[Vision2020] Just a Couple Headlines

[Tom Hansen]

Just a few quick headlines, extracted from various national newspapers,
found in today's (March 23, 2006) online Early Bird Edition of the Army
Times.

Note to ToeKnee:  No.  The Army Times is not a liberal, left-wing newspaper.

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Insurgents Shower Iraq Police Center With Mortar Shells
[New York Times, March 23, 2006]
Insurgents on Wednesday laid siege to the headquarters of a police
paramilitary unit near Baghdad, lobbing a volley of mortar shells that
killed at least one senior officer and wounded at least five.

Gunmen Kill Shiite Pilgrims in Baghdad
Insurgent Attack on Police Station Southeast of Capital Leaves 4 Others Dead
[Washington Post, March 23, 2006, Pg. 17]
At least five Shiite Muslim pilgrims were killed in Baghdad when gunmen
fired on their vehicles as they were headed home from celebrating a major
religious holiday.

Reporters in Iraq Under Fire There, and From Critics
Constant danger, high costs limit journalists' reach
[USA Today, March 23, 2006, Pg. 10]
Journalists in Iraq face increasing threats to their safety and increasing
criticism of their work.

Convoy Duty Is Still Task of U.S.
Iraqis not trained for dangerous role
[New Orleans Times-Picayune, March 18, 2006, Pg. 1]
No matter how many U.S. combat troops in Iraq are eventually replaced by
Iraqis, as especially difficult and dangerous mission will remain an
American responsibility---convoy duty.

Desire To ?Serve My Country' Cited By Volunteers for Duty in Iraq
[Washington Post, March 23, 2006, Pg. 21]
Almost 1,000 members of the U.S. Foreign Service have volunteered for duty
in Iraq since 2003. The most cited reason for volunteering to deploy to Iraq
is to "serve my country."

In Placid Iraqi Kurdistan, Strife To the South Elicits Little Sympathy
[New York Times, March 23, 2006]
Kurds in northern Iraq feel like they are a world away from the violence
that plagues the rest of Iraq. They don't have much sympathy for what's
happening south of them. Most Kurds view Shiites and Sunnis as foreign
oppressors and approve that they are killing each other.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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And why shouldn't the rich pay taxes?

"The people that write laws are greedy.  They need money to buy votes.  What
better way to get it than to extract it, by force of law, from the
relatively few who can afford the nicer things in life.  If you can buy
something nice then you can pay more taxes so that politicians can give
something to the 'poor' and take a cut for themselves."
 
- Varnel W. (March 20, 2006)

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