The Observer Journal - Merl Oberon - Managing Editor
Merl.Oberon@gmail.com
The Observer Journal - Observation Leading to Insight: Monthly Archives for April 2007

"I'm concerned about the single big events that continue to occur," said Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the senior U.S. military operations commander in Iraq. - Only the car bombs continue to get TV coverage and cause panic.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 30, 2007 2:00 PM | Add Comment

Per NYT - Tenet 'blames' Cheney, Wolfowitz and Feith. Per WP - Feith 'blames' Franks, Abizaid and CofS. Are DoD four star generals 'unarmed' in an historical knife fight, willingly playing the 'sucker'?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 27, 2007 7:57 AM | Add Comment

All the 'correct groups' are upset at security barriers in Baghdad. Guess why? Could it possibly be because the barriers are already helping reduce the number of 'effective' car bombs?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:23 AM | Add Comment

Official Defense Department review just released cited four Army generals in Tillman’s chain of command - The Observer strongly supports the Army - BUT the fact four Army generals displayed such judgment is so deeply troubling at so many levels.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 24, 2007 9:49 AM | Add Comment

All the 'correct groups' are upset at the Baghdad barriers walling-off Adhamiyah - WHY? - Could it be the 'gated communities' strategy will reduce the number of 'effective' car-bombs? Could it be the strategy will work?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 24, 2007 8:03 AM | Add Comment

AN INTERESTING BET - al Qaeda will repeat the Madrid bombings in Paris to install the Socialist Segolene Royal? It worked in Spain, it will work in France.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 23, 2007 4:57 PM | Add Comment

NYT and WP – CENSOR KEY FACT - According to a report issued by the Iraqi army, intelligence information indicates that fifty per cent of the suicide bombers who carry out armed operations in Baghdad come from Al Adhamiyah.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 23, 2007 4:48 PM | Add Comment

"Iraq is going to have to learn – as did, say, Northern Ireland, to live with some degree of sensational attacks," Petraeus said. Thank you for the candor.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 23, 2007 4:36 PM | Add Comment

John Edwards renewed his call for universal health care coverage, saying everyone should have the same chance to wait in line for public medicine

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 23, 2007 8:32 AM | Add Comment

New Wave... Religious zealots want to ban toilet paper - DETAILS BELOW - The Observer gave you this story last month...

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 23, 2007 8:19 AM | Add Comment

U.S. soldiers in Europe current goal 28,000 - New "zero option" gaining powerful advocates and wise proponents. - Is it time to address "Americans never leave"?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 20, 2007 10:17 AM | Add Comment

"I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week..." top leftist Harry Reid said.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:15 PM | Add Comment

“Our goal is to unify Baghdad, not subdivide it into separate enclaves,” Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the top spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq, said Wednesday.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 19, 2007 12:52 PM | Add Comment

Iraq 2X more oil than thought - Dear American Leftist, al Qaeda cannot control unlimited oil wealth. U.S.A. must win in Iraq. Do you understand? Oil$ = ABombs. That’s a very bad thing.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 19, 2007 8:57 AM | Add Comment

Observer on-going series – “A border-line idiotic level of understanding.” – Journalist #14 – Alan Hart, “a young 65” – ITN - “…the party with most to gain from Alan Johnston's permanent disappearance was Israel.”

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Wednesday, April 18, 2007 8:02 AM | Add Comment

Air Force crews offer ordinary Afghans in isolated villages an extraordinary service that the Taliban and al Qaeda insurgents cannot -- a fast ride to a good hospital. - MUST READ

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 17, 2007 11:03 PM | Add Comment

Observer on-going series – “A border-line idiotic level of understanding.” – Journalist #21 – Tom Engelhardt – The Nation “…America's Iraqi prison mini-gulag…” "...surge already faltering..."

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 17, 2007 4:15 PM | Add Comment

"We will ask the American political leadership to pursue everything possible before even considering a military option." said, Brigadier-General Robert Holmes, deputy director of operations for the US Central Command. Perfect tone!

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 17, 2007 10:01 AM | Add Comment

Great Britain 1907 = United States of America 2007 - Pre WWI before the great contraction? It is impossible to discount the impact of failure in Iraq on the American narrative

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 17, 2007 9:02 AM | Add Comment

The question as weapon – “On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War” – do the current DoD Generals have “stars in their courses” and a firm bottom-line?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 16, 2007 9:46 AM | Add Comment

Strategic moves - post Iraq - Frustrated junior military spouses requesting an expeditionary deployment model - U.S. servicemen and families based in the U.S.A. - the wise strategic choice, not to mention the crush of a falling dollar the next 20 years

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 16, 2007 8:01 AM | Add Comment

How nutty is the European press? For example - Making no mention of Hizbullah agression leading to war - UK journalist union votes to boycott Israeli goods - prompted by "savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel."

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Saturday, April 14, 2007 9:37 AM | Add Comment

Religious zealots target and marginalize those least likely to fight back - the Dryers and others like them under siege. Deportation from U.S.A., cruel end?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 13, 2007 9:07 AM | Add Comment

Bill and Hillary at the Yankee opener ....

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 13, 2007 9:00 AM | Add Comment

Army Guard well ahead of its year-to-date recruiting goals – “week-end warriors” no more! Exceeded goal of 350,000!

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 12, 2007 1:46 PM | Add Comment

Iran kills 172 U.S. soldiers - since May 2004, Iranian made explosively formed projectiles have killed at least 172

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:59 PM | Add Comment

German economy booms - German NATO contribution a bust.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 12, 2007 8:52 AM | Add Comment

Observer on-going series – “A border-line idiotic level of understanding.” – Journalist #44 – Robert Fisk – The Independent – Online Edition – UK. "Tal Afar back into insurgent control.” as of 03:45AM EST - 4.11.07

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Wednesday, April 11, 2007 8:58 AM | Add Comment

NYT front page – fake drama - Moqtada al-Sadr - protest on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad – NYT shows no context – view aerial photos here of small protest – gee, thanks again for all the fake drama NYT

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 10, 2007 5:37 PM | Add Comment

Johnson and McNamara destroyed the Guard, turning SOLDIERS into “week-end warriors”. WEEK-END WARRIORS NEVER AGAIN - Col. Kendall Penn, "It is a mission that we are capable of doing."

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 10, 2007 10:13 AM | Add Comment

Army "Suck-It-Up" culture at U.S.A. facilities creates strategic weakness? Why do the Navy and Air Force reject "suck-it-up" mantra state-side, demanding then budgeting more money for mil-families in the U.S.A.?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 10, 2007 9:06 AM | Add Comment

Housing worries deepen - DR Horton sales slump, again - plenty of spring "selling", little "buying"

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 10, 2007 8:54 AM | Add Comment

Youngest surviving Victoria Cross hero - MUST READ - Private Johnson Beharry. Everyone in the U.S.A. to know his name. “Beharry, I know but I’ve never heard of Anna Smith.”

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 09, 2007 11:52 AM | Add Comment

Canadian Colonel Mike Cessdord asked by European press if Canada to surrender because IED killed six Canadian soldiers. Colonel downplays whole-sale Canadian conversion to Islam – READ DETAILS BELOW -

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 09, 2007 11:35 AM | Add Comment

“There are now at least a dozen major Sunni insurgent groups.” ISOLATION – Was Iraq ideal for “shaping operations” that eliminated movement between cities? Too late in 2007? Al Queda has three options: 1) move operations; 2) counter-attack; 3) hide

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 09, 2007 8:54 AM | Add Comment

South Koreans charge the free trade deal with the U.S.A. will turn South Korea into a U.S. colony. WRONG... but the point is well taken. South Korea is a rich country - U.S. military itching to depart - 100% of servicemen back to U.S.A..

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Sunday, April 08, 2007 8:29 AM | Add Comment

Col. Peterson analyzed what had failed. First, controlled access. Second, think on a human scale - small. Third, and most important, he felt he hadn't given the neighborhood anything worth defending.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Saturday, April 07, 2007 8:00 AM | Add Comment

With Iraqis setting up these roadblocks, Lt. Todd Martin, a platoon leader from Suffield, Conn., said the Iraqis appear to be proactive about maintaining security. He is hopeful his soldiers can develop a productive relationship with these Iraqis

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 06, 2007 2:10 PM | Add Comment

Petraeus avoids Sanchez fiasco – No Abu Ghraib, Part Deux - Army Four Star leadership finds it’s voice – firm bottom-line thinking, leading to more promising courses of action.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 06, 2007 1:23 PM | Add Comment

BBC NEWS | UK | Royal Navy captives: Key quotes - Reveal deeply flawed thinking - during the first hours at Mamayev Hill no one tried to "realize" or "rationalize" the strategic implications

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 06, 2007 11:08 AM | Add Comment

SPIEGEL ONLINE – “America - secretly planning nuclear debris to rain down on Europe” - Germans believe this prattle – READ ARTICLE BELOW – remember, Spiegel in Germany is the equivalent of the Washington Post printing this rubbish here in the U.S.A.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Friday, April 06, 2007 10:34 AM | Add Comment

Pizzey's propaganda. One-sided CBS - It’s not fair to blame the messenger for delivering bad news. But it is fair to blame the messenger for delivering nothing more than bad news, ESPECIALLY when there is plenty of good news.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 05, 2007 2:39 PM | Add Comment

WSJ - In Iraq, an officer's answer: Build a wall. Who could have possibly foreseen a wall working?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 05, 2007 2:17 PM | Add Comment

"Gating off a Sunni neighborhood is not our idea of a free society," Gen. Campbell says. WSJ - The words “our idea of” are so troubling and disturbing at so many levels – MUST READ DETAILS

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 05, 2007 10:26 AM | Add Comment

WP - "Ms. Pelosi not only misrepresented Israel's position but was virtually alone in failing to discern that Mr. Assad's words were mere propaganda." Pelosi CRUSHED by WP - talking Dan Quayle crushed! DETAILS BELOW

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Thursday, April 05, 2007 9:01 AM | Add Comment

The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter = 48 - as of 4.2.07 09:58 EST

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Wednesday, April 04, 2007 2:39 PM | Add Comment

Pelosi trip to bring home the Islamic bacon? Surprise, Surprise - Saudis stiffen position behind skirted speaker. Nancy’s got nothing to show for all the extra green house gases! READ FULL DETAILS BELOW -

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Wednesday, April 04, 2007 12:40 PM | Add Comment

"What's important when you are in that hedge-fund mode is to not do anything remotely truthful because the truth is so against your view, that it's important to create a new truth, to develop a fiction." Jim Cramer

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Wednesday, April 04, 2007 9:03 AM | Add Comment

Observer on-going series - "Shinseki had much better judgment" - reason # 3 - Does weak strategy give pathetic propaganda an opening? Weak strategy in 2003 causing problems in 2007?

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 03, 2007 7:36 AM | Add Comment

Any moron can start a war. Who wins and how the war ends is most important.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 03, 2007 7:19 AM | Add Comment

According to the English news paper, The Independent - U.S.A. is to blame for the Iranian hostage crisis and it is impossible to travel from Irbil to Baghdad despite the fact thousands do it every day! Idiotic commentary masquerading as news.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Tuesday, April 03, 2007 6:39 AM | Add Comment

Mil Lawyers say NO, wait! IBM Corp. plans to give the U.S. military $45 million worth of Arabic-English translation technology. U.S.A. troops needed Arabic-English translation technology in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007...

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 02, 2007 5:24 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

First time since WWI, Europe has eclipsed the US in wealth. May be the U.S.A. should cut NATO spending by 99%? Come on DoD Generals - the Europeans are playing the U.S.A. for suckers!

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 02, 2007 4:55 PM | Add Comment

al-Sistani and al-Sadr: Can the US get the timing right? Do these men have sufficient concern over the level of violence? An aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said on Monday that there was a "general feeling of rejection"

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 02, 2007 4:33 PM | Add Comment

Gullible leftist Western churches supported slaughter and brutality beginning in 1974 - Robert Mugabe still appreciates the support.

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 02, 2007 9:02 AM | Add Comment

Observer On-Going Series – “Making Joseph Goebbels proud” – #88 - Chris Sands, San Francisco Chronicle - One-sided Bliss - Violence-weary Afghans

Posted by Merl Oberon Publisher at Monday, April 02, 2007 8:36 AM | Add Comment
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