Gosh, did Andreas say anything pertinent in his last note? I read it twice and couldn't figure it out. Oh well. Maybe Andreas is having trouble speaking from both sides of his mouth in a single note -- must be difficult. As to how we're doing in Iraq, a lurker sent me the following [Lawrence]: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070930130445.qafstsne <http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070930130445.qafstsne&show_article= 1> &show_article=1 US military deaths in Iraq lowest in 14 months Sep 30 09:04 AM US/Eastern US military losses in Iraq for September stood at 70 on Sunday, the lowest monthly figure since July last year, according to an AFP tally based on Pentagon figures. The figure also marks the fourth consecutive drop in the monthly death toll following a high of 121 in May. June saw 93 deaths, July 82 and August 79. The monthly toll in July 2006 was 53. Two US soldiers were killed on Saturday in separate incidents, pushing the overall toll of American losses since the March 2003 invasion to 3,801. A surge in US troop numbers saw an extra 28,500 personnel deployed from mid-February, mainly in Baghdad and the neighbouring province of Anbar, although commanders said most were not in combat positions until May. US commanders say the strategy is starting to work and that levels of violence are dropping, allowing for a possible drawdown of the 160,000 or so troops now deployed. "The trend is certainly in the right direction," US military spokesman Rear Admiral Mark Fox told a press conference in Baghdad. "The surge unquestionably is what has been the catalyst that has created the opportunity to have more forces operating in more places at the same time and to deny Al-Qaeda and the extremists safe-haven and to take away sanctuaries." The highest monthly toll was 137 in November 2004 when a US-led force stormed the insurgent bastion of Fallujah in fierce house-to-house fighting. Of the 137 dead, 126 were killed in action. In April 2004, the second deadliest month since the invasion for US military personnel, 135 troops died. The month marked a turning point in the war with uprisings in Fallujah in the predominantly Sunni west, and in Shiite cities south of Baghdad. -----Original Message----- From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Andreas Ramos Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 12:10 PM To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: How the US is losing in Iraq Lawrence doesn't understand what is going on in Iraq. He somehow thinks all of the Iraqi are fighting the USA. He doesn't realize there is a civil war going on. He doesn't understand who is attacking the US forces in Iraq, and he certainly doesn't understand their motives. The IEDs are a local weapon, just as guerilla insurgency is a local tactic. Guerillas can only fight within their supporting culture. But Lawrence doesn't understand this as well. But none of this matters to Lawrence. He only cares about a "clash of civilizations" and other racial ideas to justify his assault on other cultures. yrs, andreas www.andreas.com Andreas? Which Andreas? Is this the same Andreas who just yesterday wrote: What are all of those "150 million" committed Jihadists doing? - Once every six or nine months, four or six Muslims try to blow up a bus or whatever. Occassionally they do it, but mostly, they get caught. - A few thousand are in Iraq, along with several tens of thousands of Iraqi Shiites and Sunni who are fighting a civil war with each other and occassionally take shots at Americans. - They burn effigies whenever a Dane draws another cartoon. That's their level of commitment? They can get all upset over the USA, but that doesn't even lead to action. And because they have no infrastructure, they can't do anything that takes longer than a few days. This can't be the same Andreas! For if he scoffs at the Jihadists as a fictitious enemy one day, how can he claim the they are defeating us the next? Lawrence