On the road to danger - Every trip from Tikrit tests nerves of troops

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=67243

<snip>Rifles red and safe!'' shouts Capt. Tom Kerr, commander of the 1st Military Police Company.

``Red and safe!'' the soldiers call back as they slap magazines into their weapons and chamber rounds in a chorus of metallic scraping and clanking.

``Pistols red and safe!'' Kerr barks.

``Red and safe!'' they answer.

``Alright, let's go!'' Kerr shouts. snip

``Everybody is living in what appears to be abject poverty,'' marvels Staff Sgt. Steffen Hanzel.

Barefoot children run along the roadside waving for candy. Some older boys stand defiantly flipping the bird as the convoy rolls by bristling loaded machine guns.

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[bemildred]

1. "Everybody is living in what appears to be abject poverty"

Sneaky how they do that ...

[lumpy]

2. Will those 'older boys' be included

in the next round of 'detainees'swept up in the next operstion to deprive a town of it's men? Yes, USBushco has brought abject poverty to citizens of this community.