[Thanks to Mark Shapiro, who sent this in.]

60% Of Iraqis Favor Killing U.S. Troops

[Because The U.S. Politicians Won’t Get Them Out.  Duh.]

Shia And Sunni Agree Perfectly:

Majority Of Both Now For Armed Resistance To Occupation

 [Thanks to Don Bacon, The Smedley Butler Society, and Pham Binh, Traveling Soldier, who sent this in.]

 9/27/2006 By BARRY SCHWEID, AP & Program on International Policy Attitudes

 As many as six in ten Iraqis say they approve of attacks on U.S.-led forces in their country.  But almost as many say they also have an overwhelmingly negative opinion of Osama bin Laden.

 Support appears to be related to a widespread perception, held by all ethnic groups, that the US government plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq.

 About 61 percent approved of the attacks - up from 47 percent in January.

 A solid majority of Shiite and Sunni Arabs approved of the attacks, according

to the poll.  The increase came mostly among Shiite Iraqis.

 Three-fourths believe the U.S. intends to keep military bases in Iraq permanently.

MORE:

“Strong Majority” Of Iraqis Say Get Out Of Our Country Now!

Withdraw Immediately!

So What Is U.S. Troops Mission?

Die For Bush’s Imperial Military Dictatorship

 9.27.06 By Amit R. Paley Washington Post Staff Writer, Washington Post [Excerpts]

 A strong majority of Iraqis want U.S.-led military forces to immediately withdraw from the country, saying their swift departure would make Iraq more secure and decrease sectarian violence, according to new polls by the State Department and independent researchers.

 In Baghdad, for example, nearly three-quarters of residents polled said they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq, with 65 percent of those asked favoring an immediate pullout, according to State Department polling results obtained by The Washington Post.

 By large margins, though, Iraqis believed that the U.S. government would refuse the request, with 77 percent of those polled saying the United States intends keep permanent military bases in the country.

 The stark assessments, among the most negative attitudes toward U.S.-led forces since they invaded Iraq in 2003, contrast sharply with views expressed by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

 Last week at the United Nations, President Jalal Talabani said coalition troops should remain in the country until Iraqi security forces are "capable of putting an end to terrorism and maintaining stability and security."

 "Majorities in all regions except Kurdish areas state that the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) should withdraw immediately, adding that the MNF-I's departure would make them feel safer and decrease violence," concludes the 20-page State Department report, titled "Iraq Civil War Fears Remain High in Sunni and Mixed Areas."  

The report was based on 1,870 face-to-face interviews conducted from late June to early July.

 The director of another Iraqi polling firm, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared being killed, said public opinion surveys he conducted last month showed that 80 percent of Iraqis who were questioned favored an immediate withdrawal.

 Eight-five percent of Sunnis in that poll supported an immediate withdrawal, a number virtually unchanged in the past two years, except for the two months after the Samarra bombing, when the number fell to about 70 percent, the poll director said.

 Interviews with two dozen Baghdad residents in recent weeks suggest one central cause for Iraqi distrust of the Americans:  They believe the U.S. government has deliberately thrown the country into chaos.

 The most common theory heard on the streets of Baghdad is that the American military is creating a civil war to create an excuse to keep its forces here.

 "Do you really think it's possible that America -- the greatest country in the world -- cannot manage a small country like this?" Mohammad Ali, 42, an unemployed construction worker, said as he sat in his friend's electronics shop on a recent afternoon. "No!  They have not made any mistakes.  They brought people here to destroy Iraq, not to build Iraq."

 As he drew on a cigarette and two other men in the store nodded in agreement, Ali said the U.S. government was purposely depriving the Iraqi people of electricity, water, gasoline and security, to name just some of the things that most people in this country often lack.

 "They could fix everything in one hour if they wanted!" he said, jabbing his finger in the air for emphasis.

 Mohammed Kadhem al-Dulaimi, 54, a Sunni Arab who used to be a professional soccer player, said he thought the United States was creating chaos in the country as a pretext to stay in Iraq as long as it has stayed in Germany.

 "All bad things that are happening in Iraq are just because of the Americans," he said, sipping a tiny cup of sweet tea in a cafe.  "When should they leave?  As soon as possible.  Every Iraqi will tell you this."

  Sitting in a neon-orange chair as he waited for a haircut, Firas Adnan, a 27-year-old music student, said: "I really don't know what I want. If the Americans leave right now, there is going to be a massacre in Iraq. But if they don't leave, there will be more problems.  

 “From my point of view, though, it would be better for them to go out today than tomorrow."

 He paused for a moment, then said, "We just want to go back and live like we did before."

MORE:

Having Read That, Get This:

Breathtaking Stupidity Rules The U.S. Command In Baghdad:

Now They Want To U.S. Troops To Go Attack The Shia Majority!

[In Everyday Speech, This Is Called A Death Wish.  Unfortunately, It’s The Troops, Not The Generals, Who Will Die]

[Evidently unhappy with how few U.S. troops are being killed and maimed, these Generals want to attack Sadr City, where millions of Shia militants have, so far, mostly stood aside.  With a majority of Iraqis already for killing occupation troops, and for every last U.S. troops getting out of Iraq immediately, their brilliant plan is to provoke the huge Shia population into going into military action against the occupation. 

 [In everyday speech, this is called a death wish.  The problem is that, unfortunately, it’s the troops, not the generals, who will die.]

 9.28.06 By Solomon Moore, Los Angeles Times [Excerpts]

 A map provided by the U.S. military Wednesday identified nine neighborhoods that have been targeted in an ongoing Baghdad security plan, a major effort aimed at ridding the capital of Sunni Arab insurgents and Shiite militias.  However, all but two of those neighborhoods are predominantly Sunni.

 U.S. military leaders described various hindrances as they attempt to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad, including “no-touch lists'' that prohibit them from arresting politicians and other high-status individuals, and off-limits areas inside Baghdad that the U.S. military must avoid without permission from the Iraqi government.

 The statements by ranking U.S. authorities complaining about the situation highlight rising American dissatisfaction with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, and an increasing willingness to exert pressure on the fledging Iraqi government.

 The U.S. military would like to stage heightened military operations in Baghdad neighborhoods like Sadr City, a stronghold for the Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

 Army Maj. Gen. James Thurman, commander of U.S. troops in Baghdad, said last week that …… “I consider that issue a problem that the government must deal with immediately.''

MORE:

Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman:

Despicable Hypocrite;

[The Iraqis want the U.S. troops gone now.  And this piece of shit has the gall to babble about “holding the rule of law in contempt.”  When the majority of people in a country want foreign invaders and occupiers to get the fuck out of their country now, that is the law.  And when Bush and his pack of murdering traitors refuse to get the troops out, patriotic Iraqis take arms and fight for their freedom.  They are right to do so.  And this skank for Bush dares talk about holding the rule of law in contempt!  The blood of U.S. troops and Iraqis is on his hands.  Payback is overdue.  By the rule of law, this traitor should be under arrest and facing trial for murder.  T]

“Militias are holding the rule of law in contempt.  We're pushing this government to get a policy as to how they're going to deal with it so their own people know how to deal with the militias,'' Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman told The Associated Press last week.

MORE FROM THURMAN:

Silly Liar Thurman Tells More Silly Lies

[Thanks to Don Bacon, The Smedley Butler Society, who sent this in.]

[First, Silly Liar Thurman:]

(22 Sep 06): U.S. Department of Defense News Briefing from Iraq: Presenter: Commander, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, Maj. Gen. James Thurman [Excerpt]

Q     General, it's Nick Simeone at Fox News. Does the military plan to move into Sadr City, or maybe you already have, and disarm militias there?

GENERAL THURMAN:  "I'm in Sadr City all the time.  It's a misnomer to say we don't go into Sadr City. 

I myself walk in the streets of Sadr City.  [Figures.  What else would a Bush whore do but walk the streets?  Thanks for confirming your occupation.]

And, you know, we don't need to paint an enemy that's 15 feet tall here.

I'm not going to discuss future operations with you, but we conduct combined patrolling in there with Iraqi security forces -- with police and army units -- in Sadr City every day.

And I'd invite you to come over here and go with me and we'll go in there."

[Second, the truth silly liar Thurman tries to hide:]

U.S.: Sadr City Again A Militants’ Haven

25 Sep 06 By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. soldiers trying to calm Baghdad say the sprawling Sadr City slum has once again become a haven for anti-American militants - and the source of most of the gunfire and mortars directed at them.

In the last two weeks, U.S. forces have suffered several casualties from dozens of shootings, mortar attacks and roadside bombings that American troops believe originated from Sadr City. . .

Instead of venturing into Sadr City in strength, U.S. troops are concentrating instead on the mostly Shiite neighborhoods that surround the militia stronghold.  All the while they are drawing fire from Sadr City.

IRAQ WAR REPORTS

Two Hawaii-Based Soldiers Killed By Roadside Bomb

9.28.06 The Associated Press

HONOLULU:  The Army on Tuesday identified two Hawaii-based soldiers who were killed by a roadside bomb Saturday in Iraq.

They were identified as Sgt. Velton Locklear IV, 29, of Lacey and Pfc. Kenneth E. Kincaid, 25, of Lilburn, Ga.

The infantrymen died in Riyadh when a bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations.  Three other soldiers were injured.

Locklear and Kincaid were both assigned from the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade.

The soldiers were part of Task Force Lightning in northern Iraq. They both were assigned to Schofield Barracks in February 2006.

Locklear joined the Army in June 2003. Kincaid enlisted in October

Soldier Killed In Iraq Always Had OSU In Mind

September 20, 2006 Jeb Phillips, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Sgt. Adam Knox would have been home from Iraq on Nov. 17.

He scheduled his leave to start then so he could be back for the Ohio State-Michigan game the next day.

There was no bigger Buckeye fan than Adam.  He’d yell so loud when a player on the team made a mistake that people two counties over could hear him. He once told his homecoming date at Westland High School he was going to have to skip the dance to watch the Northwestern game.

He joined the Army Reserves in part to pay for school. He told his friends that when his deployment to Iraq was over, he’d eventually like to start school at Ohio State.

In March, he deployed with Whitehall’s 346 th Psychological Operations Company, whose mission is to help the U.S. win over the hearts and minds of Iraqis.  He handed out candy and soccer balls to the kids there, and he ate dinner with Iraqi officials.

But a few weeks ago, he was attached to another unit in Baghdad.  He told his family that it would be dangerous for a little while, then he’d be back with his old unit.

Knox, 21, had about a week of dangerous duty left when he was killed Sunday.  A Defense Department news release said he was hit with small-arms fire during combat operations.

He joined the Army Reserve just after he graduated from Westland in 2003.

His father, Jay Knox, an Army veteran, was sick with an inoperable spinal tumor that eventually would kill him.  Adam joined in part for the college money, said younger brother Tom Knox, and in part because of his father’s influence.

Adam was always a hard worker, at a Meijer store, at Skyline Chili and, just before he mobilized, at a businessproducts wholesaler.

The Army suited him, his friends said.  He had a predisposition to neatness and order. He made people take off their shoes before getting in his Z28 Camaro so they wouldn’t mess up the carpets, said Rob Wallace, his best friend since first grade. He scrubbed that car inside and out every weekend.

But he was a little shy before he joined the Army.

"It’s not that he lacked confidence, but he just seemed more proud of himself after he finished training," said Aaron Festog, another longtime friend.  Knox believed in what the military was doing in Iraq, his friends said. He complained that people focused too much on why the U.S. was there, or how much it was costing, and not enough on the good that individual soldiers were doing.

He hadn’t quite figured out what he wanted for his life.  He’d talked about the military as a career, about firefighting, maybe. His brother said that while in Iraq, Adam thought about becoming a park ranger.

But his friends said he still wanted to come back and go to Ohio State. He liked the idea of student football tickets.

Besides his brother, Tom, Knox is survived by his mother, Deborah, and an older brother, Tony. 

Funeral arrangements were pending last night.

Soldier From Brighton Killed In Iraq

[Thanks to Anna Bradley, who sent this in.]

9/28/06 10nbc.com/

For the 11th time since the beginning of the War on Terror, the Rochester area has lost one of its own.

Thursday News 10NBC learned that a soldier from Brighton was killed by a sniper in Iraq.   28 year old, First Lieutenant James Lyons died Wednesday.  He was shot while on patrol with the 4th Infantry Division, south of Baghdad.

He is the third soldier killed in the war from Brighton.

News 10NBC spoke with the Lyons family about their loss.  Lyons' tour in Iraq was to be over in November and he was home as recently as August.  His parents described him as a born leader, from the football games he would organize in his front yard as a kid, to the tank platoon he led in Iraq.

Lt. James Lyons of Brighton served in Iraq since last Christmas, and was killed by sniper fire early Wednesday morning.  His parents, Robert and Marcia, talked to News 10NBC in their home Thursday. 

Marcia Lyons remembers when she heard the doorbell ring Wednesday at noon. “So I opened the door and in front of me were two army officer in full uniform and when you see that you know your son is a casualty,” said Marcia Lyons.

The Lyons admitted their guard was down.  James Lyons had already survived two roadside bomb attacks, including one less than a week ago.  Now their yellow ribbon is wrapped in black and their blue star soon to be gold.  Despite the loss, the Lyons continue to support their son's mission.  “I think we have the opportunity that Bush has set out for us to do something important for the world and to protect ourselves by being there,” said Robert Lyons.

Lt. Lyons grew up in Brighton. He played football and lacrosse in high school and graduated from Syracuse University in 2003.  He served in the army for three years.

“I believe my son is a hero, he'll always be a hero and we're very proud of him,” said Marcia Lyons.

The body of James Lyons will return home to Brighton sometime next week.  He will be buried in a family plot in Corry, Pennsylvania where he will lie next to his great great grandfather who was a hero in the Civil War.

Local Marine Shot In Iraq

September 28, 2006 By GREG MILLER of the Tribune’s staff, The Columbia Daily Tribune

Connie McClellan struggled to keep her composure as the glow of flames lit her face during a candlelight vigil for her 20-year-old son, John, a Marine injured this week by a sniper’s bullet in Iraq.

"I can’t tell you how touched we are by the outpouring here," she said last night as dozens of friends and family gathered on her north Columbia lawn.  "I know he’s going to be healed."

John McClellan was shot in the head Tuesday while manning his post in Haditha, Iraq. Although he was wearing a helmet, the bullet entered over his left ear and exited through the back of his neck.

McClellan survived the attack and is being cared for in a hospital in Germany.

Connie McClellan said doctors told her this morning that her son has movement in all four extremities, he is responding to sensory stimuli and major brain functions are intact.

The initial phone call to the family at 12:15 a.m. yesterday wasn’t as reassuring.

"When the phone first rang in the middle of the night like that, our first response was John was calling," Connie McClellan said.  "And then you hear this male voice: ‘Mrs. McClellan.’  Your emotions start to plummet."

From a military hospital in Iraq, a doctor told Connie McClellan that her son’s brain was swelling and a shunt had been placed.  If McClellan survived, his mother said the doctor told her, he’d have "severe brain damage."

"I’m asking that they pray for a miracle," the 56-year-old said yesterday afternoon.  "Our prayer is that a miracle happens again."

This isn’t the first time McClellan has been shot.  A lance corporal machine gunner with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Echo Company, McClellan completed a seven-month stint in Afghanistan in January. During his time abroad, the Hickman High School graduate was shot in the right arm on two different October days in the same week.

The soldier, whom fellow Marines started calling "Lucky," left for Iraq on Sept. 11.

Thirty minutes before the candlelight vigil was scheduled to begin last night, more than 40 people were waiting in Oakland Park.  As more friends arrived and the yellow glow grew stronger, Susie Edwards of Columbia was quick to direct people to a poster and markers resting on the hood of a Nissan.

She wanted folks to leave messages for her injured godson.

"We kind of thought they could maybe take it to John," Edwards said. "That would help him."

People in the park approached the poster without hesitation to leave notes, such as "Our prayers are with you" and "Love you Johnny," for their fallen friend.

In high school, McClellan bussed tables at Everett’s Restaurant & Lounge and still drops by when he’s in town.  Everett’s co-owner Holly Russell sent food to the family when she heard about the shooting.

It was important for her to be at the vigil "to let John know that I’m supporting him and that we love him," she said as she began to cry, "and pray."

When the vigil began in earnest at 7:30 p.m., Tom Leuther, pastor of Family Worship Center, led the more than 100-person gathering in prayer and a procession from the park, across Blue Ridge Road to the McClellan home.  "We’re standing with them," Leuther said. "We’re supporting them in this time of crisis in their lives."

Clad in a T-shirt that read, "My son … one of the few, the proud, the Marines," Connie McClellan welcomed the gathering and cried along with them. After a short prayer, she hugged every member of the gathering and told them to expect an e-mail with information after her 1 a.m. phone call with doctors. She had the news out at 1:20 a.m.  "THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!" she wrote.

Connie McClellan said doctors told her the only part of her son’s brain that might be affected has to do with eyesight.  McClellan might be taken off of the ventilator in the next week, and there’s a good chance for a full recovery.  There’s no timetable to get McClellan home, but Connie McClellan said he’ll most likely be headed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

When asked this morning how she was doing, Connie McClellan said, "I am wonderful. The report was such the antithesis of the night before that we are claiming the miracle."

Hagerstown Marine Wounded In Iraq

September 14, 2006 By TAMELA BAKER, The Herald-Mail Company

HAGERSTOWN:  The war in Iraq came home to a Hagerstown family Thursday with word that 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Jonathan Breehl had been wounded in Habbaniyah, Iraq.

Breehl's mother and stepfather, Melissa and Jeremy Custer, said the family had been told the Marine suffered injuries to his right wrist and left thigh when shrapnel from a remote-controlled improvised explosive device struck him Thursday morning.

His mother said she'd been told he was in serious condition and that he was to be transferred to a military hospital in Baghdad. Habbaniyah is west of Baghdad, between Fallujah and Ramadi.

Breehl is a 2005 graduate of North Hagerstown High School, where he was a standout wrestler and played football and baseball.  Shortly after he completed boot camp last year, Breehl and his mother were featured in a Herald-Mail story about parents watching their first children leave home.

His grandfather, William R. Nutter, took the call from officials at Camp Lejeune on Thursday morning.  "The first thing I asked was, 'Is he alive?'" Nutter said.

He called