On July 3, 1988, the US Navy missile cruiser Vincennes was operating illegally miles inside Iran's waters on a mission of provocation.  At the same time, a routine and on schedule flight by Iranian airlines, was on time and on course in the area.  The Vincennes had the published schedule on board.  Two missiles were launched at the unarmed civilian airliner, and at least one hit the plane, blowing it apart and sending 290 civilians, including 66 children, into the Gulf.  

The Associated Press has just reported that a top Army general, just after recommending Pat Tillman for a posthumous Silver Star, warned George W. Bush that the story on which the medal was based was false.  

Today is D-Day, June 6, a day to remember.  A tribute to Steve Gilliard, who would have reminded us of this today.

Hal Baumgarten was 18 when he was drafted and left his home in the Bronx to fight the Germans in Normandy.  An NYU student, he had a chance for a college deferment, but he turned it down.

On the night before the invasion, 63 years ago today, on the troop ship he wrote his last letter home before boarding the landing craft.

I drew this big Star of David on my field jacket, with the "Bronx, New York," underneath it. It was my act of defiance. I didn't expect to live through it. I wrote home to my sister, Ethel, who lived in a two-family house with my folks, that when the telegram comes, run down and get the telegram first and break the news gently. I had made up my mind I wasn't coming back.

His mission was to storm Omaha Beach.

Kickbacks to government contractors in the IT world, involving Sun, Hewlett-Packard, and Accenture.  

The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, allege that the three companies submitted false claims to the U.S. government on "numerous" government contracts since the late 1990s. The lawsuits, originally filed by Accenture employee Norman Rille and another whistleblower, accuse the companies of creating alliance relationships with dozens of other vendors, giving each other discounts or rebates on products or work for government contracts. The companies did not pass the rebates on to their government clients, according to a DOJ court filing.

"Millions of dollars of kickbacks were sought, received, offered and paid" among the three companies and other technology partners, the DOJ said in a court filing made public Thursday. Any rebates vendors receive as part of a U.S. government contract belong to the government, the DOJ said.

There was a delay in finding the second group of victims:

RAMADI - Another 25 decomposed bodies were found in a school in Ramadi, 110 km (70 miles) west of Baghdad, police said. The latest discovery came a day after 17 bodies were found in a deserted school in Ramadi.

At least 160 people were killed in Baghdad itself today.

The "decider" who chose to set in motion this tragedy defended 'gun rights' today.  Many on the right are claiming that armed students would have prevented or helped the situation at Virginia Tech.  Now, Iraq is the most heavily armed country in the world, where self-defense with guns is practiced daily.  Let's see how well the armed citizenry of Iraq fared in defending themselves from gunmen on the day of the Virginia Tech tragedy:

April 16 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq as of 1915 GMT on Monday:

MOSUL - Gunmen killed Talal al-Jalili, the Dean of the Political Science College, in a drive-by shooting in Mosul, police said.
HAWIJA - Gunmen killed the imam of a Sunni mosque in the town of Hawija, 70 km southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces killed three Iraqi policemen in a case of friendly fire during a raid against suspected al Qaeda militants in Ramadi, the U.S. military said. It said American forces had come under small arms fire and returned fire. Seven insurgents were arrested.

Sadr's ministers will quit the Iraqi coalition government today. Can Bush’s precious Oil Law, a major hidden priority of pushing the “surge” plan on Iraq, be passed? Unlikely with crippled ministres and these conditions in the streets:

Bodies littered the street and body parts were found as far as 160 yards from the site of the explosion. Three buses of passengers were charred and storefronts lay in shambles.

At least 167 people were injured in the bombing, but the death toll was expected to increase because of still-unidentified bodies and serious injuries, said Saleem Kadhim, spokesman for the Karbala health directorate.

As police and ambulances approached to carry away victims, angry residents shot at them, witnesses said. The police responded, firing bullets into the air to dissipate the angry crowd. As the bullets rained down, a child and elderly man were killed, witnesses said.

From Gonzales' pre-released opening statement for Tuesday's hearing:

At this point, we can all agree that U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. We further should agree on a definition of what an “improper” reason for the removal of a U.S. Attorney would be. As former Acting Solicitor General and Assistant Attorney General Walter Dellinger has stated, an improper reason would be: “The replacement of one or more U.S. attorneys in order to impede or speed along particular criminal investigations for illegitimate reasons.”

You mean like this, Alberto?  From today's Albuquerque Journal:

TIME magazine just posted this.  2004 war crimes charges previously filed in courts by former Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo inmates, are now being re-filed in light of Rumsfeld's firing.  Previously the two largest hurdles were the possible "immunity" of Rumsfeld due to his high ranking US government job, and the US promise that he was being investigated for his role in the torture of prisoners.  Since both of those arguments are now moot, the top German prosecutors have once again been asked to file criminal charges against Rumsfeld and others.  I think this is one of the main reasons why Rummy's henchman Stephen Cambone retired yesterday.

AP Reports that there is a shortage of blood in the US Army stockpiles, blood being donated goes directly to Iraq.

The demand for blood - almost all of which goes to a battlefield - has grown 400 percent since the war in Iraq began, he said. The quota the Army gave donation centers before combat operations began in Afghanistan was roughly 25 units a week, or $6,300 if purchased commercially.

Please recommend.  If you're eligible, please donate.  Although civilians cannot donate, the word needs to be spread about this as much as possible, certain people (meaning Rummy) obviously do not want high publicity on this.  

PLEASE recommend, I have never asked this before on any diary.  Austinites are organizing a convoy to get refugees being turned away from the Astrodome/Houston area to 750 volunteer homes in Austin that are waiting.  The homes are ready, the transport is beginning to be organized.  Volunteers are needed included those with tech skills such as an instant web site to match more refugees with volunteer homes, hosting for the web site, etc.  This is a very rapid response and HELP IS NEEDED, TEXAS SHELTERS ARE FULL!  Kos Texans?  HELP!!! Thank you!

CONTACT E-MAIL clarkleewalker1@mac.com ASTRODOME TO AUSTIN HOMES

We MUST get these people to waiting homes NOW!

Washington Post:  Ghost Detainees Have been Removed from Iraq in the last six months (which means AFTER Abu Ghraib broke on April 30).

It's here.