Iraq Weekend Updates
Thursday:
Tom Clancy: "Is Wolfowitz working for our side?"
[LINK-Informed Comment]
*Note- see my own recent comments [LINK] about the seemingly anti-American activities by some of the NeoCons.*
Friday:
The situation in Iraq acutely threatens Israeli security
[LINK-Informed Comment];
Iran Leader Slams Caretaker Government in Iraq [LINK];
Iraq as Failed State [LINK]
Saturday:
5 US Troops Killed in Iraq, 5 wounded,New Accord in Najaf
[LINK-Informed Comment]
Sunday:
Sistani Meets Muqtada; Ceasefire Taking Hold
[LINK-Informed Comment]
Internet muse.
Daring, bold, never sold.
My daily weblog of politics, humor, philosophy...and a constant and nagging reminder of the existence of universal love....
Sunday, June 06, 2004
Who Is Francis Brooke?
Who Is Francis Brooke?
--Ahmed Chalabi's right-hand man in Baghdad
--An American consultant
--An Iraqi National Congress lobbyist
--Worked with the shady Rendon group on the Iraq project, a London-based C.I.A.-funded program to influence global opinion on Saddam Hussein.
--An evangelical Christian
--Ex-CIA consultant
--A recent consultant for BKSH and Associates, a company run by Charlie Black, a Republican Party veteran.
--A man who has boasted of engineering the war on Iraq by providing the United States the "evidence" it was seeking on (apparently non-existent)weapons of mass destruction along with Saddam's supposed ties to terrorists.
Where is Francis Brooke now?
--It's thought he scrambled back to Washington D.C.
Who wants to know?
An Iraqi judge...Judge Zuhair Al-Maliky of the central criminal court in Baghdad, to be precise.
Why?
Francis Brooke allegedly obstructed the Iraqi police from conducting a legitimate raid on Ahmed Chalabi's place. They say Brooke stopped the Chalabi raid by telling the police they didn't have the legal power to do it because "he was an American and they were Iraqis."
Reports from Iran suggest Francis Brooke acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, passing letters between the two governments, which do not have diplomatic relations.
Brooke is trying to pass the buck and blame it all on a fellow by the name of Arras Habib, who is Chalabi's security chief.
[LINK]
More on Francis Brooke:
--Telegraph: Iraqi judge orders arrest of American aide to Chalabi
--Disinfopedia
--New Yorker- The Manipulator
--MSNBC- Chalabi-A questionable use of U.S. Funding
--Washington Post- Chalabi Aides Suspected of Spying for Iran; Raid at Leader's Home Targeted His Associates
--Ahmed Chalabi's right-hand man in Baghdad
--An American consultant
--An Iraqi National Congress lobbyist
--Worked with the shady Rendon group on the Iraq project, a London-based C.I.A.-funded program to influence global opinion on Saddam Hussein.
--An evangelical Christian
--Ex-CIA consultant
--A recent consultant for BKSH and Associates, a company run by Charlie Black, a Republican Party veteran.
--A man who has boasted of engineering the war on Iraq by providing the United States the "evidence" it was seeking on (apparently non-existent)weapons of mass destruction along with Saddam's supposed ties to terrorists.
Where is Francis Brooke now?
--It's thought he scrambled back to Washington D.C.
Who wants to know?
An Iraqi judge...Judge Zuhair Al-Maliky of the central criminal court in Baghdad, to be precise.
Why?
Francis Brooke allegedly obstructed the Iraqi police from conducting a legitimate raid on Ahmed Chalabi's place. They say Brooke stopped the Chalabi raid by telling the police they didn't have the legal power to do it because "he was an American and they were Iraqis."
Reports from Iran suggest Francis Brooke acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, passing letters between the two governments, which do not have diplomatic relations.
Brooke is trying to pass the buck and blame it all on a fellow by the name of Arras Habib, who is Chalabi's security chief.
More on Francis Brooke:
--Telegraph: Iraqi judge orders arrest of American aide to Chalabi
--Disinfopedia
--New Yorker- The Manipulator
--MSNBC- Chalabi-A questionable use of U.S. Funding
--Washington Post- Chalabi Aides Suspected of Spying for Iran; Raid at Leader's Home Targeted His Associates
Elvis chicken at Google Blog
Elvis chicken at Google Blog
I borrowed this recipe for fried chicken from Charlie Ayers at the Google Blog. It was a recipe he summoned up the nerve to extract from a southern cook named Robert Brown who had allegedly fried the stuff up for Elvis Presley at one point in time.
[LINK]
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Elvis Loved
*Google-sized portions; read all the way through to get the total amounts needed*
1/2 c thyme
1/4 c oregano
1/4 c basil
1/2 c onion powder
1/2 c garlic powder
1/2 c dry mustard
1/2 c paprika
1/4 c chili powder
1/2 c celery seed
2 Tbsp salt
1/2 c coriander
1/2 c cumin
1/3 c kosher salt
1/4 c cayenne pepper
1/2 c ground black pepper
1/4 c ground white pepper
3 gals. buttermilk
3 cases organic free range chicken (roughly 30 chickens, divided into 1.5- to 2-lb. sections)
Mix these amounts of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then whisk in the buttermilk until it's thoroughly mixed.
Pour the batter over the chickens and marinate for up to five days - keep refrigerated, of course.
For frying
Now mix another 4x the above dry ingredients, and add:
2 lbs. cornstarch
8 qts. all-purpose organic whole wheat flour
Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the dry herbs/flour/cornstarch mixture mix.
Fry the dredged chicken in a large skillet with hot peanut oil @ 375 degrees. Once chicken has reached a golden brown color, finish cooking it in the oven.
Thanks for sharing, Charlie!
I borrowed this recipe for fried chicken from Charlie Ayers at the Google Blog. It was a recipe he summoned up the nerve to extract from a southern cook named Robert Brown who had allegedly fried the stuff up for Elvis Presley at one point in time.
[LINK]
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Elvis Loved
*Google-sized portions; read all the way through to get the total amounts needed*
1/2 c thyme
1/4 c oregano
1/4 c basil
1/2 c onion powder
1/2 c garlic powder
1/2 c dry mustard
1/2 c paprika
1/4 c chili powder
1/2 c celery seed
2 Tbsp salt
1/2 c coriander
1/2 c cumin
1/3 c kosher salt
1/4 c cayenne pepper
1/2 c ground black pepper
1/4 c ground white pepper
3 gals. buttermilk
3 cases organic free range chicken (roughly 30 chickens, divided into 1.5- to 2-lb. sections)
Mix these amounts of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then whisk in the buttermilk until it's thoroughly mixed.
Pour the batter over the chickens and marinate for up to five days - keep refrigerated, of course.
For frying
Now mix another 4x the above dry ingredients, and add:
2 lbs. cornstarch
8 qts. all-purpose organic whole wheat flour
Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the dry herbs/flour/cornstarch mixture mix.
Fry the dredged chicken in a large skillet with hot peanut oil @ 375 degrees. Once chicken has reached a golden brown color, finish cooking it in the oven.
Thanks for sharing, Charlie!
Tie-runn-eee
Tie-run-eee
Bush said today, in tribute to former President Reagan, that he had saved the world from an "era of fear and tyranny".
Ronald Reagan never would have pronounced the word 'TYRANNY' as TIE-RUNN-EEE.
Good heavens.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My father crapped bigger ones than George Bush."
--Ronald P. Reagan
Bush said today, in tribute to former President Reagan, that he had saved the world from an "era of fear and tyranny".
Ronald Reagan never would have pronounced the word 'TYRANNY' as TIE-RUNN-EEE.
Good heavens.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My father crapped bigger ones than George Bush."
--Ronald P. Reagan
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