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bobby_cahill

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Everything posted by bobby_cahill

  1. In all the replies to this opinion piece I'm surprised no one has commented on the LAST paragraph. That should tell you everything you need to know. No one knows whats going to happen.....especially the author. We all know progress is being made in our favor of a good outcome. Semper Fi
  2. BAGHDAD (AP) — An anti-American cleric is urging his followers to stop attacking U.S. troops in Iraq so that their withdrawal from the country isn't slowed down, a call meant to ramp up pressure on Baghdad's political leaders who are considering asking some American forces to stay. In a statement posted on his website, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told his militias to halt attacks against U.S. forces till the withdrawal is finished at the end of the year as required under a security agreement between Washington and Baghdad. "Out of my desire to complete Iraq's independence and to finish the withdrawal of the occupation forces from our holy lands, I am obliged to halt military operations of the honest Iraqi resistance until the withdrawal of the occupation forces is complete," al-Sadr said in the statement, posted late Saturday. Sadrist lawmaker Mushraq Naji confirmed the statement on Sunday. However, al-Sadr warned that "if the withdrawal doesn't happen ... the military operations will be resumed in a new and tougher way." The statement followed last week's notice by U.S. officials in Baghdad, announcing the start of the withdrawal. There are currently about 45,000 U.S. forces in Iraq. However, U.S. and Iraqi leaders are currently weighing whether some American troops should remain past the Dec. 31 deadline as Baghdad continues to struggle with instability and burgeoning influence from neighboring Iran. Last month, Iraqi leaders began negotiating with U.S. officials in Baghdad to keep at least several thousand troops in Iraq to continue training the nation's shaky security forces. Officials in Washington say President Barack Obama is willing to keep between 3,000 and 10,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. But with fewer than four months before the final deadline, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and parliament still have not indicated how many U.S. troops Iraq might need, how long they would stay, or exactly what they would be doing. After more than eight years of war, many weary Iraqis are ready to see U.S. troops go, and staunchly defend their national sovereignty against an American force they see as occupiers. Al-Sadr's followers vehemently oppose a continued U.S. military presence in Iraq, and walked out of last month's meeting where political leaders decided to open the talks on having American troops stay. "Our goal has been always to fight the occupiers because they are still in our country," Naji said Sunday. Still, other Iraqi officials privately say they want American troops to continue training the nation's security forces for months, if not years, to come. The president of Iraq's northern Kurdish region this week pleaded for U.S. forces to stay to ward off threats of renewed sectarian violence. Many Iraqis — both Sunnis and Shiites — share that fear. "As for me, and the sheiks of Nasiriyah, we want the U.S. Army to stay," Sheik Manshad al-Ghezi of the southern Shiite city of Nasiriyah said in a recent interview. "We are afraid of civil war. All the parties and groups in Iraq are armed and the Iraqi Army cannot manage to bring security to Iraq and stop the fighting among these parties."
  3. BAGHDAD (AP) — As a Shiite Muslim who was interrogated by Iraq's secret police and lost her job because she would not join the regime's Baath Party, Fawzia al-Attia should feel safer now that Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. She does not. Death threats and Baghdad's daily bombings have made al-Attia more afraid than she was during Saddam's reign of terror, she says. "Before, I couldn't say anything in my own home," said al-Attia. "But at least I was safe. I was only afraid of Saddam. It is not like now. Now, you open the door to your home and you could get killed." American troops are preparing to pull out of Iraqi completely by the end of December, more than eight years after the invasion that ousted Saddam and promised a better life for Iraqis. As the country enters a post-U.S. era, many Iraqis who had welcomed the 2003 invasion feel they remain in even more danger than before Saddam's fall. Security is a key indicator of Iraq's future — it drives business investment, government policy decisions and the psyche of the war-torn nation. In interviews across Baghdad, Iraqis cited the random daily bombings and shootings that continue to kill people here. At least under Saddam, they say, they knew they could avoid being targeted by violence by simply staying quiet. Al-Attia doesn't make the comparison lightly. She remembers the fear when, under Saddam's rule, she was called to a police station for questioning. Her husband followed her because he didn't know if he'd ever see her again. Now that same uncertainty looms in the background every day. Because of sectarian violence, she and her family moved from a Shiite neighborhood to the heavily fortified Green Zone. A sociology professor at Baghdad University, she can't drive herself to work, relying instead on bodyguards to take her. "Under Saddam, there was fear, but in a different way," she said. Sectarian violence, which drove Iraq to the brink of civil war just a few years ago, was almost nonexistent under Saddam. In May 2003, two months after the invasion, there were fewer than a handful of daily attacks on Iraqis, national security forces and foreign troops. That number spiked in May 2007, with an average of 180 attacks a day, according to the U.S. military data released by congressional investigators at the General Accounting Office. Between 2005 and 2008, an average of 60 Iraqis was killed daily. Since then, violence has dropped dramatically, but attacks continue. Several people a day die, and a bombing in a residential area or on a street of shops that causes no casualties still spreads fear among everyone who hears about it. This past July, U.S. forces in Iraq reported an average of 20 daily bombings, rocket attacks and shootings — including some that were thwarted before they were carried out. Sunni insurgent groups, which sprung up when Saddam was ousted and Iraq's majority Shiites took power, continue to strike at anyone who tries to restore normalcy to Iraq — security forces, the government, Americans or even fellow Sunnis, like the 29 who were killed in a Baghdad mosque by a suicide bomber during Ramadan prayers this past month. "I'm not going to short-sheet the current security situation; I think it's not what the Iraqis want or deserve," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, the American military's top spokesman in Baghdad. Asked to compare today's security in Iraq to what it was under Saddam, Buchanan called it "very, very different." "I don't think we know as much of what was going on in the past, just because much of it was quiet," he said. "In the dead of the night, people would come and take you away, and you never heard from them again." Certainly no one has forgotten the horrors under Saddam. Estimates of how many Iraqis were executed or otherwise "disappeared" during Saddam's 24-year regime range from 300,000 to 800,000. Reviews of bodies found in mass graves from that era point to what Gerard Alexander, an expert at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, has called a "conservative estimate" that an average 16,000 Iraqis a year were killed. Saddam persecuted prominent Shiite clerics and their followers and launched what Human Rights Watch calls a campaign of genocide against Kurds. People from all backgrounds rarely, if ever, dared to criticize the government, even to relatives or neighbors, for fear they'd be taken away by Saddam's secret police and beaten, imprisoned, killed, or simply disappear. "When I was in Baghdad, I would always feel that today would be the day that I would be killed. But I was lucky," said Biekhal Alkhalifa, a 31-year-old Kurd who commuted between engineering classes in Baghdad and her hometown of Kirkuk when Saddam was president. "I am sure there are a lot of Arab people who now say, 'We wish Saddam was still in power,'" she said. "But for the Kurds, it is 100 percent of us who are happy that he is gone." The U.S. military surge that poured more than 160,000 troops into Iraq in 2007 quelled much of the sectarian violence. But a July report by the U.S. watchdog that oversees construction in Iraq concluded that the nation is more dangerous now than it was last year due to bombings, assassinations and a resurgence in violence by Iranian-backed Shiite militias. Iraq Body Count, an independent British monitoring group, estimates at least 102,043 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the war began. Iraq has gone into what Sean Kane, a former United Nations diplomat now with the U.S. Institute of Peace, calls a "sideways drift" — progress has plateaued and Iraqis have a hard time predicting what may come next. The violence looms over the American military's planned exit, fueling fears about instability and burgeoning influence from neighboring Iran. As a result, Baghdad and Washington are reconsidering whether the U.S. troops should leave by Dec. 31, as required under a 2008 security agreement. Saddam's last wide-ranging campaigns of death against Shiites and Kurds ended in 1991. As a result, in the perception of many Iraqis, the years before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion seemed peaceful — even as Saddam continued terrorizing people in smaller numbers without attracting much nationwide attention. "Even though Saddam was a tyrant, we Iraqis used to live a good life," said Huda Aqeel Jaffa, 35, a Sunni housewife with three children and a husband who receives death threats because, as a construction contractor, he is seen as working with Americans. "Life was simple, and we could go everywhere we wanted. Now, there is no security. There is no stability. There is no humanity. We are afraid of everything." http://news.yahoo.com/fear-still-reigns-iraq-even-saddam-070626276.html
  4. I was ALL in till u said "Drop your nads" I'm too old to drop em, may never get em back! I'll cheer from the sidelines on this one Semper Fi
  5. I bought into this "thing" on a whim. People such as Scooter EDUCATED me beyond my wildest imagination! Thank you Sir! You're a gentleman! Semper Fi
  6. By LARA JAKES, Associated Press Lara Jakes, Associated Press – 2 hrs 51 mins ago KARBALA, Iraq – At times, as he describes how he sleeps on the floor of the store where he works or misses the family he left in Nepal to find a job, Mohan Rai punctuates his gloomy tale with a laugh. He tries to make light of the misery he shares with the thousands of foreign laborers who have spent their life savings to get to Iraq to do the country's dirty work. The brutal punchline: Rai and his colleagues face deportation with little, if any, profit to show for years of hardship. The problem of illegal migrant workers is not unique to Iraq, says the labor minister, Nasser al-Rubaie. Even the United States, he says, grapples with severe difficulties over illegal immigration. But in Iraq, where the specter of violence still hangs over even its holiest cities, there is scant hope for immigrants seeking a better life in a new homeland. With 900,000 Iraqis unemployed, the government has little sympathy for foreigners who have flocked here to take menial jobs as housekeepers or restaurant workers. And, to get here, authorities say immigrants are routinely fleeced by employment agencies who charge thousands of dollars for flights and temporary visas for workers who wind up earning only a few hundred dollars each month. "When I am in Nepal, they tell me I will be paid $600 a week," Rai, 33, said last month at the clothing store in Karbala, 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Baghdad, where he works and lives. "When I get here, $300 a month. Hahahaha! It's a problem." Rai, whose broken English is better than his Arabic, paid $5,000 to a Nepalese employment agency in 2009 to find him a job. A farmer, he scraped together the money for months by selling crops, borrowing from friends and banks, and in part by selling off a plot of his family's land. He had no idea where Iraq was when the agency sent him here on a two-year contract. He did not know the country was awash with violence and years of war. When he and fellow Nepalese workers learned they would be sent to the Shiite holy city of Karbala, they were told, "'No, no, it is not dangerous,'" said Durga Rai, also 33, a fellow clansman who works at the same shop. It's very dangerous in the city where Shiite pilgrims are targeted by Sunni insurgents hoping to stir up sectarian violence. At best, the two men will have made $2,200 profit each for two years' work as cleaners, stockboys and salesmen in the store. They sleep on the floor between racks of polo shirts. And that's if they're lucky. Iraq's parliament is considering new laws to curb foreign workers by forcing employers to hire at least as many Iraqis. Otherwise new incoming foreigners would be barred from the country. Gaining employment visas for foreigners is arduous, a process that usually is solved with bribes. The visas themselves are not very expensive — it costs about $80 for initial tourist stamps. Residency visas that allow long-term employment only cost up to about $100. Facing high unemployment and 23 percent of its people living in poverty, Baghdad is clamping down on foreign workers. That has created a black-market in foreign workers who are sold like a commodity as cheap labor to businesses and government contractors. Al-Rubaie, the labor minister, said wealthy Iraqis "buy" foreign workers from employment agencies to serve as housekeepers — a process he likened to slave labor. Employers usually pay agencies about $500 for the workers and agree to feed and shelter them. Al-Rubaie said it's doubtful that many, if any, have the necessary permits to work. "There are thousands of people here like that," al-Rubaie said in an interview. "And we must ensure that they have eight hours work, eight hours rest and eight hours sleep to preserve their human rights." He estimated there are a minimum of 6,000 illegal foreign workers in Iraq. Under the new laws, businesses will not be allowed to bid on government projects unless they can prove their work force is 50 percent Iraqi, al-Rubaie said. Contractors already in Iraq will be given six months to meet the 50 percent requirement, and may be fined thousands of dollars each day until the threshold is met. That could result in mass layoffs for foreign workers already in the country. They will be given six months to obtain government work permits before facing deportation. "Those who enter legally will be protected by law," al-Rubaie said. "The existence of foreign workers who are here illegally means they will be exploited and contractors will deny them their human rights. He should not be humiliated. He will not be denied sleep. We will force the contractors and the Iraqi employers to give him his rights." In Najaf, another holy destination for Shiite pilgrims, the owner of a local employment agency who supplied foreign workers for hotels and restaurants said he shut down in 2009 to avoid being caught up in what was then becoming a shady business. He said he tried to ensure that all workers he recruited had the proper work permits. Still, "we stopped this business two years ago because we do not want to do anything that is illegal," said Ghazi al-Ghazali. "We used to hire foreign labor from Pakistan and Bangladesh because they are cheaper and they are ready to accept low-skilled jobs that Iraqis do not want to work in, such as cleaning." At the hotel Qasr al-Dur in Najaf, housekeeping staff manager Mohammed Sharuz, a Bangladeshi, said he'll return home if he's forced to leave before his two-year contract is up next year. But "if Iraq's government decides that the foreign workers cannot stay, things will be tough, for the hotels as well," Sharuz said. "Maintenance is very hard." "We need to be available 24 hours for the guests, and Iraqi workers would not want to do that," said Sharuz, 43, who sends his salary to his wife and four children back home. "If they let me stay, I will work very hard. I get my salary and I send it to my country. I make $500 a month and even that is not enough for five people back home. There are days I do not eat here." He oversees 34 housekeepers at the hotel a few blocks away from the famed Imam Ali shrine: 18 Bangladeshis, 15 Pakistanis, and one Nepalese. Most foreign workers in Iraq earn between $200 and $400 monthly in a country where al-Rubaie said the minimum wage is $600. And some don't get paid at all. In May, ten Sri Lankan workers tried to hang themselves in Iraq's southern Maysan province because they had not been paid for two years, said local councilman Salman al-Shara. The Sri Lankans were brought to Iraq for jobs with a private construction firm, but were left to fend for themselves when the building project ran out of money and stopped work. The Sri Lankans gave up months of begging for food and climbed one of the half-finished buildings, "carrying ropes to hang themselves in protest of not being paid," al-Shara said. Local officials intervened, and the Maysan governor gave each worker $210 and promised to solve the problem. Rai, the Nepalese worker in Karbala, says he usually works 12 hours each day, six days each week. The stress and his meager living conditions have sent him to the local hospital twice in the last 14 months with severe headaches. Requests for a salary raise have been denied. His boss, the owner of the clothing store that is staffed by at least three other Nepalese men, refused to be interviewed for this article. If he's not deported by then, Rai will leave Iraq in next spring, when his two-year contract ends. It has not been a happy life in Iraq: "Most of the time it is a bad feeling," he said. But given the chance, he'd stay for years longer. Even the small amount of money he earns has been worth what he's paid in misery. "To stay is not possible, I think," he said. "Any country, I'll go. No problem. Nepal, Iraq — I'll go anywhere there is money."
  7. By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Qassim Abdul-zahra, Associated Press – Tue Jun 14, 3:04 am ET BAGHDAD – Saadoun al-Sahil already had an AK-47 assault rifle at home but just didn't feel safe. The furniture merchant was worried about violence in Baghdad and the impending U.S. withdrawal of troops. So he bought two pistols and some more ammunition. Iraqis are facing a changing and uncertain future, and they're dealing with it by arming up. "These weapons are for the protection of myself and my family. I fear that things will get as worse as it was in 2005 and 2006. We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow or after tomorrow," said al-Sahil. Weapons are an everyday part of the Iraqi landscape. Nearly every home has at least one weapon, often an AK-47 assault rifle. At many buildings, residents and bodyguards can be seen checking their pistols with security before they're allowed to go inside. Political figures are protected by bodyguards often carrying a pistol and an assault rifle. Only people with certain jobs or positions that might make them need a weapon are allowed to legally own them and only with a license. Jewelry store owners who often find themselves attacked or doctors who are targeted for kidnapping can apply for a license. For years following the 2003 invasion, the Iraqi government followed the basic policy of allowing one gun per household. Iraq military units searching a house would often tell people that if they had one weapon it was OK, but additional weapons would be confiscated. But the top military spokesman in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, said authorities were now moving away from that unofficial policy and had recently started a campaign to disarm Iraqi cities. But that's not stopping the stockpiling of guns and ammo. A senior official in Iraq's military intelligence department said in recent months illegal arms sales have jumped, specifically AK-47 assault rifles and pistols. The AK-47 assault rifle is ubiquitous in Iraq and much of the world. The weapon was designed in the Soviet Union back in the 40s. But its durability, low cost and relative ease of use mean it has been mass produced and used by armed forces and insurgent groups around the world. Another government intelligence official said in April Iraqi officials noticed a 15 percent increase in weapons sales overall and a 20 percent increase in the purchase and sale of AK-47s alone. The officials said they based their information on weapons seizures and information learned through operations and arrests. The official, who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the buyers are purchasing for different reasons. The clients are a combination of individuals looking to protect their families and organized groups like militias worried about what the future might hold. Sunnis are worried about the return of Shiite militias and the rise of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr, has threatened to unleash his militia called the Mahdi Army if American forces stay past their Dec. 31 departure date. The Mahdi Army was accused of some of the worst atrocities during Iraq's sectarian violence, and the prospect of its return is enough to scare even the most hardened of Baghdad's residents. Shiites are worried about the return of former Baath Party loyalists who fled to Yemen and Syria after the 2003 invasion. As those countries slip into chaos, the worry is that they might return to Iraq, the official said. One weapons smuggler who spoke to The Associated Press from his luxurious newly built house in eastern Baghdad where chandeliers and elaborate furniture decorated the reception room, said the market increases during times of political crises. "For example when Muqtada threatened to unfreeze the Mahdi Army, that increased the demand for buying weapons. Up until now, the demand for weapons is really big. The withdrawal of the Americans is making people demand weapons," said the dealer. He would only identify himself as Abu Ali because he was worried about protecting himself and his business. Most of the weapons he sells, especially the newer ones, are smuggled into the country although he would not identify the smuggling routes or say which countries he imports from. He said he also sells Glock pistols that were distributed by the American military to the Iraqi army and police but later ended up on the black market. The weapons trade isn't as obvious as it was in years past. In 2003, weapons were sold openly in markets across Iraq, even heavy weapons like mortar rounds and tubes. Millions of pieces of equipment went missing after the fall of Saddam's government and the Iraqi army was disbanded. Much of it ended up on the black market and the hands of insurgents. The dealer said that the weapons are being sold nowadays through secret deals nationwide, adding that he usually tours Iraq's provinces to buy weapons and send them to the buyers. He refused to divulge more details. But even though the weapons trade has gone underground, everyone knows where to make their purchases, al-Sahil said. "It is not that difficult to buy weapons and ammunition. Every weapons merchant would recommend another if he does not have what the customers are demanding," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110614/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_weapons_sales
  8. ok so what prompted this post? i've been on his email list for over a year and no probs curious as to why this was posted Semper Fi
  9. Ya know i always wondered about that. I get his "news" post thru my email and read em daily on my cell while at work Everyday i think it's gonna RV with all the good news lol When i 1st started receiving them i read the whole post, now i just read the headlines Works been busy so i don't really have alot of time to sift thru the BS So on a pecentage level, how much is BS and how much is truth? Thanks for the heads up Semper Fi
  10. What state? Which Bob Evans? Do u have a phone # of the establishment so we can verify? Any chance of getting a pic of the toaster? Better yet, can we steal the toaster? Can ANYONE verify or debunk this? I'm sure we have peeps out there working on this! This could be what we're waiting on! Thanks for all your efforts. I will be waiting patiently Semper Fi p.s Did they also give out fortune cookies?
  11. Any idea how many people participate in those sites? It's amazing those type of sites even exist Kinda makes this investment scary I'll stick to the "let it come to us" theory Semper Fi
  12. BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Legislature of the National Coalition, Amir al-Kinany, has said on Wednesday that his Coalition, and al-Iraqiya and the Kurdistan Coalitions, have reached an agreement to settle all suspended problems among them, stressing that the agreement had been achived in a recent meeting of representatives of the three Coalitions at the residence of Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister, Roz Nouri Shawes. “The meeting, held by the three coalitions in the residence of Deputy Prime Minister, Roz Nouri Shawes, had reached agreement on three issues, the first, being the formation of a 15-member committee to follow up the agreements concluded among the political blocs, the second on the issue of security cabinet posts, which was passed to the leaders of the political blocs to agree upon and the third on the issue of the National Council for Strategic Policies (NCSP),” Kinany told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He said the issue of the security cabinet posts would be discussed among the leaders of the political blocs, due to the fact that that agreement had been reached to settle them, before passing them to the Parliament for final approval. Differences have taken place over the past four months about candidates for the security cabinet posts that are still vacant, especially the interior and defense ministers posts, with the first being the share of the National Coalition, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the second, the share of al-Iraqiya Coalition, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, with each side rejecting the candidate of the other. Noteworthy is that differences towards the NCSP, being the council that was established by the new government, to be led by al-Iraqiya Leader, Iyad Allawi, demanding broad authorities, including executive authorities, that were rejected by the National Coalition. Members of al-Iraqiya Coalition have vowed to take strong attitudes in the event of the rejection of the establishment of the NCSP and what they considered as “continuation to delay the implementation of Arbil Agreement, launched by Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s President, Massoud Barzani.” SKH (FT)
  13. Wake up....... Turn PC on....... Grab a cup of coffee...... Read K98's post........ Thanks for ALL your efforts Nuff said Semper Fi
  14. Thats nothing I shot a 59! Then we played the back nine Congrats! Most people won't truly understand what that takes Semper Fi
  15. By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press Rebecca Santana, Associated Press – 26 mins ago BAGHDAD – American forces are facing an increasingly dangerous environment in southern Iraq, where Shiite militias trying to claim they are driving out the U.S. occupiers have stepped up attacks against bases and troops. The uptick in violence serves as a warning about what American forces could face if U.S. and Iraqi officials come to an agreement about keeping more U.S. troops in the country past Dec. 31. "We're very concerned about it," said Col. Reginald Allen, who commands the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment that operates in five, predominantly Shiite provinces. "This environment is very fluid, but in general our planning assumptions and our precautions are based on the worst case, that levels of violence will continue to increase." Allen's regiment lost five soldiers in April, one of the highest months for combat-related deaths in Iraq since U.S. forces pulled out of the cities in June 2009. Two were killed in Babil province by indirect fire — the military's term for rockets or mortars; two more were killed by a roadside bomb in Wasit province, which borders Iran; and the last was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in Qadisiyah province. About 46,000 American troops remain in Iraq, focusing on training Iraqi forces. That's down from their one-time high in 2007 of nearly 170,000 troops. U.S. soldiers still come under attack from rockets or mortars on their bases, and from roadside bombs and shootings when they're moving around the country. Michael Knights, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the attacks indicate an increased confidence by militias to engage U.S. forces. He noted that the militants have been targeting vulnerable U.S. supply lines. The vast majority of supplies for U.S. forces are shuttled on roads from Kuwait into southern Iraq. Knights, who writes extensively about security issues in Iraq, said April saw a major jump in the use of armor-piercing explosives — known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs. "The increase in attacks shows that Iranian-backed cells enjoy greater freedom of movement than they have in the past. They have increased confidence in their ability to engage U.S. forces in stand-up firefights in broad daylight," he said. American forces in Iraq have always faced a two-pronged threat: Sunni-led insurgents like al-Qaida in Iraq and Shiite militias with ties to Iran. The Sunni-led insurgents have tended to operate in the western Anbar province, northern areas like Mosul and in Baghdad and its suburbs, while Shiite militias have generally battled American troops in and around Baghdad and in southern Iraq, where Shiites dominate. The Shiite militias in the south have recently been causing the most problems for American forces. "If you look into the south, what we see, it's very, very problematic," said Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, second-in-command of U.S. forces in Iraq. "You can see an uptick in indirect fire activity down in the south — in other words, rockets and mortars and there's been an IED threat that is becoming more problematic than in the past down in the south. So we see a lot of activity," he said. The militants' goal is simple, say U.S. officials. By attacking U.S. forces, who are scheduled to leave by the end of this year, they are trying to portray themselves as driving out the Americans. By laying claim to being the true voice of resistance to the "occupiers," they hope to rally support among the mostly poor Shiite population in the south and gain influence after the American military goes home. Since the war began in 2003, 4,452 American military personnel have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count. In one recent statement on a militant website, a group called Kataib Hezbollah said its attacks were aimed at stopping the "occupation interference" in Iraq's affairs and forcing the U.S. to abide by the withdrawal deadline. There are a combination of Shiite militias operating in southern Iraq, each claiming credit for various attacks, Helmick and Allen said. The groups include Kataib Hezbollah, which has links to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group; League of the Righteous, also known by its Arabic name, Asaib Ahl al-Haq; and the Promised Day Brigade, affiliated with anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. All are believed to get financing and support from Iran, according to a recent report from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. U.S. officials have long contended that Shiite militias operate with funding and weapons funneled in from Iran, a charge Iran denies. The weapons go from the Diyala River Valley along the Iranian border northeast of Baghdad to the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr on the Persian Gulf, said a U.S. military official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. Buses carrying Iranian religious pilgrims into Iraq are possibly used to smuggle weapons as well, the official said. Under a 2008 agreement, all American forces are to leave Iraq by the end of the year. The U.S. has said it is open to keeping more troops here beyond the deadline but only if Iraq asks. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said he is going to meet with all factions this month to discuss the issue. Iranian opposition to any extended American troop presence in Iraq could translate into more attacks against U.S. forces. Already al-Sadr has threatened violence if American troops stay into 2012. "Though effective attacks are still rare the deaths of five U.S. troops in one month is a warning that more determined Iranian-backed attacks could continue if the United States pushes its present initiative to keep a residual force in Iraq," Knights said. __ Associated Press writer Lara Jakes in Baghdad contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110517/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_troop_dangers
  16. Took me 2 nights of the BS there before i got banned Sure was a longgggg 2 nights Good luck to your friend Semper Fi
  17. Want to be a millionaire? Don't overspend and use debt wisely. We all may not be millionaires but there are plenty of financial and life-planning secrets we can learn from the well-heeled. Most people know that wealth in the U.S. is in the hands of a small percentage of the total population. And, today, most of those folks with a net worth of $1 million or more have earned it themselves. They're mostly entrepreneurs who create everything from high-speed networks to garbage haulers. They dig ditches and build houses and grow corn and make jewelry. They deal stamps or coins or artwork and control pests and cut lawns. They also cure people and give them new teeth. Others will defend their neighbors or even feed them. And they're not big spenders. In fact, most of those with big bucks live well under their means -- think about Warren Buffett still living in that modest Omaha home -- and they put their money instead toward investments that help them stockpile more wealth. "Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend," according to Thomas Stanley and William Danko, the authors of the seminal tome on America's wealthy "The Millionaire Next Door," first published in 1996. "It is seldom luck or inheritance or advanced degrees or even intelligence that enables people to amass fortunes," the authors wrote. "Wealth is more often the result of a lifestyle of hard work, perseverance, planning, and, most of all, self discipline." Wealth is defined in many ways, though it's generally determined as the value of everything you own minus debts. But there's a difference between marketable assets -- things you own that could be liquidated rather quickly, like stocks, bonds, real estate -- and possessions like cars, clothing and household items that you use regularly and aren't likely to sell. Income alone does not make one rich. It helps, of course, to build wealth, but the financially independent look to their salaries as a means to an end, which is that pile of cash. "The wealthy don't spend their wealth on discretionary purchases," said Pam Danziger, founder of Unity Marketing, a consumer market-research firm specializing in luxury goods and experiences. "They get rich by maximizing the value of their investments." That doesn't mean they don't pay big bucks for pretty shoes or outfits, but that most choose those items carefully and shop for value and quality. "They truly evaluate the purchase as an investment, not an expense," Danziger said. What they do though is diversify those investments, which gives them more flexibility to ride out difficult times. "The wealthiest clients have very, very diversified portfolios that go way beyond just stocks and bonds into hedge funds, currencies, commodities and emerging markets," said Leslie Lassiter, managing director of the JPMorgan Private Wealth Management. "There are many, many mutual funds out there that will allow you to get exposure to those types of asset classes," Lassiter said. Among the biggest differences between those flush with cash and those wishing they were is in how they pay for things. Millionaires tend to use cash for most of their purchases, including cars, homes and boats. For the average wage earner, of course, that's not always an option but it still holds this lesson: Don't look to debt to fund your lifestyle. Most wealthy people use debt for investment purposes and are careful not to over-leverage themselves. "A prudent use of debt is an appropriate thing for anyone," Lassiter said. They also plan very well and spend a lot of time at it. Many are compulsive savers and investors who often say the journey to riches was far more fun than the reaching the goal. And they're patient, willing to invest in the long term and wait it out. "They stick with their investments and are more likely to have a financial plan," said Sanjiv Mirchandani, president of National Financial, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments. Many take the long-term approach to investing because they're working at being financial independent. When they retire, for example, many will know exactly how much they need to live on, to give away and to leave as a legacy. "The best ones really understand how much liquidity they need to cover their expenses and make sure they have that much cash on hand," Lassiter said. "That's something the average person should do as well." At the same time, she said most are very careful about leveraging debt. "The wealthy tend to balance between the two," she said. Recommendations for accumulating wealth: Live below your means: People with high incomes who spend all that money are not rich; they're just stupid. Plan: That means plan for today, tomorrow and 30 years after retirement. Take time doing it too and spend time monitoring it every day. Use budgets and stick to them. Diversify: As Lassiter said, look for mutual funds that allow you exposure to asset classes that aren't related to each other. Reduce use of credit and turn to cash: It's easier, of course, for a prosperous person to pay for a house in cash than it might be for most folks, but credit-card debt for luxury purchases or extravagant vacations will never pave a road to riches. Have access to cash: While the rich keep much of their wealth invested, they can get cash when they need it. "Have some kind of line of credit available, like a HELOC (home-equity line of credit) that you never use," Lassiter said. "It's a safety valve." She suggests a year's worth of cash to cover expenses; Danziger thinks three years worth is a better bet. Spread cash around: When the wealthy pulled money out of the equities markets two and three years ago, they opened a bevy of bank accounts, all guaranteed up to $250,000 of deposits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Bring your children into the mix, and remember the importance of estate planning: The affluent can go to great lengths to teach their children about money and how to manage it -- something every family should do. Though talking about money with children consistently ranks as one of the most dreaded conversations, it's important that your heirs know where all the bank accounts and safe-deposit boxes are -- even that their names are on them, too -- who the attorney is, where the will and trusts are filed. This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit
  18. How bout not looking at the percentage and read the content Did i mention READ the content Some people are never satisfied Thanks for the post Semper Fi
  19. By SINAN SALAHEDDIN and LARA JAKES, Associated Press Sinan Salaheddin And Lara Jakes, Associated Press – 46 mins ago BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces stormed a settlement of Iranian exiles early Friday near the two nations' border that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has long sought to expel. Both sides reported casualties in the latest round of clashes at the camp that has become a point of contention between the Iraqi government and some of its fiercest opponents. The exiles said as many as 28 residents at Camp Ashraf in Iraq's northeastern Diyala province were killed; top Iraqi government officials vehemently denied any fatalities. A hospital official in Baqouba, Diyala's capital, reported three people were killed and 13 wounded in the pre-dawn offensive at Camp Ashraf, the base of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said five Iraqi soldiers also were injured. Camp Ashraf and the Iranian exile group have long been a source of tension to Iraq's Shiite-led government. Al-Maliki has sought to remove the group because of its past ties to former Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Iran, a close Shiite ally of Baghdad, has also been pressing for the expulsion of the group, which seeks the overthrow of Tehran's clerical rulers. In an interview Friday, Iraqi Lt. Gen. Ali Ghaidan said he ordered the incursion to curb two days of exiles hurling stones at troops and throwing themselves in front of soldiers' trucks. He said the uprising began after Iraqi troops began switching out military units that are stationed nearby. Ghaidan and government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh denied anyone was killed, and said the situation has calmed after only a few hours. "One hundred members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran attacked our security and military forces," al-Dabbagh said. "Our forces did not use weapons. The situation is calm now. Our forces are trying to redeploy themselves inside and outside the camp. The Iraqi government is warning of violating the Iraqi laws in that area." Camp residents painted a far more dire picture of the scene, and supplied video purportedly taken early Friday that showed gunfire and military bulldozers approaching the camp. Resident Shahriar Kia said 28 exiles have been killed, including six women, and at least 325 wounded in the violence. His claim could not be immediately confirmed because access to the camp is restricted. "This is a massacre, a catastrophe," said Behzad Saffari, who has lived at Ashraf for nine years and acts as the camp's legal adviser. "They came inside the camp and attacked people with grenades and tear gas, and then they started to shoot people. When people saw the attack was about to begin, they lined up to defend their homes." In a nearly six-minute video posted on YouTube that the exiles claim was taken of the offensive, Humvees flying the Iraqi flag are chasing down nearly some 100 stone-throwing masked people in an open area. At least one was seen hit by a Humvee. At least one Iraqi soldier was seen firing from his AK-47 machine gun, but his target was not clear. The video also shows at least six people lying on a the ground, and a dozen of blood-soaked men being treated by doctors. The U.N. mission in Baghdad, which monitors the Ashraf situation, declined immediate comment. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in northern Iraq to visit troops, told reporters he was aware of reports of deaths at Ashraf but did not know how many, or whether they were confirmed. He said U.S. forces were maintaining a "nearby presence" but did not give details, although he said the military was providing some medical assistance. "I urge the Iraqi government to show restraint and live up to their commitments to treat Ashraf residents in accordance with Iraqi law and international obligations," Gates told reporters traveling with him in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. The last major clash between Iraqi forces and the exile group was in July 2009, and also coincided with a trip by Gates to Iraq in what analysts then speculated was al-Maliki's effort to establish its independence from the United States. The People's Mujahedeen is deeply controversial. Critics call it a cult with an ideology mixing Marxism, secularism, an obsession with martyrdom and near adoration of its leaders. The U.S. considers it a terrorist organization — albeit one that has provided the Americans with intelligence on Iran. The European Union removed it from its terror list two years ago. Also known by its Farsi name the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, the group is the militant wing of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran. It carried out a series of bloody bombings and assassinations in Iran in the 1980s, though it says it renounced violence in 2001. The MEK also fought alongside Saddam's forces during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, and Saddam set up a number of bases for them — including Camp Ashraf, their last remaining foothold in Iraq, located in a barren desert stretch north of Baghdad, 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Iranian border. Iraqi lawmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq, a Sunni who sits on parliament's security committee, confirmed Ashraf residents were killed in the assault Friday but did not say how many. He called the raid "unjustified," and noted that Ashraf's 3,400 residents are legally considered "protected persons" under the Geneva Conventions. "There is no doubt that Iran is behind the attack on the camp today," al-Mutlaq said. ___ Bushra Juhi in Baghdad, Sameer N. Yacoub in Amman, Jordan, and Robert Burns in Mosul, Iraq, contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
  20. The past has proven that even while on a break, things somewhat get done. Great news here Thanks for the post Semper Fi
  21. Did i bash his post? Don't think so Try readin em for a few years then come on back Read my post then you can bash me Semper Fi
  22. Rumors are meant to be bashed. Gimme 1 rumor thats been true........can you? Personally i think it's funny. I don't read the rumors, just the responses I have a rumor, but i'm not gonna tell ya. Why? Cause it's a freakin rumor Cross the T's and dot the I's (GOI) and then we can talk about a revalue Semper Fi
  23. By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Qassim Abdul-zahra, Associated Press – 1 hr 27 mins ago BAGHDAD – Business investments to help Iraq export oil and boost its dwindling electricity and water supplies are expected to top the agenda Monday of a highly anticipated visit to Baghdad by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Hundreds of Iraqis, mostly devout Shiites, lined the airport road from Baghdad to welcome Erdogan. The Turkish prime minister was to meet his Iraqi counterpart, Nouri al-Maliki, and later address parliament. "It's an important visit," said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, adding that dozens of Turkish businessmen are accompanying Erdogan on the two-day trip. Al-Dabbagh said Erdogan also will meet with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani — Iraqi-based Shiism's highest ranking cleric in the Mideast — to discuss unrest in Bahrain and strife across the Arab world. Political observers in Baghdad believe Sistani may ask Erdogan to act as a mediator in Bahrain, where Sunni-led security forces have cracked down on mostly Shiite protesters who are demonstrating against the tiny island's monarchy. Al-Maliki repeatedly has said he fears the unrest in Bahrain could spark sectarian violence around the Mideast — a particularly fearful scenario for Iraq, which is only just recovering from years of deadly Sunni-Shiite battles. But al-Dabbagh called the strife in Bahrain "an internal affair." "I don't think Turkey can mediate to solve the problem in Bahrain," he said. "It is a subject related to its people and its government." Hours before Erdogan's arrival, three bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing one person and wounding 13, in a stark reminder of the scattered violence that continues to plague Iraq on a daily basis. And in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a former al-Qaida stronghold, police said unknown gunmen stormed a family home, killing six women and a man in the early hours Monday before escaping from the scene. A motive for the killing was not immediately known, although a policeman said it appeared to a terrorist attack. Mosul, about 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, still has pockets of Sunni insurgents around the city. A morgue official at Mosul's hospital confirmed the death toll. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110328/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_iraq
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