The Baghdad Alcohol Sponge

Leaving blogger--almost done

2006-08-12T18:31:00.000+04:00

Well, its that time...I'll be leaving blogger soon enough. It was nice, but I figure that since I'm already paying for my own fileserver space...I might as well install my own blog.

And considering that the US Federal court went after Google records...and won. I'd just as soon host them on my own where I know that they're permanently deleted when I delete the damn things.

But I'm not leaving!

I'll be here:

http://www.thebaghdadalcoholsponge.com

Internet, Haji water, and finally...Jack Daniels.

2006-08-06T21:53:00.000+04:00

That's a bottle of AquaFina, Pepsi brand now....I have no idea what the haji script says but the other side is in English.

Finally, I got a bottle of Jack. Been a long while bro since we've danced...but dancing we are.

Jack Daniels and the price of smokes are proof that Iraqis could form up a stable government if they wanted to...simple proof that they know the art of courtesy. In less than 1 year, they raised the price of a pack of smokes from $0.50 cents US to $2.00--while charging the filipinos and indians $0.80 a pack. Jack has gone from $9.00 a liter to $25.00.

They know how to run a business given your local demographics. They can also run a government if they want--run a country. But as long as the US keeps funding them, there will be no incentive for them to stop bleeding the American money teet the way the vendors charge me 210% more than the others.

And tonight---I happily drink my bottle of $25.00 Jack Daniels.

notice the difference?

2006-08-06T18:54:00.000+04:00

Let's look at the fundamental difference between the minds of these people.....

Israel---in a town thats constantly getting hit by rockets---the children make a game of finding all the scrap shrapnel and parts from the rockets---keeping the debris seperated by impact area. They show it off to the media...smiling with 'look what we did!'.

Lebanon---in a town NOT even getting bombed---children burning flags, chanting for the death of jews, the complete destruction of Israel, lofting weapons.

This isn't a matter using urban revitalization programs to 'turn the kids around'. This is an entire region of kids who will forever be like that.

sweet, sweet sleep

2006-08-05T07:32:00.000+04:00

Last night was useless but much needed. Finally, a day without incomming fire and being as pooped as I was, I just took the food to my room and took a shower, layed on the bed and ate most of it while watching the TV....and rolled over to sleep around 20:30. No smoking. No drinking. No internet.....Just sleep.

I didn't get up until 05:40 this morning. 9 hours and 10 minutes of sleep. thats 4 hours more than normal.

I feel more relaxed now than I have in the last four months.

The stank stroll....

2006-08-03T20:40:00.000+04:00

Holy crap--literally...I just got back from the crapper and my money's saying that a heard of Haji's just went thru there. The stank is horrible. All the stalls had water bottles and footprints on the crappers. God... does it ever smell like rotten anal cavity ass butter. There's shit on the base of the reservoir from their standing loaf-pinch.

I had to walk down the hall and thru some other offices and back again to the water fridge...trying to get the cloying foulness out of my clothing. Just what I fucking need, bad enough I had to do a whorebath this morning cause of incoming rounds and smell 'not so fresh'...but to drag this 'Hoffa's rotten corpse' reek into the office.....

I need to bathe in bleach.

Dear Abby---ha ha, you freak!

2006-08-02T17:21:00.000+04:00

Dear Abby...I don't really care about you or your advice---any half-wit could do the same generic soothing but assertive BS. High school boys do it all the time just trying to get some poonanny.

But your write-in readers...those are truly a freakish group. How can someone is so fucked up that they write in "...my husband is 30 and I keep finding him looking at the college girls on the beach...oh my god, I think he might actually want them for their body...OHHH, so horrible are the days...!!"

Just for once, why not let loose with the truth. "Dear reader, it might be because you're a neurotic bitch. If you're hubby is rooting around for the young trim, then you might consider your prime days as being over....suck it up and learn to drink like a champ!"

lets see how tonight goes....

2006-07-27T19:46:00.000+04:00

Been getting hot around here...and for once, I'm not talking about the temperature. Everytime something starts flaring up, people around me say '...whoa, better be careful and keep your gear within arms reach. They're getting riled up!' And my response is always...yea, they'll get a little firey --but not at us.

Well, since Israel got sick of the B.S. and told Lebanon and Palestine to stuff-it with their pillow talk. Now its gotten a bit rough--all out assaults against each other as well as our groups. Incoming into the IZ. They broke loose with a shitload today south of us just across the river...I never heard who that was but it had to have been a helluva lot more than those 20 something people killed that CNN keeps going on about. That shit was all over...not just in one area.

I'm positive there's going to be more incoming tonight yet I'm spoiled enough to have Fox news in my hooch and am riveted by a high-speed chase in California---pretty good driver I might say...damn good actually. I think I'll hire him whenever I get ready to take over a third world country.

Damn...the guy gave up.

oh...he made a mistake and turned into a dead-end. Ok, I'll give it to him. He prolly had spidey senses telling him that redneck cops were following. Heheh...really, watch the tape, these guys and 1 chick all walk up-- puffed out with their arm held wide like they're going to a stick-em-up-shoot-out....except this guy is already on the ground in cuffs. Yea, better look menacing 'cause the cuffed guy might not know you 'really mean it'.

In civilized countries...that's acceptable...giving up, that is. You know you wont be killed or tortured. well, not immediately. Over here...I'm positive most of us would fight to the death...and a good number of contractors have. These fuck-nutz would kill you w/o even considering your ransom or political value in the wholesale flea market single-mindedness that seems inherent in this part of the world.

Gettin' hammered---just read....

2006-07-25T21:39:00.000+04:00

I met another closet Alcohol Sponge here in Baghdad..notice the caps. He's here with me now and we're gettin 'murred as in hamm'murred.

Its always damn good to find a buddy in the covert world of baghdad drinking

he's a mick. godamned micks..drink like..well, fuck me running--micks being the irish scottish background types from Ireland---so his drunk ass is telling me. I say he's hammered and that be the end of the mick shit. But he's still a mick so if you have any mick jokes, I'll pass them on to him.

. He needs billy joel..well, he settled for BIlly Idol, some White Wedding shit. What the fuck, I'm typing this shit and he's looking over my shoulder and daring me to drink more...I doubt either one of us are getting up for work on time. oops

it's 80's night in this corner of the IZ...listening to men-at-work, "Land down under"-- you better run, you better take cover....biotches...

I should know better than to get on the computer after knocking a few back...

Did I mention that it's hot here?

2006-07-25T11:38:00.000+04:00

It's hot here

really, really, really hot. I hate the shit out of it.

Another person describes it as like standing in front of a huge blow-dryer.

Dry and hot. It licks the sweat off my skin. It's draining, tiring, oppressive, and foul with dust. The sweat dripping from my bottle is instantly sucked into the rocks, the dirt, and the broken concrete---no trace that it existed. No ring on the surface, no drop pattern in the dust. We don't really think in the heat...we just stand and know that it's hot. We walk and only know one thing, that it's hot. I don't open my mouth to talk or the saliva turns gummy and thick. The inside of my nose feels like cracked skin.

I pick a small leatherish leaf from the shrub...its hot...I can't remember ever having felt a hot leaf before.

I ponder the boiling point of water versus my body temperature and know that I lack the medical knowledge to justify my survival in this heat. But somehow, I dont cook. Somehow. My face needs a sweat band; the sweat coming from under my heavy mop of hair has just enough time to burn the eyes in its continuous stream before evaporating near the chin.

And thats pretty damned poetic considering the source.

Being the psychosomatic person that I am, I get some relief by reading the blogs of people on Antarctica. Watching their movies. Their impressive photo galleries. Their drinking games. Their On-On's. Different stations and their communities. New low-temp records. Their employment advice. Their propensity for nudity in -100F weather. Even the long distance chess match they currently have going on between hundreds of miles of dark ice.

I left my laundry in the dryer, and I'm sure the company's morality police has already held a public health & welfare looking for contraband skidmarks. I hope they came across a hard-core dingleberry that survived the wash.

But for now, I'm in a chill office, debating if I want to go spend more cash on liver tonic. I really don't like going out in the afternoon...but a man's gotta drink, right?

Enough already

2006-07-23T10:21:00.000+04:00

Dear insurgent nut-sacks....enough already... We get your message.

I say we meet for lunch. My first order of business will be to smack you about the face with a seeping bag of scrotums and pork rinds. Then it's off to circumcision by means of the ever faithful rusty staple remover.

and picture...lots of pictures...we know how much you like those.

Been a little hectic here

2006-07-22T07:47:00.000+04:00

It's already been in the news, albeit vaguely, that we took some rocket fire here in the IZ. One guy died instantly when it landed behind him and his son was injured pretty badly. I don't know if he survived or not. I had thought he did but someone was telling me yesterday that they thought he'd died later on. But thats about on-par for rumors around here....the ones with the details can't release them...and the ones without spread rumors.

For those looking for the real details of whats going on out here--I would recommend keeping a keen eye on the untraditional news outlets----not blogs mind you--not indy media---certainly not LGF or Michelle Malkin----but the odd places like :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/menu-234/ --Islamic Republic News Agency, believe it or not, this site actually has some really informative news that helps tie-in a lots of other news bits.
http://www.makfax.com.mk/ --(Macedonian--just change the language in the top-right box)
http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage they report the stuff a lot of MSM doesn't.

and a special mention to:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/Index00.asp out of Dubai, (or the GCC as they call themselves), This is the CNN of the middle east. If Jazeera is the middle eastern version of sensationalist Fox News, then Khalleej Times is the more moderate and sometimes critical of its own country in the manner of CNN. Although, it's not uncommon to find article where the writer mixes 50% personal opinion with 50% fact.

hangover

2006-07-17T14:25:00.000+04:00

owwwwwww...I'm soooo glad I don't get headaches for hangover. All I ever do is sleep late, feel like crap, bad mood, and swell. no...not retaining water like a chick. More of a dehydration swelling. And I never sleep well when drunk so I've got that going for me as well.

I finally got a good connection in my hooch and was chatting with a pal of mine--a bit on the extreme side though. Me, not him. I think I pissed hime off when he left. Then I managed a connection to WinMX--and chatted with some ole friends until 0200---yea, thats pretty damn late around here. I was supposed to get up at 0530. Whoops.

Why do the names change?

2006-07-15T16:10:00.000+04:00

Remember way back in the day--there were those crazy Shi'ite always in the news? They had a great affinity for unannounced airport and plane 're-allocation' (that would be hijacking to you young-uns'). Even the history books slammed them.

Shiites: which is Arabic for "Partisans"

Now a-days, they're called the more soothing name of Shi'a. Now, somebody correct me if I'm wrong...but doesn't the Arabic word Shi'a translate directly to mean "Clan, group, or faction"?

I guess we won't need to go into the terms 'rebel', 'freedom fighter', and 'insurgent'....it all depends on who ya' like.

There used to be a time not long ago when the term 'Conservative' meant just that..conservative,...avoid excesses, restrained, showing caution, and generally not an in-your-face millitancy like the one that roams the country today, well..the US anyway. Now we these nutcases calling themselves 'Conservative' and they want nothing more than to stamp-out any non-christian influences and opinion--if you even think abortion then you become worthy of boycott---family can only be used in the traditional sense---gays are to be 'fixed'---private business are harrassed into complying with PTA and children friendly protocals.

Pretty much like American society circa 1700.

Hardly what I'd call Conservative.

Office lizards and gub'ment funding

2006-07-08T16:55:00.000+04:00

A tiny little 'office' lizard--could fit on a quarter coin except for about 1/3 of his tail. Too small for my camera to get the focus right at the same time as the zoom.

It's been pretty busy here this past few weeks and the little online spare time I have is spent doing a website from scratch. The easy way would be for me to use the ole' blogger records but I'd rather not have them in control once I put up the re-direct on here.

Where to start...several of our location keep losing power from lack of fuel. Not that it's hard to get...it's just that no one's been paying attention to how much is actually being delivered. We always assumed we had plenty. Oops.

The military is officially sick of contractors. Especially their medics. They have a new way of dealing with contractors, regardless of the injury/illness, and that is to recommend "specialized medical treatment". What this means to anyone in theater, (military, State Dept, and contractor alike), is that the individual has to leave the theater for treatment. And most companies aren't allowed to bring back employed that had to leave Iraq on a medical. .....well, they technically are allowed to bring them back but the procedures to do so are prohibitively complicated and time consuming which include things like ---recovery time, proof of fitness, another full medical/blood work up, blah..blah... so generally, if you get sent on a medical, you're outta here for good.

And the Military medics know this. They're so prone to declaring that status that many of us, (myself included), are taking emergency leave to see doctors in Bahrain, Jordan, Dubai, and Kuwait. Here's the kicker--those same medics that have no lost-love of contractors no longer work the night first-responder teams (hospital is always open though)-----they quit having a response team for the Palace area after hours. (Get this...you'll love it) They rely on a contractor medical response team that's on call 24/7.......go figure. Perhaps we deserve it.

These are interesting times in Iraq. What the news is reporting is part of it but usually not for the reasons they report. I'm sure the reasons will be released someday and I'm equally sure few will consider them important at the time. I'm thoroughly disgusted with CNN and FOX news. FOX only reports the stories as a way of hounding and placing blame on political opponents. CNN will take 5 items that are true, 5 other activities that went on, and somehow weave them all together into a related story thats only true if you read the transcript word for word.

They never report that Iraq currently makes a minimum of $3 million US dollars per day in oil sales. Not $3 mil per month--but per day. Thats $90 million a month. The entire country of Iraq does not spend $90 mil a month!!!

Hows that? Easy..their entire military and police force is subsidized and equipped by US funding. Their training is provided by US funding, (as a reader here knows personally). All of the major infrastructure work was paid for by Coalition funding. Their Government is supported by Coalition funding. The only thing they paid for was $20 billion of Saddam's money for rebuilding the oil infrastructures. And If you look really close on the TV, the million-dollar a month thousands of body guards for the Iraqi ministers are Western PSD's that work for one of the top 10 PMC's out here and are paid for by---yup--US and UK money!

Not only is everything paid for...but they're making $3 mil a day to boot. On top of that--they're now charging outrageous import taxes on any equipment brought into the country--equipment brought in for their own use.

well, now I'm off the soapbox---you can see why it's been busy...and now we're getting told that the water for the IZ is going down cause the city water went bad or something.

CNN and FOX are registered trademarks and names of their respective comapnies. They own them, I don't. I'm not their spokes person. I just happen to not like their agenda-laden reporting styles. May their reporters eat some bad bakalava and have the runs for 2 weeks.

Blogger took a dump on me

2006-07-08T07:16:00.000+04:00

I dunno what it is--took me hours just to frigging get a post right. First it wouldnt accept photos...then it refused to allow html editing so that every thing on the page was forced to be the same font.

meat -n- puss

2006-06-28T00:09:00.000+04:00

baked ham slice, bell pepper and cheese wrapped in a spicy meatloaf ball...ya know, because it's important for you to know what I eat. Yummy. I doubt I'll goto that DFAC again.

I saw a bunch of soldiers carrying a box of food out of there--they don't use that chow hall normally. Go figure--they're still clinging onto the myth that there exists a better DFAC than the one at the Palace.

Random insurgent pussycat

Actually, I had this huge post about the UN and its weapons conference soon...but it just read too political for my current mood.

incomming

2006-06-26T10:20:00.000+04:00

We've been debating about the annoying obvious lack of incoming indirect fire--that meaning mortars and rockets. Some were getting used to it. Myself included. Occasionally we get some, but its minor. I'm thinking they're going to do an all out, balls-to-the-wall attack against the IZ, but theres nothing we can really do in that case.

We had 2 rounds impact this morning, dunno where yet--I think its just them trying to make us feel the norm. I called a good buddy that I've not talked to in a year...he doesn't understand why I don't leave. Well, it grows on ya. Some people wig out, most dont.

I'm just waiting for a serious run on the gate and a ton of incoming.

Iraq is progressing--the TV never lies

2006-06-24T23:01:00.000+04:00

N, I'm not talking about how many schools we built, or how many towns now have water where there has never existed basic plumbing--etc..

nope--the true measure of a civilizations progression is by how much they change to be more like us--or, well, ...me anyway.

Not only are there Iraqi deodorant commercials..but tonight I saw a SOAP commercial!!!

you've come a long way, baby!

Hey Somalia! You forgot something...!

2006-06-24T00:58:00.000+04:00

Get this mess, You've likely seen it in the news but no ones mentioning this angle--
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/06/23/somalia.shooting/index.html

Yo Somalia! you forgot that you're not supposed to shoot people at a celebration demonstration!!

Yup--the Islamists (their official name) drove out the warlords--and the people really seem to like it; good juju so far. They brokered a cease-fire with each other---nice, nice. The people were so happy about it, they all gathered in the square to demonstrate to the world just how much they thought this was a good thing.

So they shot a Swede reporter who was working for a Dutch paper. One report says the crowd fled after the single shot to the back but video just shows people milling away from the area.

Hmmm...you don't suppose there might still be some animosity towards the Dutch, do ya?

Not much of a post

2006-06-23T04:28:00.001+04:00

I was holding back from posting because the only interesting goings-ons around me aren't good news and aren't quite 'media releasable' anyway. That and I'm just in a general funk brought on by recent changes in the AO. Ya know..every one gets those times when you want nothing better than to ask the powers-that-be, "did you all have an extra helping of dumbass in the board meeting?".

I know well of cheese dlck changes for nothing more than the sake of change itself; that and someone just wanting to say it was their idea.

But some changes and policies, they're counter productive, inefficient, resource wasteful, and the only thing they create are different reports that only some mid-level admin in a non-functional role can understand---or even need.

They pay, therefor I work. If I close my eyes and repetitively humm old Dead Kennedy's songs...I...can...just ...hear.. out of..the distant...passst....

"And on the 13th day, God created TPS Reports..."

Deodorant!!!!! They see the light!

2006-06-18T00:49:00.000+04:00

OH Hell!! Just as I finished the last post, I saw an Iraqi commercial for womens deodorant!

If you're not familiar with middle eastern culture, then this will seem like just another crude and rude comment---but in reality, it's like the difference between Al Bundy and Martha Stewart. Barry, you've gotta see this--she starts sniffing her armpit! My bro here spilled his coffee from laughing so hard.

Guy turns in an M72 LAW instead of a knife

2006-06-17T23:01:00.000+04:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/5090030.stm

Ohhhohhhohhh...this is too rich. During a "sharp weapons amnesty turn-in" program that recently happened in the UK, some guy walked in with an M72 LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon). Briton being ever the pacifist, hosted yet another weapons turn in. This time it was for knives. Not swords mind you...but pocket knives and hatchets---you know, because there's too many people roaming the streets with concealed hatchets in their pockets. The only reason he walked it in personally was because it wouldn't fit in the drop-off contaner.

Now, keep in mind that although the one turned in (look above) was in excellent condition...it's design dates back to Vietnam.

So, one courageous group of souls took it upon themselves to improve on this venerable weapon of Peace..hehe. see here:

http://www.talleyds.com/products/m72_products.htm

ha! they even have some video--it's all like, "come one, come all! Why not add our new thermobaric system to your struggling revolution!". This is the one that the UN and other human rights groups don't really like. If the blast doesn't get you...the expanding fireball will roast you where you stand.

Along similar lines, I heard something today in the IZ that got me thinking. I heard "...two friendlies on the left...". And I'm thinking, how the hell does someone identify a friendly or un-friendly in the IZ? We've got every major nationality in here and some of the Iraqi's, (civilian and military alike), are carrying weapons from every sort of country. Even American weapons--like the above LAW. Visible ID and uniforms seem to be optional for them.

Technorati Tags [thermobaric] [weapon of peace] [LAW]

My god's better than your god...so thptptptptptp!

2006-06-14T21:40:00.000+04:00

(Note..I'm not going off on islam--just on how useless indonesia is) Indonesia wasn't independent until 1945--and thats when the shit started to hit the fan

Indonesia has finally proven how determined they are to be culturally back wards for eternity--they released an idiot from jail. Terrorist? yup. Logical?...not even close, baby.

Terrorist cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, got released and those people love him--he's like a broken record saying how everyone should be forced into Islam. And those tards are like 'yea bro, lets all be one happy dumbass family!'.

He only mentions man-made attacks as being from god...never a mention of the natural disasters that kill his ilk. Anyway--he keeps saying how the bombing was a warning from God--

"I suggest the government bring themselves closer to God by implementing his rules and laws because these happenings are warnings from God for all of us"

Hmmm--lest look at Indonesia's score over the past 'just under' 100 years (since 1907):

his man-made warnings against non-islamists include:

**Tons of small muslim rebellions in the mix from 1945 to today
**1949 Darul Islam (DI) rebellion broke out in West Java. DI led to birth of Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization. DI movement primarily called for the Islamic State of Indonesia (*only 4 years after gaining freedom)
**1953 armed rebellion called Darul Islam
**1960's muslim youth groups killed almost 500,000 ethnic Javanese and Balinese in retaliation for the local communist party (ruling) PKI that had implemented land redistribution and basically, just because they could now that the party had failed.
**2000 Christmas Eve, 20 bombs exploded outside christian churches in Jakarta and five other Indonesian cities and towns.
**1999-2002 (Ambon and Moluccas) Muslims openly declared war against Christians at the end of Ramadan 1999--around 5000 killed
**2002 Bali--202 people killed when 2 car bombs blow the living shit out of a club/restaurant area that caters almost exclusively to western tourists.
**2002 to today Laskar Jihad, apparently supported by Indonesian army, and much smaller group of fighters linked to terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) justified much of its subsequent bombings as retaliation for deaths of Muslims in Ambon--the war they had started themselves.
**2003 Muslim suicide bomber (Jemaah Islamiah) blows out 5 floors of an american hotel in Jarkarta, (Marriott)
**2004 Jemah Islamiah used a car bomb against the Australian Embassy---really now, what the hell have the lovable Aussies ever done to you?
**2005 October-muslim suicide bombs in Jimbaran and Kuti (on Bali island) targeting westerners.

Ok..screw it , I'm tired of looking up stuff--there's tons more. Now, lets look at something that man had nothing to do with, caused more death/destruction, and takes far less space to print.

Someone elses god...or possibly even nature go figure:

..source:Columbia.edu)
1 tsunami -(over 200,000 dead)
10 cyclones
11 droughts
43 volcanic events
78 earthquakes
and..for the kicker...
93 floods

When you get 236 major natural disaster in a hair under 100 years...you might want to consider that those are the real messages from your god.

or you could just move. just an idea.

Technorati Tags [islamic terrorists] [indonesia sucks] [bashir]

2006-06-12T04:08:00.000+04:00

Like the scenery? the infamous T-Wall.

Aside from the Iraqi minister areas--this is a green as the Green Zone gets. If government waste doesn't come to mind--then let me draw your attention to the shrubbery along the curb. That isn't arbitrarily done, someone in the U.S. government actually signed on the dotted line to have that small group manicured. In a combat zone

Just a random Arch--well, not random since there's only a few of them around here. On the bottom right, you'll see the height of Iraqi engineering common sense---rather than move their guard hut back and use some 'inside space' on their own property for their search area...they'd rather just throw T-Walls, jersey barriers, and concertina wire out into the street and screw up traffic.

[T-Wall] [Baghdad] [iraq]

Oiling eggs at the South Pole

2006-06-11T02:33:00.000+04:00

I swear, I've never heard of this. It makes sense though... i think...well, at least they had beer.

http://erikkawasaki.blogspot.com/2006/06/cinco-de-montho.html <--I gather he's one of the network engineers down there.

Below is the site of Neal, also on the Pole, also getting oiled up with eggs.

http://nowhere-to-go-but-up.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-can-i-pick-up-my-beer-when-im.html

And here's Robert's picture gallery of the event:
http://www.antarctic-adventures.de/2006/pix/egg/egg.html

Boom--but we knew it was impending.

2006-06-11T00:36:00.000+04:00

With Zarqawi's death, it was only a matter of time until someone would start taking shots at the Green Zone again as a show that the pajama-people can survive without him. Damn fools got it in my dreams too.

I was having one of those dreams where you you need to get-up to 'use the facilities' in real life...but in your dream, you're running around looking for a bathroom. And I was on some mix of an airport terminal/warehouse/apartment complex. After the boom this afternoon--in my dream, I was telling the people near me that it was just another controlled detonation, but I turned an saw another impact out the window near a warehouse--and told them to get away from the windows...then I ran outside, (somehow only in a towel now), in search of a bathroom while ducking for cover from building to building.

Then I woke up and finally made it to the can.

Considering where that one hit..well, my bro was walking through there at the time and said it threw shit all over. He said it was only the Iraqi workers that were running all over with no particular place to go while the expats just lowered in place and moved into corners. Guess thats why the west is a solvent civilization--somehow, we're just bred with a more logical reaction process to emergencies.

But the one in the middle of the night--I know that's a favorite spot for them to hit, (different area), but at midnight?!? There's not one there! Never has been.

Ahhhh..the Green Zone. officially the International Zone or just "the IZ". Media has never mentioned this place w/o using the terms "highly fortified" or "most secure"....yea right. Any given military base is safer than here---but I can't really blame the media, they only see the IZ as they're passing thru.

[mortar] [Green Zone] [Zarqawi]

My favorite company now officially sucks

2006-06-10T02:46:00.000+04:00

I've always been a child of Symantic© and it's Norton© products. I used to not really care but after having MacAfee© fail on me twice in 1999, well...I went to the other side and stayed. I loved it in fact! Easy everything.

Now--I dunno. Tonight, I submitted and LOD to them for a refund of Systemworks 2006 Premier© . Here's the dealiooo...it's supposed to make sure your system is top notch and track whenever you alter it and fuck it up. And it fixes your mistakes.

Great goonie goo goo.

Only, I can't get a download w/o errors about corrupted installation files--I went so far as to reinstall my OS w/o anything else--(new puter anyway). But no...still not working. Their online tech support is way off--i'll not go into details---but they have a web-form submission page---AND EVEN IT DOESNT WORK!!!!....mhuauauaua--

Actually, it's not funny cause I've been dicking around with this for a week now. So I gave up--I submitted an LOD and told them to un-a$$ my money. I'm gonna play with photo-shop somemore.

Technorati Tags [symantic] [norton] [computer]

Zarquai--I found out in the most humbling way

2006-06-08T13:45:00.000+04:00

I was otherwise engaged all morning and then was about a foot away from bed when a knock came at the door. Out of habit, I yelled "sleep, sleep!" because I really fealt miserable and had no use for conversing with the locals.

But he yelled louder and called my name...something they know not to do unless its important. And it was. I put shorts on and this kid was beaming from ear to ear...gesturing in the knife-across-the-throat method while repeating" Zarquai..fee-nish'd...Zarquai fee-nish'd".

It wasn't the fact that Zarquai was dead...it was that this kid had come by my trailer and beat on my door in what he knew was supposed to be 'off-limits'----so proud to deliver the news of Zarquai's death that he wanted to wake me up.

It renews my faith in them like I havent fealt in over a year. It's a humbling moment for me.

Iraq...you may have a prosperous future yet...and I owe an apology. Your youth have proven me wrong this morning. And thats a good thing.

I think I'll stay awake a little longer this morning.

TBAS visitors

2006-06-07T06:34:00.000+04:00

Just a little bit of the people that visit here--(I password protected the tracker when I saw my company scoping it out, they dont read it any more) I'll only list a few

How people got here--google search terms "afn sucks" and "tbas"<---for who knows what reason.

A few were clicked off my posted comments on other people sites. A bunch were unknown.

One person actually lists me in their links-list, thanks Bandit36

Dunedin, Newzeland
London
lots in the US
even Greenpeace in the Phillipines
and lastly, Russia
oh---and a ton from army.mil---(and the one airforce person that was searching google for "afn sucks"---I'm feeling ya brother!

Technorati Tags [xxxx] [xxxx] [xxxx]

Day of Evil...mwhuaAHAHAHA.

2006-06-06T02:26:00.000+04:00

Todays date: 6 June 2006-----or---6-6-6.

[spooky Vincent Price voice]

Today, the Dark Lord of the Internet is following you--he see's you surfing at work....and quietly urges you on. You think you're looking at Martha Stewert towels, but your boss looks over your shoulders and sees litttle asian boys.

You're DOOOOOOOOM'd

[evil blog] [666] [dark lord of the internet]

Change of Mission

2006-06-05T04:28:00.000+04:00

Since college, when I first heard about Tim Spicer, I've always had a rough draft of how to take over a third-world country. And the big stopper for me has always been funding and...well..competetors. Now I'm changing plans

An Antarctic station--perhaps the Chilean one...or the one that the Chinese are adding just because it's International Polar Year coming up. Better yet--- Vostok, the Russian site. We'll only carry enough supplies for one-way and by the time someone sends a crew to see what some yahoos were up to, we'll have drunk ourselves into believing 'inebriation' is a legal excuse for our actions.

Neal...no more need to take down and retro the Dome. We found a new use.

Technorati Tags [Antarctica] [drinking] [bored-at-work ideas]

Power outage again

2006-06-03T06:27:00.000+04:00

I'm losing my sense of humor about these power outages. It's getting unhealthy when I'm so bone tired that I'm asleep in under 60 seconds with salty and greasy clothing still on---and the power goes out while I'm passed out cold snoring with my mouth gaping open. That was 2 days ago and I've felt really bad since then. Not ill, just, well...off somehow.

I think I dehydrated a few liters that day, my throat was messed up bad--dry--tongue swollen. Guess it also points out that I should've woken up under those conditions. We've had the green zone for 3 years now and we still can get equiptment actually meant for this climate. (and they wonder why people always talk smack about them)

I found out what almost all of those explaosions were--but it cracks me up that no-one in ANY media reported them. Given, western media gets updates on these and they tend to go blackout when certain reasons come up----but the local and italian media didnt pick it up either.----and Italians LOVE talking some serious shit about us in their media. It's not like you couldn't hear the damn things from across the city.

Technorati Tags [baghdad] [green zone] [hot]

number 9 - 10:23 am

2006-06-01T10:32:00.000+04:00

lets add another to the tally

10:02 am - number 7 boom..(nope, 8 now)

2006-06-01T09:51:00.000+04:00

7 detonations so far. Some of them I know about and ....whoops--make that 8 and I dont think that last one was controlled. Shook the entire trailer. My glass almost sloshed out.

2006-06-01T09:21:00.000+04:00

And another boom just now as I sit in my room--a lot closer. 09:19 in the morning. Enough percussion to shake my stiff-ass curtains a few inches.

another day, another power outage

2006-06-01T08:31:00.000+04:00

the booms to the south of the bridge this morning were a reminder that people want to kill us.

Looks like the State Department might start looking into our expenses. To cut corners, they minimized maintenence on these million dollar 40 foot generators--AND the amount of contract staffing for their maintenence.

Well, they're blowing left and right. I didnt have a thermometer handy, (not that I normally would anyway), so i used my laptops internal temp immediately after turning it on. 130F--drop 5 or 10 even for good measure and its still 120F---It was bad . I found a building that had A/C and went to sleep in the corner. (daytime is my sleeptime, remember). 20 minutes later, a medic shows up. Someone walking by had told them there was a guy passed out in the building---nice...really nice.... they didnt have the courtesy to even poke me wih a stick to see if I was alive, (I'm an extremely light sleeper).

So now I'm sure I've got the medics mad at me cause I said "what!?! Trying for some sleep bro!".

Google says I'm "inappropriate"..whoohoo!

2006-05-31T20:47:00.000+04:00

Yup, I've been waiting over a week to get that google Ad-Sense thing going but they finally declined. Their response is that my content is inappropriate...doesn't say for who.

At least I can finally get rid of that damn Katrina banner.

Amny one else notice that all the broughaha in Afghanistan was over the brakes going out? And president Karzai thinks its a good idea to punish the troopers...over a type of equiptment failure that happens every day in his country by his own people.

MRE's...the conspiracy

2006-05-28T01:58:00.000+04:00

Meals Ready to Eat.

Someone should investigate just who all was involved in the awarding of the contract and how they tie with the idiots that made up the current menues. My money says it's tied into people with a vested interest in tomato products.

As I type this, I'm eating Chicken with Cavatelli, menu No 23 (yr 2003).

It has a ton of salt and tomato stuff in it--read: heartburn. Most of them seem to have a mixture of tomato stuff and heartburn mixtures. Black bean burrito? If you can eat that thing un-heated and maintain a smile on your face, I'll give you a dollar.

"Wheat Snack Bread" whoever came up with this idea should be publicly blugeoned in the face with a bag of seeping scrotums. And again the week after, just for having 2 of them in some meals. Whatever happened to the uber-dry crackers? Remember betting the newbee that he couldnt chew & swollow both wafers in 30 seconds or less? Ahhh the good times. Now we get this armorvest insert made of wheat.

Geneva convention---their time is past.

2006-05-27T06:13:00.000+04:00

Geneva convention---they were from a time when sides were scared of each others reprisals....so how do you threaten people that have no law or fear of reprisasls? How do you differentiate between a civilian and a civilian enemy?

How do you allow your soldiers and sons to stand out in the open and not let them shoot at people who look really suspicious...people who will suicide themselves at teh drop of a hat? And on top of that...people whose ENTIRE society acts and moves look suspicious to us because the culture disparity cannot be gapped?

Just thought as I watch the news.

Atheists in Foxholes.

2006-05-27T02:37:00.000+04:00

A common saying is that there aren't any Atheists in Foxholes. Katie Couric even said it on TV--the tramp. Cute, but still annoying.

I used to go around all hard-charging and beating the Atheism drum. But not anymore...I realized that I'm not going to change anyones minds. I simply don't care enough anymore. It doesnt bother me to hear of other peoples religious views...I just can't wrap my mind around it. To me, it's like hearing about people walking on the moon--it'll never be real to me.

It's when people actually DO believe and live their lives according to religion that starts me worrying...a lot of those people are voters and in some control over other people lives. Even if it's only someones supervisor or jury member. almost every flavor of religion has a bad place in its heart for other religions--and Atheism?..hell, we're down right next to the worst!

The point is that I live and work in a country where people have the same religion, use the same tomes, and say the same prayers---the only difference is a mindset of whos actually decended from their prophet!---nothing---nope, not anything is written saying who's right...just their own clan/tribe opinions.

And for this, they kill the hell out of each other. Throat cutting. kidnapping a dozen folk at a time only to shoot them that same day. We hand them a government on a platter and their internal corruption prevents themfrom getting it off the ground. They goto great lengths to prove they're gonna be un-biased--and as soon as they're in...these scrubs start awarding contracts left & right to only those of their sect.

Over religion. All over religion...The reason we can't use some really good social conventions is that they were also used by Hitler, Stalin, and Lenin. Because they went waaaaay overboard on their other areas--we're not supposed to do ANYTHING they did. Including a secular government. Mengeles research involved the tourture of people...but his results have been precluded from further research---because he went hog wild.

We get rockets in here. We get mortars. I once stepped over an arm that wasn't attached to much in particular. I have a rather large peice of rocket shrapnel as a paperweight that made a nice hole in my wall. I'm not in a foxhole but I lost count over a year ago how many times I've run for a bunker...or just dropped to the ground where I was standing.

Regardless, everytime I look around it does the opposite of bringing me closer to any given god. A lot of Christians don't see the irony in themselves--out here especially. Regularly, I hear comments slamming Islam for it's direct orders about how one of the driving tennents of Islam is, (to be short), to convert the world to Islam, with force if need be......then these same people get pissed when they see a news story about someone not wanting government money being spent on a 10 Commandments plaque.

No, I see every reason that religion should be reigned as a personal thing and not public. The more public it is, the more intrusive it is into other peoples lives--and pissing people off like that causes people to get hurt. Oh, there's plenty out here that keep it to themselves. They're also the most stable & happy people out here. The ones that dont, well...they seem to be the unhappy lot. Always worried about how the world doesnt conform the their version of "right".

And then there the people here that moonlight as missionaries. Man, I dunno what they're thinking. People get killed doing that sort of thing. Then their support gruops get all bentout of shape crying "no fair, she's un armed!". Well, I also have have some personal convictions, but that doesnt make it a good idea to irradiate entire regions of the middle east.

No, I think I'll keep my options open and my mind clear. Looks like Baghdad is my foxhole--oh, and Katie Couric? I'm still here and in it.

Technorati Tags [atheists in foxholes] [baghdad] [Couric sucks]

Filipinos are now ingrained - news flash

2006-05-25T08:55:00.000+04:00

OK, so perhaps we've all known it for a while now---but I'm breaking the 'embedded story'..whatever the hell thats supposed to mean.

Filipinos are now considered part of the mideast-experiance. How? Easily...a few minutes ago, this morning, I viewed a commecial on ABC about an "America Plus" sattellite offering---the all new "Pinoy Plus" on Orbit. "Where Filipinos can get a taste of home while in the Middle East", etc, etc....so goes the Ad.

Sure, we've all heard they are out here...and the bit about them being part of the 'human trafficking' issue, (which is true), and being treated like crap, having their passports taken, etc..again.

Well, now they are considered such a major part of the local make up that a sattellite company is offering a station that their owners, ..ahem...bosses, can purchase to help placate the sort of up-rising like happened in Dubai a few months ago.

Technorati Tags [filipino] [orbit] [slave]

Silly google ads---Hurricanes are our friends!

2006-05-25T02:45:00.000+04:00

I'm trying to get rich by fooling you people to click on the banner just above---but Google thought it would be cute to slap a constant Katrina Relief ad right there.

We'll not be having Charity rearing its ugly head around here. No sir!

Until the Ad-Sense account gets approved, you can just send cash directly to me.

Power Outage

2006-05-23T02:36:00.000+04:00

It was waaaaayyy to F'ing hot today. No, not outside but instead--in my hooch. I remember them saying there might be a poweroutage in the morning but thats cool. But, I'd forgotten to crank my A/C up and stock the fridge before leaving lastnight.

So, I get back to my room in the morning and it's already like 90F in there. To me, that already too damn hot. After a while, I'm sure its over 110F in there and I'm dripping sweat onto the vinyl floor sheeting. I stripped down, stood in the shower and started pouring bottled water over myself---yea I know, bottled water bath...poor baby.

Any way, I said fuck it and downed a huge drink of vodka and Crystal Lite. Oh boy, did that ever fuck it up. I went into sweat-hog over drive.

Finally, about 13:00, the power came back on and I cranked it till it was a comfortable 60F in the room.

The picture was from my "last meal" before I got on the plane coming back.

[sweat]

I'm back, not really rested though...

2006-05-22T05:19:00.000+04:00

Ohhh---how I didn't want to come back. I was so not looking forward to it that I was contacting a friend about getting some land up in the mountains of NW USA of A. Ya know, somewhere where no ones gonna start slinging around gun laws and I could go hillbilly if I felt the need.

Note: just because you can hold your breath for 4 minutes doesn't mean it's a good idea to go reef diving without a mask in 4 foot waves. I think I'm gonna have a scar on my forehead and shoulders. But after I forked out $50 for a mask, it was all good. I only used fins one day so lemme let you in on something...it's hard as hell trying to drag a chest-sized live conch to the surface.

Craziest thing--I had to do battle with the cleaning ladies of the condo complex. Thats right--condominium---I went all out on this one. These cleaning ladies were gonna change my towels weather I liked them to or not. One morning, I slept late but latched the deadbolt--they knocked @ 0830 to no avail. They came back about 1100, deadbolt held. Around 12:30, they made what I thought was a final (and failed) strafing run so i finally got out of bed and took a shower.

Here I am, naked at 13:00 and in the kitchen opening breakfast with a bottle opener after a refreshing shower.
And the deadbolt unlocks.
Door opens.
In come a couple of portly dark skinned ladies.
I inform them that I'm sportin' meat to which they just look down...back up...and calmly tell me they're changing the linen and towels.

Since they were in the bedrooms, I couldn't do anything but stand in the kitchen till they left. I wasn't sure how to take that so I downed the beer and mixed a double Jack & Coke in a large tea glass. I wasn't really worried very much about it by the time they left.

Gone baby!!!--R&R...yea

2006-05-05T04:10:00.000+04:00

yuppers, since my last post, I've been on R&R. Not saying where but I'll tell you this--I'm going out and tonights the first night I've worn socks since I left.

BTW--Miami airport and customers---YOU FUCKING SUCK BALLS!

It was like being in some friggin sweatshop barrio in that terminal, (T-B). If you dumbasses like it so damn hot, humid, and like a flea market....perhaps staying in mexico would suit you better.

anyhoo--I'm fucking loving it on the island. Still not sure about whats legal or not---not really much in the line of regulations apart from "what our connection airports take a dislike to.." memo.

Technorati Tags [R&R] [relaxing] [vacation]

Another Milblogger has been silenced.

2006-04-27T04:16:00.000+04:00

http://baghdadguy.blogs.com/baghdad_guy/2006/04/last_blog.html

This guy used to post about what went on around him over on Camp Prosperity. He never even came close to touching OPSEC. He never incited the fragging of any ass-holian brass. And really, if you want to be an polesmoker, then don't get upset if someone calls you out for it.

His worst was a few times commenting on the absurdity of some redundant crap and...I'd have to say the most egregious item was the poking fun at the dumbass DFAC sign that was using daily frou-frou quotes from people like Rosie O' Donnel, Dr Phil and some other people that are wholly unwelcome, and a shoot-on-sight target of opportunity if spotted in a combat zone.

Protesting war only works if your not currently in one. Nobody gives a flying cock-holster about those quotes. Fucking MWR tries that shit over at the Palace too. Valentines card workshop? WTF over!

Anyhoo--dear Baghdadguy's chain of command that made this decision... Hope you feel better. If you actually used the words "...have violated the good order and discipline of the unit..." then I hope one day you are outed to the media. I would be supremely embarrassed to be in your shoes. I can feel my uniform loosing just one last shade of green...hanging in a closet far from here.

Technorati Tags [baghdadguy] [frou frou] [retarded]

Human Trafficking: My opinion

2006-04-26T23:40:00.000+04:00

Number 1: The news reports are spinning the storys of human trafficking all out-of-line and for the first time, Gen Casey is making a big hullabaloo for personal and political gain.

Soooo...question is this..'does it happen?'
Answer: YES.
Q:Has it been going on for long?
A: the entire time baby!
Q: did the miltary and State department just find out? (like John Miller of DoS said)?
A: Hell NO!!!!--they knew from as far back as early 2004!

There's something no-one wants to realize...using the term 'trafficking' is hardly correct---only in the few cases where their passports were taken. Oh yea, and those same reports failed to list the single biggest offenders of them all...Kuwait and Dubai, (the US govt's and DoD favorites). Note: 'labor brokering' is a vast and fully acceptable form of business. People need large amount of cheap labor and dont want the fuss of bickering, questions, or benefits---just do your unskilled work, take the pay that you wouldnt otherwise make in your home country, and leave when its done. Much like Illegals in the US would be if they organized and got a business license.

There are several companies out here that're the primary labor brokers. There are probobly thousands of Filipinos out here and I've personally talked to over a hundred of them--most of them are pretty damn cool and all of them are trustworthy. They all knew full well that their country prohibited any of them to come to Iraq. They also knew they were being taken to Dubai for later transport to Iraq. They were not tricked like those Nepalese guys were in 2004.

(And yes, I've seen the video of all 12 getting executed.)

What they were lied about was their payroll terms. Legally, they have nothing to stand on since they signed nonspecific contracts. But, true, some sat in Dubai w/o their passports and later over here w/o passports. A lot left that one particular company to work with Washington Group who paid double and had private living conditions, (something most Americans out here dont even get).

Now, about the passports: Everyone that lived on the Palace grounds in 2004 remembers the day the DFAC contracting company changed---food was all fucked up for the entire day. It was largely about the subcontractors holding their guys' passports and not letting them quit to go home or simply, not getting paid for a few months...those guys actually had a riot planned. Threatening to not pay them , making them pay for their return ticket. Yes, State Department knew full well about that.

Finally it came to a head and the company was fired...the replacememnt company so completely fucked up everything that the original company (Tamimi) was brought back in under 2 weeks. They don't still collect passports anymore and they dont lock down the guys either...(many are fond of the pool). But there's one company out here that still does and I heard their country manager skipped town a few months back.

Long story short:...does it happen? yeaa, but the military and State never had a problem with it as long as everything was peachy king.

Want to hear the biggist Irony? The State Department directly hires a company that staffs Peruvians, Equadorians, and the rest look like a bunch of narco-guerillas I once saw in Columbia. And these cat's cant even pay their employees on time! and they're all armed!!! This is not a subcontractor---this is a DIRECT HIRE of the US State Department. Where's Mr Miller's and General Casey's rage now? Wheres the so-called 'expose' of the Chicago Tribune detailing this?...Why is this important? Because these guys make the same amount of money and live in just as nasty, (and some worse), living areas as these subcontrctors are.

Technorati Tags [human trafficking] [baghdad] [bullshit]

Can you feel the SUCK!

2006-04-26T04:17:00.000+04:00

If you've ever been in the military then you'll know what the title means. If not--well, sometimes during training or on missions, things get to sucking soooo bad....just doesn't stop...but you have to keep going...cant stop...the end isn't near...dont know where it is...is my buddy falling out....or is that me...fatigue turns to frustration...frustration to anger...anger to confusion...confusion to giddyness...giddyness to FEELING THE SUCK!!! Can I get a HOOAH!!

And before you know it--everyone is screaming Hooah and next comes.."C-130 rolling down tha' strip!" and all sorts more about airborne tankers gonna take a little trip.

And I'm feeling the suck.

Trying to clear out of here is a mess...expecially if you're on night shift. You basically have to do everything on your own time, cuts sevearly into your sleep time. So I'm a few hours late from oversleeping, they say don't come in, I get counseled. OK..I was bitter, sure...but so what? I was in the wrong after all.

But the new manager here is already part of the 'clique'. Somehow, everyone else in the office either shows up last minute/late AND leaves early, (waaay early), but I get bestowed the honors of a public counseling. Public you say? I'm going to consider it public considering I'd heard about it from someone not even in our department before I even made it to work.

But anyway...this place is becoming a stimulus vacuum. Only the cliques are staying and the 'individuals' are getting set up for an unexpected departure from the project. I know this. Makes my scalp itch knowing it's happening to me. Even the people out here that do their job perfectly and are skilled enough to stay under the radar---they're also getting looked at now.

Oh well..thats fine. I've made some coin. Perhaps it's time for me to move on regardless of getting this other job I'm after. You ever get that feeling that you just need to change not only your environment but also they type of people around yourself?

Technorati Tags [stimulus vacuum] [baghdad] [frustration]

Went wandering around the IZ today.

2006-04-23T02:25:00.000+04:00

Didn't really take many pix mostly 'cause I forgot about it. Just felt good to get out. Hadn't been in the Palace in a while so I went in there and took a few pix of the ceiling and walls. Got up pretty early so I just mosey'd around.

Started backing up everything from the company computer in case I don't come back or in case they blow this place to shit. This morning, there were an ass-load of iraqis with AK's all over the place--no uniform or ID's...just chillin on every corner looking like insurgents. Supposedly they were the guard of some iraqi minister.

Makes me long for the good-ole' wildwest days of the PSD's when a firing range was wherever you felt like shooting up stuff. Back in those days, hell--just look any-sorts of middle-eastern and have a weapon in your hand...all the kill-joys call those days 'irresponsible'--whatever you bunch of nancy's. At least we were safe back then. We didn't have all these accidents either.

Technorati Tags [republican palace] [baghdad] [shitty security]

I never knew..oh hell..

2006-04-23T00:55:00.000+04:00

The horror....

I was renaming all my music today on the laptop and most of it..I didn't know the names to or even who the group/DJ was. So there I am googling the lyrics and I'm all like.."what the holy hell!!!!" All that late 90's techno I listened to turns out the be European. Now, I remember a lot that was--usually my favorite. But this was stuff they played in the US on certain radio stations.

Holy crap--I was listening to Euro Dance all that time.---oh well..guess it's back to some Whigfeild.

Technorati Tags [eurodance] [techno] [WTF]

too tired to leave

2006-04-22T04:45:00.000+04:00

It's O'dark-thirty in the morning and I guess I'll start getting ready to leave. I'm going on R&R bu, damn if its almost not worth it. For us, getting in and out for R&R is exactly as much hassle as an FNG's first trip in. I'll have to borrow a truck just to clear.

AND...now everyone has to go to the Palace to have some voodoo worked on our ID cards. And those chill cats--yea...oh so chill...they almost work better hours than the post office over here. And that not a lot. Must be the new thing.."Join the Air Force, Goto Iraq, Work in an office and sit at the pool for 3/4's of your shift!"....thats enough to make me re-up.

Anyway--I'm thinking that I should've taken a month off. It's going to be a little rough getting out. Not un-safe mind you. Well, I dunno, I keep getting hold of these videos of insurgents blowing shit out of the sky. And back to their 2003 tricks---blowing shit up at night and along route irish. Thats the road I need to get out of here. Anywho--I'm going to loose a lot of sleep getting all this paperwork filled out.

I'm also gonna start mailing stuff home, like Iraqi license plates. I've been getting more and more correspondence from another company for a job a little south of here. Guess I'll have to leave my rocket shrapnel collection here as those would surely be found in the mail--or worse--my luggage.

Ever wondered what happened to those Saddam heads that used to be on top of the Palace? No?--well, here's one being shown a good deal of historical respect--face down in a power-plant yard. I'm surprised no ones managed to smuggle it out of the country yet.

Technorati Tags [saddam head] [R&R] [baghdad]

Fashion Alert:

2006-04-18T23:35:00.000+04:00

Islamic style and fashion catches on with Western Forces! Burkas all the rage!
Insiders say it's all the rage with our guys on the ground; anonymous high ranking insiders anonymously say that the "brass is trying to keep a lid on this" our reporter was told in exchange for anonymity. Secret purchases by various branches say there's no reason why a person shouldn't be able to have a functional yet stylish working uniform. This is the first time in history that uniform modifications came about from asking soldiers who actually have a clue and not some yuppy REMF yes-man who's related to the general and who's only deployment was that time he got to see someones motorpool. (whoever came up with the velcro idea should have their testicles flogged)

And here, we have a sneak peek as this summers new line of deployment friendly threads! notice the flowing lines and slimming vertical expressions....

And introducing....OUR BURKAS!

Technorati Tags [islam] [burka] [ghillie]

Political observation: Middle Eastern Islam Solidarity?

2006-04-18T20:23:00.000+04:00

Palestine.

Anyone else notice that the other middle eastern countries haven't been financially supporting each other? Billionaires---oil money--rich beyond belief--able to import 90% of their entire labor force....but none of them was spending a dime on Palestine until we, the West, stopped giving money to them.

Now Palestine is openly declaring, as a government, that using civilian suicide bombers on foreign soil to target civilians--is acceptable. And these other Arab countries are conspicuously not disagreeing with Palestine......and we still give money to some of these cats.

Real solidarity there, huh...

Technorati Tags [baghdad] [islam] [leaches]

Hazy sky -- pretty damn cool pic though

2006-04-17T04:32:00.000+04:00

I swear, I havent photo-shopped this! And no, I didn't steal this from some photo-journalists page either.

I was going down RiverRoad about 16:45 from the service CAC towards the bridge and thought it might make a cool picture, (Barry can attest as you can see a bit of the cage just to the right of the dead tree). So I whipped out the camera and one-handed this shot through the untinted window, (because my camera's cool theat way), and here's the result...

Pretty freaking cool...I think I'll make some postcards out of it.

I'm wondering if I should be leaving the date-stamp in there for future pics. This one would be easy enough to edit out....

Technorati Tags [hazy day] [baghdad] [green zone]

Trying something different

2006-04-16T08:01:00.000+04:00

For a while now, I've been trying something different. I've restrained on that most intoxicating of fluids and eating a better diet with some exercise. I actually had fruit this morning, a lot, watermelon cantelope, and whatever that green melon is called.--your guess is as good as mine on how that comes out.

I wanted to see what would happen. It's not looking too good---but at least my trailer-cave is cleaner. I get plenty of sleep now, mostly through boredom. I wake up in a pretty cheery, well..no, not cheery but at least I'm not grumbling around---only to make that long assed walk to work and, being night shift, I'm already drenched head-to-toe in sweat by the time i get to work--withing an hour of taking my 'morning' shower.

That leaves me with 11 to 15 hours of smelling like ass. Which can be a good thing. I think.

So now I'm walking to work since our rides went away--bus company was threatened by insurgents is the current rumor. That sort of thing happens so often that we can blame just about any breakdown on insurgents threats and know we'll be not far from the truth if any.

This was a flight out of BIAP earlier. I never can get these pix right--you've probobly seen hundreds of them online but I can't seem to ever get a good shot out the door gunners hatch.

The statue above is the 14th of July Circle monument--the Iraqi Independance Day, (from British colonialization). A very important day in Iraq's history---see how they deface it with their own re-election posters? I've personally seen some of the candidates putting their own posters up on other monuments and stone facades' out here.

Technorati Tags [Baghdad] [Diet] [sobriety]

For the money...

2006-04-15T02:45:00.000+04:00

This is why I do this....For now. ------------------------------------------------->

But soon enough, I'll be doing it for the experience, (next job doesnt really pay much). But, I've got a nagging feeling that I might not get down to where I'm aiming this upcoming season. But it sure would be nice....I bet nutsack will though...he's done just about every job there is. But then again, it was his idea to start with.

Technorati Tags [antarctica] [benjamins] [baghdad]

Incapable of creative thought

2006-04-15T00:42:00.000+04:00

I ran into this couple out here that are extremely anti-war. They rationalize that as long as the "Illegal Occupation" is going to continue, they might as well make some good money so they can go back home and presumably spend it on their anti-war efforts. They didn't come over here together--they work for different companies and met up a month ago, (right after they both got here).

What are the chances.... kind of inspiring really, no, not being anti-war....but finding like-minded companionship out here. Anyway...

I asked them what the better solution would've been and all they could come up with is some ridiculous generality involving 'better dialog' and 'improving channels of communication' and something else but I forget. Basically, they have no clue what was going on before or even now. All they know is what the news reports.

But I DO have one satisfaction from the encounter: They are becoming disgusted with the Iraqis they come in contact with. Not that the locals are disgusting--but these kids had the mental picture of a benevolent and oppressed peoples...not the flea-market riot scene that goes on every morning where the workers congregate, (and incidentally the same place they both have to pass through at the same time).

My satisfaction comes from these kids who had the world all figured out already...Didn't matter what anyone told them--they already knew how the real world worked....yea, it felt good to see the uncertainty in their responses as their own eyes broke down their preconceptions...

I've always had a distaste with know-it-all's and holier-than-thou people. It's been suggested that perhaps I should 'help enlighten' these types, (usually said sarcastically as if I too was being a know-it-all). Sorry...I dislike teaching so I choose not to even try. Also, I don't debate politics or religion--so no one can ever accuse me of being holier-than-thou. After all, any person that feels fired-up enough to engage another person...well, there's not a chance in the world they're going to say "hmmm...you know, you're right. I've been completely wrong all this time!"

Maybe 5 million people like me could change the world to what we think is better---but I don't know 5 million people. All I can do is vote and know that my viewpoints are increasingly in the minority. So I'm stuck with whatever happens.

I was passing by the desk of a new guy yesterday--his laptop had crashed and he was having trouble with the loaner. The problem? The power button was not in the same shape or location as his last one. He couldn't figure out how to turn it on.

Not capable of thinking outside his narrow little box...

He asked my help...I said "dunno, prolly have to call I.T." and walked away.

Technorati Tags [iraq] [know it all] [creative thought]

I hate the heat--I really do.

2006-04-13T06:20:00.000+04:00

Not another summer here. I'm going to be hurting if I go through a 3rd summer here. But I will.

I have this very simple 'Philosophy of Heat'---you can always put more clothing on to be warm. However, I can only take so many off. I walk to work and it's starting to warm up...ok, no problem. I get into the office and the thermostat is set to almost 80F. I don't get this. They said---oops on us, here...let us turn it down to 77F. 77F? whoa! big difference! whatever..

Oh well..I'm not really feeling well. It's kinda sad--I look forward to work. I get off of night shift and there's nothing to do, (we're curently restricted on movement). Not like there's nothing to do...hell, there's parties over at the pools but we're not to go over there at the time. We have so few people on nightshift--there's literally no-one to so much as talk to after I get off.

Technorati Tags [heat] [Baghdad] [bored]

not much today - little rain

2006-04-12T06:36:00.000+04:00

Was a little overcast when I came in today to I snapped off this pic. nothing much going on really.

About to get off shift and go start packing--If I had to do some E&E from here, I'd be shit outta luck. I dont even keep a bug-out bag anymore. Also have a bunch of souvineers to mail.

Just a little drizzling rain today.

Technorati Tags [hazy] [Baghdad] [bored]

Baghdad Rain Storm - April 02, 2006

2006-04-11T01:04:00.000+04:00

These pix were from the storm we had on april 2nd, 2006. I think thats the worst storm we've
had in 2 and a half years. (not that its was big by any central US standards)

Technorati Tags [Baghdad] [rain]

Immigration in the US

2006-04-10T21:32:00.000+04:00

I think I've finally got a handle on my thoughts about this immigration thing.

A lot of people want the borders open. Current legal folk are getting rather militant in their protests saying that the illegals have the same rights. Ok, sooooo these people are coming from countries who's economies suck really bad. Who's gonna give them jobs in the US? 3 million are unemployed. 3 million--that a lot.

Now, I'm a vain sort of person. When I buy property, I tend to do so in conservative areas with a community I'm in agreement with--or at least aren't predisposed to view suspiciously. Thats my thing. Thats everyones thing--no one is going to spend money to live where they feel uncomfortable and no one, and I mean no one, gets along with every type of culture. Every last person has some sort of bias. Theres a name for it but it eludes me--the "I'll send money and champion their cause, but not actually live with or even personally deal with" thing.

unemployment creates ghettos and welfare. I was born in the US. I ended up in poverty--severe poverty--as a kid. I busted my ass, used my natural intelligence, and have been doing better off than most in my adult years. From the US point of view, I am my own rags to riches story. (Well, I'm more middle class but it's what I considered rich as a child). But others would say that just being born in the US means I was born privileged; born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

In that sense, it's true. But please don't think I'm obligated to give that spoon away or go out and buy one for others.

I would be a very sore person were I to live in California where they pay an insane amount in taxes to support hundreds of thousands of unemployed people not supposed ot be in the country.

Technorati Tags [immigration] [silver spoon] [protest]

AAFES Secret Beef Jerky Agenda

2006-04-10T03:27:00.000+04:00

We've all known that the PX has a secret agenda to be self-propagating--like Coke~Cola having cocain back in the day, the army encouraging troops to get married so they'll always be too broke to leave the service, your camp wont allow you to put up your own satellite/internet dish--if you want it, you have to use the company that pays kickbacks to a certain person in your local IT department--ya know, things like that.

AAFES (spit and audits be unto them) has for a long time put out a pretty decent jerky made for them by KC Cattle Company. And it's always been cheap. They sell this stuff for like $1.50 in the States and have done so for at least 6 years that I know of, (3.50 here).

Now, after getting all of us hooked onto their brand, they got sneaky and changed the godamn product! Same package and all! Coloring? The same. Shelf display? The same. One word changed---"jerky" changed to "chunks". And what have they substituted? Take a look...its one of those nasty ass chunks where the ingredients say "sherdded and formed". This crap is held togather by grease! There is no more solid strip o' meat.

What a dirty trick to play, AAFES. All to fatten your pockets. You see, kind reader, actual jerky can only be made from decent cuts of meat---this crap is shredded, torn, stomped, and otherwise mutilated remnants.

Ass holes, lips, tongues, and eyeballs. Whats wrong..couldnt find a pet food company to buy the scraps? Knowing them, these cows prolly has Mad Cow disease.

Technorati Tags [AAFES] [scam] [Iraq]

Boring day 'cept for the booms

2006-04-09T01:05:00.000+04:00

Nothing doing...nothing interesting anyway. Should do the laundry. Prolly wont.

Couple of booms this morning had everyone riled up. Had someone calling me for its location and I'm like "how the hell would I know?". And he's telling me "well, as long as it's not in the Green Zone then I guess we're all right". I didn't have the heart to tell him I thought the 1st boom WAS inside, (never found out either way).

Well, we all might be out of here sooner than we thought. Gov't officials in the States are finally fed up with the Iraqi's incapability of even choosing spokespeople within their own parties--much less standing up a functioning government. Bunch of people grumbling about going home on R&R and just not coming back. Contractors like myself can do that---soldiers can't. Yes, it causes frictin and some degree of animosity. If this were a military post then it would be a non-issue. There's still talk of certain questionable elements already inside--after all, it's bigger than a good number of mid-western towns.

This is not a family-friendly site.

2006-04-07T03:50:00.000+04:00

So...I was writing a long assed e-mail to JP over at milblogging.com, (because I never learned how to be brief). I invited him with us to work in Antarctica. I just remembered there were more people trying to go than I had mentioned. 1 guy I used to work with over at THAT company, myself and another here, and a military guy about to rotate back and get out. If we get JP to join...we'll have 1 serving of Houstons finest, 2 morally deficient contractors, and a shooter that is quoted with "I love this shit", and a full time civilian, (I think), who's already been there, done that, got the shirt, and choked the haji that tried to steal it.

Actually I do know what happened to the shirt...haji was not harmed in the transaction...I think...thats all I'm saying.

I'm fond of my workmates. An interesting lot. Two of them are crusty old bastards who've already retired. If theres a large demonstration on TV showing the arial view, I can guarentee that one will start loudly murmering about how a MOAB would be perfect. We recently watched the french labor-law riots for hours on Orbit--I even microwaved popcorn. Shit was hilarious! Squeemish cops prancing around in tight groups--then that one guy walked right up and flung a rock, point blank.

That did the trick...they beat that guys ASS!

So anyway, I'm keen to know why there was an Iraqi standing at the road entrance to the Combat Stress Center--with a sidefolding stock kalashnikov. If I had to slow down because of the PSD trucks in front of me, then you'd have thought one of them, (that turned down that road), would've lit him up. He was not displaying any form of ID. After they went by, he slung the AK over his back--a most awkward position if you've ever done it--and walked down towards the circle.

Fuckin' great security around here people! I guess he'd been there for a while 'cause a few people (Expat looking) were standing across the street looking between each other and the guy.

Oh well, things I've done while writing this: changed my socks under the desk and eaten a slice of beef-textured meat that I believe had food colering added to it rather than bother with cooking it. (none of that fluffy 'what music' or 'what book im reading' crap)

Technorati Tags [iraq] [IZ] [riot]

Middle eastern standards of sanitation

2006-04-06T01:27:00.000+04:00

(I'm eating MRE crackers with the Blackberry Jam...this is SOOOO gonna come out wrong...and keeps with thos post's theme)

Been busy lately...but I was reading several articles where a contractor went to Kosovo a few years back...caused trouble...raised more hell...started trowing around terms of 'discrimination'...got shit-canned...and turned into a whistle blower. Over toilets.

Somewhere along the line, she appointed herself as 'peoples advocate' for the poor and deserving peoples of Albania...remember them? Yea, the muslim Albanians that tried to roll the southern tip of Serbia, (Kosovo), got spanked in the retalitory ethnic cleansing, and proceeded to get jobs working for the foreign contractors. And apparently a great injustice was being done because they had segregated toilet facilities.

Anyway...Her name is Amy Katz and this was actually a while back, year 2000. Read the 2nd paragraph--I can't believe he got away with saying that because that EXACTLY WHY they're segrergated. No other reason. They don't use toilets or toilet paper---not many anyway.

"I was totally outraged. I refused to use the ones for the Americans," Katz said, even though the guard tried to persuade her not to use the Albanian-only facilities. "I tried to explain that I thought this was terrible and it was my way of protesting it," she said.

Richard Levinson, associate executive director of the American Public Health Association, said unless local cultural practices involve unsanitary conditions, "I can think of no health-related reason for segregating them. Heaven help us, Americans can create as big a mess as anyone."

Well, Katz...no, you didn't use the one for locals because everywhere your company had a presence, (including your private compound in Pristina), there were regular indoor toilet facilities for females. I remember that personally.

Point is this...yes, there is a huge reason they were segregated...same reason that one in Embassy Estates had a padlock on it---because haji will stand on the seat, drop a load, will 'miss the drop zone' with annoying regularity, use bottled water to rinse their ass, drop the bottle in the tank, smearing the rest of their ass-stew on the wall and door handle---and here's the final one---they break the shit out of the toilet seats!

I saw somewhere that its one of their 3 holy books that instructs them how to pinch-halal. I dunno--not gonna bother with it. Somehow, its nasty to sit on a toilet seat and use toilet paper. But sanitary to wipe with your hand? Use the same faucet-ass-washing-tube that every other turd flinger uses?

So..still cant figure it out? Some of you military guys that never get out might not even know this. See that pic above? You go in and turn around, avoid getting turd shrapnel on your clothing. lift your man-dress and squat. Ready? Set? ---RELEASE! When you're done, be sure to rinse your ass with the waterhose and your left hand. You might also want to rinse that left hand too...

Technorati Tags [Iraq] [haji toilet] [loaf]

And now...the other side of the truck

2006-04-03T00:22:00.000+04:00

...finally got it...---but now you can see more of the damage. Can you imagine that? Totaling a vehicle worth $250,000 because your 23 year old ass was drunk. What I wanna know is how someone only 23 can get a job with Triple Canopy. They advirtise that their guys individually ALREADY have around 20 years of experiance each.

Technorati Tags [Triple Canopy] [DWI] [Green Zone]

Triple Canopy pic--nice driving guys!

2006-04-02T00:36:00.000+04:00

Look at this! Notice the rear wheel? Me neither. Helluva April Fools gag! "Hey, I know...lets go fuck up the bosses car!"

I don't know if this guy is Tri C or not so I'm blurring the face. I'm gonna assume the cameraman is either IZ Police or one of the wrecker guys...I know damn well that P wouldn't have the balls to just walk up in there and start snapping pictures. (thats right P, I called you a wuss! [;-)

I saw another one that a Titan friend took of the truck, this morning in the daylight, but she's still not sent emailed it my way. It shows the other side of the truck and is all jacked up from where it rolled. I know there have to be more pics out there--if you have some, send 'em in and they'll get posted. I especially want the ones showing the shitload of beer cans that were all over the road leading upto this.

For those not familiar, click the picture and look closely...that's an up-armored suburban. Extra panes of bullet-proof glass(mostly) in the windows and windsheild with armor/kevlar plating all inside. Heavy sonovabitches. It's also costs about $250,000 USD.

Yea--I heard at least the driver already got shit canned.

Technorati Tags [Triple Canopy] [DWI] [International Zone]

Ohhh-- Triple Canopy, drinking and driving dont mix.

2006-04-01T06:30:00.000+04:00

I can't wait to get these pix. Someone called me up saying he had the pix of a wreck at the 14th July circle. Appears it was a couple of Triple Canopy guys drunk off their ass--had managed to tear through a pile of large rocks, rolled up and crashed into the monument steps!!
He said these guys were having trouble just standing up. And the IZ Police were called--I wonder what kinda trouble they'll get into? A wonderful company, really. Their CEO's and Board member list reads like some kind of secret star-chamber type power dealers with SF and Ranger backgrounds. But their in-country presence is pretty sorry. The day I saw an Iraqi laborer shove his way past a TC guard, yanking his grip off and ignoring him...I lost all respect.

Technorati Tags [Triple Canopy] [DWI] [14th July Circle]

kinda early...isn't it?

2006-03-31T06:08:00.000+03:00

0600 - boom in Baghdad. Kinda early for a carbomb, isn't it? Who the hell are you blowing up? Even Haji's not out and about yet.

Car bomb at the gate

2006-03-30T12:58:00.000+03:00

By now, I'm sure everyone heard about the blast this morning at CP . Lookit' this article...a person would be hard pressed to call those IP's "commandos".

Got this Pic today...kinda surprised it's not on the news along with the other 40 that came with it. Everybody and their mother's are on the forwarding lists. You'll notice the blue truck in the front was barely damaged...look closely over the barrier and you'll see the incinerated carcass of a car, (no...not the wreckage in the front--click for bigger pic).

The other pix with this came with include body parts and dumbasses posing for pix. Dudes upper pallet w/a few teeth are seperated from everything else. Some guys spine w/some back meat and ribs splayed out are partially intact--like it was some kind of det on his front side.

Technorati Tags [Green Zone] [car bomb]

Jill Carrol--Act III?

2006-03-30T10:11:00.000+03:00

I dunno about all this 'released' stuff...

My first impression, as written, Was on how people were clueless about her situation--she went willingly into a combat zone--[note to idiots: Combat Zones don't have any laws or personal humanatarian rights]--without security. If there's one thing you can count on...it's that a well-meaning Iraqi will trust you. And anyone else they deal with. With information. Like your nationality and religion.

side note: if you ever wan't to freak-out an Iraqi, tell them you're an Atheist. You'll probobly have to explain it to them. the last time I did, dude,...it freaked them the fuck out. those guys in Al-Hilla were talking about me for days afterwards....

Anyway..back to the drama queen, Jill Carroll. The 1st video I saw was looking bad and we were talking in the office about how she was prolly doing a publicity stunt gone bad, (her dead driver). She looked like a semiskilled actress in the way she seemed familiar with what she was supposd to be reading

Then the second video came and we all got a good laugh out of it. I say we..that emcompasses about 50 loose knit people I work with. She CERTAINLY knew the material that time and it looked like the real message was ..."damnit!...I'm an American and how dare you act like you dont care about a white american female christian! Listen..I already gave you one video so c'mon and un-ass those poor hostages that my heart bleeds for so much..."...like she was getting pissed off that HER demands weren't being met.

Now she's released and fully aware that she's got center-stage. She finally has what she always wanted---a worldwide podium from which to tell the world how evil the US is for opening its can of whoop-ass. And how great the brave, compasionate, and westernly oppressed local people are.

Someone didn't think this through--they released 'killing deadlines'. They defaulted. She says they were compasionate and kind. Soooooo.....that means that no one will ever take them serious ever again.......thats common sense to those of us that work with such things---even to our local workers....but it would'nt be common sense to, say, someone doing a publicity stunt...

Ya know--Bush fucked up any chance of getting a conservative in office next election--he's alienated his own people. So, what I want to know is this--whats going to happen to Jill Carroll and her "the US only hurts the little guy" ilk when they win the election? Open the borders? Give even MORE billions in aid to countries that hate the US?

Technorati Tags [Jill Carroll] [kidnap] [puppet show]

my, my..arent we ever the popular ones-- more mortars

2006-03-29T21:32:00.000+03:00

More mortars today. I heard they were in the IZ -- also heard they were outside the IZ. I dont really care at this point. I heard them going off this morning as I was offering sacrifice to the the porcelin alter of his Majesty, Emperor Browneye....but I just thought it was a carbomb in the distance with a delayed secondary as if another had driven into the crowd after the first one went off.

But it was mortars. My hearing must be going out.

I must've finally goten over some illness--been feeling like a hangover recently, not so good since I've not been drinking. I went to bed, turned the A/C on...and woke up later completely freezing but totally soaked in sweat. Pillows, sheets, half a blanket--soaked in sweat.

But I feel a ton better now. Must've had a bug.

Technorati Tags [xxxx] [xxxx] [xxxx]

incomming fire, again

2006-03-28T23:22:00.000+03:00

2nd Nights in a row. Otherwise, it was a nice and overcast chilly day with pretty mich a light rain all day with plenty of hearty thunder.

This time, they kept all the mortar rounds in the same area and last I heard, only one person got hurt. We heard a group of 4 launches..then 2 more. Friend of mine out there said "...yea, EOD is running us off, seems there's more around here someplace.."

So that's 6 mortars for so far tonight in here. Several others early in the after noon. And its not even midnight yet... Still kinda drizzling...

Technorati Tags [morter] [Green Zone] [rain]

Welfare states--always thinking someone owes them

2006-03-28T04:32:00.000+03:00

I once saw an episode of Whoopie where her partner got offended at being called Arab---seems he was Persian. I personally do not recognize the difference. Not because i'm being insulting--I simply do not care enough to study any further on the middle east. I'm all "Arab'ed" out.

After the mortar early yesterday evening and the rocket about midnight--I started watching the news and..well, someone needs to bitchslap the rest of the world and let people be accountable for their actions.

Afghanistan--wanna start killing people over religions just like your former Taliban oppressors did? Fine--go for it. And the rest of the world will wall itself off from you and let you decend into gutteral, squabbling, nomadic tribes again. That is--whoevers left alive.

Iraq? I'm completely clueless about these guys now. Dude who ceased working here this morning was all fired up about this mosque/not-mosque raid and says the Americans should be killed. I asked him if he watched the news and the Iraqi SF guys were supposedly the ones there--no, he had not watched the news. He heard it was US Troops by his cleric/imam/head dude at the mosque--and that apparently make it a fact to him.

The mission, the generals said, was developed by the Iraqis on their
intelligence that an Iraqi dental technician, kidnapped 12 hours earlier because
he could not come up with $20,000, was being held in what they called an office
complex.

"It's important to remember we had an Iraqi unit with us, an Iraqi unit
of 50 folks and they told us point blank that this was not a mosque," Chiarelli
said. "It's not Mustafa mosque. Mustafa mosque is located six blocks north on
our maps of this location."

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/nation/14202531.htm

Lets all be clear--Iraqis generated thie intel, Iraqis generated the mission, Iraqis led the way, and Iraqis said it wasnt a mosque. Way to got O'-People who are so wise and capable--yes, by all means blame the Americans!

He was quite clear that he believed and supported his cleric guy. We were quite clear that he was no longer employed. Perhaps the boss giving him the boot will piss him off enough to become an insurgent...its possible.

He was also one of those that though we were obligated to pay him for everyday of the week--full hours a day, mind you---while he took days off regularly and always left early.I'm all for pulling out of this place--but not for the same altruistic reasons that anti-war people do. I'm firmly confident they don't have the ability to stand up any government other than an murderous and religiously opressive one. It would fall.

Sure, I know, I know---people will yammer about the US having an obligation to ensure they are up and running--considering we ARE the ones that toppled their last humanitarian lovefest government. But people will yammer about us no matter what we do. I agree with the anti-war crowd but for different reasons--I say let them do it them selves and prove to the world that they're incapable of civilized self-rule.

Is that crass?..oh sure it is...but still I get a warm fuzzy of confidence ths what'll happen.

Immigration and birth control

2006-03-28T04:10:00.000+03:00

It's embarrasing to watch the news and see Americans parading around on the immigration issue--something they surely dont understand. Why NOT?!? Go ahead and open up the borders! Whats that? You say we NEED them?

If the US needs them so bad then why are there millions of them unemployed? Why do working Californians and Texans have to pay taxes to support people from across the border? Americans are barely getting a grip on having a sense of responsibility---you keep breeding, then dont expect other people to care wheather your children starve to death or not.

screw all that beating around the bush--lets call it like it is: If you make them legal, then it will cease being cheap labor as minimum wage laws kick in! Then all we've acheived is importing AND LEGALIZING another million unemployed people.

But hey, they dont have to worry about that with mexico!! They do not acheive a SINGLE thing better in their country than keep breeding people into poverty--kinda like New Orleans or redneck trailer parks only massivly bigger. So--they goto the US, Live poor by US standards, but its still better than where they were.

All those people protesting--half of them 'cause they just love protesting...and the other half because they're somehow associated with illegal immigrants.

Years down the road--life is gonna suck really bad for people and the overnment isn't gonna be able to standup and say " I told you so!"...no, no, no...those same narrominded people will cry that the government should've known better than to listen to uninformed masses.

Look at this shit...everyone on the planet wants us out of their countrys--but they sure as hell want in ours! Nobody imigrates illegally because it sucks. Its not the land that sucks--any travel brochure can show you that.

Technorati Tags [Immigration] [Mexico] [Sucks]

The Iraqi Alcohol Credit Corp.

2006-03-27T04:41:00.000+03:00

Today, I have a tab. I snuck off down to my new watering hold and the guy couldn't break a $100 bill. All I had was $19 in loose change but the bill was $30 even. He told me to pay the $11 remainder next time I came by.

Sweeeettttt!!!!!! From an Iraqi no less!

Kinda makes me wanna drink my entire supply just to give me an excuse to go back and pay the man.

NEWS FLASH: Triple Canopy to hire former insurgents!

2006-03-27T01:13:00.000+03:00

In a secret interview that happened tomorrow, Triple Canopy spokesperson Harold Mallsecurity says it's a humanitarian approach. "In light of recent death threats by almost every single Iraqi in the Green Zone to the Filipinos about stealing jobs, we feel this will prove our good intentions and that we really do trust them". Since the hispanic former narco-terrorists they currently hire don't seem to actually speak any form of a hispanic language--we weren't able to get their views on this.

Harold pointed out several reasons for the change; the main theme was their qualifications. It seems they're already trained, says H.M., as the Medellin Cartel members have been teaching the Iraqis during their night shifts how to strip and clean the M16, some of the finer points of English, how their company works, and the tactics they are to use in emergencies. Although Harold is unwilling to give an example, it's generally common knowledge that a change is needed.

We tried to ask one of the current guards about his future employment plans but were unable to awake him in the bunker. The clutch of Iraqis laughing at him nearby said they were going to play "hide the ammo" since they'd already unloaded his magazine from the weapon that sat on top of the sandbags he was snoozing behind. Their plans involve one of this reporters favorites---popping a paper bag full of air near the head.

We mentioned to Harold Mall security that we'd already interviewed Blackwater, Erynis, Aegis, DynCorp, and the Iraqi girls that take a months worth of juice from the DFAC every meal--and their concensus was that this seemed like a generally bad move. His reply? "well...well...um...THEY'RE Just Jealous! They're just think they're special 'cause they're all former Special Forces and stuff--big friggin deal!"

The Iraqis, on the other hand, are indifferent about the whole issue. They say that it doesn't really change anything since they've already got unrestricted access through the KBR camp (whos already on a 100% Iraqi security force)and somehow they equate this with access to the Palace...but we're unable to verify this as the Iraqi guards would not let us in unless they were allowed to 'manhandle' our Embassy Badges.

However, the Iraqis that were going in-and-out without any more of a search than 'hello' and some cheek-kissing...we asked them about this--but they referred us to the Triple Columbian guard leaned up against the T-wall. We tried getting his attention, but he just waved at us and returned to his mobile-phone conversation with enthuseasiam.

Since Triple Canopy is also providing security for the State Department, some military, and AAFES-- we queried them:
<name witheld out of respect for ignorance> "I thought those guys WERE Iraqi!"
Yvette Psdbedtoy (DOS liquor fund advisor) "will I still be able to get my boyfriend in?"
SSG Remf Hardcore (Reservist admin) "Dont bother me none! I gots my weapon! Too bad for those damn civilians, maybe they should've though about that before they came over here!"
Mrs. Laura Pricetag (AAFES Soldier Extortion Rep) "well, as long as they keep the backpacks out.."
Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, (US Ambassador), answered nothing even related to the question but did remind us, however, that there wasn't any civil war.

Technorati Tags [Triple Canopy] [Iraq] [Security] Disclaimer: the only thing to disclaim here is that they're hiring insurgents--but I wouldn't put it past them. the rest is mostly true. mostly...sortof...

John McCain, GO HOME!!!

2006-03-26T21:35:00.000+03:00

John McCain is here.

Will all the sorry assed government war-tourists please stand up? Thank you...now leave.

Yea, now there's a good way to spend the taxpayers money...a shitload of Secret Service, US Marshals, PSD teams, VIP catering, chartered military transportation----how the hell can you rationalize spending millions of dollars just for this trip?

What a waste. I'd love to hear him spout some of his "I've seen the conditions on the ground in Iraq...." Whatever you pampered fucknut.

Oh WAIT!!! Nevermind--you were in Vietnam so that means you DO HAVE experience with a fucked up war being run by personal-agenda Senator tourists! Keep on trucking McCain...keep on trucking.

Technorati Tags [McCain] [Iraq] [War Tourist]

Net-nanny smokes pole

2006-03-24T21:30:00.000+03:00

Great, the net-nanny filters on the corp network are going into retard mode. I can't edit old posts now.hmmmmmmm.....make me wanna think that our lovely IT department, (who has a documented case of the ass with me, might be playing a little trick. Sooo...if I were to post some pix of certain people sleeping at their desks with full names and contact info...

One things for sure..they can only completely block me if the cut off email access--blogger.com posts can be emailed in too.

anyway--this is a pic of McMurdo Station--hopefully, my future home.

deep sleep and dreams of Big Ice

2006-03-24T19:29:00.000+03:00

I've been sleeping really deep this past month. I get up in the evening, walk into work--and boom--no, I'm not hearing and explosion, instead...i'm hearing about one on the news. It's getting pretty common recently for the news to report all kinds of things blowing up not far from me---but I seem to sleep right through them all.

Heard some interesting music today...I looked at the bus driver but he didnt seem Indian or Pakistani...anyhoo, the music was some very relaxing meditation-type stuff. Kinda like the HoloSynch series--and it had a guy talking in slow sentences. I honestly couldn't tell if it was Iraqi or not--I've never heard Iraqis talk slow and rythmic...or not in a near yell.

I think I was listening to some Haji guided meditation...it was pretty cool.

I woke up from the dream of Big Ice...Antarctica. Thats right---Antarctica. I'm getting worn out here. Feeling old. Someone sent me and ad for a job in Antarctica as a joke; it was for the position of a Hairdresser. Then I started looking it up and found that they have all kinds of jobs there. And I swear that everylast one of them has their own little nook on the internet AS WELL AS several community sites.

None of that 'feel good' 'family oriented' fru-fru morality police type people either. These are the types I remember from when I used to live in Alaska. Kinda like the Green Zone was way back in the day except without the bloodlust and firearms. OK--mebbe its more of the opposite of the IZ, cept for the partying. Ya know, the types you would describe as 'real people'.

Now I'm trying to get a job there. And they happen to have a few openings right up my alley that I've even done over here during my first year. Antarctica satifies my main 3 requirements for my next job:

1) Is not governed by any form of religious
law - (thats right kiddos, this is my last romp thru the middle
east.)
2) Is secure - (either there is no possible
threat to warrent a gun, or else I'm packing heat myself)
3) Will not work for a company that takes the
moral high-ground and regulates its employees off-duty time---in short,
I'll have a beer when I damn well please! (off-duty of
course)

Yea, there's bars in Antarctica--a few anyway.

I'll go from being --TBAS to --TAAS....schaaa--weeeeeeet.

Technorati Tags [Antarctica] [Ice] [Haji]

I am not a blog

2006-03-22T06:58:00.000+03:00

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...he does not exist. And this is not a blog.

Or so says Blogshares. Ever try them? I did, for some reason--looked pretty cool but I couldnt figure out how it really ran--stocks I understand, comparing certain items of a blog to valuations, I get---blogshares, I didnt get.

And now they unlisted this site--"blacklisted" to be exact. Says this isnt a blog.

Now, one of the ways these sites work is that I put this cute little icon on the page--but its really pulled as javascript from their server somewhere in cyber cracked-dom. Do you know what happens to your site when you link an image like that? It means that they will get 100% the same tracking information about each and every visit to this site and where they from, browsers they're using, ho long, blah blah fucking blah--

you get the picture? Its really a lot to be giving away for free to a third party for a game I dont really play. Now they're telling me I dont exist. Dont they know how meningful this is to my soul? Where I pour my heart out? Where I rant about the sensitive side of complete shit!!!..ahem, well? I sent them an email but I'm expecting the reply to involve something about being anti-semetic, anti-muslim, anti-cherrios, and anti-sensible taste.

Or mebbe it was just mistake, I dont really care either way. Thats why I wrote all this info, because I dont care. Nope, not at all. Or do I......

So, anyway, I'm getting off shift now and have a horribly trashed room to clean. And drink---must drink. I really shouldnt because I'm not feeling too good but theres no way in hell I will clean my trailer sober. I think we're having inspections soon so I need to clear out the stock.

Technorati Tags [Blogshares] [IZ] [cleaning trailer]

Mid-east gangsta ..um..not rap, thats for sure.

2006-03-20T21:52:00.000+03:00

What do you call middle eastern music? Amongst ourselves, we just refer to it as 'haji' yelling. Ok, 'yelling' isn't exactly the word we use but its accurate enough. --but not really the most socially acceptable. I'm sure there's a term for it.

Anyway, I've been keeping an eye on local media and there was a song on the otherday where a guy was yelling/chanting but it was more like the beginning of a haji Eminem song--not the monotonous stuff you hear a lot--kinda modern instead. What caught my attention to this song was the gunfire in the music.

yabba labchlaba!
kana kumanova anda aslitta man frova!
ratta-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat...
blahbbwrbbrw aaett grgrnnytd !
anvirin, fwwvwrini erhabe!

And the guys in the bus were, like, dancing to this shit!

theres a critical word in there--"erhabe". I dont know if I'm spelling it right but it means 'terrorist'. Erhabe' seems to be the main theme in the chorus of this song that done in a gangsta rap kinda way..

And theres constant gunfire. Not like the Europe and US music that has a few shots to emphasize an event in the story line--but the stucatto of 6 round bursts all thorouh the song.

Violence seems to be a common theme in mideastern media. And I'm not even talking of their prime time shows...I'm talking of arabic versions of soap-operas. In the states, the worst you'll see is once a year, on Days of our Lives, where Lawrence is found out to have kidnapped his brothers fiance a year past because he knows she's not good enough but rather needs to be with Leslie whos currently seeing the milkmans best friend dad..(to be continued next week)...

..no--these things come on every day---and every day, theres someone getting their 'honor' insulted because Karim Al-Madr used the olive fork when he was supposed to use the palm-date fork at his best friend dinner party.---the result? Our enraged host takes a sword and beheads the entire offending family.

In another episode, whereas western soaps would show a scorned ex lover breaking a key off in the lock of the new girls cardoor----locally?--nope--they were showing a girl crying, 'plaease, please let him go!..no? ok'...and she walks off---what was happening? Her boyfriend was strung-up wet with a carbattery and some clamps hanging nearby.

These arent movies like we watch in the US on prime-time or the rerun channel--we have tons similar, (except for the beheading--Highlander doesnt count), but they're one-time movies. over here, these are the same characters day in and day-out with an evolving story line.

In the world today...DumbAss rises to the top

2006-03-18T22:36:00.000+03:00

There has to be something in the water today...

1) Somali pirates thought it would be a good idea to fire an RPG at a US Navy warship. --way to go dumbasses, you might get lucky and scratch the paint! http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2006/20060318_4540.html
haha...these dumbasses--one of the ships was a guided missle destroyer and the other was a guided miissle Cruiser!!!

fucking idiots!! an RPG..against that...---->

Technorati Tags [Somalia] [pirate] [Navy]

What a waste..what a damn sorry waste...

2006-03-17T07:30:00.000+03:00

30 Minutes Thats it......3 0 D a m n M i n u t e s.

Iraq's Parliment met today for the first time in 3 years. It took them 3 years to get this far when it was all handed to thm. Rather than put their sectarian differences aside and at least stand-up a government---these geniouses took 3 years to try and out bicker each other from the start.

What a fucking waste.

It had to cost EASILY over a cool million to secure this place for that meeting...that million dollar half hour. Parts of this place were all kinds of crazy locked up. Went out yesterday morning before the festivities and the IZ was a ghost-town. I took that as a bad sign since every major mortar/rocket attack we've gotten had a ton of locals not show up for work. That morning on Sep 2004--shitload of mortars---hardly a single LN showed up. Of course, they knew.

When I saw the emptiness--I hauled ass to camp. Entire routes shut down...beefed up security all over, and dont even THink about going near the convention center---they drew a bead on vehicles from down the road. All day long.

All for their completely usless and symbolic meeting.

Technorati Tags [Iraq] [IZ] [Iraqi Parliment]

morality..or..bleeding heart?

2006-03-16T19:00:00.000+03:00

There's times when I think the entire world has gone soft.

The UN is in Sudan wanting the US to send troops, (after we'd already written the place off).
A food bank group wants US support to feed a band of nomads in Africa who only know how to breed.
Palestine thinks the west should fund it, nothing in particular, just send cash please--and some in the EU agree.
The Iraqi leaders are getting all anti-american but..ooohH HELL No if we stop the money flowing.
Every poor country gets bent out of shape if we ask that they not pollute the rest of the planet like the industrialized nationes agreed to.
Save the whales.
Save the flowers.
Safe the sheep.
Save the donkey and especially save the 2 Iraqi guys screwing it while being recorded through the nighvision weapon sight of US forces, (Yea--I've got it. Watch it at least once a week)

If the government of the great oil-producing ghetto called Iran decided to up-an-leave...what would happen if nobody stepped in? Likely, close to a million people would die as factions squared off. It would matter if they don't have functioning nukes, (which is likely), they have enough nuclear angel dust to cook TV dinners from across the border.

If they go to shit--will you cry? I surely wont. Our mistake in iraq was in not just assassinating the Baath party and Saddam and letting the country collapse in on itself. This entire middle-eastern region never matured naturally. They were still in a tribal/old kingdom mode when outside colonialists found a way to make a buck. Seems viable enough---destroy every advantage outsiders brought over here and let them sort it out themselves.

We've been trying the "we wrecked it so we'll rebuild it" theme for 3 years now. We've far surpassed rebuilding damaged infrastructure. Now there's services where none existed before--and how happy are the people about it? One of the companies out here , (Bechtel I think), built a powerplant. Later, there were complaints that the town didnt have power. Come to find out, the people put in charge said, 'fuck it, It'll run by itself"---and when it failed, they never told anyone. Again..the 'fuck it' attutude.

How about the sewage treatment plant in Rustamhaya? 2 years they paid companies to rebuild and continually, money dissappeared, work halted, crews taking off a week at a time for a religous holiday. If you put your Faith before all else, then the rest of the world is gonna laugh when you ask for money.

Everyone tells us to get out anyway--fine, lets leave. And we'll be putting a 'stop payment' on that cheque since your government is embezzeling tons of money anyway. You have Oil for crying out loud!

No, the problem over here has nothing to do with funding or basic services. The problem here is that there's a deeply embedded beggers mentality. Everyone shouts 'discrimination' and 'you owe us' to get into positions of money---then they're gone. Perhaps the future DOES belong to the children. If this keeps up, the children wont last long.

Afghanistan was a shithole before anyone intervened. Its still a shithole. This place...i dunno.

Perhaps I just woke up on the wrong side of the world today.

"Green Zone" not so green

2006-03-15T06:35:00.000+03:00

We all cringed when the Iraqi Army moved a Batallion into what used to be Camp Honor here in the IZ. They started fucking it up right away. They set their own compound on fire several times. They also thought it would be a pretty sweet for a home-made firing range made of a pile of trash and...um...I heard that was just about it.

Now, we've got this shit http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/03/14/ap2594095.html

421 Rosy-cheeked al-Queda chaps were gonna set up shop right in here and those fucks in the Iraqi Government were helping them. The news waxes lightly that these guys were gonna storm the Embassies and hold some hostages---they failed to mention the hundreds of contractors they'd have to mow down first. Think they're gonna worry about controlling Joe Smith Civilian? Hell no---they'd mow anyone down.

Technorati Tags [IZ] [Baghdad] [Green Zone]

one last note..Serbia

2006-03-13T02:28:00.000+03:00

I'm watching this funeral procession of Slobodan Milosivic and this Muslim Bosnian girl in here is pissed. She says that he should have been tortured while he was still alive and that he somehow managed to poison himself to get off easy. Then she says, this is the kicker..

It would be fitting if a suicide bomber ran to his herse and blew up his casket.

NOTE--do not say the following like I did "ummm...weeeelll...ya know--erm, that kind of thinking might be a small part of why he was killing you guys."

dude, she is fucking PISSED at me now. but it was hilarious the way she stomped out "fuck you! you tink dis funny! maybe I blow you, see how you like it!"

Technorati Tags [Serbia] [Muslim] [Pissed]

Iraqi scam artist want to be my partner

2006-03-13T01:40:00.000+03:00

This is not a joke. This is a kid that works for us--mebbe 17 or 18.

I'd already bought a phone from him, and he's always coming up with these scam-artist adeas of making money. Once, he was entertaining the idea of using me to launder counterfit US dollars through the PX and friends. Yea, whatever. I mean, c'mon...we all know there's a ton of counterfit US loot going around this place, hell, even half the Haji stores use those 'tester' pens when I hand them a Ben Frank note. So--as much as it sounds enticing, I opted out of that one. Besides, I got a fake from the PX once--frigin looks damn good, till you 'moisture-Huffffff' on it and rub it--the damn ink smears.

Today, he had a new idea. I still dont understand it--he's thought it all through and was ratteling on so fast that his english suffered a lot. Something to do with Me paying $10,000 for a car to be bought in the red zone...an Iraqi bringing it into the IZ...this kid then rents out the car for $2000 a month to other contractors...he keeps $500.

I dunno.---1st off, there's not a regualr car in this country worth 10K!!..And he mentioned some elusive 3rd party bringing it into the IZ and something about him not being allowed to be with the car.

Yeaaaaaa......okaaayyy...um, if any of you want dibs on this, just let me know and I'll send Ali-Capone jr. your way.

Technorati Tags [Scam] [IZ] [Counterfeit]

Incoming

2006-03-12T23:42:00.000+03:00

Mortar round.

Not a rocket, not a car bomb, not a dumpster getting dropped---it was a mortar. You could hear it fly right over and say "Hello! I think I'll sling these little of metal around...now, if you don't mind--BOOM!!!"

Don't know if anyone got hurt, although I know none of my guys were. I was driving In that very area this morning. (yea, I scored someones ride for a few hours - needed 'groceries'.)

Yea, yea--I know. I'm not saying where it hit--but they obviously didnt hit whatever they were aiming for. At least, I really hope thats not where they were aiming---It would really depress me to know that the people trying to kill us have the I.Q. of a tic-tac and the priorities of a lima bean.

Technorati Tags [Mortar] [IZ] [Boom]

Beef, the other grey meat...

2006-03-11T19:03:00.000+03:00

The convoys are moving again!! -- this meaning that we got mail in today. It's been a week. I'd known about the slowdown simply because I knew the WHY of the issue...anyway....but I'd never really though about it until recently. I'm told that my fizzy vitamin tablets were sent over a month ago but I've not seen them yet...guess haji got em'.

Recently in our lil' ole DFAC, supplies have been really lacking. for 3 days now, it's looked like an 'about to shut down' field chow room. We're now on day 3 of what started out as 'beef slice', then to 'beef in sauce' (still slice form), and tonight was the (hopefully) final stage of that same mystery beef--braised beef cubes.

"Beef, the other grey meat"-- is a statement that nobody should be able to say.

Technorati Tags [beef] [DFAC] [IZ]

Bummed out

2006-03-11T19:00:00.000+03:00

I keep hearing about all the stuff blowing up but I don't actually hear it -- Nowadays, I'm mostly in a sound-dead area during the day.

The most I've heard is the occasional boom in the far, far distance. However, I did recently hear a gun battle right across the river. Even though I was right next to the river and climbed on top of the Hesco barriers -- I still couldnt see the opposite road. Something steady w/about 5 to 7 rnd bursts and definately larger than M16/4. Too slow for a SAW but too steady to be magazine fed unless he had a ton of mags. A few minutes after it started, sirens came from all over and then the 16/4's started in. pretty high pitched gun battle for whoever it was -- but nothing blew up this time. not so much as the pop of a flashbang.

In other words -- just about a normal day only that it was west of the bridge this time instead of east.

I lost my godamn truck. Someone said we needed to turn in all our 'ass haulin' trucks that werent used for security, missions, or otherwise deemed necessarry. However, as I lost my ragged-out beater, (that I loved oh-so-much), I notice that some of the new females got trucks. NO...I'm not gonna go on how people bring in their favorite shots-of-ass to be their personal cock holster and give them anything they want...no...I'm not going there.

So, my point is that I cant get around this fucking place anymore. Yea, just try getting on one of these busses--1st of all, the driver is gonna pick up every single haji along the route regardless if he's got a mission ID card or not. And they're fond of just taking off down roads to wait while their favorite peice of ass is finishing putting on the Clam-erol de-Funkinator (by FDS).

Technorati Tags [clam] [IZ] [shooting]

Pakistan Hates blogger.com

2006-03-08T09:43:00.000+03:00

Disclaimer: the following is my translation of the above link. It may or may not contan any relevent links to cheese. But it's a pretty blue.

In a move proving to the world that we should continue supporting their Mass-Breeding-In-Poverty (MBIP, ) program, Pakistani MBIP Pontiff , Musharaff al-Mostpronouncable, declared that Blogger.com was henceforth banned for propagating lies such and intelligenge, birth control, co-existance, hairloss prevention, and all late night infomertials selling anything that slices, dices, chops, or dehydrates.

Ron Popeil, be warned--you're now on the wrong side of their Jihad.

In a not related but rather retarded issue, President Bush (PBUH-ROTGDFLMMFAO) lost more cool points with yours truly by splitting some Taco Bell with someone over in there government MBIB office that we all know is going to the backroom saying, "heh heh, I can't it's not butter".

I voted for Bush. I'm all about being over here. But DAYMN son!!! Stay the fuck out of public speaking and PUHLEASE please please keep Condi Rice the hell out of any other country period. Hell, her public speaking snafu's are prolly accountable for fully half of the anti-american sentiment today!

Example: <--read the transcript if you want to be embarresed as an american by all her comments that shows how oblivious she is.

The Palestinian Authority will soon take control of the Gaza -- a first step toward realizing the vision of two democratic states living side by side in peace and security. As Palestinians fight terror, and as the Israelis fulfill their obligations and responsibilities to help create a viable Palestinian state, the entire world -- especially Egypt and the United States -- will offer full support.

uhhh...like we couldnt see that was way off from like an occupied territory away. Palestenians fight terror? Isreal helping them with anything? Egypt, uh..well, who cares.

Way to go Condi.

To get our respect back, its now gonna cost us 20 easy installments of only $19.95 each but at least we'll get a free turkey basting butt-plug with it.

Technorati Tags [Ron Popeil] [Jihad] [Blogger]

on the lighter side

2006-03-08T08:30:00.000+03:00

Ok, I dont have a clue what this Polish beer commercial says---but I just might buy some.

Sweet jesus! I've been killing cute little kittens!

Technorati Tags [Beer Commercial] [Jizz Kittens]

taking the store offline

2006-03-08T07:55:00.000+03:00

Yea--I fucked all up on the pic and now i can find the original. a backup is on my serverspace but I cant access it as of late. Time to work on a header picture...

Technorati Tags [cafe press]

Last night, I became a hypocrite

2006-03-08T07:22:00.000+03:00

I was reading a comment and the guy had thought I had anti-semetic tendancies because of a comment in my profile where I made up a title for a Mengele book. And I thought, ya know...he's right, I'm not anti-semetic. So I took out the reference.

I got back to my hooch and realized that not only was I being a hypocrite for removing that particular insult butycontinuing to rag on the fine denizens around me who have been eloquently described as a people of exotic spice and muskiness. Ya see? I'm still doing it.

Anywho...I'm not anti-semetic because I don't really give a shit enough about it. It's high time people stopped trying to force their shit on others. Either stop all the bullshit or i'm gonna resign my position as the High Commisioner of Overweight-Vets-Who-Own-A-Shitload-Of-Firearms-Back-Home-In-Another-Country; including some class III. Thats the High Comissioner of OVWOASOFBHIAC; ISC3. erm...whatever--just assume I'll come out with a boomstick or 2 and enforce peace through mass sterilization and deoderant.

Antisemetic? lookit what we have...Hard-line Muslims doing what we see them doing every day on the tube....Hard-line Jews trying to hang some ancient guilt on everyone as if the world owes them....Hard-Line Christians in the states pissing people off so bad at funerals that they're about to ass-raped by the entire military community to show some true ToughLuv. And the latest are those crazy mad 'dirty-south' Buddhists acting all Peaceful or some such shit<---how fucking HardCore can you get!!!

No--im not antisemetic. I wasnt alive when the Balfour Agreement happened. Isn't it an irony that the conservatives and progressives of the west finally agree on something?--and that something is their fear of hardliners of a particular religion forcing themselves onto everyone---but somehow its considered taboo in that same western culture to say anything negative about Judaism. Hell, its downright illegal in some european countries. Anyone else notice how that smacks of the same intolerance we so dislike about mid-eastern areas.

Now I hear of laws getting passed in the states allowing the governmental display of christian icons, prayers, etc...only one religion is mentioned in the passages and--well---shit. I might have to sell off some armament and move to the Netherlands. you see...I'm not so much an atheist as i simply don't care. I grew tired of religion when I was a kid. I lost a job as a teenager because the boss found out I didnt goto church. Not only do I find it scary to live in a world ruled (one way or the other) by people guided by a superstition they were tought or found refuge into---but people are waging wars over it.

If you're gonna wage a war--at least wage one over something tangable--like gold, virgins, german breweries, oil, or 3am Cinemax. Or at least because you hate someone or think they're really ugly. Somewhere along the line, it became unacceptable to simply say that you didnt like someone. Now, a person has to validate their reasons of dislike in terms that are acceptable to people whom are probobly also on the list of hippy scum they dont like.

I dont particularly like this part of the world that was built up by western intention---wanted us out when they realized whay oil was worth---got pissed at us because we supported one group and not another---whouldnt stay withing their own borders when we threw in the towel--(see step 3 a few more times)---came out to show their total dislike for us--...............yea, I've got no problem with us being here. But we went about it wrong. We should've rolled the place. You can blame Paul Bremer for that--his direct decision was to NOT disarm the Iraqi people and trust them with depots in the early days.

Bremer--you fucked up and now our boys are out there playing out your game and your godamn politically correct commanders are tying their hands and keeping them from clearing the playing feild. I hope you get knocked unconcious in the AAFES parkinglot by a bag of useless PX Pogs upside your head.

Technorati Tags [Virgins] [Iraq] [lunch]

can we please have some Barry White in here?

2006-03-07T09:55:00.000+03:00

Ever see one of those things thats just wrong? But still oh so right.....

yea, it's what you think...

Technorati Tags [mouse rape] [snuff] [love]

response: Whoo boy!! pissed off JASG it seems.

2006-03-07T09:27:00.000+03:00

And possibly one Brit/Aussie/SA/etc/....

I don't know what it was about yesterdays post but I got one comment and 5 emails, (I suspect the commenter also sent one of the emails)--4 of them doubting my actual presence in Iraq and 1 telling me that it's a disgrace to even associate myself with milblogging.

ooohhHH REALLYYYyyyy.....

lets recap the recent readers of my little waste of space... ya know--site tracking

a bunch of people from the UK, (not really sure why that is) --really, the overwelming majority.
a number of them from a UK server thats carrying some MNFI and DOS traffic
a good number from the US
--including one from the Harvard servers
New Zealand
Columbia
Canada
Australia
--and several from some Pakistan/Dubai/and Palestinian sites where I'd tried to post some non-offensive corrections to their info but that they quickly deleted any trace that i'd posted at all. ya know--cant have all that truth clogging up the place.
And that one from North Dakota in the US---(North Dakota has computers??) :)

I suspect one of the emails was an attempt to get me to give out personally identifiable info in order to prove I'm really here---ahem, "...you never even post whats going on all around that youd know adn you use OPSEC to make it seem legit. I AM THE MNFI person that screens soldiers blogs and nothing in the green zone would be classified..." I left the typos

Dude, let me tell you how I know you're full of shit.
1) There IS NOT a single person that screen blogs for all of MNFI. Its up to unit CDR's. I'm sure the MNF-I CDR gets the occasional blog review when someone finds a particularly nasty bit of info---but you'd be hard pressed to define that as his job.
2) The classified remark---dude, I don't think you've ever even been in the IZ with that remark.
3) Your dumbass would begin to be credible if you'd not used a "send this page to a friend" link from asisonline.org to enter a bogus email addy. If you were one of the many monitors, (and only if you had cause), then your EXACT job would be to first notify me to cease all bloging THEN to proceed to identify me... Regardless of your opinion.

enought of that--now, to address why I blather on some pretty off the wall stuff and never about the really interesting stuff that goes on around here. Lets see--hmmm--how about we compare my non-incident ramblings to what others post...

The guy that posted an impact "right by my hooch" when it was infact across the IZ in MY compound, the repeted 'near impacts' that werent even in the IZ, the types of munitions found, the events of a patrol, the town - location - tribe - and number of people rounded up, weather it was a 'PIV' that was captured or not, how many mortar rounds came in this morning, weather-or-not and how many carbombs they found inside here------nuh uh...only until thats been cleared by the military AND the RSO is that info supposed to be released.

Or until it hits the news and then we can only discuss what the news reported. Remember that Rocket hit on election day morning. I wasnt supposed to post that. News had the details all wrong. Caught hell for it.

Thats whats supposed to happen anyway--as you can tell by a number of milblogs, thats not the case. And its those blogs where the identity has been obscured. but I'm not them...perhaps they actually do have permission to post it.(though some of it seems pretty detailed)

I associate with MilBloggers because --I'm here. Plain and simple. I don't recall there being a manuel about restricting posts to war related shit. I also dont recall a requirement of expressing myself in touching states of emotional weakness, thrilling commentary about all the good we're doing out here, slamming MSM for biased reporting, winning of hearts and minds---blah blah...so on. I'm done with the Army and ETS'd to Fort Living Room. Now I'm in it for the money. Know how many people would be rebuilding this country if it was up to people donating toothbrushes and kindness?

Zero.

I hated civilians working with the military when I was in--but I'm not gonna let that stop me from a helluva paycheck and all I have to do is my job and not get hit by incoming. Civilian contractors--for the most part--arent allowed to have any weapon bigger than a knife. So I rely on other civilian security guys to keep me alive. But lets not forget Warrior TOC and guards--props to you guys!!!

If you'll look and some of the most successful Milbloggers, (read Popular), you'll see that they hardle even blog! What their sites do is post a link and some news snippet of a current event that interesting to the types of people that read these. Mostly conservative types. They make their post and leave just a few lines of comment---its their commenters that take it away.

Perhaps thats odd--a site is sucessful if its insanely popular---but its only popular because of the ton of commenters they click on REPLY. The topics themselves are usually the exact same, that can be found on military.com or any otherpro-western BBS.

Oh..Yoda, the reason I mumble on so much is that , well...you just have to visit the IZ to appreciate it. Thats not really true any more.--things have quited down a lot. But if you know where to go, then you can have a pretty decent go of it. We used to have a compound called Camp Honor (or FOB Honor) here in the IZ. It's now been turned over to the Iraqi Military and is the site of the narrow really tall building (of the 2 tall ones) you always see in the video of the Baath HQ explosion. Well, back in the day, that housed only a certain unit of US military and their civilian contrators--I'd met one on my way out for R&R. He was finishing up his yearlong contract and going home......

He'd been in that compound an entire year and never knew what went on out in the IZ...never heard of the alcohol...never heard of the parties...never even heard of the crazy yet short lived Baghdad Country Club on the Adnon grounds...didnt even know there was anything to do in the IZ. Because they were a small group and not allowed to leave--just like the troops the were with.

Thats why so many of them leave--they hate this place. The money's good but they are bored. I do my best not to be bored. Writing a sick journal like this---well, be honest---there's not another blog/journal/site like this one.

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Nigerians are sooo cooool

2006-03-06T04:15:00.000+03:00

Get this shit:

"The Kano State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Magaji Abdullahi has revealed how the
government worked to thwart the out break of religious riots in the wake of a
cartoon"

(http://www.independentng.com/news/nnmar060614.htm )

Um...brotha?..ummm nooo...the reason you didnt have a bunch of cartoon rioting in your particular town is because immediately after the first riots in your countrie, the christians turned around and beat the holy fuck out of the muslims and torched about as many buildings. way 2 funny. everyone looked around and decided they didnt like the shit when it waas turned on them.

Anyone remember this? Waaaaaaayyyy back in the day. Back before Project Topless State Department Girls started.
They'd only put a few trailers up back then and everyone was living in the cathedral--or as some called it--"Jurassic Park".

Well, those good ole' days lasted up until about the time JASG arrived. Someone questioned exactly why they were here since they didnt do shit and all of a sudden, they acted like this was a military post. I'll never forget the week a group of Colonels were storming around saying how they were gonna shut down all the drinking and make the facilities more soldier friendly.

HAHaaa...yea, I remember it being a fairly low level State person that told them all to shove it since that was an Embassy (not a Mil Post) whose security was provided by contractors not the military. I don't remember if it was Amb Browning or if it made it to the Neg Man...but they pretty much laughed when some military COL tried making it official to ban the boozin and parties. But they WERE sucessful in fucking it up for some of the civvy contractors. IZ Police--WTF over?!?! Police for what? And why the hell did you import that 3.5 ft tall chAirForce chic that cant even see over the dash?

But when the 800 or so contractors moved out--a lot of the partying died off. No more PSD having to say OOPS for accidently discharging into someones beer cooler....no more topless DOS girls, ...no more mortar parties....and then they started with the karoke--hello? Sober karoke?

I'm not kidding, every now-n-then, this girl is driving one of their up-armored SUV's around the IZ and she has to lift her chin UP to see. Up-Armored? what the hell to they need armor from? last time I heard, their biggest time consuming function was making sure the Iraqi police stopped shaking down people and responding to calls of drunk soldiers. Hell, I heard they were called to that dead contractor that was found in his bed and said something like "well, its not our guy...you deal with it." But then, thats just a rumor. And I likes to spreads da dirtyyy rumors....

What ended up happening was the State Department revamped their own private bar on the Embassy Compound and it's pretty much State people only. I think theres a certain night of the week they might let outsiders in--but...daymn do they get shitfaced over there!!! I dunno...havent been over there in a great long while. All I know it that its hilarious that the Army & AF girls are consistantly shaking up with boyfriends over on contractors compounds and drinking the nights away---and i...damn, I'm laughing again just thinking about this....I had to really not call this SSG a naive moron to his face the other day when he started talking about how so many people can go without sex for so long.....and this cat had only been here 4 months!!!!

MMMWWHHWBWAAAHAHAH!!!!!!

I know for a fact that LTC's <---> and <---> and COL <---> have them more than one suggerdaddy apeice between BW, Aegis, Triple Canopy, and one even sunk to KBR. ohhh--I soooo want to put those bitches names in here cause they got all uppity with me one night while killing their collective livers.---but that would prolly start an admin looking up records and busting my chops on bogus OPSEC charges like JASG tried do do with Iraqiinsider.com owner last year. (who was actually their own admin.)They were posting completely non-mission or security shit---just a bunch of "that fucker" and "these cock suckers" and the threads that started "what I hate about..."

they went so far as to have the url blocked--but, hehe,...being the 'in-the-closet' admin, he took them literally and blocked only the minimum. Only the densest people couldnt figure how to get around it.

No..I don't have something in my pocket and I'm not happy to see you again...I'm happy to see your sister

lets see how this comes out another depiction of Mohammed @:-/>

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Helo Crew hates the DFAC!! Torches the place.

2006-03-01T00:02:00.000+03:00

Next time you see a Helo crew coming in wanting something and wanting it NOW--I suggest you give it to them, even if it's your cherry. Or else, they'll burn your shit to the ground.

There is...ahem...USED To be a certain DFAC here in the IZ on <-edited for opsec-a contractors> compound.

So anyway, (I didn't personally see it), people from all over--(including someone on the the other friggin side of the IZ--so we'll not go into what his job is), are saying that some choppers go flying over and POP---whoops, out come the flares!!!!

. MWHUAHAHA...!!!!!! Can you imagine it?..."Hey chief, you got the camera on? watch this shit..."

I did, however see the smoke and it looked like someone started brand new tire fire. And that was at night!

I was told that a ton of people were called in to deal with it. Sucks to be them. What sucks worse are those kats now sucking hind-tit for cooked food. Oh, I'm sure they have a ton of back-up stuff,...but DAYMN!!--what a way to get up in the morning headed for work--"sorry people, but we wouldn't let the fly-boys break in line as usual at the PX so they torched our shit...but here...have an MRE!"

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Gay Insurgents

2006-02-27T01:53:00.000+03:00

I want you to look at the pic to the right. Thats the new face of terrorism.

$30 effing dollars for a couple of 1 inch plastic 'dead insurgents'. $30 Dollars!! That shit needs to go to the Department fo Homeland Security. I saw these on eBay a few weeks ago, as you may recall, and bought em'.

I have never, since 4th grade, had any reason to try to figure out approximately how large 1/35th of myself would be. And these Gay Insurgents aren't even painted--look at the damn box--says "painted by...". Pretty cheesy way of getting off on a technicality that the ones in the pic are painted---but not my homo-warriors.

Whats worse is that just b4 I was about to write a Feedback on eGay telling this guy that his Arabian Greeks were getting speeding tickets on the Hersey highway---I looked up this company. These fucknuts actually sell this stuff, unpainted as well, for $25 bux. Plus my $5 for shipping and it hits $30. Soooo...what I'm seeing is this guy has multiple accounts on Gay Bay. Like that matters one flying bit. I'm still pissed.

That peice in the top left?..well, thats the arm of the poor soul on the top. The roundish thing?...as best I can tell, it's an insurgents tool bag with something sticking out that presumably either an MP5 magazine or a dildo.

These things are tiny. Says its not plastic but rather 'resin'....whoooohooo!!Good thing at that! I was worried for a second that I'd been ripped off with plastic--getting ripped off with resin is infinitely better!

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