The Cool Blue Blog

High Profile Race

The Vermont race for the Senate seat is reaching high profile status....

At least among Democrats.

The Burlington Fress Press is reporting that Democrat Senator Barak Obama will be visiting Vermont campaigning for Rep Bernie Sanders.

"Senator Obama is excited at the prospect of having Bernie in the Senate," Paul Hortenstine, Sanders campaign spokesman, said in confirming details of Obama's visit Monday. The UVM rally, which will take place at Ira Allen Chapel, is free and open to the public.

Sanders, who is a Socialist Independent has been officially endorsed by the Democratic Party. As a result, neither Democrats nor Progressives will field a candidate to oppose him though Democrat Larry Drown has announced he will run for the seat as an unendorsed candidate.

The Republicans, on the other hand, will be holding a primary.

Two Republicans, businessman Rich Tarrant and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Parke, are vying for the GOP Senate nomination.

Obama is a prolific fund raiser

having collected $6.5 million in 2005 on behalf of Hopefund, his political action committee, and various Democratic candidates.

And there are also unconfirmed reports that Al Franken will be doing a fundraiser for Rep Sanders.

Given as this is an open seat that was in the hands of the Left, it would seem that National Republicans would be interested in trying to pick it up. But no extraordinary efforts seem to be in the works as of yet.

Special Operations in Iraq

ISOF / ICTF creating conditions for safe Ashura passage

Multi-National Force-Iraq Combined  Press Information Center

BALAD, Iraq (USASOC News Service, Feb. 24, 2006) – Simultaneous raids south of Baghdad Monday night by Iraqi Special Operations Forces and Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces netted 18 individuals suspected of planning insurgent violence against pilgrims to Karbala and Najaf during the Muslim observance of Ashura. 

These raids, planned by the Iraqi forces under the guidance of U.S. Special Operations Forces, were designed to capture an insurgent leader and three key facilitators so they could not carry out plans to disrupt the Ashura pilgrimage.   

Also captured in the raid were several weapons to include five AK-47 assault rifles, one Mauser rifle, four grenades, an assortment of remote detonators typically used in making improvised explosive devices, and a suspected vehicle-borne IED.

Iraqi Army unit conducts first battalion-sized mission, nets 4 suspected insurgents

Multi-National Force-Iraq Combined  Press Information Center

BALAD, Iraq (USASOC News Service, Feb. 24, 2006) – The Iraqi Army’s 1/4/1 Battalion conducted its first full battalion-sized operation Feb. 11 west of Baghdad, netting four suspected insurgents.

The operation, advised by U.S. Special Operations Forces, was a cordon and search mission designed to track insurgents and sweep for weapons caches.

The mission was deemed a success by both the Iraqi battalion’s leaders and the U.S. SOF advisors because of the large scope of the task and the successful apprehension of the four persons of interest.

None of the combined force was killed or injured during the operation. SOF elements from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula here are involved throughout Iraq in training and advising the Iraqi Special Operations Forces Brigade, as well as other Iraqi Security Forces, including army and police units.

Iraqi Army, U.S. Special Forces detain 102, discover weapons during raid

Multi-National Force-Iraq Combined  Press Information Center

BALAD, Iraq (USASOC News Service, Feb. 24, 2006) – The 2nd Battalion 2nd Brigade 5th Iraqi Army Division, advised by U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers, conducted assaults on two targets Feb. 12 in Diyala Province, detaining 102 persons of interest, killing two insurgents and discovering a large weapons cache.

The assaults were combined cordon and search missions designed to capture key insurgents and to disrupt multiple insurgent cell operations – especially improvised explosive device production.

The target locations were chosen because intelligence indicated specific locations of individuals wanted for planning and facilitating insurgent activities.

During the raid on the first target, an Iraqi Army assault team encountered four armed insurgents when the team began searching a house. Under heavy fire, the assault team exchanged small arms fire with the insurgents but was forced to withdraw outside of the house for cover.

But one of the team’s sergeants stayed in the house and in the fight, killing one and wounding two of the insurgents before falling back to regroup with his team and assault the house again. Those three insurgents were taken into custody and the two wounded received immediate medical treatment. One wounded insurgent later died while en route to receive additional medical care.

Of the 102 persons detained after the raids on both target areas, 25 were on Iraqi security forces’ “most wanted” lists.

A weapons cache discovered on the first objective contained one Katusa rocket, two 155 mm artillery rounds, two 120 mm mortar rounds, three 60 mm mortar rounds, three rocket-propelled grenades, an RPG launcher, three AK-47 assault rifles, and a collection of IED-making materials including electrical wire and fuses.

One Iraqi Army Soldier was slightly wounded by enemy small arms fire during the operation.  He was treated on the scene by Iraqi and U.S. medical personnel.

Iraqi commanders stated that the combined operation was a success, and is a mark of the effectiveness of Iraqi Army forces. They are looking forward to conducting additional missions in the future to deny insurgent groups safe havens in Diyala Province, which insurgents use to regroup, rearm and refit.

Additionally, leaders from the Iraqi battalion used the operation to assess the capabilities of the 2/2/5 in order to make needs-based assessments on future training opportunities. Special Operations Forces from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula are involved throughout Iraq in training and advising Iraqi security forces, including army and police units.

Rejecting Chaos

There are a number of things about the bombing of the Golden Mosque that I find both interesting and hopeful.

First is that in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the US military made a conscious decision to have US troops lay low. That meant it was up to Iraq's Political and Security services to take the lead.

And they did.

Iraqi security forces are leaning forward to provide security in areas of sectarian strife prompted by this week's terrorist bombing of a prominent Shiite religious shrine, a U.S. military official said here today.

"Iraqis are in the lead; coalition forces are prepared to support as required," DoD spokesman Army Lt. Col. Barry Venable said.

On the political side, the government imposed a curfew and backed it up with Iraqi military and police. As a result, that faction of the political Left that was salivating over the possibility that civil war would finally occur in Iraq, should now be disappointed

After a weekend of sleepless nights, emergency meetings, and an unprecedented three-day curfew, Iraq has managed to stave off its worst fear after last week's destruction of a major Shiite shrine: That the country's small-scale civil conflict was about to bloom into a bloody and wide-ranging war between its sects.

It seems to me that Iraqi Political leaders may have gotten clued into the fact that they have to work together in order for the country to stay together. And the Sunni's, when threatened with Shi'ite retaliation precipitated by al Qaida, may now finally be convinced that they are in reality a minority in Iraq.

It seems that the majority of people in Iraq just want to get along with each other and many are striving to show this

In a gesture of goodwill, Iraqi Sunnis in the northern city of Samarra are working tirelessly to rebuild the Golden Mosque, one of the holiest Shiite shrines which was devastated in an odious explosion last week.

"The initiative came soon after the explosion in solidarity with our Shiite brothers," Abu Oqba Al-Samarrai told IslamOnline.net Monday, February 27, after collecting golden pieces of the mosque's destroyed dome.

He said people of different age groups have volunteered to remove the ruble in a love demonstration.

"Elderly, women, children and men of [predominantly Sunni] Samarra rush to the tomb to remove the debris, using shovels and manual carriages," he explained.

Women provided food and water to exhausted men after a long day of hard work to get the job done as soon as possible.

"The men chant in unison Islamic songs to kill time," Samarrai said.

There is still violence in Iraq, as most news sources are happy to relate. But there is something odd about it.

Two Shiite mosques were attacked Sunday and a bomb on a bus in the city of Hillah killed five people despite restrictions on movement that kept Baghdad streets deserted and businesses shuttered.

and

In the southern city of Basra, two people were injured when a homemade bomb exploded in the ablutions area of a Shiite mosque, according to a medic, and at least five people were injured when a car bomb exploded in Hilla, south of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

What's so odd about this? There are not attacks by Shia' against Sunni, but, in fact, the opposite. If a civil war were really going on, Shia's would be attacking Sunni's. The fact that the opposite is happening suggests to me that al Qaida is still trying to get that Civil War going and must be very disappointed that the Golden Dome wasn't enough.

Meanwhile

Authorities have arrested 10 suspects believed to have carried out the bombing of the Golden Tomb Mosque last Wednesday that sparked the deaths of well over 200 in sectarian violence in the following days, according to the Iraq's national security adviser.

In a televised interview with CNN's "Late Edition," Mowaffak al-Rubaie said Sunday that "We have arrested 10 people - four from the guards of the Golden Tomb shrine."

There is no doubt that for Iraq to progress and prosper, Iraqis have to take responsibility for Iraq. And while some others see disaster, I think this bombing will ultimately be a watershed event that reaffirmed Iraqi dedication to to unity and security while rejecting chaos.

UPDATE: Gateway Pundit points out that unity protests are breaking out all over Iraq.

(Is that Kos muttering "Curses! Foiled again!"?

But nowhere in the Islamic world, or here in America, are there protests against al Qaida for destroying the mosques to begin with. This does not unite Muslims against al Qaida, it divides them....

Raspberryhead

Cute kid picture of the month goes to my Granddaughter Teaghan.

You may remember Teaghan from her troubled birth. Well that was not the end of it. In total she had three major surgeries before she was a year old and almost died a few times. Her mom and dad are credited with saving her life more than once. Eating used to be a problem for her.

But as you can see, this is no longer a problem.

Though it does seem she's just as fond of wearing her food, in this case raspberries. (Click on the picture for a larger view and experience the true effect of her debauchery)

I can see an Animal House in her future.

Hall Effect

Moving on from the bathroom, here you can see that I have extended the tilework into the hall in front of the bathroom.

While I don't have "before" photos like I did with the bathroom, some of the people who read this blog have actually been to my house and they know what a beating it took during the years I raised my four kids. This is a real improvement. The bathroom door is new, as are the closet doors. All new trim and molding and even the heater baseboard is new. The side door is original and needs to be replaced but good outside doors are expensive as I discovered when I replaced the front door recently. Besides, it's 20 and snowing out so I'll wait for warmer weather. For now we've just repainted it and it looks better.

We also put in a new light fixture shown here.

I also repainted the closet, put down a new floor, and rearranged the shelving.

This closet is the main staging area for Soldier's Angels stuff that goes to Iraq

Now it's on to the front entryway...

Still No Draft

This just in

Over one year since the inauguration and still no draft.

I'm just sayin'

Following up

With regards to the UAE Port deal I posted about here, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross of the CounterTerrorism Blog points out

First of all, after this sale, DP World won't suddenly become our only recourse for port security. There is in fact a layered set of security checks that operates independent of DP World. These checks include the following:

• A 24-hour Manifest Rule that requires sea carriers to provide U.S. Customs with detailed descriptions of the contents of containers bound for the U.S. a full 24 hours before the container is loaded onto a vessel. This allows U.S. Customs officers to assess risks and scan the containers in overseas ports before they enter the U.S.
• The Coast Guard remains responsible for port security regardless of who manages the ports, while Customs and Border Protection maintains responsibility for container and cargo security.
• As containers enter the U.S., officers on the ground screen the containers using imaging and radiation detection technology.

These security procedures will not change even if DP World takes over port operations. Whether or not one believes that these security procedures are sufficient, the fact remains that we won't be left any worse off.

Read the whole thing. So as I said before

When someone who knows something presents to me a rational argument [against the sale] I'll listen.

Right now it just sound like racism.

So I remain in favor of the deal for the same reasons I stated before

Intellectually we know that the majority of Arabs are not terrorists. And one of the things we need to do to fight the war we are waging is to kill or otherwise neutralize the small number who are terrorists and befriend the majority who are not. Because OBL and his ilk are trying to place a permanent divide between Muslims and non-Muslims we must counter this strategy.

And we are only aiding al Qaida's cause if we reject Arab companies simply because they are Arab.

Soldier's Angel Sasha Cohen took the Silver Medal last night, but it wasn't easy

Cohen fell twice during her warm-up and appeared nervous as she skated onto the ice to begin her long program. She was trying to do something she had never done in international competition: skate a clean long program after a top-notch short program. Her streak continued after she fell on her first two triple jumps....

So convinced was Sasha Cohen that her performance Thursday night would not yield a medal she changed out of her maroon skating outfit before the award ceremony.

"I really didn't think I would get a medal," Cohen said.  "I was a little bit in shock."

She put the outfit back on to accept the silver medal in ladies figure skating.

And remember those cartoons? You know the one's I'm talking about. Well Cartoonists are striking back and EclectEcon has a roundup. Here's my favorite (via Instapundit)

(Click to enlarge)

Providing shelter

U.S. Soldiers Provide Tents to Bedouin Families

U.S. troops from the 48th Brigade Combat Team and the 406th Corps Support Battalion deliver tents to replace homes lost in a recent winter storm.

By U.S. Army Sgt. David Bill
48th Brigade Combat Team

BASE CAMP ADDER, AN NASIRIYA, Iraq, Feb. 22, 2006 — U.S. soldiers from the 48th Brigade Combat Team and the 406th Corps Support Battalion delivered large tents to five local Iraqi Bedouin families who lost their homes during a recent winter storm which brought high winds and heavy rains to the area.

After the storm, Sheik Mohammed Minshed Tayseer contacted the 48th Brigade Combat Team Civil Affairs office and requested five tents for the five families in his area who were in dire need of shelter after the storm. The civil affairs team requested support of the 16th Combat Support Group who quickly responded to the need by providing shelter in the form of Army tents.

The trucks rolled up to the home of Sheik Tayseer, a high-level sheik in the Al Gheezi tribe, who lives near the Hadeyean village, as a small group of local Iraqis looked on.

U.S. Army Capt. Trent Walsh, of Chico, Calif., the officer in charge of the security at Camp Cedar II, coordinated the convoy to deliver the tents to those in need.

“The Army is providing these large tents to replace those lost as support of the local tribes,” said Walsh. “We are glad to do it.”

The tents were received with great anticipation and excitement as they were quickly unloaded off the 5-ton truck from the 406th Corps Support Battalion.

“It feels good to provide for the locals,” said U.S. Army Spc. Jason Douthitt, of Evansville, Ind., a member of the 406th Corps Support Battalion, who helped roll the tents from the truck.

The recipients of the tents indicated they appreciated the effort.

“You [coalition forces] saved me from death to life,” said Kadhem Utob, a retired farmer who watched as his shelters were loaded into the bed of a small pick up truck. “You are providing good support for the people of Iraq. I give thanks to you.”

Priority dysfunction

So let me get this straight; Muslims all over the world felt that a bunch of cartoons that lampooned how terrorists have hijacked the Islamic faith deserved widespread riots that resulted in property damage and murder yet don't think that the destruction of a 1200 year old mosque is worth even a peaceful protest against Islamists anywhere but in Iraq?.

The cartoons were, well cartoons. But the mosque contained

the remains Ali al-Hadi, who died in 868 A.D. and his son Hassan al-Askari, who died in 874 A.D. Both were direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

What does that tell the world?

The US and Britain have both vowed to help in rebuilding the mosque.

What does that tell the world?

Update:

Instead of rallying against the Jihadists, the Arab Press attempts to shift the blame.

EGYPT'S AL-JUMHURIYAH

   

The deterioration of conditions in Iraq from bad to worse indicates that the foreign hands which directed the invasion, landed their forces in Iraq and planted their agents in powerful positions seem to be ready to sacrifice everything to continue the occupation.

A position, it seems which echos what's coming from Tehran

IRAN'S E'TEMAAD-E-MELLI

   

We have to ask who may benefit from these explosions that aim to create division among the Shias and the Sunnis in Iraq... While the occupiers are in Iraq they are responsible for the country's security and have to be held accountable for it.

And Qatar

QATAR'S AL-RAYAH

   

Yesterday's war of mosques in Iraq will exacerbate the divisions, stir up the tensions between Sunnis and Shias which have surfaced since the American invasion and push the country to the brink of civil war... This will only serve the occupiers, who will use the pretext of preventing civil war to justify their presence.

Only, it seems, in Iraq is the blame correctly placed

IRAQ'S BAGHDAD

   

Iraqis, who have been scorched by the fire of terrorism and appalled at the terrorists' crimes and who have demanded more than once solutions to the crisis, are today required more than ever before to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, unite and close ranks.

And Omar of Iraq the Model observes

I believe there are foreign terror groups behind this attack and I don't think local insurgent would do such a thing, simply because this particular shrine had been in Sunni territory for a thousand years and the residents of Samarra had always benefited from the movement of religious tourism and pilgrimage.

And reports that

From where I'm sitting now I can hear both Sunni and Shia mosques are condemning the attack through their loudspeakers....

Huge demonstrations in many of Iraq's provinces including Samarra and Mosul where thousands of people condemned the attack....

and

Ayatollah Sistani reacted quickly to the escalating anger by issuing a fatwa that forbids his followers from "Taking any action against Sunni sites" obviously to discourage his followers from carrying out retaliatory attacks on Sunni mosques.

Sistani has also demanded a 7 day mourning and to consider it a week off but the government so far has announced only a 3 day official mourning.

Muqtada cut his tour in Lebanon and is heading back to Baghdad, he called on his followers from Beirut to "have self-control and refrain from violence".

More recently, Omar is reporting that attacks against Sunni's are directed and surgical

The sense in the streets and the statements given by some Shia clerics suggest that retaliation attacks are organized and under control and are focusing on mosques frequented by Salafi and Wahabi groups and not those of ordinary Sunnis

As.recently as Tuesday riots were still occuring over cartoons in Pakistan. But the destruction of a Mosque, by terrorists is being comletely ignored by the masses and met with denial in the Arab Press.

But this is precisely what the Islamo-fascists want.

And they want this too.

Ice Angel

Russia's Irina Slutskaya is the odds on favorite for winning the gold in Olympic Ice Dancing. But there's a little problem she must overcome first

a fraction ahead of her after the short program is a perky Californian.

That would be American Sasha Cohen

The thing is, Sasha's not just a champion skater, she's also a Soldier's Angel.

I also support Soldiers' Angels. I can’t imagine the danger our soldiers face at home and all over the world. How would you feel if your mom or dad were ordered overseas and you didn’t know when they would return home?;

Adopting a soldier is the best way I can say to our soldiers that I support you and I don’t take for granted your  personal sacrifice to make my world safe.

Blogger and Angel her own self, Holly Aho notes that Sasha's been an Angel since 2004.

Thursday night Sasha goes for the gold. But for the soldiers she helped through their deployment overseas in a war zone, she's already won it.

You too can go for the gold.

Support Sasha and become an Angel yourself.

Please?

Greyhawk has more. And so does Blackfive.

And did I mention that clicking on the first photo of Sasha will play a video of her skating? Oooops Sorry.