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Major Strike on Iraq Underway
The major news sources are reporting that much larger scale attacks are now underway in Iraq. Here is CNNs story. Pentagon officials have confirmed that this is "A-day" for war, presumably the so called "Shock & Awe" mentioned by the White House earlier. In other words, it starts now. Update: 18:01 GMT by CT : Iraq has apparently ordered
CNN out of Baghdad.
Updates as events warrant.
Even Germany, which was anti-war, is providing medical expertise, flying AWACs, allowing air space rights for bomber runs from german bases, and is providing security for the american bases in germany, freeing up americans to go to Baghdad.
I expect the UN will authorize the war once it's over and chemical weapons are found.
Someone mod the parent up. People think they can pet the lion and not get their hand bit some of the time.
later,
"Im drowning here, and you're describing the water!"
As is Saddam Hussein. Your point being?
Bitchslapped. Neat.
stop them war news. enough on tv and everywhere else...
Got my popcorn and brewski....now I hope I see some fucking human shield go flying by in peices....
Later Saddam!!!!Kiss your ass goodbye!
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Reposted to allow all who don't cruise at -1 to see.......
WTF? Over?
The environment? What? Explain how the environment is better off if the US controls the oil?
-Reid
All your base are belong to us!
I've copied the chat below in case the URL above is temporary.
Welcome to ESPN.com's moderated chat room. On Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET, former Iraqi volleyball star Issam Thamer al-Diwan will take your questions as U.S. troops move into his southern Iraq hometown of An Nasiriya. In an ESPN.com report in December, Thamer described being tortured twice as an athlete on orders of Uday Hussein, president of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee.
The second time he was tortured was in 1990, after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Thamer says he refused Uday's order to go to Kuwait and steal that nation's sports equipment, and was thrown in prison. There, his ankles were shackled to the wall and his wrists were tied together with rope and extended to the ceiling. He was forced to stay in the standing position for three days, as part of a three-month prison sentence.
"A decade later, I am reminded daily of the abuse I endured," Thamer wrote in a first-person account on ESPN.com. "Two of the vertebrae in my neck are permanently damaged from my body staying in that position so long -- as you can tell from my hunched posture. Doctors say I need an artificial knee, but that, at age 45, I'm still 10 years too young to qualify. My ankles are bloated and scarred from the iron shackles, so I try not to stand for more than 15 minutes at a time. I take pills to relieve my aches and see psychiatrists to heal my mind, even today."
Thamer, who now lives outside San Diego, is awaiting a call from the Pentagon to go to Iraq and serve as a translator for the U.S. troops. In the past week he was in Washington, all set to fly to Kuwait, but then was told to go back to San Diego and wait. He was one the Iraqi citizens -- including many athletes -- who was part of the 1991 Iraqi uprising, and he wants to go back to help.
Issam Thamer al-Diwan will take your questions at 5:30 p.m. ET, but feel free to send us your questions now and we will hold them for his arrival.
For a list of upcoming ESPN.com chat guests, visit SportsNation.
Moderator Tom Farrey: (5:31 PM ET ) Issam is here. Feel free to send your questions.
Clyde from Cheyenne, Wyoming: Thamer, I appreciate you spending time answering our questions. I have three questions for you. First, public sentiment in Iraq is a mystery. I wonder how many of the Iraqi people are in favor of removing current regime in their country. A second question is whether you believe Iraq can function as a unified country after the war in light of the different factions in the region. Finally, I would like to know what is your vision of the future of Iraq.
Issam Thamer al-Diwan: (5:40 PM ET ) All the Iraqi people have to accept the groups that work with Saddam. But 95 percent of the people want him out. Just watch the TV. You're seeing the first city falling now under the American troops' control. The people are kissing their shoes and tearing down the pictures of Saddam. We'll continue to see this over the next couple weeks. Regarding your second question, this is a very important question. We live together with different beliefs for a long time. Then Saddam came, and all of a sudden we're hearing much more about the differences between the groups. We'll be together. We are Iraqis first, and we'll be able to rebuild our country together. As for your third question, this has been a bad dream for 36 years -- since Saddam came. Saddam left a very bad memory. But I think the Iraqis outside Iraq -- and there are 4 or 5 million of us -- a lot of us will go back to Iraq, and we will work hard to make sure that there is democracy in Iraq. We've learned about this from living in countries like the U.S. This is our dream, and we will be living our dreams shortly.
Paul (Newport,RI): Issam, I respect the