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Contents of Defend America
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DoD - Logged Wednesday,
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| PRESIDENT DISCUSSES IRAQ
— Listing recent achievements in Iraq, President George W. Bush holds a
press conference at the White House, July 23, 2003. Standing with the President
are Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers, Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Presidential Envoy to Iraq Ambassador Paul Bremer.
White House photo by Paul Morse |
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| Bush: Holdouts Targeting Success, 'Freedom' in
Iraq |
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Kathleen T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON,
July 23, 2003 President Bush today urged nations around the world to contribute
"militarily and financially" toward building a free and secure Iraq.
Nineteen nations are providing a total of 13,000
troops to stability efforts, and more than two dozen nations have provided
funds, the president noted while flanked by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,
Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, and Ambassador L. Paul
Bremer, the U.S. civil administrator in Iraq, during a White House press
briefing.
Still, much work remains in
securing the country and moving it along toward prosperity. In Baghdad today,
Army Lt. Gen Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of ground troops in Iraq, detailed
the current security situation. He noted a Red Cross vehicle was attacked north
of Al Hillah July 22, killing one aid worker and wounding another. Three
American soldiers have also been killed in the past two days.
Bush blamed the attacks on holdouts from
Hussein's regime. "But America's military forces are on the offensive," he
added.
More
Remarks |
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| Wolfowitz Relays Impressions Of Soldiers, Civilians
in Iraq |
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| Sgt.
1st Class Doug Sample / American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON, July 23, 2003 The
killing of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay by U.S. forces July 22 was
another indicator that the United States is making progress in Iraq, Deputy
Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told Pentagon reporters today.
He noted U.S. officials are still considering whether
to release photos of the two men's bodies to prove to Iraqi citizens that they
had indeed been killed. Many Iraqis are still suspicious of the United States
and fear Saddam's regime will return to power, Wolfowitz said, adding that any
evidence of the sons' deaths would help lift the "blanket of fear" that hangs
over the Iraqi people.
Wolfowitz returned July 22
from a four-day trip to northern and southern Iraq, and said the trip left him
with two "overwhelming" impressions about the Iraqi people's feelings.
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| America Pays Tribute to the
Troops |
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| July
22 |
Ace of Clubs
Qusay Saddam
Husayn |
Ace of Hearts
Uday Saddam
Hussein |
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Pentagon Officials
Identify Army
Casualties |
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2003 - Defense
Department officials announced today the death of two soldiers.
Spc. Jon P. Fettig, 30, Dickinson, N.D., was killed on
July 22 on the outside of Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Fettig was killed when the Heavy
Expanded-Mobility Tactical Truck he was in was hit by a rocket propelled
grenade. Fettig was assigned to the 957th Engineer Company (V Corps), Bismarck,
N.D.
Spc. Brett T. Christian, 27, North Royalton,
Ohio, was killed on July 23 in Mosul, Iraq. Christian was in a convoy that came
under attack by rocket propelled grenades. Christian was assigned to Company C,
2nd Battalion, 502 Infantry, 101st Airborne Div., Fort Campbell, Ky. |
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Commander Details Mission
That Killed Hussein's
Sons |
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| By Kathleen
T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON, July 23, 2003 U.S.
military officials in Iraq believe a coalition missile barrage at roughly 1
p.m. local time July 22 struck the fatal blow to Uday and Qusay Hussein.
Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez this morning described
the 101st Airborne Division operation in northeast Mosul, Iraq, that led to the
deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, numbers two and three on U.S. Central
Command's list of most wanted members of the former regime, and two others.
Published media reports have said the other two
individuals were Qusay Hussein's 14-year-old son and a bodyguard. Sanchez was
unable to confirm this, saying officials are still working to positively
identify the other two bodies.
Speaking at
a press conference in Baghdad, Sanchez, the commander of Coalition Joint Task
Force 7, said July 22 was "a landmark day for the people and the future of
Iraq."
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Briefing Transcript
Photos |
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Gen. Abizaid Visits Baghdad
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| General John Abizaid, U.S.
Central Command commander, walks with Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, Combined
Forces Land Component Command, following General Abizaid’s arrival at
Baghdad Air Base, July 20, 2003. General Abizaid was in Baghdad visiting with
commanders and troops supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force Photo
By Master Sgt. Robert R. Hargreaves Jr. |
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Rumsfeld, Keane Discuss Army
Transformation, Troop Rotations |
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Gilmore / American Forces Press Service |
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FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan., July
23, 2003 The defense department's top civilian declared here July 22 that he's
not at war with the U.S. Army.
"I've always
liked the Army," U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, accompanied by
acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jack Keane, asserted during a wide-ranging
interview with Army Times and American Forces Press Service reporters.
The secretary and Keane, who traveled to Fort
Leavenworth to address a group of new Army brigadier generals attending a
one-week orientation class, also discussed military transformation, troop
rotation plans for Iraq, the fate of Saddam Hussein's sons, and other
issues.
Pointing to myriad media reports
that he had severe conflicts with top Army leadership on military
transformation, the Iraq war and other issues, Rumsfeld declared: "The things
that get printed about that (alleged feud) tend to be false."
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More of Wolfowitz in Iraq
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| Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus,
Commander of 101st Airborne Division, greets the Deputy Secretary of Defense,
Paul Wolfowitz, after he arrived at the Al Mosul Airfield in Mosul, Iraq, July
21, 2003. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kieran Moore
Additional Photos of Wolfowitz in Iraq |
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V
Corps Engineers Patrol River
24/7 in Saddam's Hometown |
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Loppnow / 130th Engineer Brigade Public Affairs |
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TIKRIT, Iraq, July 21, 2003 -- While combat has wound down in Iraq, the threat
to soldiers in this unstable nation is still very real, and the reason why V
Corpss 502nd Engineer Company, 565th Engineer Battalion, continues to patrol
the Tigris River here in the hometown of Saddam Hussein.
The company, along with the 814th Engineer
Company from Fort Polk, La., patrols the river 24 hours a day, seven days a
week, to keep the approximately 2,000 soldiers deployed to Camp Iron Horse safe
from enemy attacks along the river.
Recent
attacks on a 556-meter floating bridge near the 565th headquarters, which was
built as a temporary replacement for a bomb-damaged fixed bridge, make
patrolling the river a vital mission for the 502nd.
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Environmental Team Mobilized,
Deployed During Iraqi Freedom |
WASHINGTON (NNS) An important
capability put in place during Operation Iraqi Freedom by the Navy helped
ensure that the military could fight the enemy, head off a potential
environmental disaster and clear the way for the delivery of humanitarian
aid.
Fortunately, it never had to be used.
But if Saddam Husseins forces had engaged in a deliberate act of environmental
terrorism by destroying Iraqs offshore oil terminal platforms, people and
equipment were in place to immediately undertake a major anti-pollution effort.
More |
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| Profile |
U.S. Army Reserve
Sgt. April Brown |
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BAGHDAD, Iraq Sgt. April Denise Brown
just loves to cook, so, a few months ago, when she was asked to serve as the
cook for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 352nd Civil Affairs Command in
Baghdad, she was happy to oblige.
The civil affairs soldiers are happy,
too, because, thanks to Brown and a few other soldiers, the unit is now getting
practically home-cooked meals for dinner, six days a week.
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Profiles |
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Mass. Guard Unit Balances
Maintenance,
Support Duties |
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TALLIL AIR BASE, IRAQ At the corner
of Massachusetts Avenue and Yawkey Way, very few things resemble the Back Bay
Fens of Boston, but the soldiers from the 726th Maintenance Battalion try not
to notice. Simple things like naming the dusty streets of Tallil Air Base in
Iraq can be very therapeutic.
The
Natick-based Massachusetts Army National Guard unit, with the help of the 110th
Maintenance Company out of Ayer, has been keeping the base of about 15,000
troops operating by maintaining weapons, communications equipment and vehicles.
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Salang Tunnel Vital Link
To Afghan
Infrastructure |
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BAGRAM, Afghanistan When
soldiers think of tunnels in the mountains of Afghanistan their first thought
is often of the hideouts used by the al Qaeda and Taliban, but at an altitude
of 11,100 feet in the Hindu Kush, theres a tunnel thats a vital part of
Afghanistans infrastructure.
A group of engineers
from Combined Joint Task Force 180 visited this transportation artery, known as
the Salang Tunnel, Sunday to check the progress of its reconstruction and to
view its design.
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End of article 1
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Asian, European Foreign
Ministers Urge Burma to Release Aung San Suu Kyi
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Europe & Asia -
Re: Asia Pacific
- Burma : Aung San Suu Kyi
Foreign ministers from Asia and Europe have
issued a joint statement calling for the immediate release of Burmese
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters. This year's Asia-Europe
Meeting, or ASEM, has been dominated by the contentious topic of Burma. Europe
wanted a strong condemnation of the Burmese authorities for their maltreatment
of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters, but most Asian
nations wanted to take a less aggressive line. The result was a compromise. The
ministers called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her
followers, but did not stipulate any penalties if Rangoon failed to comply. The
opposition leader was detained after a bloody fracas on May 30. The ministers
also asked Burma to re-start reconciliation between the democratic opposition
and the military government.
Comment (HFY): Note in this
article the influence of money and trade upon the Asian nations in their
consideration of the situation in Burma. Note also the statement, "Burma is of
particular concern to the members of ASEM because the 10 Asian members want to
add three more Asian countries, including Burma, to the forum as a
counterbalance to the expanding European Union, which already has 15 members".
In this statement we see that the formation of the EU trade bloc is starting to
create a global response in the form of polarization of countries into
competitive blocs driven by Big Business.
As mentioned in previous
comments there is a relationship between the operation of Big Business with the
social, economic, and political situation of the country or countries hosting
Big Business. Also, as Big Business dominates a given society the cultural base
of that society erodes and transforms into an expression of the Big Business
values and ethics. Generally one can say that Big Business promotes materialism
and operates according to principles of conduct that are intolerant to true
spirituality.
Over time, as the competitive situation becomes more
intense between the trade blocs a political alienation between the societies
associated with the trade blocs will inevitably develop. How fast this comes
about is next to impossible to predict because of the complex set of
interdependent relationships and conditions. But we know there is a flaw in the
theory that Big Business competition leads to endless prosperity and social
stability. Simply put this is a lie that many people believe. It is a lie based
on an incomplete track record for Big Business. Consider this, Big Business
takes as much as it can and gives as little as it can in return because it
operates on a bottom line of maximizing profit. This is a predatory process
that benefits the investors while the poor are exploited and non renewable
natural resources are consumed. This Big Business predatory feeding of itself
lays waste not only to the social-cultural environment but also consumes the
natural physical environment by following the same criteria of giving back as
little as possible while maximizing what it takes. The term "food chain" is
used here figuratively to mean the natural and human resources that Big
Business consumes. The term "predatory" is also used figuratively to emphasize
the ruthless and non caring style of Big Business in meeting it's business
objectives. In addition, these Big Business units feed on each other in an
effort to dominate the market place. Big Business has this inherent predatory
"feeding" built into the mentality that defines all it's operations. Big
business in the long run will create more unemployment and over time people
will earn less for a given unit of productivity. Big Business only creates
employment when it requires so called "human resources" and seeks these
resources at the lowest possible cost causing it to "feed" upon third world
poorer countries and/or reduce it's dependence upon high paid salaried
employees, pensions, benefits, and that sort of thing.
When Big
Business creates massive unemployment by getting rid of non essential "human
resources" the burden of accountability is not with Big Business but with the
governments of the land hosting these Big Business units. Governments lose
control of their people if the unemployment rate is too high and the overall
labor force is paid too little and the population becomes highly dependent upon
expensive credit borrowing. This again is consistent with the concept of taking
in a maximum way and giving in a minimum way. Often, social and business
balances compensate as people find other jobs but often the pay is less. For
example, at one time in Western society a single family wage earner could feed,
cloth, and house his family on the one pay cheque and stay out of debt through
careful money management.. Today that is not possible. Today it takes from two
to four pay cheques to accomplish the same thing. Government economic well
being indices do not consider this "effect" and other related effects. Instead,
Western governments have the impression that an economy can be sufficiently
stimulated so that it will always be resilient but what is missed is the slow
erosion of a nation's well being. As the cost of natural resources increases as
they diminish and cheap labor becomes less easily obtained and corporations die
or merge then the ability of large economies to bounce back will ultimately
fail.
The entire problem lies in the concept of "maximum profit" and
"minimum costs" and nations, societies, and cultures cannot exist for very long
when "maximum profit" and "minimum costs" become the rule of living and life
style. The first evidence that this cycle was moving towards self destruction
lies in immigration rates. Everything in life is relative to something else. As
an example, immigrants escaping war, poverty, and other serious issues flooded
into Western countries and provided a grateful subset of society willing to
work hard and for long hours at a minimum wage. This benefited Big Business.
But that process ran it's course and cheap labor is only possible for so called
temporary workers that are employed at minimum compensation as set by law. Most
are temporary because they can no longer obtain a salaried position. Often new
generations of the work force willing to work for less replace older
generations. So for a time Big Business exploited this angle but due to social
conditions the passage of laws regarding minimum compensation made cheap labor
more attractive in poorer or third world countries. And the process continues
in this kind of domino fashion. Therefore it gets harder and harder for the
entire population to earn a reasonable living or acquire a reasonable
pension.
This commentary criticizes Big Business - not business in
general. The term Capitalism means different things to different people and
therefore the word will not be used in this commentary. A Big Business
corporation or business unit employs directly or indirectly many thousands of
people. Big Business is defined here by this relationship as well as the vast
amounts of money associated with the Big Business unit. Although today, many
small business units model themselves after Big Business and operate on the
same criteria, traditionally in the Western world small business was equated to
the family unit or family business that employed only a few people in the local
communities. The guiding principle at one time was a fair value for products
and services as opposed to a "maximum value" for products and services. It is
true that Big Business units such as chain stores are responsible for putting
the family units (in that market place) out of business. But low prices on the
part of Big Business are not done for humanitarian reasons as was the
pricing by family units. Low prices are provided by Big Business in order to
capture the market place against competitors and maintain a market place
dominance. Very often, to do this, the level of product and service excellence
is far less than that once provided by the traditional small family owned
community oriented business units. In a way a so called price control due to
market place competition between the Big Business units gives the impression
that the public benefits by this competition. The answer is yes and no. Yes the
community benefits from low pricing on some goods and services for a period of
time but as soon as one Big Business predator has the entire market place -
which is inevitable - then back to maximum pricing becomes the rule of the day.
The cycle does not terminate until the "food chain" diminishes and disappears.
The term "food chain" is figurative and has already been defined above.
This commentary therefore criticizes global privatisation done in
association with Big Business. The concept and limited success of Big Business
has occurred on an international and global scale during the last few decades
and is promoted by those using the Western countries as an example. What few
have realized is that Western societies have not yet experienced the full
impact of this predatory cycle as it takes many years to self destruct and will
only do so when it's food chain disappears. What will be required is a new
"model" of business based on caring and fair value. The topic of this new model
was previously covered in another commentary.
.
VOA -- 24 Jul 2003, 15:59
UTC
Tim Johnston
Jakarta
 
 Listen
to Tim Johnston's report (RealAudio)
Johnston
report - Download 235k (RealAudio)
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Foreign ministers from Asia and Europe have issued a joint statement
calling for the immediate release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
and her supporters.
This
year's Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, has been dominated by the contentious
topic of Burma. Europe wanted a strong condemnation of the Burmese authorities
for their maltreatment of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and her
supporters, but most Asian nations wanted to take a less aggressive
line.
The result was a compromise. The ministers called for the
immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers, but did not stipulate
any penalties if Rangoon failed to comply. The opposition leader was detained
after a bloody fracas on May 30. The ministers also asked Burma to re-start
reconciliation between the democratic opposition and the military
government.
Thailand has proposed what it describes as a "road-map" for the
release of the detained opposition leader, but has not given any details,
saying it needs to discuss it with other countries and Burmese
authorities.
Thailand, along with many other Asian countries, believes that
isolating Burma would be counterproductive and wants the lines of communication
kept open.
Burma is of particular concern to the members of ASEM because
the 10 Asian members want to add three more Asian countries, including Burma,
to the forum as a counterbalance to the expanding European Union, which already
has 15 members.
European officials attending the meeting said Thursday that
they would not accept Burma unless it made substantial democratic
reforms.
The
crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions was also discussed at the two day
meeting, and in their final statement the ministers said any solution would
have to address the country's economic and humanitarian problems as well as
security concerns.
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End of article 2
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Blast rocks Gaza
jail
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Middle East - Palestine - Gaza - Re - Explosion in
Gaza Jail
A explosion at a prison
in Gaza City has injured at least seven Palestinians, officials say. The cause
of the explosion - which also damaged a Palestinian police building in the same
compound - is not known. But a Palestinian security statement suggested it was
an attempt to assassinate Gaza Military Intelligence Colonel Moussa Arafat that
had missed its target. The statement said a rocket-propelled grenade fired at
his office missed its target and hit the prison. Col Arafat - a nephew of
Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat - was not in his office at the time,
the statement said.
Comment (HFY): The Palestinian
Authority runs this jail. As in so many situations, the official story may not
agree with the facts but simply cover up the facts. This peace process
associated with the Road Plan does not have monitors in places like this Gaza
jail. So it is possible for places like this jail to be an explosive factory.
Recently in an altogether unrelated situation in Iraq there was a large
explosion within a Mosque complex. The two situations are only tied together
here to show how easy it is for subversive efforts to take place in the most
unexpected places.
BBC -- Thursday, 24 July, 2003,
20:42 GMT 21:42 UK
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The explosion could have been
a rocket propelled grenade |
A explosion at a prison in Gaza City has
injured at least seven Palestinians, officials say.
The cause of the explosion - which
also damaged a Palestinian police building in the same compound - is not
known.
But a Palestinian security statement
suggested it was an attempt to assassinate Gaza Military Intelligence Colonel
Moussa Arafat that had missed its target.
The statement said a
rocket-propelled grenade fired at his office missed its target and hit the
prison.
Col Arafat - a nephew of Palestinian
Authority leader Yasser Arafat - was not in his office at the time, the
statement said.
The injured, who were taken to local
hospitals, are not thought to be seriously hurt.
A Palestinian police officer said
security forces were investigating the explosion.
"The situation is calm. We know that
there have been some injuries as a result of this explosion," the officer,
Moussa Abed Nabi, said.
Inmates at the jail, run by the
Palestinian Authority, include criminals and people suspected of collaborating
with Israeli intelligence.
Palestinians accused of violating a
truce called by the three main militant groups last month are also held
there.
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End of article 3
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California Governor to Face
Recall Election.
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Americas - USA -California -
@Los Angeles - Re: Recall
Election
Election officials in
California say the state's governor, Gray Davis, will face a recall election.
More than one million voters signed a petition that urged his removal from
office. Mr. Davis has vowed to work to keep his job. But, some questions about
the recall are still undecided. Gray Davis will be the first California
governor to have the voters decide his fate midway through a four-year term of
office. The state's top election official, Kevin Shelley, announced the results
of the recall effort.
VOA -- 24 Jul 2003, 12:02
UTC
Mike O'Sullivan
Los
Angeles
Listen
to Mike O'Sullivan's report (RealAudio)
O'Sullivan
report - Download 353k (RealAudio)
x
x |
.
Election officials in California say the state's governor, Gray
Davis, will face a recall election. More than one million voters signed a
petition that urged his removal from office. Mr. Davis has vowed to work to
keep his job. But, some questions about the recall are still
undecided.
Gray Davis will be the first California governor to have the
voters decide his fate midway through a four-year term of office. The state's
top election official, Kevin Shelley, announced the results of the recall
effort.
"As California's secretary of state, it is my duty today to
certify the first recall election of a governor in California history," he
announced. " As of today, my office has received over 1.6 million total
signatures. Of these, more than 1.3 million have been found to be
valid."
The governor's opponents needed just under 900,000 signatures
to qualify the recall for the ballot.
Mr.
Davis, a Democrat in his second term of office, has been the chief target of
voter anger at a massive budget shortfall, which is projected at $38 billion.
He earlier served a term as the state's lieutenant governor and two terms as
state controller, where he was known as an efficient and low-key bureaucrat.
Now, he is battling for his political survival, and says he is ready to face
the voters one more time.
"If the people want me to stand before them again, I will,"
governor Davis said. "Five times they have been good enough to elect me to
statewide office. I believe in the fairness and good judgment of the California
people, and I think at the end of the day, they will make the right
decision."
California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante must set the
date for the recall vote, and says he will announce his decision Thursday. The
special election will take place this fall, sometime between 60 and 80 days
from the announcement.
But Mr. Bustamante, a Democrat and the state's second highest
official, says a California commission on the governorship, or the state
supreme court must clarify the procedure, and decide whether candidates for
governor will appear on the same ballot as the one that asks if Mr. Davis
should leave office. Until now, state officials have said the two measures
would appear on a single ballot, with the selection to be effective only if a
majority approves the governor's removal.
Recall
backers accuse Mr. Bustamante of playing politics.
The list of candidates for governor could be long because all
that is needed to get on the ballot is $3,500 and the signatures of 65
supporters.
The list is expected to include Darrell Issa, a wealthy
Republican congressman who bankrolled the recall effort, and possibly Bill
Simon, a former Republican candidate for governor. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger
also says he is considering a run for the governor's office.
The state's leading Democrats have promised not to run, but to
support Mr. Davis in his effort to win the endorsement of the voters one more
time.
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End of article 4
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Indian Supreme Court Moves to
Unify Civil Code
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Asia-Pacific - India - New Delhi - Re: Civil Code
Unification
India's Supreme Court is
recommending the civil legal code be made uniform throughout the country,
eliminating allowances for diverse religious and cultural practices. The court
says the move would help foster integration, but minority groups object,
fearing these laws would infringe on their religious rights. In non-binding
comments this week, the highest court said common laws are necessary to further
national integration, and remove contradictions based on religious ideologies.
The country's main opposition Congress Party says that common laws may be
difficult to implement in a highly diverse country. Political analysts say the
debate is likely to intensify as India prepares for a general election next
year.
Comment (HFY): In many countries like Canada,
India, or Argentina there will be a number of diverse cultures with associated
traditions. It is not in societies higher interests to melt all cultures
together and do away with what some consider as important traditions or life
styles. However, it is in the common interest of all to set out a constitution
which guarantees to the citizens of a country certain basic rights and
opportunities as long as this is done in a way that does not destroy imbedded
cultures and traditions. There will of course be some cases of conflict where
certain attributes associated with a specific cultural life styles will become
unlawful. But this does not have to result in the destruction of the entire
life style and cultural framework. For example, a man is allowed in one culture
to beat his wife and children over minor issues and engage in other violent and
abusive behavior. These attributes are only part of the overall life style.
This specific conduct may violate that unified constitution of rights given to
all citizens of a country and such brutality may be deemed by that constitution
as unlawful and result in a jail sentence. Another example of basic rights
might be the freedom of religious choice. But some Moslem cultures forbid such
freedom and punish and persecute those that choose to change from Moslem to
some other religion. So this would be another clash. And then there is this
upside down unification done by certain countries in the interest of a specific
religious culture such as Islam and not an attempt to guarantee basic rights on
a national scale. In this case, some countries have made Islam their official
state religion and base the national laws on this religion. This is the inverse
of establishing a uniform civil code as it favors only one cultural
grouping.
VOA -- 24 Jul 2003, 15:46
UTC
Anjana Pasricha
New
Delhi
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