We could all use a vacation

Off to the s.o.'s family reunion tomorrow, and away from the computer for long stretches of time. So, thankfully, not many updates for a few days on the unhappily developing story of the 1st Platoon, B Company and their victims and enemies.

But having followed along from early in the reporting of the Mahmoudiyah crimes, I'm compelled to note today's NY Times story:

Insurgents posted an Internet video on Monday showing the mutilated bodies of two American soldiers abducted in June and found murdered days later during a search by American and Iraqi forces south of Baghdad. A message with the video says the soldiers were killed out of revenge for the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl in March, a crime in which at least six American soldiers are suspects.

My previous posts: June 30, July 5, July 7 (with many updates from following days).

On the bright side, the Sunnis in the Iraq assembly will resume attending, based on a promised release of their kidnaped colleague. The figleaf of unity threatened to shred completely a few days ago, when there was no word of her or her bodyguards (also taken), and the Sunni bloc vowed to pull its four ministers out of the government. This link covers those events and some grimmer ones.