UPDATE BELOW — 2:00 PM, CST
Wow, I’ve finally stumbled across something worth reading in the Neocon Bible known as The Weekly Standard…
Warden Stone
A Marine Corps general brings a new approach to detainee operations.by Christian Lowe
IT MAY NOT BE the most dramatic operation going on to defeat the insurgency and weed out al Qaeda operatives in Iraq, and it may not grab the biggest headlines. But one Marine general is waging his counterinsurgency fight by attacking the battlefield of the mind, rather than kicking in doors and blowing up buildings.
In a corner of the sprawling Baghdad International Airport, just a harrowing armored bus ride from the Green Zone, Maj. Gen. Doug Stone is implementing a novel plan to undercut the insurgency by drying up its base of hardened fighters.
With a combination of vocational education, religious “enlightenment” courses, and more carrots than sticks, Stone is working to send detainees captured in U.S. raids back into society with a mission of building a unified Iraq, rather than tearing it down. …”
(Snip!)
“… What makes Stone unique in this high-profile job is his background. A Marine reservist who’s made a healthy living in private business, Stone is a Marine for the love of it–he’s not exactly gunning for Commandant. That’s why he’s a bit more willing to take risks and attack problems with a gusto that cuts potential career consequences out of the equation.
After assuming command of detainee operations in May, Stone put together
a novel program that aims to separate the moderate Iraqis that have been detained during raids and other combat operations from the “dead-ender” extremists who he believes are unable to be swayed. …”(Snip!)
“… About 60 at a time, Stone’s troops put detainees through a battery of questioning that’s more than just a typical interrogation. They’re looking for information on education, job history, criminal record, religious motivations and aptitude–all in hopes of developing an alternative to going back to their insurgent ways.
After separating the hard-cores from the moderates, Stone plies the detainees with vocational training, counseling and religion classes run by Iraqi imams to divert their energies into embracing a unified Iraq. …”
(Snip!)
“… And the majority of the detainee population is Sunni.
Though the situation at one time seemed intractable, Stone is beginning to see some success with his plan. In the past, as many as 7 percent of detainees who were eventually released found their way back into the detainee camps. That included many who left the camps during government-sponsored mass releases. But since the beginning of 2007, less than 2 percent of the 4,000 detainees released have returned–and none of those are graduates of the new program. …”
(Snip!)
“… One vocational program puts the detainees to use making bricks to help rebuild Iraq’s war-torn infrastructure. Each brick made by the detainees is inscribed in Arabic “brick by brick we rebuild our nation.”
“We’ve had 14 or so youth not want to leave when they could have been
let go,” Stone recalled. “We’ve had parents visit us and say ‘if he’s working on his education please don’t let him out.’ “
First off — KUDOS to the great General Doug Stone for thinking outside of the box and attempting to wage “peace” in a war zone.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I find it rather curious how this very same RAG (The Weekly Standard), the Mainstream Media and the Bush Administration typically refers to these very same Iraqi insurgents as “al-Qaeda” when they’re out on the battlefields. Capture them however, and the truth comes out; the vast majority of these guys are torqued off, hopeless feeling, Iraqi citizens with chips on their shoulders for being left out of the political process in their own country; courtesy of a huge “Bush OOPS”. “al-Qaeda”, INDEED.
Meanwhile, the rhetoric between our once-close ally, Turkey and the United States is heating up to the boiling point, with a whole slough of Turks and Kurds in Northern Iraq about to become labeled “al-Qaeda” should the harsh words turn into bullets and bombs…
From Watching America:
Hurriyet, Turkey
Let the Americans Try and Stop Us! …
“What if American F-16s come in front of us to block us? Let them try, that’s their business. … Our targets will be on Barzani’s military and economic targets. Our goal will be to transform the ‘Kurdish dream’ into a ‘Turkish nightmare.’”
By Ertugrul Ozkok
Various Turkish television stations called me yesterday, asking me to appear to air my views on our current situation. I thank them for making the offer, since I know they are serious about their work, but I also had to apologize. I simply wasn’t in a situation in which I could appear before cameras yesterday, since I had no sense – only anger.
All I had in my mind was this one question: at the point at which we have arrived, who is it that we are supposed to address our anger toward? I think I’ve found the answer: it’s the person who protects the PKK [Kurdish Workers' Party], who provides them their swamp to sleep in and the person who guides them: Barzani.
Yes, we must now address Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish regional authority in northern Iraq. We need to deliver this final message to him in the strongest fashion possible: “You have two paths before you. Either you will be our neighbor, or our target.”
The decision lies with the Iraqi Kurds. It’s their business if they decide to trust in the United States and choose the path to being our enemies.
But if this is the case though, our rifle targets must swivel to Barzani. Our targets will be on Barzani’s military and economic targets. Our goal will be to transform the “Kurdish dream” into a “Turkish nightmare.” …
(Snip!)
“… A handful of F-16s from the Turkish Air Force carrying out 30 or 40 sorties would result in a northern Iraq that just went backwards 20 years.
What if American F-16s come in front of us to block us? Let them try, that’s their business.
But the United States shouldn’t forget that such a course will involve Iran, Syria, and attach Russia, too. In fact, what they’ll see is a geography that stretches all the way to Afghanistan. Oh, and let Washington remember to add nations in its old backyard to the mix, those Latin American countries that now hate the United States. And then there’s always neutral Europe. Yes, these are all things that not only we, but America, lying 14,000 kilometers away from us, needs to think about. If the calculations and bills are being made there, the scale is over here. And on one side of the scale lies northern Iraq, while on the other side lays Turkey. …”
Okay… this, coming from a citizen of Turkey — one of our FRIENDS and strongest ALLIES in the President’s “Global War On Terr’r” — not good. NOT GOOD AT ALL.
Folks — forget Iran — THIS is beginning to sound a lot like WW-III to me. Never in my lifetime has there been a stronger need for a DIPLOMAT in the Oval Office, and the sad part is, the current field of leading candidates for the Oval Office damned near GUARANTEES a hawkish Neocon will succeed President Bush in the White House in 2009.
On the GOP’s side of the fence, it’s a “no-brainer” — “Neocon-Ville” guaranteed, but on the other side of the aisle, we’ve got Her Royal Highness, Queen Hillary, who has promised “bidness as usual” in Iraq and Barack Obama who wants to invade one of our other great allies, Pakistan. Fun, fun, FUN, eh, friends? NEOCONS, BOTH OF THEM (source: Reason Online) — get that through your heads right now before you do something dangerous and cast your precious votes for one of them.
Remember, my fellow Americans — these dangerous clowns (both sides of the aisle) are only “front-runners” because we allow them to be. I urge you to THINK. Before it’s too late.
UPDATE: (H/T to MemeOrandum)
The Washington Post it appears, is reporting Iraq has vowed to work with Turkey to wipe out the PKK:
Iraq Vows to Help Turkey Halt Rebel Attacks
By Robin Wright and Michael Abramowitz
Iraqi officials said today that they would move to halt the activity of Kurdish rebels who have been striking across the border from northern Iraq, a promise delivered amid a flurry of international diplomatic efforts to prevent a widening conflict between the two countries.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement in Baghdad promising to close the offices of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, news services reported.
“The PKK is a terrorist organisation and we have taken a decision to shut down their offices and not allow them to operate on Iraqi soil. We will also work on limiting its terrorist activities which are threatening Iraq and Turkey,” the statement said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan was in Baghdad today and made a joint appearance with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari before planned meetings with other Iraqi officials. …”
Thank God — sanity might prevail after all. Save the tickertape and hope for the best, folks…
***
Other bloggers weigh in, courtesy of MemeOrandum: The Newshoggers; The Van Der Galiën Gazette; The Moderate Voice
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1:46 pm on October 23rd, 2007 1
It’s good to see the left is finally catching on. This very well could be the beginning of WWIII. We (the U.S.) can stand by and watch it happen, or we can try to make events unfold in a way that is favorable to the survival of our way of life. Most liberals prefer the former, I prefer the latter. Either way, we didn’t start it, and we can’t stop it. Our best bet is to protect our way of life and keep the fighting outside of our country. That may sound cold-hearted, and maybe it is, but those of you who have seen a war zone know what I’m talking about. You don’t want that here.
Over there you have millions upon millions of young men that are not just willing to die for their religion, but are thrilled to do so. Their religion is their way of life, it is their heritage and their culture. It is the only thing many of them have ever known. These are the people who will control enough of the world’s oil supply to economically destroy the west. Eventually, they will more than likely play that card. It will bring the U.S. to its knees unless we are willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent it.
Can diplomacy prevent this? I doubt it. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. These people don’t hate us because of what we have said or what we have done. They hate us because of who we are and what we represent; mainly Christianity, freedom, and wealth. No amount of Bush-bashing or political posturing will change the fact that they really don’t care who our President is. They are driven by their hatred of Christianity, Judaism, personal freedoms that we have and that they want to destroy.
So, I agree with GTL… THINK! Think before you vote and vote for whoever will protect the United States first and foremost, and our way of life. We have already seen the way the enemy responds to weakness and lack of resolve. As soon as our responses weaken, they will be back.
6:20 pm on October 23rd, 2007 2
oh how they love to demonize the “enemy”…we called Indians “savages”…Brits called Colonials “Rebels”. We called Vietnamese “gooks”, VC and Charlie…sublimation for violating one of the Ten COmmandments.
..Must be a sale on whitewash these days.
F & B, keep digging that fallout shelter. Keerp thinkking that Christianity is the only qualifier for this country exclusive of all others.
We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.
9:03 pm on October 23rd, 2007 3
Politics is always going to be politics but our nation needs a diplomat for a President. High Five to my friend GTL for pointing that fact out. In that respect if you turn your eyes to Senator Joe Biden and Governor Bill Richardson then we have the chance to end the madness that Bush has created in Iraq.
Clean up on aisle seven in international foods!!!
Great piece Gunny! Damn good. I wished I only beat you to it this time…LOL!
10:46 pm on October 23rd, 2007 4
Good to see ya again, Mat! Thanks for stopping by and don’t be a stranger, bro
11:08 pm on October 23rd, 2007 5
I might be strange but I’m never far away bro…LOL!
Always in my prayers
11:24 pm on October 23rd, 2007 6
Strange? Strange are the people who call themselves and act as if they are “normal”… those are the scary sumbitches… LOL.
Always in my prayers, too, bro…
9:31 am on October 24th, 2007 7
OK guys, if you’re done with your little kumbaya moment there…
Hanginjohnny – judging from your past posts, I am probably more tolerant of those with differing opinions than you are.
If you read what is written, rather than inserting your own prejudices and preconceived ideas, I am not proselytizing for Christianity. The fact is, Islamic jihadists are opposed to Christianity and consider it an honor to kill a Christian or a Jew. Now what is it in that statement that the warped liberal psyche would interpret as indicating that I am somehow opposed to religions other than Christianity???
My point is that if these events are the beginning throes of WWIII, which it very well may be, then We (the U.S.) need to approach it without keeping our heads buried in the sand, as you are obviously doing, and as we have done during the beginnings of the last two world wars.
Europe tried using diplomacy with Hitler. It is now referred to as “appeasement” and led to the fall of Eastern Europe. Let’s not make the same mistake.
4:08 pm on October 24th, 2007 8
F & B,
when you post something so McCain-like, so pipe-dream fantasy, right of center like :
“They hate us because of who we are and what we represent; mainly Christianity, freedom, and wealth.”
I have to call you out on it. I don’t discount your opinion, its your obfuscation of the facts I take issue with. That’s an opinion statement masquerading as purported fact -It’s not so much what you are saying but how. Too much half-truth spingurgitation is going on that the kernels of truth are getting buried under piles of bs( in general- from DC to the Dakotas ). Had you said “I think that…” that couches your statement in more relative terms and not bully-pulpit-ized fact gerrrymandering.
300 Million people and how many qualify for making this country “mostly Christian”. This country was founded mostly by Deists, not Christians.
I have no beef with Christianity- I am one, but I have a beef with those who go around wearing it like its the Prom king/queen sash. Imho they totally don’t get the message.
—-
Go ahead- discount the Jews, the Buddhists, the Hindus and every other creed in this country. I guess the Islamic Jihadists don’t really count them. Do you know how many people from OTHER countries died in the WTC attacks?
—-
Another WW3 talker- keep talking about it and maybe your wish will come true for your “end times”. Me, I’m hoping for sense and reason over nihilism. Keep letting fear dictate your reactions and thoughts and you might end up chewing your own arm off. Maybe you should have a drink with Norm Podheretz, because he’s jumped over WW3 and gone on to talk about WW4 with Rudy.
Hitler was one leader of one country bent on empire building- it seems Godwins law applies here as it does for MLK. Apples and oranges m’ friend.
6:17 pm on October 24th, 2007 9
hanginjohnny – My statement: “They hate us because of who we are and what we represent; mainly Christianity, freedom, and wealth.” — OK. You’re right on the point that I should have generalized this to be non-Muslim instead of Christianity. However, the Islamic jihadists do view U.S. America as a Christian nation, not a Jewish nation, or Buddhist, or Hindi nation, etc.
I don’t equate WWIII and “end times” (I assume you’re referring to “end times” as the Armageddon concept portrayed by fundamentalist religious zealots).
Obviously, I don’t discount Jews as they are mentioned several times in the two posts in question.
Godwin’s law notwithstanding, it does seem to me that Hitler is relevant to a discussion of World Wars, especially considering that diplomacy failed with Hitler prior to WWII.
And finally, you really shouldn’t be so judgemental. Fear doesn’t dictate my thoughts or actions. And your statement regarding my supposed “obfuscation of facts” is also just your opinion. And your statement that “This country was founded mostly by Deists, not Christians.” is only true as it relates to many of the founding fathers. Most of the people populating the colonies, and fighting and dying in the Revolutionary war, and building the country from the ground up were actually Christians.
10:00 am on October 25th, 2007 10
I should have qualified as “founding fathers”, the people who wrote the laws of the land that this admin so callously disrespects. Interesting to note-Thomas Payne, the man responsible for stoking the fires of freedom in the common man, was an Athiest.
As far as our friends of the Jewish faith- I believe you only mention them once or twice in your posts, not several. (nit picking- since when is a “few”= “several” )
From my experience/knowledge, jihadists really don’t care of there targets are Christian, Jew or otherwise- all non-Muslim (extremists) are fair game. they even kill people of their own faith, and somehow megalomaniacally justify it. They are sick people with broken souls.