The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 05/28/2006 - 06/04/2006

Friday, June 02, 2006

U.S. Troops Cleared in Iraqi Civilian Deaths at Ishaqi

A military investigation into allegations that U.S. troops intentionally killed Iraqi civilians in a March 15 raid in a village north of Baghdad has cleared the troops of misconduct, two defense officials said Friday.

The investigation concluded that the U.S. troops followed normal procedures in raising the level of force as they came under attack upon approaching a building where they believed an Al Qaeda terrorist was hiding, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the results had not been publicly released.

The Army's Criminal Investigation Division reviewed the results of the investigation and found no reason to probe further, the officials said.

The nighttime raid was conducted in the village of Ishaqi, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, by a ground assault force. After being fired upon from the vicinity of the targeted building, the soldiers called in airstrikes by an Air Force AC-130 gunship, which attacked the building, the defense officials said.

Local Iraqis said there were 11 total dead, and contended that they were killed by U.S. troops before the house was leveled.

J.R.'s Take: Haditha Marines Deserve the Benefit of the Doubt !

The main stream news media is all over the story,labeling Marines as murderers, a congressman and former Marine has pronounced the Haditha Marines guilty and would probably sentence them if he could. All of this without a trial and all of it with only one side of the story. It's trial by main stream news media and congressman Murtha.

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Whatever happened to the benefit of the doubt? Our brave men and women in the US Military are fighting for our freedom everyday in the war on terror, facing an enemy that does not wear a uniform. They are facing an enemy that has multiple faces, young, old, women and children used to kill US troops. Shouldn't the brave men and women who fight in the war on terror be given the benefit of the doubt until a trial can determine what really happened in Haditha?

Back here at home murders, rapists,child molesters and the like are innocent until proven guilty, with groups such as the ACLU and the like supporting those rights if there is even a hint of them being violated. Yet here we have men and women who put their lives on the line to fight the war on terror being tried by the media and some overzealous congressmen before a trial is even announced. Where are the groups screaming for the soldiers rights of innocent until proven guilty?

Certainly in time of war during battles things can get chaotic and confusing, we don't have the full picture of what happened at Haditha yet, and anyone claiming that they do who was not there and has only heard one side of the story, is speaking irresponsibly. These are people lives that we are talking about here and what is being portrayed by the media and Murtha as a massacre during this time will affect the soldiers and their families for the rest of their lives.

No matter what the outcome of the Haditha incident, these brave men and women have EARNED the right of innocence until proven guilty that we enjoy as the result of these brave men and women who fight for us in the war on terror today, and those who have fought in wars past.

It is time for the main stream news media and some US congressmen to stop the hyping and sensationalism of this situation for political purposes and let the Uniform Code of Military Justice do its job while at the same time affording these Marines their rights under the constitution that they certainly earned.

Iraqi Security Forces Leading Operations in More Areas

May 23, 2006 - Coalition leaders are working to transfer
security responsibility to Iraqis as soon as possible, but they recognize
the dangers of "rushing to failure," a senior military official told
Pentagon reporters today.

Army Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, deputy director of regional operations
for the Joint Staff, called the seating of Iraq's new government and its
building a force of more than 263,000 security forces major milestones
for Iraq.

"There's still a lot to be done in Iraq, and we shouldn't kid ourselves
about that," he said. "But I think that every now and then it's
important to realize that much has already been accomplished," he said.

Ham showed reporters charts that graphically demonstrate progress
Iraq's security forces have made in the past seven months. Green coloring
shows areas where two Iraqi divisions, 14 brigades and more than 50 Iraqi
army battalions are operating in the lead in various areas throughout
the country.

"Now, we want it all to be green," Ham said. "The Iraqis want it all to
be green. And only those who are opposed to freedom and elected
representative government want it to be otherwise."

Transitions to Iraqi control will occur as Iraqis become capable of
exercising security control. "Those decisions are made in collaboration
with the Iraqi government, Iraqi security force leaders, and the U.S. and
other coalition members that are present in those areas," Ham said. "We
want to do it as soon as we can, but you can't do it too fast."

U.S. soldiers and Marines remain in control in Ramadi, which Ham called
"probably the most contentious city right now inside Iraq."

The enemy they face appears to be a mix of al Qaeda in Iraq elements
trying to establish a safe haven and Sunni Arabs trying to keep it as a
stronghold. The challenge is to protect Iraqis who live there while
helping Iraqi security forces establish authority, Ham said.

"The key, in my mind, will not be so much how many or how few U.S.
forces are there, but how can we best help the Iraqis to establish control
of their city?" Ham said. "And I know the commanders there are working
very hard with the Iraqi ministries of defense and interior to get the
right Iraqi forces on the ground in Ramadi to help a very, very
difficult situation."

Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill 24 Enemy Fighters

May 24, 2006 - Coalition forces killed 24 enemy fighters in
Afghanistan yesterday, U.S. military officials said.

Afghan National Army and coalition forces battled terrorists for six
hours in the Tarin Kowt district of Uruzgan province yesterday evening,
military officials said.

One Afghan National Police officer and four Afghan soldiers were killed
battling the enemy fighters.

Additional Afghan soldiers and police were wounded and were taken to a
nearby medical treatment facility. No report was available on their
condition.

The engagement started when a joint combat patrol of Afghan and
coalition forces returned fire against several enemy fighters who were hiding
in a compound.

Afghan and coalition forces beat back the attack with heavy machine-gun
fire and forced the attackers to retreat. The enemy fighters then
attempted to reinforce with additional militants from two nearby compounds,
military officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan, three Afghan men and one woman were
killed May 22 when a makeshift bomb exploded in the Jalrez district of
Wardak province.

"Our sympathies go out to the families of the four civilians killed
Monday by an IED explosion," Army Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a Combined
Joint Task Force 76 spokesman, said. "This is just another example of how
enemy extremists use these tools of terror without regard for the lives
of innocent Afghans in the ruthless pursuit of their oppressive
ideals."

In addition, in two separate May 22 incidents, coalition forces found
and disabled two makeshift bombs.

Coalition Forces Kill Seven Terrorists, Detain Two

May 24, 2006 - Coalition forces killed seven terrorists and
captured two others in Iraq yesterday, U.S. military officials said.

During a raid east of Lake Thar Thar, coalition forces killed four
terrorists and detained two others. One of detainees is Sudanese. The other
detainee, of unknown citizenship, was wounded in the initial raid,
treated on site, and medically evacuated to the 10th Combat Support
Hospital, military officials said.

Coalition forces found Yemeni, Saudi, Tunisian, Sudanese and Iraqi
passports at the site of the raid.

In a separate incident yesterday, coalition forces located and killed
three suspected al-Qaida terrorists near Yusifiyah while searching for a
wanted al-Qaida terrorist.

The terrorists were driving a vehicle containing grenades and small
arms. One of the terrorists was wearing a suicide vest, military officials
said.

No coalition forces or civilians were injured in either incident.

Iraqi Security Forces Taking Larger Role in Southern Baghdad

May 26, 2006 - More and more Iraqi national police are
working alongside U.S. soldiers in securing southern Baghdad, a U.S. Army
colonel working there said today.

Terrorists would like the American public to believe violent groups are
winning the fight in Baghdad, Army Col. Michael Beech, commander of 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, said from Forward Operating
Base Prosperity in central Baghdad. "But, of course, that's not what's
happening here," he said.

Beech's brigade includes 4,400 U.S. troops, a battalion of soldiers
from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, and about 2,000 Iraq soldiers
and police. They are responsible for security in central and southern
Baghdad as part of Multinational Division Baghdad. He spoke to reporters
in the Pentagon via teleconference this morning.

"We have a great opportunity right now, with the new government of Iraq
taking charge here in Baghdad, with the inauguration just several days
ago," Beech said. "And with that opportunity and the Iraqi security
forces that gain in capability every day, that presents up an opportunity
in order to neutralize this insurgency."

Cooperation among all the friendly forces in Baghdad will be the key to
stopping the insurgency. "I meet with my Iraqi security force
counterparts every week, and we look at the problems holistically," Beech said.
"We look at how we can partner to solve these problems."

He spoke of recent trends in the Dora section of Baghdad, which is
within Beech's area of responsibility. Civilian murders had been on the
rise in recent months, Beech said.

The situation was further complicated because authorities had a hard
time determining if the deaths were from terrorists, criminals or secular
violence. But officials redoubled efforts in the area, and the number
of murders -- previously six or more a day -- has gone down over the
past two weeks, Beech said.

"We refocused our efforts -- both the Iraqi security forces' and the
U.S. forces' -- in this area," Beech said, adding that the forces
implemented new tactics and techniques.

"I think what we're doing is right on target, and we're going to
continue to employ those techniques, as well as incorporate some others to
make sure that we can bring those attacks on the population down even
further," he said.

Iraqi security forces were invaluable in dealing with local leaders,
Beech said.

The colonel said a "successful end state" in Baghdad will be for Iraqi
security forces to "take the lead in counterinsurgency operations and
to create an environment which enables the Iraqi government to establish
the rule of law."

"They are stepping up with more pride and confidence every day," he
said. "They are earning the respect of the population they protect.

"Because of the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, we are not
doing more with less, but we are doing more with more. The (Iraqi
security forces) know the people, they know the street, and they know what
'right' looks like."

U.S. Colonel Says Troop Morale 'Absolutely Tremendous'

May 26, 2006 - The morale of U.S. soldiers in Baghdad is
"absolutely tremendous," a U.S. Army commander there said today.

"When I talk to my soldiers on the ground, they're absolutely committed
to what we're doing here," Army Col. Michael Beech, commander of 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, told Pentagon reporters via
teleconference from Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central
Baghdad.

He said this high morale is reflected in his unit's re-enlistment rate
-- 116 percent of goal for first-term soldiers.

"They volunteered knowing they were coming to Iraq," he said. "A
hundred and sixteen percent of the soldiers that we needed to re-enlist have
now re-enlisted and elected to stay in the Army. That's a tremendous
thing, given that we are now in Iraq, in Baghdad, in a pretty tough
fight. So I think the morale of our forces is great."

The colonel also used his news briefing as an opportunity to share his
unit's appreciation for their families in the United States.

"I'd like to thank all of our friends, family members back home, the
family members of our soldiers," he said. "Of course, we couldn't do this
without their love and support during this time period.

"And they're all our heroes," he added.

Iraqi General 'Completely Committed' to Reforming Military

RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq, May 26, 2006 - The man chosen to lead the Iraqi
military's Center for Military Values, Principles and Leadership said he is
"completely committed" to reforming the Iraqi armed forces.

"We have witnessed five decades of hardships, and the Iraqi personality
in general has changed enormously because of them," retired Army Maj.
Gen. Nabil Abdul Kadir said.

The general has 46 years of service in the Iraqi army. He has commanded
at all levels from platoon through division, he said, and has
maintained strict professional behavior in a time of turmoil and repression.

The general came from a military family, and said he used to accompany
his father on visits to posts and bases. "Although I was a little
child, (what) I will never forget is the type of relationships among
officers, between officers and (noncommissioned officers), and between
officers and their soldiers," he said. "It was built on respect and the
appreciation of human beings."

Officers cared for their men and put their needs first, he said.
Soldiers understood that their officers were concerned about them and would
give them the help they needed to succeed.

"That attitude has changed since the revolution of 1958," he said. The
attitude became one of fear and entitlement. Political cronies - rather
than professional leaders - took the jobs in the Army. "I want to see
(the old attitude of respect) restored back to our army," he said.

Nabil said he would like to bring back the core values of the Iraqi
military. If all goes well, the center will have a lot to do with that
restoration.

The Iraqi military - working with coalition representatives - will
develop the core values of the Iraqi military and then write doctrine and
design training to reinforce those values.

It cannot happen too soon, Nabil said. "I was gravely concerned to see
the behavior of some of the (Iraqi) soldiers in the streets," he said.
"It doesn't go along with our beliefs; it doesn't go with our culture.
(The soldiers) are so rude, so ruthless, and it is not acceptable. It
is widening the gap between military and civilians. I want to see that
gap closed, completely."

The general, 64, said he will do all he can to repair the damage the
dictatorship made in the military. As a professional military officer, he
said, he felt betrayed by what happened to the army.

"This is my country. This is my army. My father served in the army, as
did two brothers - one of whom was killed. We simply are an army family
and I am completely committed to the reform of the institution," he
said.

Coalition, Iraqi Forces Capture Terrorists

May 26, 2006 - Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces
detained 21 suspected terrorists across Iraq this week, military
officials reported.

Coalition forces in the Anbar region disrupted a gathering and captured
six detainees in southern Ramadi today. Coalition forces encountered
minimal resistance from the terrorists, quickly neutralized enemy fire
and secured the area, officials said. The troops found two AK-47s and
associated ammunition at the site of the raid.

Officials said information from recent detainees led to the successful
raid, which was part of ongoing, coordinated efforts to eliminate
terrorist operations in the Anbar region west of Baghdad.

Elsewhere, soldiers from 6th Iraqi Army Division and Multinational
Division Baghdad detained 15 terrorists in three separate events May 23 and
May 24.

In one event on May 23, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, detained two
terrorists in connection with a weapons cache found south of Baghdad.

In a second event that same day, soldiers from 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi
Army Division, detained two terrorists attempting to drive through a
traffic control point with explosive material in their truck south of
Baghdad.

On May 24, another 11 terrorists were detained south of Baghdad when
they fired upon a 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, traffic control
point from a mosque. The terrorists were found with AK-47 rifles and a
rocket-propelled grenade.

Key Senior Taliban Leaders Hunted in Coalition Strike

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 27, 2006 - Coalition forces killed
five extremists in a precision strike yesterday evening on an isolated
insurgent training facility near the village of Qal'a Sak, in Helmand
province.

Qal'a Sak village is near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Among those killed were key senior leaders of the Taliban network who
had conducted attacks against coalition and Afghan forces, Afghan
officials, and civilians. The extremists were also responsible for the
proliferation of materials used in improvised-explosive-device construction
and employment that often resulted in deaths and injuries to numerous
innocent citizens, U.S. officials said in a statement.

"This was a highly successful mission based on solid tactical
intelligence and coordinated joint ground and indirect fires," U.S. Army Lt.
Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force 76, said.
"Enemy leadership will continue to be targeted so long as they pose a
threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan."

Coalition ground forces on the scene confirmed that damage was limited
to the destruction of one targeted vehicle and two targeted buildings.
There were no reports of injuries to civilians or damage to property.

A large cache was discovered at the target location. Two concealed
fighting positions were also discovered, both containing explosives and
heavy machine guns and were destroyed in place.

Coalition Forces Detain Terrorists; Iraqi, Coalition Troops Restore Order

May 27, 2006 - Coalition Forces detained three terrorists
May 24 near Samarra, Iraq, during a raid targeting a known al Qaeda
associate, U.S. military officials said.

The successful operation led to the capture of the known terrorist and
two other male associates. The terrorist is believed to have a
high-level role within the local insurgency.

The terrorists were in procession of various propaganda materials, to
include CDs and tapes showing beheadings and information on improvised
explosive devices.

Elsewhere in Iraq, about 500 Iraqi and U.S. soldiers and more than 100
Iraqi police conducted a raid May 24 in the Ubaydah region of southern
Lutafiyah in response to reports of kidnappings and increased sectarian
violence in the area.

The U.S. soldiers were from Multinational Division Baghdad's 2nd
Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry
Division.

Operation Chepultepec was Iraqi-planned and -led based on intelligence
developed in collaboration with various Iraqi security force units,
said U.S. Army Maj. Curt Taylor, operations officer for 2nd Battalion, 8th
Infantry Regtiment.

Iraqi police and coalition forces provided the outer cordon while Iraqi
army troops advanced to their objective to drive the terrorists from
the region. The combined forces encountered resistance from the armed
terrorists but quickly quelled the fighting.

Iraqi soldiers detained 12 suspects and captured several enemy weapons,
including a mortar tube with six projectiles and bomb-making materials.
In an area near the fighting, Iraqi army soldiers also uncovered a
weapons cache consisting of a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun with 150 rounds.

The Ubaydah region has been plagued in recent months by the escalation
of sectarian and tribal strifem U.S. officials said.

Coalition Forces Kill Three Terrorists, Detain 10

On May 28, coalition forces killed three terrorists and wounded one as
they transported and attempted to emplace roadside bombs near Ramadi.
The individuals have been linked to a weapons cache coalition forces
located and destroyed in the area just south of Lake Thar Thar on May 27.

A coalition air strike about 10 kilometers northeast of the city killed
the terrorists before they could complete their activity. The weapons
cache was located less than 25 kilometers from the site where the
terrorists were digging a hole to place a roadside bomb.

The same day, coalition forces captured seven terrorists and various
bomb-making materials while conducting multiple assaults in southern
Ramadi. The terrorists are known in the region for making homemade bombs
and car bombs.

The troops located and detonated a car bomb and materials for making
homemade bombs. Coalition forces encountered no resistance from the
suspected terrorists during the raid, officials said. This location is in
the same area in which six other suspected terrorists were apprehended
May 19 for attacking coalition forces conducting similar operations.

The raids were part of ongoing, coordinated efforts to eliminate al
Qaeda operations in the Anbar region west of Baghdad, according to U.S.
officials. There were several Iraqi civilians in the area during the
raid. None of the civilians was harmed, and all were returned to their
homes once the troops ensured the area and buildings were secure.

Elsewhere, coalition forces detained one wanted terrorist and two
suspects near Taji on May 28. The two suspects surrendered immediately,
while a third suspect tried to escape by jumping into a nearby canal.

Once all three men were in custody, the two suspects identified the
third man who had attempted to flee as the terrorist for whom the troops
were searching. The wanted terrorist's vehicle was destroyed on site.

Terrorist Leaders Captured in Iraq

May 31, 2006 - Iraqi and coalition forces captured eight
terrorist leaders in recent operations in Baghdad neighborhoods. Also,
the Iraqi-led Combined Review and Release Board released more than 200
detainees.

Yesterday, Iraqi forces raided two targets in the Karada area of
Baghdad and detained seven individuals responsible for homemade bomb attacks
against Iraqi security forces.

The first target was a dormitory on Baghdad Technical University's
campus where two student cells, operating out of dormitory rooms, built
bombs and later initiated attacks against Iraqi army and police forces.
Four students were detained during this operation.

At the second target, an apartment building near the campus, Iraqi
forces detained three cell leaders responsible for emplacing bombs made by
their student cells. All three cell leaders are believed to be
Palestinians, and they were financed by a local business.

This cell is responsible for at least two attacks against Iraqi
security and police forces in the Karada area. The first attack, in December
2005, resulted in no casualties. The second attack, in January of this
year, killed several Iraqi police officers riding in a vehicle.

No Iraqi forces were killed or wounded during this operation.

On May 29, Iraqi and coalition forces captured a key insurgent leader
in Iraq, in the Ameriya neighborhood of Baghdad's Mansour district.

Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Dabash Samir al-Batawi, also known as Ahmed
al-Dabash, was a major financier and facilitator of terrorism in Iraq, most
notably the bomb attack in the Shiite holy city of Karbala on March 2,
2004. In that attack, several pre-set explosives were detonated near one
of the most important Shiite shrines in Iraq - the Golden Dome Mosque.

More than 140 Iraqis were murdered and hundreds were wounded in the
attack that occurred during the Shiite observance of Ashoura, a time when
thousands of pilgrims gathered in Karbala. It is believed that Dabash
also was responsible for the attack on the Shiite al-Tawhid Mosque in
Baghdad and for facilitating other terror attacks around Baghdad.

Coalition forces consider Dabash's capture significant for the critical
information they believe he will provide on al Qaeda and Jordanian
terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network. They said he is known to have
close ties to these organizations.

The Iraqi Central Investigating Court in Baghdad issued an arrest
warrant for Dabash on Jan. 9, 2005, citing his violation of Iraqi Penal Code
194 - committing terrorist acts.

Iraqi and coalition intelligence officials and security forces tracked
Dabash in a determined manhunt, and over the last two years have
arrested several of his enablers and underlings who followed Dabash's command
to commit terrorist crimes, officials said.

Sailors Save Iraqi's Life in Oil Platform Fire

KHAWR AL AMAYA OIL TERMINAL, Iraq, May 31, 2006 - The quick response of
two USS Port Royal crew members saved the life of an Iraqi contract
worker overcome by smoke inhalation while fighting a fire here May 26.

As part of Commander, Task Group 158.1 emergency response team, Chief
Petty Officer Doreen Lehner and Petty Officer 3rd Class Heather Watts
were the only medical personnel on the scene when an Iraqi Southern Oil
Company worker collapsed due to smoke inhalation.

Injuries from smoke inhalation and the toxic by-products of combustion
in fires account for 75 percent of fire-related deaths in the U.S.
Typically, the victim's lungs fill up with mucus and fluid, making it
difficult to breathe.

Oxygen deficiency leads to further complications, including tissue
hypoxia (stiffening of the extremities) and, finally, loss of
consciousness.

Lehner and Watts, hospital corpsmen, were on Port Royal's rigid-hull
inflatable boat when Cmdr. Eric Phipps, CTG 158.1 deputy commander,
received word that the Iraqi had collapsed on the north side of the
platform. He immediately dispatched the two corpsmen to the scene.

"He was breathing, but struggling, when we got there," Lehner said.
"Then he slipped out of consciousness. He had a very weak pulse, and he
was posturing (the stiffening of the extremities associated with
hypoxia). I knew we needed to give him an IV (intravenous feed)."

Lehner and Watts had to overcome the language barrier between them and
the victim's co-workers to convince them he needed an IV.

"I knew he was probably dehydrated, but when I gave him the IV, he
stopped breathing for 2 to 3 minutes," Lehner said. She then attempted to
insert a breathing tube down his throat.

"He was unconsciously fighting the tube, but he hadn't breathed in
about two minutes," she said. "I knew we were losing him."

"His jaw was clenched tight and his tongue was blocking his airway,"
said Watts, a native of Pharr, Texas. "It was pretty scary. I was just
trying to stay focused and grab everything Chief (Lehner) was asking for.
His friends were on either side of him helping us, rubbing his arms and
legs to help with circulation, and praying and encouraging him to
breathe."

Lehner said she was afraid to move the Iraqi in his weakened condition,
even though the platform was being evacuated. Phipps, who was torn
between concern for the safety of his sailors and the well-being of the
victim, stayed with Lehner and Watts throughout the ordeal.

"There was still a certain amount of risk on the platform, but it was
obvious that he was badly injured," Phipps said. "We had to make the
decision to do whatever we could to help him and the other terminal
workers."

Lehner said that in desperation she tried to insert the oral airway
again. This time, it provoked his gag reflex and stimulated him to gasp
for air.

"It was like he came back to life," she said. "He quickly sat up and he
gasped for air, then started coughing, and coughed out a lot of that
fluid. I cleared his airway, got all the fluid out and utilized the
bag-valve-mask to provide rescue breathing. Then we hurried him out of
there."

The Iraqi was by boat to nearby amphibious transport dock USS Ogden. He
stopped breathing three times before they got to their destination and
had to have the oral airway reinserted to prompt his reflexes again.

The team then medical evacuated him via helicopter to amphibious
assault ship USS Peleliu, which has a higher-echelon medical facility. He is
now ashore in Basra and is in good condition.

"This is the first time that I've saved somebody's life," Watts said.
"And it's a reward in itself, like you're walking on air. It's amazing."

Port Royal, part of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, is deployed in
support of maritime security operations in the North Arabian Gulf,
establishing conditions for security and stability in the region.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Michael Moore sued by Iraq war veteran

A U.S. war veteran who lost both arms in Iraq has sued Oscar-winning director Michael Moore for $85 million, saying television clips were used without his permission in the anti-war documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" and gave a false impression that he opposed the war.

Sgt. Peter Damon, 33, a supporter of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, claims Moore misused the footage to portray him "in a false light" and as "disagreeing with the president about the war effort and as disagreeing with the war effort itself."

"It was kind of almost like the enemy was using me for propaganda. What soldier wants to be involved in that?" Damon told CBS's local television news affiliate. "I didn't lose my arms over there to come back and be used as ammunition against my commander-in-chief."


In a suit that also names Miramax Films Corp. and several other film companies, Damon says Moore never sought his consent for using segments of an NBC Nightly News interview with Damon while he was in hospital.

According to the complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston and obtained by Reuters on Thursday, Damon is seeking damages for "loss of reputation, emotional distress, embarrassment, and personal humiliation".

Damon said he felt betrayed by the filmmaker, whose "Fahrenheit 9/11" won the top prize at the Cannes film festival and was the highest-grossing documentary ever at nearly $120 million.

Damon lost his right arm near the shoulder and his left arm above the wrist when a tire on a Black Hawk helicopter exploded while he and two other soldiers were servicing the aircraft on the ground in Iraq. His left arm later had to be amputated at the elbow. One of Damon's colleagues was killed.

Michael Moore's film production company was not immediately available for comment.

Public Sides With FBI in Congress Search Issue

In the rift between Congress and the Justice Department, Americans side overwhelmingly with law enforcement: Regardless of precedent and the separation of powers, 86 percent say the FBI should be allowed to search a Congress member's office if it has a warrant.

That view is broadly bipartisan, this ABC News poll finds, ranging from 78 percent among Democrats to 94 percent of Republicans.

The issue erupted last week, after the FBI searched the offices of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., in a corruption investigation. Congress leaders objected, and George W. Bush put a 45-day hold on the seized documents to allow for negotiations.

The issue arises at a time of various investigations of alleged wrongdoing in Congress, including those focused on the activities of lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Indeed this poll finds broad public skepticism about congressional ethics: Sixty-five percent of Americans give a negative rating to the ethics and honesty of members of Congress. More, 54 percent, rate their own member's ethics positively, but that's down from 69 percent in a 1989 poll.

Nonetheless, support for FBI searches is about equally high whether people see Congress as honest or not. That suggests that the interests of law enforcement to investigate wrongdoing simply prevails in the public's mind over concerns about separation of powers, precedent, and the possibility prosecutors could use such searches to try to intimidate lawmakers. The question in this poll described both sides of the argument.

Politically, the Democrats have a small edge in perceived honesty, but there's not much advantage for either party on this issue. Sixteen percent of Americans think Democrats are generally more ethical and honest than Republicans; nine percent think the opposite. But most by far � 72 percent � say there isn't much difference between them.

However slight, that seven-point Democratic edge is their best in occasional polls over the last 17 years.

ACLU sues over sex-offender ban

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INDIANAPOLIS

Six sex offenders sued the city Wednesday to block a new ordinance that bars them from venturing within 1,000 feet of parks, pools and playgrounds when children are present.

The plaintiffs went to federal court to argue that the law is unconstitutionally vague, violates their rights to vote and attend church, and prevents them from freely traveling on roads that may pass within 1,000 feet of the affected sites.

The ordinance was approved May 15 and took effect immediately. It carries fines of up to $2,500.

The law includes an exception that permits sex offenders to visit those sites as long as they are with another adult who is not a convicted sexual offender.

The six, who include convicted child molesters and rapists, are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.

The city's legal office did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Iran: Plenty of Oil, But Not Enough Gas

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Iran is flush with huge oil reserves and cash, but a refinery shortage leaves it heavily dependent on imported gasoline and diesel to keeps its cars and trucks rolling.

That's one reason the country � already beset with economic troubles � is desperate to avoid U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program.

"Oil is where Iran is most vulnerable," said Behzad Nabavi, a former lawmaker who also headed a state-directed oil company, Petropars. "It's one of the great economic paradoxes."

Concern over fuel supplies has become so serious that energy planners are considering an unpopular two-tier pricing system.

The plan would limit the amount of gasoline motorists can buy at the state subsidized price of about 32 cents a gallon and establish an unspecified market price for larger purchases. Planners believe that would help offset the cost of imports and curb consumption.

Even a moderate drop in gasoline or diesel imports as a result of sanctions would be a punishing blow for an economy with many soft spots � double-digit inflation, chronic unemployment and cumbersome state controls among them.

One of the possible sanctions under consideration Thursday at a meeting in Austria of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany will be an embargo on exporting refined petroleum products to Iran.

Iran has no shortage of oil in the ground or cash in hand.

Its oil reserves are estimated at second only to Saudi Arabia's, and Iran is OPEC's fourth-biggest producer of crude. Rising prices � now hovering around $70 a barrel � pushed Iran's special petrodollar fund to a record $24 billion earlier this year.

What Iran lacks are sufficient refineries to keep pace with its thirst for fuel. Iran is almost fully dependent on trucks to move goods. The number of cars is rising each year as drivers from the baby boom decade after the 1979 Islamic Revolution take the wheel.

Iran imports more than 40 percent of its gasoline and diesel needs. It comes mostly from the Middle East but also from as far away as Venezuela.

Closing the import tap could force Iran to either impose rationing � as it did during the 1980-88 war with Iraq � or raise prices and risk a backlash from a public accustomed to paying more for bottled water than gasoline.

Making up the refinery shortage would take years, meaning Iran would have no alternative fuel supplies if hit by U.N. sanctions. The United States and its European allies want sanctions imposed if Iran refuses to give up its uranium enrichment program, which is feared to be designed for producing nuclear weapons.

"Iran really does not have a lot of room to maneuver on the basic issue of refinery capacity and demand," said Narsi Ghorban, an independent energy consultant based in Tehran.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Iraq Vet Finds Winning Lottery Ticket

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A U.S. soldier and his girlfriend found a winning lottery ticket on the ground at a convenience store Monday and turned it in to police, who were able to find its owner - a $2,500 winner with no idea her lucky ticket was missing.

Sgt. Edward Boniberger and Marnie Hall found the ticket in a plastic case at a store, Suffolk County Police said. They tried to find the woman who had signed it, but when they could not, they took it to a police station.

Detectives then located Mary Ann Doerrbecker, who had not realized she had dropped the ticket, according to Detective Sgt. Thomas Groneman.

"She was shocked," Groneman said. Doerrbecker met the couple at the Third Precinct and offered them a reward, which they declined.

"He said, 'Absolutely not,"' Groneman said.

Boniberger said he told Doerrbecker she should donate something to charity instead.

"There's people out there who need it a lot more than I do," he said.

He said he would have wanted someone else to do the same if it had been him who lost the ticket.

Boniberger, of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, was stationed in Baghdad and returned to the United States in September 2005.

DoD Report Cites Successes, Challenges in Iraq

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The Defense Department's latest quarterly report to Congress on progress in Iraq cites continued momentum on the political, economic and security fronts and evidence that those attempting to derail it are failing, senior defense officials told Pentagon reporters Tuesday.

DoD delivered "Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq" to Congress. The report, the fourth of its kind, evaluates political stability, economic activity, the security environment, and security force training and performance.

The report highlights what Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, called a major milestone: the formation of Iraq's permanent new democratically elected government. "It is the culmination of the democratic process we have been helping the Iraqis develop since we got there," he said.

This unity government, formed May 20, represents a true success story for Iraq, Rodman said, noting the trend toward more Sunni Arab participation in the political process.

Delays in establishing this government left Iraq "in limbo" for a few months, Rodman acknowledged. This void may have been a factor in the violence that escalated following the Golden Mosque bombing in Samarra, and caused temporary economic setbacks by delaying economic reforms, he said.

But with the government process now on track, the Iraqis are working together to overcome the obstacles it faces, Rodman said.

Despite persistent efforts, the enemies of the new government are failing in their efforts to derail the political progress, incite large-scale ethnic or sectarian violence, and alienate the Iraqi people from their democratic process, he said.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor "Gene" Renuart, the Joint Staff's director for strategic plans and policy, said it's important not to downplay the impact of extremists and terrorists. "It's still dangerous and violent there," he said.

Violence remains concentrated in four of Iraq's 18 provinces, particularly in the Anbar province. But Renuart noted "substantial improvement even in the toughest locations."

Iraq's security forces are increasingly taking the lead in counterinsurgency operations and taking control of their own battlespace. "Iraqi forces are increasingly putting an Iraqi face on the counterterrorism operations, and they are doing it well," Renuart said.

As of mid-May, 111 Iraqi army and special operations battalions are conducting counterinsurgency operations, up 9 percent since the last progress report to Congress. In addition, 71 Iraqi battalions are leading operations, some independently, and 51 battalions now control their own battlespace.

The number of trained and equipped Iraqi forces continues to grow, topping 263,000 at mid-month, the report notes. This includes almost 118,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen, an increase of 11,000 since the February progress report, and more than 101,000 police, up almost 19,000 since February.

These security forces are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic and "beginning to represent the ethnic balance in the country," Renuart said.

Iraq's government is focused on getting militias off Iraq's streets, and Saddam Hussein regime loyalists "are becoming a largely irrelevant entity," Renuart said. The biggest remaining threats are terrorists and foreign fighters, he said.

Iraqis are growing evermore confident of their security forces, as reflected by the increase in intelligence tips since 2005, Rodman noted.

Economically, Iraq is still experiencing ups and downs but shows a general trend toward macroeconomic stability, Rodman said. Its currency remains stable; debt is decreasing; and foreign exchange reserves are well above targets, according to the stability report.

In addition, international support continues to help rebuild the economy.

But Rodman noted "disappointments" in the electricity and energy fields. The availability of electricity remains largely unchanged from the past progress report. Oil production and exports are still below targets, but high oil prices have helped offset revenue losses, the report notes.

Haditha Marines Were Fired On

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Contrary to claims from Rep. John Murtha, Marines accused of executing 24 innocent Iraqis in the village of Haditha last November were indeed fired upon after their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb - according to a lawyer involved in the case.

"There's a ton of information that isn't out there yet," the lawyer said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Washington Post.

He said contemporaneous radio messages reviewed by military investigators will show that Marines accused of unprovoked retaliation after the blast had, in fact, come under small-arms fire.

Rep. Murtha has insisted that initial reports that the Marines were fired on were part of the military's attempts to cover up the wanton execution of 24 innocent Iraqis.

"The reports that I have, from the highest level [show] no firing at all," he told ABC News on Sunday. "No interaction. No military action at all in this particular incident."
Media reports have also claimed that no one fired at the Marines.

The Los Angeles Times, for instance, reported on Saturday:

"The Marines involved in the incident initially reported that they had become embroiled in a firefight with insurgents after the explosion. However, evidence that later emerged contradicted that version."

Congressman Jefferson Tried to Hide Papers

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The Justice Department yesterday vigorously defended the recent weekend raid of Rep. William J. Jefferson's Capitol Hill office as part of a bribery investigation, asserting that the Democratic lawmaker attempted to hide documents from FBI agents while they were searching his New Orleans home last August.

The government questioned in a 34-page motion filed in U.S. District Court here whether it could have obtained all the materials it had sought in a subpoena if it had not launched the surprise raid on Jefferson's congressional office May 20. According to the government filing, an FBI agent caught Jefferson slipping documents into a blue bag in the living room of his New Orleans home during a search.

"It is my belief that when Congressman Jefferson placed documents into the blue bag, he was attempting to conceal documents that were relevant to the investigation," FBI agent Stacey E. Kent of New Orleans stated in an affidavit that was part of the government's court submission. The document was filed in response to Jefferson's lawsuit demanding that the government return to him documents seized during the raid on his Capitol Hill office 11 days ago.

Robert P. Trout, Jefferson's attorney, said he would refrain from commenting pending further review of the government's documents. Meanwhile, the recent FBI raid spurred new tensions between Congress and the administration, as a House committee chairman vowed to interrogate top Justice Department officials.

Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) said he wants Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to appear "up here to tell us how they reached the conclusion" to conduct the raid, which Sensenbrenner called "profoundly disturbing" on constitutional grounds. The chairman also said that his committee "will be working promptly" to draft legislation that would clearly prohibit wide-ranging searches of lawmakers' offices by federal officials pursuing criminal cases.

Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse reiterated the agency's defense of the search as legal and necessary. He cautioned that Gonzales would not be able to go into detail about the Jefferson probe if he were to testify.

As part of its response to Jefferson's lawsuit, the government offered to provide a "filter team" -- to be made up of an FBI agent and two Justice Department lawyers not part of the investigation -- which would allow Jefferson to examine all the seized materials. If Jefferson thought legislative materials were "privileged" and unrelated to the criminal investigation but the government disagreed, a judge would be the final arbiter, under the proposal.

The Justice Department's court filing and Sensenbrenner's comments -- made during a hearing in which constitutional scholars sharply criticized the May 20 raid -- ran counter to recent efforts by President Bush and key lawmakers to calm down talk of a constitutional standoff. Bush last week ordered the seized materials to be sealed for 45 days, allowing time for tempers to cool and for lawyers and elected officials to confer.

But Sensenbrenner and several committee colleagues yesterday described the FBI's weekend search of Jefferson's office in the Rayburn House Office Building as an arrogant, unnecessary breach of tradition and vital constitutional protections. The FBI had several other ways to compel Jefferson to surrender specific items, they said. The copying of Jefferson's computer hard drive, they said, was akin to rifling through every file cabinet, including files dealing with matters unrelated to the alleged crimes.

The Constitution says House and Senate members "shall not be questioned . . . for any Speech or Debate in either House." Bruce Fein, one of the constitutional lawyers who testified yesterday, said that "when it comes to documents, the only way you can search is to read everything. And when you read everything, you encroach on the 'Speech or Debate' clause."

Noting that Gonzales, Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty signaled that they would resign if they were forced to return the Jefferson documents, Fein said: "Well, let them resign. I am astonished that the president would not have fired them for undertaking this action without consulting him in advance."

In yesterday's court filing, the government argued that law enforcement authorities should not be barred from conducting searches of congressional offices simply because they contain legislative materials -- such as committee reports, internal memos and drafts of bills -- that are protected under the "Speech or Debate" clause. "If his argument is accepted by this court, members of Congress and their staffs would be able to create search-free zones wherever they go by bringing along some legislative materials," the government said of Jefferson, 59, who has been under investigation since March 2005 over allegations that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using his congressional influence to promote business ventures in Africa. A key part of the FBI probe has centered on Jefferson's dealings with iGate Inc., a Louisville high-tech company that was marketing broadband technology for the Internet and cable television in Africa.

Last Aug. 3, FBI agents searched Jefferson's New Orleans home while the congressman and family members were present. Kent said she was assigned to watch Jefferson and his family during the search, according to her affidavit accompanying the government motion yesterday.

She said she observed him looking at several pieces of paper on a table. At one point, she said, he asked to see a copy of the subpoena.

"After a copy had been brought to him and he reviewed it, I observed Congressman Jefferson then take the subpoena and the documents he had been reading earlier and place them together under his elbow on the kitchen table."

At one point, she said, he moved to the living room, which had just been searched, and sat on a recliner. While sitting, he slipped the subpoena and the documents into a blue bag that he knew had already been searched, Kent's affidavit said.

"After several minutes, I approached Congressman Jefferson and told him that I needed to look at the documents that he had placed into the bag," the agent stated. "Congressman Jefferson told me the documents were subpoenas."

He finally pulled out the documents that were from a B.K. Son. The search warrant had asked for all communications between Jefferson and Son, the affidavit said. Son is the chief technology officer of iGate.

U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan set a June 16 hearing to address the motion by Jefferson's attorney seeking the return all the seized documents.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Too soon to judge alleged Iraq killings

Talk Show America 5/30/2006

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Charges will be brought against U.S. Marines if an investigation into the alleged killing of unarmed Iraqi civilians uncovers wrongdoing, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace also told CNN that he still did not know why it had taken nearly three months for the Pentagon to find out about the November 19 incident in the Iraqi town of Haditha, in which up to 24 civilians were killed.

"If the allegations as they are being portrayed in the newspapers turn out to be valid, then of course there'll be charges," Pace, the highest ranking U.S. military officer and primary military advisor to the president and defense secretary, said.

Pace said the Pentagon had not found out about the incident until Feb 10.

"We do not know yet why we did not know," he said.

The U.S. military has said 15 civilians were killed in Haditha, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad. Other accounts put the number at around 24.

A U.S. defense official said on Friday Marines could face criminal charges, possibly including murder, in what would be the worst case of abuse by American soldiers in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

"I don't suspect anything," Pace said. "I want to wait for the investigation. We will find out what happened and we will make it public, but to speculate right now wouldn't do anyone any good."

Pace, the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said "99.9 percent" of US soldiers in Iraq were conducting themselves with honor and courage.

Illegal Immigration Up Since Senate Bill

Talk Show America 5/30/2006

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Senate debate over an immigration bill that promises Social Security benefits and citizenship for illegal immigrants has already prompted an increase in the number of Mexicans trying to get into the U.S. illegally, Rep. James Sensenbrenner said Sunday

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sensenbrenner said: "Mexican government officials have said that the talk of amnesty is actually increasing the flow of illegal immigrants across the border as we speak."

The Wisconsin Republican said that in reaction to the higher numbers, Mexican officials have "redeployed some of their security forces into the desert on the Mexican side of the border to prevent Mexicans who are trying to come across the border from either starving or being dehydrated."

Sensenbrenner, who authored a House immigration bill that mandates the construction of a 700-mile border fence and tough penalties for illegal aliens, urged: "Amnesty is wrong and we should not pass it."

John Warner Raps Murtha on Massacre Charges

Talk Show America 5/30/2006

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Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner urged Rep. Jack Murtha on Sunday to stop prejudging allegations that U.S. Marines massacred 24 Iraqi civilians after their convoy was attacked by a IED last November.

Asked about Murtha's claim that Marines executed residents of the village of Haditha "in cold blood," Sen. Warner told ABC's "This Week":

"At this time, particularly on Memorial Day . . . I think we should be calm and reassuring to the American people that the men and women of our armed forces are admirably and professionally conducting their heavy responsibilities."

The top Republican said: "I respect my friend, John Murtha. I also was privileged to wear the Marine uniform. But we've got to let the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the investigation system, proceed before we reach any conclusions on this matter."

Earlier in the broadcast, Murtha said there was "no doubt" that the accused Marines were guilty, adding that he suspected that a cover-up of their war crimes goes "up the chain of command."
"This is very serious," Warner acknowledged. "But the military is looking at it equally seriously."

In contrast to Murtha's pronouncements of certain guilt, the former Navy Secretary said questions remain about "what happened and when it happened and what was the reaction of senior officers in the Marine Corps."

Warner pledged to hold hearings on the Haditha incident, but not until the Uniform Code of Military Justice had "run its course."

Iraq Less Violent than Washington, D.C.

Talk Show America 5/30/2006

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Despite media coverage purporting to show that escalating violence in Iraq has the country spiraling out of control, civilian death statistics complied by Rep. Steve King, R-IA, indicate that Iraq actually has a lower civilian violent death rate than Washington, D.C.

Appearing with Westwood One radio host Monica Crowley on Saturday, King said that the incessantly negative coverage of the Iraq war prompted him to research the actual death numbers.

"I began to ask myself the question, if you were a civilian in Iraq, how could you tolerate that level of violence," he said. "What really is the level of violence?"

Using Pentagon statistics cross-checked with independent research, King said he came up with an annualized Iraqi civilian death rate of 27.51 per 100,000.

While that number sounds high - astonishingly, the Iowa Republican discovered that it's significantly lower than a number of major American cities, including the nation's capital.
"It's 45 violent deaths per 100,000 in Washington, D.C.," King told Crowley.

Other American cities with higher violent civilian death rates than Iraq include:


Detroit - 41.8 per 100,000

Baltimore - 37.7 per 100,000

Atlanta - 34.9 per 100,000

St. Louis - 31.4 per 100,000
The American city with the highest civilian death rate was New Orleans before Katrina - with a staggering 53.1 deaths per 100,000 - almost twice the death rate in Iraq.

New Law Bans Protests at Military Funerals

Talk Show America 5/30/2006

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President Bush, marking Memorial Day with a speech paying tribute to fighting men and women lost in war, signed into law Monday a bill that keeps demonstrators from disrupting military funerals.

In advance of his speech and a wreath-laying at America's most hallowed burial ground for military heroes, Bush signed the "Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act." This was largely in response to the activities of a Kansas church group that has staged protests at military funerals around the country, claiming the deaths symbolized God's anger at U.S. tolerance of homosexuals.

The new law bars protests within 300 feet of the entrance of a national cemetery and within 150 feet of a road into the cemetery. This restriction applies an hour before until an hour after a funeral. Those violating the act would face up to a $100,000 fine and up to a year in prison.

Monday's observance at Arlington National Cemetery was not a funeral, so demonstrators were free to speak their minds at the site.

And several did.

Approximately 10 people from the Washington, D.C., chapter of FreeRepublic.com, a self-styled grass roots conservative group, held signs at the entrance of the cemetery supporting U.S. troops. A large sign held by several people said, "God bless our troops, defenders of freedom, American heroes."

They were faced off against a handful of anti-gay protesters who stood across a four-lane highway as people headed toward the national burial grounds.

The FreeRepublic.com group was trying to counter demonstrations by the Kansas-based group, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps. He previously had organized protests against those who died of AIDS and gay murder victim Matthew Shepard.

In an interview at the time the House passed the bill that Bush signed Monday, Phelps charged that Congress was "blatantly violating" his First Amendment rights. He said that if became law, he would continue to demonstrate but would abide by the law's restrictions.