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Thursday, December 16, 2004

Rough Men

Rough Men


“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men

stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George Orwell



With a nod to the Mudville Gazette for the quote



There’s a character trait that’s decided by fate

Comes “sadly” to many, far too faint, far too late.

They won’t face the aggressor, stand up to his ire

They have not the will to fight his fire with fire.

So they bend over backwards to see all sides as fair,

Till they’re faced with dragon breath fire in their hair.

Like our brethren in France, who’d know better than we,

Yet seem never to learn, seem doomed never to see.



Yes, it seems there are some who’re determined by fate,

To possess not the courage to step up to the plate,

Who shrink from all threat because nothing’s worth war.

But how can they know lest they’ve been there before?

Thank God some have courage, the will, yes, the grace,

To stand for the shirkers, stand strong in their place.

Thank God we have stalwarts who’ll stand for us all,

Who will rise to the challenge at their nation’s call.



The faint-hearted, who fear, whose reaction is flight,

Have no comprehension of those who will fight.

To hide their own trepidation they attempt to demean

The rough men, who defend them, as barbaric, obscene.

Yet these rough men stand ready, hard weapons to hand,

To put placaters behind them, draw a line in the sand,

To preserve for the peaceniks what they won’t defend,

So their own unearned freedom won’t perish, won’t end.



To appeasers, rough men are coarse government tools.

To rough men, appeasers are dumb delusional fools.



Russ Vaughn

2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment

101st Airborne Division

Vietnam 65-66
Iraq War Today

A US Marines sits near 155 mm artillery shells

A US Marines sits near 155 mm artillery shells at his camp at the edge of the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad. The continuing battles between Marines and insurgents in Fallujah are hampering reconstruction and the return of civilians, a Marines officer said.(AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

Yahoo! News - World Photos - AFP
Iraq Today
Iraqi militants say they killed Italian: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi militants said they shot and killed an Italian citizen after he tried to break through a guerrilla roadblock on a highway outside the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi."

In Fresno Bee: Iraq



Iraqi militants say they killed Italian: "Iraqi militants said they shot and killed an Italian citizen after he tried to break through a guerrilla roadblock on a highway outside the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Senior Iraqi official assassinated: "A senior Iraqi communications official was gunned down Thursday and several of his aides wounded as they drove to their Baghdad office, the BBC reported.




[in The US News]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



Zarqawi thought to be hiding in Baghdad: "The U.S. military says Islamic insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi likely has gone into hiding in Baghdad after losing his battle in Fallujah.




[in The US News]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



Bin Laden hails attack on U.S. consulate: "Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has applauded the attack on the U.S. consulate in Jeddah last week in which nine people were killed, including four gunmen.




[in The US News]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



Saddam, defense lawyer meet for 1st time: "Former dictator Saddam Hussein met with a lawyer for the first time since his capture a year ago, officials said. Insurgents, meanwhile, killed three paramilitary police and a government official in Baghdad."

In Kansas.com: Iraq



Navy SEALs Expanding Probe of Iraq Photos: "AP Photo BAG103 By SETH HETTENA Associated Press Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Navy SEALs are expanding their investigation into recently published photographs that show freshly captured prisoners an...




[in The Guardian]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



in



in



Saddam meets defense lawyer for first time since his capture a year ago: "Associated Press AMMAN, Jordan - Saddam Hussein met for the first time since his capture a year ago with a defense lawyer on Thursday, two days after Iraq announced it will soon bring top figures of ...




[in Billings Gazette]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



Bush warns Syria, Iran from the consequences of interfering in Iraq: "Bush warns Syria, Iran from the consequences of interfering in Iraq Syria-USA, Politics, 12/16/2004 The US President George W. Bush has warned each of Iran and Syria from the consequences of inter...




[in Arabic News]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraq Awards First Post-War Oilfield Contracts: "By Khaled Yacoub Oweis BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's oil ministry has awarded the country's first post-war oilfield development contracts to Turkish and Canadian firms, an oil official said on Thursda...




[in Reuters]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



Three Polish soldiers killed in Iraq: "Three Polish soldiers killed in Iraq Iraq, Military, 12/16/2004 Three Polish soldiers were killed in their helicopter crash near Karbala city to the south of Baghdad. The spokesman for the multina...




[in Arabic News]
"

In The US News: Iraq News



in



in



IRAQ: Red Cross monitoring hunger strikers ahead of trials: "BAGHDAD, 16 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is closely monitoring former Baath Party hunger strikers, who have complained about the legality of their detentions and that of future trials, an ICRC spokesman told IRIN in Jordan."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis



IRAQ: Interview with Minister of Agriculture: "BAGHDAD, 16 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - Iraq’s Minister of Agriculture, Sawsan Ali Magid al-Sharifi, faces her biggest challenge yet - how to get the country's food sector moving again after years of international sanctions, free imported food under the former United Nations Oil-for-Food programme and hundreds of displaced farmers now living in other areas of the country. With a doctoral degree in animal breeding from Iowa State University in the United States and an understanding of the economic forces at work in Iraq’s impoverished economy, al-Sharifi told IRIN in an interview that she is ready for the task."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis



IRAQ: New commission looking into endemic corruption: "BAGHDAD, 16 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - When guards at the Ministry of Housing and Construction were hired, they all had to pay a fee of around US $200 to get their jobs. Those who didn’t pay had their applications thrown away, said an anonymous caller to the hotline for the recently established Commission for Public Integrity (CPI)."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis



IRAQ: Interview with UNDP head: "AMMAN, 16 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - Roger Guarda is the Officer-in-Charge for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq, but is based in Amman for security reasons. In an interview conducted with IRIN just before his retirement, Guarda assessed the role of the agency in the country and the difficulties faced in implementing its projects from a distance. He also spoke of the priorities for the coming year and focus areas. Having served UNDP since its creation in 1965, Guarda said he was proud of what had been achieved so far, given the current situation."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis

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