Starship Troopers

It is difficult to discuss films with people who do not see a lot of films. In fact, the discussions last about 5 seconds. If you are reading this, you probably have read other things and think, "He's not too awful a person to listen to."
Well, you would not know that from the people that I hang around with. I mean, they go out of their way to be obtuse. While eating Easter dinner, I happened to remark that I thought the movie "Starship Troopers" was interesting for the way it portrayed a realistic potential future militaristic something-"ism" in the USA.

I got about as far as saying that Robert Heinlein wrote the original novel. Blank stares. Once the odor of literature that was not quite "high" enough reached their noses, the elite turned away to speak of other things. And once again I was left alone with my thoughts. We shan't talk about "Starship Troopers" today, they all thought, nor any day...not on our watch! Anyhow, militarism fits in well with the present age of Bush & Bash. wikileaks, driven underground by the same forces that afflict Tibet: tyranny and absolutism, had a secret memo leaked to us, the American People.

It appeared in Iraq Today: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/index.html Classified memo from US Maj. Gen. Kelly confirms Fallujah Gulag

I spent the entire day inspecting the Fallujah city jail. I found the conditions there to be exactly (unbelivable over crowding, total lack of anything approaching even minimal levels of hygiene for human beings, no food, little water, no ventilation) to those described in the recent (18 February) FOX news article by Michael Totten entitled the "Dungeon of Fallujah". When queried the iraqis and marines present throughout my inspection as to why these conditions existed, three conditions were universaly cited as problems in Fallujah as well as the rest of Anbar.  

First, there is zero support from the government for any of the jails in Anbar. No funds, food or medical support has been provided from any ministry.  

Second, the police that run Anbar's jails are the same personnel responsable for investigating crimes. These jailer/investigators are undermanned and more often than not spend most of their time out begging and scavenging for food than investigating crimes. (It is unlikely the prisoners will eat today).  

Third, Anbar lacks trained Iraqi correctional officers (ICOS) to run the jails in Anbar. The development and employment of trained ICOS would enable the IP to focus on criminal investigation rather then jail supervision. I believe the Iraqi police are doing the best they can, and they literally begged me on humanitarian, moral and religious grounds to help them help the prisoners by somehow moving the government to action.



If you click on the line beginning "Classified..." you will be sent to wikileaks and you may visit them in whatever Siberia they have been sent to. --------- Admiral William Fallon sent us a secret message, too, only he made sure it was not so secret. It reminds me of something like Sherlock Holmes and the dog that did not bark. It is all a bit hazy.
However, by the Esquire interview and knowing the junk yard dog reaction of Cheney and the ensuing high profile retirement, Admiral Fallon ensured that he and his message would get center stage for a few seconds, pushing darling Petraeus out of the spotlight briefly. I do not seem to recall any of the cable bright minds getting the point, however. Speaking of General Petraeus, it is not his fault that he happens to be top dog during the Bush & Bash administration. Bush and Cheney, two men who act like the evil queen of the aliens in "Starship Troopers": breeding endless new plots of viscous evil. Bleeeh!

So, how's by Iraq? Let's see what Friday brought: From The Times (London Times) March 28, 2008  
Iraqi police in Basra shed their uniforms, kept their rifles and switched sides  
James Hider in Baghdad 
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3635838.ece  

Abu Iman barely flinched when the Iraqi Government ordered his unit of special police to move against al-Mahdi Army fighters in Basra. His response, while swift, was not what British and US military trainers who have spent the past five years schooling the Iraqi security forces would have hoped for. He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the other side without a second thought. Such turncoats are the thread that could unravel the British Army’s policy in southern Iraq.

The military hoped that local forces would be able to combat extremists and allow the Army to withdraw gradually from the battle-scarred and untamed oil city that has fallen under the sway of Islamic fundamentalists, oil smugglers and petty tribal warlords. But if the British taught the police to shoot straight, they failed to instil a sense of unwavering loyalty to the State. “We know the outcome of the fighting in advance because we already defeated the British in the streets of Basra and forced them to withdraw to their base,” Abu Iman told The Times.