The Current Online

by IAN SCOTT

3/26
* 1,000 U.S. troops were dropped into Kurdish-controlled territory.
* The Pentagon announced that war planners had underestimated the strength and capability of Iraqi paramilitary forces.
* Despite inclement weather, coalition forces advanced more than 220 miles into Iraqi territory.
* Seventy Iraqi armored vehicles were bombed by British aircraft near Umm Qasr. It is uncertain whether the vehicles were intended as a counter-attack on Umm Qasr or merely a retreat from Basra.

3/27
* Some of the heaviest bombing to date occurred in Baghdad.
* A B-2 bomber delivered the first two GBU-37 “bunker buster” bombs used in the war to date on Baghdad.
* Iraq’s information minister warned troops surrounding Baghdad that the city would be a “graveyard” for them.
* British military officials uncovered chemical weapons suits in an abandoned facility in southern Iraq.

3/28
* Kuwait City was struck for the first time when a missile hit near a mall. Two people more injured.
* U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced his suspicions that Syria was providing military equipment to Iraq.
* Iraqi paramilitaries fired on civilians fleeing Basra.

3/29
* After Turkey and Saudi Arabia complained of missiles landing in their countries, U.S. Navy ships in the Red and Mediterranean
* Seas ceased launching missiles over their airspace.
* Bloody battle fatigues believed to belong to an ambushed Army maintenance unit were found in a hospital in Nasiriya along with what appeared to be a torture device.
* An Iraqi suicide bomber killed four U.S. soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint near Najaf.

3/30
* Peter Arnett said in an interview on Iraqi TV, that U.S. war planners had underestimated Iraqi forces and were changing battle plans.
* A captured Iraqi general led U.S. troops to a weapons store that held 26 anti-aircraft missiles and six anti-aircraft guns.
* Fifteen U.S. troops were injured when an Egyptian electrician, working for the U.S. military, drove a pickup truck into a line of soldiers.

Since Jan 27, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) had been holding special registrations for men–many of whom are students–visiting our country from certain Middle Eastern nations.
Special registration, officially called the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), is a system that allows the government to track non-immigrants in the U.S. The system requires those visitors who are in the U.S. on temporary visas to register with and report to the INS. There are four elements to the program: entry processing, periodic reporting requirements, address change notification and departure control.
The first step of the process is a detailed interview with the traveler at the time of entry into the country. The traveler will be finger printed and photographed, and questioned about the details of his or her trip including planned activities, visits, residence and meetings. Records of the interviews will be kept on the INS database and the traveler is obligated to keep the INS informed of his or her activities.
For any special registrants who are in the country more than 30 days, an in-person interview is required during the ten-day period following the thirtieth day after his or her entry into the country. The special registrant will be fingerprinted and photographed again as proof of identity, questioned about their activities and future plans, and required to provide documentary evidence proving that he or she has maintained a lawful immigration status. For example, a non-immigrant student must present school records, transcripts and proof of tuition payment.
In addition to the 30-day interview, any special registrant who is in the country for more than a year must report for an in-person interview within the ten-day period following the anniversary of his or her last entry into the country.
Special registrants, like all non-immigrants, are required to notify the INS of any changes of address. Unlike other non-immigrants, special registrants must also notify the INS of any changes of employment and educational institution.
Finally, any special registrants wishing to depart the country must use specially designated ports that have the proper processing facilities. He or she must meet with an INS officer at the port on the date of departure, be subjected to final fingerprinting and photographing, questioned about their activities and required to provide final paperwork proving the lawfulness of their stay in the U.S.

by IAN M. SCOTT

Bravery is the realization that death will come when it comes; in the meantime, do your duty without fear.
Such is the wisdom of the men and legends portrayed in Gods and Generals, the new film by Ron Maxwell, director of Gettysburg.
Based on the novel by Jeffrey M. Shaara, the movie follows the story of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson from his call to arms through the events just after his death. It depicts the three battles in which Jackson crossed paths with the other main characters in the movie, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and chronicles elements of their lives from early 1861 through 1863.
As a prequel to Gettysburg, Gods and Generals is one book in a trilogy by the Shaara family. The first book, The Killer Angels, was the inspiration for Gettysburg and was authored by Michael Shaara, who passed away in 1988 before seeing his story brought to the screen. Maxwell then encouraged Jeffrey Shaara, Michael’s son, to write Gods and Generals and then The Last Full Measure, the third book in the series.
In the vein of Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, Gods and Generals relies on historical accuracy to bring life the heroes and sacrifices of one of the most devastating chapters of American history. Included in the fabric of the movie, are glimpses of several groups that usually escape the view of moviemakers. The lives and contributions of the wives and other women left at home, the little-known role of the blacks in the Confederate army and the contribution of the Irish in the armies on both sides are examined.
The hyper-accurate style of writing, successful in Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, continues to produce an excellent story in Gods and Generals. In a particularly moving scene, Union soldiers hopelessly attempt to storm a hill. As the line draws near the top, both sides realize that the other soldiers are Irish. Tears are shed on both sides as the very brothers and friends who fled the tyranny of Ireland together now find themselves shooting at one another in the “Land of Opportunity.”

The acting performances were of a more varied caliber. The most notable performance is that of Stephen Lang as Jackson. In a Hollywood where the trend is to downplay religious overtones, Lang brings Jackson’s intense religious nature to life with vivid, compelling and impacting strength.
On the other side of the battlefield, Jeff Daniels is superb playing Lt. Col. Chamberlain, a philosophy teacher who enlists to help lead the 20th Regiment of Maine Volunteers. Chamberlain’s intellectual background gave him a noble courage that fueled his relentless drive to fight for what he believed was right. Daniels also played Chamberlain in Gettysburg.
Robert Duvall again lent his considerable talent to the role of Gen. Lee, a role he brought to life in Gettysburg. In a relatively quiet performance, Duvall deftly gives Lee the religious fervor that augmented Lee’s natural military genius.
Beyond these, the supporting performances were, at times, over-acted but can perhaps be forgiven in the light of the emotional time being portrayed.
The directing, photography and effects are also of medium par. As a whole, the production is simple, but effective. The movie is carried by its story and acting, not by flashy cinematography or blazing special effects.
The main drawback for Gods and Generals is its length. At a running time of three hours and 39 minutes for the actual movie, plus additional time for previews and a rare, 11-minute intermission, going to see this movie may take some advance planning and scheduling.

by IAN M. SCOTT

The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry Saturday morning, killing all seven of its crew including Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut.
NASA is far from establishing even a theory of what brought about the shuttle’s demise.
Video of the liftoff shows the left wing being hit by insulating foam from an external fuel tank. Inspection of the wing revealed only minor damage to the ceramic thermal tiles. Such damage is fairly common and Columbia was deemed safe for re-entry.
Upon re-entry, six minutes before the shuttle disintegrated, sensors on the left wing and side of the shuttle recorded a 60-degree rise in temperature in five minutes.
More than 1400 debris fields occupying an area 100 miles long by 10 miles wide stretch across eastern Texas and western Louisiana making efforts to recover any substantial amount of the wreckage so daunting as to seem impossible. Even so, wreckage is being found and local citizens are being warned against approaching or touching the debris. Officials consider the debris dangerous because of the possible presence of toxic materials such as fuel.