READING IRAQ

The feeling grows, watching the news out of Iraq, that we are entering the desperate stage of disinformation where even reading between the lines is hardly enough. Over the last few days, since last week’s computer malfunction, I’ve been pushing to catch up on my own life, and have not been reading and watching the news in the way that I normally do. Even so, the bits and pieces that I have gleaned seem to indicate a far more fucked up and dangerous situation than the optimistic, oh-this-uprising-is-just-a-glitch picture than the White House and Rumsfeld are trying to paint. As far as I can tell, the three main supply routes from Baghdad, north to Turkey, South to the sea, and west to Jordan are all cut and trucks are simply not getting through to the capital with essential supplies. Another disturbing piece of info comes from a Doc40 friend in the UK, who may or may not want to remain anonymous, giving a clear, grassroots indication that now mercs are being hired on to augment the US, and Brit regulars, and the troops of the other “allies”. And this does strike me as a little weird. Obviously most will be running convoys and logistical support, but the obvious other field has to be counter-insurgency dirty work. Face it neighbors, this is a mess. When the Pentagon is shopping for hired guns, it can only mean trouble.

Word from ex-squaddie chums: now, for at least the last 2 months, ANYONE who's ever spent even a month in the army is being offered "freelance" work in Iraq. Starting at £60k per annum tax-free. Poss. guarding static posts -- poss. working convoys. About 2 or 3 weeks before the News started telling us that the situation was running away, I heard from a pal (who now feels he's just too old & too married to accept such a gig ... half regretful/half grateful) that Baghdad airport was being mortared twice daily and 1 in 3 convoys was taking small arms fire.

CRYPTIQUE – Napalm in the morning?