Warner: Iraq 'drifting sideways'

Get ready for the draft boys and girls. Because
of Iraq now afganistan is going down. We never finished the job there before we left for Iraq to.........what did we go there for?

Talk about diminished expectations.

They've given up on controlling the rest of the country--Anbar's Al Qaeda country now. Now, they just want to get Baghdad under some vague semblance of control. And they still can't do it!

I don't blame the military. I blame Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. This is just pathetic. This was supposed to make us look strong? It makes us look weak as hell!

This message is to Virginia Sen. John Warner:

You have consistently LIED to the american public over every item within the IRAQ war.
I personally consider you a MURDERER, literally.

And further, in my mind you have so much BLOOD on YOUR hands the evidence runs from one part of the USA to the other.

I'm thoroughly disgusted with all YOUR LIES. I sincerely hope one day, a serve wounded VET plants himself at YOUR home for 30 days of care by YOU.

You have done nothing for returning WOUNDED VETS. You know this WAR is all lies.

IRAQ = spreading the terror all around the world.

You have ABUSED YOUR power and YOU are a criminal.

YOU John Warner have NO morals, No values, No ethics. YOU are a MURDERER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Mother of US Special Forces Soldier

Bill,Little Johnny,Johnito,and all other Neo Nut war enablers.

What say you to Mother of US Special Forces Soldier?

Everybody that authorized this mess with their vote should get a shovel and volunteer to go over to Baghdad and start helping to dig the ditch around the city.

You know, the one that will secure the city?

This one call for a song, kids.

Here's a nice anthem for the neo-con geniuses that 'planned' this killing field. This is the short version. MONITOR wouldn't allow the rest I think.

(Faint sound of approaching gun ship, a shadow passes overhead, entire middle ground goes up in flames)

(The Doors)

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land

Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah

The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die

This is the end

Iraq is breaking down by the day. Stay the Course is a slogan not a plan. Look guys my family is there. Its just not beening done right. But what does our Pesident do he goes on the road and keeps lying.We need oversight right now to see how things got so wrong. We have the greatest military in the world but now its broke. Chain of Command is breaking down. We need a plan for victory not slogans. I read the parts of the NIC reports released by the White House we have a major problem. I think the only way we will hear the truth is by what was just done a survey by troops who were there. Read for yourself's at
http://www.vawatchdog.org John D ,JD it is very eye opening

It's drifting sideways until after Nov. 7, then it's in a downward spiral again.

Dale,

I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for these great guys and gals to sent out on 2nd, and now third deployments to a hostile fire zone.

How can our military bosses look into the mirror to shave in the morning.

I never thought I would say this, but; Bring back the draft. Just for simple fairness, if nothing else.

Look, Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld; If the people really back the war in Iraq they will go along with a draft.

If not, well, the proof is in the puddin'.

80% of the Iraqis don't want us there. What about that doesn't the Administration understand? Oh I forgot, they don't read polls.

Murtha has ir right, we need to tell them we are re-deploying and they need to handle things.

Loon,
I suspect that Juanda would say that he agree's with the special forces mother..........and then he would proceed to trash her,.....all of the time hiding behind being an "Independent".

Dale:

But didn't George Allen and Rick Santorum say Viet Nam-era flack jackets are good enough for our troops?

Remember: The Neocon Republican Party stands behind the troops.

Far behind the troops.

You cannot blame one person for the entire Iraq nightmare. Clinton did not do enough. He was not completely honest withthe American people about his attempts. This crisis has roots that go back many years. With the corruption that exists in Washington, nothing will get done.

While the mother of special forces writer laments, our leaders argue about whose to blame. They walk their party's line, and do nothing. They are more concerned about maintining or getting control of Congress and the Senate than the people who are dead and dying. The rhetoric now is not about the mothers, fathers and fighters, it is let us use this to get the political power we want. It's Bush, it's that it's this. OK, so if we establish whose to blame, maybe that is when we actually do something. It is time to realize that it is Washington, as a whole, to blame.

Dale,
I posted this on a different thread last night, and it is worth repeating after reading the impassioned post from Mother..
You are to be appplauded for your relentless efforts to restore the scandalous funding cuts for brain injured vets. Olbermann scolded the administration for neglecting our war vets last night, and I think you are responsible for this issue getting the voice
it deserves.
Keep up the fine work.

BB.
You and I blame Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld.
Taking their cue from Hasterts comments yesterday, those three will blame Paris Hilton (they think she's French), Donald Duck (commie looking naval outfit),and American voters (they think them unpatriotic) for conspiring to lose the war in Iraq.

I say this, Loon. Take the gloves off and finish this war!, Collateral Damage be damned. Warn the innocents that we're blowing Baghdad and any other cities harboring terrorists in Iraq to smithereens. Give them sufficient time to enter a camp set up by the allies, secure the oil pipelines, and lets do what needs to be done. It's our own expectations of fighting a perfect war that's dragging this out.

I wonder if mothers of servicemen during WWII were calling our leaders liars on daily basis when we lost as many in one day while storming Omaha Beach as we've lost in 3 yrs. in Iraq. You liberals weren't on board for that fight either. Also curious to know how you're visions of a world of candy canes and unicorns would have survived without the help of those with the stones to do what needed to be done.

Warner has had a revelation..again. Next, we will hear calls to follow NIE suggestions rather than dismiss them and call them unAmerican. Then their will be a call to unveil the IRAQ specific NIE report. You know the one specifically on Iraq that the administration has yet to release. I am confident that we will learn that it calls for a qaudrupling of our military forces and an immediate activation of a "Military Draft", and since we all said to listen to the NIE, we will own it and its recommendation.

Well done Karl, you played us again

C.Morris,

I like your taste in music. Classic Rock is awesome!

I knew there would be a "kill 'em all, let god sort 'em out" scumbag showing up sooner or later. This war cannot be won militarily. You have to win the battle of ideas by concentrating on the moderate Arab population. Your strategy would surely fail in that respect RCK.

Thanks, it's fun.

Those old songs sometimes put a bit of clarity to a subject.

But I like Radio Head , Green Day and Supergrass also and other somewhat newer stuff too.

My son helps me on those newer bands.

RCK,spoken like a true macho Repub.Yeah,let's drop the big one on Bagdad,that should do it!

Please don't confuse WW2 with this idiotic invasion,thunk up by the neo nuts.

I'm sure the "Liberals" stayed home during WW2 and all the fighting was done by the "Macho" Repubs.

I've noticed you guys with the "Stones"aren't in a big hurry to do the fighting,unless it's done by keyboard.

That'll be the day I count on you guys!

What does RCK stand for?

" Give them sufficient time to enter a camp set up by the allies, secure the oil pipelines, and lets do what needs to be done. It's our own expectations of fighting a perfect war that's dragging this out."

Sounds like the 'strategic hamlet program' in South Vietnam.

RCK:

You must be some patriot -- a real hero. Why don't you share your war record with the rest of the Swamp? Having toiled ceaselessly on the mean streets of Baghdad, I'm sure you've got some great stories about our magnificent successes.

Or are you just the chickenhawk coward you seem to be?

RCK or Rob S.,

Just like Juanda,Sniveling JohnnyD./JD,and Bill before you...you are a CHICKENHAWK.

If you think Iraq is such a great cause,sign up for it,and sign your kids up for it,.......... if not shut up.

The liberal Motto:

Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

"You have to win the battle of ideas by concentrating on the moderate Arab population."

There's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. Why don't you get started on that, Jethro. Let us all know how it goes.

RCK,
We keep trying to show the Arab street the US is benevolent but you sadistic scumbags just want to waterboard people w/ brown skin, rewrite the Geneva Conventions, and shrug your shoulders at civilian deaths.

Jethro, you're an idiot. Stop addressing me if you're just gonna keep flinging that typical liberal B.S./propoganda, and while your negotiating with those who say,... "Killing the infidels is our religion, slaughtering them is our religion, until they convert to Islam or pay us tribute." maybe you can stop by Charlie Mansons' cell and begin assimilating him back into mainstream society.

RCKer,
Here's the NEW Conservative theme song Mr.Chickenhawk:

Load up on Guns

Bring your Friends

IT'S FUN TO LOSE

AND TO PRETEND

"You have to win the battle of ideas by concentrating on the moderate Arab population."

There's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. Why don't you get started on that, Jethro. Let us all know how it goes.

Posted by: RCK | Oct 6, 2006 3:26:37 PM

RCK: Your bigotry is just astonishing. I gather you're suggesting that it is impossible to be both an Arab and a moderate. That's clearly not the case. Indeed, your fellow chickenhawk coward, GWB, holds hands with "moderate" Arabs such as Prince Bandar. So if your hero is right, then indeed there are moderate Arabs who may be reasoned with. It's neither necessary nor remotely humane to just blast them all off the face of the earth .

I have no sympathy for terrorists. This is about bringing the moderate Arabs that do exist to our side.

RCK-

Wake up. Please. Stop listening to the Republican talking heads.

Read Robert A. Pape's commentary on Suicide Terrorism and see that this has little to nothing to do with religion. They're not recruiting terrorists to slaughter the infidels and be met by 70 virgins.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0609110189sep11,1,4455122.story

They want us out. And they're willing to kill themselves and others to prove their point. Barbaric? Sure. But their point is loud, and it's being heard. Unfortunately our leaders are blind and deaf, and lying about the reasoning.

Or is someone who teaches political science at one of the top-ranked educational instutions in this country too scholarly for the "regular folks" of the Republican party to understand?

"Get ready for the draft boys and girls. Because
of Iraq now afganistan is going down. We never finished the job there before we left for Iraq to.........what did we go there for?

Posted by: bill r. | Oct 6, 2006 6:35:10 AM"

Ouch!

There's some truth coming in high and hard and inside!

If it could only happen soon enough to affect Tucker Carlson.
How old is he? Anybody?

Could you picture the look on his face?
Could you imagne him with a Lee Ermey type DI screaming spit in his face?

Sweet.

Just remember Tuck:

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

I know it will never happen. Life isn't fair.

If we are going to have a draft in order to stop the bloodspilling carnage that the NeoCon Republicans have gotten us into in Iraq.

I want it to be an ALL INCLUSIVE DRAFT,not like Vietnam.

I don't want Chickenhawk NeoCons like George W.Bush,DickCheney,RCK,Juanda,Bill,Bruce,Paulogirland Sniveling Johnny D./JD weaseling their way out of an Iraq war draft.It's only fair.

Their families also should get no special treatment either,no more college differments,no hiding in a home bound National Guard Unit in Alabama.
Come as you are.

If you pushed this war,you should be among the first ones leading the bloody charge on the ground in Iraq.

Actions speak louder than words.

Yes to both Flack Jackets were from Vietnam era and they claimed they were good enough. And yes I did send the info to KO but it was his words that made me feel the bumps. Guys now on MSNBC hear from our troops asking Why Are We Here?

Right on Jeff, the schoolyard bully wants your lunch money, so just give it to him. The logic is pure genius, tops in academia. Only, what happens tomorrow when he wants your bike? Please say you teach at the University of Phoenix Online, because I would be disappointed to know that "someone who teaches political science at one of the top-ranked educational instutions in this country," doesn't know how to spell the word institution.

But let's talk about history, Mr. PoliSci, We were not in Iraq, nor was George W. Bush our president, when in 1993 Islamic terrorists bombed the World Trade Center, killing six and injuring 1,000 people; when Islamic terrorists blew up the U.S.S. Cole, killing 13 and injuring 33; when they blew up U.S. Army barracks in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 and injuring 515; when they blew up two American embassies in Africa, causing 257 deaths and 5,000 injuries. I just listed 295 casualties that your people didn't seem overly concerned about when the beloved SlikWilly was calling the shots. I guess, if we leave Iraq, we can pretend that all is well, right?

Why don't you liberals stick to what you do best?... like, hallucinating about your Mensa membership, alleging homosexuality is natural, defending illegal immigrants, suppressing Christian values, etc.; let the conservatives deal with Nat'l defense & economics. Outside the illegal immigrant issue, I'll give you carte blanche on the peripheries as long as my lifestyle isn't influenced directly.

Blinkin, show me a world in which the moderate Arabs stand up to the thugs from within and I'll show you peace with Arabs. I don't see OUR criminals reeking havoc on a worldwide scale. Why? Hmmm....Maybe, during the liberal persuit of knowledge, the "self-proclaimed enlightened," omitted the concept of "Criminal Justice?"

This message is for : Virginia Sen. John Warner

YOU are a MURDERER!

The attacks are up to 900 + a week on our us soldiers! And YOU need MORE time, DUH!

.
Here is MORE BLOOD on YOUR HANDS Mr. Warner:

2975 10/06/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Multi-National Division-North Hostile - hostile fire Bayji (near) Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2974 10/06/06 Hjort, Martin Not reported yet 20 Danish Army Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire Basra Not reported yet Not reported yet DK

2973 10/04/06 Rosales, Benjamin S. Corporal 20 U.S. Marine 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance BN, 2nd Marine Div, II Marine Expeditionary Force Hostile - hostile fire Al Anbar Province Houston Texas US

2972 10/04/06 Garvin, Edward M. Lance Corporal 19 U.S. Marine 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance BN, 2nd Marine Div, II Marine Expeditionary Force Hostile - hostile fire Al Anbar Province Malden Massachusetts US

2971 10/04/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2970 10/04/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2969 10/04/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2968 10/04/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Not reported yet Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2967 10/03/06 Rojas, Jonathan Staff Sergeant 27 U.S. Army 1st BN, 17th Infantry Reg, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Hammond Indiana US

2966 10/03/06 Isshak, Daniel Staff Sergeant 25 U.S. Army 2nd BN, 27th Inf, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Tikrit Alta Loma California US

2965 10/02/06 Perry, Joseph W. Not reported yet 23 U.S. Army 21st Military Police Company, 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIIIth Airborne Corps Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Muhallah Alpine California US

2964 10/02/06 Oremus, Michael K. Private 1st Class 21 U.S. Army 57th Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Highland New York US

2963 10/02/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Multi-National Division – Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Baghdad (northwest part) Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2962 10/02/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Multi-National Division – Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Baghdad (northwest part) Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2961 10/02/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Multi-National Division – Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Baghdad (northwest part) Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2960 10/02/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Army Multi-National Division – Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Baghdad (northwest part) Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2959 10/02/06 Greenlee, Satieon V. Private 1st Class 24 U.S. Army 4th BN, 31st Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad Pendleton South Carolina US

2958 10/02/06 Narvaez, Joe A. Staff Sergeant 25 U.S. Army 1st BN, 26th Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Baghdad San Antonio Texas US

2957 10/02/06 Brady, Dennis Lance Corporal 37 Royal Army Medical Corps Royal Army Medical Corps Hostile - hostile fire - mortar attack Basra Barrow-in-Furness England UK

2956 10/01/06 Lannaman, Denise A. Sergeant 46 U.S. Army National Guard 1569th Transportation Company
2955 10/01/06 Nelson, Mario Sergeant 26 U.S. Army 1st BN, 36th Infantry Reg, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack Hit New York New York US

2954 10/01/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Marine Regimental Combat Team 7 Hostile - hostile fire Al Anbar Province Not reported yet Not reported yet US

2953 10/01/06 Haag, Chase A. Corporal 22 U.S. Army 1st BN, 22nd Infantry Reg, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Baghdad (west of) Portland Oregon US

2952 10/01/06 Peterson, Justin D. Captain 32 U.S. Marine 1st Tank BN, 1st Marine Div, I Marine Expeditionary Force Non-hostile - vehicle accident Al Anbar Province Davisburg Michigan US

2951 10/01/06 Cosgrove III, Christopher B. Lance Corporal 23 U.S. Marine Reserve 2nd BN, 25th Marine Reg, 4th Marine Division Hostile - hostile fire Al Anbar Province Cedar Knolls New Jersey US

2950 10/01/06 Seal, Aaron L. Corporal 23 U.S. Marine Reserve 6th Engineer Support BN, 4th Marine Logistics Group Hostile - hostile fire Al Anbar Province Elkhart Indiana US

2949 09/30/06 NAME NOT RELEASED YET Not reported yet U.S. Marine Regimental Combat Team 7

http://www.icasualties.org/oif/Details.aspx

All the dirt OUR government doesn't want YOU to KNOW as to what really happens over in IRAQ!

This link will provide foreign minute by minute coverage of all iraq news. Monitor same for about week, YOU WILL BE SHOCKED!

http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/tiki-index.php

This link is the actual daily events listed below of :

Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Friday, 6 October 2006-Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial board, the Free Arab Voice.NTS

http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/article/104824

The attacks on OUR US SOLDIERS are now @ 900 a week. no typo 900.

I've decided to jump in as many posts as possible as the official reminder:
Do you plan on voting in Nov.? Are you registered? Do you know where your polling location is in your town?

If you dont agree with the direction this country is heading, vote. And more importantly, bring a friend or relative who would not normally vote due to apathy/not registered etc.

You know right now Uncle Rove is combing through the church rosters while enjoying his eggs and coffee.

If you are SERIOUS about your complaints and anger in these posts, prove it in Nov.
Its the only way.

Focus all your anger and disgust on getting more people to vote, its what Uncle is doing as we speak.

And look at the picture on the frontpage of the online Trib this morning, the one of the Iraqi man holding the covered body of his dead son. Imagine YOUR child in your arms, covered in blood, wrapped in a colorful sheet, and know that to some he wasnt your son, your pride and joy, just 'collateral damage'. My heart breaks.

Don't look now, but Afghanistan isn't far behind.

I have a prediction...We will be raising the troop levels in Iraq..maybe a draft. What I want you to remember is...that this won't be done till after the election. 21 Americans were killed in the last several days and if they felt the need to increase the boots on the ground to keep our young men safe..that it wasn't done because of playing poiltics. Mr.Bush knows that increasing troops might lose him a couple of votes but losing a couple of our finest is worth that. Politics at it's finest!!!!

RCK....I've heard that spin that the republicans are putting out on the intelligence report. Really makes no sense to me. We weren't in Iraq when this or that...What? The terrorists weren't from Iraq. Iraq has created more because now they see us as an occupier. Who would deny that there were terrorist before Iraq? Thats not the point. The point is, is that we created more where they didn't exist before. Saddam would have never allowed Al-qeada to threaten his regime. Now before the raging ranting hard liners write back and say who flew the planes into the towers..what do you mean no terrorist existed...Read my lips...No terrorist existed in Iraq untill we went there!!!!!

If my spelling doesn't come up to your standard.....sorry!!!

What most American don't realize is that there is NO BALANCE OF POWER within the Senate, House or White House. Further, it is all Republicans.

NO CHECKS, NO BALANCES ON GEORGE BUSH, NONE! This is why many people left and right are referencing him as HITLER!

Secondly, since the passing of the Patriot Act George Bush has ABUSED his powers, literally. He has the right to do anything to ANYBODY! READ IT! Look at the last minute additions to same. Look how many laws bush has over -rided.(AKA> george Orwell 1984 book)

Bush pushes bills through Hastate as his "GOFFER" man up on the HILL. Hastate alters any papers for BUSH. BUSH is a mad man gone OUT OF CONTROL!

Missions DONE:

obl = dead

the pipelines have been layed in Afghanistan = done

Reversed the currency in IRAQ the day we invaded = DONE. First barrel out was switched back to dollars.

11/1/2000 Saddam stated and I quote " All oil will be sold in euro's NOT dollars. The war started here.

We have complete all missions and NOW we are spreading the terror around the world, just look accross the pond at the attacks in the past.

d,f

Posted by: d,f | Oct 7, 2006 7:42:23 AM

That's right Bill, we weren't in Iraq, so where were we at that these "freedom fighters" were so offended? This is for you as well, Jeff. That's right, we were in Saudi Arabia, at whose request? Oh yah, the Saudis. Why? Because Bin Laden was attempting a coup and they needed the protection from the thug. So blame us for wanting stability in a region where you, me and the rest of this country has a vested interest in protecting. Just keep in mind what will happen if these desperados succeed. Who are you going to blame for our tumbling economy then?

That's right Bill, we weren't in Iraq, so where were we at that these "freedom fighters" were so offended? This is for you as well, Jeff. That's right, we were in Saudi Arabia, at whose request? Oh yah, the Saudis. Why? Because Bin Laden was attempting a coup and they needed the protection from the thug. So blame us for wanting stability in a region where you, me and the rest of this country has a vested interest in protecting. Just keep in mind what will happen if these desperados succeed. Who are you going to blame for our tumbling economy then?

This message is TO:
Virginia Sen. John Warner

Maybe YOU should get a " REAL JOB " at ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. And further, YOU will see that they are dying like flies over in Iraq. YOU " NEED " a little reality for YOUR brain cells to work.
YOU are contributing to MURDER!

Republicans = ABUSE OF POWER!

Sincerely
Mother of US Special Forces Soldier
d-green
green
rangers
seals

+++
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15163356/

+++
Picking up the pieces of slain troops' lives
Staff of Md. center sort items for grieving families

By Josh White

Updated: 5:58 a.m. ET Oct 7, 2006
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Spread across several tables in a vast warehouse here are the pieces of one soldier's life.

There is the photo album with images of graduations and family gatherings, tanks and smiling military buddies. There are piles of brown T-shirts and socks, a jumble of sneakers and boots, a plastic bag filled with handwritten letters. A knife. A stack of video games.

Nearby, surrounded by walls of metal mesh, are rows of dusty black footlockers that have just returned from war. Inside each are the artifacts of other lives cut short.

This is the Joint Personal Effects Depot, a pair of warehouses on this base northeast of Baltimore that serve as the military's main repository for the possessions of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Within days of troops' deaths in action, their clothes, pictures and books and everything else that defined their lives on the battlefield wind up here.

It is then the job of 138 people to inventory, photograph, clean and pack all of the items so they can be sent home to grieving families, the last remnants of the ones they loved.

Job 'takes a toll on you'
There are ghosts here, whispers of these people who sacrificed their lives to serve their country. In a recent tour of the facility, the names and identifying information of the dead were concealed to protect their families, but the presence of the dead was still strong.

• Full international coverage

"There's a lot of each individual in those lockers," said Lt. Col. L. Scott Kilmon Jr., who commands the depot. Working with the materials day after day can be an emotional strain, he said. "It takes a toll on you."

The workload has gotten steadily heavier over the past few years, as nearly 3,000 U.S. troops have died in the Middle East and thousands more have been injured. The seriously wounded who are evacuated from the fighting also have their things shipped to Aberdeen now. Kilmon said the depot is bracing for the fall and winter, when there have been higher levels of U.S. casualties in Iraq.

And because the fighting seems likely to continue, the Defense Department is working to establish the depot as a more permanent operation. Kilmon said there are plans underway to move the temporary, wartime facility to Dover Air Force Base by 2009, which would put it at the same facility where the troops' remains are processed. Now, the items are flown to Dover and are loaded on semitrailers for the 90-minute drive to this makeshift operation in Maryland, where the effects are organized.

The warehouse feels a bit like a morgue. The rows of mesh cages are chilly, and somber employees meticulously sift through the items.

"Five brown T-shirts," called out Pfc. Alisha Ricketts, sitting in one cage cataloguing the contents of eight footlockers that belonged to a noncommissioned officer recently killed in Baghdad. "One white washcloth."

A photograph of two young children peeked out of a plastic bag in front of Ricketts. Spec. Tyrone Wheatley placed woodworking magazines into a footlocker and glanced at a clipboard. Dirty socks, Fruit of the Loom underwear, shirts and shorts were streaked with desert dust and grime, the pile giving off the scent of the soldier's sweat, fresh from the Iraqi summer heat. A little bit of Baghdad.

Laying out their lives
In most cases, after all the items are inventoried, workers wash the clothes, scrub the boots and clean all equipment with compressed air, said Maj. Leslie Rafferty, the depot's operations officer. Washers and dryers hum constantly. Compact discs are wiped of dust. Camera film is developed.

"We slowly but surely lay out their life," Rafferty said.

Some families, she said, send notice that they do not want the clothes washed, so they can smell their loved one when the items are returned. All government-issued items are logged and returned to circulation, so the sleeping bags and compasses are later issued to others who might be deployed.

Marvin Scott, 63, looked up as he tied the laces of a soldier's left Asics sneaker, tucking the bow behind its tongue.

"You're seeing the pictures of their families, their wives, their children, and you know they have a lot of hurt," Scott said. "It can be very emotional. Not everyone can work here."

Scott, a civilian contractor who puts the finishing touches on items that are to be sent home, folds creases into T-shirts and creates careful stacks of DVDs. It can be heartbreaking, he said, but he wants each family to see that someone has taken the time to neatly pack the reminders away for them. And he has seen a lot of those reminders up close.

"You can read a lot about a person by what they had with them," Scott said. "You can tell how they dressed, you can tell what they listened to, what they watched and what they read. Sometimes you can really see them."

This soldier, the one Scott was getting to know on a recent day, was devoted to video games and anime . A PlayStation 2 sat in a plastic bag, a large television tipped on its back in a footlocker. Games like "Ape Escape: On the Loose" lay next to such DVDs as "The Matrix," "Eraser" and "South Park," a veritable catalogue of young-American-male pop culture.

In a separate bag with a set of the soldier's dog tags was a solitary black plastic comb, its tines bent and color slightly faded from countless runs through the man's hair.

Nearby, on a set of tables where a new footlocker was just unlocked and opened, Pfc. James Childress ran a gloved hand over a pile of books, traces of dirt slipping from the worn pages. Stephen King's "Desperation" sat next to a yellowed copy of "You've Come a Long Way, Charlie Brown." Farther down the table was a pair of flip-flops, an impression of feet in the foam.

All documents, letters, data drives and photographs are carefully examined in a secret environment to make sure that nothing classified returns home, and also to make sure that nothing untoward is left for parents, spouses and children. Pornography, for example, is removed. "Human beings are human beings," Rafferty said.

Wills, messages to family members found
Kilmon said depot employees have found wills and messages to family members on computer drives, including an audiotape one soldier made for his child, who was not yet born when he recorded the message. Sometimes workers have to walk off the line to gather their emotions.

Big-screen televisions have become more common, and employees said they see a lot of guitars, too. An acoustic guitar waited on a table to be packed last week. The most unusual item: a motorcycle.

Though clothes with blood or tissue on them are supposed to go with the bodies for transfer to medical examiners, they appear at the depot from time to time. A large cardboard box sits on a loading dock, labeled "medical examiner." Under the lid are dozens of translucent red biohazard bags filled with camouflage clothes, some bloodstained. Sometimes there are bits of human remains.

The officers here know that when there are mass casualties in Iraq or Afghanistan, their operation is going to be busy about three weeks later; there is an average of 22 days between a death in the field and the arrival of personal items at the depot. Another 11 days or so later, the items are shipped by FedEx to families around the country.

"In my first days here, I was just in awe," Childress said, standing back for a moment to survey one soldier's belongings. "These are all real people. We know we're the final link between them and their families."

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

RCK...we are not in Saudi Arabia because of Bin Laden. We went to Saudi Arabia because of Iraq.
When Saddam took over Kuwait. They were afraid of being taken over by Saddam. Bin Laden did use our presence there as a reason to bolster support for terrorism as the infidel in holy land. Now if we knew that caused them to recruit
more terrorists, why did we not know that occupying Iraq wouldn't do the same?

TO : RCK | Oct 7, 2006 10:08:25 AM

Who are you going to blame for our tumbling economy then?

The DAMAGE is already DONE, you just Now will start to FEEL those great affects. YOU will soon find out just HOW MUCH!

But here is just a little peak for you Rick>

CRB = commodity Index = food, oil, gasoline, metels, hard raw materials. See the INFLATION.

http://charts3.barchart.com/chart.asp?vol=Y&jav=adv&grid=Y&org=stk&sym=%24CRB&data=H&code=BSTK&evnt=adv

US DOLLAR INDEX = note dollar on top BEFORE bush invaded Afghanistan. The US DOLLAR is worthless. It NOW takes more us dollars to BUY goods and services. More RICE for YOU, less steak!

http://charts3.barchart.com/chart.asp?vol=Y&jav=adv&grid=Y&org=stk&sym=%24DXY&data=H&code=BSTK&evnt=adv

GOLD CHART = SCREAMING INFLATION to pay for the bogeyman bogus WARS! Next "hyper - Inflation!

http://charts3.barchart.com/chart.asp?vol=Y&jav=adv&grid=Y&org=stk&sym=GCZ6&data=H&code=BSTK&evnt=adv

OIL FUTURES CHARTS = Bottom equals an entry date to Afghanistan......

http://charts3.barchart.com/chart.asp?vol=Y&jav=adv&grid=Y&org=stk&sym=CLX6&data=H&code=BSTK&evnt=adv

I'll let YOU in on a little secret: Dick Cheney visited the Commodites Mericantile Exchange on 6/23/2006. Oil topped 2nd week in July/2006. Second top first week in August 2006. Then the Commodity hedging REPORT is then cut OFF from the general public 8/1/2006. This report depicts oil futures contracts MAJOR HOLDINGS including our US Governemnt interventions (duh). Geepers I wonder why? DUH, Enjoy your gas price for a little while and save your pennies for what happens next!

I have an idea for you Rick , just ENDORSE the back of YOUR pay check and SEND to:

BUSH Enron Iraq War, just keep the checks coming!

oh Rick

Sorry I forgot two more for YOU Rick:

The CEO of EXXON has requested YOU BUY more exxon gasoline from him, he hasn't gotten enough money yet from his Stock options and his retirement account yet of YOUR money

Here thought this picture might help YOU:

http://charts3.barchart.com/chart.asp?vol=Y&jav=adv&grid=Y&org=stk&sym=XOM&data=H&code=BSTK&evnt=adv

Here is another for YOU, just endorse the back of YOUR paycheck so that our government can BUY more of these HUMVES for the bogus wars. This company was IPO in 2003 by the Carlyle Group - Republican Party.

http://charts3.barchart.com/chart.asp?vol=Y&jav=adv&grid=Y&org=stk&sym=AH&data=H&code=BSTK&evnt=adv

http://schema-root.org/commerce/corporations/military/carlyle_group/

Remember NOW, just endorse YOUR pay check to:

" Bush Iraq ENRON WAR FUND! "

and meanwhile just keep Spreading all the TERROR and around the world. It will be here AGAIN within the USA at the rate we are going!
Great JOB!

Tumbling...Don't bother responding if you don't understand what I say. Those inflation flags have been waiving for a few years now, yet the dow just set a record high this week. Ever hear of Supply Side Economics or the Federal Reserve? Gold went up when oil went up and why did oil go up and where would it go if we were forced to negotiate with AlQaida for it??? If you think our economy is tumbling now; let's just say you'd be in for quite the shock if oil were to hit $300/barrel. Say hello to double digit (and I'm talking 30-40%)interest rates again.

Bill R., you're almost there. Dig a little deeper and you'll learn that Bin Laden offered his Mujahadeen soldiers to "protect" the Saudis from Iraq, but the Saudi's preferred the protection of 300,000 American soldiers. So, find out what happens next and get back to me. I'm encouraged to learn that your close to understanding the situation in it's entirety.

To; RCK

And the reason why: the FED closed off M3 report figures IE. the fed PUMPING money through the printing presses INTO the system......LIFT the Dow Index up up and away. Also the Dow is easy to " paint " unlike the other indices. I know I live it everyday! Duh......

What will happen when the xxxxx is let out RIGHT after the elections?

Enjoy the ride? I'll be thinking of YOU, just like 3/10/2000!

You stated and I quote:

"
yet the dow just set a record high this week"

You stated and I quote:

"forced to negotiate with AlQaida for it"

First we have laid down all pipelines going into the C. Sea. = DONE.

Secondly we invaded Iraq relative to Saddams attack on george bush. Saddam stated and i quote " 11/2000 no oil will be should in US Dollars only Euro's".

First barrel out of Iraq after invasion was done so in US DOLLARS. We reversed all currency issues. Safe guards in place. DONE.

Regarding the Iran Oil Exchange that was to open 3/2006 in Bourse for oil futures contracts, problem DONE w/ technology. NO issues.

You now have so much government intervention, I'll sit back and watch the fire storm after the elections.

the xxxxx trader.

Just remember to send a little thank you note to georgie.

Oh yeah obl = died longagoandfaraway 10/2001, just ask d.

YOU stay in IRAQ and your cost of a barrel will be $ 300.00 on the oil futures market!!!!!!

Welcome BRAZIL clone!

xxxxtrader, don't look out your window,...the helicopters are swirling.

Gotta go, beautiful day outside. Soon, when you've all grasped what's going on here, you'll have to make a decision. Am I going to fight to keep terrorists from taking control of their governments, in order to enjoy the fruits of my society that result from a stable middle east, or will I shut it down, watch them take over, and see what a Depression is like.

In the meantime, enjoy your day, smile & smell the roses; be thankful you live in this country.

google up

central foreign bankers concerned over US trade and US budget deficits

foreign bankers re-adjust their own reserves

foreign bankers DUMP US Dollars

foreign Bankers prefer basket currency

they don't want US debt

they don't want t-bills

they don't want to HOLD worthless paper

I don't understand the vitriol aimed at Senator Warner. I'm an independent and have happily supported him for years -- he stood against the Virginia GOP nominating Oliver North some years back, and earned respect among moderate voters for that stand. (Sad that it's so rare to see acts of political courage.)

That said, believe his press conference may give cover to the administration for shifting tack in Iraq after the mid-terms (damn them there -- it's several years too late). It's been speculated for some time that Jas. Baker working group is evaluating situation in Iraq and formulating a plan for cutting our losses; report to come out after elections. (Washington Monthly had recent story on this.)

I believe Sen. Warner was truly disturbed by what he heard from American troops -- he's genuinely concerned about our service members --has a very good voting record -- and he has a learning curve unlike several others. (Exhibit A would be our junior senator, the eminently quotable George Allen, son of the confederacy by way of southern California. May he go down to defeat.)

Mother of Special Services soldier: I shall keep you and your family in my prayers, along with all of our service people in harm's way.

We need to elect a government worthy of their hard work and sacrificing.

RCK.....I'm not even going to debate whether we need to stay in Iraq! Iraq is sooo screwed up right now I couldn't even begin to know the answer. What I do know, is that there was no truthful reason to start this, and it is a bluder of epic proportion and I will hold Mr.Bush and the republicans accountable. You go ahead and support a war against terror in a place no terrorist threatened you. You have created the ones in Iraq and helped them recruit more. When your done in Iraq(if ever) then you take our armed forces and go to the next place they move too.Because they will. Only the next country you take over, don't disband the army and police. You have to leave someone there besides ourselves for security. To finance these wars of yours...you might as well start plundering also.

"If Iraq were to devolve into a civil war, the consequences are frightful.”

The Swamp missed the most important quote during this briefing, when Warner himself inadvertently referred to the current situation in Iraq as a civil war.

There is no "if" about it. And even if the U.S. waits another 5 years before withdrawing, the Iraqis will still be fighting among themselves for the only thing worth fighting for in Iraq: the oil.

RCK,
Bin Laden attempting a coup on a monarchal dictatorship? Please explain how you pull that off.

"When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?"

Eleanor Roosevelt