Written by: Beck

Things are getting interesting again in Iraq. The long awaited reprisals against the mutilation of American civilians in Fallujah is underway. There's one thing amidst all the news that I'm especially happy to see. Insurgents, using tactics invented by Hussein, are using Mosques as shields, assuming that Americans, in a bid to avoid negative opprobrium from the international press, wouldn't target religious sites. Guess again.

A wall surrounding a mosque in Fallujah was hit by two precision guided 500 pound bombs, followed up by a shot from a hellfire missile. I love the name of the hellfire missile. It leaves absolutely no doubt in your mind as to what its purpose is and what it does. But I digress.

From one CNN article:

Insurgents "firing from the mosque blatantly misused a protected symbol by conducting offensive military operations from a place of worship," the source said.

"As a result, the mosque lost its protected status and therefore became a lawful military target."

Yet the main structure of the mosque itself remained protected and intact, according to one soldier. Gotta love it when your weaponry is so accurate that you can take out surrounding walls without damaging the building. From another CNN article:

Marine 1st Lt. Wade Zirkle said the militants "fight like cowards and fight amongst families," whom the coalition forces try to protect as they target the terrorists.

Surely Iraq's leading Shiite cleric and member of the Interim Governing Coalition (or whatever they're calling it now) has something to say? Taking a page out of Neville Chamberlain's handbook on dealing with madmen, it turns out, he sure does:

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most senior Shiite cleric in Iraq, on Wednesday condemned recent coalition attacks and called for a "peaceful road out in order to avoid any further chaos and bloodshed."

Right. 'Cuz that has been shown to work so well in the past. Makes perfect sense to me. Assclown.

Finally some good news. I spotted this quote in the Australian Sydney Morning Herald:

The insurgents claimed in a communique to have shot down three US helicopters, destroyed two jeeps and two armoured vehicles.

They also claimed they were still in control of the city and had put US forces to flight.

Why, you ask, is this GOOD news? Because it's evidence that Baghdad Bob has found a new employer!

But I would hate to leave you with such an upbeat note. Wonder what the American public is thinking re: the war? Well, not that it's the best indicator in the world, but there's a CNN poll asking "What should the US military do?" Options are 1) Send reinforcements, 2) Keep current troop numbers, or 3) Withdraw. Of 51630 votes cast (as of now), a frightening 42% chose "withdraw." Can you people even begin to imagine what would happen if, tomorrow, the entire US military presence in Iraq just up and pulled out? Hmm... that gives me an idea for a potential future post. Stay tuned loyal readers!