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Texxas777

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Everything posted by Texxas777

  1. I really respect the imam for standing up and doing the right thing. Now let's hope the politicians do not let this mans sacrifice be in vain. Dadgummit boys (politicians) get after it!!!! Texx
  2. Born in Tyler...just moved to Arkansas from south Texas.
  3. Thanks Adam and all! Glad to be back in the saddle and in the loop! Texx
  4. RV4Me...thanks for posting. Was this part of the same Chat Med had earlier today? Just wondering? Thanks! Texx
  5. I gotta tell you...Iran makes me as nervous as a long tailed, cat in a room full of rocking chairs...not for our security but for Iraq and its citizens. The less involved Iran is...the better off Iraq will be. Praying and trusting for the best in that regard. Thanks for the post Woody as always! Texx
  6. Thanks Woody! Appreciate the effort bro... Texx
  7. I just pulled this from XE.com about 4:30 CST today... Live rates at 2010.03.31 21:26:28 UTC Notice: IQD will be redenominated by the end of 2010. More on the Iraqi Dinar 1.00 IQD = 0.000854336 USD Iraq Dinars United States Dollars 1 IQD = 0.000854336 USD 1 USD = 1,170.50 IQD Trade Currencies. Click here!! So not sure what the deal is with FOREX...anyway... Texx
  8. It is confusing sometimes to interpret these comments... However I agree that the overall tone is positive and the fact that insurance companies etc are beginning to recognize the positive changes is a good sign. I hope Adam is right in his timing and .86 sounds great to me. Bring it on! Texx
  9. Welcome and glad you are here. Lot's of great info and a good group of folks! Texx
  10. Definitely read the posts....Adam has great info and his book is worth getting. WHOOP!!! Texx
  11. Just read this on my phone and wanted to post the info and link. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/19/iraq.post.election/index.html (CNN) -- March's elections demonstrate Iraq is prepared to settle its differences using politics rather than bombs and bullets, experts say, but Iraqis still have a long road to a stable republic. Unofficial results suggest a tight race between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law party and rival Ayad Allawi's al-Iraqia, but neither is poised to win a majority in the 325-seat Council of Representatives. Experts say that to avert government deadlock and possible violence, coalitions will be formed, concessions made and the agreement to withdraw all U.S. troops by 2012 reconsidered. "Can Iraqis move forward with politics as a tool? I think yes," said retired Army Col. Pete Mansoor, a former executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus now teaching military history at Ohio State University. "The Iraqi people saw in 2006 and 2007 what sectarianism could do to their country." Good signs abound, experts say. Turnout was high, estimated at between 60 percent and 65 percent. Violence was lower than expected, despite 38 killings on Election Day. Secular parties had strong showings in several provinces, and the long-dominant Iraqi National Alliance, a Shiite-dominated party backed by Iran, is performing well in only three of Iraq's 18 provinces, according to unofficial vote tallies. Voting irregularities were reported, but overall the elections were "fairly fair and transparent -- as much as any election in the Third World has been," Mansoor said. Gallery: Iraq timeline Election By The Numbers 6 -- Months it took to form an Iraqi government after 2005 elections 16 -- Countries from where Iraqis voted abroad 18 -- Provinces in Iraq 38 -- Killings on Election Day 60 -- Days before U.S. is scheduled to begin drawdown of troops following election 62 -- Estimated voter turnout percentage 80 -- Estimated political entities represented 82 -- Parliament seats guaranteed to women 163 -- Parliamentary seats needed for a majority 325 -- Seats in the Council of Representatives, Iraq's parliament 2012 -- Deadline for withdrawal of all U.S. forces 6,200 -- Estimate of candidates vying for parliamentary seats 50,000 -- U.S. troops set to remain in Iraq between August and 2012 300,000 -- Trained election workers on hand at polls Brett McGurk, who served on the National Security Council staff under Presidents Obama and George W. Bush, said he'd give the election's logistics and security an "A." Iraqi police and security forces maintained order with minimal assistance from the 115,000 U.S. troops, who stayed largely on base, he said. "Four years ago, if you would've asked if the Iraqis could do this on their own, a lot of people would have said no," said McGurk, a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations. Where Iraq gets lower grades -- a "B-" or "C+" -- is in moving from identity-based politics to a brand centering on tangible issues, he said. Many Iraqis remain loyal to tribal or ideological allegiances, but McGurk and Mansoor said early election results indicate a populace seeking different ideas in leadership. "Iraqis really want a system in which they're actively engaged in their own politics and holding their leaders accountable," McGurk said. Mansoor agreed. "There's still a conflict over power and resources, but it's moved back to the political realm, which is a good thing," he said. The elections featured more than 6,000 candidates representing about 80 political entities -- some new, some old, some offshoots -- and fractures have developed within the Shiite, Sunni and Kurd blocs whose coalitions hold the top offices. The largely Shiite State of Law and the secular al-Iraqia hold the most sway, according to early results, but getting al-Maliki and Allawi to unite will be difficult. The ruling coalition could eventually be comprised of as many as four parties, which will have to approve a president, the new government and its platform, McGurk said. "Maliki and Allawi just hate each other so that's going to be hard," he said. "It will be hard for them to bury the hatchet for the good of the country. They'll try to chip away underneath." The maneuvering could take months -- it took six in 2005 -- and Mansoor said that a disastrous attempt to form a government is "one of the few ways Iraq can revert back to a condition where people are fighting with bombs and bullets over power and resources." McGurk pointed out that it was nine weeks after the 2005 elections that the revered Shiite "Golden Mosque" in Samarra was attacked, setting off a fit of Sunni-Shiite violence that killed thousands. Before the March 7 elections, think tanks expressed concern about similar violence. Election primers by the Heritage Foundation's James Phillips and The Brookings Institution's Kenneth Pollack warned that torpid government formation following the election could paralyze services and exacerbate ideological rivalries. Violence -- and at worst, civil war -- could ensue. The bombing of Samarra's Golden Mosque in 2006 set off a wave of post-election violence in Iraq."The most dangerous scenario is one in which all four of the leading blocs garners a roughly equal vote, raising the potential for long-term deadlock and renewed violence among parties, sects and ethnicities. That is the most likely route to civil war," wrote Pollack, the director of Brookings' Saban Center for Middle East Policy. McGurk said he believes violence is a lesser threat now than it was in 2005 because no real state apparatus existed then, whereas al-Maliki's government will act as caretaker until new representatives are in place. Improved security forces are a boon, too, McGurk and other experts say, but they also said that the police and armed forces will need significant U.S. assistance well past the December 2011 deadline to bring troops home. "It's always been anticipated that whoever the next government is, is going to ask us to stay longer," said McGurk, who led negotiations on the Status of Forces Agreement by which U.S. forces will end combat operations in August and leave the country by 2012. Iraq must request the forces stay. McGurk said he could envision up to 30,000 troops remaining in Iraq to train, equip and advise security forces, but given the economy and the war's unpopularity, it will be difficult to muster half that. "Anything above 15,000 would be very tough within our own domestic politics," he said. Phillips, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Foundation, wrote that delays in holding elections necessitate a prolonged U.S. presence for the "sensitive post-election period." It's going to take a generation or maybe two for anguish over what happened in the last few years to subside. --Retired Col. Pete Mansoor on Iraqi reconciliation RELATED TOPICS Iraq Iraq War Nuri al-Maliki Iyad Allawi He also wrote that the Iraqi army and police would likely not be ready to "stand on their own" come 2012 and "substantial air support, logistics, intelligence, reconnaissance, communications, training and advisory support will still be required long after that date." Mansoor cited another bonus in keeping some troops on the ground: "Having U.S. advisers embedded in the Iraqi military to make sure the Iraqis stay on track keeps U.S. interests at heart." Should the Iraqi government begin showing signs of stability, bolstering its economy is less complicated, McGurk said. Iraq is already doling out contracts to companies hungry to tap into its 115 billion barrels of known oil reserves, and there are predictions the nation could begin rivaling Saudi Arabia's oil output in a decade. "Iraq is going to be a very wealthy country," McGurk said. Iraqis will have to learn to share resources to make the new government work. They also have to hammer out issues like the balance of power between Baghdad and the provinces, establish basic institutions -- whether they be utilities or courthouses -- and fend off attacks from the decimated al Qaeda in Iraq, Iranian-backed militias and other groups that could foment violence, experts say. But don't expect anything bordering on so-called reconciliation, not in this lifetime, McGurk and Mansoor said. Religious and ideological divisions will continue to persist and grudges thrive in a country plagued so long by violence and hardship. "It's going to take a generation or maybe two for anguish over what happened in the last few years to subside," Mansoor said.
  12. Thanks Chief be safe bud! Thanks for serving! Texx
  13. Mongo...dude you crack me up. Texx
  14. Hey folks...when do Iraq's banks reopen? Thx!
  15. RV. Attempting to really be objective I have a hard time believing that it will bunny ear. texx
  16. LOL!!! That is funny. Texx
  17. Hey all...I was thinking that it should be relatively easy to verify if indeed the salaries of personnel/employees in Iraq are having 0's dropped as we are hearing. Does anyone have a contact that they believe can verify the information? Obviously this would be a huge development and I am curious to see if we can get multiple confirmations. Texx
  18. keylime...that is about as "well said" as it can be "said." and I agree...we all want the amazing upside here...I am right there too! However we need to educate ourselves and then put our faith where it needs to be. I remember reading somewhere that "fretting and worrying" don't really get you anywhere you want to go. That being said...I really hope this goes like we all hope! Peace!
  19. I received this link from a friend today...looks viable...One more piece to the puzzle. Iraq sees 'package deal' with Kuwait Published Date: February 18, 2010 UNITED NATIONS: Iraqi Ambassador to the UN Hamid Al-Bayati on Tuesday predicted that "a package deal" will be reached with Kuwait about "everything" after the Iraqi elections scheduled for March 7. Al-Bayati told KUNA following a Security Council meeting on the situation in Iraq that "a package deal about everything will be reached after the elections". He did not elaborate. He later told reporters that there are three outstanding issues with Kuwait - missing persons and property, the compensation fund and the border. He recalled that Iraq has paid more than $27 billion in compensation to those affected by the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and is expected to pay $25 billion more. "This issue will not be closed until all the compensations are paid in full, " he stressed. "We are working to resolve all these outstanding issues. There are now good relations with the brotherly state of Kuwait. But this needs time and efforts, as there are newly discovered mass graves, and hopefully, we will find in them the remains of some Kuwaiti missing persons," he said. As for the sanctions regime, he said Iraq is no longer a threat to international peace and security and does not possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD). "We believe it is high time for the UN to lift all sanctions and restrictions imposed on Iraq," he urged. Ad Melkert, the UN special envoy for Iraq, told reporters, "we are basically discussing the border issue with everyone, including the Iraqis. We are trying to come to a conclusion as soon as possible." Asked what the Iraqi objection is to allow the UN to send experts to maintain the border posts, Melkert said, "I cannot be specific on that. It has our attention because it is an important issue. On what is needed for Iraq to do to exit Chapter VII, Melkert said "we hope very much that soon after the elections, it will be possible to work with the new Iraqi Government on resolving all issues that eventually would enable that, that includes the relation with Kuwait." He said he held talks with Kuwaiti officials in Kuwait last month and "I intend to continue those conversations to bring the parties together as quickly as possible." - KUNA Link http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NzI2MzE2MDc2
  20. Straight from the "horses mouth" folks... LOL! Thx Dinarhound!
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