Carronade The Yankee Sailor Carronade

The Sea is a choosy mistress. She takes the men that come to her and weighs them and measures them. The ones she adores, she keeps; the ones she hates, she destroys. The rest she casts back to land. I count myself among the adored, for I am Her willing Captive.

FLASH TRAFFIC:
I've relocated to a new Yankee Sailor.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Daily Read Board - 23JUN05

United States

U.S. military specialists headed to Vietnam - U.S. military specialists will return to Vietnam to train its soldiers 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, this time offering medical, technical and language support under an agreement struck with the Pentagon during Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's visit to Washington.

Rumsfeld Faces Questions on Troops in Iraq - WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional Democrats are demanding answers about the future presence of U.S. troops in Iraq as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld heads to Capitol Hill to testify on progress in training Iraq's own security forces.

Republicans slam Pelosi's comments as 'demoralizing' - Seven Republican members of Congress said yesterday House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was "demoralizing" U.S. troops by saying twice Tuesday that the war in Afghanistan is over during a press conference she held to call for an investigation of detainee abuses.

Democrats Fear GOP Push on Flag-Burning - WASHINGTON (AP) - Symbols are everything in politics. They can get you elected - or defeated. That's why Democrats fear getting singed by a proposed flag-burning ban, forced into a vote that Republicans will cast as a test of patriotism.

U.S. to Donate Food to North Korea - WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is considering including seeds and small tools when it ships more than 50,000 tons of donated food to North Korea.

Religious Insensitivity Cited at Academy - WASHINGTON (AP) - Air Force investigators merely scratched the surface in their report about alleged religious intolerance at the Air Force Academy, two lawmakers said in calling for stricter congressional oversight of the military school.

Coast Guard Works to Head Off Funding Cuts - WASHINGTON (AP) - Struggling to fend off budget cuts, the Coast Guard laid out plans Tuesday to spend up to $24 billion to modernize its vessels and aircraft over the next 20 to 25 years.

International

Car Bombs Kill Nearly 40 People in Baghdad - BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Nearly 40 people died in a rash of car bombings in Iraq's capital over a 12-hour span, including two coordinated blasts early Thursday that killed 15 and wounded 28 in a central Baghdad shopping district, police said.

Nations pledge to support Iraq - BRUSSELS -- More than 80 countries and international organizations pledged yesterday to help Iraq improve its security and revitalize its economy at a conference that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called a "watershed" moment for the Arab nation.

Insurgent Death Toll in Afghanistan Rises - KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces surrounded a rebel hide-out in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, and the number of insurgents killed from three days of fighting rose to 102, the defense ministry said.

Mideast Seeks to Salvage Peace Hopes - JERUSALEM (AP) - Their summit may have been frosty, but Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas need each other and know it.

Saudi Terror Suspect Said Killed in Iraq - CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - One of Saudi Arabia's most wanted terror suspects was killed by an airstrike during fighting with U.S. and Iraqi forces in northwest Iraq, the leader of the al-Qaida in Iraq group said in a Web statement posted Thursday.

Report: Arrests Made Over Election in Iran - TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A military figure and at least 25 other people have been arrested for suspected election violations during the first round of presidential voting last week, the state-run news agency reported Thursday.

U.S.: Syria Operatives Still in Lebanon - LONDON (AP) - The United States is certain that Syrian military intelligence operatives remain in Lebanon in defiance of international demands to withdraw all forces and agents, two senior U.S. officials said Thursday.

Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror - CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) - A Lebanese-born man detained this week on Mexico's Baja California peninsula is believed linked to extremist organizations with ties to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Mexican prosecutors said.

Cocaine Ring Suspected of Financing Hezbollabusted in Ecuador Suspected - QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Police broke up an international cocaine ring led by a Lebanese restaurant owner suspected of raising money for Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim group the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization, authorities said.

Thai Man Beheaded During Lunch Hour - BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Suspected Islamic separatists beheaded a man at a teashop Wednesday and then left his head in a sack on the side of the road, the latest in a series of bold attacks across southern Thailand defying government attempts to restore peace.

Blair: European Union Must Modernize - BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned on Thursday that the European Union must modernize or risk failure as an economic bloc and social model, saying the EU's current political crisis was an opportunity for change.

North Korea Bashes Bush-Defector Meeting - SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea condemned President Bush for meeting a prominent defector detained as a child in a prison camp, saying Thursday the move chilled the atmosphere for a return to nuclear disarmament talks.

Panel Criticizes Spanish Gov't Over Bombs - MADRID, Spain (AP) - The Spanish government in power at the time of the Madrid train bombings underestimated threats from Islamic militants and responded to the massacre by misleading voters in the face of an imminent election, a panel of lawmakers said Wednesday.

Activists March Through Egyptian Capital - CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - A few hundred reform activists marched through a Cairo neighborhood Wednesday unmolested by riot police while denouncing President Hosni Mubarak, whose security forces historically have used a heavy hand against anti-government demonstrators.

Japan Marks Anniversary of WWII Battle - ITOMAN, Japan (AP) - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led a somber ceremony Thursday marking the 60th anniversary of Japan's last-stand battle on Okinawa, which left more than 200,000 dead and sped the collapse of the country's World War II defenses.