saddam deliberately projected a more dangerous image to the outside world... in order to stop the much stronger US from attacking Iraq.



One U.S. intelligence official said: "people were just telling us what we wanted to hear."



Well, duh!!!

Iraq

In the animal kingdom, it often happens that a smaller, more helpless animal will use camouflage and outright deception to make it look larger or more dangerous, when confronted with a threatening predator.

This is elemental and elementary.

Imagine my amusement now that the US Intelligence community is pondering the possibility that Saddam deliberately projected a more dangerous image to the outside world... in order to stop the much stronger US from attacking Iraq.



One U.S. intelligence official said: "people were just telling us what we wanted to hear."



Well, duh!!!

Israel/Palestine

Another targeted liquidation by Israel.

This time, the "target" escaped with his life.



Others were not so lucky.



This is the tally so far:

One dead: a 65 year old man (bystander). At least twenty six injured; among those hurt are four children. An 8-year-old boy is in critical condition.

What is the difference: strap explosives on your body, go to a crowded public place like a bus (stop) and let it explode. Kill/maim a number of innocent bystanders (mostly Israelis).

Get in a helicopter gunship and fire rockets at a crowded intersection, hoping to hit someone in a car that is part of Hamas. Kill/maim a number of innocent bystanders (mostly Palestinian).



I would really like to know the true definition of terrorist behaviour...

If you put on a uniform, is it okay then?

If it is state-sponsored, it is okay then?

If you use state-of-the-art weapons, is it okay then?

If the USA has no problems with it, is it okay then?

Israel/Palestine

Another targeted liquidation by Israel.

This time, the "target" escaped with his life.



Others were not so lucky.



This is the tally so far:

One dead: a 65 year old man (bystander). At least twenty six injured; among those hurt are four children. An 8-year-old boy is in critical condition.

What is the difference: strap explosives on your body, go to a crowded public place like a bus (stop) and let it explode. Kill/maim a number of innocent bystanders (mostly Israelis).

Get in a helicopter gunship and fire rockets at a crowded intersection, hoping to hit someone in a car that is part of Hamas. Kill/maim a number of innocent bystanders (mostly Palestinian).



I would really like to know the true definition of terrorist behaviour...

If you put on a uniform, is it okay then?

If it is state-sponsored, it is okay then?

If you use state-of-the-art weapons, is it okay then?

If the USA has no problems with it, is it okay then?

Iraq

Those terrifying drones, remember them?

The ones that could be loaded up with chemicals or bioweapons and sent on their evil way to kill us all??



Turns out they are not a threat to the US or to the rest of the world, according to U.S. weapons experts in Baghdad.



PHEW!!!!

I was so worried!!!