Michael Yon has a new post up, which in addition to more good news about the fight against Al Qaeda's scum, also takes a look at the challenges of repairing Iraq's infrastructure.

Even criminal gangs—like local mafias—who feed off the chaos al Qaeda drags around like a fetid shadow, are now feeding information about them to American forces.

The government infrastructure that I referred to as being “demolished” was of the human order. It was as if we spared a fleet of Iraqi aircraft, but disbanded the crews while they were in flight. The crews mostly parachuted out and landed in places like Syria. Subsequent to sparing most of it, a lot of the infrastructure has fallen to crooks and insurgents at worst, or is just succumbing to natural entropy.

He also offers some thoughts on the new MRAP vehicles

Check it out - and while you're there, don't miss the piece on Sheik Twitty al Ameriki

Labels: Blogwatch, Good News, Iraq, Michael Yon

Sand Storm
A U.S. Army Soldier from the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division and two local sheiks walk through a sandstorm to attend a meeting in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Nov. 29, 2007. DoD photo by Spc. Luke Thornberry.

Labels: 101st Airborne Division, 3-187 Infantry, Iraq, Mahmudiyah, photos, sandstorm, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Report: Iraqi Security, Law Enforcement Officials Disappear in U.S.
Gates says Iraqi leaders feel pressure

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
CIA Chief: Agency Taped Interrogations, Destroyed Tapes
EXCLUSIVE: Hamas Militants Train for Attack on Israel
Lebanese presidential vote unlikely on Friday
Olmert and Abbas plan for first post-Annapolis talks - Video
Prisoner helped bin Laden elude capture: FBI

Worldwide Wackos
North Korea: Bush Sent 'Personal Letter' to Kim Jong Il
Iran ambitions not "benign," U.S. spy official says
EU, NATO to keep pressure on Iran despite report - Video
US wins support for new pressure on Iran

Homegrown Moonbats
Al Franken Called Out Over Contradictions on Iraq

Politics / Government
Romney Faith Speech Comforts Conservatives - VIDEO
Romney vows Mormon church would not run White House - Video
Gennifer Flowers Considering Voting for Hillary Clinton
CAMPAIGN CARL: Cameron's Blog From the Trail
Bush Unveils Subprime Aid Plan
Bush Admin. Credibility Suffers After Iran NIE Report
Americans criticize subprime plan from all sides
House passes energy bill but Bush set to veto
Mugabe arrives in Lisbon for EU-Africa summit
Protests as Pakistan opposition argue boycott terms
Thousands march in latest youth rally for Putin

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Purported Subway Assault Caught on Tape
Mitt Romney Pledges to Serve No One Religion in Faith Speech
Couple Suspected in Identity Theft Scheme Face New Charges
Report: Warrants Seek GPS Info on Ex-Cop's SUV in Search for Missing Wife Stacy Peterson
'Widow' Admits Knowing 'Dead' Husband Was Alive
Reports: Mother Doped, Suffocated Her 5 Young Boys in Germany
Woman Suffers Facial Injuries After Teens Attack on Bus
Mall Gunman: 'Now I'll Be Famous' - VIDEO - PHOTOS
Mall shooter hid assault rifle in sweatshirt - Video
Omaha gunman freed from centers, homes
Parcel bomb kills woman in Paris law office - Video
Judge dismisses claim by Kerik attorney
NJ cops fire 20 shots at unarmed driver
Holiday cheer shattered in an instant
Phony priest runs up supermarket tab
Ex-'Idol' finalist pleads not guilty

U.N. News
In Bali, U.N. hails Senate climate steps

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Bullying Megan's Bully - Blogger poses as mom in MySpace suicide case
Mo. family shunned over hoax, suicide

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Researchers use new stem cell method to treat mice
U.S. childhood cancer death rate declines sharply
Scientists find what makes the solar wind howl
Stonehenge road tunnel plan is dropped
Apple iPhone winning corporate fans despite flaws - Video
Physical therapists prescribe Wii time
NASA cancels Friday's planned shuttle flight
Man jailed for not taking TB medication
Toyota shows violin-playing robot

Mother Nature
SoCal prepares for mudslides after fires

News from My Neck of the Woods
Panel floats NYC air congestion remedies

Oddities
'Tila Tequila' Makes Star Out of 'Futch' Lesbian Firefighter
Oh Baby: Eight-Month-Old Tips Scale at 41 Pounds
NYC Grocery Store Goofs, Advertises Hams for Hanukkah
Fla. Fisherman Finds Bag Filled With Body Parts
Oh, Baby! Eight-Month-Old Tips Scale at 41 Pounds
Hairdresser finds bank vault plans in trash
Supreme Court allows women to serve drinks in Delhi
Here honey, Merry Christmas!!!

Other News of Note
N.C. mall parking deck collapses; 1 dead

Fox News
Trump Change - Real estate mogul's great gratuity
Mexican City Tries to ID 4,000 Exhumed Bodies - PHOTOS
FOXBusiness: Home Foreclosures Jump to New Record
Miss California USA Officials Crown New Queen - PHOTOS
The Case of Kathie Lee Gifford's Missing Wedding Ring
Pop Tarts: 'Idol' Judge Storms Off Set

Reuters
More older snowboarders hitting the slopes
Kanye West, Amy Winehouse vie for Grammy glory - Video
Barbara Walters tired of celebrity interviews
Wall Street flies on mortgage plan - Video
Target warns on December sales
Toll Brothers loss smaller than expected
Trichet's hawkish inflation remarks boost euro
Oil jumps 3 percent on supply worries, weak dollar
Britain could use a Fannie Mac
Reuters Summits: India & Aerospace
M&A push undeterred by credit woes
Ex-UnitedHealth CEO McGuire to forfeit over $400 million
Bush unveils plan to stem wave of foreclosures - Video
Mixed November sales cloud outlook for holidays - Video
Dow Jones CEO Zannino to leave company
Palm warns of loss; sparks holiday sales worries
Coca-Cola says COO Kent to become CEO

AP World News
Just 2 ministries submit financial data
Israelis uncover mansion linked to queen
MLB suspends Guillen, Gibbons for drugs
Posh Spice sleeps in the buff with Becks (way more info than I needed...)
Jones, Dodgers reach preliminary deal

CENTCOM: News Releases
RECONCILIATION TAKES CENTER STAGE ACROSS MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION - CENTER
AL-QAEDA NETWORKS DISRUPTED; THREE TERRORISTS KILLED, 19 DETAINED
COALITION FORCES CAPTURE WEAPONS AND FOREIGN TERRORIST FACILITATORS, 10 DETAINED

USJFCOM
Newsmaker Profile: SOCJFCOM Commander Army Col. Wesley Rehorn - podcast
More about SOCJFCOM
Capability development leadership to change
More about Capability Development
USJFCOM readies for Joint Task Force Senior Medical Leadership Seminar - podcast
USJFCOM garners cutting edge technology award - podcast

Multi-National Force-Iraq
Top Marine Explains Cut in Purchase of Mine-Resistant Vehicles
Continued Security Helps Adhamiyah Markets Prosper
Mada’in Qada Sets Record Lows for Crime in 2007
Reconciliation takes center stage across Multi-National Division - Center
Al-Qaeda networks disrupted; three terrorists killed, 19 detained
Iraqi Army, Coalition Forces kill 2 insurgents, detain 12 (Kirkuk)
Besmaya receives BMP shipment
Iraq Purchases Small Arms Through Foreign Military Sales (Taji)
MND-North Soldier attacked

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Defense Secretary Tours USS Vicksburg in Bahrain - Photos
Petraeus: Violence in Iraq Down
First Lady Learns More About Military Youth
State, DoD to Coordinate Contractors

IRAQ NEWS
East Baghdad Murders at 2-Year Low
Iraq Improving From Local Level Up
Coalition Focuses on Sustaining Police
Security Helps Adhamiyah Markets Grow
Coalition Kills 3 Terrorists, Detains 19

MILITARY NEWS
Department Works to Keep Homeland Secure
Foreign Area Officers Help Bridge Cultural Divides
Sailors, Marines Build Friendships in Cambodia
Defense Department Honors Heroic Employees
Surgeon General: Navy Medics Vital in Mid-East

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Group Honors Military Dads

WHY WE SERVE
Chef Happiest at Sea

FACE OF DEFENSE
Reservist Delivers Relief

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Today in History
0963 - Leo VIII is elected Pope.
1196 - The Northern Dutch coast is flooded, in the "Saint-Nicolaas Flood."
1240 - Mongols under Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kiev.
1424 - Don Alfonso V of Aragon grants Barcelona the right to exclude Jews.
1492 - Columbus discovers Haiti, at Môle Saint Nicolas.
1534 - Quito, Ecuador, is founded by the Spanish.
1631 - The first predicted transit of Venus (Kepler) is observed.
1641 - Don Francisco de Mello is appointed land guardian of the South Netherlands.
1648 - In Pride's Purge, Thomas Pride prevents 96 presbyterians from sitting in the English Parliament.
1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie's army retreats to Scotland.
1756 - British troops under Robert Clive occupy Fulta, India.
1768 - In Scotland, the first edition of the "Encyclopedia Brittanica" is published.
1790 - Congress meets in Philadelphia, the new temporary U.S. capital.
1820 - U.S. President James Monroe is re-elected.
1825 - President John Adams suggests the establishment of a U.S. observatory.
1833 - Charles Darwin, aboard the HMS Beagle, departs Rio de la Plata.
1849 - Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland.
1862 - President Lincoln orders the hanging of 39 Santee Sioux Indians.
1864 - Battle of Deveaux's Neck, SC.
1865 - The 13th Amendment is ratified, abolishing slavery in the U.S.
1866 - The Chicago water supply tunnel (3,227 meters into Lake Michigan) is completed.
1870 - Joseph H. Rainey becomes the first Black in the House of Representatives (South Carolina).
1875 - The 44th Congress (1875-77) convenes.
1876 - The U.S. Electorial College picks Representative Hayes as President (although Tilden won the popular vote).
1877 - The "Washington Post" publishes its first edition; Thomas Edison makes the first sound recording.
1882 - The atmosphere of Venus is detected during transit.
1884 - In Washington, D.C., the aluminum capstone is set atop the Washington Monument.
1904 - Theodore Roosevelt confirms the Monroe-doctrine (Roosevelt Corollary).
1907 - A coal mine explosions in Monongah WV, kills 361.
1912 - China votes for universal human rights.
1914 - German troops overrun Lódz.
1916 - The German army under General Mackensen occupies Bucharest.
1917 - Finland declares independence from Russia; the French munitions ship Mont Blanc explodes in Halifax, killing more than 1,639 and injuring more than 9,000.
1921 - The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed; Ireland receives dominion status, and partition creates Northern Ireland.
1922 - The first constitution of the Irish Free State comes into operation.
1923 - For the first time, a Presidential address is broadcast on radio (President Calvin Coolidge).
1925 - Italy, Britain and Egypt sign the Jaghbub accord.
1929 - Turkey introduces female suffrage.
1938 - A French/German non-attack treaty is drawn (Ribbentrop-Bonnet Pact).
1940 - The Gestapo arrests German resistance fighter/poster artist Helen Ernst; Pietro Badoglio resigns as viceroy of Ethiopia.
1941 - The NYC Council agrees to build Idlewild (Kennedy) Airport in Queens; Dutch and British pilots spot the Japanese invasion fleet at Singapore.
1942 - The RAF bombs the Philips factory (150 die).
1944 - The U.S. 95th Infantry division reaches Westwall.
1952 - The Czechoslovakian government tells the Israeli ambassador that he's persona non grata.
1956 - Nelson Mandela and 156 others are arrested for political activities in South Africa.
1957 - The first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite fails when the Vanguard rocket blows up; the AFL-CIO votes to expel the Teamsters (they are readmitted in October, 1987); Indonesia begins nationalizing Dutch possessions.
1958 - The U.S. lunar probe Pioneer-3 reaches 107,269 km, and falls back.
1962 - The U.S. abandons the Skybolt ballistic missile program.
1964 - President Segni of Italy resigns.
1966 - Polio vaccination becomes obligatory in Belgium.
1971 - Lewis Franklin Powell is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice.
1973 - Gerald Ford is sworn-in as the first unelected Vice-President, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew; Bahrain's constitution goes into effect.
1976 - War criminal Pieter Menten is arrested in Zurich.
1977 - South Africa grants Bophuthatswana independence.
1978 - Spain adopts its constitution.
1980 - NASA launches Intelsat V.
1982 - 11 soldiers and 6 civilians are killed when a bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army explodes in a pub in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland.
1982 - A bomb attack on a Londonderry, North Ireland disco, killing 17.
1983 - A bomb planted on a bus in Jerusalem explodes, killing 6 Israelis.
1984 - Hijackers aboard a Kuwaiti jetliner kill a 2nd hostage.
1985 - The U.K. joins the U.S. Star Wars project.
1988 - Yasser Arafat meets with prominent American Jews in Stockholm, Sweden; Nelson Mandela is transferred to Victor Vester Prison, Capetown, South Africa; STS-27 (Atlantis) lands in California after a secret mission; Carlos Andrés Pérez is re-elected as President of Venezuela.
1989 - A Columbian drug kingpin bombs the security force at Bogotá, killing 52; in the worst Canadian mass murder, Marc Lepine kills 14 women at the University of Montréal.
1990 - Saddam Hussein anounces the release of all foreign hostages.
1992 - 300,000 Hindus destroy the Ayodha Mosque of Babri, India; 4 die, riots follow.

Birthdays
1285 - Ferdinand V king of Castile and León
1421 - King Henry VI of England (1422-61, 1470-71)
1608 - George Monck/Monk, English general/Governor of Scotland
1732 - Warren Hastings, first Governorernor-General of India (1773-84)
1792 - King Willem II of the Netherlands (1840-49)
1809 - Stephen Thomas, Union Brigadier-General (Union volunteers)
1816 - Henry Eustace McCulloch, Confederate Brigadier-General
1822 - John Eberhard builder of the first large-scale pencil factory in the U.S.
1831 - Joshua Woodrow Sill, Union Brigadier-General
1833 - John Singleton Mosby, lawyer / Confederate Colonel
1896 - Ira Gershwin, lyricist ('S Wonderful, I Got Rhythm)
1898 - Gunnar Myrdal Swedenden, sociologist/economist (Nobel 1974)
1918 - Peter A. Juten, office clerk/resistance fighter; Willem Oosterheers, resistance fighter
1928 - Bert Geoffrey Achong, inventor (electron microscopist)
1948 - Don Nickles (Senator-OK)
1952 - Ric Charlesworth, British MP (Labour)

Passings
1185 - King Afonso I of Portugal, the Conqueror (1143-85)
1352 - Clement VI (Pierre Roger), Pope (1342-52)
1793 - Marie Jeanne Becu, comtesse du Barry / mistress of Louis XV, beheaded
1799 - Joseph Black, Scottish medical/chemist/physicist
1889 - Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America (1861-5)
1892 - E. Werner von Siemens, German industrialist (Siemens AG)
1926 - Claude (Oscar) Monet, French painter (impressionist)
1970 - Thomas S. Power, USAF-General (Raid on Tokyo-March 1945)
1973 - Robert A. Watson-Watt, British physicist (radar)
1985 - Burr Tillstrom, puppeteer (Kukla Fran and Ollie)
1988 - Roy Orbison, rock singer (Pretty Woman, Only the Lonely), massive heart attack
1990 - Tunku Abdul Rahman, PM of Malaysia (1957-70)
1993 - Don Ameche, actor (Cocoon), of prostate cancer; Professor Wolfgang Paul, German physicist (Nobel 1989); Rouaz Lakhdar, Algerian supreme court justice
1996 - (Alvin) Pete Rozelle, NFL commissioner
1997 - Edmund Charles Wolf Myers, soldier/engineer

Reported Missing in Action
1963
Gorton, Thomas F., USAF (OH); B26B shot down (flight crew, w/Hill), KIA, body not recovered

Hill, Richard D., USAF (TX); B26B shot down (aerial photographer, w/Gorton); KIA, body not recovered

1967
Pastva, Michael James, USMC (OH); KIA, body not recovered

1968
Morales, Frank A.; JCRC says KIA/DIC, DOD says ground/motorcycle

1970
Taylor, Walter J., Jr., US Army (MS); UH1M crashed (door gunner), Killed, body not recovered

Labels: Headlines, History