Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Keystone Kops To The Rescue!!
From ABC News :
BAGHDAD, Iraq Dec 29, 2004 -- Insurgents lured police to a house in west Baghdad with an anonymous tip about a rebel hideout, then set off explosives, killing at least 29 people and wounding 18 in the latest in a series of deadly strikes against Iraqi security forces, police said Wednesday.
The explosion late Tuesday erupted from inside the house in the capital's Ghazaliya district as officers were about to enter, a local police official said. Ten neighboring houses collapsed from the blast and several residents were believed trapped under the rubble. Seven policemen were among the 29 dead.
The police official said the attack was "evidently an ambush" and that "massive amounts of explosives" were used. He said the explosion was apparently triggered by remote control.
...
Brig. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, assistant commander of the 1st Cavalry Division that controls Baghdad, said the violence is expected to escalate before the ballot.
"We anticipate that the enemy will (continue with) attacks, intimidation, assassinations and other messages designed to destroy life in Baghdad," Hammond said, adding that Iraqi security forces will bear the brunt of providing security for the elections and that U.S. troops will back them up only if needed.
"Only if needed?" Boy, that sure raises my hopes for the January 2005 elections. We'll sit in our armed fortresses and watch.
There's something you need to know about the Iraqi police. Iraqi policemen come from four groups of people:
1) The old Iraqi police of the Saddam Hussein era. And being a policeman in a pseudo-totalitarian state is very very easy. No problem with having to do a lot of legwork when there are so many laws that you could probably break one crossing the street. No one has a gun, so there aren't any shootouts. And you can cold-cock someone in the interrogation room and "disappear" them to the secret police if necessary. It was a very easy job. I don't think these guys are qualified to hold back mass chaos.
2) Guys looking for work. What is the unemployment rate in Iraq, like over 60 percent? These guys aren't real policemen -- they're just looking for a paycheck. When violence comes, these guys will be running in the other direction. They wouldn't even qualify as American mall cops.
3) Young patriots working for a free, democratic Iraq. A very small group, and not very vocal, it seems. These guys tend to disappear in present-day Iraq.
4) Anti-US forces looking to fuck-up the occupation. There are a lot of these guys.
You think these guys are going to be able to control the elections? Riiight.
posted by Green Voicemail 12/29/2004 08:05:00 AM
Sunday, December 26, 2004
No More Harrassment!
Great story from Waco, Texas. It seems that some churchpeople were trying to give the students a hard time to students at Waco High, trying to give them spiritual messages and told that if they didn't listen, they'd go to hell.
The students fought back. Great story.
posted by Green Voicemail 12/26/2004 11:33:00 AM
