Walled in Neighborhoods! Security or Imprisoning Residents?

Baghdad Security Plan Burdens Residents - 10.07.2008

Baghdad, Iraq - The ongoing fighting in Baghdad pushed the Iraqi and US forces to establish checkpoints all over the city to secure the roads and neighborhoods. Controlling the cars inside the city and preventing them from distributing weapons or bombs was the first aim of these checkpoints. There are four main types of checkpoints in Baghdad, the checkpoints made by US forces those of the Iraqi National Guard, and finally those established by the Iraqi Police or the Ministry of Interior.

There are approximately five hundred checkpoints deployed around the perimeter as well as inside the city. Most of the checkpoints are directed by the Iraqi National Guard or Coalition forces. These checkpoints are getting attacked repeatedly by IEDs, car bombs, and sniper attacks. Many Iraqis were killed because of these attacks, for example, they may be driving into a checkpoint or getting killed by stray bullets fired after a car bomb attack.

On the other hand, starting several years ago, militias began using what are known as “fake checkpoints” in order to kidnap or kill people. The fake checkpoints generated great fear among the Iraqi people agains Iraqi forces whether they were military forces or police. It become something very familiar within Iraqi society that if someone was kidnapped or disappeared at one of the “fake checkpoints,” the family should go and look in the morgue looking for that person.

Another type of checkpoint began appearing in late 2007, these ones have been run by the Sahwa “Awakening” Forces, in order to control the Sunni Areas and keep them out of Al-Qaeda control and free of any other groups that may be related to Al-Qaeda. These Sahwa Forces were selected from the same area they work in, their local knowledge helps them to know everyone coming in or out of neighborhood. These forces have assisted in establishing many of the stability gains in the Sunni neighborhoods.

The Iraqi security forces used to wear masks to hide their identity form other extremist insurgents, and not to be followed when they return home. Many militias also used masks to hide their faces and keep a low profile. In late 2007 the Iraqi government ordered all security forces to take off their masks to give a greater impression of honesty and trustworthiness to the Iraqi people and prevent them form being afraid due to the threat of fake checkpoints.

Today, although security appears to have returned to much of Baghdad, blast walls and checkpoints continue to choke the city streets. These measures helped re-establish security in the capital, but today many people question them and have begun pushing the Iraqi government to take down the walls that block much of the city.

OK, I Got A Couple Of Important Thingies Here...........

First off it's October 6th, and most days bring with them a history of the past, much forgotten quickly and lessons not learned.


Here's just one for today which I'll call The bush Families & GOP's Favorite Terrorist Pal, and no it's not the one nobody thinks about anymore, especially the little bush:

Today in History: October 6, 1976

An airliner, Cubana Airlines Flight 455, exploded in midair, killing 73 mostly young passengers including the entire Cuban youth fencing team. The plot was engineered by Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban former CIA agent, who was based in Venezuela at the time.

The Posada Carriles file from the National Security Archive

Update - May 18, 2005 - Documents featured on May 17, 2005 edition of ABC's Nightline

Washington D.C. May 18, 2005 - The National Security Archive today posted additional documents that show that the CIA had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner. The Archive also posted another document that shows that the FBI's attache in Caracas had multiple contacts with one of the Venezuelans who placed the bomb on the plane, and provided him with a visa to the U.S. five days before the bombing, despite suspicions that he was engaged in terrorist activities at the direction of Luis Posada Carriles.

Both documents were featured last night on ABC Nightline's program on Luis Posada Carriles, who was detained in Miami yesterday by Homeland Security.

In addition, the Archive posted the first report to Secretary of State Kissinger from the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research on the bombing of Cubana flight 455. The report noted that a CIA source had overheard Posada prior to the bombing in late September 1976 stating that, "We are going to hit a Cuban airliner." This information was apparently not passed to the CIA until after the plane went down.
There is no indication in the declassified files that indicates that the CIA alerted Cuban government authorities to the terrorist threat against Cubana planes. Still classified CIA records indicate that the informant might actually have been Posada himself who at that time was in periodic contact with both CIA and FBI agents in Venezuela.

SNIP Files can be found at above link

Our Government has been protecting and hiding in plain site the Terrorist Luis Posada Carriles for Decades, a Mass Murderer, and apparently keeping hidden any more information about other actions by Carriles and Friends!


Now if you're curious, and little bush, his father and the group that were dealing with him, seem not to be, 60min had a pretty good report on last night about the failed leadership at the top in this so called War on Terror.


Elite Officer Recalls Bin Laden Hunt
Delta Force Commander Says The Best Plan To Kill The Al Qaeda Leader In 2001 Was Nixed





After watching or reading ask yourself the same questions this Delta Force leader has been asking himself, Why were their plans Nixed, and while thinking about those questions remember that good ole binny was a pal of the CIA, daddy bush and company, characters known by many now, think cheney, rummy and more!!!


Oh and ask yourself where was the 'Maverick' all these years, as to Both subjects above!


Took a visit over to After Downing Street and found that Dave had a post up with just a title and a link to a PDFile, opened it and found the Vetting of one Vice Presidential Candidate that the GOP nor the McCain Camp felt a need to do even before her name popped into someones empty head:


The Palin Papers yes 63 pages of all you might want to know about Sarah, all in one place.


Download the PDF Vetting and find out All About Sarah, wink wink there hockey mom, from the friends of Alaska growing in numbers as they themselves find out more and more about you and your leadership.


Mac seems to want to allow his Campaign to run her as not only the Attack Dog, with lipstick and fake folksy , but as seemingly the Tickets Top not Second, and Mac apparently approves!!


My guess would be if she stays on the National Stage much longer they will be adding many pages to the above and I would say her Political Careerer days are numbered, even the GOP wil shun her after their through with her!


Now I know that many now know about the following, just wanted to add this reminder:

At noon Eastern on Monday, October 6th, we're releasing a 13-minute documentary about the scandal called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis"

Here's the snippet of what's to come:





This look like it'll be real good and for many bring back the memories, by the way, anyone heard about Neal Bush lately!!

Brave New Foundation: In Their Boots Webcast 14

Topic: Volunteerism: A Good Cause Chapter 1

A Good Cause
Three unlikely high school volunteers are changed forever through their experiences volunteering at Walter Reed.

Originally aired on October 1st, 2008

Barbara Lau
Executive Director
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services

Courtney LaVelleye
Student Volunteer
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services

Ellie Gass
Student Volunteer
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services




Courtney Lavelleye
One of her greatest friends describes her best: "Courtney is the energetic, all-American girl." The 18-year-old high school senior from Potomac, Maryland, is more or less the ringleader of a three-person crew - Courtney, Ellie, Grace. While many of their classmates have been sleeping in on the weekends, Courtney and her two best friends have spent the past two years volunteering every Saturday at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Inspired by the work she has done at the hospital, Courtney's goal is to pursue a career as civilian nurse for a military treatment facility, like Walter Reed.

Grace Park
Grace, also 18 years old, is the valedictorian at Bullis High School. As Ellie says, "She's good at everything - she's all around amazing." She does have two rooms with two closets to fit all her clothes, but Grace is the first to admit she lives in a sheltered upper-class suburb, or as she calls it, "the Potomac Bubble." It's something she discovered while volunteering with Courtney and Ellie at Walter Reed. The experience for her was eye opening and, like the other girls, life changing. The lucky one of the group, she'll be attending nearby Georgetown University this fall, and will still be able to pop in for visits at Walter Reed.

Eleanor Gass
Originally from England, 18-year-old Ellie Gass is also a senior at Bullis High School in Potomac, Maryland. Out of the three girls, she's the self-described 'athlete' of the group, which became a bonding point for her and many of the patients at Walter Reed. Like Courtney, Ellie has been so deeply impacted by what she's seen and experienced at Walter Reed, that she's now hoping to pursue a future career in physical therapy.