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So, I inadvertently crashed an O4P event last night. Long story short, I wanted to see Undefeated, and I wound up with a little more than I bargained for. I thought I'd share some insights, while the scene is still fresh in my head. The local theater was hosting a private screening of the Undefeated, followed by a Q&A session with the director, Stephen Bannon. Mr. Bannon, was apparently pulled away at the last minute 'For a project that I think you'll all like', we were told, at which point none other than Andrew Brietbart was called to substitute in....

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents have sought to intensify attacks during a Baghdad security crackdown and additional U.S. forces will be sent to areas outside the capital where militant groups are regrouping, the new commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said Thursday. U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said the troop buildups outside Baghdad will focus on Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, a growing hotbed for suspected Sunni extremists fleeing the U.S.-Iraqi security operation in Baghdad. But Petraeus stressed that military force alone is "not sufficient" to end the violence in Iraq and political talks must eventually include some militant groups now opposing...

US President George W. Bush on Saturday pledged to contribute training and an unspecified sum of money to help the Philippines military as it embarks on a five-year modernization and reform plan. "Today, President (Gloria Macapagal-)Arroyo and her government committed to a five-year plan to modernize and reform your military," Bush said in remarks prepared for delivery to lawmakers here during an eight-hour state visit. "My country will provide technical assistance, field expertise, and funding," he promised in what was the first speech by a US president to a joint session of the Philippines Congress since Dwight Eisenhower in 1960....

Macapagal confirms coup, orders arrest of mutineers (UPDATED) PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to arrest a small band of officers who have plotted a mutiny against her government. The group of officers, she said, would be severely punished when arrested. "On my orders, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are hunting down to arrest a small band of rogue junior officers and soldiers who have deserted their posts and illegally brought weapons with them," she said. "They have broken the law," Ms Macapagal...

Police see 'inside job' behind Al-Ghozi escape POLICE were looking at the possibility that the escape of a bomb expert of the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and two members of the Abu Sayyaf was an "inside job," a police officer investigating the incident said Tuesday. "There was no forcible exit. There was no damage to the door, window or any part of the prison cell," Chief Superintendent Eduardo Matillano, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), told GMA-7 radio and television. "There was a serious neglect of duty on the part of the guards and officials,"...

It's final: Balikatan war games to be held in Sulu Inquirer News Service Modified version ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The new Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya has confirmed that the controversial Balikatan 03-1 joint military exercise with the United States is to be held in Sulu after all. But defense and military officials have apparently left open-ended the issue of whether or not US forces would be deployed in those parts of the province that are deemed as "too hostile." "The presence of US forces in hostile areas may be minimized or they may not be deployed in...

United States of Whatever

Iraqis aiding us, Abu leader admits ZAMBOANGA CITY -- An Abu Sayyaf leader has revealed that the kidnap-for-ransom gang receives money from people close to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Iraqi financial support for the extremist group, which now styles itself as the Al-Harakatul Al-Islamiya (Islamic Movement), started coming in when the Abu Sayyaf was able to demonstrate that it was capable of putting the Philippines in a bad light, said Hamsiraji Sali, a bandit leader based in Basilan. "We showed this by kidnapping more than 70 people in Tumahubong and Sinangkapan," Sali said in a phone interview. The bandit leader...

President gives military 90-day deadline to crush the ASG PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday imposed a 90-day deadline on the military to crush the Abu Sayyaf bandit group as she also ordered them to go after those responsible for an attack on a power transmission tower in Mindanao that resulted in an extensive power outage. The President cited the recent capture of an enclave operated by another Muslim rebel group after being given a week to do so as evidence the military "follow deadlines very well." "I suppose they'll be able (to do it.) If they have the proper allocation...

Death awaits US soldiers, Muslim leaders in Sulu warn by: Julie S. Alipala and Ayan C. Mellejor Date: February 24, 2003 'Suicide' ZAMBOANGA CITY-Muslim political leaders here warned American soldiers joining combat operations in Sulu that they would be digging their own graves. "It's like committing suicide, given the historical background of Sulu against the US colonization way back in (the) 1900s," Sulu Congressman Hussein Amin told the Inquirer. Gov. Parouk Hussin of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao shared the same view, saying the people of Sulu "have not forgotten their horrible experience" under the American soldiers. In 1906,...

Tausugs harbor grudge vs US soldiers, warns MNLF leader ONCE US soldiers set foot on Sulu, any distinction between armed groups there will be erased, the deputy secretary general for military affairs of the Moro National Liberation Front Executive Council of 15 warned Friday. Abuamri Taddik said thousands of Tausug were killed during the Filipino-American war, and that today's Tausug were always reminded of the number and names of the dead. He said that as a Tausug and an MNLF officer formerly active in the fight for self-determination, he knew that "the grudge is something that lives from generation to...

Code of Conduct for Members of the U.S. Armed Forces I I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. II I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist. III If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole ...