
In late August of 1967, I received the proper security clearance to report to my duty assignment in Greece. The clearance came on Thursday and on Sunday I was on a TWA flight from JFK to Rome and on to Athens. My first night was spent in a BOQ hotel in Glyfada, on the Asteria beach. It was hot and I was jet lagged. I was annoyed that my sponsor was not there. He left a note asking me to take a taxi to The Congo Palace Hotel. I did. I could have walked.
As soon as I entered the lobby, I saw an un-Greek looking guy wearing both mirrored sunglasses and an Irish sunburn. I knew he had to be my sponsor. It took me two seconds to see why he wanted to meet there as he was flirting with the strikingly beautiful receptionist. He had no chance with her but he thought otherwise and I would learn later that his reach was usually short of his ambitions. He was ex-navy from Detroit and a superb technician and analyst with a severe drinking problem.
Tonight was no exception and he asked me to grab a lounge chair in the corner. He would be right over. He did with three bottles of beer and a wide grin, one beer for him, two to keep me busy, and the grin for his ambitions. I expected a wait, but to my sponsor’s disappointment, the beauty was welcoming a guest who obviously had more than hotel privileges. We got down to business.
He explained my assignment. It would be conducted from a duty station on a Greek air base in Larissa. The next morning we would take a DC-3 to the base and have lunch with the base commander, a Colonel Trakas. Colonel Trakas had requested a favor and my sponsor handed me a shopping list which included four cases of Coca Cola and all the cigarettes you could buy at one time in the BX at the Athens USAF Air Base. It seems that the Greeks did not allow Coca Cola into Greece and the locals had to tolerate something called Tam Tam. It actually tasted worse than it sounds. In the morning we flew to Larissa and met Trakas. Trakas was pleased with the boxes of contraband and he insisted we all celebrate with an un-Tam-Tam.
Lunch was served in the Greek Officer’s mess. The conversation was much more interesting than the mutton. The Coke helped the tough meat, and Trakas was delighted that we appeared to like it.
He was more delighted when he learned that I played bridge, and my sponsor widened his slightly reddened blue eyes and broke into a surly smirky smile when he heard the colonel invite me to be his partner on Tuesday nights. They both needed a replacement for a departed fourth.
My friendship with Trakas would be short. Through no fault of either of us it would end with an abrupt phone call later in December 1967. At our last meeting, his worried face belied the assurance that things would be ok. They were not. I never saw him again. I am not sure he had a coke for a while.
It has been some time since I thought of Trakas. Watching the President’s face at his Baker Commission news conference, I thought to myself, “I’ve seen that face before.” I am sorry I did. Twice.

Another Forrest Gumpian moment, eh Deuce?
ReplyDeleteYou have led an interesting life, my friend. Interesting indeed.
ReplyDeleteI TOLD You it was over. Are you listening?
ReplyDeleteWe now have an operation against "Extremists."
ReplyDeleteOur main goal is to "Assist" the Iraqis in their campaign for stability.
The words "War," "Terrorists," or "Victory" were not mentioned once.
ReplyDeleteYAY, "The WAR is Over!"
HIP, HIP, HOORAY!
It's all in the perspective, rufus.
ReplyDeleteWords are not enough, "we need a new approach"
I guess that means the War is over, to you.
It means we're getting the hell out of Dodge, is what it means, Rat.
ReplyDeletePure and Simple.
That screen door WILL NOT hit us on the Ass.
That'll be something to see, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThat, however, doesn't mean we won't do the obligatory, termporary "surge" of a few thousand to "clean up the loose ends," etc.
ReplyDeleteI know, it'll come in June, on the Schedule. There are already 115 signatures on a proposal in the Iraqi Parliment to ask US to leave.
ReplyDelete"... Falah Shanshal, a Shiite lawmaker, said 115 of parliament’s 275 legislators have signed a statement rejecting the U.N. Security Council’s vote to extend the mandate of the 160,000 multinational forces in Iraq for another year, beginning Jan. 1. ..."
with thanks to westhawk, in as much as that is where I first saw it.
So the sentiment is there, the timetable pretty much laid out in the existing agreements.
Hell, Rat; that suits me to a "T." It looks like we've just about done all we can do.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a mess, of course; but, it's going to be a bit of a mess whether we're there or not.
I'm tired of seeing our guys used as a ME Police Force. I hope we have a "Big Parade;" the guys/gals Deserve "That Much."
What a surprise. The star witness on the Russian nuclear sushi shenanigans has slipped into a coma. Another amazing coincidence.
ReplyDeletePutin never fails to "Amaze."
ReplyDeleteBless his heart; you don't even have to buy a ticket.
It has been some time since I thought of Trakas. Watching the President’s face at his Baker Commission news conference, I thought to myself, “I’ve seen that face before.” I am sorry I did.
ReplyDeleteEl Presidente Bush is looking and sounding a little stronger today, Deuce.
WASHINGTON — President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair presented a united front Thursday, painting the sectarian violence in Iraq as a battle between freedom and terror in which Iraqis have fallen victim to Al Qaeda's and Iran's efforts to sow chaos and control the region..
The leaders agreed that the vision of the Iraq Study Group for a peaceful Middle East is correct, but the bloodshed is the result of extremists who want to impose their rule on "this vital part of the world."
"It is true that Sunni and Shia extremists are targeting each other's innocent civilians and engaging in brutal reprisals.It's also true that forces beyond Iraq's borders contribute to this violence," Bush said during a White House press conference with the prime minister.
"The prime minister put it this way: He said, 'The violence is not an accident or a result of faulty planning. It is a deliberate strategy. It is the direct result of outside extremists teaming up with internal extremists — Al Qaeda with the Sunni insurgents and Iran with the Shia militia — to foment hatred and to throttle at birth the possibility of a nonsectarian democracy.' You are right, and I appreciate your comments," Bush said.
Unfortunately, neither Bush nor Blair will admit that the 'two state' solution to the Palestinian/Israeli problem will continue to be a non-starter until Hamas, other Palestinian Islamic factions, Hizbollah and the Iranian mullahs have been removed from the equation. Or until Hell freezes over, whichever comes first.
The prime minister is headed to the Middle East to speak with Israelis and Palestinians as part of a greater plan to resolve broader issues that the Iraq Study Group claims are holding up a solution in Iraq...
"I believe that by moving this forward, we send a very strong signal not just to the region but to the whole of the world that we are evenhanded in the application of our values," Blair said.
Ya Ain't Gonna Believe This! It seems as if Big Spender Bush's $2 Billion Ethanol Subsidy SAVE TAXPAYERS EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS this year!
ReplyDelete2164, I gotta ask, what were you doing over there? Commercial, military, or diplomatic?
ReplyDeletemilitary.
ReplyDeletebuddy dont ask...he already said that he was admiring the receptionist, tam tam and goat. What else is there worthwile doing in the Greek isles?
ReplyDeleteAt such a young age, you must have an arcane technical specialty. On the rim of the USSR, I'd guess that it involved those big metallic semi-spherical dish-looking objects, trained generally northward. but i'll shut up now.
ReplyDeleteright, joe buzz--the tam-tam. refreshing drink, of a hot day, i'll bet--
ReplyDelete"Quagmire-Shagmire," the Iraqis now Control 70% of Their Battle Space.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Buddy, that explains the South America junket, eh?
ReplyDeletedont press the host...next thing you know will we be hit with a two comment limit...
ReplyDeleteBaikonur Cosmodrome, (Tyura-Tam 45°55′00″N, 63°20′00″E)
ReplyDeleteKapustin Yar Test Range 48 34'N to 48 46'N
Plesetsk 62°55′N 40°31′E.
But the "Battle" only persists in the remaining 30% of the Country.
ReplyDeleteThe Gray Area, where the US is in control.
Cause & Effect
or
that's where the Insurgents are?
And according to the Iraqi powers that be, defending the Insurgents and their infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteaffectionately known at bk, ky and pl
ReplyDeleteThanks, 2164--i apologize for my noseyness--
ReplyDeleterat, that's like me keeping Martians out of Blanco County--i must be doing a good job--
2164, that reminds me of the guy in MASH, nicknamed "Radar"
ReplyDeleteDeuce,
ReplyDeleteYou are killing me with the nostalgia.
Nickel 8oz. Cokes, with a 2cent deposit. Ice cold, burning all the way down. Fifty-five, fifty-six, and fifty-seven Chevrolets with the best girl's name as detail. Country roads on cool summer nights.
An outstanding job, buddy, not a Martian to be seen.
ReplyDeleteFrom there in Blanco all the way to Maricopa County, where Sheriff Joe takes over, arresting 'em for trespassing if they stop.
The hand off is coming, ever quicker. Whether or not there is a fumble, that is the question.
If the US remains behind at some of the mega forts, do we give defacto approval to the continued cleansing of Anbar?
Or do we support the Saud/ Jordanian intervention when it comes.
going to pick up your date, and meeting her dad, who turns out to be the pharmacist you had bought the rubbers from that afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI dont know buddy. I done hurt tell of one or two seent up on the river north of Hye...I would do well to keep yankees out of these parts but we give up on that long about 1880 or so.
ReplyDeletesorry about the post above I havent even started drinking...yet and I cant type.
the Hashemites of Jordan are the only clan in Arabian Islam that predates the sunni-shiite schism--and thus is acceptable to both factions, religiously-speaking.
ReplyDeletebuddy,
ReplyDeletere: pharmacist
Or her brother worked at the filling station where you and your buddies made a big production of choosing from the six novelty brands from the bathroom machines.
;-)
Of course, there was a whole lot more show than go. But, it is the thought that counts. Men never change.
joe, believe me, i got my eye on that bunch around Hye. Hye is LBJ's home post office, so any Martians would naturally light somewhere around there, right in amongst the large clan of secret-service agents who liked the area over the years of watching over Lady Bird, and settled in after retirement.
ReplyDeleteEvery little town had the legend of the haunted country lane, where that young couple, many years before, had been set upon and viciously murdered by some local maniac. Damn, we were stupid.
ReplyDeleteAllen in those days, that "show/go" ratio was fer a fact mighty damn sparse--
ReplyDeleteMost rubbers died of dry rot.
ReplyDeletemost by far
ReplyDeletebuddy,
ReplyDeletere: show/go ratio
It was damned wasteful too. Every Saturday night the condoms had to pitched out the window on the way home. You couldn't risk forgetting them in the watch pocket of your Levis. Mom might find them on wash day. Guestions would be asked.
Then somebody would set you up with that hot blind date from some town up the road, and you both were in the mood, and you were working all those moves taught you by your older cousin, and then everything turned to crap. When you turned 20, you finally figured out that cousin Bob didn't know a damned bit more than you.
ReplyDeletequestions too
ReplyDeleteyep, allen--a cold chill would fall around the dinner table that night--
ReplyDeleteLooky, the 109th got the partial OCS drilling bill thru--?
Diner days nostaglia, 3 for a quarter, from a machine with lettering scraped off to say:
ReplyDelete"FOR___ __________ __ ___ease Only"(For prevention of disease only)
and a pack of camels cost another quarter with two pennies change in the cellophane.
Deuce,
ReplyDeletere: Camels
And anybody tall enough the coin slot and strong enough to pull the old springloaded handle could buy them. Why, anyone with a quarter and able to tell the man at the counter what was wanted could buy them. And no gentleman was complete without a sportcoat that didn't smell of Old Spice and nicotine.
Think I'll go out and have a cigarette. Yeah, I know, it's gonna kill me, but if it isn't one damned thing its another.
ReplyDeleteObviously you didn't see the Woody Allen movie where in the future it has been proved that cigarets are GOOD for you
ReplyDelete"For____ease Only"
ReplyDeleteLOL--so true--every damn one of 'em!
This cartoon pretty much captures the respect with which Mr. Carter is held by Cox & Forkum.
ReplyDeletePeace, Love & Genocide
Link
Deuce & buddy,
ReplyDeleteKids have no freedom these days.
At my age, I find myself agreeing with Woody Allen--pacing about his apartment there, hair all askew, with Diane Keeton--"It's not death I worry about, I just don't want to be there when it happens." If I don't have that exactly right, I sure do agree with the sense of it.
ReplyDeleteGotta love the Aussie "Spirit!"
ReplyDeleteWhile I rarely applaud the work of John Podhoretz, his review of the Baker Boyz is some good work. H/T Brain Shavings via Hewitt.
ReplyDelete“The nation's capital hasn't seen such concentrated wisdom in one place since Paris Hilton dined alone at the Hooters on Connecticut Avenue.”
“But that's what being stupid gets you. It means you don't understand the incredible value of the James Baker Handy-Dandy Solution to All the World's Ills. It's called "Get Israel." Once Israel is gotten, and gotten good, all the problems in the Middle East will be solved. And the seas will turn to lemonade, and the planets will come in alignment, and Mel Gibson will lie down with Jackie Mason.”
Paris Hilton does Iraq
Podhoretz gives no clue of what he will write if the President accepts the ISG finding.
Wow, Rufus, that kind of post nearly gave me a heart attack. What a perfectly beautiful young lady.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Dr. Sanity, I feel all better now.
ReplyDelete“The further back in history you travel, the less individual neurosis you see. Instead, the whole group is nuts.”
"In other words, to have an intuitive grasp of economics, you might just need to take a step or two up the evolutionary ladder."
"COME FOR THE EGALITARIANISM, STAY FOR THE BESTIALITY AND TYRANNY"
Link
shh, don't tell Habu. He'll have a real heart attack trying to find an ante-upper.
ReplyDeleteOk, but I am overloaded now, I got to go take a walk.
ReplyDeleteAllen, I gave you a H/T over at Kudlows where I "re-posted" your Great Dr. Sanity link.
ReplyDeletedon't forget your snowshoes, bearskin coat, snow-goggles, Grizzly .44 mag, and 911/GPS device, bobal.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, 70 degrees outside down here, sun shining, birds singing...la la la la la....
rufus,
ReplyDeletere: H/T
Thanks. I thought you and buddy would get a kick out of it. I did.
Leftists always order the small pizza.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a small pizza?
ReplyDeleteAnd only one at a time?
I must be to the right of Attila.
Must be communists, odering one small pizza, delivered, no tip.
How are they on hot wings, you think? Bet the lefties order the mild, I'd imagine.
if you can't give the kid a buck or two, don't order the damn pizza.
ReplyDeleteMy average pizza and wing bill runs about $25, big pizza & box of wings, gotta give the guy a couple, three bucks, anyway.
ReplyDeleteOne of the advantages of not living at the redoubt.
Italian, Chinese & Mexican food is available on demand. What a country.
This, from Publius Pundit is interesting. The Congress did something pretty positive, I think, on Free Trade.
ReplyDelete52,000 homes in IL have no power for over a week, since the last storm. Depending on the common utility grid is becoming ever more problematic.
ReplyDeleteIn the worse of times, weather wise, electric service is worse than in Baghdad.
By the way, boys, drink a toast to my uncle (for which I was named.)
ReplyDeleteHe went down this date in 1941. He was on the West Virgina.
CAOC-4 (Larissa, Greece)
ReplyDeleteHISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Greece, the host nation of JCSC, joined NATO on 18 February 1952. The Greek Armed Forces were integrated in the military structure and Greek personnel were assigned to HQ Allied Land Forces South - Eastern Europe (LSE) in Izmir, Turkey. An Advanced Command Post (ACP) was established in Thessaloniki.
Due to political and historical considerations, Greece withdrew from the NATO integrated military structure and HQ LSE in July - August 1974. Under the Davos-Rogers Agreement, in 1980, the Greek Armed Forces were reintegrated in the NATO military structure. From 1980 to 1993, the national HQ of the Hellenic First Army (HFA) and Hellenic Tactical Air Force (HTAF) carried out many essential functions for NATO
"These oppressive countries are angry with us ... a nation that on the other side of the globe has risen up and proved the shallowness of their power," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern town of Ramsar, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported Wednesday.
ReplyDelete"They are angry with our nation. But we tell them 'so be it and die from this anger'. Rest assured that if you do not respond to the divine call, you will die soon and vanish from the face of the earth," he said.
The outspoken president also maintained Iran's defiance over its controversial nuclear programme, saying it was on course to fully master nuclear technology.
"Thank to God's help, we have gone all the way and are only one step away from the zenith.
"We hope to have the big nuclear celebration by the end of the year (March 2007)," Ahmadinejad said
One step away from the zenith.
rufus,
ReplyDeleteHere's to your uncle and all the good men on that day.
Thank you Allen, for this one I think I'll go with the Hennessey
ReplyDeleteBuddy and Joe
ReplyDeleteI have a little hidey-hole west of you in Edwards Co. No Martians there either....lots of Axis though
Rufus
ReplyDeleteBeen a while since I was at Pearl, but what an awesome Memorial. Another toast to your Uncle...
Are these three items related?
ReplyDelete1LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen attacked a southern Nigerian oil export terminal belonging to a subsidiary of Italy's Eni SpA early Thursday, taking three Italians and a Lebanese hostage and killing another person, officials said.
Bayelsa state Police Commissioner Hafiz Ringim confirmed the attack just before dawn on the Agip oil export station, which exports some 200,000 barrels of oil daily from the town of Brass. ...
Followed by Number 2
AMMAN, Jordan -- A Jordanian military court convicted three Syrians and one Iraqi Thursday and sentenced them to death for firing rockets at two U.S. warships in August 2005.
One of the Syrians, Mohammed Hassan Abdullah al-Sihly, is in police custody, but the other two Syrians, Abdul-Rahman al-Sihly and Abdullah al-Sihly, and the Iraqi, Amar al-Samera'i, remain at large and were tried in absentia.
The court acquitted Mohammed al-Sihly's three sons, who also were in police custody, and sentenced five others to various jail terms ranging from two to 10 years. ...
And then, Number 3
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy Thursday in southern Afghanistan, killing and wounding Afghan civilians in the seventh suicide attack in the area in less than two weeks, officials said.
Razaq Khan, a police official at the scene, said 15 civilians were killed or wounded. He did not provide a breakdown.
The answer to that question, whether they are related, is the core of the National debate.
Whether 9-11-01 is comparable to the 7th December, 1941 is tied to the answer.
ReplyDelete"It means we're getting the hell out of Dodge, is what it means, Rat."
ReplyDeleteBe still my heart, rufus. But you're wrong. We're not.
Ralph Peters on Hewitt was better than anything he's written.
ReplyDeleteIn 10 minutes he was devastating in his criticism of our non-warfighting:
Upshot:
Get Serious or Get Out, Stop using our soldiers as pop-up targets.
His criticisms mirrored those of us who are not part of the BDS Brigades:
Bush Dhimmi Syndrome Sufferers.
Never have so many educated folks made dangerous fools out of themselves as those of you who continue to pretend that Bush can do no wrong in spite of the reality that our present warfighting policy is all wrong.
Are they related? If a command structure can call a halt to them--say a major speech from Waziristan or Tehran, then they are related.
ReplyDeleteGag--i didn't catch whether joe buzz was a Hye-man or just funnin' LBJ's old hix-in-the-stix hometown, but Edwards County is one of my favorite Texana facts, as it is the size of Delaware, and has a population density of one person per square mile. Love it--Rocksprings is the county seat--and the only town!
Yeah, we are, Trish; not tomorrow, but we're laying the groundwork.
ReplyDeleteCould Rufus be putting us on, or can anyone that removed from reality actually exist outside a rubber room?
ReplyDeleteYeh, Rufus--Just got back from my walk--here too is to your uncle. Bob
ReplyDeleteBoing, Boing {sound of Rufus bouncing around in his rubber room}
ReplyDeletesecond--or fifth--that toast to Uncle Rufus. Rest his soul in peace. December 07, 1941.
ReplyDeleteA definite improvement! :-)
ReplyDeleteHaven't read thread,
ReplyDeleteno offense to Uncle Rufus,
just his nutty nephew.
Buddy
ReplyDeleteIts right where Edwards, Kimble and Kerr come together, off 83. Just a little bowhunting place. I live up in Southlake
While we are all quoting the proposals of “experts” on what should be the American policy in Iraq, why not listen to a young man who has spent 30 months there, up close and personal.
ReplyDeleteSergeant Boggs Dissents
Courtesy of Power Line.
"Yeah, we are, Trish"
ReplyDeleteNo, we aren't. (Don't read your own desires into it.)
But we can go on like this all evening.
Maybe if the Islamist Pigs harm the Aussie Sweeties in any way, it will ignite the latent manhood in the western world, we can have a proper smackdown, and get back to normal life w/o them.
ReplyDeletetrish offered her honor
ReplyDeleterufus honored her offer
and all night long
it was honor and offer
Kaplan up next hour on Hewitt:
ReplyDeletehttp://www2.krla870.com/listen/
USS West Virginia wiki
ReplyDeleteReturning to the topic of Christmans cookies (or crumpets, if you please)I return to my favorite receipe.
ReplyDeleteLink
Bolton makes the news with his Assertive NO COMMENT broken record.
ReplyDeleteTrish, YEEeess
ReplyDeleteSorry Marilyn
ReplyDeleteLink
Damn, a poor boy enlists in the Navy and gets lucky enough to be stationed aboard that Beautiful piece of floating Steel, at HAWAII, and ends up as one of the first casualties of WWII. Damn!
ReplyDeleteBuddy, you don't say!
ReplyDeleteDayyum, Poor Damn Muslims; I'd be pissed off all the time, too.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of LBJ:
ReplyDeleteSomebody had a recording of him talking on the phone to his tailor:
His down home one on one interaction with another human being caused me to reflect on how Monarchical life in and around the president has become.
Thousands of courtiers and ass kissing advisors, hair stylists, make up artists etc on and on.
Making Metrosexuals out of all the occupants.
Much less than ideal, or even close to old Harry Truman's lifestyle:
What did you do when you got back to Springfield Harry?
(After driving himself and the missus in their Plymouth Coup)
"Took the Suitcases up to the Attic."
Not to leave our Muslim lurkers in the lurch,
ReplyDeleteStrange Nookie
Good Grief I will have to go on another walk.
ReplyDeleteToulouse Lautrec's new suit didn't fit, so he took it back to his tailor. Tailor saw him come in, and said, "Whatza matter, too tight, Toulouse?"
ReplyDeleteSo, buddy, for Revolutions to be related, there has to be centrol command?
ReplyDeleteNo networking relationships allowed?
So the French and US Revolutions were unrelated?
The Democracy revolutions in Eastern Europe were unrelated" Poland was unrelated to Ukraine and Georgia?
Such compartmentalism...
No, buddy, they can be related but without unified command. Japan and Germany, during WWII were related, but not unified.
It's all part of the Campaign against Extremists.
ReplyDeleteJapan Bombs Pearl.
ReplyDeleteUS Goes to War in Europe.
Africa, first, doug.
ReplyDeleteAgainst the French
Campaign to
ReplyDeleteUndo
Nasty
Taxonomies
By "related" i took you to mean "directly".
ReplyDeletebut, right, sufficiently broadened, "related"can mean 'in the same universe' --as in, a sparrow farts in Des Moines and it affects the moons of Uranus.
but, i know what you're getting at--the communications revolution has inserted images of rich folks into every hut on the planet, and now they're pissed.
ReplyDeleteAs was speaking in terms of Grand Conspiracies, as in Mr Chavezzz goes to Tehran, pledges his country's support, is he related or not?
ReplyDeleteI had this exchange with Steve over at Threatswatch. He's better informed than I was.
How large are the Six Enemy Tribes of Anbar, how many folks are there, compared to the Allied Tribes of Anbar?
I have not seen any reference as to how the Iraqi population, there in Anbar, breaks down.
Are the SETA the majority or minority?
Feedback by: desert rat | December 6, 2006 10:20 AM
Thanks to all for the excellent observations and kind words.
Desert Rat:
I shied away from this in the ‘Martyrs’ piece considering for length. It deserves its own analysis, and following your questions, I’ve decided to take it up as soon as I can.
In the interim, without getting into the tribal/social structure in Iraq (of which I claim no expertise), there are about 25 tribes and round about 2 million Iraqis in Anbar, as the territorial lines are drawn. Six of those tribes make up your ‘SETA’ tribes, together consitituting somewhere in the neighborhood of about 300,000 total. That’s about 15% of the tribal population against us.
However, (!!!) it is important to note that it isn’t exactly 300,000 against the US and the Iraqi government, as it is the top ‘sheiks’ of those tribes that have made the decision to align with al-Qaeda, and it was not arrived at via tribal referendum.
The slow plodding aim is to undermine them by enticing the ‘non-aligned’ lower leaders within the six tribes to come over from the dark side. Their senior sheiks have been promised power in the great al-Qaeda caliphate it claims is now forming.
It is also important to note that the remaining tribes not aligned with al-Qaeda are all part of what is called the Dulaimi, a qabila (or a larger organization of tribes). The Dulami has long been a rival - socially and politically - with the six tribes aligned with AQ, explaining in large part why ‘who’ is with ‘who’ and ‘who’ is not.
See what I mean? It needs its own analysis, and I’ll try and sort it out in an acceptable and readable manner.
Hope that’s a fair enough answer for the moment. Thanks for the excellent question.
And so there, for one and all the scope of the problem in Anbar is laid out in basic form.
That's really interesting, Rat.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it's occurred to anyone yet that those six motherfuckers sincerely need Killin?
This at the BC,
ReplyDelete"I only care if any of them are dangerous to the United States. Let's face it, the US had a massive over-reaction to 9/11, making too big a deal out of it. That plays into our enemy's hands, by letting them manipulate us like a puppet.
"We need to always do what is best for us, not over-react to bodies being dragged through the streets in Somalia or three hijacked airplane bombs on 9/11. We need to cooly find the real enemies and deal with them, not let them provoke us."
12/07/2006 02:27:47 PM
Link
Oh, wait a minute, that's a "War" type thing, and we're not at "War."
ReplyDeleteDo you think it would be okay to send them a letter with the coordinates to their house, and a picture of, say, a 500 pounder?
just email 'em a google earth screenshot, along with a jpeg of a jdam.
ReplyDelete"The slow plodding aim..."
ReplyDeleteAnd that's much of the war, Rat, everywhere.
More Muslim Love Muffins
ReplyDeleteLink
My Gawd, Put some Clothes on those Girls!
ReplyDeleteCould Wu Wei be Terisita?
ReplyDeleteThat guy is a chameleon who loves to spend time getting people to watch him change colors.
MizTah RUFUS,
ReplyDeleteMistah Habu and I want to, and have by da way raisin a mug o grog to yo Uncle.
Tho his life wuz sort'r den most of us he lives in da hearts and minds of ev'r true and honorable American.
Now I gotz tah make up a third batch of buttermilk egggnogg custurd and reglar rum eggnogg.
May you have only peace in your life and God bless your family.
Possumtater & Habu
Or is he a Chicom agent?
ReplyDeleteWu Wei said...
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant in the last part of my post is that the only way for someone to nuke us would be to launch it by missile, not by terrorist carrying imaginary small nukes around. So we would prevent it the same way we did attacks by the Soviets and Chinese, which is to be able to survive a first strike and still destroy them, mutual assured destruction.
Good old Wu.
ReplyDeleteThose western desert sheiks have a long memory, and are still pissed off over the Brits deliberately false-promising them autonomy in return for war against the Ottomans in WWI --
ReplyDeletethe "Lawrence of Arabia" times.
It's those REAL small nukes that are the bitch!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize Peter OToole was that old.
ReplyDeletethat's Phil Donahue leading them two love muffins--
ReplyDeletedoug,
ReplyDeletere: real small nukes
Yes, but they are imaginary; that has to help.
caught that, didja--the text is correct--no imaginary nuke, no matter how big, even if it's 1000 megatons, can hurt even a little flea.
ReplyDelete"My my my,"
ReplyDeleteSaid the Spider to the Fly.
---
"no imaginary nuke, no matter how big, even if it's 1000 megatons, can hurt even a little flea"
So Tee he he,
Said Wu Wei.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDoug said, "Could Wu Wei be Terisita?
ReplyDeleteThat guy is a chameleon who loves to spend time getting people to watch him change colors."
I'm a black-eyed brown-skinned red white & blue American in a pinko state (with gray skies) surrounded by greenies who have a yellow streak a mile long.
w.w. came on board in the build up to the shut down, over at BC.
ReplyDeletetakes any number of positions in any single thread. One thing to link to the input, but he seems swayed by whatever he read last.
DR,
ReplyDeletere: WW
It is probably one of most vacuous statements I have ever read. Nothing personal.
yes, but, that could be wu wei, too.
ReplyDeletecomment to WC, whose descripto had the flavor of this 1958 hit song:
ReplyDeleteWu Wei,
ReplyDeleteWu Wei Baby,
Wu Wei,
Wu Wei Baby,
Wu Wei,
Wu Wei Baby,
>buddy
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find these songs? Purple People Eater?
Too bad it can't create the audio stream.
Doug quoted wu wei: So we would prevent it the same way we did attacks by the Soviets and Chinese, which is to be able to survive a first strike and still destroy them, mutual assured destruction.
Except that they would've been long gone by the time the second strike comes. You would have destroyed some infrastructure, but I'm sure they're smart enough to have multiple launch sites. And they do work semi-autonomously. How do we keep track of all of them?
harrison, young sprout, i remember the damn song! there was a spate of nonsense late 50s hits, i remember as i was practicing to enter teenhood, and had to know how to listen to the radio.
ReplyDeletethat patterico link will lump up your throat pretty good.
Terisita,
ReplyDeleteCould you please put your picture on blogger, or some other server than where it's at now?
It takes forever to download, and then I have to renavigate to where I was reading when it finally loads.
Thanks.
Harrison,
ReplyDeleteBuddy's Contemporary
-
Link 2
Buddy,
ReplyDeleteDid you watch Franki Ford become famous in New Orleans?
Still going strong at 64 in 2003!
ReplyDelete"You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly"
Vintage! ;)
ReplyDeletedoug, thanks for the links. I had to be reminded of how young a "young sprout" I still am.
Who's Franki Ford?
a '57 Belair--fine, fine vehicle. Nah, I grew up in Lafayette, a couple hours north of N.O. We had Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, acts like that, come thru town, tho. Good stuff--
ReplyDeleteHarrison,
ReplyDeleteHe did the Wu Wei Song known as "Sea Cruise"
I'll getta link.
Would you have suspected that Sweden produces 28% of all of it's fuel from Renewble Sources?
ReplyDeleteWell, they do.
I actually was a little young for the polka dot lass. Driver's license and the Beatles came to me about simultaneously, early 60s. I'm a front boomer--them polka dots and Belairs were the last of the pre-boomers--our older sibs--who never, ever, "got" the Beatles, or the Stones, tho only a year or three ahead of us. Strange.
ReplyDeleteFrankie Ford
ReplyDelete"Sea Cruise" Chuck Berry did it better!
Rufus,
ReplyDeleteThat's why the women look so swell:
They suck out the fat and produce energy from it!
doug, i'll respond to that as soon as i finish throwing up
ReplyDeleteYou saw my lipolink the other day, right?
ReplyDeleteTHIS! - Peak Oil? Pish Posh!
ReplyDeleteuh...ye...yes YES, i saw it, i SAW it--
ReplyDeletejeez, doug, why go thru all those steps, lipo to fuel tank--why not skip the surgeon and the vehicle, and just fuse your ass, use your hat for a rudder, and rocket yourself over to your destination (McDonalds, probably)?
ReplyDeleteWHERE DO YOU FIND THIS SHIT?
ReplyDeletehe cruises the weird world, i'm afraid--
ReplyDeleteWow, this Frankie Ford is pretty catchy!
ReplyDeleteHelps me take my mind off that picture.
Them MIT guys are Plenty Smart!
ReplyDeleteThe high-ethanol-tolerance yeast also proved to be more rapid fermenters: The new strain produced 50 percent more ethanol during a 21-hour period than normal yeast.
If this means what I Think it means, it Incredibly Huge!
That was a Link that referenced Tigerhawk!
ReplyDeleteYeast? Are we driving a car or baking a cake?
ReplyDeleteI THINK those guys just increased the production capacity of every distillery in the world by 50%.
ReplyDeleteI MUST be Over-reacting to that article. There Must be something I'm Missing.
ReplyDeleteIt's like Co-Generation:
ReplyDeleteThe yeast makes beer.
You drink the beer, which goes to the belly.
Then you suction the bellyfat for Biodiesel.
then you put the biodiesel in your biscuit and race it around the edge of your dinner plate
ReplyDeletejust kidding--the yeast got me--
ReplyDeleteYa got LeMans,
ReplyDeleteand ya got LeBiscuit.
It'll getta rise outta other too.
ReplyDeleteothers
ReplyDeleteWinner takes all,
ReplyDeletethen the whole process starts over,
this time recyclying Biscuit Fat.
maybe we should leaven it alone, so rufus don't get crusty
ReplyDeletei will say, tho, that hard buscuit fried up in bacon grease is some of the finest winter "breakfast clean up" eatin' they is.
ReplyDelete"She's Leaven Home,
ReplyDeleteAfter Baking Alone for so many years."
Doug said, "Terisita, Could you please put your picture on blogger, or some other server than where it's at now?
ReplyDeleteIt takes forever to download, and then I have to renavigate to where I was reading when it finally loads.
Thanks."
For you Doug, anything.
Doug said, "Terisita, Could you please put your picture on blogger, or some other server than where it's at now?
ReplyDeleteIt takes forever to download, and then I have to renavigate to where I was reading when it finally loads.
Thanks."
For you Doug, anything.
Now, now!
ReplyDeleteWe know you have "requirements"!
I think I drank too much Coffee
ReplyDelete57 Chevy. You could buy those things all day long in the mid-sixties for $50 - $100 a piece. You could also buy a silver dollar for...$1.00.
ReplyDeleteDoug said, "Terisita, Could you please put your picture on blogger, or some other server than where it's at now?
ReplyDeleteIt takes forever to download, and then I have to renavigate to where I was reading when it finally loads.
Thanks."
For you Doug, anything.
It's just about ALL you can buy in Castro's Paradise.
ReplyDeleteHigh Mileage, to boot.
re:
ReplyDeletebp1.blogger.com/_8fCBPQZ2TQ4/RXjlYowxpcI/AAAAAAAAABA/Dy1BkehYnkg/s320/ruby300z
Thanks!
/AAAAAAAAABA/Dy1BkehYnkg/s320/ruby300z.jpg
ReplyDeleteMy first brand new car was a '68 Mustang - the price, $3016.00. I drove such a hard bargain, the dealer knocked off the $16.00. Jeez, I was dumb, but the car was hot - Foam Green.
ReplyDeleteAppt. at the VA at 9:30; wish me Luck.
ReplyDeleteNite all
And, thanks for the kind words, P'tater. I got busy while ago, and forgot to respond.
I'll take this Bronze One
ReplyDeleteLa Show
or
ReplyDelete"Le"
I like that Hyundai HCD10 Hellion, or whatever the nomenclature is.
ReplyDeletehope rufus ain't ill or nothing--i hate those 'wish me lucks'.
ReplyDeleteMary Cheney's timing to announce her backstabbing pregnancy was as cold and calculating as her conception.
ReplyDeleteThe news speaks the truth, I'm as upset as I've ever been. This is like my Darfur.
The Big Mystery will be revealed next Thanksgiving when we find out if GWB Pardons the Turkey Baster.
ReplyDeleteI think she'll make a good mom, myself. Seen her on the tv, and liked her way. If she prefers not to sleep with men, well, I agree with her 100%, the idea is excruciating.
ReplyDeleteSleep with whoever:
ReplyDeleteLet a mixed couple raise the child in a normal home not of his/her choosing.
Bush is just raising the stakes for when Mary Cheney will be re-introduced as a Rosey the Riveter for the 21st Century, resplendent in maternity but liberated outside of wedlock.
ReplyDeleteDown the streets of Fallujah she will walk, and men squatting in mid-shit will behold the glory of a lesbian new mommy, rise up from their improvised curb-side perch and change their lives for the better.
Talk about child abuse from the git go:
ReplyDeleteIf YOU could choose, would you not choose the benefit of male/female parents?
"Mommy is defined by her sexual expression, you see, poopsykins?"
ReplyDeleteHilton thinks she'll be a good mom 'cause
ReplyDelete"I've taken care of animals."
! I swear!
Two dads and lots and lots and lots of uncles. A veritable uncle turn-over rate.
ReplyDeletePillsbury Uncle Turnovers
ReplyDeleteLesbian activists bravely take in the culturally abused children from the Suburban heterosexual poor, giving them access to the fruits of transtopian urban culture.
ReplyDeleteMommies and Daddies are too heirarchical.