Lost Souls

It was quite a week. The Catholic Pope said mass to fervent thousands in two US baseball parks and several churches. The Democrats in Pennsylvania selected a faux heroine of Bosnia to be a candidate for our next commander a chief. And, another American Jew was arrested by the FBI in New Jersey for passing military secrets to Israel. Over 400 children from a breakaway Mormon sect are to be tested for DNA to determine their parentage – and, about the only linkage in these events is that in all cases lost souls are involved.

Over the years I have listened carefully what visiting Pontiffs have to say. My problem is that it comes out that it is speech that is profound in an obscure way – it is almost as if Alan Greenspan writes his stuff. Assume the homilies are written in Italian, translated into English. In this German Pope's case, these texts are read vit a heavy German accent. The Pope's message in the US was anchored in a repentance for the excessive child abuse by Catholic priests. Catholic bishops condoned it by transferring priests to other parishes as their misconduct was discovered. Apart from wide personality differences between Pope John Paul, a Polish Pope, and that of the current German Pope, is that they each a carry a different crucifix cross staff – the Polish Pope used a Jansenist crucifix with Christ's arms almost closed. This symbolizes that one must meet Christ's rules to enter paradise; the German carries the more common with Christ's arms wide open – everyone is welcome to the Kingdom of Christ – in both cases they follow in the shoes of the fisherman, St. Peter, and cast their nets for lost souls.

Bill's wife Hillary is a serial liar. She just does not tell good natured fish tales, but spews outright prevarication's. Her delusional, self serving fibs are used to promote images. Her sick, repeated story on her visit to Bosnia under fire was designed to puff up her image as a commander and chief – her story was ripped apart by historical video tapes. With Bush's history of deceiving the US into the Iraq war, her documented lies should repulse the average voter – or are those voters just lost souls? By the way, the poor thing cannot even play by the rules of her party in Michigan and Florida.

Another American Jew was picked up for espionage for providing US secret military information to Israel. It involved data on nuclear weapons, and missiles. The spy's name was Ben Ami Kadish who worked as a mechanical engineer for the US army. Curiously, he was picked up for crimes he committed in the 1980s when he was handled by the same Mossad agent who controlled the captured Israeli spy Pollard. Apparently he was rolled up, because he recently communicated with his old handler in Israel. At least this is one tangible accomplishment of GW Bush’s new surveillance programs. Kadish is over 80 years so he is an old spy that never learned. More importantly, after the Pollard case in 1985, Israel promised never to spy on the US again, but since then the FBI has picked up and convicted one Israeli US spy, and has indicted two more pending trial. Uncertain whether Kadish is considered also as a post Pollard spy or not. One thing for certain however, those who believe Israel is a friend of America are indeed lost souls.

Those Mormons' really like their polygamy. Can understand the lascivious nature of old men and younger women, but never could rationalize the women willingly behaving like brood mares in a stockade – maybe the I am a woman crowd can explain it without blaming the men. How this cult was permitted to function as long as it did is something Texas authorities should explain. Or should we just blow it off as lost souls standing by to be saved? So many souls; so little time... Colonel Robert E Bartos USA RET

Kingdom of the Blind – Springtime USA 2008

Despite the most sophisticated communication system in history; a world-wide national technical intelligence collection system using a heaven filled with satellites; and an over populated, over-paid media, the American people miss much important news when it occurs. Take for examples the issues of US top leadership holding a series of meetings in the White House of how to best torture captured terrorists. Or how about the fact the Iraqis have banked over 30 billion in US banks and even more in world banks as the US foots the bill in Iraq.

You have to ask why we have suddenly learned the US is, after the fact, plum in the middle of internecine Shiite warfare. What ever happened to Bomb Bomb McCain's medical records for public scrutiny – the man who would be Commander and Chief. Better yet, let us examine Bomb Bomb's collaboration with the North Vietnamese while a POW. No sense pretending these are the only issues that will fall into this category; expect more.


A secret torture ring in the White house was something to behold. Apparently, VEEP Cheney, Condoleezza, General Powell, Attorney General Ashcroft, and CIA Tenet met regularly to pass on what means of torture was to be applied to at least three top captured terrorists. Reports indicate the CIA demonstrated torture techniques to them in the White House. Lots of history in the White House, some disgusting, but this will rise to the creepy top. Can you imagine Condoleezza voting on whether electrodes to the genitals, immersing the captive's head into a bag of feces, and water boarding would prompt true confessions? If Ms. Rice ends up on the McCain ticket as VEEP, I am certain she will be asked what torture she preferred. Look for Republican fund raisers to solicit for erecting a statue of Torquemada on the White House lawn. Personally, the most insidious, most painful torture is to be forced to listen to Condoleezza robotically defend GW Bush's absurdities...

As far as the Iraqis exploiting the US occupation by not spending its oil revenues on reconstruction and payment to Iraqi militias, you have to marvel a their ability to invert the US imperialism to work to their advantage This situation is so corrupt and demonstrates the incapacity of US occupation force to control even the most basic accounting as it recklessly pumps three billion dollars a week of US tax payers money into Iraq – General Saveus Petraeus missed studying Corruption 101 in his pursuit of his doctors degree. Despite his pretensions, bring the General home permanently before he does more damage; he ain't McArthur by a long shot and contrary to the world view of his pal Bomb Bomb, Iraq is not Japan or Korea.

US categorical immersion recently into the battle between Shiite factions surfaced as US sponsored Maliki attacked Basra. When he fell flat on his face, Maliki just fired roughly 1300 of his troops, because they would not fight. The US galloped to his rescue and killed Shiites there. Further, the US is now up to its ears in Baghdad, Sadr City killing more Shiites ostensibly to stop indirect rocket and mortar fire into the green zone. It will not work as these weapons can be fired, pre-surveyed, from beds of open trucks. Major Shiite militias all have a strong connection with Iran; that also includes the Maliki government. No US military action will sever this relationship. Iran influences the Shiite tribes, some more than others; the US is being used and manipulated by the Iranians to help them discipline the factions. The US KIAs this week are the highest so far in 2008 – 19 troops killed in 7 days. If Bush bombs Iran, expect this grim figure to move to 19 US killed per DAY.


McCain as a POW for over five years was beaten, deprived of medical aid and lived under poor sanitary conditions. The fact he broke under duress is understandable, but not heroic; other POWs who suffered similarly e.g., the ranking POW, Admiral Stockdale, did not. McCain's signing of an enemy statement of admission to US air piracy under duress raises a question of providing aid and comfort to the enemy; it does not constitute this, however, whether he has tarnish on his blade is a subjective call that will be used by swift boaters against him in the general election. Given Bombs Bomb's narrative of deprivation and torture, and his age, the American people should view his medical records to assess for personality disorders or physical limitations that would inhibit his role as president. The liberal media opportunistically has given McCain a free ride; it used him as a cat's paw against GW Bush – even made him a straight-talking hero. Time has come to pay up as the media chokes on 100 more years of war and bomb bomb Iran.

Most issues discussed here apparently are not important to the average American. For fascination and titillation, there is a preference to fix on polygamous Mormon cult escapades. There is more national concern over when Britney Spears will have her next auto accident or who will be the next third-world baby Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie will adopt. We live in the Kingdom of the Blind and there is not even a one-eyed king to rescue us. Colonel Robert E. Bartos USA Ret

General Petraeus Into the Political Breech

Cannon to the right – cannon to the left – cannon to the front. Doctor General Petraeus, our gauleiter in Iraq recently faced deadly political fire from both houses of congress over his inability to deliver victory in the field. Perhaps paraphrasing Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade was over romantic gush to characterize his egregious failure in command. There was cartoon on a blog that pictured Saveus Petraeus as Charlie McCarthy and VEEP Cheney as Edgar Bergin pulling his strings – on reflection, this image is more to the mark.

Petraeus has had three bites at the Iraq apple. First, as two-star major general when he commanded the elite 101st Airborne Assault Division during the invasion. Compared to other division commanders in the theater at the time, he came off as enlightened. At least he was reputed to ask questions before he sent an Iraqi into a detention camp. He was then assigned to train Iraqi forces where he badly failed. He was abruptly reassigned to train mid-level US Army officers at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He picked up a third star. He received his 4th star when he replaced General Casey as overall military commander in Iraq.

General Casey, helplessly presiding over an exploding insurgency, was unsuccessful in Iraq; but was appointed to the most prestigious billet in the US Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army. This indicated how shallow the talent pool of general officers was on which to draw – the only thing I can figure was that General Casey was rewarded for not surrendering to the insurgents; the fact that he followed orders obediently from twisted political leadership also played no small role. Nobody in the upper levels of the army wanted to replace Casey in Iraq except Petraeus. Commandant at Ft. Leavenworth was normally a career ending billet for a general, so Petraeus took the job offering in Iraq with alacrity – he with the USMC had just completed Army field manual on counterinsurgency; this was used by the neocons with great fanfare to promote him into the assignment – realistically, the Abu Ghraib affair and the destruction of Fallujah undermined most of his counterinsurgency doctrine – the horse had already left the barn.

Petraeus has performed well for the neocons: he promoted the surge and now is doing his best to curtail the drawdown of US troops. More importantly he is part of a drive to develop status of forces and treaties to insure US troop presence in Iraq on permanent basis without congressional approval. This agreement is designed to bind the next administration to the war.

Iraq is a permanent crises for the US and the region. Apart from corporations making millions on the chaos, the Likud Party in Israel is also delighted as it wants the security implicit with US forces stationed in the Middle East – sadly, super neocon, pro Israeli Richard Perle declaration that there is no turning back immediately after the US invasion of Iraq may be prescient. Bomb Bomb McCain who has an Israeli ring in his nose, pulled by Senator Joe lieberman, is there to insure the US does not return to its sanity. As far as bin Laden is concerned, as long as the US stands, dies and pays in Iraq, it is okay with him – this keeps his enemies, the Shiites and the US, killing each other. Everybody wins except the US as it sinks deeper in the GW Bush quagmire.

Generals Petraeus and Westmoreland have three things in common – both are losers and both commanded the 101st Abn Air Assault Division and both are graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point... Tunes of glory. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

Surge Busted – GW Bush trapped in Iraq

Shiite Iraq is burning. Forget about Al Qaeda; it appears the US is now trying to break Saddam's record on killing Shiites. Al Qaeda in Iraq was never more than six per cent of the insurgency. GWB and his clone, Bomb Bomb McCain intentionally exaggerated its size, because they believed they could justify the US Stand and Die policy in Iraq by killing terrorists.

US forces in the last few days have shifted from killing terrorists to killing extremists; what happened? Run out of terrorists? Bomb Bomb McCain just a few days ago made the preposterous statement that he, General Saveus Petraeus and bin Laden all agreed that Iraq is the main front in the Jihad War. Bin laden must be rolling on the floor in his cave with delirious joy that Bomb Bomb took the bait to continue to focus main US military resources on Iraq while playing cops and robbers in Afghanistan and Pakistan where his main base, heart of Jihad operations, is located.

The Iraqi government, such as it, decided to achieve political reconciliation in Iraq by militarily destroying its arch rival, the Mahadi Militia headed by Shiite cleric el Sadr. Government forces attacked his stronghold in Basra in Southern Iraq and areas in Sadr City in Baghdad. El Sadr responded by pushing back in Baghdad and daily bombarding the Green Zone with rockets and mortars. In Basra, he contained Government forces and has begun to roll them back – he also blew up an oil pipe line for good measure. The protected Green Zone in Baghdad now is beginning to resemble the battlefield Marne with its population living under combat conditions. Wonder if Bill's wife and Chelsea will now visit?

As the Maliki government military operations stalled and began to backfire, US officials there claimed they had no knowledge that the forces they trained, equipped and pay were about to launch an attack on el Sadr's forces. If this is true, the FBI should be sent to Iraq and arrest the top State, CIA, and Military leadership for dereliction of duty. Coalition forces are now up to their ears in the operations, trying to salvage what is left of Maliki's Lilliputian security forces and army.

Bomb Bomb McCain, facing the destruction of his misguided, cherished Surge, tried to limit the damage to his policy by declaring that el Sadr sued for a cease fire. It was a desperate lie – dead wrong. Maliki realizing the weakness in his forces, implored El Sadr for a cease fire. He sent an envoy to Iran to negotiate and had to accept el Sadr's terms in the form of a manifesto. El Sadr remains in charge of Basra and Sadr city in Baghdad, and is stronger. England suddenly announced it will not withdraw its 1500 troops at the airport in Basra as planned. If you are searching for the locus of power in Iraq, find out where a thirty-ish fat ayatollah named el Sadr, with a black beard and turban, hangs out. As far as Bomb Bomb, he grows more demented as the events unfold in Iraq.

Depending on the degree of the American peoples' anger and disgust over these recent events, this well could be GWB's and Bomb Bomb's TET; a time when The American people decide the Iraq war is a serial disaster that should end immediately.

It takes about 15 years to build reliable military fighting forces – and that is with some cohesive national unity that does not exist in Iraq. Maliki's forces fight for $300.00 a month and what they can steal. According to el Sadr, his militia fights to rid Iraq of its occupiers – big difference.

Only a moron or neocon thinks the Surge is working. GWB and Bomb Bomb have no credibility left as Iraq continues to be overwhelmed in bloody chaos. GW Bush has yet to define victory in Iraq and General Saveus Petraeus provides platitudes instead of conquest – this incompetence and arrogance persist as we Stand, Die and Spend. CUT THE GORDIAN KNOT – GET OUT NOW. If the military establishment cannot develop a withdrawal plan soonest, hire WAL-MART logistic experts – what is one more pathetic outsourcing by the Pentagon?

El Sadr effectively cut the heart out of the Surge. General Saveus Petraeus will be in Washington later this month begging to halt US troop withdrawals from Iraq; if he succeeds, this will effectively trap the US forces there until GW Bush spastically drives his white pick-up truck into the Texas sunset. Colonel Robert E. Bartos USA Ret