British forces in Basra have confined themselves to their base

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BAK250669.htm

WRAPUP 2-Iraqis demand apology, British keep low profile

<snip>British troops, meanwhile, confined themselves to their barracks in and around Basra, lowering their profile in an effort to tamp down tensions caused by Monday's raid.

Basra residents said British forces were nowhere to be seen on the city's streets, whereas they would normally be involved in daily joint patrols with the Iraqi police and military.

A British serviceman reached by phone in Basra said troops were staying on base and keeping a deliberately low profile.

He said there were concerns about what would happen on Friday, the Muslim holy day, when preachers at mosques are expected to denounce Britain's actions, roiling public opinion.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. If there are no bombings while they are on-base.. well.. that could be

damning.

[Nihil]

3. Ha ha ha ha

With logic like that, no wonder Bush got a second term ...

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. But you just know someone would make that point

[Nihil]

6. True ...

... sad but true ...

:hi:

[K-W]

2. At least the British know the value of lying low.

One imagines the US would respond by sending out even more patrols or levelling a city or something.

[JohnyCanuck]

5. Raimondo from antiwar.com on the Basra cockup.

Iraq: The Battle of Basra
‘Democratic’ Iraq rises up – against the occupiers
by Justin Raimondo

<snip>

Taking the Bizarro World scenario a few steps further, we are now faced with the sight of the "liberators" fighting the "liberated." And this isn't the Sunni Triangle we're talking about, but a Shi'ite rebellion against the Anglo-American usurpation of authority. The governor of Basra denounced the British attack as "barbaric, savage, and irresponsible." We're taking on the elected government, not just in Basra and the solid Shi'ite south, but also the federal authorities in Baghdad. A spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari deplored the attack on police headquarters as "unfortunate," and questioned whether the Interior Ministry was in any way involved. The same Associated Press story that reports al-Jaafari's displeasure also reveals the extent of the duplicity engaged in by those liars in London:

"British officials initially claimed the men were released after negotiations. But Iraqi authorities and witnesses in Basra, about 340 miles southwest of Baghdad, said the British laid siege to the jail Monday afternoon and hours later, with rioting engulfing the area, smashed through its walls using armored vehicles."

In contemplating this almost limitless capacity for deception, one is reminded of what Mary McCarthy, in an appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, said of Lillian Hellman, the Stalinist playwright:

"Every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'"

In the Bizarro World universe we've been thrust into ever since 9/11/01 – when the force of the explosion that brought down the World Trade Center pushed us into an alternate and cruelly inverted reality – lies are truth, war is peace, freedom is slavery, and the function of government (and much of our media) is to keep everyone in almost total ignorance of what is really going on. Because, you see, ignorance is strength.

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=7335

[Brother Buzz]

7. More...the kicker is at the end

<snip>
In the Bizarro World universe we've been thrust into ever since 9/11/01 – when the force of the explosion that brought down the World Trade Center pushed us into an alternate and cruelly inverted reality – lies are truth, war is peace, freedom is slavery, and the function of government (and much of our media) is to keep everyone in almost total ignorance of what is really going on. Because, you see, ignorance is strength.

Incidents such as what happened in Basra are like lightning at midnight: the landscape, formerly covered in murk, is illuminated with shocking suddenness, its outline starkly visible if only for a brilliant moment. We can see, all to clearly, what this war is really about.

It isn't about oil, although that was part of the long-range objective. Iraq's wells are not flowing due to sabotage. Wolfowitz promised that oil revenues would cover the cost of the occupation, yet now the Iraqis must bring in refined oil from outside. It isn't about "weapons of mass destruction": that was a lie. It isn't about "democracy," either – that was yet another lie, unless the sinister theocracy emerging out of the rubble is the closest the Iraqis can come, which seems a bit harsh.

The rush to detect the long hand of Tehran in Basra shows the direction we are headed. Increased fighting along the border with Syria and charges emanating from Washington that Damascus is actively aiding the insurgency make the future all too clear. The Middle East escalator is going full speed ahead, and the portents of a regional war are all around us. This war is about provoking the next major war – with Iran, or perhaps Syria. Whichever comes first.



http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=7335