by James Glaser
September 28, 2005

It really doesn't matter which side you listen to in Washington these days, because both sides are very willing to lie to you. Thousands of Americans have loved ones fighting in Iraq, and they are worried about what is going on over there, and wonder when our troops will come home. Washington keeps telling us things are going better over there and that we can't leave now, because we have almost won.

Washington says we need more time, and that soon our efforts will pay off, and Iraq will be a beacon to freedom in the region. All of this sounds so hopeful, and many Americans fall for this "Bullshit."

On Tuesday, September 27th, 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle had an interview with Lt. Col. Julian Alford, Commander of the 3rd battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, who is stationed outside the western Iraqi town of Qaim. Lt. Col. Alford, paints a different picture about what is happening in Iraq. He reports that insurgents have taken over at least five key western Iraqi towns on the border with Syria and that they were forcing local residents to flee.

Have you heard anything about this in your media? Have you heard anyone in Washington say anything about this insurgent stronghold?

Do you remember President Bush claiming that major combat operations were over? That was a couple of years ago. Now we hear the enemy owns a section of the country.

Anna Badkhen, who interviewed Lt.Col. Alford for the Chronicle wrote, "Two weeks ago, Marine spokesmen denied initial reports that insurgents had taken control of the area, and were enforcing strict Islamic law, whipping men accused of drinking alcohol, burning a beauty parlor, and shops that sold CDs and executing government workers for collaboration with the Iraqi government."

Alford said the insurgents had been in complete control of these communities for at least the past month, and that neither U.S. nor Iraqi forces held any sway over the swath of land that abuts Iraq's desolate, porous 450 mile border with Syria.

"Marine units stationed outside al Quaim and four neighboring towns perched along the Euphrates River—Dulaym al Husayba, Karabila, Sada to the west of al Qaim, and Al Ubaydi to the northeast—do not venture into these towns, Alford said. Insurgents open fire at any Marine patrol that approaches the town lines. No Iraqi soldiers or police officers operate inside the towns."

Again, I ask you if you have heard any of this report from anyone in Washington? The Marine giving this information is a Battalion commander, and has 1,000 Marines under him and he is in that area.... so he should know what he is talking about. Col. Alford is giving us a totally different picture of what is going on in Iraq, than what Washington claims is happening.

I don't think we as a nation can trust those from either party any longer. They are willing to keep this war going at any cost, and they are even willing to lie to us to do that. They must be making a lot of money somehow, and that feeling of power must really be something.