LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

some notes to post, before i leave the house today. people are beating up the media. i cant help but to notice that ever since the war in iraq started (no, its not ended yet) liberal friends of mine claim the american media is one-sided. funny, the right-wingers (mostly bible thumpers) claim its a liberal media. which is it? anyway, iraq is a mess. real danger lurks here as things slowly unravel in iraq and the region around it. the storms in the gulf states have kept news from reaching the states, not bias on the part of the news media. i feel sorry for alot of the people in iraq, soldiers and civilians. the soldiers on the ground are getting screwed (would you want that job?) and ive always felt sorry for the vendors who support the troops. these vendors are local and also come from places like iran and kuwait. they have no protection from terrorists and they are kept away from places where they might compete with western vendors. if you have a choice about the services you use, try to use the local vendors. they are cheaper, provide a better service and there is no waiting in long lines. its safer as well. vendors are vendors, they make thier money selling things. they wouldnt have much of a business if they threw things at (or shot at you). well, the big shots know nothing of these matters. they live in the green zone. people dont throw things at them and they have western vendors to tend to thier every need (unlike the common grunt on the ground these green-zone people have the money and services to live like royalty). these people are clueless and they are not going to pass much information down to us little people at the checkpoints (let alone the media). people need to watch things in iraq real close now because the situation is going to get more complex. if your considering a tour of duty in iraq, better reconsider. if you do get stuck there, pump the locals for information (your safety is involved). also, use local vendors (its the right thing to do). if people cause you grief at your check-point, dont let them pass. i remember sending alot of 3rd ID officers packing because they were rude to me or locals. remember your 4th general order "walk your post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank" dont let the brass bully you (those damn worthless pogues...), you run the checkpoint. good luck to all,....

greetings all! its a double blog day for me, i guess (i like to keep my journal entries short, nothing worse than a rambling rant). first, i would just like the few people who do read this to know im no left-wing godless commie. im a hawk and a capitalist but i have a hard time watching politics go the direction they are going, down the toilet. second, im an "online opinion author" im not a reporter or journalist. the reporters get the facts, i just comment on them. people should judge the issues for themselves. my wife started this blog when i was still serving with special operations in iraq because we felt it was important for others to share in what was going on at the time. its not often you can read other peoples mail so if what was said was of intrest, why not post it? i think some day the internet will change the world, for the better (thank the military and people like al gore! really!). i was limited on what i could say about what i was doing because of the importance of our missions but i found there was still a lot to talk about. if we were restricted in any way from getting e-mails out it was because of time, not censorship. at one point i was tied up with check-point duty for days (3rd ID was moving into our area) and my plt. sgt., a republican, came out to replace me for a few hours so i could get an e-mail out. i tried set the standard in our unit on what could be said (and not said) so people came to me to ask what we could write home about. anyway, the point is we have the gift of free speech as americans and not many people (on either side of many issues) want to tramp on that. so the blogs go on. i guess im with the majority of americans now concerning the war in iraq. i was okay with going at first because saddam was evil and the area is just too important for america to ignore (clinton built the army and bases bush needed to invade iraq). now we have an obligation to see it through (despite the lies that got us there). but our genius civilian leadership dropped the ball in iraq and the u.s. taxpayer (not the wealthy taxpayer) gets stuck holding the bag. not only have they dropped the ball in iraq, they risk wrecking our great military (and they thought clinton wanted to cut the military, LOL!) and leaving america vulnerable to attack (natural or terrorist) to boot. well, lets get this" vote" thing straight next time!

greetings fellow warriors! remember; "old soldiers dont die, they just fade away" if people still happen upon this blog they should know this is just a place for me to rant against the evil-doers (and republicans) in this world until i just fade away, nothing more and nothing less. we know who a lot of the real evil-doers are in this world so lets keep the light on them. why not? is this not america? duhhh!? if other people cant see the monsters, thats thier problem, sort of (remember that you dont have to out run the monster, just out run other people). anyway, everyone should read an interesting article (i think they call them"op-eds") by paul roberts concerning the current white house administration. im not sure what a jacobin coup is but i know many republicans are very much like the nazis we encountered decades ago. that should scare people but it does not seem to bother people in america much. the monsters wave the flag and thump on the bible to better confuse and startle thier victims so many people may be unaware. people should know that this current administration in america is not unlike the past nixon adminstration in that they are not above criminal acts to achieve their goals. unlike nixon, however, these current evil-doers answer to no one (and they know it!). the evil ones are robbing the "cookie jar" of america as we watch and when we complain they point to the sky and say things like;" its gods will" or "we eat the cookies here so we dont have to eat them at home". its pure crappola folks! vote these robber barons and bible thumpers out of office or sit back and watch america become a third world country right befor your eyes! we are watching the current adminstration run this great nation right into the ground. remember, this administration is no friend of the veteran. even in time of war they insist on cuts for the veterans. if you are a veteran and you vote republican, you suck! these people want to get rid of social security. know why? they want to raid the social security surplus and give the money away to their wealthy friends (those bastards! hands off our social security!) well, that ends my rant for today. its too bad, too late for iraq. i will save that rant for later,...

another small victory for kind, good and reasonable people everywhere. a federal court has ruled against allowing "under god" in our pledge of allegiance. why is this a good thing? bible thumpers cant get it through their heads that the constitution makes clear our seperation of church and state. thats the problem in iraq now. muslim bible thumpers want power and a democratic iraq would limit their power. this bothers me. bible thumpers dont like democracy because they would have a hard time getting their evil leaders elected to any office, anywhere in the world. people here should know that "under god" and the "in god we trust" was placed on our currency in the 1950 s in responce to the threat of communism (many communists are godless). our founding fathers did not place those words on our currency even though they were all god fearing christians. now that we know communism is not a threat to our way of life we no longer need these words to protect us. seperation of church and state is so important to our democracy that we must strike these words from the pledge and our currency. this great nation is a democracy (not a religious state) and christians (or muslims) have no claim to this great nation (we will elect our leaders, thank you kindly). the evil bible thumpers are worse than communists and we cannot allow them to take control of a nation when they are not elected to office. its that simple. i feel sorry for iraq. the iraq constitution makes it clear that iraq will be a muslim nation, nothing less. remember, pat robertson claims to hate these muslim terrorists overseas but he thinks the same way they do (ie, rule by god, not man). the solution here in the u.s.a. is to get everyone to vote and remove any chance these crazy people have to siezing control of our government. its too late to help iraq but we can still vote in our own nation and we need to vote the church out (any church),...god bless our great nation and death to the terrorist who threaten it.

greetings all! its with great pain that i watch events unfold in iraq. ive always said the iraq constitution is a worthless piece of paper. i feel so sorry for almost all iraq because they live in hell (thanks to people there who think the world is flat). most of the people here in the u.s.a. dont seem to know that the same evil that pushes the koran in iraq is at work in the u.s.a. pushing the bible. pat robertson is a terrorist leader and a sinner. if he lived and broadcasted his hatred in england he would be deported. these people (on both sides of the sea) dont want democracy, they want church leaders to run things. thats unacceptable in america. we need to vote for our leaders, not let a church appoint them. the religious right wants to overturn rowe vs. wade so they can restrict the rights of women. do you think muslim nations allow abortions? think again. i cant picture jesus hating homosexuals, not the way these bible thumpers hate homosexuals. hell, whats their beef anyway? their churches are filled with faggots (well,closet faggots). anyway, so many of the iraqi people i knew when i was in iraq said they liked the idea of saddam being ousted but they feared the power vacuum that would follow. unlike the u.s.a., they have no constitution to protect them from the" koran thumpers". the religious sects in iraq are now fighting over power, just as predicted. they cant wait to cover thier women in religious garb, outlaw the media and kill those who dont follow their leaders. hells bells, at least the bible thumpers here know that the world isnt flat. you think im kidding but there are a lot of muslims in iraq who think the world is flat. have faith! science and reality may keep these evil people at bay. the bible thumpers dont like science. they tried to stop the invention of the telescope and the printing press but we still have these things today. as a secular capitalist i know science gives myself and other people a fighting chance againts the forces of evil. our smart bombs and other technology can find these creeps where they hide. sitting way off-shore we can blast these people to hell and back (thank god for science and technology). here in the good ole u.s. we have a constitution and can vote to protect ourselves from the "religious zealots" god bless the u.s.a.!

greetings good people everywhere! we know who the bad people are in this nation. they are wealthy pseudo-pious republicans. these people are not a majority, so for gods sake lets take back our nation from these hate mongers. vote! you slugs! anyway, the storm katrina proves the republicans are talking out of their assholes when they say they can protect or help us in time of need ( tax breaks for the rich is the republican answer to everything). if the storm proves one thing it shows how inept our current republican leadership is. they cant protect anyone from anything, they just take our money and claim to protect us. yes, they take our money (thats tax cuts for the rich, not you and me). the only defense the republicans have is to attack thier critics and it seems to work, goddamn that karl rove LOL! lets stop these criminals by not voting republican (remember, republicans want to do away with social security and cut programs for the poor). anyway, my rant today concerns the american legion. they are in bed with the republicans so i urge all fellow veterans not to support this organisation. they do not support us. (the republicans dont support veterans, they cut out our va benifits every chance they get). the american legion has condemed the opposition to the war. thats stupid. since when did it become illegal to protest the government in this nation? ive always supported our war on terror but ill ask every veteran i served with in iraq not to join the american legion (join the VFW if you want to join a veterans group, they cater more to us infantry types, anyway). well, my rant ends here. my heart goes out to the poor stuck in the gulf states. i always worry about people i know who are still in iraq so my prayers always go out to them, good luck all,...craiger

greetings all! no doubt everyone has heard about the storm katrina. it is not baghdad and there is no way to compare baghdad with what came ashore in new orleans and other areas of the u.s. golf coast. everyone seems to blame the horrors of this storm on everyone else. ive heard both clinton and bush are at fault. bush is at fualt because he supports global warming and clinton is at fault because he is clinton. ive heard the poor are at fault because they live there and the wealthy are at fault because they build things there. i dont think a storm knows who lives where or who owns what when it comes ashore. the bottom line is we dropped the ball on this one and it proves we should do more as a nation to protect our sick, weak and poor. you dont have to be an evil god-less communist to support the poor, just try thinking of what jesus would do for example. i object to the claims of pat robertson and others that the people got what they deserved for being sinners. is everyone who lives on the gulf coast a sinner? it seems now that people care more about money than the poor. the proof is in the pudding. nothing was done to help many people who were hurt by the storm and we know that as fact now. it does remind me of baghdad in that so many poor and sick have no help and there is no way any amount of support will help them once the damage has been done. there just arent enough soldiers and bottled water to go around. this is typical of the republican mindset in our nation now. penny wise and pound foolish. the republicans are clueless as to what is really needed to run a great nation. they advocate tax cuts for the rich and cut aid to the poor. they are letting the wealthy rape this nation. we cant run them out of our churches and temples but we can tax the evil money tenders so we can feed our poor and keep our nation strong. anyone can see how the great republican "trickle down theory" works now (it just trickled down on new orleans). we can only hope america will wake up and elect real leaders and we can only hope the same for iraq,...craiger,...