The Bush White House and all mainstream media outlets seem to state, as absolute fact that the “surge” strategy is the single reason for the decrease in violence in Iraq. We hear John McCain tout the surge as his idea, and it is presented repeatedly as the only Iraq war idea that worked. It appears, however, that the “surge” of approximately 30,000 additional troops sent to Iraq in 2007 was only one reason and perhaps, according to Bob Woodward’s new book, The War Within, a secondary one for the decrease in violence.

Throughout the summer of 2007, as the troop surge in Iraq reached full strength, Gen. David H. Petraeus and the world was waiting for the tide of violence to turn, and by that summer’s end the General saw violence decline by nearly a 50 percent. Violence has continued to fall fairly regularly over the past year.

While Washington, in typical fashion, manipulated the facts to support their simplified view that the “surge was working” it appears the full story was far more complicated, with at least three other factors being equally, or more important than the troop increase. All of these important factors have been, for the most part, overlooked or downplayed by the mainstream media, but I have tried to concisely summarize them below.


Covert Operations
In the spring of 2007 the US Military and intelligence agencies launched a series of covert operations, using highly classified techniques that allowed them to locate, target and kill key individuals in various “terrorist” or other insurgent groups.
These techniques included a form of “collaborative warfare” which employed a combination of tools simultaneously and included signal intercepts human intelligence and any other method that would allow for “lightening quick and sometimes concurrent operations” according to Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) responsible for hunting al-Qaeda in Iraq.

According to Bob Woodward, “…a number of authoritative sources say the covert activities had a far-reaching effect on the violence and were very possibly the biggest factor in reducing it.” Some 85 to 90 percent of the operations were successful and provided “actionable intelligence” from new sources, methods and operations, according to sources cited by Woodward.


Anbar Awakening and Tribal Community Security Groups

In June of 2007 tens of thousands of Sunnis turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and signed up with US forces. It appears Al-Qaeda in Iraq made several strategic errors in the region, including forced marriages with Sunni women, taking over hospitals and using Mosques for beheading operations.

Matters were further ignited when al-Qaeda in Iraq mortared playgrounds and left headless bodies lying around the countryside, with signs reading "Don't remove this body or the same thing will happen to you." The Sunnis revolted against the al-Qaeda brutality and sided with America to rid their country of a common enemy.

U.S. forces under Petraeus, worked for months with tribal leaders, who had once fought the Americans, to build local security forces throughout Anbar, and it is those forces who feel they were the actual driving force behind saving Iraq. "We are the ones who saved our country," Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, who now serves as president of the Iraqi Awakening Council, said in an interview. "We were able to fight al-Qaeda."

The US military also set up a network of what Petraeus then called “Concerned Local Citizens” but which was later called The Sons of Iraq, to act as armed citizen watch groups and provide intelligence to US and Iraqi forces. These groups fed information to the Collaborative Warfare groups.


Shia Cleric Mogtada al-Sadr and pure luck

A third significant and lucky break in fighting came Aug. 29, when militant Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his powerful Mahdi Army to suspend operations, including attacks against U.S. troops.

This order came after a gunfight between his powerful Mahdi Army and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Karbala in which 50 Shia pilgrims were injured and another 275 were injured. Sadr’s order was motivated, not by good will, but by self preservation, as any leader knows it is bad PR for one’s followers to be gunned down by their own army.

The cease fire provided by al-Sadr was a stroke of luck for America, and helped feed the “surge is working fairy tale” that Washington has been spinning ever since. The danger in such simplification is that it glosses over the techniques, the cost and the alliances our government made to get these results.

I would much prefer to know what exactly my tax money, or rather the money my government is borrowing from China, is going toward, than to live under the false belief that 30,000 extra US Super troops could, single handedly, quash anti-US violence and subdue 3000 year old tribal religious warfare going on between Sunni and Shia.

I guess I will have to read Bob Woodward’s book to figure out what else my government has been up to in Iraq, because I know it is highly unlikely my government or the corporate owned media in this country will ever report the truth.


Sources: Washington Post.com Tribal Coalition in Anbar Said to Be Crumbling, Joshua Partlow and John Ward Anderson, June 11, 2007, Washing Post.com Why Did Violence Plummet? It Wasn't Just the Surge, Bob Woodward,Sept, 8, 2008

Wisconsin Child Dies While Parents Pray

Dale and Leilani Neumann of Wausau Wisconsin have been charged with 2nd degree reckless homicide for letting their 11 year old daughter die of diabetes while they prayed for her recovery rather than seeking medical care.


Their family’s attorney is fighting the case saying that the courts, if the charges are allowed to continue, will “become entangled in constitutionally protected religious matters.” because the charges “…unconstitutionally infringe on their right to freely exercise their religion.”


An autopsy determined the child, Madeline Neumann, died from undiagnosed diabetes at the family's rural Weston home on Easter. Court records indicated that the girl most likely showed symptoms for weeks, and perhaps months, before she died.


Leilani Neumann, 40, indicated that the family believes that healing comes from God, and that they never expected their daughter to die because they prayed for her. Both parents considered the child’s illness a test of faith, and felt the child was under a spiritual attack that could be healed through prayer. They were shocked when she died.


Unfortunately, while the parents got the chance to practice the faith of their choice, the child paid the ultimate price for their archaic superstition. The Court will decide on Oct 3rd whether to charge them or not.

Sources: Associated Press, Robert Imrie, Sept. 2, 2008

Neo Nazis Infiltrating US Military in Iraq

In 2006 the Intelligence Report revealed that white supremacists and neo-Nazi skin heads were taking advantage of lowered recruitment standards to infiltrate the US armed forces. Men like Matt Buschbacher and Forrest Fogart were well established neo Nazis before joining elite units in the US military.

Ten years ago Pentagon leaders tightened recruitment policies regarding members from extremist movements after the Oklahoma City bombing, which was committed by decorated Gulf War combat veteran Timothy McVeigh, and the murder of a black couple by members of a skinhead gang in the elite 82nd Airborne Division.

Since the rule changes, large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists continued to quietly infiltrate the military, but enlistment became easier after the Iraqi war, when Military recruiters and base commanders who came under intense pressure to fill the ranks, began to look the other way.

One might wonder why a neo-Nazi would want to join the US Military. There is, apparently, no better place to learn the art of destruction. For instance the soldiers, who join the MOS units, or Military Occupational Specialty units, learn how to disarm Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs), those nasty devices that explode all over Iraq. Apparently, the training to disarm these devices first entails learning to build one. The perfect skill for someone who believes, as one neo Nazi web poster and recent MOS recruit professed "Once all the Jews are gone the world will start fixing itself."

Forty members of Congress urged former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to launch a full-scale investigation and implement a zero-tolerance policy toward white supremacists in the military. U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, wrote in a separate open letter to Rumsfeld. "We witnessed with Timothy McVeigh that today's racist extremist may become tomorrow's domestic terrorist."

Unfortunately, neither Rumsfeld nor his successor, Robert Gates, enacted any sort of systemic investigation or crackdown to week out neo Nazi extremists, nor has there been any attempt by Military commanders to weed out extremists already recruited. New evidence suggests that the problem has grown as enlistment rates have continued to plummet, with the military accepting even lower quality of soldiers.

A new FBI report (PDF) indicates that white supremacist leaders are recruiting active-duty soldiers and combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to join the white supremacist movement.

The report indicates that neo-Nazi leaders are targeting active duty military personnel without documented white supremacist histories or identifying tattoos to infiltrate the military as “ghost skins” in order to recruit and receive training specialized training that will ultimately benefit the movement.

The army is currently investigating several crimes, including homicide, committed by several members of white extremist neo-Nazi groups. No official action is being taken to restrict the number of neo-Nazi’s that enlist in the armed services.
Sources: .David Holthouse, Hate Watch

Lynchings Tied to Sorcery and Penis Theft

Several attempted lynchings this week in the Congo were tied to rumors of penis theft by black magic. Thirteen suspected sorcerers are accused of using black magic and curses to steal or make the penises of several men disappear. Reports of penis snatching is not uncommon in the superstitious West Condo were rumors of sorcery are frequent topics of radio call in programs, and neighborhood gossip.

Fourteen victims accused the sorcerers of stealing or shrinking their penises by touching them on the arm during bus or taxi rides, and then extorting money for a cure. In response, several of the victims attempted to lynch the offending sorcerers. “You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you…” said Kinshasa’s police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, “We've had a number of attempted lynchings.”

It might sound like a joke, but not to the victimized men, who are completely convinced that their penises are gone, or that they are impotent, despite the fact that there is no rational evidence or proof. When one is dealing with sorcery, apparently, no amount of rationality will override the evidence provided by fear.

Sources:
Joe Bavier: Reuters: http://uk.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUKL2290323220080422?sp=true

Sense of Fair Play tied to Serotonin Levels

Are you a person that gets really combative and aggressive, or grouchy when you don’t eat? Are you one of those people who are uncomfortable in social situations, or who are unusually sensitive to being treated unfairly? It turns out your serotonin levels may contribute to more than just depression or compulsive disorders. In a new Science study, UCLA and Cambridge researchers report that people with low serotonin levels were found to be more sensitive to being treated unfairly.

A new study, published in the June 6 issue of Science suggests that the neurotransmitter serotonin, which has long been known to act as “…a chemical messenger between nerve cells…” and has been recognized to play “… a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making…” is also responsible for turning on the brains “reward circuitry.”

The study suggests that the “human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate; being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry.”

The study involved 20 subjects who were each presented with several offers, some skewed and some fair, for dividing sums of money. If they declined the offer neither they, nor the person making the offer would receive anything. After this round of initial offers and responses were recorded, participants were given a drink that “significantly reduced” their serotonin levels before a second round of offers began.

The study discovered that participants rejected 82 percent of the unfair offers when their serotonin levels were reduced as compared to only rejecting 67 percent of the unfair offers when their serotonin levels were normal. The report concluded that people with low serotonin levels were more likely to reject unfair offers.

Serotonin levels can fluctuate in regard to how regularly we eat, since “the essential amino acid necessary for the body to create serotonin can only be obtained through diet…” which suggests that a person’s perception of fairness can also fluctuate. What I view, for instance, as fair on the day I have three full meals, may differ from the day I skip breakfast.

It seems the study proves that the human sense of fairness is not based on rational processes, and unlike the solid mathematical formulas we learn, fairness is a fluid and fluctuating process that flows with the levels of our brain chemistry.

Sources:
UCLA Eureka Alert: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uoc--sma060608.php
Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1155577
About.com: http://depression.about.com/b/2008/06/10/serotonin-levels-related-to-sense-of-fairness.htm

Anti-Christ Misses Day in Divorce Court

Anti-Christ Misses Day in Divorce Court
Luis De Jesus Miranda, minister of the Miami Growing in Grace church, gained international notoriety in 2004 by declaring himself to be Jesus Christ, and then later claiming to be the Antichrist. He maintains that he is the Second Coming and that his teachings supersede those of Jesus.

His powerful and charismatic influence over the congregation of Growing Grace was in evidence when they all showed up in mass recently, to get the numbers 666 tattooed on their bodies, in honor of their “messiah.” At home, he had a dutiful and obedient wife who lovingly washed his feet and clipped his toenails to show her devotion, but that all came to an end in one of the most unspiritual of places, a divorce court.

The Miami Herald reported in June that the minister was forced, for the first time, to give testimony revealing how he paid personal expenses with donations to his tax-exempt church. Following the testimony the judge in their divorce case sent a transcript of the hearing to federal prosecutors, saying he felt "ethically compelled" to bring the fiscal abuses to their attention and, it was not long after that de Jesus disappeared.

This week the minister was declared in contempt of court for failure to pay alimony to his soon-to-be ex-wife. Their divorce trial went ahead without him, with wife Josefina de Jesus Torres alleging abuse, abandonment and infidelity. Torres backed up her claims of infidelity with descriptions of how, during their marriage, de Jesus cast her off for another woman in Houston -- a woman his inner circle now calls his ``wife.''

Torres also claimed to be abused when her husband pushed her against a fence on one occasion, and emotionally abused her on others by threatening to send ''angels of destruction'' to her and her children.

She's seeking half of both the Growing in Grace church assets and his personal property, which her attorneys argue are the same because they claim de Jesus controls the church's finances, all of which, Torres claims add up to $2.2 million.
De Jesus claims poverty, and his daughter, JoAnn de Jesus, the ministry's finance manager, testified that because of a drop in donations, due to all the publicity surrounding the divorce, the church is two months behind on the rent at its Doral headquarters, and she is hoping for ''a miracle'' that will allow them to stay. Several church members implied that Torres' statements criticizing de Jesus in the press played a role in the financial problems.

De Jesus' tax attorney testified that, based on his interactions with an Internal Revenue Service investigator, he believes a fraud investigation is under way. A spokeswoman for the IRS said she could not confirm or deny the existence of an inquiry.

De Jesus and his followers have been fighting back, outside the court room. Recently they sent a video to supporters showing a woman, who claims she was Torres’ lesbian lover when Torres met de Jesus, and who suggests Torres set out to entrap de Jesus for his money. There is no corroboration for the claim on the video, but the attack smacks of political smear campaigns used in Republican Party politics.
Meanwhile, Torres reports receiving threats from various church members while those same Growing Grace members say they have spoken to de Jesus but have no idea where he is. For an anti-Christ he’s keeping a remarkably low profile these days.

Sources:
Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/1060/story/654101.html
Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/654335.html

UN Accuses US Coalition Troops in Afghanistan of Killing 90 Civilians

AP-Kabul
The United Nations announced today that it has found “convincing evidence” 90 civilians, including 60 children were killed by US coalition troops and Afghan forces in western Afghanistan.

The U.N. findings were based on eyewitness testimony of villagers and meetings with Afghan officials. No photo or other evidence was provided.

Associated Press released several photos of civilians injured, however, including one of Zinat Gul, 24, who was allegedly wounded by the U.S. air strike in Shindand district. She was photographed while lying in a hospital bed in Herat, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Aug. 25, 2008



Afghan President, Hamid Karzai's in a harshly worded statement called for a negotiated end to "air strikes on civilian targets, uncoordinated house searches and illegal detention of Afghan civilians.”

The U.S. coalition reported killing 25 militants and five civilians in an operation in Shindand district of Herat province on Friday.

U.S.-led coalition troops, which were supporting Afghan commandos during the raid, said they believe that 25 militants, including a Taliban commander, and five civilians were killed during the Friday raid in Azizabad village of Herat province. The top coalition commander in the country has ordered an investigation.

Karzai's statement appears to condemn the actions of both international forces operating in Afghanistan: the U.S.-led coalition, which conducts Special Forces counterterrorism operations and trains the fledgling Afghan army and police, and the U.N.-mandated NATO-led force tasked to provide security for the war-ravaged nation.



The UN accusation will likely fuel tensions among the various military groups in Afghanistan.

Afghan Presidential spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, said Tuesday that the statement was issued after Afghan officials "lost patience" with foreign forces, and the killings and detentions of civilians during raids in remote villages.

"We do not want international forces to leave Afghanistan until the time our security institutions are able to defend Afghanistan independently," Hamidzada clarified to reporters Tuesday, “but the presence of those forces has to be based "within the framework of Afghan law with respect to international law," Hamidzada said.
Hamidzada also pointed out that "Afghanistan of 2001 is different from Afghanistan today," He said the government has not discussed any timetable for the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan.

Capt. Mike Windsor, a spokesman for the NATO-led force, said the force had seen media reports about the government's decision but had not received "any official notification so far." He pointed out that NATO's "mission is based on a U.N. mandate and carried upon the invitation of the Afghan government."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters Monday that foreign forces in Afghanistan "take every precaution to try to avoid innocent civilian casualties." He said as far as the attack in question, the Defense Department believes "it was a good strike."

The decision also comes a year ahead of Afghanistan's presidential elections amid growing criticism that Karzai's government is unable to contain the insurgency and deal with the deep-rooted corruption that afflicts officials in the government.
Karzai has said he will run in the election. No date has been set yet.


Sources:
Yahoo: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080826/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan
Salon: http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/world/2008/08/26/D92Q046G1_afghanistan/index.html