bodypilot90

Russia, France Offer Gauge for Iraq Policy By David M. Shribman Boston Globe March 12, 2002 President Bush made it clear yesterday that the United States regards Iraq as a potential military threat - and as a potential military target. But as the president examines his options in forcing a "regime change" - a new term of art here - in Baghdad, the leading indicators of American action might not be the movement of US special forces and support ships in the Persian Gulf but the movement of diplomats and financiers in Paris and Moscow. Since the beginning of the decade-long struggle between the United States and Iraq, France and Russia have been the leading powers sympathetic to Saddam Hussein. Linked by oil contracts, military sales, and loans, they have been Iraq's partisans, protectors, and proxies. Now, with a growing sense that Bush sees Iraq's chemical and biological weapons programs as regional or even global threats, the State Department is keeping an eye on France and Russia. If the two, members of the United Nations Security Council, deplore UN sanctions and help Baghdad buy more time in its efforts to restrict the movement of weapons inspectors or to keep them away entirely, the administration will know that diplomatic efforts will be unavailing. If, on the other hand, France and Russia begin to take a harder line against Iraq, they will be sending a potent message inside Iraq. "If Iraq realizes that its principal supporters, France and Russia, have gone wobbly, then that will send an important signal to the people you most want to convince in Iraq that the regime will change - the upper-level technocrats," said Charles A. Duelfer, former deputy chairman of the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq. Indeed, the State Department is increasingly convinced that France and Russia could do more to avoid a military confrontation by standing up to Baghdad than by standing by Baghdad. Here's why: France and Russia are far less concerned about the viability of Saddam Hussein than they are about the viability of their own oil and manufacturing contracts. By toughening their approach to Baghdad - and by prompting an internal rebellion against Saddam Hussein - they could help assure a new stability in Iraq that would actually help get their contracts renewed and their loans repaid. Russian and French economic interests are not insignificant. Few reliable statistics are available, but trade between Russia and Iraq could run as high as $4 billion a year. The Russian firm Lukoil, which is trying to extract 667 million tons of crude from the West Qurna oil field, says its contracts could be worth another $20 billion. And Iraq still owes Russia $7 billion for weapons purchased during the Cold War. France's economic stake is also substantial. The largest long-term contract in Iraq's oil-for-food program is with Paris. But Iraq has toyed with France, which has helped develop industrial support for Iraq's military and helped build the nation's electronics facilities. Shortly after France expressed support for a UN resolution on sanctions last year, Iraqi radio said, "France will not be given preference in trade transactions with Iraq in the future because of its support of the stupid anti-Iraq draft resolution on sanctions." Yesterday, Bush went out of his way to speak of "our good ally France." France and Russia have historically been more comfortable dealing with each other than with the United States and Britain. Though opposed in the Crimean War, Paris and Moscow were allied before and during World War I, when the center of Europe was dominated by Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, making the two other major continental powers, France and Russia, feel they were at the periphery. The two nations, of course, have frequently been irritants, or worse, to the English-speaking nations. After World War II, the French alienated the United States by objecting to NATO initiatives and thwarted Britain's efforts to join the European Union. Indeed, wherever Britain has pulled back, the French have moved forward, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Britain once held the League of Nations mandate for the area that now includes Iraq, and when the British withdrew at midcentury, the French replaced them. Right now the United States and the United Nations seldom deal directly with Iraq. They deal instead with France and Russia. "The strategy-making between Russia and Iraq was very close," said Timothy V. McCarthy, a former weapons inspector in Iraq. "It's not that the Russians were Iraq's mouthpiece, but they were discussing the crisis together, figuring out how to respond together. It wasn't the Iraqis off by themselves. They were talking with the Russians." The State Department would love to know what the Iraqis are saying - but, even more important, what they are hearing.

well what part of MOVE didn't they understand. If you are going to be dumb to better be tough! Seems to me they got what they were asking for.

We're not, SH is.

don't know if this was posted b4 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Where do they get young men like this?” Martin Savidge of CNN, embedded with the 1st Marine battalion, was talking with 4 young Marines near his foxhole this morning live on CNN. He had been telling the story of how well the Marines had been looking out for and taking care of him since the war started. He went on to tell about the many hardships the Marines had endured since the war began and how they all look after one another. He turned to the four and said he had cleared it with their commanders and they could use his video phone to call home. The 19 year old Marine next to him asked Martin if he would allow his platoon sergeant to use his call to call his pregnant wife back home whom he had not been able to talk to in three months. A stunned Savidge who was visibly moved by the request shook his head and the young Marine ran off to get the sergeant. Savidge recovered after a few seconds and turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with him and asked which one of them would like to call home first, the Marine closest to him responded with out a moments hesitation “ Sir, if is all the same to you we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours, Lance Cpl Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida who was killed on 3-23-03 near Nasiriya to see how they are doing”. At that Martin Savidge totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was “Where do they get young men like this?”.

Could not have said it better!!

none taken mate. We are here to discuss. unlike some we can disagree and still be friends. You mean against the French. Hell yes we are mad at the french gov't. The only chance for a peaceful ending of this and the french took a active roll in stoping it. Chicago Sun-Times is very reliable. I have been most careful to post factual info to balance what is presented by others that say things like "GW is being a cowboy"," we are bombing mothers and babies for oil" ect, ect. Our troops are there to distroy WMD and SH and his thugs. To destroy training camps for terrorist. To liberate the Iraqi people, period If you are from Iran or Syria ect, ect and have aided the 9-11 cowards yes be afraid, be very afraid. If you sell arms or WMD to them . BE AFRAID! Why because we will defend our people from attacts and if you are at the root, the US will find you. As far as being a racist, no I am not. I dated a Iranian gal for over a year. I was able to learn a lot out her culture. I have lived in europe for a couple years, been to north africa for a few months. I love people and learning cultures. A few years ago on christmas eve a old truck broke down. In it was 6 french students. Being students they didn't have much money and the part they needed was not in stock. They spent christmas we my family and I repaired the truck for free. I would do the same today. So I am far from a racist, but I am a PROUD AMERICAN. Does that make me bad in your book? I believe the UN is antiamerican and antisemitic. The fact that over 40 nations have join our cause is a clear indication that We are not the only one that think SH and his WMD must go.

might be how I trimed it and conveted it to jpeg. I will send you the preadjusted one if you'd like

MSNBC.COM’S TESTS were conducted over a two-day period at Sargat, an alleged terrorist training camp a mile from the Iraq-Iran border. The camp, set back in an isolated valley and surrounded by snowcapped peaks, was home to the radical Islamic militant group Ansar al-Islam, which counts among its some 700 followers scores of al-Qaida fighters. In a Feb. 5 speech to the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell showed a satellite photo of the Sargat camp and described Ansar al-Islam as “teaching its operatives how to produce ricin and other poisons.” U.S. officials have repeated the allegations in recent weeks. In an operation timed to coincide with the war on Iraq, U.S. special operations forces have targeted Ansar al-Islam’s militants in northern Iraq. Hundreds of Islamists, including al-Qaida fighters who took refuge in northern Iraq after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, have been killed. Although U.S. officials for months have leveled charges that the Ansar al-Islam and al-Qaida militants were producing poisons in northern Iraq, it wasn’t until this week that specialist American teams were able to gain access to the Sargat camp to test for traces of biological and chemical weapons. Experts believe the Islamic group was producing the substances in the camp as both toxins can be created from everyday products and simple procedures. TERRORISTS TEMPTED BY TOXINS MSNBC.com’s samples of ricin and botulinum, two deadly biological agents, were taken from the soles of a boot and a shoe recovered from the Sargat camp. The facility has been flattened by several Tomahawk cruise missiles, fired as part of the U.S. campaign against Ansar al-Islam. The thick rubber boot twice tested positive for ricin, a toxin derived from castor beans. Ingesting a pinch of ricin, which causes shock and respiratory failure, can kill a human being within 72 hours. There is no cure. A black running shoe, shredded by the U.S. bombing, tested positive for botulinum. U.S. officials say terrorists have a particular interest in botulinum and ricin toxins, which may be delivered through release in food and water. Botulism, the illness resulting from botulinum ingestion, is a muscle-paralyzing disease that can cause a person to stop breathing and die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Since Sept. 11, 2001, law enforcement officials have seen an increase in attempts to produce deadly toxins like ricin and botulinum. In Britain, anti-terrorism authorities in January charged four men with producing deadly agents after they found traces of ricin in a north London apartment. More than a dozen arrests have been made in the investigation. On Thursday, the FBI issued a warning to Americans that deadly agents like ricin and botulinum could be used to contaminate the nation’s water or food supply. And in France, police are on alert after recently finding traces of ricin in flasks in a train station locker in Paris. The territory of northern Iraq where the traces of ricin were detected is not under the control of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Baghdad admitted to U.N. weapons inspectors in the 1990s that it had successfully weaponized ricin, botulinum and anthrax. There is no immediate evidence that suggests Saddam’s regime provided the easily produced toxins to Ansar al-Islam or al-Qaida. A test for anthrax at the Sargat camp gave a negative result. WIDELY USED TEST The tests, developed by Osborn Scientific Group in Lakeside, Ariz., are widely admired by experts. Called BioWarfare Agent Detection Devices, they were used by U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq before their departure ahead of the U.S.-led war against Saddam. Dr. Robert Bohannon, the inventor of the test, said in a phone interview that numerous U.S. federal agencies employ the tests in the field. He said the tests were developed to give a rapid “yes-no” result. In recent days, specialist chemical-biological survey teams, some from the CIA, have collected samples from camps used by Islamic militants in northern Iraq. At least two teams visited the Sargat camp, taking similar rapid fields tests and collecting samples to be sent to the United States for further analysis, according to U.S. special operations forces officers speaking on condition of anonymity in northern Iraq. “To swab a boot is perfectly acceptable,” Bohannon said. ”[The test] will tell you with almost 100 percent certainty if it is ricin or botulinum. There is a high probability they were there.” Bohannon, a former U.S. military scientist at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, said government experts would likely also subject their samples to a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer, an apparatus that gives breakdown of the elements and composition of the sample. The GCMS is used also used to analyze urine samples for the presence of drugs. The Osborn Scientific Group’s test is widely used by federal agencies as first step in the “evidentiary chain,” Bohannon said. “It will tell you very, very fast if it’s got a credible amount of material.” U.S. special operations forces officials said this week they had found recipes for ricin and other toxins at camps in northern Iraq. In several visits to the Sargat camp, MSNBC.com uncovered material that could be used for terrorist purposes, including a list of chemical elements frequently found in explosives. The list, written in Arabic, also includes notations on where chemicals like nitric acid, which can be used to make components of the explosive Semtex, can commonly be found. MSNBC.com’s Preston Mendenhall is on assignment in northern Iraq. Greg Mathieson contributed to this report.

kind of says it all

Chirac ignores global atrocities in power pursuit March 21, 2003 BY JOHN CRUICKSHANK PARIS--The warriors of France were out in full force last night. Their field of battle was the perimeter around the United States Embassy in the heart of Paris. Their arms were water cannons, nightsticks and tear gas. Their foe was the French peace movement. Masked under black and red banners--the colors of anarchism and socialism--as well as the obligatory Palestinian flags, this vast gathering joins French President Jacques Chirac, a conservative nationalist, in opposing U.S. action in Iraq. But in little else. It is a coalition of extreme leftists willfully in denial of the truths of history and Parisian students ignorant of history altogether. As implausible as it seems to anyone conversant with Saddam Hussein's crimes against his countrymen and his neighbors, the Parisian marchers would genuinely prefer more brutal dictatorship for Iraq than American-led change. They are true believers. Mr. Chirac, by contrast, is a consummate cynic who believes in nothing but politics. As the morning Parisian daily, Le Figaro, told its readers approvingly: Mr. Chirac had three reasons for his long diplomatic campaign against the United States. All of them had to do with enhancing French power. None of them had to do with the welfare of the Iraqis or peace in the Middle east. First, President Chirac wants to lessen American influence in the world--because it now dwarfs the old great powers like his. Timothy Garton Ash, another opponent of the war, said nearly the same thing in Thursday's British daily, the Guardian. "Jacques Chirac believes that it's unhealthy for any single country to have so much power, but it's particularly dangerous if that country happens to be America [rather than shall we say, France].'' Secondly, Le Figaro says, Mr. Chirac is trying to support the development of a distinctly European voice in world affairs. The end of the Cold War confrontation between the Soviet bloc and the West was supposed to create--according to the French and Germans--a new world of many powers. But it turns out that was just one last illusion of that long dangerous period. When genocidal war returned to Europe in the appalling disintegration of Yugoslavia, there was no power there to restore humanity. Only the United States had the will and the might to end ethnic cleansing in the heart of the old world. And besides, the states newly freed from Soviet enslavement want nothing of Mr. Chirac's European pole of influence. They have overwhelmingly backed the United States. Mr. Chirac's most enthusiastic supporters are Russia and China, the victors of Chechnya and Tibet, respectively. Britain, anxious not to be drowned in a Europe dominated by French bureaucracy and German money, has opted for an Anglo brotherhood. Thirdly, Le Figaro notes, President Chirac has sought to elevate the Security Council of the UN into a sort of steering committee for global affairs. Nowhere in the world, aside from certain occupied villages of the Ivory Coast, does France exercise more power than in the UN offices in New York. As one of five permanent members of the Security Council with a veto against all action, France is in a position to determine at least what will not happen under the aegis of the UN. This legalistic notion of international right and wrong allowed the French foreign minister Thursday to look at the assault on Iraq by America, Britain and Australia--with the support of more than 40 other nations--and say that this is an operation "without any legitimacy.'' UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan abets this epic silliness with comments like the one he made earlier this week: "It is a sad day for the UN and the international community.'' This presumes there is some genuine community of interest that joins the North Koreans and Iraqis with Americans and the British. Mr. Annan would piously say that world peace or the welfare of children bind us universally. But a mere glance of how the North Koreans and Iraqis treat their subjects shows how preposterous that thought is. The truth is there is no such thing as an international community. It is a polite fiction that is for those who dream of the perfectibility of man a beautiful vision. But today there are just nations and their interests. President Bush is pursuing the security concerns of his nation. President Chirac is trying to advance the international influence of his. The difference is the American president is seeking to unseat a murderous dictator who has sinned against every standard of human decency. President Chirac has been seeking to keep him safe to sin again. John Cruickshank is vice president of editorial of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The only seat available on the train was directly adjacent to a well dressed middle aged French woman and the seat was being used by her dog. The weary traveler asked, "Ma'am, please move your dog. I need that seat". The French woman looked down her nose at the American, sniffed and said, "You Americans. You're are such a rude class of people. Can't you see my little FiFi is using that seat?" The American walked away, determined to find a place to rest, but after another trip down to the end of the train, found himself again facing the woman with the dog. Again he asked, "Please, lady. May I sit there? I'm very tired." The French woman wrinkled her nose and snorted "You Americans! Not only are you rude, you are also arrogant....Imagine!" The American didn't say anything else, he leaned over, picked up the dog, tossed it out the window of the train and sat down in the empty seat. The woman shrieked and railed and demanded that someone defend her honor and chastise the American. An English man sitting across the aisle spoke up indignantly "You know, sir, you Americans do seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You eat holding the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your autos on the wrong side of the road. And now, Sir, you've thrown the wrong bitch out the window."

There ya go someone with insight!!!!

ok I'm in

SH recieved this message from GW......lol know what it means?

as the free press should. I still see a leftward slant on CNN and others. You don't? yea I saw it too! lol They couldn't wait to surrender, french trained?

what can i say :) anyone you know? lol

No I'm sure if you ask some here, it was put there By GW himself. It's sad when some believe SH more than the 7th cav or GW

SHAME ON YOU AMERICAN-HATING LIBERALS Sep 11 2002 by Tony Parsons "http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid= 12188969&method=full&siteid=50143" This is certainly worth the read.............. No matter what your views on President Bush's statement of upcoming war, this, from an English journalist, is very interesting. Just a word of background, for those of you who aren't familiar with the UK's Daily Mirror. It is a notoriously left-wing daily that is normally not supportive of the Colonials across the Atlantic. *********************************** Tony Parsons, Daily Mirror, September 11, 2002 One year ago, the world witnessed a unique kind of broadcasting -- the mass murder of thousands, live on television. As a lesson in the pitiless cruelty of the human race, September 11 was up there with Pol Pot's Mountain of Skulls in Cambodia, or the skeletal bodies stacked like garbage in the Nazi concentration camps. An unspeakable act so cruel, so calculated and so utterly merciless that surely the world could agree on one thing - nobody deserves this fate. Surely there could be consensus: The victims were truly innocent, the perpetrators truly evil. But to the world's eternal shame, 9/11 is increasingly seen as America's comeuppance. Incredibly, anti-Americanism has increased over the last year. There has always been a simmering resentment to the USA in this country; too loud, too rich, too full of themselves, and so much happier than Europeans - but it has become an epidemic. And it seems incredible to me. More than that, it turns my stomach. America is this country's greatest friend and our staunchest ally. We are bonded to the US by culture, language and blood. A little over half a century ago, around half a million Americans died for our freedoms, as well as their own. Have we forgotten so soon? And exactly a year ago, thousands of ordinary men, women and children - not just Americans, but from dozens of countries, were butchered by a small group of religious fanatics. Are we so quick to betray them? What touched the heart about those who died in the Twin Towers and on the planes, was that we recognized them. Young fathers and mothers, somebody's son and somebody's daughter, husbands, wives, and children, some unborn. And these people brought it on themselves? Their nation is to blame for their meticulously planned slaughter? These days you don't have to be some dust-encrusted nut job in Kabul or Karachi or Finsbury Park to see America as the Great Satan. The anti-American alliance is made up of self-loathing liberals who blame the Americans for every ill in the Third World, and conservatives suffering from power-envy, bitter that the world's only superpower can do what it likes without having to ask permission. The truth is that America has behaved with enormous restraint since September 11. Remember, remember - Remember the gut-wrenching tapes of weeping men phoning their wives to say, "I love you," before they were burned alive. Remember those people leaping to their deaths from the top of burning skyscrapers. Remember the hundreds of firemen buried alive. Remember the smiling face of that beautiful little girl who was on one of the planes with her mum. Remember, remember - And realize that America has never retaliated for 9/11 in anything like the way it could have. So a few al-Qaeda tourists got locked up without a trial in Camp X-ray? Oh please ... Pass the Kleenex. So some Afghan wedding receptions were shot up after they merrily fired their semi-automatics in a sky full of American planes? A shame, but maybe next time they should stick to confetti. AMERICA could have turned a large chunk of the world into a parking lot. That it didn't ... is a sign of strength. American voices are already being raised against attacking Iraq - that's what a democracy is for. How many in the Islamic world will have a minute's silence for the slaughtered innocents of 9/11? How many Islamic leaders will have the guts to say that the mass murder of 9/11 was an abomination? When the news of 9/11 broke on the West Bank, those freedom-loving Palestinians were dancing in the street. America watched all of that - and didn't push the button. We should thank the stars that America is the most powerful nation in the world. I still find it incredible that 9/11 did not provoke all-out war. Not a "war on terrorism." A real war. The fundamentalist dudes are talking about "opening the gates of hell," if America attacks Iraq. Well, America could have opened the gates of hell, like you wouldn't believe. The US is the most militarily powerful nation that ever strode the face of the earth. The campaign in Afghanistan may have been less than perfect and the planned war on Iraq may be misconceived. But don't blame America for not bringing peace and light to these wretched countries. How many democracies are there in the Middle East, or in the Muslim world? You can count them on the fingers of one hand - assuming you haven't had any chopped off for minor shoplifting. I love America, yet America is hated. I guess that makes me Bush's poodle. But I would rather be a dog in New York City than a Prince in Riyadh. Above all, America is hated because it is what every country wants to be - rich, free, strong, open, optimistic. Not ground down by the past, or religion, or some caste system. America is the best friend this country ever had and we should start remembering that. Or do you really think the USA is the root of all evil? Tell it to the loved ones of the men and women who leaped to their death from the burning towers. Tell it to the nursing mothers whose husbands died on one of the hijacked planes, or were ripped apart in a collapsing skyscraper. And tell it to the hundreds of young widows whose husbands worked for the New York Fire Department. To our shame, George Bush gets a worse press than Saddam Hussein. Once we were told that Saddam gassed the Kurds, tortured his own people and set up rape-camps in Kuwait. Now we are told he likes Quality Street. Save me the range center ... Oh Mighty One! Remember, remember, September 11 - One of the greatest atrocities in human history was committed against America. No, do more than remember. Never forget.

Along with the most popular bird in Iraq being DUCK...I hear from a friend in Britain..that the most popular food in France is...wait for it...... Down this way Further down CHICKEN! LOL

"The PLAN" I see a lot of people on the television yelling for peace, but I have not heard of one plan for peace. "Books, not Bombs" won't work. The head mullahs won't let anyone read them. If they do, they poke their eyes out. Here's the plan: 1) The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini,Tojo, Marshal Petain and the rest of them good old boys. We will never "interfere" again. 2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, France, South Korea and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No more sneaking through holes in the fence. 3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of who or where they are. France would welcome them. 4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days in America unless given a special permit. No one from a terrorist nation would be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself, don't hide here Asylum would not ever be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers. 5) No "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "F" and it's back home, baby. 6) The US will make a strong effort to become self sufficient energy wise. This will include developing non polluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling for oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while. 7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. 8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere". They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides, most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if any, anyway. 9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an island some place. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, it would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens. 10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. Now, ain't that a winner of a plan?

i thought it would be good to get a "active" member of the Military's point of view. I got a few more. I'll post them tonight. I have talked to a lot of ppl with family over there, I have yet to hear someone say they like the peace protest. However I would never say it should be illegal to do so. But remember who you may be hurting.

yea we would.

you guys "off student" or do ya have ur A's

From Chicago Area Marine Fighting In Iraq POSTED: 9:39 a.m. CST March 25, 2003 UPDATED: 8:08 a.m. CST March 26, 2003 CHICAGO -- The following e-mail was sent to NBC5.com from Lance Cpl. Daniel Gomez, a U.S. Marine fighting the war in Iraq. Gomez is from Chicago and graduated from Lane Tech High School. After portions of his e-mail were read on air, many viewers wrote in and asked to see the whole text of the e-mail. Here it is. To The Great City Of Chicago: I just read your article on the Marine from Chicago that passed away in the helicopter crash, and I would like to tell you about another Marine from Chicago. My name is Daniel Gomez. I am 22 years old. I am a United States Marine. I am currently overseas in Kuwait and Iraq helping fight this war. This letter is just to inform you that there is someone from the great city of Chicago out here and that we need all your support. Post your response to LCPL Daniel Gomez' letter, and read responses from others Video: Interview with Daniel's family I was born and raised in the city of Chicago. I graduated from Lane Tech High High School in 1999. I lived on Racine Avenue and Taylor Street until April of 2000 when my parents, my siblings and I moved to 2400 Silvercreek Drive (I am the oldest of four). However strange it may sound, I do not know my neighbors or anyone in my neighborhood. Why, you might ask? A few months later -- July 25, 2000 -- I shipped out to Marine Corps boot camp. Since I've been in the Marine Corps, I have only been able to go home for about one week at a time. Once, I was only given 24 hours to go home for my little brother's 8th grade graduation. It might have only been 24 hours, but it was worth it. From March 10, 2001 to March 25, 2002 I was in Okinawa, Japan. I was with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU). It was hard being away from my family and friends. But it was worse when I did get to come home, for it was for a funeral. My girlfriend had passed away. I wish I could have called her my fiancee, but I never got a chance to ask her to marry me. I was waiting to come home to ask her. Right after, I was ordered to report to the 1st Force Service Support Group (1st FSSG) in Camp Pendleton, California. From April 2002 to January 2003, I was in Camp Pendleton preparing for our deployment. In late January 2003, my unit and I were finally in Kuwait. Now that a lot of Marines are out here helping to liberate Iraq, we are hearing of many antiwar protests across the country. Just a few moments ago, I heard of one in downtown Chicago. I understand a lot of Americans do not wish for war but unfortunately, it is needed. For instance, at first Saddam had stated that he did not have any missiles of mass destruction. But yet, for the past several nights, I have not gotten get much sleep because of missiles being launched at us -- some which contained unknown gases and chemicals. We were fortunate to have practiced our drills over and over that we all made it safely to our bomb shelters in time. Now we (the U.S. troops) need our fellow American's support behind us. We are all out here giving our lives for you all, so that you all may enjoy this great freedom that most take for granted. If you search deep down inside and still wish to protest, please do so, but do so peacefully. I once read, "It is the Marine, not the reporter, that gives us the freedom of the press. It is the Marine, not the poet, that gives us the freedom of speech. It is the Marine who defends the protesters' right to burn the Flag. It is the Marine who salutes the Flag, who serves under the Flags, and whose coffin is covered by the Flag." Is it not now time to demonstrate that we support our troops? Were it not for the brave, there would be no land of the free. Just a few days ago, we had our first fallen American, a Marine. I pray we all come home safely. But I know that if I have to, I will give my life for this country and all it stands, and so will all the Marines that are out here with me. I also pray that we all return home soon, whether it is to San Diego, St. Louis, New York City, Franklin Park, Chicago or any other great city or town across the country. But I am prepared to be here as long as I have to. My Staff Sergeant, Staff Sergeant Godfrey G. Marille who is also out here -- his wife just had a beautiful baby girl. He has yet to see her, but I bet he can't wait to finally hold her in his arms. I know most of us won't be coming home to a hero's welcome. Nor are we asking for one. We don't consider ourselves heroes. We are only doing what is our duty to our country. If I am fortunate to return to United States alive, once I am able to go home, I will try my best to get to know my neighbors and as much of my neighborhood as I can. Especially because I have seen a few who fly the Marine Corps Flag high and proud over their homes. And to them, I would like to say thank you. Semper Fi, Lance Corporal Gomez, Daniel The World's Finest United States Marine Corps

I heard it too, looks like some people have "egg on there face". The report I heard came directly from a reporter with a unit. I didn't hear what unit. I also heard they captured the officer in charge as well. This finding and the chem plant I wonder what the french and the UN says now.