FIRED



From the AP:

Saddam Hussein has fired his commander of air defenses as U.S.-led forces claimed control of 95 percent of Iraq's sky, the British government said Saturday.

"Fired", in this context, is a euphemism for "executed."

SAN FRANCISCANS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS



Today, I attended a rally in support of our troops. There were perhaps 1,000+ patriots in attendance, along with some anti-American riff-raff. I'll link to some pictures very soon.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!



Victor Davis Hanson drops some serious M.O.A.B. s*** on the "commentators" and "experts" who have hysterically transformed overwhelming US military progess into, well, something else. An excerpt:

The commentators need to listen to history. By any fair standard of even the most dazzling charges in military history � the German blast through the Ardennes in spring 1940, or Patton�s romp in July � the present race to Baghdad is unprecedented in its speed and daring, and in the lightness of its causalities. We can nit-pick about the need for another armored division, pockets of irregulars, a need to mop up here and there, plenty of hard fighting ahead, this and that. But the fact remains that, so far, the campaign has been historically unprecedented in getting so many tens of thousands of soldiers so quickly to Baghdad without losses � and its logistics will be studied for decades.



Indeed, the only wrinkle is that our present military faces cultural obstacles never envisioned by an Epaminondas, Caesar, Marlborough, Sherman � or any of the other great marchers. A globally televised and therapeutic culture puts an onus on American soldiers that could never have been envisioned by any of the early captains. We treat prisoners justly; our enemy executes them. We protect Iraqi bridges, oil, and dams � from Iraqi saboteurs. We must treat Iraqi civilians better than do their own men, who are trying to kill them. Our generals and leaders take questions; theirs give taped propaganda speeches. Shock and awe � designed not to kill but to stun, and therefore to save civilians � are slurred as Hamburg and Dresden. The force needed to crush Saddam�s killers is deemed too much for the fragile surrounding human landscape. Marines who raise the Stars and Stripes are reprimanded for being too chauvinistic. And on, and on, and on.

Read it all at National Review Online.

AL JAZEERA HACKED



From the Wall Street Journal:

Al-Jazeera, the Arabic news channel that angered American viewers this week by broadcasting images of dead and captured U.S. soldiers, now may count itself among the war's victims.



Hackers knocked out al-Jazeera's Arabic and English-language news sites for a third straight day Thursday -- intermittently displaying an American flag to readers of the English site (english.aljazeera.net) -- amid a wider Western backlash against the Qatar-based broadcaster. Its Washington office has received threatening phone calls this week, and its reporters were barred from the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street and Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square.

A picture can be found at the WSJ Online here, but you need to be a subscriber.



UPDATE: You can also find a picture of the hacked site at the BBC.

AMEN CORNER



Karl Zinsmeister writes about coming under an Iraqi Scud missle attack while embedded with the 82nd Airborne in Kuwait:

The establishment media have also elided over another fundamental lesson of this week: Intermediate-range Scud ballistic missiles are one of the weapons Saddam Hussein was years ago banned from possessing by U.N. Resolution 686. They are one of the weapons that, just weeks ago, he swore on a stack of Holy Korans he didn�t possess. They are one of the weapons that U.N. inspectors told us they saw no sign of. They are one of the weapons that Security Council opponents of the U.S. sniffed that Iraq was unlikely to possess any longer.



So: In the very first days of hostilities, Saddam revealed himself (once again) to be a liar. Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, and other apologists for the U.N. inspection charade were shown to be feckless fools. And American antiballistic-missile technology was demonstrated to be the defensive bulwark of our future.

Read the entire article at National Review Online.

KINDNESS IN CANADA



I lucked out at work last week, winning tickets to a hockey game last night between the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars. As the ritual home game opening light and sound show began, I found myself wondering what the crowd reaction would be when the Star Spangled Banner was played. Would there be boos as there were in Montreal last week?



My anxiety vanished when an unknown soloist began belting out "Oh say can you see..." and the audience responded with loud cheers and applause. I couldn't stop the tears. Later on, as the game progressed and it became clear that I was cheering for the US-based Dallas Stars, a complete stranger came up to me during a break.



"So, are you from the United States?" he asked.



"Yes. San Francisco, California."



"Well," he remarked "I just wanted to let you know that we should be standing by you in Iraq. I can't believe that we aren't."



I thanked the man for his warm comments, which I know are shared by millions of Canadians. The friendship between our two governments may be strained right now, but I am greatly reassured that our country's struggle is shared by others in Canada and around the world. To all who may be reading and who support the US action to liberate the people of Iraq, please accept my heartfelt thanks.

POPULAR REVOLT UNDERWAY IN BASRA



Fox News, the BBC, and others are reporting that Shiite citzens are rebelling with UK troop support.

SAN FRANCISCO TRAITORS



Here is what they look like.

IRAQI GENERALS: SURRENDER NOW AND SAVE YOUR COUNTRY



Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa defected from Romania when the Communists began to fall in Eastern Europe. Here is his open letter to Iraq's military leaders.

GENEVA CONVENTION: PART 2, ARTICLE 13



I added the emphasis, below:

Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. Any unlawful act or omission by the Detaining Power causing death or seriously endangering the health of a prisoner of war in its custody is prohibited, and will be regarded as a serious breach of the present Convention. In particular, no prisoner of war may be subjected to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are not justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the prisoner concerned and carried out in his interest.



Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.



Measures of reprisal against prisoners of war are prohibited.

IRAQ IS USING HUMAN SHIELDS



Walter Rodgers is reporting on CNN that the US cancelled a bombing mission because forward observes witnessed Iraqi soldiers "herding" women and children into military target areas.

RUMSFELD IS A SUPERSTAR



He just slammed Wolf Blitzer for suggesting that 9/11 was a response to American belligerence. It wasn't of course. 9/11 was an unprovoked attack on 3,000 innocent men and women.

JERUSALEM POST SAYS US TROOPS HAVE CAPTURED A CHEMICAL PLANT



"The Jerusalem Post's Caroline B. Glick, on the road to Baghdad with the US 3rd Infantry, reports it has captured what could be the first chemical weapons plant uncovered since the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom."



Check the full story here.

RUMSFELD ON CNN LIVE



He is slamming Al-Jazeera and others for broadcasting the humiliation of US personnel.



Key quote: "The regime of Saddam Hussein is gone."

IRAQI RESISTANCE STIFFENS



Based on what I've seen, it seems that coalition forces are meeting increasing levels of resistance as they move north toward Baghdad. Expect increased levels of "shock and awe" in response.

US SOLDIERS CAPTURED BY IRAQIS



The Iraqis are broadcasting pictures and videotape of the soldiers in question. This violates provisions of the Geneva Convention.