hick politics: The Point: News From the Front

vol. IV, 1st Edition, 20 April 2006

[Note from haystack: I apologize to those of you who have come to look forward to these reports. Easter and all...with all my grandbabies I just felt the need to take a little time off for them. But, the sugar high is over, the conversations about Jesus with my 6 year old Granddaughter Katie behind me, I return with these latest updates...]

While commercial media and disingenuous detractors nip at the edges of the courage and sacrifice of our Men and Women in Uniform, I bring you this report:

** haystack's needles: **

Heroes in Action

America Supports You

Read What messages are being sent to our Soldiers

On our Soldiers' Kids

Call to Action

Soldier's Angels

Joint Special Operations

Help our Soldiers Call Home

Send a Package to a Soldier

Eight Strategic Pillars to Victory in Iraq:

Defeat the Terrorists and Neutralize the Insurgency

Transition Iraq to Security Self-Reliance

Help Iraqis Forge a National Compact for Democratic Government

Help Iraq Build Government Capacity and Provide Essential Services

Help Iraq Strengthen Its Economy

Help Iraq Strengthen the Rule of Law and Promote Civil Rights

Increase International Support for Iraq

Strengthen Public Understanding of Coalition Efforts and Public Isolation of the Insurgents

The President Discusses the Global War on Terror

The President Discusses Democracy in Iraq with Freedom House

Strategy for Victory: Freedom in Iraq

The President issues a Statement on the Formation of the Iraq Study Group

In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

In Focus: Afghanistan

National Security Strategy

The President Discusses theNational Security Strategy

Champion Aspirations for Human Dignity

Ignite a New Era of Global Economic Growth through Free Markets and Free Trade

Expand the Circle of Development by Opening Societies and Building the Infrastructure of Democracy

Develop Agendas for Cooperative Action with the Other Main Centers of Global Power

Transform America's National Security Institutions to Meet the Challenges and Opportunities of the 21st Century

Engage the Opportunities and Confront the Challenges of Globalization

UPDATED: US State Department Iraq Weekly Status Report:

** Highlights through 12 April 2006: **

1. Defeat the Terrorists and Neutralize the Insurgents

4/5: Iraqi Army and US soldiers detained 17 anti-Iraqi forces personnel and
discovered four weapons caches during Operation Red Light II in Salah Ad Din
province March 31.

4/12: On April 6, MNF-I officials announced the capture of Muhammed Hila Hammad
Ubaydi, aka Abu Ayman, in the al Mahmudiyah neighborhood of southern
Baghdad. Investigators delayed notice of his capture on March 7 until DNA testing
confirmed Abu Ayman's identity.

2. Transition Iraq to Security Self-Reliance

4/5: For the first time the Iraqi unit operated independently from the 4th
Sustainment Brigade, its American de facto higher headquarters. The
operation was the culmination of months of effort from the 4th Support
Battalion's Taji-based units, and 189th Corps Support Battalion.

4/12: First Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, took control of the Samarra and Tikrit
battlespace from the US Army's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
during a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Danger on April 3 in the Salah Ad
Din Province.

3. Help Iraqis to Forge a National Compact for Democratic Government

4/5: Senior members of Iraq's Shiite Alliance bloc publicly called for Ibrahim Jafari
to step down as prime minister to break months of deadlock over a national
unity government.

4/12: On April 9, Iraq's acting speaker of Parliament Adnan Pachachi said he would call
in the coming days for parliament to convene.

4. Help Iraq Build Government Capacity and Provide Essential Services

4/5: US Army Corps of Engineers’ construction is complete on the Basrah/Umm
Qasr water supply in Az Zubayr, Basrah Province. The $16.1 million project
will provide a reliable clean water supply to 2.5 million people in the Basrah
and Dhi Qar Provinces.

4/12:Construction is complete on three US Army Corps of Engineers projects for
the Fathah River Crossing in Al Tameen Province. The oil lines will restore the
pre-existing crude oil corridor capacity, restore refined oil distribution, and
enhance the Bayji Power Plant’s electrical capability.

5. Help Iraq Strengthen Its Economy

4/5: Security Financial Services, Inc., based in Michigan, rolled out its first pre-paid
purchase and Internet shopping cards in Iraq on April 2.

4/12: The Central Bank of Iraq’s Banking Supervision Department (BSD) completed its first
comprehensive On-Site Examination Report and Off-Site Examination Report in April,
which will help identify emerging systemic problems and represent a significant step
towards a modern risk-based supervisory process and a sustainable economic
framework.

6. Help Iraq Strengthen the Rule of Law

4/5: On April 4, the Iraq High Tribunal announced new criminal charges against Saddam
Hussein and six others, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity
stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds.

4/12: On April 5, the Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 22 security detainees for
various crimes including illegal border crossing, coordinating deadly attacks and
joining terrorist groups.

7. Increase International Support for Iraq

4/5: Bulgaria sent the first troops of a 150-strong guard unit for duty at a refugee camp in
Iraq. The new NATO member is sending 120 soldiers and 34 support personnel to
guard a camp of Iranian refugees in Ashraf, some 40 miles north of Baghdad.

4/12: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the bombing of the Buratha
mosque in the Al Adhamiya area of Baghdad.

8. Strengthen Public Understanding of Coalition Efforts and Public Isolation of the Insurgents

4/5: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during her visit to Iraq on April 2, stated that
“And indeed the international partners, particularly the United States and Great Britain
and others who have forces on the ground and have sacrificed here, have a deep
desire and I think a right to expect that this process will keep moving forward, because
it is after all the political process that will disable those who wish to engage in violence
against the Iraqi people.

4/12: In a joint op-ed released to the Los Angeles Times on April 11, Ambassador Zalmay
Khalilzad and General George Casey reiterated to the American public the
achievement in Iraq and the US commitment to democracy: “Americans and Iraqis can
be proud of what our common efforts and sacrifices have achieved…even as we
acknowledge that challenges remain to reaching the goal of a stable and democratic
Iraq.”

Dept. Of State Section 1227 Report on Iraq: 6 April, 2006

** Main Categories **

1. Current mission and and measures taken to support it

2. Iraqi progress towards a sustainable political settlement

3. Conditions necessary for a transfer of security responsibility

4. Iraqi security forces capacity and readiness which contribute to the transfer of security responsibility

5. Criteria used to evaluate progress in that area

6. Our plan for successfully completing the mission

Dept. of State Section 2207 Quarterly Report on Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Funding and Expenditures [April 2006]

** Executive Summary's Main Topics **

Introduction - 2006: A Year of Transition
1. Challenges

2. Capacity Development

3. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)

4. IRRF Projects

5. Sustainability

6. Recent Project Approvals

7. Primary Health Clinics

8. IRRF Reallocations During The Quarter

9. International Donor Assistance

10. Conclusion

** NEW: Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction **

Special Report: Lessons Learned

US Embassy in Iraq: Latest Headlines

White House Report, April 19: Iraq, Personnel

Nations Must Continue Security in Iraq, Diplomacy in Iran

Coalition Forces Must Continue To Support Iraq, U.S. General Says

Carpentry Workshop in Iraq Creates Jobs for the Jobless

USAID: Assistance for Iraq

Program Financial Summary through 14 April 2006

Iraq Weekly Update through 14 April 2006

US Department of Defense

** NEW: Quadrennial Defense Review Report [from 2001 but a MUST read] **

"The attack on the United States and the war that has been visited upon us
highlights a fundamental condition of our circumstances: we cannot and
will not know precisely where and when America's interests will be
threatened, when America will come under attack, or when Americans
might die as the result of aggression. We can be clear about trends, but
uncertain about events. We can identify threats, but cannot know when
or where America or its friends will be attacked. We should try mightily to
avoid surprise, but we must also learn to expect it. We must constantly
strive to get better intelligence, but we must also remember that there will
always be gaps in our intelligence. Adapting to surprise - adapting quickly
and decisively - must therefore be a condition of planning.
The Quadrennial Defense Review was undertaken during a crucial time of
transition to a new era. Even before the attack of September 11, 2001, the
senior leaders of the Defense Department set out to establish a new
strategy for America's defense that would embrace uncertainty and
contend with surprise, a strategy premised on the idea that to be effective
abroad, America must be safe at home. It sought to set the conditions to
extend America's influence and preserve America's security. The strategy
that results is built around four key goals that will guide the development
of U.S. forces and capabilities, their deployment and use:

Assuring allies and friends of the United States' steadiness of
purpose and its capability to fulfill its security commitments

Dissuading adversaries from undertaking programs or
operations that could threaten U.S. interests or those of our
allies and friends

Deterring aggression and coercion by deploying forward the
capacity to swiftly defeat attacks and impose severe penalties for
aggression on an adversary's military capability and supporting
infrastructure

Decisively defeating any adversary if deterrence fails"

National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism

National Military Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction

** New: Iraq reconstruction Headlines **

** New: Afghanistan Update **

UPDATED: US Department of Defense War on Terror - Current Headlines:

America Supports You: NBA Trophy Tour to Visit U.S. Military Bases

Seabees Building Dormitory for Djiboutian Students

Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Provide Medical Aid

Pier Construction Project to Help Djiboutian Village

Group Meets to Discuss Way Forward in Afghan, Pakistani Cooperation

America Supports You: Michigan Police Help Iraqi Colleagues

Governors Praise Troops Following Middle East Visit

** IN FOCUS: Alternatives to the MSM **

AFIS News Aricles

Stars & Stripes

Web Special Reports

The Pentagon Media Channel [Windows Media 7.1 required]

Defense Visual Information

US Central Command

** Statement of Gen. John P. Abizaid before the Senate Armed Services Committee **

** NEW From Multi-National Forces: This Week in Iraq **

The doctors of Diwaniyah

Transition teams making a difference

Fallujah’s new police station

** Press Releases **

NEW POD PUTS CAS A PHONE CALL AWAY

CACHE SITE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE MUNITIONS

AFGHAN OFFICIALS VISIT VICTIMS OF SCHOOL ATTACK

TRIPARTITE COMMISSION 16TH MEETING

SPARTANS, KUNAR GOVERNOR CONFER ON SECURITY, RECONSTRUCTION

IRAQI CITIZEN'S TIP LEADS TO MND-B SOLDIERS CAPTURING WEAPONS CACHES

BLAST DESTROYS IRAQI POLICE STATION IN YUSAFIYAH

TRAINEES GRADUATE BASIC TRAINING, BECOME AFGHAN ACADEMY CADETS

AFGHANS, COALITION FORCES THWART TERRORIST ATTACKS

** IN FOCUS: What Extremists are Saying **

Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq

Multi-National Security Transition Command: Press Releases

14 April :: Troops find cache in Baghdad

14 April :: Bombing suspects detained in Mosul

14 April :: Terrorist falls from truck, caught by police

12 April :: Man kills himself, wounds cohort in IED blast

12 April :: Iraqi Soldiers detain suspected terrorist

06 April :: Mosul police find cache

06 April :: Troops detain five near Ramadi

06 April :: Troops repel attacks, nab 10

Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System

DVIDS Headlines:

PAX Terminal Gives Passengers a Lift

COSCOM Makes Long Awaited Transformation Into 1st TSC

Charlie Daniels Wraps Up Weeklong Tour for Deployed Troops in Iraq

Northern Governor’s Conference

Cold Steel “drops In” on Neighboring Town

2-17 Cavalry Soldiers Stay Trained While in Fight

Marine Engineers Build Maintenance Bay for Iraqi Mechanics

** NEW: Image Gallery **

Military Branch and Unit Publications

Featured Editions This Week:

Desert Bulls

Desert Voice

** NEW: Air Force News**

** NEW: Army News**

** NEW: Navy News**

** NEW: Marine News**

America is fighting a war against Terrorism. On September 11, 2001 we were forced to say so publicly. Before that day, this sleeping giant was content to swipe at individual acts as they happened. When 3,000 of our souls were taken from us, we emerged on the other side having survived, but finding ourselves as a Nation mortally wounded. When the fires were finally put out, and as many of the bodies identified and claimed as possible, we arose from the ashes to face our enemy with resolve and righteous indignation. The phrase "Never Forget" meant something then, and for those engaged in the fight, it still means something today. We are in a war, and we must win.

Today, the two most active theaters of this war are Afghanistan and Iraq. Our Civilian leadership and our brave men and women in uniform are fighting for US, and in our stead. We owe them loyalty, support, honor, and commitment. Not through Political machines; power-hungry self-important aspirants to the halls of Congress or the Whitehouse, but through our direct involvement with, and understanding of the evils they face and the accomplishments they continue to make with dignity, courage, and faithful execution of the mission.