With In-Bedded “Journalists firmly in place the U.S. Government, acting for the Co-Axis of Evil, is making sure that real reporting does not take place. Of course this should not be a big surprise to anyone who has been following the Bush Junta’s Propaganda Machine and their Loyal Serfs in the so-called Free American Press. What I think is mildly surprising is the lengths to which they are going to shut down the free flow of honest information. Violence and intimidation have now joined their former tools of simple disinformation and the untimely deaths of inconvienient individuals. Now we are moving into wholesale, blatant, Police State Suppression.
It is now almost trite to say “The first Casualty of War is the Truth” however, I think many Americans have somehow labored under the false impression that in America it was somehow different.

Here is a selection of articles which show the pattern:


Press group slams US attack on journalists' Baghdad hotel: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s827705.htm

French Claim Hotel Attack Deliberate:
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6258986%255E25778,00.html

Reuters Cameraman Killed:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6257927%255E1702,00.html

Is Al-Jazeera being targeted by U.S. Gov.?: http://www.independent-media.tv/censorship.cfm

U.S. Turns to Net for War Updates: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2925289.stm

Al-Jazeera Journalist Killed in U.S. Blast:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1049802182411_126/?hub=SpecialEvent3

Central Command Calls Attacks “Unfortunate”: http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=1220790
Home
US Troops Shot at Our Car Near Baghdad: Al-Jazeera: http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=24917

Journalists Beaten And Starved by Americans: http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=24644

Prime Time Payola: http://inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=148_0_1_0_C

A related Article of Note - John Pilger:
http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=394406

What they don’t want you to see:

Three Pages of the Reality of Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL):
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2604.htm

Writer’s and Journalists among those arrested at Protest:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200304040534.html

TV News Lies Org: http://www.tvnewslies.org/

...for your consideration.

The journalists' deaths were accidental, unintentional, and regrettable. US forces were under fire and, as is their right, defended themselves. Saddam has a history of placing combatants and weapons in protected areas, banking on our reverence for human life, and proving he has none.

Would you deny our soldiers the right to defend themselves?

Yeah...I bet you would.

Funny how in the first article, the Brussels-based IFJ takes great pains to blame the Baghdad regime as well as the coalition forces, using the bogus "human shields" argument.
This is ridiculous as Baghdad did not directly target them, the coalition forces did. Also, consider that the advice to move independent journalists into the bombed Palestine Hotel was influenced by CNN who new that the military was already
targeting certain hotels in the area.

To be fair, it appears that the IFJ may be walking a tightrope since they want to condemn this atrocity, but they know that in taking a side it will preclude their affiliated journalists from access to other areas, or possibly make them future targets.

Its a catch 22 and that's too bad because then it indirectly lines them up for silencing behind big brother CNN.

Something should be done about this, and the US-UK should be held especially accountable.

These sites were already on the hit list and despite the US military's claims, the reporters who were attacked reported no sniper fire from their locations.

Do you shoot at unarmed people in self-defense? What is this the LAPD?

Is The U.S. Silencing the Really Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really, Really Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really, Really, Really Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Free Press?
No.
How About The Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Free Press?
No.
..............................................

Last time I tried to buy a newspaper, they wanted money for it.. : (

Hey! When did YOU get hold of the Really Secret Civilan Targets to Get Blowed Up List?

Man! That was supposed to be Really Secret! Rats! Now Robert Fisk will leave his hiding place: Up Saddam's butt.

"How About The Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Free Press?
No. "

LOL!

"Last time I tried to buy a newspaper, they wanted money for it.. : ("

LOL!

Hey did you people ever think that the Really Free Press (TM) is silencing itself by getting just too plain silly to bear listening to?

That's the reason I'm betting on.

Now, I'm done ranting.
We can all hope you'll now makes some sense.

Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.

Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.


Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.


Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.
Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said.

Discovery of Chemical Weapons Reported

Press reports today said U.S. chemical weapons experts may have found Sarin gas at a chemical storage site in a central Iraqi town - that town not named. U.S. military planners would not confirm those reports at today's briefing.

"We continue to find information that leads us to different sites," said Brooks. "With each one of these reports - that there might be some potential presence of weapons of mass destruction or some potential means of using weapons of mass destruction - we do a thorough search."

Brooks said excavations were going on right now at suspected WMD sites, but he added, "We don't have any extraordinary finds at this point."

'Cautious Optimism'

The fact that coalition forces have moved into Baghdad "increases the optimism," Brooks said, but "it also reminds us that there's a good deal of hazard out there."

He said each military operation creates new "opportunities," which lead to new military operations, and that's what military planners expect to see in the coming days - "not just in Baghdad, but in areas throughout the country."

Brooks said the thrust into Baghdad "reinforces the reality that we will ... continue to conduct operations at a time and place of our choosing, and the regime does not have the means of preventing that."

Brooks reminded reporters that there are still pockets of resistance in Baghdad and in towns that coalition forces already have passed through. "The regime does still have some military capability. It also has some limited command and control capability over small units in certain areas," he said.

"We continue with our efforts to find those, remove those, and proceed to a condition where the regime is gone and there's no longer any threats to us or to the Iraqi people."

In other developments, military planners said today that Iraqi workers were helping coalition forces establish control at the Baghdad airport. "This is a very important step as we continue to progress toward getting the airport back into operation for the Iraqi people when the conflict has ended," Brooks said.

He said coalition forces now had a "degree of victory" over 900 of the 940 oil wells in the south of Baghdad.


Baghdad and Basra Falling, but 'War's Not Over Yet'
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, April 7, 2003
The fighting continued in Baghdad today as U.S. troops fanned out across the city and took over one of Saddam's main palaces and other regime buildings. But the job isn't over yet, U.S. military planners cautioned.
"We're a long way from being able to celebrate victory," Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at a military briefing in Qatar today. "We certainly continue to say that the outcome is not in doubt. But there is still work for us to do at this point, and that's where we will remain focused."

Is 'Chemical Ali' Toast?

"Reliable sources" told British officials in Basra that a notorious Iraqi leader nicknamed "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's cousin, was killed in a coalition attack on a home near Basra on Saturday night.

"We identified the body of his bodyguard, a man very close to Chemical Ali, and we are now working our way through the rubble of this building, trying to find out who else was in there," said British Central Command spokesman Captain Al Lockwood today.

The U.S. says Ali Hassan al-Majid gassed Kurdish villages in 1988, thus earning his "chemical" nickname. Wire reports say U.S. forces believe Ali also worked out of the Naseriyah hospital where American POW Jessica Lynch was held captive.


'No Illusions'


According to Brooks, the air and ground attacks are continuing, and they will continue as long as pockets of resistance remain. "We're not finished," he said. "And we have no illusions about the fact that there's still work ahead and that there will continue to be combat action."

Brooks said a declaration of victory in this war would not come from military planners.

"We're going to continue to conduct operations until we accomplish the objectives that have been set up for us," he said.

He said the focus remained not on individuals such as Saddam Hussein, but on the "regime and its capabilities." While the coalition has disrupted "much of the regime's control and command ability, as well as its ability to wage war, "The regime retains some capability," Brooks said.

Basra Falls

There are still "some pockets" of resistance in Basra, Brook said, but they are "far fewer."

Indeed, as Brooks spoke in Qatar, live video from Basra today showed British convoys moving into the city. Residents of Basra were said to be looting the city, including a hotel, waving to British troops and giving "thumbs-up" signals to American television reporters as they passed by on vehicles piled high with carpets and furniture.

Coalition forces continue to discover more and more weapons and ammunition stores in Basra, Brooks said

"We can all hope you'll now makes some sense."

You go first!

It is clear that is open season on any non-embedded media in Iraq. Both sides are complicit in this assault on information and the sharing of truth about the death machines of the dictators and capitalists. But why the US wants to be seen as twisted as Hussein in it's treatment of opponents is beyond me. The arrogance of the US military only underscores the repression to come.

IndyMedia reporters were tolerated for awhile back in the mid 90s but with the start of this war, at least in LA, that may not be the case. Although in Portland and SF it does seem that the cops have treated IndyMedia reporters as the enemy since the Redwood Summers and the FBIs attempted assasination of Judi Bari. Of course the long histopry of police repression can be easily traced back further than that.

And look what is happening with this website, with the attacks on legitimate posters by paid shills and death machine apologists. The hypocrites on the right will always justify their brutality, their corruption, and their lies, as neccessary (in some secret way I guess) for the defense of their idea of America. Too bad they do not realize that it was sold out from under them a long time ago.

In the end, you just can't trust cops, the federal security apparatus, or the military. They are the enemy and their only 'message' is convert to us -- or die.

Now I'm a "paid shill and death machine apologist". Cool! Mom will be so proud!

How much does it pay, though? I haven't gotten any checks yet. Is it enough for a Toyota payment? Are there health benefits? Dental plan? How about office supplies...can I have all the office supplies I want?

I You made a mistake, Parmenides. Our only 'message' is to convert you -- or KILL you. Read the brochures.

I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm making fun of you. But it's only because I am. Oh, and I'm doing it for free, too.

I'll convert you or kill you later. Your tax dollars at work!

>...FBIs attempted assasination of Judi Bari

Prove it.

One lie and how do you expect me to believe anything you say? Don't, cause I won't.

Says the FBI sure screwed up. HaHa
May she rest in peace, brave soul.
don't make me swam you with links. Die now.

..to kill unarmed Americans, or any other unarmed human...it's murder.

I don't know that you are a paid shill, but I can't otherwise explain why people like yourselves assault non-corporate media sources so glibly or concertedly. Tell your mom whatever you want but the corruption in the heart of the installed president has sucked away all of your benefits and now he's trying to get hers as well.

Oh, I forgot ...america right or wrong is the only idiocy you want to believe

....but I bet the Nazi Bush Administration just loves dopes like you.

>Well, 4.5 million dollars more or less...

That uncollected amount of money was for a defamation of character suit.

Should you actually have any evidence that the FBI tried to murder Judi Bari, I'm sure Darryl Cherney would be most appreciative if you would let him know. In the meanwhile, you got no proof. For now, you just got a LIE.

Do you really believe that you are on aan Independent Media web site? Take a look at the articles. Do you see a wide variety that would appeal to an Independent individual. Someone who votes independent. Sorry Hippies, but if your on this website constantly and never pay attention to the reliable corporate media then no wonder why you are out on the streets supporting terror. I guess it can't be your fault if you fail to keep yourselves informed. Here's an idea, go to a psychiatrist, get some Paraniod Schiznophrenic medication and become informed without your paranoid delusions. Do you think that this website is news. Hell, this is my comic relief. I had no idea that the world could have so many morons before I came here. Its funny, you don't report on anything besides peace protests and everything else comes right out of Al - Jazeera. To all those who are seriously reading this, all I ask is that you think about it. IF you have half a brain, you'll consider taking a look at Fox News.com . They have the most reliable information you could ask for. All of those who are hardcore liberal Democrats may not like this so just go to CNN. But what they all have in common is that they report the facts, and only the facts. They may have a lot of commentary, but it is all based on facts. Sure, you may be independent from money, no corporate sponsors, but you sure as fuck aren't politically independent. You are using the war as a political vehicle to further your lost cause. You couldn't give a fuck about the war. When Clinton bombed them without achieving any kind of objective, where were you? Clintons bombing was senseless, we never committed troops to the ground and never removed Saddam. Why do you waste your time? I'll be voting for Bush in the next election because I think he's the best guy for the job. He's done a great job with this war and when that flow of oil comes into our economy, I'm sure you jack asses won't be bitching about saving some gas money. Just try to shut up because all you are doing is making yourselves look stupid, OK?

...but someone has to do it.

Seriously, though, I have a question for you. Can you imagine anyone disagreeing with you without bringing phantom conspiracies into it?

I have my reasons for my beliefs, just like you do. Because we disagree, I'm an agent of the Illuminati or some sillly stuff like that? Because I don't roll over for your theories, I'm a tool of the establishment?

I have issues with this administration. I don't swallow the party line. And neither will I swallow your party line. I don't have to justify my beliefs to anyone, just as you don't.

But I gotta ask...is there something missing in your life that you need to fill the void with such hate?

It's not difficult to read the writing on the wall. That is what people have always had to do in the nation with worlds best propaganda machines.

In your room of mirrors it is quite easy to assume that lies are truth and truth lies, it is what you have been trained for. And no, of course Orlando Letelier was not killed with CIA help, and no, of course depleted uranium wouldn't harm anyone, and of course GMO food is just as goog as normal food, an of course this war is about liberating Iraqis, and of course the Unitarians really are devil worshippers, and of course republicans care deeply about american principles.

Yep, keep on eating fast food and somedya maybe you'll get a jetski and who cares about the 6 billion other people on the planet, they're the wrong color anyways.

Why did you even type that. You did not even defend your position at all. You only proved my point.

Did you even read it or do you refuse to believe it?

...all I could. Geez, and you guys think FoxNews is propaganda!

But really, though, does it matter? I could post link after link supporting my side but you wouldn't read them; then you'd label me a fascist Republican killbot who eats babies for breakfast.

So what's the point? You're not interested in debate; you just want to shout out your party line and insult anyone who dares disagree even the tiniest bit.

Anyone who cites Al-Jazeera as a crdible source has serious issues with reality.

Now let fly with the obscenites and goofy pictures all you want, and brag about how you ran off the troll. I'm going home.

See you tomorrow!

I looked at the Al Jazeera website and found al ot of the pictures that I saw here on "Indy" media on the Al Jazeera website. Also, there is a strong undeniable resemblance between information on Al jAzeera to info on "indy" media. You have been getting your news from Anti American News Media so in effect, you have become not just Anti-Republican, but Anti-American. Do you even want to call yourselves American? Why not move to France? You seem to like them. By the way, I have no affiliation with either major political party, I vote for who I think will do the best job. I voted for Clinton last election and was very disappointed in the job he did. believe it or not, he left a lot of work for GW to clean up. You know when your day at work in McDonalds is over, and your closing up? Bill Clinton was the guy who left early and never picked up the mop or cleaned the grill. Therefore, Bin LAden was that black shit that you had to scrape from the grill and Hussein is that puke left on the floor. Now GW has to clean it up.

Wipe the foam off your mouth.

You're no american, you're a moron.

A advertisement signed by a group of artists, academicians, and “activists” called Not In Our Name (NION) appeared in the September 19 New York Times. The ad stated that the United States would not invade Iraq in their name. The “activists” were really Socialists, Maoists, Stalinists, Leninists, Marxists, and Communists. However, the mainstream media does not identify them as such. They prefer to call them “activists.” (Know your mainstream media code words.)

The liberal mainstream media is fascinated by this ad and the organization that created it. Some journalists have written encomiums about it. In the September 21 Hartford Courant, journalist Frank Rizzo wrote:

"People have been longing for this," says Clark Kissinger, a spokesman for the group that created the statement. "Everybody has been waiting for someone to stand up and say the emperor has no clothes, and that's what you have here. It's a statement that basically repudiates the whole direction of things. This is not about terrorism or protecting the American people. It's about American empire-building."

While Rizzo cited Clark Kissinger as a spokesman for the group that created the ad, he did not inform readers about Clark Kissinger or the Not In Our Name organization. The liberal media never seem to inform their readers of the origins of liberal organizations. The same journalists who will be more than happy to tell their readers that a group is related to, or receives funds from, say the NRA or the Christian Coalition or the dreaded Scaiffe Foundation, will never mention the relationship of a liberal group with communist organizations- even if such organizations are labeled terrorist by the FBI.

As a public service to the readers of the Hartford Courant, the New York Times, and liberal media everywhere, let me furnish some information about NION.

Clark Kissinger, the “spokesman,” as the Hartford Courant referred to him, is a board member of NION and is a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP). The RCP is an organization that wants to replace the democratically elected government of the United States of America with a Communist dictatorship. The RCP is affiliated with such philanthropic groups as the Shining Path of Peru and the Communist Party of Nepal -so you can get an idea of what they have in mind. Their leader, Bob Avakian, is in France avoiding the FBI ( I wonder if he knows Ira Einhorn?).

Kissinger is not the only RCP member affiliated with the ad. Mary Lou Greenberg the NION national organizer is a member of the RCP as well. Several signers are either RCP members or members of their proxy group Refuse & Resist (founded by Clark Kissinger). In fact, the Philadelphia contact for NION is the RCP proxy group.

Among the other NION signers are Matef Harmachis of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party (founded by Ghanian president and Marxist Kwame Nkrumah), members of the National Lawyers Guild, International League of People’s Struggle, MeCHa, the Black Radical Congress, Ramsey Clark (I have already detailed his affiliation with the proxy of a communist terrorist organization), Noam Chomsky ( an objective voice), Mumia Abu Jamal (the great cop-killing humanitarian), Ed Asner and Barbara Ehrenreich of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the usual collection of entertainers, academicians and journalists.

Members of the NION advisory include David Cole and Michael Ratner, of the Center for Constitutional Rights and other familiar communist playwrights and academicians.

The political affiliations of the signers and endorsers of some of the Not In Our Name ad are an indication that they are not interested in peace. They have no humanitarian concerns. They solely want to discredit the established government of the United States of America and its institutions.

This is not to say that all who signed the ad are such people. Some legitimately believe they are working for peace. There are those who legitimately believe that our government is incorrect. And for those who do, they are entitled to criticize the government. They are dissenters. Americans can dissent from the government.

However, such people have been conned by the communist propaganda. They have been manipulated by the patina of morality used by the communists to make their cause seem noble and altruistic. The communists appealed to their sanctimony.

I have always said that liberals are the self-righteous, led by the self-important, for the benefit of the self-serving. NION is emblematic of this.

You
May Now Be
Seated.

The following statement was issued by the
Revolutionary Communist Party, New York Branch

The issue of the rights of revolutionaries to speak their views has been at the heart of Mumia's case in many ways--from the attempts to silence Mumia's revolutionary journalism to the imposition of the death penalty based on a statement made by Mumia when he was a member of the Black Panther Party that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." The police-state atmosphere at the conventions and the political repression of activists for Mumia have only underlined that reality, and the unjust jailing of Clark Kissinger has brought it home all the more clearly.

On December 6, 2000, C. Clark Kissinger--a contributing writer for the Revolutionary Worker, a founding member of Refuse & Resist! and a leading organizer in the movement to win justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal--was sentenced in a Philadelphia courtroom to 90 days in jail!

His crime? Giving a speech during a protest at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. A speech that exposed the "Executioners' Ball" then gathered in Philadelphia...that called on people to step up their efforts in defending Mumia...and that boldly set out Clark's revolutionary Maoist convictions.

Such a speech, according to Judge Arnold Rapoport, violates the terms of Clark Kissinger's probation. Such a speech must be punished and Kissinger must be silenced, according to this judge. So he sentenced Clark to 90 days, ordered him immediately taken to prison, extended his probation for another year, and then for good measure unleashed U.S. Marshals against Clark's supporters in the courtroom, arresting two people and manhandling others.

Clark's probation was an outrage in itself. For the "crime" of refusing to cop a plea for the July 1999 protests around Mumia at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Clark and six other people were given a year's probation for "refusing to obey a lawful order." In Clark's case, the probation conditions forbade him from traveling without permission and from contact with felons--both conditions being calculated to cripple his participation in the movement to win justice for Mumia.

Now the powers-that-be have made clear the political point of these conditions. For the crime of daring to speak in a venue not approved by his probation officer, for the crime of bringing the issue of Mumia and Clark's own revolutionary politics into the politically charged situation of the Republican convention, Clark Kissinger is to be imprisoned for 90 days.

This is an outrage and it must not be tolerated; it must be resisted and defeated. If this goes down without a major political response from the people, it will remove a key activist at a crucial time in the fight for Mumia Abu-Jamal, and it will have a chilling effect on others stepping forward in this movement and on dissent and resistance in general. Justice-minded people need to get the word out everywhere and activate your organizations.

Why have they made this move against Clark Kissinger?

Not because he is a "danger to the community." No, the main reason for this attack has everything to do with his activity in the battle for justice for Mumia. Clark has fought to bring the battle for Mumia to the broadest sections of people, without ever watering down either Mumia's stance as a revolutionary or the high stakes of this battle for the people. He's fought to not only bring Mumia's case to the people, but to "bring the people to the case"--to involve and to activate individuals and organizations from the most diverse viewpoints and backgrounds in this hugely important struggle.

To get a sense of this, read this excerpt of the speech for which Clark is now serving 90 days:

"Why [speaking of the police intimidation at the convention] do they have to bring out this intimidation, the mounted police, the helicopters, the clubs? Why do they have to stage boycotts of performers who come out and help Mumia? Why are we constantly subjected to these kinds of threats? Are they afraid that the people will actually learn what happened in Mumia's trial? Are they afraid that people will learn what was said between the judge and the lawyers in the secret meeting in the judge's chambers to which Mumia was not invited? Are they afraid that people will learn about the phony confession story? Are they afraid that people will learn what Mumia actually stands for? And are they afraid that people will see in Mumia a champion of the oppressed as well as a victim of the system? Do they worry that their whole reactionary agenda may be put at stake? Yes, I think they do worry about that. . .

"Dare to struggle, dare to win! We have defended Mumia and we have learned from him. We do not intend to let the executioner's hand take him from us. As far as we are concerned, this is one execution that will not happen. We are going to fight this fight to win, and unite with people of all different viewpoints from all different communities, expanding our broadness, our diversity and our determination. We are going to continue to escalate this struggle using whatever means are necessary and needed to do that. And we vow to make every outrage they throw at us yet another nail in the coffin of their vicious system."

Now is a crucial time in the movement to win justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal. The very important hearings on Mumia's motion for habeas corpus in Federal District Court could be set at any time. This will be the last chance to enter new evidence in Mumia's case. The movement has important plans to mobilize thousands for that first day of hearings, and to shine a worldwide spotlight on Philadelphia. The outrageous sentence of Clark Kissinger is both a general attempt to silence Kissinger and prevent him from playing his overall role in the struggle for Mumia, as well as a particular effort to hamstring the ability of the movement to mobilize for that crucial juncture in Federal District Court.

We must go all out to make that attempt backfire. We must build opposition to this jailing and defeat it, and we must do that as a springboard to take the issue of Mumia's case to millions--to broaden the ranks of those who oppose Mumia's execution and to build up the core of those who are determined that it MUST NOT happen.

Revolutionary Communist Party--
New York Branch

Can't we just not eat your babies and rape your daughters with our superior communist semen and leave you muttering to yourself wondering how this could ever have happened...
Glad you're putting up such a good fight, making more friends worldwide...
Das vedonya, gospedene 'wining our hearts and minds at the
point of a bayonet' (oh my god, a french word)

...the Association of Trolls has been busy. By the way that long piece of Spam titled "More evidence" is not mine.


By now everybody should know when the Spammers hit a thread early and often it means they do not want you to read the article at the top of the thread.

This is no exception.

A little French for you Dio. When we do that it means we are just intent on irratating you. And all your posts give us validation. I can't believe I ever wasted any time trying to discuss anything with you. MY fault. It took me a while to fiqure out how borderline you were. Oh well.

GENERAL ELECTRIC --(donated 1.1 million to GW Bush )
Television Holdings:

* NBC: includes 13 stations, 28% of US households.

* NBC Network News: The Today Show, Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press, Dateline NBC, NBC News at Sunrise.

* CNBC business television; MSNBC 24-hour cable and Internet news service (co-owned by NBC and Microsoft); Court TV (co-owned with Time Warner), Bravo (50%), A&E (25%), History Channel (25%).
Other Holdings:

* GE Consumer Electronics.

* GE Power Systems: produces turbines for nuclear reactors and power plants.

* GE Plastics: produces military hardware and nuclear power equipment.

* GE Transportation Systems: runs diesel and electric trains.

==================================================

WESTINGHOUSE / CBS INC.
Westinghouse Electric Company, part of the Nuclear Utilities Business Group of British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL)
whos #1 on the Board of Directors? None other than:
Frank Carlucci (of the Carlyle Group)

Television Holdings:

* CBS: includes 14 stations and over 200 affiliates in the US.

* CBS Network News: 60 minutes, 48 hours, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CBS Morning News, Up to the Minute.

* Country Music Television, The Nashville Network, 2 regional sports networks.

* Group W Satellite Communications.

Other Holdings:

* Westinghouse Electric Company: provides services to the nuclear power industry.

* Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company: disposes of nuclear and hazardous wastes. Also operates 4 government-owned nuclear power plants in the US.

* Energy Systems: provides nuclear power plant design and maintenance.

VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC.
Television Holdings:

* Paramount Television, Spelling Television, MTV, VH-1, Showtime, The Movie Channel, UPN (joint owner), Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Sundance Channel (joint owner), Flix.

* 20 major market US stations.

Media Holdings:

* Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Video, Blockbuster Video, Famous Players Theatres, Paramount Parks.

* Simon & Schuster Publishing.
=============================================

DISNEY / ABC / CAP (donated 640 thousand to GW's 2000 campaign)
Television Holdings:

* ABC: includes 10 stations, 24% of US households.

* ABC Network News: Prime Time Live, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America.

* ESPN, Lifetime Television (50%), as well as minority holdings in A&E, History Channel and E!

* Disney Channel/Disney Television, Touchtone Television.

Media Holdings:

* Miramax, Touchtone Pictures.

* Magazines: Jane, Los Angeles Magazine, W, Discover.

* 3 music labels, 11 major local newspapers.

* Hyperion book publishers.

* Infoseek Internet search engine (43%).

Other Holdings:

* Sid R. Bass (major shares) crude oil and gas.

* All Disney Theme Parks, Walt Disney Cruise Lines.
======================================================


TIME-WARNER TBS - AOL (donated 1.6 million to GW's 2000 campaign)
America Online (AOL) acquired Time Warner–the largest merger in corporate history.
Television Holdings:

* CNN, HBO, Cinemax, TBS Superstation, Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies, Warner Brothers Television, Cartoon Network, Sega Channel, TNT, Comedy Central (50%), E! (49%), Court TV (50%).

* Largest owner of cable systems in the US with an estimated 13 million subscribers.

Media Holdings:

* HBO Independent Productions, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera.

* Music: Atlantic, Elektra, Rhino, Sire, Warner Bros. Records, EMI, WEA, Sub Pop (distribution) = the world’s largest music company.

* 33 magazines including Time, Sports Illustrated, People, In Style, Fortune, Book of the Month Club, Entertainment Weekly, Life, DC Comics (50%), and MAD Magazine.

Other Holdings:

* Sports: The Atlanta Braves, The Atlanta Hawks, World Championship Wrestling.

=======================================================

NEWS CORPORATION LTD. / FOX NETWORKS (Rupert Murdoch) (donations see bottom note)
Television Holdings:

* Fox Television: includes 22 stations, 50% of US households.

* Fox International: extensive worldwide cable and satellite networks include British Sky Broadcasting (40%); VOX, Germany (49.9%); Canal Fox, Latin America; FOXTEL, Australia (50%); STAR TV, Asia; IskyB, India; Bahasa Programming Ltd., Indonesia (50%); and News Broadcasting, Japan (80%).

* The Golf Channel (33%).

MEDIA HOLDINGS:

* Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight.

* 132 newspapers (113 in Australia alone) including the New York Post, the London Times and The Australian.

* 25 magazines including TV Guide and The Weekly Standard.

* HarperCollins books.

OTHER HOLDINGS:

* Sports: LA Dodgers, LA Kings, LA Lakers, National Rugby League.

* Ansett Australia airlines, Ansett New Zealand airlines.

* Rupert Murdoch: Board of Directors, Philip Morris (USA).
*(Phillip Morris donated 2.9 million to George W Bush in 2000)*

The "MS" in MSNBC
means microsoft
The same Microsoft that donated 2.4 million to get GW bush elected.

error

error

The most dangerous aspect of the drastic change that has taken place in this country since Bush stole the election has been both the control and the intimidation of the mass media. Democracy is a concept based on the premise of an informed electorate. We do NOT have one. There is NO way most Americans can make informed decisions when elections take place when they are under and dis- informed. The most comprehensive analysis and response to this phenomenon is at http:/www.tvnewslies.org. I really learned so much I NEVER knew, and I keep going back on a daily basis for more information. Thank you for posting it.