-Caveat Lector- Did everybody see this in yesterday's (12/20) *New York Times*? Best, Harry Allen Desert Fish? Uh, Scratch That. By JAMES BARRON They were going to call it Desert Viper, but the second word had to begin with an F. Desert Fiper? Generals do not like to sound foolish. Well, what about Desert Ferret or Desert Flamingo? OK, maybe those handles lack that certain something. But Desert Fox? That was the nickname of Erwin Rommel, the fabled North African field marshal of Hitler's army. The Pentagon wanted to name the campaign against Iraq desert-something-or- other to be consistent with names for other operations in the Persian Gulf, like Desert Storm in 1991. Desert Viper may have a ferocious ring, but under Pentagon protocol, the military command planning the operation -- in this case, the one based at McGill Air Force Base near Tampa, Fla. -- was supposed to choose a name beginning with D or F. Enter a computer data base, known at the Pentagon, the world capital of acronyms, as the Nicaa. (Don't even ask what that stands for.) It decided that the second word should begin with an F. "Fiper" is not in the dictionary, of course, and "Desert Fiper" doesn't have the right ring. So high-level types at McGill settled on fox. Eventually, Defense Secretary William Cohen approved the name Desert Fox. Did anybody think of Rommel, who was portrayed by James Mason in not one but two Hollywood films? "Nobody," said Lt. Col. David Thurston, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "That was not in the mix. I know that it's been speculated on by various members of the media and others, but that did not enter into it." Marc Schneier, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, accepted that explanation. "I am sure the powers that be did not associate the name with the Nazi general," he said. "And as it happens, the choice could be something positive, because in the aftermath of this campaign, the term Desert Fox will no longer be associated with a Nazi officer, but instead will be associated with a determined effort to stop a mad dictator from acquiring weapons of mass destruction." Sunday, December 20, 1998 <A HREF="aol://4344:104.nytcopy.6445375.574106743">Copyright 1998 The New York Times</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
