The Cool Blue Blog

It's the little things in life that make a difference

Soap ‘N Suds at FOB Warhorse

Here at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Warhorse we have few luxuries compared to many of the larger FOBs. We have no movie theater, swimming pools, pizza restaurants or large gymnasiums. The one thing we do have that is very beneficial to the morale of the Soldiers is great Kellogg-Brown and Root (KBR) facilities. And without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing to happen to FOB Warhorse is the Soap N’ Suds laundry service provided by KBR.

Before Soap N’ Suds opened, the Soldiers had two options for clean clothes. Drop off service to the 490to the 490th Quartermaster Laundry and Bath (L&B) team or self-serve laundry in washing machines that “washed” our clothes in some disgusting brown water. The L&B services were good, but often times would take a few days turn-around before you could pick up the clothes.

If you opted for self-serve laundry you would have to sit in the laundry room waiting for a machine to free up and then “baby-sit” your laundry in order to prevent loss of clothing items. Self-serve was a time intensive process – free time is another luxury not afforded to many on FOB Warhorse. Not to mention after a long day of work, we would be faced with the arduous task of doing our laundry in the sweltering heat.

Then came Soap N’ Suds to the rescue. Most Soldiers were rather skeptical at first, but the word spread quickly that the services they provide are superb. I’m not sure about your loved one, but my platoon and I are huge fans of the KBR laundry service. Whenever I walk in the door, they smile and say hello as they hand me a clean towel to wipe the sweat off my brow.

If a Soldier drops off his or her laundry in the morning, they have the laundry washed, dried, and folded by the time we get off work for the day. The clothes are clean, folded nicely, and have a smell that reminds you of when your mother used to wash your clothes. And the best part, you have the rest of the evening to take care of other things – not spend countless hours washing your clothes.

Many times it is the small things like Soap ‘N Suds that really help us keep our focus keen and morale high. After sweating in the Iraqi sun for 12 hours a day, its nice that our Soldiers do not have to worry about doing laundry. They can go to their living containers, take off their boots, and just relax for a few hours before having to wake up and do it all over again the next day.

FOB Warhorse is a great place to live and work…KBR just makes it that much more “livable.” My hats off to the wonderful employees of KBR who are here with the Big Red One in Iraq – providing great support and a smile. Thanks! (Story by 2nd Lt. Justin Darnell, HHD/A CO, 201st Forward Support Battalion)

Daily Dish

Saudi's offer a Muslim security force to Iraq

A group of doctors who are not much use in a war zone

Muslims killing Muslims

Germany is worried about Iranian nuclear activity. Good.

Oooops, she fell, sorry.

Europe threatened with "Blood Bath"

France is still being obstructionist

Edwards fails to mention Kerry's anti-war activity

Ricin found in baby food Update: Turns out it was castor beans, not Ricin

Arnold gets his budget deal

Small children mount daring escape from day care facility

Ancient brewery discovered on mountaintop in Peru. Beer!

The Madame kept records. Uh oh.

Economists discover, that on average, nations that believe in Hell are less corrupt and more proseperous. Communists surrender.

Welsh University offers a degree in Surfing. Kowabunga!

High School wrestler puts his skills to use on a Southwest flight

Bad Actors

You may have heard that four French nationals were released from Guantanamo and returned to French custody where they were immediately jailed.

A review of the French press shows that some are indignant that these French nationals were held for so long by the US.

[The] French daily, Liberation, headlined the handing over of the detainees: "Return to the law zone," it wrote, commenting that the least they deserve after their two-year detention without charge in Guantanamo is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The four were in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people -- Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda foreign legionnaires -- but that is not a crime, the paper wrote. And one thing is certain: If the US had had the slightest evidence against them, it would never have released them, according to the paper. It criticized the Bush administration for setting aside the law and lowering the standard of personal liberty and says France must therefore refuse to follow that example and offer the four alleged militants “the most scrupulous legal guarantees.”

Woah. Stinging.

Le Monde adopted an equally critical stance, saying that the fate of the four will in the end depend on justice. France may have an anti-terrorist justice system, but at least it is one that adheres to the rule of law and bases its decisions on tangible facts, the paper wrote. If the men are acquitted, it will be a fresh blow for the credibility of George Bush’s 'war on terror' that is being fought in contempt of the law -- both national and international -- and of morality, the paper concluded.

Some reports of the release of these men give us some interesting details.

France has long sought the extradition of the suspects, some of whom are wanted in connection with terrorism investigations led by Judge Bruguiere.

So, these men were wanted by the French for terrorist related crimes committed in France and then were found in Afghanistan fighting on the side of the Taliban.

Huh.

Oh, but there's more.

Mr Yadel was wanted in connection with an investigation into a training camp for Islamic militants, set up in the Fontainebleau forest, south of Paris, during the late 90s. Some of those at the camp were believed to have travelled to Afghanistan and the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya.

Mr Benchellali is the son of Chellali Benchellali, an imam from the Lyon suburb of Venissieux, who was arrested in connection with a suspected terrorist network authorities claimed was planning attacks on Russian interests in France.

It's quite likely the US knew the history of these men and when they happened to find them fighting on the side of Jihadists, they probably thought to themselves "hmmm, maybe they are bad guys."

Ya think?

"The important thing to know now is the mental, physical and psychological health of these youths, and what the conditions of their detention were for 30 months," the mayor of Venissieux, Andre Gerin, said.

No it's not the important thing to know because you and I know they were fed, clothed, and treated well.

We have already found out the important things to know during the interrogation process and now the French can deal with them.

Yo! Le Monde! Let us know how it turns out.

'Kay?

On the day I was born, the nurses all gathered 'round
And they gazed in wide wonder, at the joy they had found
The head nurse spoke up, and she said leave this one alone
She could tell right away, that I was bad to the bone
Bad to the bone
Bad to the bone
B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone
B-B-B-B-Bad
B-B-B-B-Bad
Bad to the bone

-George Thorogood

Selective memory

So I'm reading Dean Esmay's great blog today (do you read it every day? You should) and he's over there talking about the swift boat commanders that don't support Sen Kerry. Turns out most of the swift boat commanders that knew Kerry don't support him.

But at this moment, the Senator from Massachusetts is meeting with the Vietnam buddies that do support him. And each one of them will be trotted out on the stage at the Democratic National Convention to say what a great leader the Senator was during the his four months in The 'Nam.

So this got me thinking (I know, I know) will the Senator be trotting out his buddies from the days when he was part of Vietnam Veterans Against the War? Surely there must be other members of the VVAW who thought he was a great anti-War leader; a guy you could count on when the going got rough.

People who helped put together the Winter Soldier report who thought Kerry's testimony before Congress about the US Policy of committing atrocities was brave and selfless.

In fact, it would seem, that Kerry's photograph and position of honor in the Vietnamese Communist War Remnants Museum should be touted as well.

I don't understand why the Senator would not be displaying for the public all of his leadership qualities.

Perhaps his selective memory is a symptom of impending Alzheimer's?

Surely there must be someone on his campaign that could help him remember....

Long ago, far away,
life was clear; close your eyes...

"Remember," is a place from long ago;
"Remember", filled with ev'rything you know.
Remember, when you're sad and feeling down;

remember, turn around.

Remember, life is just a memory.
Remember, close your eyes and you can see.
Remember, think of all that life can be;
remember.

Dream, love is only in a dream; remember.
Remember, life is never as it seems;
dream...

Dream, love is only in a dream; remember.
Remember, life is never as it seems;
dream...

Long ago, far away,
life was clear;
close your eyes

-Harry Nilsson

Making do

Iraq-deployed Lejeune battalion creates own fire truck

Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200472753030
Story by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes

CAMP MAHMUDUYAH, Iraq (July 25, 2004) -- Marines from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines fashioned themselves the latest in humvee innovations. It's got a candy-apple red finish and destined to cruise the hottest spots around camp.

After all, that's whole point of a fire truck.

Marines created their own firefighting machine after two fires erupted on the camp. The fire truck was made from a humvee and spare parts lying around and though a little crude, it fits the bill.

"The chances of us getting an actual fire truck down here were none, so we had to create our own," said Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey S. Goodfred, a 26-year-old Jacksonville, N.C., battalion motor transport chief for the battalion. "With some water tanks and a little ingenuity, the Marines had a functioning fire truck built in one day. I've never seen anything like it before."

Daily Dish

Indonesia won't charge the cleric Abu Bakar Bashir with the Bali Bombing

Refugees from North Korea secretly airlifted to South Korea

Libya negotiating to join WTO

Colombian Catholic Bishop freed

French court annuls first gay marriage

Bush-bashing continues at Democratic convention

Muslim charity indicted for supplying money to Hamas

The Law of Large Numbers guarantees that miracles happen 295 times a day in America

Canadian officials require nude photos of all foreign strippers coming to Canada

Japanese invent emoti-headlights for cars: turn on your love-lights baby

Clumsy arsonist sets himself on fire. Cops try to put out fire with bullets

They kept Kennedy, but threw out Trumph the Insult Dog. Go figure

Wakeup Wednesday: Rock This Town - Brian Setzer Orchestra

Democrats by the numbers

A Boston Globe poll taken of Democratic Party delegates found that 95% oppose the war in Iraq and that 80% said they opposed it from the start.

Earlier I blogged the rhetorical question Where do the anti-War Democrats go? Apparantly to the Democratic Convention.

OK, so what I don't get is this, since it's true that during the time the party platform was being constructed, by delegates to the convention, there was an anti-war plank (as noted in the link above) how could it have been removed when 95% of the delegates believe in having such a plank; approving the platform without the anti-war plank by unanimous voice vote at the convention.

Howard Dean, interviewed by at the convention by Fox News stated that Party Platforms don't mean much.

If so, then why didn't the candidates at least have the honesty to have a platform that reflects the delegates?

A hint could come later in the Boston Globe article

IBD/TIPP polls show 31% of Democrats supported the war in July vs. 54% in April 2003. Meantime, 54% of Americans, and 49% of independents, still favor it.

A June Fox News poll found Democrats favor 48%-45% bringing the troops home now. Just 32% of all Americans said troops should come home right away.

It seems the representatives of the Democratic Party are to the left of people in their own party.

It would also seem that the Democratic Party is attempting to misrepresent itself to the American people, and to their own rank-and-file.

Looked at another way, perhaps they are simply trying to fairly represent the attitude of their constituents regardless of their personal beliefs.

I could buy that.

The problem is, the delegates to the convention are very often leaders of the Democratic Party, including lawmakers, both local and federal.

And it's much more worrisome that they are so far out of step with the general electorate. They are even out of step with the Democratic electorate.

So if that's true, how did that come to be that the leadership and the membership are so far apart? How did they ever get elected? How do they stay in office?

Perhaps they won't.

Or perhaps they will misrepresent themselves to get reelected.

How can we listen to you
When we know your talk is cheap?
How can we ever question
Why we give more and you keep?
How can your empty laughter
Fill a room like ours with joy
When you're only playing with us
Like a child does with a toy?
How can we ever feel the freedom
Or the flame lit by the spark
How can we ever come out even
When reality is stark?

That was a Wonderful Remark
I had my eyes closed in the dark - yeah
I sighed a million sighs
I told a million lies - to myself - to myself

-Van Morrison

Toothless Diplomacy

I know the EU means well, but it takes more than good intentions to negotiate with an adversary. Some amount of saber rattling has to occur if you are going to say to someone "do this or else."

Otherwise, the guy across the table just says "or else what?"

Europe has made it clear that their Sabers are all sheathed and are useful only for display. So it is no surprise, to anyone but the EU, I suppose, that Iran has thumbed their nose and unsealed all the nuke equipment that the UN went about sealing so studiously.

However, diplomats said senior officials from the "EU-3" - Britain, France and Germany - would try to coax Teheran back to the path of co-operation at a secret meeting in Paris on Thursday.

Their chances of success seem slim, however, because Teheran now appears to have calculated that America is paralysed by the presidential election campaign and that Europe is too divided to exert real pressure.

Yet more evidence that the anti-war, anti-Bush, and bash-America crowd has endangered the lives of people by leading the Iranian government to believe the US will not take action against them.

The 9-11 Panel report makes it quite clear that Iran aided those who attacked America in 2001. Combined with the fact that there are in excess of 100,000 American soldiers in Iraq, it is quite unlikely that the US Aministration will endanger a significant portion of Americas military might by allowing Iraq to build a nuclear weapon that could be used in Iraq.

Yes, Iraq, not Israel.

Oh, Iran's intention may very well be to use nukes against Israel. Iran may very well be intending to start their own little Middle East version of Mutual Assured Destruction, but do you really think that Pentagon planners are not considering the fact that Iran could, with a few nukes, decimate the US Army?

Not likely.

Iran made a play in Iraq with Sadr and that failed. Iran is not happy with the prospect of a democratic Iraq with a large and vocal pro-Democracy population within it's borders.

So whatever the Iranian calculus is, the US calculus has to include the damage that Iran could do to US forces if they are allowed to get nukes.

President Bush, I am convinced, will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. I'm am not at all sure how a President Kerry will act.

However, if US forces are needed to go into Iran to disarm them when a year ago just the threat would have been necessary to get them to comply, you know who to thank.

The vocal, but toothless, would-be do-gooders.

Who will bear the brunt of failed diplomacy? Who will be put at risk because Europe thinks that talk will solve every problem in the world?

US soldiers.

Again.

I should'a quit you, long time ago
I should'a quit you, baby, long time ago
I should'a quit you, and went on to Mexico

If I ha'da followed, my first mind
If I ha'da followed, my first mind
I'd'a been gone, since my second time

I should'a went on, when my friend come from Mexico at me
I should'a went on, when my friend come from Mexico at me
I was foolin' with ya baby, I let ya put me on the killin' floor

Lord knows, I should'a been gone
Lord knows, I should'a been gone
And I wouldn't've been here, down on the killin' floor

-Howlin' Wolf

Ten years without water

Marine-funded, Iraqi-built water plant quenches long parched village

Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story by: Sgt. Matt Epright
Story Identification #: 2004726131510

AL KABANI, Iraq(July 26, 2004) -- For the first time in almost 10 years, the citizens here have clean water and constant electricity flowing into their homes, thanks to their local government, the Marines and their own hard work.

Muktar Ismael Hamaad, the village leader, and Thayer Hamdallah, the Iraqi government representative for the area, met July 25, 2004, with Lt. Col. Rod T. Arrington, the commander of 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, to cut the ribbon on a water purification complex now serving three separate villages with a population totaling almost 3,000.

The reserve infantry battalion, based at nearby Camp Taqaddum, funded the $175,000 project through a program established by the now defunct Coalition Provisional Authority.

Thirty-five local Iraqis worked 10-hour days for more than a month to complete the 30,000 gallon-per-hour purifier, said Ahmed Abass Kassar, the project supervisor, through a translator.

Though it would have been quicker and cheaper for the Marines to install the equipment themselves, they wanted to let the Iraqis take the lead so they would come away with the experience needed to do such jobs.

"It isn't about just getting them the water in the best manner possible. It's about letting them do it themselves and giving them a stake in their own future," said Maj. Luke W. Kratky, the battalion's information operations officer.

Daily Dish

Four French citizens released from Guantanamo

US bound flight turned back to Australia because of bomb threat

Egyptian Diplomat freed: "No deals were made.'

Karzai announces he will run for President in October

Phillippines protestors burn Aussie flags: They hate being called cowards.

Hillary gets thunderous applause at convention

Castro: Why isn't anyone paying attention to me?

Saddam is writing poetry in jail

The Mayor is an Ass. No really

Teresa Kerry appeals for civility in political discourse. But she is exempt