Journal of a Brown Sand Sailor
Timothy L. Francis

9/6/06 Basrah, Iraq

Pics of the Day

Here are some more pictures of my visit to Shaiba last week.

I’ve included a picture of two Danish jeeps, the old dannebrog flag flying from each.

The flag – which is supposedly one of the oldest in the world – has an interesting creation myth. Supposedly, during a battle at Tallin between the Danes and an army of heathen Estonians on 15 June 1219, the Danes were in danger of routing when the flag fell from heaven into the hands of King Valdemaar. He then rallied his broken thanes and defeated the Balts, and that day is still a holiday in Denmark, apparently.

I find the policy of flying the flag (U.S. and British vehicles do not fly flags) very admirable, especially here. A more Christian flag would be difficult to find and yet the Danes fly it boldly in their fight against Islamic militiamen. No wonder the Danes gave the finger to all those idiots (NY Times included) during the cartoon controversy (have I mentioned recently I really dislike the NY Times editorial page?).

The more I think about it, the less it should come as much of a surprise that so many of the Coalition forces came from countries with long folk memories of the Turk – Italy, Romania, Poland, Spain and Portugal. All places with bloody histories, and stories ranging from centuries of Turkish oppression to tales of Arab slave raiders, which are still used by mothers to frighten children (at least in Portugal, as my friend Carlos relates).

When I think of connections like that it often starts those long trains of thought. For example, the above led me to one of the many religious and political differences between the West and Islam. What does it mean that so many Arab countries (and not Iraq, of course) outlaw churches – indeed, make conversion from Islam to Christianity punishable by death – when Western governments support, and indeed even pay for, the establishment of mosques in their cities? Is that an advantage, or a disadvantage, in our war against islamofascists? We can all guess what Orianna Fallaci would say. But what about you, O infidel dogs?

Have you heard that old joke about the Soviet Union? “The Socialist Paradise was more admirable the further away from it you lived, which explains Berkeley University…” I may be suffering from the reverse problem here, I’m too damn close to it, with everything ugly about Islam visible and exposed. The protests over the Pope’s remarks are perfect, practically illustrating his point.

Here also is a picture of four flags, a mostly unlikely collection. Can you guess the four countries?

And an armored vehicle, with an unusual flag and painted unit symbol. Isn’t that an odd insignia? Looks like an armored knight, yes? Note the scorpion painted on the helmet in the top gunner position. Can you sense a theme?

Lastly, a Zulu image painted on the side of a British engineer unit’s vehicle.

Fair Winds and Following Sands!

For past Brown Sand Sailor entries and pics, visit: Brown Sand Sailor Web Site

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